*Kiara's POV*
The ride was uncomfortable. He had insisted that I ride in his carriage. His big carriage that always felt crowded when he was there. He was man-spreading, but his carriage was big enough for four people to sleep comfortably,so our legs barely touched. I had stiffened like a statue in the carriage; I wasn't talking or moving, and I found myself letting out small fits of air when I remembered to breathe. The only thing I swore not to do was cry,especially not in front of him.
I fought the urge to lose control by redirecting my emotions from sorrow to anger.When the sad memories flooded back in my head and the pain reached its peak,I cursed him. But I was smart about it. I did it in Spanish, and it was all in a low mutter. The vilest curses in my diction were all thrown upon him while he sat there with his ego-filled chest staring out the window like a proud warrior taking his captive home.
He was pensive for some reason and did not speak about the random words I uttered,so I continued.
I remembered my father's distraught face. I knew it would be incredibly hard on him; he could barely manage to speak to me in a clear voice. And this is someone who took pride in composure. His pride didn't allow him to come down and hug me one last time before I entered Adriel's carriage. I genuinely regretted the fact that I was the cause of this pain.
My heart ached more, not knowing when I would ever see him again,or if I would ever see him again, for that matter. My eyes got teary, but I swore to the heavens that I wouldn't let it fall.
I sniffed and told myself to keep strong. But I was failing,and failing miserably. My vision got blurry, and before I knew it, a drop ran quickly down my cheek,fell into the fabric of my dress, and disappeared out of existence. I muttered a curse in Spanish and wiped my face carefully.
I saw Adriel glance at me when I cursed.
" I don't like seeing pretty ladies cry over spilled milk." He said coolly.
His voice reached the hallowed parts of my stomach and spread through my body with electric heat. I frowned at myself. I was beginning to think that my body, heart, and mind all work individually and do not consult each other before taking action.
I covered up this unwanted feeling with my anger and glared at him.
"Maldito engendro si satanas." (You cursed the spawn of Satan.)" I hissed in Spanish,not bothering to do it quietly.
"Una dama bonita no deberia decir malas palabras. (A pretty lady also shouldn't cuss,) he retorted back in the same language as his eyes narrowed at my lips in disapproval.
I froze momentarily when the sound of his voice reached my ears. He just spoke Spanish.And he did so fluently too, and judging by how fast his response came in, he understood well. He understood everything—every curse I have rained on since I got in this carriage.
I suddenly felt pretty aware of my environment and that we were alone. Way ahead of anyone I knew and trusted—the third carriage in the procession. If he did decide to harm me here,I couldn't be saved.
"Of course you speak Spanish...."I groaned in annoyance,debating if I should apologise.
He went quiet again. Too quiet. I should enjoy this. I should keep quiet too and pretend nothing ever happened. But my curiosity—my damn curiosity—will be the end of me.
"Why didn't you say anything earlier?"
A rich,beautiful smirk grew on his lips. "It was either that or you do that little frown, and honestly, cursing is a far more healthy way to let out your emotions. I wanted you to taste a bit of....dark pleasure.You feel far better now, don't you?"
I squinted my nose, and very few people noticed my 'little frown'. I was quite annoyed by his knowledge of it; it made me feel like I was a book on display and he was reading me without my permission.
"No,I do not feel better,not one bit."
"It's no sin to admit you feel pleasure doing something wrong, darling; we all do."
I scoffed at his logic. It was as if he was trying to convert me into a sect of demons. I searched for a way to discard the topic. Something told me I would lose this argument and probably my soul if I ventured further with him.
"Since you are such a genius with psychology and so concerned about my 'emotional health'. Why, in God's name, did you force me to go along with you despite my pleas?I begged you."
He turned his head slowly to me; his gray hair pierced deeply into mine as if he were about to say something thoughtful, but he looked away with a sigh. "Pride."
"What?"I asked.
"Pride. I did consider listening , but if I had listened to you,my ego would have been hurt. I caused quite a lot of noise before you showed up. And I already did you a favor by not returning the punches your father sent, so it would have been extremely embarrassing to leave without you. And people will assume I care about you, and I will be labelled weak."
My jaw dropped. "So what you mean is... you forced me and tore me away from my father because you are ego-filled and selfish;and you do not care about me and don't want anyone to get that fact confused."
"I don't remember adding selfishness," he said thoughtfully. "Good summary."
"This marriage will be my doom." I said it loudly to myself.
"You will survive."
"Why?"I asked.
"Why what?"
"Why me..."
His hands rubbed my chin as he spoke his next word. "There's a thrill in the tale of forbidden fruits."
I bit my bottom lip hard. I was simply a conquest at this point. A pang grew in my heart and sent a wash of sadness over me.
"I actually believed that they were just rumours,that you were just intimidating and deep,very deep down, You had a heart. And perhaps you cared,even if it was just the slightest bit. I couldn't be more wrong."
There was a loud silence, so loud.I felt bad about what I said and wanted to take it back.
" Are you hungry?" He asked after a short pause.
I blinked hard,slightly startled at the sudden change in topic.
"Stop the coach!" he commanded, taking his attention off my stunned face., and in a matter of seconds,the carriage stopped moving.
I stared at him as he got down,wondering if he heard me.
He came over to the other side and opened the door,offering his hand. He looked like a perfect gentleman with his hand offered to me like that. The fool in me noted this moment so I could convince myself that he wasn't all that bad and that all chivalry wasn't lost in him.
I raised my hand to take his, but then suddenly heard a familiar voice calling my name. It was distant and almost faint, but I could tell it was in suppressed pain. Another yell, and I recognized the voice instantly. It was Shadrach. What on Earth was happening back there?
I jumped out of the carriage in panic,ignoring Adriel's hand.
"Shadrach?!" I called him when I couldn't see him in sight.There were several Valerian guards that had circled around our carriage, and they all seemed deaf to Shadrach's cries. I realized that my commands wouldn't make them move an inch, so I turned back to Adriel,pleading that he does something,anything.
"What is going on? " he asked calmly,as if he was also deaf to Shadrach's cries.
"Someone claiming to be a friend of Princess Kiara was caught with magical concoctions and potent vampire poisons."
"He is the Royal Wizard; he always takes those with him everywhere. It has nothing to do with you." I lied.
More screams.
"What in God's name are you doing to him?!"I yelled frantically.
"Bring him here." Adriel ordered behind me.
He was thrown like a dog before us.I gasped and went over to him to study his face. He was bruised pretty badly, a few punches here and there , but he was okay. He will heal soon.
I wanted to scold him for bringing those things, knowing very well the company we were in, but I didn't want to say it in Spanish,the only other language he knew. Adriel will hear.
So instead, I just hugged him tightly and gave him an assuring smile before my fiance called me back to his side.
"What should we do to him, your highness?" the guard who reported him asked with a killer gaze at Shadrach.
I stared at Adriel with pleading eyes,but quickly got terrified of how cold and lifeless his grey were as they set on Shadrach. It was as if he was planning a slow death for him, filled with much torture.
"Seize the poisons but let him be." Adriel answered in an even-toned, calm voice. The direct opposite of how his dark gaze was.
I thought I saw it soften a bit as it turned toward me. "It would soon be dark soon,we would stay at Cresent Moon Castle and continue the journey tomorrow?"
I nodded,unsure of what to say.
* * *
"It is our honour having you here again with us,Your Highness." The Cresmoon King said to Adriel with a fake smile.
"You are right,it is your honour." Adriel snarled beside me as he sipped his whiskey. He hadn't eaten a morsel from the table. He had spent the entire dinner answering our hosts rudely,being withdrawn and drinking whiskey.
"We are eternally grateful for your kindness." I added,feeling the need to compensate for Adriel's attitude.
I felt Adriel's eyes brush my cheek, sending heat through my veins again. This was the third time tonight that he had put me under scrutiny. I needed to leave to get away from that gaze. I wasn't that hungry anyway.
"I must go take some rest now.The food was great.Thank you once again."
Alone in my room at last, I turned to water for therapy.I had a long bath with a variety of scented flowers and an interesting lavender face mask. I slipped on the first nightdress I found. It was a pink transparent dress with laces at the back.
One reason I was extra nice to the Cresmoon's was because they offered us two rooms instead of assuming we wanted one. Talk about Werewolf Royalty looking out for each other.
Adriel's room was at least three doors away, and Carlotta had exhausted herself packing so I wouldn't be disturbed tonight.
I looked around for a book but then realized that I wasn't in my room and there was no bookshelf anywhere. That strange feeling of doom hit me again, and I remembered how different my life would be.I turned off some candles and decided to do a short silent prayer to the moon goddess.
"Do you think that sounded convincing?" Adriel's voice hit me,making my soul nearly jump out of my body. It sounded incredibly deep,angry, and fuck…so sexy.
"What--how long have you been… What are you doing here?" I finally asked when my tongue decided to act right.
"The royal wizard randomly takes along with him twenty different assortments of vampire poisons everywhere he goes; you are not a good liar." He said as he was walking towards me. The dimly lit room wasn't helping with how menacing and charming he looked at the same time.
I rolled my eyes and backed away, but he kept approaching me. My poor heart started pounding hard.
"He is weird. It's what he does; I wasn't lying." I whispered,my eyes searching for a way to leave the room.
"Another. Lie." Adriel said coldly as my back hit the wall. He rested an arm on the wall and stared down at me as if waiting for me to bite my tongue and admit it. I didn't. I decided to show him I wasn't scared of him and stared into his eyes instead. My eyes trailed to his perfect chiselled jaw,his thick eyebrows, and those long lashes.My eyes landed on his and I realized something.
My doom wasnt an issue of fear of my life; it was something totally different.His presence didn't scare me because he could grip me and kill me, what scared about his entire presence is that he could grip me and fuck me, and I will still beg for more.
"I lied," I spat defeatedly. "So what?"
"Was it worth it? Tell me, Neonata,"he said, raising my chin back up to meet the glint in his eyes when I tried to look down.
"An angel like you should have no business lying…did you like it though?"
"The fact is it was just to make sure that you don't harm him. Your logic of evil is just…"
I shuddered away the last part of the sentence as his fingers trailed to the fabric above my breasts.
"This is wrong..." I breathed,fighting not to be aroused.
"I know, my darling,"he said, turning my face to whiskey whisper against my ear. "But just like lying. It feels good, doesn't it?"