Damien
At Raymond's question, a thunderclap went off in my head. My rage rushed to the surface, and I asked; "What did you say?"
He stupidly repeated, "Do you have feelings for her—"
"Shut up!" It was more of a threat than I had intended to.
Silence covered the space between us and an uneasy itch began to grow at the back of my throat, alongside my rage— I didn't have feelings for Arielle.
I only felt concerned because we were mated but Raymond didn't have to know this…
"You may leave," I growled, turning to the window.
"Yes, Damien..."
I only glared at him until he slowly turned away and the door closed softly behind him.
---
That conversation between Raymond and I lingered in my head till the morning. Even as I dragged myself to the bathroom, I couldn't push the thoughts of her away…
"It's just the bond," I mumbled to myself.
But as I stared hard at the mirror, my reflection looked different. There was a little glow in my eyes. Anytime I thought about Arielle, it got stronger.
"Oh goddess, what are you doing to me?" I closed my eyes, hoping to clear away the strange glow but a sudden knock on my door snapped me out of it.
With a frown, I walked quickly to the door. "Who's there?" I demanded
"Beatrice." She whispered.
I opened the door and pulled her inside. "So, what is it? Did you find it? If you are coming here, you have a valid point, right?"
"Yeah, I have something but it's quite risky—"
"We?" I frowned. "I thought I told you to keep it between us?"
"No! My lord, we have been working with Hexes before, but not like this. Me and my colleague came up with something."
I swallowed my anger and glared at her. "What's it? and does it work?"
"We don't know yet."
My eyes instantly narrowed as my wolf snarled. "Then why are you wasting my time?"
"It's a potion and it only works in theory. We haven't practiced with it yet, but it should work. That's the only thing we have right now…"
Unlike the tone of her voice, I found her report, surprisingly good.
My eyes lit up with interest. This was our first breakthrough. I turned back to her. "Tell me about this potion."
"It's back at the workshop, you will need to follow me there. I have the ingredients and spells ready."
"Good, I have to go get Arielle myself," I said eagerly. "Go back to your workshop, I will join you in a bit."
As soon as Beatrice left, I finished washing my face and put on my clothes before hurrying down to Arielle's quarters.
In record time, I got there and didn't bother knocking. I slammed open the door to her room, but it was empty.
—Oddly empty, to add. From the way the room was arranged, it was a sign that its occupant had been missing for a long time.
A frown covered my face as I wondered where she would have gone so early in the morning. She couldn't have started working, Could she?
I walked to her wardrobe and checked inside for her uniform. Surprisingly, it was there, and it was the only cloth there. I knew she didn't have a lot, but the wardrobe looked substantially empty.
A strange feeling trickled through me and my wolf became restless. This wasn't a good sign at all, I didn't like it.
Quickly, I half ran down the stairs to the kitchen, but she wasn't there. That was when I started to really worry. I peered into the kitchen again, hoping I missed her, but she wasn't there.
"Raymond," I mumbled and rushed to the stables. But neither she nor Raymond was there.
Something truly wasn't right.
I steeled my resolve and headed for the exit which led to the food court— hoping that maybe, she just sneaked for some food again.
But even as I got there, it was the same. She wasn't there, only for some workers and officials preparing themselves for breakfast.
My chest tingled and my wolf became even more restless.
'... Damien....'
"Yes! I know! I feel it too." I whispered to my wolf as my eyes scanned the crowd.
Unlike in the inner rooms of the manor, I could sense her presence here. She was around.
Her distinctive features went through my mind. Her red hair made her stand out more in a crowd. If she were smart, she would be covering her head. She should be wearing a hoodie.
As soon as I thought about this, a hooded figure floated between people suspiciously. The form was small, like a young woman.
I saw the flash of jewelry slipping into the large clothes— Pickpocketing, definitely Arielle.
I glided into the crowd and approached her like a predator.
It wasn't long before I appeared at her side. The moment she came my way and looked out of her hoodie, I grabbed her by the arm forcefully and pulled her away.
She gasped in fear but followed me, silently.
"Pickpocketing, really? Is that how low you are?" I growled the moment we got away from the crowd.
"I— I didn't do that. That's just your speculation!" She stuttered.
My eyes narrowed at her reply and rather than reply, I let my hand abruptly pick the jewelry in between the heavy cover she wore and revealed a golden watch.
"My father would be happy about this." I sighed.
A small bag under the cover caught my eyes and I glanced at her. She made to cover it, but she was too late. "What's that?" I lowered the watch.
"It's nothing, not of your concern—hey!"
I grabbed the bag from her and emptied its contents on the floor. It was full of clothes— and underwear.
"Were you thinking of leaving?" I growled as sudden anger filled my cells.
"I— I don't know what you are saying—"
"Don't lie to me! Why are you leaving?!" I didn't even know why I was furious, but I couldn't stop myself.
"I'm tired, Damien. I'm tired of everything." Her eyes flashed with defiance and my heart flipped. "I can't live like this anymore, enough of this injustice, and let me go. How long do you want to punish me?"
"Are you mad?!"
She bent down and picked up her stuff. She dragged her hair behind her ears and looked up at me. "You can't stop me, even if you stop me today, I will leave someday. I've made up my mind."
My wolf and my emotions got the better of me and I grabbed her arms.
"You aren't going anywhere. I have Riley."
Her eyes lit up and the defiance slowly faded. "Please don't do anything to her. I am the one you have a problem with. Not her!"
"I won't touch a hair on her head… but if you leave, I will kill her." I threatened.
She held her hands together. "Please leave Riley out of this, I will do what you want."
I wore a nasty smirk on my face. "Good. You are coming with me now, to the apprentice' shop."
Another gasp escaped her lips, and she cried out; "Why?"
I turned back at her and smirked. "We are taking away that Hex of yours, tonight."