Thalia observed his dumbfounded expression with a bright smile. In all her years on Veloria, she had never been drawn to anyone before, not to mention a male.
But James seemed to be the exception to this and while she didn't know him nor did she care, her instincts told her to follow him. That and embracing him was the most addictive feeling she had ever felt.
Her heart skipped a beat just thinking about it and her insides twitched in response.
'Even now, I feel the fire within.'
It would have been a disaster if the other women around who felt that same feeling pinpointed him as the source. Luckily, she acted fast and guided James away from the crowd.
A few seconds later, James came out of his reverie and his eyes narrowed at Thalia's resolute expression. He felt a sudden warmth in his heart at that moment.
However, as fast as it came, it was quickly replaced by a coldness even he was surprised by. But that wasn't all, and as soon as the coldness replaced the rising warmth, his expression turned dark.
Thalia was surprised by the changing expression when James moved to grab her by the throat again before pushing her against the bark of the tree.
'What is happening to him? It's like someone took over suddenly and he doesn't even realize it! There's that look in his eyes again.'
Thalia swallowed in nervousness instead of fear, not daring to make any move despite being treated so roughly by him. In fact, she felt a bit of excitement from the rough treatment; something that made her widen her eyes in disbelief.
"You don't get to utter words like that to me again, understand?!"
James's voice came out menacing and sinister, his golden eyes being replaced by dreadful piercing red eyes.
His good heart couldn't take any more sweet words, words he once fell for and ended up where he was today. To him, Thalia was just a means to an end; someone to satisfy his desires.
He had been hurt before and didn't wish to go through that again. Naturally, somewhere in his heart, he felt bad for treating the woman as such, but he had to make it clear to her, here and now.
He could feel the same burning fire in him that drove his actions, and he fueled it more. That was the only way he could forsake his kindness to a degree. There was no room for qualities he had no use for anymore.
Thalia nodded with a red face and slightly ragged breathing, dumbfounding James and bringing him out of his dark mood.
He narrowed his eyes at her and then tightened his hold over her neck and heard Thalia let out a moan.
"Are you seriously getting aroused from this?"
The question increased the redness on her face as she could only turn her face away.
James could only shake his head in disbelief before a knowing smirk appeared on his lips. He brought his face closer to her and then whispered into her ears.
"I'll treat you as roughly as you want, whenever you want. All you have to do is spread your legs.
"We good?"
Her blushing face increased in intensity and her heartbeat increased its pace. The rising heat in her groan and the slight wetness she felt in her pants made her nod her head eagerly.
"Right now, we have an inheritance ground to explore."
James let her go and turned his attention to the still-growing crowd. He also noticed some people dressed in knight uniforms which he recognized.
'Those bastards are finally making their appearance.'
He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth in hatred and anger, and his eyes blazed with mana. Yet he knew now was not the time to act.
Attacking the men of his enemies would not change anything. He had to remind himself of that, but it was incredibly difficult.
Then he felt Thalia take hold of his hand again prompting him to look her way. She smiled sweetly at him.
"I'm on your side, no matter who you are or what you do."
Her words showed her resolve to follow James in whatever path he chose, yet James had a hard time accepting those words.
"We'll see about that."
His voice came out cold, yet Thalia didn't mind it and continued to hold his hand in silence. Watching the woman hold on despite his harsh words, James couldn't say anymore and then turned his head away.
In the distance, several meters away from Thalia and James was Zarek who saw everything that transpired between the two and it nearly drove him mad with Jealousy.
He clenched his feet and teeth so hard his gum bled, yet his entire focus was on those two.
'That whore! I never knew she could make such a face. And here I was thinking she was a pure and gentle soul.
'And that bastard, because of him, all my hard work is ruined. At this rate, I'll lose her forever!'
He was moments away from storming in their direction and beating that bastard to death, yet what he experienced before still haunted him.
'No matter. There'll be a chance in the inheritance space.'
Then a sinister smile crept on his face as lust burned deep within.
'Thalia oh Thalia… Don't blame me for what's going to happen. It's your fault for not giving me the time of day.'
He swallowed the forming lump in his throat as he felt a rising heat in his groan just thinking about ravaging that alluring and voluptuous body of Thalia.
He was ready to throw everything away just to have a chance to have his way with that woman.
'I knew her first. It's only right if I'm the first.'
"Hehehe…."
A sinister laugh escaped his lips turning some heads his way.
"Who's that creep?"
"I don't know, but I'm getting some bad vibes from him. Let's move to a different place."
Some women adventurers who were close by and happened to see his expression as well as hear his laugh felt uncomfortable and left the area.
'Oops, my thoughts are leaking.'
Zarek quickly regained his composure and then faced the direction of the 'floating' inheritance ground.
...…
A few minutes later, the explorers, adventurers and knights felt the ground rumble slightly.
"The veil is about to come down!"
Someone exclaimed in excitement mirroring those who were in the area. They all knew what this meant.
The veil that separated the inheritance ground from this dimension was coming down and once it did, they could all enter and begin their exploration.
When the veil came down, there were usually multiple openings spread out in the area where the inheritance ground appeared.
As such, this area was not the only place people were gathered. All around the inheritance ground, there were thousands of people from different races, each with their own agenda.
Each opening sent people to different areas of the inheritance ground even if they went through the same opening. Of course, there was a simple method used to bypass this phenomenon and that was to make physical contact with whomever you wanted to move with.
In the inheritance ground, it was every man for himself. Whatever happened in there stays in there. A person could go after another if they had something they also wanted. Even knights were not spared even if they wore their badges.
"Okay, men. You know what to do. Once inside, keep an eye out for the target and make sure to also get something good."
"Yes, captain."
Kaelen Blackthorn, captain in charge of the squad he was leading instructed with a serious face. With his young and dashing appearance, he could be considered a lady's killer, but Kaelen was dedicated to his duties as a knight in service to the prince.
In other regions of the surroundings, similar orders were being dispatched by different groups. And among these groups were the former friends of James Allan.
They banded together along with their men, already having plans of splitting the men while the four stayed together.
What was more, there was one more person tagging along that would invoke absolute anger, hatred and repulsion if James came across them.
Selene Mara.
James's former wife now turned bitch.
After the incident at James's estate, she moved in with Alaric, however, things were not sunshine and rainbows after their failure to kill James.
Now with the inheritance of James in the hands of the royals who haven't decided who to award the domain to, she had to find ways of fending for herself.
As a keen woman who knew what was going to befall James, she abandoned ship for someone who had something to offer her. Alaric was the only one who accepted her advances, so she took her chance with him. Now, she was not entirely sure.
'Will I come across James as everyone says?'
She wondered to herself as she made preparations to venture in with the others. Naturally, she felt a bit nervous, but things had already happened.
Would the two encounter each other in the large space known as the inheritance grounds? And what would transpire in that moment?