Princess of the Damned (29 page)

“
Don’t touch me without my permission, human,” she slightly turned back and warned him. Her pale green eyes, once soft and gentle, were now sharp and threatening. “If I did not have good memories of you, I would have punished you for your insolence.”

That did not sound like Nala at all. “You are acting strange, Nala.”

“
Quite on the contrary, my mind is now clearer than ever.”

“
What is that supposed to mean?”

“
It means…” She appeared in front of him. The back of her slender fingers glided down the side of his face. “Playtime is over. However, I did promise that I would help you unite this tiny little nation. I will make good on my words to you.”

He caught her hand. “You agreed to be my wife.”

“
I do not recall making such a promise.”

He pulled her toward his chest. “Should I remind you?”

She softly chuckled. “And you think that marriage can bind me to your human world? Even if you are my husband, I will come and go of my own accord. As of this moment, you are still nothing to me.”

The hell he wasn’t! “The hell I am!”

Her hand slipped away from his grasp and landed on his shoulder. Her fingers pressed into his wound as she leaned in closer to him. “My patience is very thin, Sayan. If you piss me off enough, I will kill you and do away with my promise. Isn’t that a nice little shortcut?” She tip toed and pressed a kiss on his jawline. “Be a good little boy and stay out of my way.”

Until now, she still hadn’t learned that threats do not work with him. They were similar in a lot of ways and mostly because they were equally stubborn. If they were to battle it out, he wondered who would crack under the pressure first.

A grin tugged on his lips. “Beloved Nala, is today the first day that you’ve met me? You think that just because of your newfound memories or whatever you choose to call it, you can change anything about us? Do you think I would let something like that happen?” He grabbed her wrists and pinned her against the glass window. “Only over my still corpse!”

“
Would you prefer that?”

“
I’d like to see you try.” He freed one of her hands on purpose and then wrapped her fingers around the handle of his dagger. He even held it in place over his heart.

“
Do you think I need a piece of metal to kill you?”

“
This piece of metal can stop my heart. That is all that counts right? My life has always been yours. I would like to see you take it.”

She pulled the dagger back to add momentum, but her hand began to shake. She attempted to stab him several times, but the tip of the dagger always stopped before it touched the fabric of his tunic.

“
Let me help you with that,” he said. He steadily held her hand in his and slowly guided the dagger into his flesh. Her pale green eyes stared at him in shock as the dagger slowly penetrated him. Her body began to shake uncontrollably. He was daring her to press on.

“
No!” She screamed and then pulled away. She dropped the bloodied dagger to the floor.

“
Do I still mean nothing to you?” He whispered softly into her ear and then placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Until the day you can kill me, you are still
mine
.”

She jerked her head to the side to reject his attempt at her lips. She appeared still shaken from the confusion. Her mind and her body were out of sync. She wanted to kill him, but her own body would not allow her to. He could stand here all day and question why, but it was more like him just to go along with it. He had the advantage and he planned to use it.

Still, it was better to leave her alone for now. She seemed distraught enough. He backed away from her and then walked down the hallway. He had a morning meeting to attend to.

At least parts of her were still the Nala he knew.

He was as audacious as always.
There wasn’t another human who would speak to her like that and walk away with his life. She had the intention of killing him, but her body would not obey. Her memories were too attached to him. She couldn’t take that shortcut after all.

Nala watched him disappear to the left at the end of the hallway.

It was not like she minded fulfilling her promise. In fact, she looked forward to it. She still remembered very clearly the pain that silver-eyed bitch inflicted on her and was dying to return the favor. She would enjoy hacking her face and seeing just how fast it could heal. If she was in a good mood by then, maybe and just maybe, she would grant a quick death out of the goodness of her heart.

She felt like she was forgetting something.

“
Fai,” she summoned. The beast jumped out of the wall and circled her. “Do you want to go hunting today?”

His tail tapped excitedly on the ground. His nose inched higher as though he wanted to ask her what they will be hunting.

“
How would you like a raven-haired, silver-eyed beauty for dinner?”

I see that you are back to your old self, master. Am I really allowed to eat her?

“
I will make an exception just this once
.
Bon Appétit.”

A wide grin spread across the beast’s jaw.

“
It’s very creepy when you do that, Fai.”

The beast closed his mouth shut.
Your other self is in the palace, master.

“
I sensed his presence, but I just don’t want to see him right now. You must find it strange of me.”

Yes.

“
I find it strange myself. Perhaps I am already fed up with all of it. If only I had accepted that from the beginning. Come out already, Noctiam.”

He materialized in front of her. She flashed him a charming smile and then slapped him hard enough for his head to snap to the side.

“
That was payback for hitting me in front of my mother.” She slapped him again just after he adjusted his neck and his jawline. “That was for burning my bones.”

“
Ah no, you’re back to normal,” he said in a monotone voice and faked a gasp. “I was starting to like your other persona. At least you fantasized about me…a little.”

“
How would you know that?”

He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “You actually blushed when you first met me at the court. It’s the first time you have ever noticed my appearance. I was flattered.”

“
I remember now. Noctiam, I need you to do a favor for me.”

“
What do I get in return?” He asked mischievously.

She glared at him.

“
Fine, what it is?”

“
The Western Prince Ce is being held captive somewhere in the palace. I want you to rescue him and take him somewhere far away. If possible, arrange a fitting accommodation for a prince.”

“
You want me to help a human?”

“
Human or not, he was kind to me and sheltered me when I had no one to depend on. I owe it to him and I don’t want to owe anyone anything. While you do that, Fai and I have some vengeance to take care of.”

Noctiam scoffed. “You two get to do the fun part. I’m off now. The sooner I start, the sooner I will finish.”

“
You do that.”

“
A ‘thank you’ would have been nice.”

“
I can still feel the after burn.”

“
I’m going!” Noctiam dematerialized.

Nala turned the other way when she saw Trent coming down the hallway. She picked up her pace and then suddenly halted when he appeared in front of her. She almost forgot that no matter how fast she could travel, he could always catch up to her. She was hoping for a little more time before she faced him again, but that was unattainable it seemed. She had the urge to look into his eyes, but she denied herself the pleasure. She feared he would be able to see through her with just the look in her eyes.

“
You startled me, brother!” She faked a surprise reaction. “I am not used to it yet.”

“
Did Noctiam do anything to you?” He asked.

“
You mean the ambassador? He came to apologize to me about that day at the cabin. He explained that I caught him by surprise by taking off his hood.” She smiled. “I have a much better impression of him now.”

“
Expressing remorse is not one of his fortes, but it is you after all.”

Noctiam never apologized. “When did you arrive?” She asked in a curious voice. “Well, actually, what brings you here?”

“
Your wedding is only three days away,” he replied with a soft smile. “I am obligated to attend.”

“
You came to attend my wedding?” How ironic. “As my brother, do you have any objection?”

“
No.”

His answer was expected, but she could not help but feel hurt by it. “I’m glad that you approve of my choice in a marriage partner. Your consent means everything to me. If you opposed to it, I don’t know what I would do.”

“
What if I were against it?”

“
I know you won’t be. You want me to be happy, right
brother
?”

He nodded. “Your happiness means everything to me.”

“
It is a nice feeling to have a companion who loves me for who I am. I would hate to die alone.” Again. “Well, enjoy your stay, Trent. I am late for my morning bath and I prefer the water to be warm when I get there.”

“
I’m glad to hear you say my name again,” he said as she walked past him.

“
I guess it’s true that people can find happiness in simple things. I hope you can find a woman who can bring you a little happiness each and every day. I’ve procrastinated long enough, my bath is waiting.”

The steam of the hot bath allowed her to hide the tears brimming in her eyes. It didn’t make sense that she had Raya’s memories. Her core couldn’t have possibly recorded the memories of the body it was detached from. Why then did the image of fresh white sheets flapping in the sunlight pop in her head? She could remember very clearly the annoying sound of the boiling kettle and the rich scent of coffee that woke her up in the morning. She remembered the lazy days of watching the clouds passing by in the clear blue sky and when they childishly tumbled together down the gentle green slopes; those quiet days of champagne and bubble baths. They’re all her simple little pleasures in life.

Nala stared out of the window to the soft clouds floating against the blue backdrop of the sky. No matter how similar it was to the sky in her memories, it was not the same. It didn’t feel the same. She wondered if this is what humans felt when they mourned. It seemed very bleak.

She was not in the mood to torture anyone, and if she didn’t enjoy it, then what was the point? Revenge can wait a few more days.

The dinner table
had two extra guests.

Nala sat with Trent on one side of the table and the other guest, a young man with brown hair, sat on the other side. He had always thought that Nala and Trent’s hair were the same platinum, but he could see the difference in the side by side comparison. Trent’s platinum hair has a blue-grey undertone while Nala’s hair was almost pure white with a metallic sheen. Their eyes were also very different, but both were incredibly unique. Trent had a pair of striking blue eyes that commanded attention, while Nala’s pale green eyes were so gentle they could even induce sleep.

Were they truly siblings?

“
You have already met Trent,” Nala said. “Over there is my brother Alex.”

Another sibling? This one looked nothing like the other two. Different eyes, different hair color, different facial structure, and completely different presence.

“
Yo!” Alex raised his right hand up into the air.

“
He means hello,” Nala translated. “I was a little confused when he did that too.”

She was acting different from this morning. “Do you have any other siblings I don’t know about, Nala?” Sayan asked as he took a seat at the table.

“
I honestly do not know,” Nala replied with a puzzled expression on her face. “How many siblings do we have, Trent?”

“
I am an only child, so we don’t have any siblings.”

Alex shot a glare at Trent. “Go to hell, Trent!”

“
I mean how many other children did mother adopt?”

“
That, I don’t know. Alex is the only immortal one that I know of. It’s rather a long story.”

“
It was kind of fun at first.” Alex leaned his head back in reminiscence. “You do whatever you want. Join gangs, get into fights, get killed and wake up the next day in some god forsaken alley. But then, if you stay at one place for too long, people will start hunting you down. That and your wives keep dying of old age. That is really the most annoying part. You can’t imagine my pain. One minute I am married to a hot chick and the next minute I find myself in bed with a wrinkly old woman. And what is worse is time is going by a lot faster the longer I live!”

“
Will don’t you just marry an immortal wife?” Nala asked.

Alex laughed awkwardly. “Well, I tried that once and now there is a crazy woman chasing after me. I’ll never make that mistake again.”