Princess of the Damned (33 page)

“
Are you breeding?”

“
What?” She narrowed her brows until she remembered the conversation at dinner. It puzzled her why he would ask such a question knowing the impossibility of the event. “What are you going to do about it if I am? Are you going to yell at me? Are you going to hit me?”

“
Perhaps more time is required to clear up the misunderstandings between us.”

“
Do you know what I hate about you, Trent?” She looked up at him. “I would rather you yell at me and hit me when I do something wrong against you, but you won’t do that. You never do that. You’ve never set lines. You’ve never drawn boundaries. You just let me do whatever I want, like a spoiled child. The one time I bring myself to apologize for my actions, you were angry with me. Do you know why you were angry, Trent? You were angry because…”

“
I was angry, because it felt like you were letting me go.”

“
So you knew.”

“
I have always known.”

“
That’s what makes you so detestable. It was your way of binding me to you.”

“
Yes,” he agreed. “You have every right to hate me.”

“
I wonder which one of us is more despicable.” She took another sip of the coffee and then placed it down on the side table. “Is it the person relentlessly chasing after love or the person desperately holding it captive? We wrapped each other in vines of thorns so that we could watch each other’s heart bleed to the last drop, only there can be no end for creatures of eternal darkness. How much longer must you watch me bleed?”

His warm hands caressed her neck and he filled in the gap between them with a kiss. He guided her head to the pillow and deepened the kiss. He smelled delectable, fresh and bright notes with a hint of sandalwood. Sayan always has a faint scent of blood underneath his own body scent. His right hand was rough with callus, but she liked how it felt against her skin.

Trent jerked his head back. His brilliant blue eyes look wounded.

That was when she realized she had called out Sayan’s name. A faint smile appeared on her face. How is that for revenge, Trent? She had fulfilled the promise she’d made to him that day when he left her on that wretched cliff. She was true to her word.

The next time you see me, I will not be the Nala who loves only you anymore.

“
I will always love you, my other half, but I don’t love
only
you anymore. You left that day, because you didn’t believe that I could love anyone else, but I proved you wrong.”

Outside the window, dark clouds pulled over the sky. Darkness gloomed over the once clear day. Lightning struck overhead followed by rolls of angry thunder. The same ferocious storm rampaged in his beautiful blue eyes.

Sayan ate until he threw up
, but no amount of food could sate his hunger.

The scene replayed repeatedly in his head without giving his mind a moment of peace. He stared at his right hand and resented it. He had hit her with this hand and made her cry. The heavy teardrops that escaped from her eyes nearly tore him apart. No matter how he wished he could take it back, what was done is done.

He was so angry at her betrayal that he had lost control. He could accept any betrayal, but not hers. Anyone could walk away from him, but he could not allow her to turn her back on him. Not even once. His heart could not take such a tragedy. She was the only thing left in this murky world that bound him to his sanity. If the only pillar in his life disappeared, then his world would crumble, and it had.

He took another bite of his steak and forced it down his throat. His body rejected it immediately and triggered his stomach to hurl whatever was left in it.

“
I am waiting for your punishment, Your Majesty!” The guard captain bowed his head even lower to the ground. “My negligence allowed the assassins to breach into the palace’s ground. My crime against you deserves death! Please stop ignoring your loyal servant and give your final verdict, Your Majesty!”

“
Please stop this, Your Majesty!” The servants finally intervened. “You need a physician! We’ll summon a physician right away!”

He shoved the woman coming to help him. “Can’t you see that I’m starving? If I don’t eat, I will die! If I don’t eat …”

“
Please, Your Majesty, let us help you get back to your bedchamber. You need rest.”

He could already imagine the empty room. “There is nothing there! No one is waiting for me there! She left me. She abandoned me again. She was the only person who ever wanted me and she threw me away too! She’d left me to die. She’d left me to fend off the wolves. I don’t want to die alone, Nala. Please save me. Save me like you did before. Please want me again. Mother, father, please don’t leave me here to die! I don’t need to eat. Please, at least let me die in your arms. It’s cold and I’m frightened. Nala… save me, Nala!”

“
Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Quick summon the physician! His Majesty has collapsed!”

Ethereal pale green eyes like morning dew on young spring leaves. He wanted to be lost in them again. Platinum hair like newly spun spider silk. He wanted to taint every strand with his scent again. The gods only needed to name a price.

The three of them
were surrounded as soon as they stepped foot into the Palace of the Southern Kingdom. Those fakes possessed the same physical aptitude as a full-fledged demon, so it was no wonder that their senses were just as keen. They were outnumbered, but they were no ordinary demons. Those fakes could also sense that as well.

The atmosphere was dense with animosity.

“
What an unpleasant surprise.” The one with golden blond hair, known as Rain, stepped forward. “If you want to destroy this palace too, then by all means feel free. It does not belong to us.”

Nala circled him. “If memory serves, you were the one who kidnapped me. Well, are you prepared to face the consequences?”

“
I sense something different about you,” Rain said. “Have you regained your lost memories, little one?”

“
I’ve regained more than just my memories.” She created a ball of energy in the palm of her hand and then let it roll on the back of her fingers and around. “If you are gentlemen about it and apologize to me, I may show mercy and let you live.”

“
Is that what this is about?” He mockingly laughed. “It doesn’t matter if they are humans or demons… women are petty creatures by nature.”

The male demons laughed at the joke, much to the disdain of the females. She glared at Noctiam to quiet him.

“
But it is so true, Nala,” Noctiam said between laughs.

She directed the energy ball toward him instead of the enemies. He leaped out of the way before it tore him into shreds. The energy ball created a large hole on the ground where he stood moments ago.

“
Impressive,” Rain praised with a handclap. “…and you were not even trying. I am curious as to what you are capable of.”

“
She lacks training and experiences. It will be a long while until she can reach her full potential.” Trent stepped forward and removed the thin layer of white gloves from his hands. “I will be taking over now and I will not disappoint.”

The other demons unconsciously took one step back. They already knew what he was capable of.

“
Let your ‘Queen’ know that we have arrived. I will make it quick for her so that there will be no suffering.”

“
You should have consulted me before you made that promise, Trent.” Nala sighed. “You take the fun out of everything.”

Noctiam placed his hands on her frail shoulders. “How about we resurrect her afterward, so you can kill her again?”

“
I like the idea.” Nala smiled mischievously. “I knew I kept you around for a reason.”

The demons grudged the conversation.

“
Is Lilan too frightened to face us?” Nala teased.

“
Why would I be frightened of the likes of you?” The raven-hair beauty emerged from a summoning circle. “I have been listening and I daresay I do not like it very much.”

“
My prince, would it be possible to hold this off another night?” Noctiam asked politely. “I think I’ve taken a liking to Snow White.”

The raven-hair beauty sent a flirtatious wink at Noctiam.

“
It’s not very gentlemanlike to kill women you’ve slept with,” Trent reminded.

“
That’s a no, then?” Noctiam summoned his weapon, a long saber, into his right hand. “I’m sorry, darling. My master said no. That means your life ends now!”

Noctiam launched his attack at the raven-hair beauty, but his attack was intercepted by Rain. The demons in the surrounding charged at her and Trent. Their attack failed when Trent cast a protection shield around their radius. They suffered recoil damage from the protection spell and were knocked back several meters.

Trent summoned his own weapon; a sword passed down to him by their father –
Ragnarok
. He had his own soul weapon, but why should he try to replace perfection. It is one of the two weapons in existence that could shatter a demon’s core. Their father left it to Trent before he entered his slumber with a hidden intention.

“
Ragnarok?” Lilan gasped. “It cannot be real!”

Nala stared at the weapon with admiration. “You must let me borrow Ragnarok sometimes.”

“
You would drool all over it.”

She was speechless for a moment knowing it was true. “Turn it into a bow! Please I want to see it in bow form! Please!” She begged.

As she requested, the sword obeyed and switched into its bow form. Trent fitted an arrow into the string and aimed it at the raven-hair beauty.

“
No!” Lilan screamed out. “No, don’t let it hit me!”

Upon letting the arrow fly, one of Lilan’s lackeys shielded her with his body. Lilan looked scared to death, until she saw the arrow being lodged inside his flesh.

Lilan began to laugh. “It’s not real…” Her face became ghostly pale when her lackey crumbled into a pile of ashes.

Trent fitted another arrow into his bow.

“
Please wait!” Lilan immediately bowed her head to the ground. “Please spare my life!”

Her demons stood dumbfounded by the act.

Trent lowered his bow.

“
Soft-hearted as always,” Nala remarked. “Mother’s blood bested you, Trent.”

“
How did you come to possess the soul weapon of our lord?” Rain traced away from Noctiam’s attack. His calm composure was gone. “You must have stolen it!”

“
And now they accuse us of thieving our father’s weapon.” Nala rolled her eyes.

“
Your father?” Rain turned around to Lilan who was still cowering on the ground. The demons in the hallway followed Rain’s gaze.

Noctiam returned to Nala’s side. “I’m a bit confused on the progress. Are we still fighting them?”

“
They’ve learned their lesson, Noctiam.” Trent said and then walked away. “I can’t kill a woman who is begging on her knees.”

“
I suddenly feel like I’ve just wasted my time,” Nala agreed with him. “If you are going to pose as Lucifer’s daughter, at least hold it out until the very end.”

“
Who are you people?” Rain returned his focus on them. “Please, I must know!”

“
It doesn’t matter who we are.” Nala said. “But it is best to stay out of our way from now on.”

“
That’s it?” Noctiam followed. “You call that revenge, my prince? I have never seen a weaker attempt. You might as well wear a skirt and let me propose to you.”

“
You’re poking a sleeping bear, Noctiam,” Nala warned. “Have you ever seen him in full rage? Even
I
trembled.”

“
It’s fine as long as I don’t push his last button…and I know where it is.”

“
Suit yourself.” Nala shrugged her shoulders.

“
Wait!
” Rain called out, desperate for an answer. “
Are you…”

Noctiam slightly turned back. “Don’t you want a group of followers, Nala?”

“
Been there. Done that. Not interested.”

“
Not even a little?”

“
Now, if I were a coward of a king, where would I hide?” Nala pondered and then slowly shook her head. “I cannot put myself in his shoes, no matter how hard I tried. We just have to flip this entire palace over to see which corner he has crawled off to.”

It was the second time
walking through the palace with this unsettling atmosphere. The eyes on her were not quite hostile, but they were not friendly either. The servants were trying to act calm, but their subtle, jittery movements told her that there was something very wrong going on. The chaotic expressions on their faces contradicted their orderly behavior.

“
Where is His Majesty?” Nala asked a female servant standing by the side of the hallway with her head bowed low.

“
His Majesty…His Majesty…” The girl struggled to find the beginning of the sentence. “His Majesty has departed for battle, my lady.”