The Dark King's Bride (2 page)

             
Oh no…This is not good at all.

             
The sight of the bad weather coming her way caused the conscience part of her mind to go into overdrive.

             
I think that is enough of a sign for you to go back home while you still can, Lily, or otherwise you are fixing to get drowned by the rain that is nestled within that very cloud that is above your head in this moment in time.

             
Lily let the words from her conscience linger out in the open for a few moments, and soak into the deep recesses of her mind. She could either retreat and go back to her family’s home or continue on the path that she was on, and potentially end up looking like a drowned river rat.

             
Before she could decide on what decision was the best one, her ears picked up something moving up the path in the direction behind her. Lily turned her head, and looked over one of her shoulders in the direction of the noise.

             
Slowly approaching her, a regal black carriage being pulled by a team of four black stallions traveled down the dirt path without any difficult. The hooves of the horses hitting against the ground made a sound similar to the thunder rolling in the heavens as they got closer to where she stood.

             
Curiosity hit her core with tremendous speed. The visual of the mysterious carriage coming towards her made her take full notice of it while some rain droplets started to fall on her.

             
Who could be out here in a carriage at this time in the morning?

             
Lily maintained eye contact on the approaching horses while her body tried to step underneath a tall tree to keep her dry from the increasing rain droplets that had started to fall upon her gown.

             
The nobility in this area usually are still sleeping in their homes. It is not a usual sight for one of them to be up at this time.

             
Holding her eyes on the carriage, she watched it pull up in front of her, and come to a complete stop with one of the doors facing the direction of where she was standing. Lily slowly took a few steps to move away when she froze upon the door opening up and a short, round man stepping out of the carriage and bowing his head to her while his deep voice escaped his mouth in a calm yet serious tone.

             
“Good morning, my lady.”

             
Lily took notice of him from where she stood as the rain was picking up a little more while the sound of the thunder had started to get louder and more noticeable. She was taken aback from the sight of the individual coming out into the open with his body dressed in the attire of a royal advisor. After a moment, she gave a nod of her head to him, and replied back to him in a polite way.

             
“Good morning, sir.”

             
“I trust that you are doing well this day.”

             
“I am doing just fine today, sir.” Straightening up, she focused on the opened doorway of the carriage for a moment before looking back towards him. “How may I help you?”

             
“My lord wishes to give you a ride to wherever it is that you are traveling to in hopes of keeping you from getting sick and anymore wet from the storm that is moving right over us.”

             
Did I just hear him say that his master wishes to give me, the daughter of two peasants, a ride to where I am heading to?

             
The answer she had received from the plump man caught her by surprise. A member of the nobility class wanting to assist her caused her thoughts to be full of curiosity and confusion.

             
She went to speak up when her eyes noticed a strong, pale hand reaching out towards her with a crimson ring on one of its fingers. The sight of the mysterious individual’s grasp reaching out caused her to step a little closer, and peer inside through the rain that was gradually starting to pour over a short period of time.

             
Nestled upon one of the cushioned seats, Daniel flashed a warm, charming smile at the same time speaking to her with a soothing, sensual tone in his deep voice.

             
“Please…” He said, “Allow me to give you a ride to where you are heading to on foot. I would hate for you to be drenched and end up ill from this horrible weather.”

             
Her heart nearly stopped on the spot due to finding the hand belonging to that of King Daniel Willows, the ruler over the village that her friend lived in, and the very woodland area where her family’s home had been built upon. The realization of the lord and master of the land wishing to give her assistance on her trip made her more curious than she had ever been before.

             
Pulling in a breath of air, Lily eased her left hand into Daniel’s grip, and stepped inside of the dark carriage, removing herself from the torrential rain that had started to fall down without mercy.

*                            *                            *

              Maintaining a gentle yet firm hold on her hand, Daniel guided her inside the dry carriage to where she would be safe from the thunder shower that was taking place over them at that moment. He watched her sit across from him inside of his vehicle, and flash a warm yet shy smile in his direction. The sight alone caused his smile on his own face to widen a little more, and his piercing stare to have a twinkling look to them in the darkness.

             
She is the one…There is not a single doubt in my mind that is telling me anything else. The beautiful angel that I have been waiting so long for has finally come to me, and is sitting across from me inside of my carriage at this very moment.

             
Despite his body burning with a need to get close to her, Daniel managed to keep a calm, relaxed position on his side of the buggy while he spoke to her, breaking the momentary silence that had fallen between the two of them.

             
“So,” he asked, “where is it that I shall be having my driver to take you to, my lady?”

             
Daniel witnessed her eyes blinking in an attempt to try to hide the fact that she had been staring at him since he had assisted her inside of his carriage even though he had known about her staring at him as he had been looking back at her in the same exact fashion. The sight of her trying to not be so girlish and silly only made him more attracted to her.

             
“I…” Lily replied, “I wish to go to the shop that my dear friend, Maria, runs in the village square if it is not too much trouble, your h-highness.”

             
The way her soft yet nervous voice floated to his ears sent a faint chuckle loose in his deep voice for a brief moment as he maintained the conversation, as well as eye contact, with her.

             
“It's no trouble at all, my lady. I trust that you are talking of the florist.”

             
“That I am, my lord.”

             
Daniel moved his gaze towards where Richard was outside the open doorway, and gave a single nod of his head to him. He waited for the door to be shut before his attention focused on the face of the shy, reserved woman dressed in white that he wished to make his wife and queen over all of the lands he owned. Pulling in a breath of air, Daniel relaxed the facial features of his face, and spoke to her in a more confident and regal sounding voice that he had used on a number of occasions due to his position of power.

             
“My advisor will inform the coachman of the location that you are wishing to travel in, and then we will be on our way.”

             
“Very well, my lord.”

             
“Please…Call me Daniel.” Once he had finished his request, his mouth formed a sensual smile at the same time a similar look formed deep within his piercing emerald stare. “You don’t have to be so formal with me.”

             
“Yes, my lord…I mean…Daniel.” Lily replied to him. Her gentle voice had an intense amount of politeness mixing with nervousness as she spoke to him. Holding her hands in the lap of her simple, white gown, she continued to speak to him as she had been. “I do apologize for the little slip up. It is just…”

             
“Just…what, my lady?”

             
“Well…I am not a member of the same class as you, Daniel, and it is common for those, like myself, to address the nobility, human or vampire, in a formal way since it is not seen as being polite or respectful to call a member of the nobility by their first name instead of their title.”

             
Her statement to him assured him of what he already knew about his beautiful, angelic guest. She was a polite and highly respectful young woman that only wished to make others around her happy, and to not offend anyone with what she had to say. All of her qualities were ones that he had been looking for in a queen and a bride.

             
Taking a risk, Daniel eased himself to the edge of his seat, and leaned forward. He slipped one of his strong hands across a side of her face, and cupped it, gently. His piercing gaze took on a gentle, loving expression as he spoke to her with his deep, sensual voice.

             
“Don’t fear those things with me, my lady.” Daniel whispered to her in an attempt to soothe away the last bites of nervousness that kept her holding back. “There is nothing that you can do that will upset me…Aside from one thing.”

             
“May I know what that one thing is, Daniel, so that I will know how to make you happy instead of angry with me?”

             
“All I ask…is for the name of the beautiful woman that is sitting before me at this very moment.”

             
He watched her eyes light up and a bashful smile dance across the soft, fair skin of her face. The sight alone warmed his usual cold, emotionless demeanor, and brought his smile returning to his face once more. Gazing upon her, his ears picked up on the gentle sound of her voice answering his request that he had made to her.

             
“Lily…My name is Lily, Daniel.”

             
“Lily…” Moving his hand away from her face to one of her hands that was on her lap, he lifted it to his mouth, and placed a gentle kiss upon the back of it. The moment was brief but it was enough to satisfy the lustful urge that was boiling inside of him. Lowering it down, he spoke to her in a way that had his desires for her lingering on the surface of his deep voice. “A fitting name for one who is like the rarest and beautiful flower my eyes have ever seen.”

Chapter Three

              Lily couldn’t hold back the shy, bashful smile that her face was itching to put on for quite some time. The compliment she had received from her peoples’ king caused her heart to swell up inside at the same time having her to look down to her lap with the same look on her face.

             
“I-I appreciate your kind words, Daniel.” Lily said, softly. Her voice escaped out of her mouth with a slight shaky sound to it. “Although…I don’t really consider myself to be as beautiful as you claim me to be.”

             
The moment she had made her statement to him, her passionate side of her conscience went into an uproar with her, and began to curse and scold her for what she had just said.

             
You are so stupid, Lily! How could you turn down a compliment from Daniel, the king and ruler of not only your family but also of all the people in the town and outside of the town in areas like the one that you live in?! He obviously cares a great deal for you, and wants you to be happy in his presence.

             
She started to agree with what her inner voice had informed her of. There could be no other explanation as to why Daniel would speak so highly of her if he didn’t mean what he had said.

             
Before she could move her head up from where it had been bent down, her eyes caught sight of the very hand he had used to help her inside of his extravagant carriage, extending towards her with the palm side facing upward and in her direction. Lily lifted her head up, and focused upon the features of his strong, attractive face while her ears listened to his deep, sensual voice.

             
“Lily…” The sound in his tone changed to be one that was highly sensual with a twinge of his lustful desires as he spoke to her. “Come and sit beside me…I would like you to be over her so when the carriage goes into motion that you are not being tossed about due to the rough patches in the road we will come across along our way to the village.”