PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFERS BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
Chapter 291 Come back to me
"Don't worry. I knew he would ditch you. I just spotted him. I will look out for him tonight so have a rest for now. Also, prepare yourself because I am going to have to punish you tomorrow."
Abi swallowed.
"I have to punish you for real to show him the consequence of his actions. I am doing it so that he will not ditch you again. It will have to be something on the extreme side, so sleep and prepare yourself for the worst."
He sounded menacing. Zeke's words somewhat pushed down her devastation because fear suddenly kicked it out of its throne for a second or two.
"Are we clear?"
"Yes, I-I understand." What else could she say? If she had to go through hell again to bring her husband back, she would walk down there barefooted, with a smile on her face. "Zeke," she continued, "can you make sure he doesn't… he doesn't go… to his… to his ha…" Abi broke off. She couldn't say it. She couldn't ask this man to stop Alex from going to see another woman. She just couldn't.
"Okay…" Zeke surprisingly said. "Don't worry, that guy doesn't have a harem." He knew what she was going to ask. He wasn't an idiot. After the display she put on earlier, he had learned his lesson. If he was going to work with Abigail, then he would need to take her feelings into consideration.
"Thank you, Zeke," she said from the bottom of her heart. Abi was so thankful that she felt like crying.
Abi put the phone down and went to the bathroom to take a proper bath because she needed to clear her head so that the sadness in her heart wouldn't eat her alive. Having Zeke's assurance somehow calmed her down a little, but it didn't stop the clawing pain in her heart.
She dried herself and went to his wardrobe to pick one of his shirts and a pair of boxer shorts. She didn't have any other clothes and the maid's uniform was now torn to pieces. She forgot to tell Zeke about those. She would have to do that tomorrow.
She wore them, changed the sheets, and settled herself there. She was a little nervous about what tomorrow would bring her but she noticed that Alex's eyes would only show that familiar hellish glare of his everytime she nearly got hurt; like when she was nearly bitten by Zeke and when she pulled his hand to choke her. Maybe Zeke's plan would work.
Abi knew that Zeke needed to punish her, or else his words would mean nothing to Alex, leading him to ditch her even more.
But was it true that he didn't have a harem? Then why did he say that? She didn't want to think about that anymore. She had to trust in Zeke's words, his promise that he would stop Alex from doing that kind of thing.
Abi walked towards the table and picked up the rings. They were all put together in a necklace. Did he put these all together and wore it before he left her?
Seeing those rings reminded her of their wedding day. She lay back on her bed and closed her eyes, trying to remember everything about that day. She remembered how happy she felt as she put on her dress, knowing that in a few hours time, she would bear the title of Alex's wife. She saw his handsome face, waiting for her at the end of the aisle and the thing that she remembered the most was the look in his eyes as he watched her walk towards him.
His eyes were so full of love for her, so full of happiness.
Abi grabbed the pillow and cried to her sleep. She missed him so much.
…
Alex was sitting on the castle's highest rooftop. His eyes were focused on the dark space between the moon and the stars above and the lights on the ground.
His eyes were blank. The cold wind caressed his skin as his robe danced along with it. He sat there, one knee bent and the other, dangling.
He seemed to be deep in his thoughts and he stayed like that, as still as a statue, with only the wind, stars and moon keeping him company.
After a long while, he stood up and jumped down.
He went back to his room. Although he had said he was going to his harem, he had no intention of actually going anywhere. He wasn't in the mood for anything like that anymore. He didn't think that he would be in the mood for anyone apart from her anymore.
He pushed the door open silently and walked over to the bed. He stood next to it, on the side she was sleeping on and he saw that she was wearing his shirt and his boxer shorts. He shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe she was seducing him even in her sleep. "What a maid. Are you really a maid? You didn't just wear my shirt without permission, you even wore my… damn…"
He had no more words left. Ever since this maid barged into his room, his world had turned to chaos. He somewhat found it hard to believe that she was a real maid at all!
He changed into his pajama pants and lay down on the bed beside her.
He turned to face her and attempted to touch her face but his smirk faded after he saw traces of tears in her eyes down her cheeks, as she held the rings in her hand.
His brows pulled together. Why was she holding on to those?
Alex stared at them. Those rings were hanging around his neck but he didn't remember anything about them. He remembered the jade ring but the other two were enigmas. He couldn't remember where they came from or how they even ended up in his possession. They were just strange, as strange as this woman before him right now.
The next moment, she stretched her arms out and wrapped it around him, pulling herself close to him.
"I miss you so much. Come back to me... Please..." she uttered in her sleep and Alex didn't know why his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
_________
Chapter 292 A breath of fresh air
Meanwhile, back in Kai's room, Kai was still in the bathroom, reeling at what he had just done, and almost done, with Miss Hooligan.
She really was a hooligan through and through. He couldn't believe that she had managed to break him. He was shocked at how bold and daring she was. He wasn't sure if that was something she would have done without the effect of the wine, or whether it was the wine that was talking. But somehow, from having spent a bit of time with her, he thought that it was very likely that she would have acted the same way. Knowing her, she probably would have tried to beat him up first.
She had completely taken him off guard. Was it because it had been a long time since he had bedded a woman? Or was it because the woman was her?
He ran his fingers through his hair. What he had just done was very risky for her. Regardless of whether it was because of her or not, the fact of the matter was that it was way too dangerous and he wouldn't allow it to happen again.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in and shook his head to clear his mind, to increase his defences against her so that he wouldn't fall for her antics again. Once he felt his mind was in full control, he washed his hands and face and headed out to the room again, ready to face the upcoming battle.
However, all of his preparation was for nothing because he walked in to see that she had escaped the cocoon and was sprawled out on the bed, sleeping like a log. A very noisy log.
He couldn't help but chuckle as he heard snoring in a very unladylike manner. She really did not act like a lady at all, even while she was asleep! Kai looked at her sleeping face for a second longer before he moved again.
Sighing, he pulled her limbs back to her side of the bed so that he had room to lay down on it. He then took the covers that she had kicked off the bed and covered her up to her neck before he lay down on the other side of the bed. He closed his eyes but his mind wouldn't stop running.
Not only was he thinking about what they had just done, it was also in turmoil over whether or not she had actually regained her memories. He really hoped that she did not because if she did, then they were in for a world of trouble. How would they explain to her how her memories of all of them were erased from her mind, not to mention Abi's family as well. She would definitely think that something funny was going on and she would be right.
He had no idea how he would deal with that at all. His mind thought about just spilling the truth to her, no matter how impossible the story might be. What would she do? How would she take it? Could he really do that to her? Put her in danger for the rest of her life?
If Abi could live life knowing their secret, then why couldn't she? That was the answering thought in his mind. An answer that came from a place inside him that wanted to tell her everything, a place that wanted to let her know who he really was and hoped that she would still act like she did towards him.
His eyes opened, startled at the thought. All this time, he had been trying to avoid Miss Hooligan because he knew she would just be trouble. All their encounters had proven that to be true. Every time they met, he would become very frustrated because of her forwardness. He felt like it was a man's job to chase after a woman but she was always the one making moves on him.
However, there was also a side to her that intrigued him and dare he say it, attracted him. She was the complete opposite of how he thought a lady should act but that in itself was what made her intriguing, interesting, refreshing, like a breath of fresh air. Air that he didn't know he needed.
His thoughts floated to his first ever encounter with her in that elevator. She had no idea who she was asking to beat up at that time. He smiled as he thought back to being beaten by her and how she gave him money for his troubles. If she only knew, would she be shocked? Or would she brush it off and say that he had the chance to say no to her request?
As these thoughts floated around his head, he finally drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the face of the person sleeping next to him.
---
The sun shone through the windows into the room and gently caressed Kai's face. Kai opened his eyes slowly. It took a little while for his brain to kick in, to remember the events from the night before and in that instant, he sat upright like he had been hit by a lightning bolt, and ended up staring straight into Miss Hooligan's eyes.
Her eyes weren't hazy anymore. They were as clear as crystal but he saw rage within them. She was furious. He was shocked. He had never felt this kind of rage from her before. It was like she wanted to kill someone!
He immediately thought that she was like this because of what happened between them last night, while she was intoxicated. He was about to speak, to apologize for what happened the night before, to say that he shouldn't have done it and that he would take whatever punishment she was going to dish out but she beat him to it.
However, her next words made his heart nearly jump out of his chest.
"Where is Alex?!"
__________
Chapter 293 It's time
Back in Alex's room.
Abi's eyelids fluttered like the wings of a butterfly as she felt the warmth of the sun on her face. But it wasn't just that, there was also a different warmth and she subconsciously drew her body closer to it, revelling in its familiarity.
'Mmmm,' she mumbled subconsciously as her eyes fully opened to see that she lay on the bed with her arm around a man's waist!
She looked up, suddenly alert, to see who it was and she was met with her beloved's face, smiling triumphantly at her. For a second, her heart fluttered with happiness only to be replaced again with grief the next second, because this man wasn't really her beloved.
Abi pulled away instantly and stood up by the bed, with her hands on her head, in shock. Her heart hammered against her chest. She thought that she was dreaming when she felt his familiar warmth next to her. She thought it was her brain playing tricks on her again, as it had done for many nights after she woke up from her surgery.
But no, this was real! All of the things that happened last night suddenly replayed in her mind, as if it was a movie. She had really found him again, after months of trying. It took a bit for Abi's mind to get over this fact, to believe that this was all real and this was really happening.
Alex sat up on the bed as he sexily surveyed her, biting his lips. She followed his line of sight and that was when she finally realized what she was wearing. His shirt, which carried his faint scent, and his boxer shorts. This man was already thinking naughty things this early in the morning!
Alex was just about to tease her when a knock at the door startled them both. Abi moved to go and open it but Alex was faster. He pulled her behind him and opened the door instead.
Abi felt a little confused. Why had he done that? Was he trying to protect her? From what? Or did he just not want other people to know she was in his room?
On the other side of the door, a timid maid stood there with her head bowed down, holding a set of folded clothes in her arms. "I came to bring these clothes over, master," she said without raising her eyes to look at them.
Alex took them upon seeing that she had brought over another set of a maid's uniform. Abi took a look from behind him and she immediately grabbed them from Alex and dashed inside the bathroom. Suddenly a thought entered her mind. Did he do that so no one would see her wearing his clothes? Somehow, knowing how shameless this man was, she thought that she was probably correct in thinking that.
Alex closed the door and watched as his maid nearly flew to the bathroom with her uniform. He smirked as he admired her derriere as they bounced slightly from her footsteps and only moved again when the door closed behind her.
When Abi finally stepped out, she was already fully dressed. There was a look of anger on her face again, a stern determination. As she showered, her mind drifted to whether he actually went to find another woman. Did Zeke manage to stop him? What if he wasn't able to stop him? Should she confront him? Or was it better not knowing? All these questions plagued her but she didn't know what the right thing to do was.
She felt that she couldn't confront him about it because he might just leave again and that would not be good. But if she didn't, she knew that not knowing would eat at her too. She could only think of one other way to relieve this angst and that was to ask Zeke.
Once she made that decision, she felt slightly better. Zeke would tell it to her straight. He wouldn't lie to her and whatever his answer was, it was always better to know than to be kept in the dark. But until then, she would hold onto her anger because it was better than pain.
Alex had already changed into casual clothes - a white short sleeved shirt which hugged his muscles, and a pair of black pants which accentuated his thighs. If she wasn't seeing red at that moment, she would have drooled.
Alex surveyed her in her conservative maid's outfit and was only slightly shocked that his body still reacted. He thought that things would be different in the light of day, that maybe his obsession with her was only because of the events of the party, what happened with Zeke and the wine. But it seemed he was wrong.
It seemed he couldn't use that as an excuse for his obsessive behaviour. If it wasn't the party or the wine, then it really must be her. But why? Why had she crossed his path? Was she just here to torture me? Was that it?
He walked towards Abigail and when he was about a foot away, he reached out his hand to touch her face but she stepped back, giving him an angry glare. He froze, his hand hanging in mid-air, which gave Abi the chance to step around him and walk towards the bed so that she could do her maid duties and make the bed. The tension was so thick, they could cut it with a knife.
Luckily, they were saved by another knock on the door. This time, Abi got to it first and when she opened the door, two royal guards were standing outside.
"His highness wants you in the courtyard," they said and Abi swallowed. She nodded obediently and was about to follow them knowing what this was all about when Alex jumped in.
"Where do you think you are taking my maid?" he asked, causing the soldiers to immediately bow down to him in fear.
"It's time for her punishment, Alex," Zeke's voice rang and Alex looked at him in surprise.
_________
Chapter 294 Good thing
Alex's face immediately darkened. His eyes narrowed as he held Abi's hand even tighter, as if he would never let go of her if they tried to take her away.
"What are you saying?" he asked, glaring at Zeke.
"Shall I remind you about what I said last night? She failed to do her job, Alex," Zeke stressed. His voice was as authoritative as ever, as expected of a Crown Prince. "Now I have to punish her because it seems to me that she's not taking her job very seriously."
Zeke glanced at Abi with a menacing look. If Zeke hadn't warned her last night, she would've been trembling by now and she might even be clinging onto Alex because of how serious and terrifying Zeke looked like that moment. This man was at it again - putting on his out of this world and unquestionable acting skills. He was just too much into it that he still managed to send shivers down her spine despite her knowing what he was up to.
"Now come over," he said, looking at her and Abi flinched. She stared at him and then she tried to pull her hand off Alex's grip to follow this prince to take her punishment.
But Alex didn't let go.
"Zeke, aren't you way too into this? You really think this little fragile maid could do her job and follow me? Give her a chance, this is just her first offence."
"Alex, I don't understand why you are defending this measly human but… you already know, right? That I will never take back my word no matter how small it is. If I let her go this time, she will take my word to be insignificant and worthless. I will become a laughingstock. Besides, I am sure you very well know that I…" he paused and leaned in on him. "…don't ever forgive anything or anyone, just like you. Don't worry, this is only a punishment. It's not like I have sentenced her to death. She won't die... I hope."
As those words left Zeke's lips, Abi managed to pull her hands off Alex and she stepped towards the guards with a straight back, as if she was a martyr being sacrificed for a cause. She was going to have to play the role that Zeke assigned to her and play it well, just like how he played his role to perfection.
Zeke looked at her and he was impressed by her performance. Good, they needed to make this as realistic as possible for it to have the best effect. They needed to push Alex to the max.
Zeke surveyed Alex's face. The man was glaring at him with great displeasure. Zeke was still mystified as to why Alex couldn't defy him, as to why he listened to him. He had been looking for answers since that night he returned but he wasn't able to find anything, probably because no one has ever done what Alex had done nor gone through what he had gone through. There were just too many mysteries that none of them understood, even now. And the worst thing was that Zeke couldn't even find a single clue on what was going on. He had many theories, but none of them bore any fruit. He had gone through all the books they had about curses, souls, immortals but he found nothing that was similar to Alex's situation.
It seemed that their only choice right now was to bring Alex's memories back to the surface to find out the answers to these mysteries because Zeke believed that Alex might have known all along that all this would happen when he decided to let himself get stabbed.
Over the last three months, he had tried many things to bring Alex back, but he always failed. He went through the list of all the ideas he could think of but nothing seemed to work. He had not really looked into dragging Abigail into this because he knew that it was Alex's wish for her to forget about him. However, when the information got to him that she had tried multiple times to try to get into Country V, he sent someone to investigate and they found out that Abi retained her memories and that was what drove him to do what he did.
Turning his back from him, Zeke signaled the guards to move. Abi silently followed, throwing a glance at Alex. She was nervous despite putting on a good show for Alex. She should have asked Zeke what kind of punishment was waiting for her. Was he going to whip her? She had heard that this was something that people did often in centuries past. Would they still uphold such old customs?
That thought made her shiver and she shook her head. No, Zeke wouldn't go that far, right?
Alex just stood there, watching them as they left. His eyes were locked onto the maid's silhouette. His insides were in chaos again and before he knew it, he followed them. He was holding onto Zeke's words that this was only a punishment. However, he couldn't help but frown because all the punishments he could think of that Zeke might give her, were not simple nor painless. He had never seen Zeke give out light punishments and he knew that this time wouldn't be an exception.
He was torn. Why did he care if she was punished? Well, it was indeed her failure to serve him. She literally kicked him away last night when she was supposed to pull him in to keep watch of him. Had she not refused him last night, he wouldn't have left and it certainly would have never come to this.
With these thoughts running around in his head, Alex reasoned out that this might give that defiant little lamb a lesson, that it was her mistake that she had refused him. She would even get to see that the man she liked would not hesitate to punish her, and that he gave no second chances. He even thought that this might be good because the little lamb might start to hate Zeke after this. That would be such a good thing for him. One less rival!
Alex leaned on the pillar, planning to watch her from afar. However, after a long while he moved and followed them because they didn't stop where he thought they would. As he followed them, he started to clench his fists.
He knew where this path led to… the underground dungeon.
__________
Chapter 295 Failed
In the dark place under the palace, Abi stood by a well-like hole. She hadn't seen this part of it before, but inside that hole was a place she would never forget. She had been down there before, after all.
Abi looked at Zeke. She felt unusually calm but she never thought that she would have to experience going through this again; that she would once again fall into this abyss. Her last experience down there had been terrifying. She shivered just thinking about it. It was something one would never want to go through once, let alone twice! Fortunately, or unfortunately, she was one of the lucky ones who did manage to survive the first time when everyone else didn't.
Abi knew that Zeke chose this place for a reason and that was to rile Alex to bring his memories back. She knew that but… did she really need to go through this hell again for him?
"I know this seems over the top, Abigail," Zeke's voice echoed once he sent the guards away. "But don't worry, you won't go through all those terrifying experiences again. Just stay still inside and don't move. I chose this place not just because of Alex. I want you to train your hearing. This is the place where I found out about your ability after all. Try to understand everything about your ability so you know how to activate it when you need it," Zeke explained and Abi's fear somewhat deteriorated. As expected with this puppeteer, he was always thinking one step ahead.
She didn't think that he would use the harshest method to train her but she was fine with it. What was that famous saying? Only under extreme pressure will a lump of coal turn into a diamond. A harsh but quick method was better than an easy but slow method. Because Abi was done waiting. She was afraid that she might not last if this kept dragging out. She would rather go through this hell once more than wait and get hurt again by watching Alex float away from her, knowing she could have done more. This was better than torturing herself from not being able to hold him and kiss him and call him by his name.
"Are we clear?" Zeke pulled her from her train of thoughts and she nodded without question. Zeke surveyed her expression and he was glad to see her not faltering at all. 'As expected with this hellbent girl,' was all he could say in his mind.
"I'm ready," she said when BANG! A loud blast echoed through the room! The metal bars that blocked the entrance behind them felt like it had been blown up by a grenade!
When the dust somewhat settled down, they saw Alex was standing there, his eyes blazing with hellfire as he glared at Zeke.
"What the hell are you doing, Zeke?!" he pinned Zeke against the wall again. There it was, the real Alex's anger, coming out to save her, yet again.
"Do I need to explain everything to you? You can clearly see with your own two eyes exactly what I'm doing." Zeke's tone was even, sure and unyielding, not giving Alex any hint of him backing down.
"You said you would not –"
"She only has to be down there for an hour, Alex. It's not like I am leaving her there forever. Once the time is up, I will go down and get her." Zeke explained nonchalantly.
Alex gritted his teeth, not appeased. Even an hour inside that dungeon would be more than enough time for her to get injured or die!
"And why the hell are you even acting like this towards that maid anyway? I think there's something wrong with you. She is just some measly human. Her life is insignificant. Her life doesn't matter. So why are you acting like a maniac over her? Huh? Alex?" Zeke pushed as hard as he could to make him remember, to make him think about all of these things, about why he was acting this way.
Alex's grip on Zeke tightened as he cursed within him. Those were the exact damn questions he was asking himself! Why Alex? Why the hell are you acting like this over that woman? Did her life really matter to him? Was there some kind of connection there? Who was she to him? Who?!
The anger inside him was like a blazing inferno. He couldn't contain it. His thoughts were full of murderous images, of him fighting and killing Zeke and whoever else that stood in his way. That again, was another surprise. Zeke was his most loyal comrade and never in his life did he think that he would ever feel like this towards him. Why, goddamnit? Why?!!
"Do you have feelings for that human girl?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Feelings?" he echoed. "Stop spouting nonsense! Just stop this or else…"
"Or else what? Are you going to go against me?" Zeke's eyes turned red. His nails grew and he easily pulled Alex's hands off his collar. "Don't forget, Alex, no matter how much you might want to hurt me, your body can't defy my orders," Zeke said, reminding him about that time in the woods a month ago.
They had fought once when Alex left the palace. Zeke followed him and tried to force him to go back. Alex had started the fight mainly because he was looking for something exciting and fun to occupy his time. He wanted a fight with Zeke because Zeke was the only vampire that could give him satisfaction from fighting. But to his surprise, for the first time in his thousands of years of existence, he had lost against him. He really wanted to fight with Zeke, but everytime he was about to land a blow, he felt himself being drained of power, as if something was controlling him, holding him back. When he had fought the remaining rogue vampires, his powers didn't weaken like this. It was then that he and Zeke discovered that he was only like that against Zeke and neither of them knew why.
"Jump," Zeke then ordered Abi coldly, causing Alex's eyes to widen.
His gaze flew towards Abi and when he saw that she too was following his order without any thought, he suddenly moved and stopped her.
"What the f*ck are you doing? Jumping in there just because he said so?!" he roared at her. His heart accelerated within his chest as he thought about her being down there. Damn! He was confused. He was sick of all these confusing things he was doing that didn't seem like him at all!
Abi faced him. "Please let go. This is my punishment. I have to pay for my failure," she told him. Her voice was weak. She so wanted to hug him before she jumped down there, to borrow some energy from him so that she wouldn't be too scared. But she couldn't. All she could do was pull away from him.
Now that she thought about it, Alex risked his life, his soul to save her. Now it was her turn to risk it all to get him back. It was so sad that they had to hurt themselves so that they could save each other. It seemed, in that way, they were both hellbound with each other.
"No, you don't need to –"
"I said let go!" she screamed at him. "I failed to keep you beside me and let you leave. I deserve this!" she pushed him and then she jumped down.
________
Chapter 296 Louder
Abi yelped as she fell on the ground. This was it. Here she was, in this pitch black darkness for the second time around.
It was still as terrifying as she remembered. But at least right now, she didn't need to fear for her life and search for the way out. Her first experience was terrifying because it was compounded with the fear of the unknown. But now, she knew exactly what this place was. Besides, this time, she just needed to sit there and wait and hone her skills.
Despite knowing all of that, it was still quite scary to have one of your senses be taken away. Her sight was useless in this place and for a second, she felt like she was suffocating. But in the next second, she took a deep breath and steeled her mind to do her job this time. She needed to do her best for her sake, and for Alex's sake.
Abi started her training by trying to remember what she did that previous time that made her able to hear every little sound.
What did she do that time? That was right, she had been desperate that time to see Alex, to come out alive and hold him again and tell him she loved him. That time, she didn't want to die without letting him know her feelings for him.
As she tried to jog her memories, Abi subconsciously closed her eyes as the memories of that nightmare appeared in her head. She took a few deep breaths to calm her own loud heartbeats. She tried to shut her mind to forget about Alex and just think about her mission. It wasn't easy, almost impossible, but she persevered. She took another deep breath and tried to flood her head with nothingness and darkness.
And the result surprised her. She could hear it now. The sound of her own heartbeat, their rhythm, their pitch. Her hearing slowly became clearer and louder to her ears, as if the world turned silent and her ears could only hear her very own heartbeats.
As she focused all her attention to her sense of hearing, the different sounds she could hear inside that cave increased in number. The sound of something burrowing down the ground, the sound of a flying insect flying through the air, the sound of something scratching at a boulder - these were all the different sounds that she started to hear. And when she focused on a particular sound, it would increase in volume and become louder. This must be it, she thought. She didn't expect that it would be that easy. But maybe, as Zeke said, this was an innate ability that she had all along but she just didn't know how to use it.
Abi thought that all she needed to do was shut down all of her other senses to focus on one, her hearing. That must be it!
Time slowly ticked by and Abi started to hear noises coming from rodents. She could tell they were rodents because of the squeaking sound they made and when she focused on them, she was able to hear their heartbeats as well. As she concentrated, she was able to determine that one of these rodents had pulled away from its pack and was approaching her. The hair on her skin started to stand and the fear almost messed up her concentration. 'No, Abi, it's just a rodent! Ignore it! Ignore it!,' her mind willed her.
It took all her willpower to stay still and not react. The animal was now by her feet. Abi flinched and it ran away. She was relieved but she didn't open her eyes. 'But now I know how the animal's heartbeats sounded like,' she thought.
She then forced herself to memorize the patterns of the different animal's heartbeats - rodents, flying insects, crawling insects and all things in between. She wondered if all animals had the same heartbeats but it seemed that they were all different. She guessed it made sense but that meant it would be harder for her to differentiate between different heartbeats.
She kept going, trying as hard as she could to detect the differences. It was difficult, seeing that this was only her first time doing this, but she persevered.
A second later, her brows slowly pulled together into a knot. She was starting to hear something different. Was there another animal inside aside from rodents and insects? Abi remembered the first time she was here and she didn't encounter anything larger than rodents. So what was this that she was hearing?
It was loud. Louder than all the insects. Much faster even.
Abi was curious but at the same time, scared. She didn't know why but a shiver just ran down her spine the instant she heard it. The heartbeat was fast, faster than hers and the pitch seemed far higher than hers, too. It was strange and she didn't know why but she thought that it was terrifying. Because she could just tell that whatever this was wasn't human. She knew that no human would have a heartbeat as fast as this.
She could hear that the heartbeat belonged to just one creature. W-was it a bigger animal? Or could it be that someone was here other than the animals?
Abi swallowed. This was different. The air around her slowly changed. It was as if it was getting heavier as the heartbeat came closer. She could tell it was approaching her.
The fear made Abi's brain snap and she finally decided to scream to let Alex and Zeke know that there was something wrong.
However, before Abi could scream, she was suddenly unable to open her lips. She opened her eyes wide as her hands moved to her neck. There was nothing around her neck so why did she feel like she was being strangled?
Abi felt like she was under sleep paralysis. What was this? H-help me. She screamed inside her head. She could still hear the heartbeat and it was still making its way over to her, getting closer by the second.
_________
Chapter 297 Witch
She looked around but all she could see was darkness.
She started to cough and gasp for air. No… what was going on? She couldn't breathe.
Alex's face began to appear in Abi's head. It was happening again. This was how she had felt when she was losing hope. When she needed Alex. She didn't know what had gone wrong. She was supposed to just sit here, endure the terrifying darkness and train herself. She was not expecting any more than that. So what was this? Did Zeke trick her? Was she actually here to die?
Tears began to fall from her eyes. No. This couldn't be happening again.
She struggled, thinking that this was just some illusion or something.
Her mind was starting to go hazy when her eyes finally saw something in the darkness. Something, no, someone was walking towards her. And it wasn't an animal. It was a… person… and it was a woman.
Abi's eyes widened in shock and she coughed again. She couldn't see the woman's face but she seemed to be surprised that Abi could see her.
The thing that was strangling her was getting tighter. Abi was going to lose consciousness. She needed to breathe. Was she going to die? No. She couldn't be killed just like this!
Abi gritted her teeth as she shut her eyes. She refused to die here, not when she had finally found Alex. She wouldn't!!
Suddenly, an agonizing scream left her mouth and then, something seemed to break. It seemed she managed to break whatever took hold of her and she was able to breathe again.
As she coughed, she felt strong, warm arms wrap around her from behind.
…
Alex heard a yelp as she fell. His eyes widened in shock as he stared down the hole. His body was acting strange. He was starting to tremble and before he knew it, he moved to follow her. However, a strong arm held his shoulder, stopping him.
"And what do you think you're doing? Are you going to jump down there?" Zeke was looking at him with utter disbelief. A smirk was curved on his lips as he slowly shook his head.
But Alex didn't seem to hear him. "Let go," he said. His voice was hard and cold. Danger was evident in his voice and Zeke knew he was close to bursting out of control.
Zeke's lips twitched and he bent even closer to him.
"Listen, Alex, haven't you wondered why you are acting like this? I personally think that… that maid is actually a witch…" he whispered and Alex's eyes instantly dilated as he looked at him. "The reason why I'm punishing her in the harshest way is because of this. Look at you… it's almost as if you're possessed! And the fact that you are acting like this towards her alone gives credence to my theory. This is the first time I've seen you act like this. It's a pretty reasonable assumption, don't you think? "
Alex couldn't speak. What Zeke was saying made sense. What was happening to him, to his body, was a strange and alien feeling to him and he couldn't explain why and yes, it was only towards her!
"I think that witch in disguise must have put some spell on you that moment she approached you last night at the ball. That's why you've suddenly become obsessed with her and are even willing to defy me just to save her. I'm afraid she might end up fully taking over your body if this keeps going on," Zeke continued, speaking like a devil on Alex's shoulder, tempting him.
"That's why you should listen to me and not go after her. The spell she cast on you will soon disappear the moment she… dies."
That last word that came out of Zeke's lips made Alex's body freeze. His fists clenched into tight balls and his eyes blazed golden.
"Now come, Alex. Don't bother with her and come with me. Let her rot down there and di –"
Before Zeke could finish his sentence, Alex's fist flew towards Zeke's face, but Zeke managed to react in time and it just grazed the corner of his lips.
But then, another blow flew towards Zeke's chest and in a blink of an eye, his back crashed against the wall, creating a blast-like effect.
As the dust settled down, Zeke just leaned by the dent on the wall his body created. That was a nearly lethal blow. He actually hit him, that damn guy!
A smile curved on his face as he wiped the blood from his lips with his tongue. "Tch! This stupid immortal," he muttered to himself, looking amused, and at the same time intrigued, by all the new turn of the events. 'Did he finally remember something? He managed to hit me, meaning, he must be back to his usual self? Or was that for just a moment again?'
Zeke waited and finally, Alex came out of the hole with Abi in his arms. Zeke's eyes zeroed in on Alex to gauge his expression, to see if something had changed, when he felt something was off. Zeke's eyes then fell on Abi and the first thing he saw were the marks around her neck, as if something had strangled her.
His eyes immediately narrowed and the next moment, like a lightning strike, Zeke jumped down the hole.
Alex gritted his teeth as he put the girl down. He saw it, someone was down there.
"Are you okay?" he asked, worried.
She was pale and she seemed to be having a hard time breathing. He held her face, making her look at him. She coughed again and Alex gently rubbed her back.
The next moment they heard noises coming from below. Though it was quick, the earth moved for a moment as if there was an earthquake.
Zeke emerged from the hole after that, holding a half dead woman.
The palace guards who felt the trouble coming from underground arrived and Zeke told them to shackle the woman.
"Tie her up. She's a witch," he said and Alex finally stood up.
"Zeke…" he gnashed his teeth in anger.
______
Chapter 298 A journey
"Zeke..." he gnashed his teeth in anger. Did he ask her to jump down knowing that there was a witch inside?
Before Alex could attack him again, he diverted Alex's attention to Abi. "Carry her. I need to check on her. Also, I didn't know there was a witch down there," he explained and Alex's eyes fell on Abi again.
"If you're lying, I'll kill you," Alex threatened and Zeke could only sigh, still surveying Alex's face to see if he remembered something.
Abi had lost consciousness when Alex lifted her up again, causing him to panic.
"Zeke!" he called out. "She's..."
Zeke turned and walked over to them. He checked her pulse and was relieved to find that she seemed to have just passed out.
"She just passed out, Alex. No need to worry," Zeke assured him and Alex's expression became a little better, although he still glared at Zeke with an expression filled with his murderous intent. "Go settle her down on your bed and change her clothes. I will check on her later after I deal with the witch."
Zeke then turned and followed the guards. He knew he was in trouble. He had messed up. He wondered what Alex would do to him after this. Are they finally going to have a real fight soon?
"Tch! How troublesome," he muttered to himself but when he looked at the witch he was following, he narrowed his eyes. It seemed this little wench of a witch was actually a step ahead of him and he was intrigued as to who this witch was who was powerful enough to actually foresee his next moves.
Zeke found Alex sitting beside the bed, keeping watch on Abigail. It seemed this guy didn't wait for him anymore and called a human doctor to check on her.
"It appears that the witch managed to enter the dungeon last night and waited there. She and her clan foresaw all this." Zeke broke the silence as he leaned against the door.
But Alex was silent. He just stared at the sleeping girl for a long while before his calm words left his mouth. "Tell me, Zeke. What the hell are you aiming for?" he asked and then he stood up. He walked over to him silently, but with sharp murderous eyes. "I knew you were up to something since the moment you asked me to attend the banquet last night."
Zeke sighed. But then, his expression changed. Zeke looked at him with a villainous look. "Well what do you think? You think I'm doing all this for no reason? You know I don't play mindless games, Alex. And what about you? Did you finally find out what was going on with you?" he retorted, serious as ever.
"I don't fucking know!" Alex hissed. His anger was leaking out. "I felt like I just experienced some kind of déjà vu when I jumped down the hole to save her and I don't know why. All I know is I hate it when she gets hurt and I wouldn't even hesitate to rip anyone to death, even if it's you, if something happens to her!"
Zeke groaned, exasperated as he ran his fingers through his hair. Goddammit! So he still didn't remember anything! He knew that it wouldn't be that easy but Zeke was getting impatient now, especially when the witches already knew about Alex and they were now taking their moves.
"Now tell me. Who is that girl? I know you know. Tell me or you'll regret it."
A smile curved on Zeke's lips. He stared at Alex for a long while before he finally decided what to say. "Fine, I'll tell you what you want to know. But I have one condition," he negotiated. "You will help me hunt for a certain witch."
Alex looked at him like he was an idiot, causing Zeke's lips to twitch. "She's no ordinary witch, Alex. And I'm telling you, we might be able to solve all these mysteries if we catch her. I am certain she knows exactly what was going on with you. And that was why she sent a witch to abduct your maid."
What Zeke said made Alex's brows crease.
"She knew you had become obsessed with the human. I could tell they were aiming to take her as bait to catch you. That witch just tried to control her in that little period of time she was down there. It was a relief that the maid was strong enough to resist that witch's power. Even vampires wouldn't have been able to," he explained. "And isn't it more fun if we go out and hunt them than waiting for these witches to come to us?"
Zeke had been thinking about this for a while now. He couldn't confine Alex inside this palace and he wasn't safe here anymore. The witches were just too sly there was no use hiding from them because playing hide and seek was their forte. The only way to beat them was to stop playing their game and go to them.
"Also, we are taking her with us," Zeke added as he glanced at the sleeping girl. "She'll be a huge help for us."
Alex was silent for a moment before he asked Zeke again. "And what would a human like her do? Wouldn't she just be a burden? Wouldn't she just slow us down?"
"Don't underestimate her, Alex. You have no idea how strong-willed that little human is." At least, your current self right now doesn't know it. "She has an exceptional ability to recognize witches in disguise. And isn't it better for you to keep her by your side as we go on the journey? That way, you can make sure she is safe." Zeke smirked but Alex just glared at him again.
What happened today made Alex realize that Zeke was dangerous for the little lamb. Alex managed to defy this guy in the dungeon but he wasn't sure if he could do that again. In short, all he could do was to listen to this guy but not trust him at the same time when it came to his little lamb.
And now that he thought about it, going on a journey with her might be a good thing. He would certainly make the little lamb fall head over heels for him if they worked on something together.
"Fine," Alex finally agreed and Zeke smiled within him.
"Good. You must tell her once she wakes up. We are heading out first thing tomorrow," Zeke said and he finally left the room. He was relieved that Alex agreed damn fast. It seemed using Abigail worked wonders again.
Zeke's eyes then turned serious as he walked back to the underground prison cell where the witch had been detained. He had a bad feeling about this. These ominous feelings he had since Alex came back without memories had been haunting him for a while now. He just felt that something bad was going to happen and if they didn't move now... something worse might befall them.
__________
Chapter 299 Kelly being Kelly
Inside Kai's room…
The moment Kelly woke up, her eyes immediately fell on the delicate looking creature beside her. He was as dreamy as always but Kelly couldn't quite enjoy this view so early in the morning. It was because all the memories she had forgotten all came back to her.
She knew it was strange and millions of questions began to pop in her head. Why did she suddenly forget about this prince and everyone connected to him?
Kelly remembered it all and her head felt like it was going to burst. She remembered how Abi was looking for Alex that they and she and even Abi's family forgot about Alex and the others. She realized it wasn't just her who lost the memories, it was all of them, except Abi. And the only memories that were erased were the things that were related to them, Alexander Qin, this prince, and that Ezekiel Qin. She wasn't an idiot to think that it was amnesia. It definitely wasn't. This was peculiar, something that was supposed to be impossible.
Looking at the sleeping man again, Kelly couldn't help but think about all the silly possibilities. Could it be that this prince and those other two were magicians or hypnotists? Kelly slapped her head. This wasn't good. Things were just getting too much for her especially when she had this damn hangover.
As she ran her fingers through her hair and tugged them slightly, Kelly's mind then shifted onto something else and her curiosity and confusion was slowly diverted into anger.
She glared down at Kai with a dark expression and when she saw him start to wake up, she climbed up over him and waited for him to fully wake up. He suddenly sat up and she looked into his eyes and then…
"Where's Alex!?" she growled at him. At that moment, she really, really, really wanted to beat that guy up for everything that Abi had gone through in the last few months. She had seen her best friend lose her light, her happiness and joy, all because that man had left her! And after marrying her, too!!! What a douchebag! How the hell could he marry Abi and then just ditch her just like that?! The nerve of that guy! There was no way in hell she was going to let him get away with that, even if he turned out to be the most powerful underworld mastermind!
Not only that, Kelly had heard other women talking about Alexander at the party last night, saying how they wished he would pick them to be with him for the night and how lucky those other girls were that he had picked! WHAAAT???? All this time, this guy, who was MARRIED to her best friend, had been whoring around behind Abi's back, while Abigail had been at home, feeling miserable?? This was an unforgivable sin in her books! She was going to have to find Abi and take her away from this godforsaken place where they could all burn in hell and she would happily throw the first burning match to send them there! That insect didn't deserve her Abigail and oh, how she wanted to squash him under her foot like the despicable bug that he was.
She couldn't help but go on a rampage. She had many questions about why her memories of that damn Alexander Qin and this prince and everyone else had disappeared, but she didn't have time to question that when there was a much more important matter to take care of - to beat the hell outta that womanizing bastard and take her Abigail away from here!
"Tell me where Alexander Qin is, Prince! Right now!" Kelly demanded. She figured that wherever Alex was, Abi would be there too.
Kai sat frozen, just staring at her furious face and when he didn't say anything, she leaped off the bed and ran straight towards the door, screaming at the top of her lungs, "ALEXANDER QIN!! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU HIDING, YOU BASTARD? COME OUT!"
Kai was a blur as he rushed towards the door to shut it before Kelly could take a step outside. Letting her leave while she was like this was asking for trouble. But keeping her here would also cause him a lot of trouble… Sigh. He supposed he would have to play the knight and sacrifice himself.
Before Kelly could retaliate and pummell him to hell, he immediately picked her up like a sack of rice and put her over his shoulder, feeling thankful that she had stopped trying to scream the castle down. He then strode towards the bed again but he hadn't even taken two steps before her fists were smashing into his back at full force as her legs kicked the air in front of him.
"Argh!! Help me!! Help me!! The prince is trying to kidnap me so he can have his way with me!!! Help me!!!"
Kai was stunned, yet again! What the hell was this woman spouting out now? He immediately plonked her on the bed and very quickly put his hand over her mouth to stop the screeching noises that were coming out from it. At this rate, every damn vampire in the castle was going to go after her for waking them up with her shouting!
But of course, Kelly being Kelly, she obviously fought against him like a trapped animal. She twisted and thrashed on the bed, trying to remove his hand from her mouth. Kai was a little worried, because he obviously didn't want to hurt her but if she kept this up, she would only end up hurting herself.
So he removed his hand from over her mouth but she started to scream again! However, in the next second, her screams were stopped by Kai placing his lips over hers. He didn't know what else to do so he figured he would do something she would never expect. And this was it!
_________
Chapter 300 Look at me
The instant the warmth of his lips penetrated her senses, Kelly finally stopped struggling. The arms that were pushing him away became anchors instead as she pulled him closer to her. This was the first time this guy had initiated anything like this so even though he was only doing this to stop her from yelling, Kelly found herself kissing him back. Damn, why did his lips taste so delicious? Why did this pretty guy turn her on this much? She felt her body relax as she responded to his kiss. She was no longer tense and wound up.
Kai felt her body relax under him and he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. 'Thank goodness!' He might actually be able to talk some sense into her now,' he thought. Kai pulled away tentatively, as if he was getting ready to apply his new 'Kelly's bomb diffuser technique' in case she started screaming again. Thankfully, or not, he didn't have to, but she did look up at him with many questions in her eyes, ones that he would probably have to answer at some point.
"You're not going to scream anymore right?" Kai asked, just to make sure.
Kelly shook her head but the anger in her eyes started to ignite again. She wanted to tease him and kiss him again but she knew this guy was just trying to divert her attention from the real problem. Thus, she pushed her naughty devil inside her to behave for now and become serious. "Tell me, prince. Is it true what I heard last night? That Alexander Qin has been taking other women to his bed despite him being married to Abi?" The question she asked was very serious and his answer could have major repercussions.
Kai didn't know what to say. The short answer was yes but if he said that outright, they would be back to square one, back to him dealing with the raging dragoness that was Kelly.
The silence dragged on and Kelly finally snapped. She narrowed her eyes, grabbed his collar and pulled him closer to her. His silence only meant one thing and to Kelly, it was a 'yes'. She couldn't help but fume in anger. This was unforgivable.
"Has. Alex. Been. Sleeping. With. Other. Women?!" Kelly emphasised each word so that Kai would get the message.
Kai sighed. He was again defeated by this woman. Even the tried and tested technique didn't work on her. So Kai caved in and prepared himself to answer her question. "I will answer your question but can you promise me that you won't go on a rampage?"
"No," Kelly said, as straightforward as ever.
"Can you at least let me explain?" Kai asked, trying to get her to compromise a little.
Kelly didn't answer but her face started to darken, telling Kai that he better hurry up and spill the beans. "Yes." He could only say and before he could begin to explain, Kelly's eyes burned with anger, causing him unable to speak because he knew it might be useless at the moment.
That man didn't know how Abi survived these last three months without him. How dare he do this to her! She was going to break his goddamn twins!!
Finally losing her temper, Kelly pushed Kai and she flipped him so that he was now on his back and she was on top of him.
The raging tigress had unleashed her badass strength and Kai could tell that he wouldn't be able to stop her anymore without using force.
He couldn't let her create a scene here because Alex wasn't the Alex she had met before. If she went and confronted Alex, that guy might kill her without hesitation. Damn, what should he do? If he let her go, this girl might…
Before Kai could even decide, his body had already moved faster than his brain. As Kelly ran towards the door like an olympic sprinter, Kai was forced to use his vampire speed to chase after her. Kelly felt a woosh of air as Kai passed her, beating her to the door again. This time, Kelly definitely saw his super human speed and she couldn't help but gape at him, distracting her from her rage.
"How did you…" her eyes wide in shock and confusion.
When Kai didn't answer, Kelly reeled and she subconsciously took a couple of steps back. Her face was full of shock and disbelief.
She stared at him and then her instincts suddenly told her to run. She eyed the door but she just took a few steps when she felt like she was flying. The next second, she found herself back on the bed, pinned down by him.
Kelly's eyes widened in shock at how much strength this guy had now. Her hands were held by just one hand so why couldn't she even move them? His grip was suddenly unbreakable, like actual shackles, making it impossible for her to escape.
Subconsciously, Kelly swallowed. For the first time, she felt a chill run down her spine because of him. She normally felt this chill around that Alexander Qin and now, she was feeling it from this cutie pie as well? Although the ominous feeling was dramatically lesser and subtler than Alexander and that Ezekiel, Kelly couldn't help but look at him with the same doubt and trustless gaze.
Realizing what he just did, Kai slowly loosened up his grip on her. But he didn't let go and remained in that position, not giving her any chance to escape. "I'm sorry…" he said. His apologetic eyes were sincere. "I can't let you go and find Alex."
Kelly gazed up at him. Her eyes were as serious than ever. "Why?"
"Because you might…"
"Because what?! He'll kill me? Or is he going to erase my memories again?" she asked. Her voice was mocking, as if she was laughing at herself for even asking these stupid questions.
She saw him look shocked for a moment but he averted his gaze.
"Look at me and answer me! Are you guys behind all this? You guys made me forget, no, not just me. Everyone else… except Abi. Everyone forgot about all your existence. Why? I mean, how? How did that happen? How did you guys even do something like that?"
__________
ACCESS OUR LATEST ON THE GO HIT HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR MOBILE APP. ON OUR SERVER
NOTE: PHYSINEWS MEDIA WE RESPECT AUTHORS & CONTENT OWNERS WE MADE THIS POST TO ENTERTAIN EVERYONE DISCLAIMERS PLEASE ENTER HERE
--------------
∆∆∆∆∆∆
------------------------------------
......
