PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFER BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
Chapter 351 Love
The sky was a pinkish orange hue when Abi woke up. She was facing the window and the sky was the brightly coloured sky first thing she noticed.
However, she still felt very sleepy. It was too early to get up. 'Twenty minutes more sleep,' she thought, and she turned her back to the window. It was then that she realized that Alex was spooning her.
Her senses became more awake as soon as she saw his peaceful, sleeping face. Ah, she had missed this so much…
Abi had the urge to kiss him good morning but instead of doing that, she moved closer to him and wrapped her arm around his waist and fell asleep again. It seemed like their nighttime activities had taken a great toll on her body.
As her body relaxed and her breathing steadied once again, a small smile crept on Alex's face before he opened his eyes. God, he felt so happy when she put her arm on his waist. He thought that she would move away from him when she noticed his presence but he was pleasantly surprised when she did that instead. This was the best morning ever of his life and he bit his lips to stop himself from grinning like an idiot.
He stared at her as he remembered what they did last night. And damn, he was hard again. But he ignored it and just pulled her closer to him. He wanted them to stay like this forever. This feeling of utter bliss made him wonder why he had never experienced anything like this in his thousands of years of existence. He had lived for far too long that nothing could move him anymore. He thought he had already experienced everything this world had to offer, but he was wrong. He had remained in the dark for all those years, not knowing feelings like this existed in this world. He thought that human emotions, this so called 'love', was nothing but an illusion that stupid humans created to deceive themselves and to justify their actions. He thought it wasn't real.
But he was proven wrong the very moment this woman appeared before him. Sometimes, he couldn't help but feel terrified because he realized that this so-called 'love' was more dangerous than anything else he had faced in this terrible world. It was more dangerous than the greed and vengeance that once ate him whole. This so-called 'love' was powerful enough to bend him, to erase every ounce of darkness within him and most importantly, it gave life, and at the same time, it killed.
That was why he found his heart trembling sometimes when the thought of her leaving him ever entered his mind. Even just the thought of her telling him that she hated him was unthinkable. Would he be able to take something like that? Greed and vengeance drove him to kill and burn… would this so-called 'love' drive him do that too?
Alex shook his head. No, he would not let that happen. This little lamb wouldn't leave him. She wouldn't hate him. She would eventually come to love him wholly and they would have their 'happy ever after'. Now that she had given him her body, all that was left was her heart. He was willing to do anything and everything to make her choose him and eventually give her heart to him.
With that thought, Alex smiled again and slowly leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. The little lamb looked vulnerable and she looked so damn cute that he wanted to pounce on her and make love to her for the entire day.
However, he could only sigh knowing that he couldn't do that, though he was still smiling like an idiot.
It seemed he needed to take a cold shower now before his beloved woke up.
He slowly unclasped her arm from his waist and replaced himself with a pillow. His body complained because of the absence of her warmth but he needed to discipline his naughty, little big monster.
He bent down and kissed her once again before he finally entered the bathroom.
…
"Abigail… I am still waiting…" that voice started to echo in Abi's head again.
Abigail looked around and found the owner of the voice standing by a path, the silver witch. The path was heading to the thick, dark forest; the same forest she saw in her dreams the night before. Was she dreaming again?
"I… I don't trust you. I know you are just luring me in to catch Alex to harm him!" Abi responded. This dream just felt so real, so vivid that she couldn't help but interact with this witch.
The silver witch didn't respond and just stared at her with that same gaze she had when they had locked eyes that night. There was something in the way this white witch looked at her that she couldn't fathom.
"This is the last time, Abigail… If you don't come, you will surely regret it," the white witch said before turning away from Abi. She started to walk away, heading down that path towards the dark forest.
"Wait!" Abi called out but that was then she woke up from her dream.
She looked around. It was indeed a dream. When she saw Alex was not beside her, she started to panic but then she heard the shower running in the bathroom. She sighed with relief before she climbed off the bed and headed to the window which overlooked the dark mountain from afar.
That dream was bugging her again and she didn't know what to do. Would she regret it like the witch said? Did they really have the answers? She needed to find a way to at least let Zeke know about this. But then… was Zeke really trustworthy? After cancelling this mission, Abi somehow felt like he was moving on his own again, fulfilling his own agendas, whatever they may be. Should she be relying on him this much? How could she be sure that whatever he was planning would work? She only had his words to go by because his actions made her doubtful of his intentions, especially when he went AWOL at White Falls village.
The door opened and Alex came out, half naked. How many times had he taken a shower since yesterday? Must be good being an immortal to never fall ill.
He immediately walked towards her, leaned in on her as he picked strands of her hair and smelled them as he spoke. "Good morning, my beloved," he uttered, making Abi's cheeks turned slightly pink at this new endearment.
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Chapter 352 True fear
"P-please get dressed. We should already be at the palace by now. Why didn't you wake me up?" Abi tried to avoid his gaze as she put her hand on his chest, stopping him from coming any closer. What happened last night was something she would never regret but right now, she couldn't do more than that. She couldn't give anything more, not until he remembered her, not until she was certain that he would be alright.
But Alex just smiled and didn't back off. He was about to give her a kiss but a loud ringing interrupted him.
He ignored it and proceeded to lean towards her but Abi slipped away, taking the blanket and wrapping it around her and quickly grabbed her phone. She thought it might have been Zeke calling to ask where the hell they were so she was relieved to see that it was her dad who was calling her.
"Hi, dad," she answered, as Abi glanced at Alex hoping he would behave while she was on the phone to her dad.
However, her hopes were dashed when she saw him walk towards her with a sexy smile on his face. His muscles flexed as he moved and Abi was instantly distracted.
"Abi? Abi… are you there?" her dad asked when he only heard silence from her end.
His question pulled Abi's attention back to the phone conversation. "Hmm? Yes, dad. I-I'm here. Sorry, I am a little busy at the moment. C-can I call you later?" she said, knowing that she wouldn't be able to concentrate while Alex was in this kind of playful mood.
"Are you alright? Are you sure that you want to stay there?" her dad asked, obviously wanting to talk about her decision to stay in Country V.
"Yes, dad. I'm fine. I just have a lot to do today so I don't have much time right now. I promise to call you tonight after I finish for the day, okay? Alright, dad, I have to go now. I love you…" Abi spouted out in a rush and in the next second she ended the call just in time because Alex's lips found hers at that moment.
Time seemed to stand still as his lips caressed hers. Damn it! This guy was becoming more and more shameless by the second. Abi pulled away from his kiss by putting a hand on his chest again and pushing him back. There was no time for this. They still needed to get back to the palace!
"We need to leave as soon as we can. We're already late!" she reasoned, and without waiting for a response, she quickly ran towards the bathroom to shower and get ready.
Breakfast was waiting for her when she got out of the bathroom. It was laid out neatly on the small table in their room. When she walked over to the table, Alex walked around and pulled her chair out for her, like a true gentleman, and pushed it in as she sat down. He went back to his side and settled in.
He started piling food on her plate again, something that has now become a very natural thing for him to do - he didn't bother thinking about why anymore and just went with it - and she quickly devoured her like a hungry animal, firstly because they were running behind schedule and secondly because she didn't know what was waiting for them back in the city. She figured it couldn't hurt to store some energy for the day, just in case.
Alex merely watched her, not eating anything himself, just admiring the view.
"Stop staring at me," Abi finally said after a while.
"I'm not staring. I'm having breakfast too," Alex replied.
"You haven't eaten anything."
"I have been stuffing myself but I'm still not full," he countered.
Abi could not help but sigh at all the cheese he was spouting out. She knew that he wasn't talking about food at all.
She quickly finished her food and then got up to grab her bag, silently telling Alex that they needed to leave. Alex also got up and basically teleported to where her bag was sitting and he quickly picked it up before she could. He then grabbed his backpack and ushered her out of the room.
They went down to the reception area and the young man who served them last night was standing behind the counter. Alex said to Abigail that he would take care of the bill and told her to head straight to the car. Abi nodded but before she left the building, she smiled at the young man behind the counter, waved him goodbye and thanked him for their hospitality.
Alex's smug smile quickly disappeared and his aura immediately raged, alerting the young man of the sudden chill in the air. The young man was about to wave goodbye to the lady guest but his hand was frozen in mid air as his eyes found the source of the sudden drop in temperature.
The young man swallowed as he saw the dark, almost venomous look on Alex's face. He felt goosebumps crawl up his arms as his instinctive defensive instincts kicked in. "Uhm… t-t-hank you for s-s-taying, sir. Y-your stay is o-on the house…" the young vampire stuttered.
The young man had just experienced the feeling of true fear. This godlike immortal standing in front of him was as scary as all the stories had depicted. He would never belittle those stories again. He almost peed his pants and Alex hadn't even done anything yet except stare at him. He didn't know what else to do so he just bowed again, like he did last night, and just like that, the atmosphere returned to normal. When the man looked up again, Alex was already by the car, opening the door for his woman to hop inside.
He closed her door and then leaned in through the window to grab her seatbelt and click it into place. And of course, he took the opportunity to place a quick kiss on her lips as he drew back out of the window.
Abi could only shake her head.
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Chapter 353 Jealous wife
The two of them were finally on their way, with Alex driving much faster than he did the day before. It didn't seem to bother him that there were big gaps at the 2 o'clock and 10 o'clock positions on the wheel.
Abi stole a glance at him and she saw that he seemed to be in a cheerful mood. He had a playful smile on his face and she thought that she actually heard him humming! Whoa… was that right? Was he actually humming a tune?
Abi returned her gaze to the road and closed her eyes, listening carefully to see if she could figure out the tune he was humming. Her eyes suddenly widened as she heard the melody. It was their song. He was humming the melody of Can't help falling in love.
Abi's heart pounded on her chest. Did he remember finally? She clenched her hands from the hope she just felt. But… if he remembered, then why didn't he act like it? Why didn't he call her his wife, or ask why she was wearing their wedding rings around her neck instead of on their fingers? Her mind reasoned out and her hope deflated just as fast as it had swelled.
She gritted her teeth and bit her lip to stop the emotion from flowing out. No, he still didn't remember. But hearing him humming her song kept the small flame of hope alive. Somewhere in there was her husband and she wasn't going to give up until she got him back.
---
In what seemed like no time at all, the two of them arrived at the palace. The car screeched to a halt in front of the entrance where Zeke was standing by, obviously waiting for them to arrive.
That uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach was in full bloom. It slowly increased as they neared the city and it was even more prevalent now when she saw Zeke looking very serious as he waited by the stairs.
" You're late. Let's go," Zeke said to Alex, sounding as serious as ever. He was wearing his poker face and while his greeting to Alex was very blunt, he didn't even say a word to Abi. He just turned around and just expected both of them to just follow.
However, as they ascended the stairs towards the courtroom, Zeke halted. He turned to them and said, "I think it will be better if your maid waits in my room." He was obviously addressing Alex, talking about Abi as if she wasn't there.
This caused Alex to raise his brow and stare at Zeke, as if he was trying to determine what game he was playing. However, in the next moment, Alex looked at Abi and said, "Let's go, my beloved. I shall take you to our room first."
Alex was giving Zeke many with that one sentence. First of all, his answer didn't address Zeke. He spoke directly to Abigail because he didn't like that Zeke was talking as if she was not important, as if she was nobody, and that irked him like hell. His fists itched to massage Zeke's face but he kept his cool.
Secondly, addressing Abigail as his 'beloved' obviously told Zeke his intentions towards his little lamb. That was the title he gave her because no matter how many times she refused him, one of these days, she would become his wife.
Thirdly, his use of the words 'our room' again cemented the fact that Abigail was his equal. He no longer saw her as his maid. She was the sun to his moon, the light to his darkness. She was more important to him than anything in this world and he wanted Zeke to know that.
He knew that Abi might have missed all the implications of his words but he was sure that Zeke would understand them. Zeke knew him well enough to know.
As Alex reached out to take Abi's hand to lead her back to the room, Abi stepped back with a frown on her face. Why couldn't she go with him? Why had he agreed to Zeke's request so easily like that?
She was displeased and before she realized it, she was glaring at him, at them both! She didn't want to go. She wanted to know what was so important that they had to abandon their quest and come running back here in a hurry.
Seeing how displeased she looked, Alex leaned in and whispered in her ear.
"Do you want me to tell you how you look right now?" he whispered as he flashed a sweet, mischievous smile. "You look like a jealous wife and… I really like it."
Abi bit her lips at Alex's teasing words but there was no way she would get distracted now because well, she really did feel like a jealous wife right then!
"Alex, can I please stay?" she pleaded, blinking at him, using her new technique again.
Alex didn't expect that she would fire this at him and he was too slow to look away. Damn it! He couldn't say no when she looked at him like that. He inwardly sighed and looked at Zeke.
"No, Alex. She works here as a maid. She isn't allowed inside." Zeke was firm.
Alex glared at Zeke. He walked closer to Zeke and whispered. "She's my future wife, Zeke."
Zeke wanted to pinch the skin between his brows. He did get the message that Alex blatantly pointed out but in this case, he just could not do it. They were not married yet and her title hadn't changed. It would cause chaos if he let her inside so he had no choice but to look at Abi like he was ordering her to relent.
Abi could only give in.
"Okay, I won't go in but can I at least wait outside the door?" she negotiated.
"Deal. Wait for us outside the door," Zeke said and Abi sighed with relief.
"Alright, I will wait outside!" Abi knew that she would only cause trouble if she insisted. Besides, with this plan, she would still be able to hear the conversation.
They went on their way again and when they reached the big double doors, Alex and Zeke entered without another word.
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Chapter 354 It's about time
The large doors of the room opened and Zeke and Alex entered the room.
Zeke walked up to the end of the room and bowed before his father as a sign of respect while Alex just took his seat without even greeting the king.
Of course, the king didn't mind it. He was supposed to be the one who should rise and give Alex his much deserved respect but Alex had forbidden them from doing that long ago, saying that he didn't didn't want any displays of the sort. They knew Alex had long abandoned every royal etiquette because all those things were just something he called troublesome.
There were no other people inside the courtroom but the members of the Reign family and two of the kingdom's highest officials. The queen and the princesses were also present. It all looked very formal especially with all the royal family gathered in one place.
Boredom registered on Alex's face as he looked at the King as he gave the order to just state whatever it was that they wanted to say to him so he could leave this place as fast as he could and spend his time on a much more rewarding and interesting pursuit - to seize the universe; his Abigail's heart.
The King looked at Zeke as if waiting for the man's signal to start. Well, the king knew that there was some strange connection between Alex and Zeke and that it was only because of Zeke that Alex even showed up to this meeting. The king knew from his past interactions with Alexander that this man was not someone who would listen to anyone if he didn't want to. No one could force him to do anything.
But things suddenly changed since Alexander returned to the palace on that fateful night, three months ago. Suddenly, Alex started listening to Zeke to the point that Alex almost couldn't defy him. This was a mystery to them all which is why the king had spoken to his son about this beforehand. The king knew that his son, Zeke, was the strongest of them all but he obviously didn't dare to think that his son had surpassed Alex. He knew that was not possible.
Zeke had revealed to him everything; about Alex being stabbed by the girl in the prophecy and how he seemed to have lost his soul. Zeke told him that Alex had become an easier target now and that the witches might be able to control him in the same way Alex obeyed Zeke.
This news terrified the king and he instantly became furious with Zeke. This son of his was the one who forbade them to touch the girl. Had they killed that girl before Alexander fell for her, there would be no such problem now. The king was terrified that the witches would get Alex to side with them by manipulating him. He knew that if that ever happened, war and chaos would ensue between the two races and even if they had Zeke on their side, he would not be able to stand against an immortal. Nobody ever stood against Alexander and still lived to tell the tale.
The fragile peace that had lasted for hundreds and hundreds of years would be destroyed and once the war started, there would be darkness and destruction and the main casualties would mostly consist of human lives.
This was why the king had thought of this remedy. He thought that by doing this, they could at least make sure that Alexander would not turn his back on his fellow vampires and to not side with the witches. Even though he had already vowed not to, the king was willing to push to raise that chances of keeping Alex on their side. He needed something more concrete to tie him down to them and this was the best time for them to do it, while Alex was still listening obediently to Zeke.
Zeke didn't actually approve of this but the king didn't want to listen to Zeke's plans anymore because Zeke's original plan had gotten them to this point. Zeke had assured them that he would take care of the whole business, to leave things to him but the result from his plans were less than desirable. In fact, it was close to a disaster which was why the king didn't listen to his son this time and even ordered Zeke to support his plan.
"Alexander," the king finally started. "I summoned you here because I wanted you to choose a bride among my daughters. It's about time for you to get married and have children, don't you think?" he added and what followed his words was a long drawn out silence.
Alex's unbothered face suddenly turned dark. "Among your daughters…" he echoed as his lips curved up into a mocking smile before his eyes zeroed in on Zeke. He didn't even throw a single glance towards any of the princesses present in the courtroom.
---
Meanwhile, outside the huge door, Abi was standing there, frozen in place. What she heard shook her world in an instant. She never thought that something like this would happen. Alex being betrothed to one of this kingdom's princesses was a thought that never occurred to her.
She immediately told herself that it was okay, that the king was ranked below Alex and that Alex would surely be able to defy him. Abi thought that there was no way he would agree to this. The king couldn't force him to do anything at all because he was above all that. Besides, didn't he propose to her just last night? Did he already forget about that?
But time passed and she didn't hear Alex's 'no'. She wanted to hear him reject the king's proposal. She wanted to hear it so bad but the words she was waiting for didn't come. Why? Why was he not saying no? Why was he not saying anything?
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Chapter 355 The main reason
Clenching her fists, Abi felt the rage within her start to rise up. Was this the reason for her unease? Was she feeling uneasy since yesterday because of this? Was it because she somehow felt that Alex would not be able to refuse them?
Her heart clenched as she gritted her teeth. Her blood boiled and her eyes were fierce like a cornered animal. But she didn't move from where she was. She stomped down the impulse to gatecrash their stupid party and waited for a bit longer for Alex's response. She could hear the king talking again, introducing him to each of his daughters and even going as far as to reciting their amazing achievements and skills.
But still, she didn't hear a single word from Alex. She really, really wanted to barge in, guns blazing, but the bulky vampire guards were standing by the door, blocking her way. And even if she managed to bowl her way through the door, what would she do once she barged inside? If she went and told him he already had a wife and that it was her, would he believe her? Probably not. He would just laugh at her and tell her she was acting like a jealous wife again, and smirk at her and tease her to no end. She had had enough of it. She was sick of this game. Why? Why did she have to go through all this? Why was it so hard for Alex to remember her again? Why was nothing working at all?! Why did he forget about her?
Abi started to hone into the conversation again and she managed to tune in as the king was finishing up his introductions.
Then, the awaited moment came. Alex finally spoke. "Indeed, your daughters are amazing," she heard him say and Abi finally snapped. The next thing she did was run away from the place as her tears fell from her eyes silently. She really was such a jealous wife.
But that wasn't the main issue. She was so hurt because Alex wasn't saying 'no'. She was so mad that he didn't reject this ridiculous proposal the moment the king said those words. He let the king introduce all his daughters to him and he even called all of them amazing?! Was it because he was interested in those girls and was having a hard time choosing one of them?
That was the only explanation Abi could think of. She was broken up about it because she knew him well enough to know that if he didn't like the king's proposal, he wouldn't even let him finish his words. But he didn't and that was what crushed Abi the most.
She was angry and hurt, her tears flowing down like a waterfall as she headed back to the courtyard. She didn't even pause and just jumped straight inside the car.
She started it and accelerated until she disappeared from the view of the palace.
It seemed she had reached her limit. She was tired of this chasing game. It seemed she couldn't tolerate all this anymore. She just wanted to finally rest from all this endless suffering and bring her Alex back.
…
Back inside the courtroom, Zeke was quietly watching the princesses.
Mira was out of the prison. It seemed his mother had released her just recently when she heard from the king that Alex had lost all his memories because of Abigail.
Zeke knew that the queen had been regularly visiting Mira in prison over the past three months since she was imprisoned. Princess Mira was the queen's favorite after all.
Alex, on the other hand, was still glancing at Zeke, eyes full of questions. He could not understand what the hell that man was thinking.
Alex had wanted to laugh at the king the moment he said those words. He wanted him to marry one of his daughters?! 'What a joke!' he thought. But he stopped himself from doing that mainly because of that poker face sitting there.
The fact that Zeke stopped their mission for this, even telling him that this was important, was enough for Alex to ride along with them for a while. Alex was used to Zeke's way of thinking. Even though he usually wasn't able to guess Zeke's actual plans, Alex knew that this guy wouldn't do anything randomly. If nothing else, he knew that there was always a reason behind every step that Zeke took.
This was what fascinated Alex about Zeke even when Zeke was a young boy. Alex was intrigued to see the workings of his mind. He had seen Zeke pull out some sick tactics to accomplish his mission and this amused Alex to no end. Alex compared him to the knight on a chess board; it wasn't the most powerful piece but it was very sneaky and unpredictable. The most amusing thing he found was that Zeke mostly moved in silence and nobody could tell what he was aiming for until the game was over.
But that wasn't the sole reason why Alex didn't respond. His main reason was still Abigail. Alex knew that Abi would probably be listening to the conversation. He thought he would use this to show her how serious he was about her.
When the king said those words, Alex almost walked out because he felt that this talk was pointless and a waste of his time but then he thought that he might be able to use this to make the little lamb fall for him. No, he knew she was already falling. She wouldn't give him her body if she wasn't. Thus, he thought that all he needed was to push her a little. He thought that this would be a good way to make her feel jealous and make her give in and finally tell him that she changed her mind and say that she wanted to marry him.
That was his plan and he couldn't wait for it to happen.
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Chapter 356 The one behind
"Give me time to decide whether to accept your proposal or not," Alex finally said.
The King and everyone, who all seemed to have been holding their breaths, instantly felt relieved that Alex didn't roar at them and was actually going to really consider this. This was a good sign.
However, Alex was about to stand when Zeke spoke.
"Why don't you choose which of my sisters you would prefer, Alex?" he asked, causing Alex to throw him a sharp gaze which Zeke, of course, ignored. "I think it's better if you choose someone now and decide later if you want to marry her. That would make it easier for my sisters so that they can stop being anxious about whether you might choose them or not."
Zeke's suggestion seemed logical but to Alex, there was another unknown meaning behind it. So Alex could only sigh and do as he said.
He stood up and walked over to them. These ladies were all beauties but none of them could hold a handle against his little lamb.
As Alex walked closer to the four ladies, Zeke's eyes narrowed the moment Alex changed his direction. Zeke was certain Alex either wouldn't choose or would just choose someone randomly. But his eyes narrowed when he saw Alex change his path and walk towards his sister who second to last in line, Princess Mira. Zeke looked like the last sign he was waiting for had finally appeared.
…
Alex stood before her and Princess Mira's smile widened.
However, before Alex could speak to tell the king that this woman was his choice, a sudden thud echoed inside the courtroom and Zeke suddenly appeared behind Mira.
Zeke was quick to seize her, merciless as he pinned her down on the floor, grabbing both her arms and pinning them behind her before making the princess fall to her knees.
The queen shrieked because of what Zeke just did to his own sister. Even the other princesses and the king had their eyes wide open in surprise.
"Oh god, Zeke! What are you doing to your sister?" The queen cried as she approached them but Alex glared at her, making her stop on her tracks and the king pulled her into his embrace.
"What is going on?" the king asked his son.
"This woman is not your daughter and she's definitely not my sister," Zeke declared, surprising everyone.
"W-what are you saying?!" the princess yelled as she started to cry. She was acting the same way she did three months ago when Alex threw her in the dungeon.
The other princesses and everyone agreed.
"Zeke, stop it. You know she's your sister. Can't you hear her heartbeat? A witch cannot disguise as one of us!" the king's voice thundered. But Zeke smiled.
It was true. The witches weren't able to disguise themselves as someone from the royal family because royal blooded vampires had a different kind of heartbeat from other vampires. Only the Royal vampires could distinguish their family's heartbeats from the normal common vampires. Their family's heartbeats were louder in their ears so they could recognize it. That was why witches could never penetrate the royal family by disguising as one of them in the past. The witches could only disguise themselves as humans or as common vampires because .
"Let her go, Zeke. Stop hurting your sister," the queen begged but Zeke didn't let go. He just ordered the guards to bring him the witch's chains.
"Listen to me, mother. Mira died a long time ago. Have you not noticed this mother? Ever since she went on a trip with Xavier to the eastern countries and stayed there for twenty years, her appearance seemed to have changed. Don't you remember the outrageously dumb thing she said back then? She said she got bored and tried the plastic surgery. Everyone was a little suspicious at the beginning but because of her heartbeat, nobody questioned her until eventually, the suspicions died down. But she didn't fool me, unfortunately." Zeke grabbed the woman's face as she stood before them, already securely bound.
"Please brother, believe me. I am your sister. Even if my appearance is a little altered, can't you hear my heartbeat? It beats the same as yours!" the woman wailed.
"That's right, Zeke. You know no one can disguise how the heart beats!" the king told him.
"Father, what age are we now? There are things that witchcraft can't do but human science can." He smiled. "Mira is dead, but her heart is still alive,' he added as pointed at the woman's chest. "Here, inside this woman."
Everyone's eyes widened.
"She just used witchcraft on Alex just now to make him choose her. Do you want more proof? Then watch carefully," Zeke slashed her skin and blood flowed down. Her skin didn't heal. Witches weren't able to heal naturally like vampires could if they didn't use their potions.
The queen shook her head in disbelief. "How… w-where's Mira then?"
"She's dead, mother. I have found a heartless body and found this necklace on her. Don't worry, I have gathered her bones and buried her in the royal cemetery last night," Zeke answered as he gave the necklace to his mother.
Zeke slashed her skin some more and the woman screamed, finally showing her real appearance.
Zeke then ordered the soldiers to bring the woman into the interrogation room as Zeke and Alex followed, while everyone else mourned for Mira.
Once they stepped out the door, Alex's eyes searched the corridor for her but couldn't see Abi anywhere.
"Let's go, Alex," Zeke told him when he saw Alex stop moving.
"My little lamb is missing."
"She must have gone to your room to use the bathroom. Don't worry, it's safe here now," Zeke assured as he leaned in on Alex and whispered. "I believe our enemy is not the queen of the witches. This witch doesn't seem to be connected to the queen. She's a rogue witch. We have to find out who is controlling her. I believe the one behind this is also the one behind what's happened to you," Zeke explained. He didn't mention that Xavier might be another victim of whoever this creature was.
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Chapter 357 Doubt
The palace's interrogation room was located on the level just above the deepest, darkest part of the palace's underground dungeon. This area reeked from all the spells and enchantments that were placed all over the cave-like room. The vampires somehow managed to have a witch cast a spell in this particular room so that no other witches could see what was going on inside it.
Witches were loyal creatures. They would rather kill themselves than betray their kind, especially their queen. That was why it was almost impossible for vampires to force any of them to speak or do something that might hurt their kind.
They managed to make a witch cast a spell on this place simply because that witch was said to have grown up in the castle. The story was that she was only a newborn baby when she was left at the palace steps and one of the princes claimed her. The young witch didn't know about her kind and therefore harbored no such loyalty to them. Besides, the prince treated her well and she never had any reason to complain. When she grew a bit stronger, the king at the time had asked her to cast a spell on that place and she did as he asked simply to please the prince, her master. This was a tale from thousands of years ago and until now, no one ever found out what had happened to this witch who had grown up among the vampires.
So knowing that the other witches wouldn't be able to eavesdrop, the interrogator didn't hold back. Torture had always been the tried and tested way to make someone speak but even with that, they were not sure if they would be able to get anything out of this witch. After all, she was mad enough to replace her heart with someone else's just to infiltrate the royal vampire family. But they all needed to find out why. Did she do this voluntarily or was she forced? Why did she go through all that? What was her goal? What was their ultimate goal?
Her loud, harrowing screams echoed inside the dungeon piercing everyone's ears until they almost bled.
Zeke lifted his hand to stop the soldier from whipping her while Alex just leaned against the wall, watching her closely.
Zeke pinched her chin to make her look at him as he spoke. "Woman,do you really not want to live anymore? If you answer my question, I will let you go. That's a promise and you should already know vampires don't break their promises."
But the witch smiled. "And you know that witches will never betray our kind."
Alex smirked with their witty exchange. He glanced at Zeke, waiting to see if this witty witch could outsmart him.
"Our kind…" he echoed. "But are you certain you're still one of them? Your heart is a vampire's heart, remember?"
The witch's eyes widened for a moment and she fell silent.
"Can't you hear it? Your heart no longer beats like a witch's? How can you claim you're a witch when your heart beats like a vampire?" he asked her as his gaze intensified. "You're no longer one of them, woman. You're part vampire now, whether you accept it or not."
Zeke's words seemed to be affecting her. He was attacking her psychologically and he wasn't giving her a moment to think about it.
"If you return to your coven once you achieve your goal, do you think other witches will still accept you? A witch with a vampire's heart? You are just a pawn, woman. Someone who is easily discarded after you've served your purpose.
I will presume that you are a young vampire-witch who was groomed to impersonate my sister. You followed her, observed her, until you became her. That's how you fooled everyone here, even her own family. Of course, you did your best to do as they asked because you were a nobody. A weak witch with barely any powers. They sure knew how to pick their pawns, didn't they?" Zeke paused as he let his words sink in. He didn't know her background of course, but he knew how to read people. He knew what made them tick and what made them the way they were and he used that knowledge against her now.
"If you return as a failure, they will easily turn their back on you. You will no longer be called a witch but you're not a vampire either. The witches might even mistake you as a vampire and kill you. But If you listen to me and make a deal with me, I will not let that happen to you. I will keep you alive." Zeke continued, hypnotizing her with his reasoning.
The woman looked like she was considering his proposal. Everything he said hit her like a hammer and a slight feeling of doubt crept into her heart.
"I will give you ten seconds to decide. If you say no at the count of ten, then say your farewell to the dust now."
Zeke didn't waste a moment and he started counting.
"Ten, nine, eight…" Zeke counted loudly.
"Three… two… o –"
"Deal!!" the woman yelled, causing Zeke's lips to slightly curve up. Alex's expression was unfathomable but on the inside, he felt quite impressed. 'As expected of this man,' Alex thought.
"Good," Zeke uttered as he straightened up. "Now answer my questions and I will let you go freely and live with the vampires if you want. I will send an order to all vampires to not hurt you as long as you don't attack anyone. Are we clear?"
"Yes, clear as glass."
"So? Who is the one behind this? Who killed Mira? And who transferred her heart to you?"
The woman swallowed as she looked up into Zeke's eyes.
"It was the witch queen," she answered. "She is the one behind all this."
Hearing her answer, Zeke's face didn't change as he stared at her.
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Chapter 358 Trouble
"So were the witches also the ones who transferred her heart inside your body?"
"Yes," she answered but Zeke's hand was suddenly around her neck, choking her.
"Do you really think you can fool me? I gave you a chance and yet…" he said as the woman struggled to breath.
"I… I am telling the truth."
"Then, can you tell me what the new witch queen looks like?"
"I… I didn't see her. I didn't see anyone. I just woke up one day and a human was ordered to train me to act and be like Mira. For years I did as they asked. I did everything they told me to and I did it because the queen bestowed upon me this mission. Believe me."
"A human trained you to impersonate the princess? Not a witch or a vampire?"
"I-it was a human."
"Where did they train you? Tell me the name of the human and the exact place."
After the woman spat out the name and the address, Zeke finally let her neck go as he backed off.
"I will have to confirm this first before I will let you go," he said and he and Alex finally left the room.
…
"So? Are you going to go on a dramatically boring errand and look for that human?" Alex asked. He looked pretty bored.
"I'm still suspicious of her. What she said was definitely not the truth."
"Obviously. When did witches become so easy to interrogate? In all the years of my existence, I've never met a traitor witch. Something is off about her."
"That's right. It might be the effect of her vampire heart but I don't think so. And I don't believe the queen is behind all this."
Alex smirked. "And how are you so sure it is not the queen?"
"Stop asking, Alex. I know you already know."
"Oh well. So? Did you just waste my precious time for nothing?"
"Not really. She just gave a lot of helpful clues to validate some of my theories."
"Tch. I'm not really a fan of your theories right now. I'd rather stay with my little lamb."
"Yeah. I know you have found your new entertainment –"
"She's not entertainment, Zeke. She's the woman I will marry," Alex suddenly became serious, causing Zeke to sigh.
Alex didn't even bother using the stairs. He was so giddy and impatient even though it hadn't been more than an hour since he was separated from his little lamb.
However, the mischievous smile on his face and excitement in his eyes faded as soon as he entered his room. His precious little lamb wasn't there.
Alex just stood there, trying to feel the place out, tracing her scent. His little lamb hadn't been there that day.
With narrowed eyes, Alex leapt out the window and in a matter of seconds, he arrived in Zeke's room.
Darkness began to envelop him when he still couldn't sense her presence in the vicinity at all. He knew she didn't go to Zeke's room either. Alex's gaze began to burn gold.
Was this why he had been feeling uneasy since he found out she disappeared? He seemed to have ignored those feelings because of his excitement in executing his plans to make her jealous and fall in love with him.
Like a raging ball of fire, Alex leapt out of Zeke's room.
Alex's eyes zeroed in on the car leaving the hill like a bullet. He gritted his teeth and chased it, leaping and landing on top of the trees. He was fast, so fast he had become a blur to the human's naked eyes.
The next second, the car's windshield shattered along with a loud thud and screeching tires. Alex had landed on the car.
His eyes were a burning inferno as he glared at Zeke, who was sitting on the driver's seat. Their eyes met for a moment before Zeke calmly pulled the car onto the road side and quickly stepped out.
Zeke's collars were immediately grabbed by Alex.
Without beating around the bush, Alex asked, "Where is she?" His voice was filled with fury and displeasure. "She's not in the palace anymore, Zeke. Tell me, was this your true aim in coming back here? So that my Abigail would be separated from me, Zeke!?" he roared.
But Zeke remained unfazed.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Alex. The king summoned you and I didn't disagree because of the bones I found in that village," he explained but Alex didn't buy it.
"Don't act dumb, kid. Do you think you can fool me?" Alex hissed but Zeke remained cool and collected, expressionless even.
"I think you think too much of me Alex. I don't know where is –"
Before Zeke could finish his sentence, a powerful blow hit him and he was thrown away like a ragdoll. The force was so strong that the large tree he hit broke like a twig.
Zeke fell but he quickly stood up from the ground, licking the blood that dripped out of his lips with a smile.
"Tch. Here comes trouble," he muttered like he was talking about a natural disaster coming, as if this was inevitable and he could do anything else but entertain it.
Zeke's eyes turned red and his fangs grew as Alex appeared before him again.
"Where is she Zeke!?" he asked once again.
"I told you. I have no idea where –"
Another blow was about to hit him but Zeke managed to evade it this time. The sky became gray quite early that day and the thunder began to roar, warning everyone of the oncoming heavy downpour.
The thick forest on the hill near the palace had turned into a battlefield as the storm descended on them.
Not far from the scene, two black sport cars halted and two young men stepped out of their cars. The two were wearing fine suits, moved so gracefully and had the distinct superior good looks of being a member of the vampire's royal family.
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Chapter 359 Rampaging, idiot dragon
"Ah… I've been waiting for this for god knows how long. When was the last time those two fought?" said the young man who looked jolly and bright. "I mean, seriously fought."
"200 years ago," the other man, who looked prim and serious, answered.
"It's been a while indeed. You think brother will win against him this time?"
"Don't be silly."
"But I heard there was something weird going on with Alexander right now. Hmm, it seems the rumors aren't true about Alex obeying brother Zeke because if that was true, then they wouldn't be fighting right now."
"Who knows?"
"Oh well, let's just enjoy this rare show for now. But don't you think they're being too intense this time? It's like their powers have increased over time."
"The reason for their fight certainly looks to be something serious."
"Now I'm curious what Alexander did this time to awaken brother's wrath."
"Nope. This time it's the other way around. Brother was the one who provoked Alexander. Otherwise, he wouldn't be attacking brother Zeke like he wants to kill him."
"You're right. But hey, are you sure we're just going to watch them? This looks really serious. It wouldn't be a problem for Alexander but brother is not immortal, you know?"
"Don't underestimate your older brother, idiot. And it's not like you or me could stop them."
"I'm not underestimating big bro! Geez. I'm just worried 'cause Alexander seems very serious."
The lightning struck and the thunder kept roaring as Alex and Zeke continued their fight. Alex was on a rampage. It seemed like he had been taken over by his demonic self and so Zeke could only evade his attacks. Zeke could only go on the defensive as he tried to maneuver Alex deeper into the forest, or there might be nothing left of the city at this rate.
The bad thing about Alex was that he was too powerful; his power tended to overtake his rationality. He would lose his mind in the process, as if the dragon had full control of his body. That was how he destroyed kingdoms mercilessly a long time ago. He wouldn't care about anything. He didn't hear reason, he didn't see reason, only destruction. Even if his body was pierced by hundreds of arrows, or slashed by sharp swords, he wouldn't halt and just continued on his rampage, smiling from the thrill of it all. Nothing had made Alex go on a rampage like this for countless years since he left his throne, but now, since he met Abigail, he was so easy to provoke.
He was hopeless when it came to Abigail. The first thing he did when Abigail was in danger was to kill. He didn't know how to deal with it except to let his mind be taken over and kill everyone who was a threat to her.
Zeke dove deeper into the forest, twisting and jumping through the obstacles and Alex followed like a missile, locked in on its target with no chance of veering off its course. In contrast to Zeke's precise movements from avoiding the obstacles, Alex just ran through the forest, hulk-smashing everything that got in his way which cleared a path into the forest.
After some time, Alex finally got tired of chasing his target and he took a huge leap and landed just in front of Zeke. He sprung from the ground, with a fist aiming straight for Zeke's face. Zeke saw it coming and evaded to the left, feeling the whoosh of the air next to his face as Alex's fist barely missed him. Zeke's right fist then snuck from under him and connected against Alex's stomach. This made Alex pause but he didn't feel any pain. He never felt any pain while he was like this.
Alex straightened up and in the next millisecond, they started to exchange blows. Alex fired off a few punches towards Zeke who blocked them with his arms and this fuelled Alex's rage even more. Alex's attacks became even more fervent. He tried to grab Zeke but Zeke ducked away and leaped to the tree branch 5 meters away and Zeke then used the large branch as a platform to kick himself towards Alex in a bullet-like attack. He was so fast that the leaves on the forest floor were lifted from the ground by the gust of wind that followed his trail. Zeke's fist was aimed towards Alex's face and just as his two brothers thought that this punch would land, Alex's left hand lifted up in defence and Alex's fingers closed over Zeke's fist, immobilising him.
Alex's right fist met Zeke's stomach and Zeke couldn't help but double over from the force. He coughed out blood. In the next second, he was pinned down by Alex on the ground, with Alex's hand around his neck.
"Alex, stop being so unreasonable. Why are you wasting your time fighting with me instead of looking for her? Your Abigail might just be out there, sulking," said Zeke as he looked up at him. "Why do you always assume that she's been abducted every time she disappears? She must have left on her own because she heard everything that was said inside that room." he added and the rampaging, idiot dragon finally began to regain his sanity. All it took was for Zeke to mention Abigail's name.
That was right. Why did he end up fighting Zeke instead of looking for her? And that was right! His little lamb could hear them. Did she run away because she was jealous? Was she angry?
F*cking hell! Why? Why did he always lose his shit when it came to her?
His grip on Zeke loosened and he stood up as Zeke also rose and sat up.
"Where do you think she is right now?" Alex finally asked and Zeke lazily wiped the blood flowing from his lips.
"Maybe she's at the airport waiting for a plane to go take her back to her country, or she's sulking in a hotel or back to the villag–"
Before Zeke could finish his words, Alex was gone and he could only sigh again. Alex didn't know it but he reacted this way because of his past experiences. He was not conscious about it but his subconscious knew that in the past, whenever Abigail disappeared, it was because she had been abducted and put in perilous situations. That was the reason why he immediately went on a rampage when he found out she was gone.
Once Alex's presence disappeared, Zeke stood up and surveyed the fallen trees all around them. That rampaging beast indeed destroyed a lot. Letting out a quiet sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair and stared at his wrist watch.
Looking at the time, a slight smile curved on his lips before he finally walked away.
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Chapter 360 Cold world within
White Falls Village…
Abi was standing by the path leading into the thick, dark forest. This place was exactly the same as the one she saw in her dreams.
She was able to find the place because her dream was so vivid in her mind it almost felt like she had been there before.
Her heart was still aching so bad. The remnants of the tears she shed on the way there were still visible on her face. Once she got inside the car, Abi didn't hesitate to head back north, taking the same route towards this village.
During her journey, the main thing on her mind was the thought of finding a way to bring Alex's memories back before he married one of the princesses. She just wanted to be with him. She just wanted him to finally remember her so that they could go back to the way things were before all of this happened. The days she had spent with him were the happiest days of her life. He had made her the happiest woman in the world by making her his bride. That day alone was probably the happiest day of her life. That was the life she intended to wake up to. That was the life she had been hoping to continue when she opened her eyes after the surgery.
But it seemed that the universe had other plans for her. Just when she thought that she could finally have her happy ever after with Alex, her life had turned upside down the moment she found out that Alex was gone. What was supposed to be a time of hope and happiness turned into the darkest, most agonising time of her life.
Abi's tears had blurred her vision as she drove on the highway. Her mind brought back all those memories from months ago and her heart felt the same old wound crack open again. She thought that she had stitched her heart up enough when she had discovered that Alex was still alive but she was wrong. The stitches came loose again the moment she found out that he had lost his memories and that all this time, he had also been consorting with other women. She tried to be strong, to glue her heart back into one piece but she had been lying to herself all this time. She told her herself that she was okay, that she could fight on and keep going, that it didn't matter that he had no recollection of her. But how could she be? How could anyone be okay in that situation?
Suddenly, she became angry at Alex for making her suffer like this, for making her cry all these seemingly endless tears, for breaking her heart again and again.
Once his memories returned, Abi entertained the thought of punishing him. She wanted to vent out all the pain she had felt for the last three months and all the pain she had to endure during the last few days.
Closing her eyes to stop the anger from blazing within her, Abi then took one deep breath. In the next moment, she gazed towards what looked like the entrance that was made of naturally arched tree trunks. The place beyond the entranceway was dark and eerie. Her heart suddenly thudded within her chest. She almost felt that same fear she felt in her dreams but somehow, she didn't shiver and wasn't as scared as she had been in her dreams. Was it because she was angry and desperate right then?
Abi took another deep breath. Nothing could stop her anymore. The moment she left the palace, her mind was set. She knew this was risky but it was now or never. Playing it safe had gotten her nowhere and she was aware that at least this time Alex wasn't with her. He also did not know about her dreams so he would not have a clue about her going to this place. This might be the only opportunity she would possibly ever have to do this. At least this way, she wouldn't be putting Alex in danger.
Besides, she really needed to know if the silver-haired witch really was telling the truth about knowing how to bring Alex's memories back. She knew it would eat at her if she ignored this and something happened to Alex. It would drive her insane if that ever happened.
With one more deep breath in, she took her first step forwards and she headed down the path towards the dark forest. Her heart was beating loudly in her ears and she walked closer to the entranceway. There was no more turning back.
Just before she walked through the entranceway, she looked back one last time at where she started from. She didn't wish for Alex to come but when she was driving, she had hoped that he would chase after her. But he didn't come. She knew that he was able to catch up to her in no time at all if he came after her. But he didn't come.
She felt disappointed but another part of her felt relieved. It was a good thing that he hadn't come after her, but still, she wouldn't help but feel a little bit bitter. He was probably too busy getting to know his amazing future wife.
Seeing that no one was there to stop her from entering the forest, Abi continued her way into the forest.
She walked under the arched branches that created the path. The sun was close to setting and whatever light was left in the day was blocked out by the many trees and shrubs within the forest. She felt like she was entering a different world. A dark, cold world within.
Abi was holding her breath and she didn't use her hearing ability anymore. What was the use when she knew she was heading to the witch's den? Besides, she really didn't want to scare herself more than she already was.
"H-hello?" she called out, looking around like a lost rabbit.
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