Chapter 19 019
~LYKA~
My eyelids felt unbearably heavy as I struggled to open them. When I finally pried them apart, a blinding brightness assaulted my vision, forcing me to shut them immediately with a soft groan. The light felt too harsh, too sudden, and my head throbbed painfully in protest.
After a few moments, I tried again....slowly this time. I opened my eyes gently, refusing to shy away despite the discomfort. My vision blurred at first, then gradually cleared.
I scanned the room, confusion seeping into my mind when I realized that nothing looked familiar. The walls, the furnishings, even the scent in the air....it was all strange. My heart skipped uneasily as I tried to piece things together.
What was going on?
Why was I here?
My mind was completely blank. No memories. No recollection of what had happened or how I ended up lying on this bed.
“Anyone…” I called out weakly, my voice groggy and strained.
I felt movement beside me....subtle, but unmistakable. I frowned, my body too heavy and sluggish to turn and see who it was.
“Are you awake now?” a deep voice spoke behind me. “You’re quite strong. I didn’t expect you to wake up this fast.”
Without even turning around, I knew exactly who the voice belonged to.
“What....?” I mumbled, struggling to raise my head. “Why are you here? What are you doing in my room?”
My limbs felt drained, as though all strength had been sucked from them. I could barely move, and that alone sent a sharp edge of panic through me.
Why did I feel so weak?
“For someone who fell without a care in the world,” he said coolly, “you sure have a lot to say.”
I felt him lean closer, his presence overwhelming. When he shoved his face into my line of sight, my breath hitched instantly.
He was dangerously close.
I knew he was handsome....painfully so....but seeing his face this close was different. His sharp features, his piercing eyes, the bridge of his nose brushing against my forehead....it sent an unwanted wave of heat through my body.
My wolf, who had been in a deep slumber, jolted awake with delight at being so close to her mate. My body reacted traitorously, a sudden warmth pooling low in my stomach, and I clenched my jaw in frustration.
I quickly turned my face away from him.
“Stay back,” I muttered, my voice shaky.
I tried to focus, to remember what had happened. My head began to sting as memories came crashing back in disjointed fragments....my room, the strange smell, the incense.
Poison.
My eyes burned with fury.
“Yes… of course,” I breathed. “I was poisoned.”
The realization struck hard.
“I was poisoned in my room and....” I tried to sit up despite my weakness, but something felt off.
I couldn’t feel my clothes.
My breath hitched.
Slowly, dread crawling through me, I looked down at myself.
I was naked.
“What have you done, you sly Demon Alpha!” I screamed, my throat burning from the force of it.
Panic and rage flooded my veins. My voice strained, but that was the least of my worries.
What had he done to me?
“What are you spewing now?” he scoffed. “I merely helped a lady in distress. What exactly are you accusing me of?”
I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to calm down before I completely lost it.
“Don’t you dare play smart with me,” I snapped. “Just give me back my clothes. I’ll leave this place quietly.”
I tried to get up, wrapping the bed covers tightly around my body, but his next words made my knees buckle.
“After I helped you change,” he said calmly, “I asked the maids to take your clothes to be washed. They were soiled, but....”
His words blurred as I dropped back onto the bed, my head spinning.
He… helped me change?
“Don’t think I tried to take advantage of you,” he added teasingly. “There was no maid around at the time, and....”
“Are you trying to make me mad?” I cut in sharply. “You expect me to believe that you couldn’t call a maid to help me change?”
Before he could respond, dizziness slammed into me again. My body curled involuntarily as weakness overtook me.
“What’s happening to me…?” I murmured.
“That’s the effect of the antidote,” he said calmly. “It’ll make you sleep a lot. Hopefully, you’ll sleep away your embarrassment.”
His voice faded as darkness crept in.
The last thought I had before losing consciousness was a silent plea....that what I had just experienced was nothing more than a dream.
I shifted in my sleep and suddenly felt my body rocking against something hard. My eyes flew open in alarm, my heart racing wildly.
For a split second, I thought I was pressed against his chest.
But then I realized....
The floor.
“Why… why am I on the floor?” I muttered, staring around in disbelief.
The cold, hard surface beneath me explained the uncomfortable stiffness in my body. Slowly, I pushed myself up, wincing as numbness spread through my limbs.
Why was I sleeping on the floor when I’d been on the bed earlier?
My question was answered when I looked up.
He was on the bed.
I scoffed bitterly. “What a gentleman.”
Dragging myself up, I noticed a dagger resting at the far end of the bed. My gaze lingered on it as a dangerous thought crept into my mind.
I walked toward it quietly, my movements slow but deliberate.
“Should I say this is foolish of him?” I muttered.
Anger surged as I picked up the dagger, my grip tightening.
He had poisoned me under his care.
I approached the sleeping man, heart pounding. Even though I knew my chances were slim, I decided to act swiftly.
I aimed for his neck.
But suddenly, my foot caught on something.
I gasped as I fell forward....
Not to the floor.
I landed on him.
My eyes widened in shock as I found him staring back at me, wide awake, his lips curled into an infuriating smirk.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked groggily, wrapping his arms firmly around my waist.
I stiffened.
He knew.
There was no point lying.
“To kill you,” I said honestly. “I planned to kill you with this dagger.”
His smirk only deepened.
“Then do it,” he murmured. “But I bet you can’t. Do you want to know why?”
My curiosity betrayed me.
“What are you talking about?” I asked....
And then I felt something warm and liquid trickling down my neck.
My breath caught.
Did he…?