Chapter 80 80
“Pretend you know nothing about his plans until your powers are restored. I will make sure it happens.” That was River’s last words to me before I left his cell five days ago after the human, Cillian, was bundled out…and I'd been living that way, pretending I didn't know what was going on, smiling back at him when he did, and still playing my role as his slave.
He was still all lovey-dovey to me, kissing me all over, grabbing me by my waist from behind, and treating me as a baby. I slept on the same bed with him, stared at him for so long each night, because it was still like a drama scene that he was planning to kill me.
I was scared I might not wake up if I slept off before him, so I made sure he slept off before I did.
One wouldn't even believe me if I ever mentioned such a thing to them, including Ofelia.
“What if the man who's all over you, showering you with love, and you fell for him, is planning to take your life soon? What will you do, Lia? Remember, he's far stronger than you…” I asked her, my gaze pinned on her face.
She ran her tongue across her lips and adjusted to face me, “As in, a man who claims to love me wanting to take my life? Why would he be thinking such?”
“That's why I'm asking what you would do if you ever found out. Would you confront him or…
“Confront someone who is stronger than me and could strangle me to death at that moment, so I just keep going to the afterlife? I wouldn't dare,” she said and shoved her hair to the back. “I'm going to take it easy with him until I find a way to kill him instead. I will poison him.”
I chuckled. She was so funny.
“But, why do you ask? Did you read a book? I would love to read as well.”
Since I didn't want her to know what was going on in my mind, I patted her shoulders. “I will talk to Dragon Sovereign so we can go together next time. Agreed?”
“Yes baby!!” she responded, sounding so happy.
I didn't want to have her start thinking about me when she had herself to worry about. Was there even a probability of her and my brother being safe if I were to be killed? I doubted it would be so, and for this, I met with Perrin secretly.
“Perrin, I wouldn't mind having you get a taste of my body, but you must promise to protect Ofelia and my brother in the future,” I said to her when we met.
She looked baffled that I sounded that way and tried as much as she could to know what the problem was. “Are you planning to ascend with Dragon Sovereign? Why do you suddenly want me protecting them?” she inquired, and I faked a smile so she wouldn't look so worried.
“It’s not how you see it. You know I'm the reason they are here, but I have no power to protect them, mostly Lia. That's why I want to earn your heart so you could do that for me. When I remember what happened to Lia weeks ago, I seriously don't want such happening again because of me.”
“Fine, if that's the matter. I will protect them, so you don't need to tempt me with your body,” she said, smiling at me.
I bowed to her and left afterwards, happy that at least I had secured a soft portion for them, so if I have to fight for my life tomorrow, they would still be safe.
Perrin was strong enough and also had friends who could help her to protect them. But one thing was that I wouldn't let Dragon Sovereign take my life when he never created me.
Poisoning him was like a waste of time, because aside from him finding out the poison, his people will point fingers at me and have me, River, and Ofelia executed for what I committed. That was even worse, so I shouldn't think of it.
I should only hope that River succeeds in finding a way for me to restore my powers, then I could sever the bond, because I felt he was getting something beneficial to him through the bond.
That day, I reached his chamber, and he was undressing to take his bath. I stood at the doorpost, staring at the man I always admired, his body structure, and how I felt so disgusted each time we happened to be together.
I craved his touch all the time, but now I don't even want him gazing at me as he'd always done.
“Want to join me for a bath? Let's go!” he said and winked at me.
Before I could even open my mouth, he flitted before me and began undressing me.
I bit my lower lip, trying to come up with any lie that could stop him, but none came to mind. I thought hiding my body from him wouldn't even work out when we share the same chamber. He’d seen every part of me and had fucked me as he wanted, so there was nothing left between us again.
He kissed my shoulder, and I couldn't believe myself when I gasped at the touch of his lips on my skin. I expected to feel disgusted when he did that, so why did it send my body tingling?
As he wrapped his arm around my waist, I found us standing in the bathroom.
I said nothing to him and only watched as he bathed me himself…then handed the sponge to me so I could do the same to him. But upon seeing his back clearly for the first time, the sponge I held slipped through my fingers.
The scale alone on his back could have been beautiful due to the color. But what was the cut from his neck down to his waist doing? I couldn't hold back from asking, my tone exuding worry. “Did someone cut your back with a sword? Why hasn't it healed till now?”
“That's not a cut…” he said, picking up the sponge from the ground and handing it over to me. “It's the effect of the iron used to cage me under the ground. It wouldn't heal anyway, so I'd just get used to it.”
It wouldn't heal?
“Does it hurt?” I asked and placed my finger there. He flinched, and that made my heart leap. “I'm sorry,” I muttered. “But how do I scrub your back and it won't hurt?”
He turned around and chuckled, “Are you sobbing? You're too emotional. Did I complain about it just now?”
“But it hurts…”
“Yes, and it also has nothing to do with you, so just scrub the sides, and I will endure the pain.”
I just hated myself at that moment. Why would I see that when I was trying my best to hate him already? How could he live till eternity with that wound?
Dragons are all affected by iron more than the Faes; talk of one who stayed for eight hundred years with it around him. I didn't need to be told how it hurt him, and at the same time, I disliked myself for being too emotional, as he mentioned.
He knew it had nothing to do with me, yet he wanted me dead. So I shouldn't be feeling for someone cruel like him. I thought he deserved to live with the wound throughout his life.
Yet, each time he flinched while I scrubbed his back, I just felt like a piece of my heart was shredded. Before I was done, I had tears rolling down my face already, but I wiped them off so fast that he didn't see them.
“Does anyone know about it?” I asked, and he shook his head. “Not even your right-hand man?”
He nodded, "You're the only one that knows.”
Why only me?
‘No big deal! The one he thought was dying soon could know.’ I reminded myself and focused on us so he didn't notice that I was absent-minded.
Once we were done bathing, he towered over, running his fingers in my hair and adjusting them all backwards. He was so close to me that I felt his member rubbing on my thighs, and my cunt retracting and pulling up heat between my legs.
I took a deep swallow, wanting to hide my feelings…not until he kissed my forehead.
“Do you love me, Vina?” he asked, looking me straight in the eyes, his upper body lowered.
I bit the side of my lips, the question too heavy to answer…because I couldn't even tell if I already hated him or was still deceiving myself by pretending to hate him.
But he didn't seem to want a response.
When I only stared back at him, I knew he thought I was still thinking of the wound I saw on his back. I was just lost, but once I felt his mouth on my left nipple, I flinched, and a soft gasp escaped my lips.