Chapter Nineteen – Escape plan abort!
Chapter Nineteen – Escape plan abort!
Javen stood there, eyes locked on the moon, wearing nothing but a loose pair of pants hanging low on his waist. His body looked calm… but everything inside him wasn’t.
"I should’ve held her. I should’ve told her. I should’ve claimed her," he muttered under his breath, his voice rough, heavy with regret. His short messy hair fell over his eyes, casting a shadow over the storm brewing beneath.
Elara stepped in quietly, holding a tray. She sighed softly when she saw him like that—still, tense, and lost in thoughts. She placed the food on a table without a word and slowly walked toward him.
Her hand reached out, hesitating before landing gently on his shoulder.
But the second her skin touched him—she hissed and pulled back like she’d been burned.
“Javen?” she gasped, eyes widening as they trailed down his bare back. His body… it wasn’t just tense, it was ice-cold. So cold it sent an electric chill down her spine.
"You need to control yourself. This… this is changing you,” she said, voice soft but urgent.
Still, he didn’t move. His eyes stayed on the moon, unmoving.
“Listen to me, Javen. I know you like her. But we can’t do anything. Kaidon has her. She’s his Soulmate—”
She stopped the moment his eyes turned to hers. Those cold, sharp eyes pierced through her soul. Her heart skipped.
‘What is wrong with her brother?’ she thought, swallowing hard.
“Taliya is mine,” he said quietly. Almost too soft. Too calm. And that made it scarier.
Elara’s eyes widened in shock. “Javen… no. You need to stop this. Yes, she’s beautiful. And we both know she doesn’t belong here. But you’ve only known her for two days. You can’t just—”
“I felt the bond the first time I touched her,” he cut in, stepping closer. “You think this is just some stupid crush? I felt it. My heart… it beat so damn fast, I thought I was going insane. Her scent— her scent was driving me crazy.”
His voice dipped lower, darker.
“I was holding back because I didn’t want her to be scared of me. Of what I am. But then she smiled…” he trailed off, jaw clenching.
“I want her, more than I’ve ever wanted anything in this cursed life,” he growled, and that dangerous glint in his eyes made Elara step back, fear curling in her gut.
♧♧♧
Taliya paced back and forth, her heart still pounding from what she saw. The image of Kaidon—his monstrous form, those terrifying eyes—kept flashing through her mind.
“No, no, no… I don’t want him! A freaking demon!” she whispered, breath hitching. “Of all the insane things I could deal with in this creepy, messed-up world… I end up being Soulmate to that?! Oh hell no.”
Her voice cracked as she stormed toward the balcony doors and threw them open. Cold air hit her skin, but she didn’t care. She stepped closer, leaning just enough to peek over the edge.
“I’m too high up,” she murmured, hands gripping the railing. “But you know what? I don’t even care if I die. I’m not staying here with some demon beast chained up like a wild animal calling me his soulmate.”
She stormed back inside, eyes scanning the room. Her gaze landed on the curtains… then the bedsheets.
“Oh. That could work.” Her mind clicked into survival mode. She yanked the sheets off, grabbing the long drapes and tying them together tightly. “Okay, yeah. Rope cloth. Genius.”
She was halfway through knotting them when—
Knock. Knock.
Her hands froze.
She slowly turned to the door, heart thudding in her chest. Stepping over, she opened it slightly—and saw Lenora.
“Umm… w-what are you doing here?” Taliya asked, suspicious.
Lenora walked in without answering, and behind her… were guards. Taliya’s face dropped.
“What’s going on?” she snapped, not even bothering to hide her irritation.
“Apologies, Ma’am,” Lenora said gently. “Lord Rylan ordered that we stay with you tonight.”
Taliya gritted her teeth, muttering under her breath, “That bastard…”
“No thanks. I’m good,” she hissed, glaring hard at the guards.
But Lenora didn’t flinch. “If we disobey, the Master will… he’ll kill us if anything happens to you. Please don’t make it hard. I’ll stay in here with you. The guards will remain outside.”
Taliya clenched her fists, her body stiff with anger, but she didn’t argue.
The guards filed out and shut the door. Lenora stood quietly in one corner like a statue.
Taliya let out a long sigh and walked toward the bed. Her eyes drifted back to the open balcony, where the moon cast a soft glow into the room.
“How the hell am I going to get out of here now?”
She swallowed hard, then glanced up at the moon again, heart aching.
“I wonder how Javen and Elara are…?” she thought, feeling more alone than ever.
Meanwhile…
A figure moved swiftly through the night, his cloak billowing behind him as he passed the guards at the castle gate. He didn’t stop. Didn’t look back. His boots hit the stone floor with urgency—each step echoing louder as he entered the grand hall.
He reached the throne room, dropped to one knee, head bowed low in respect.
“Your Majesty,” he called, voice steady but laced with urgency.
The king sat tall—an effortlessly regal, striking man despite his age. His face darkened the moment the man spoke. Beside him stood a younger man, lean and sharp, with an unreadable expression and eyes that could cut through steel.
The messenger lifted his gaze. “He was in town today.”
The king’s jaw clenched. “That demon was on my land?” His voice thundered through the hall.
The man flinched, nodding slightly, his hands trembling against the marble floor.
“Yes… my king.”
A tense silence followed. The room thickened with danger.
The king’s fists curled, and a vein popped at his temple. “Kaidon dares step foot here again…”
His voice dripped with fury. The younger man beside him said nothing—but the way his eyes flickered, cold and calculating, it was clear he was already thinking of blood.