Boots pounded above while below, Aniya's heart was pounding in her chest.
The search had been quick but to Aniya it felt like it had gone on forever.
It felt like she could hear every movement they made, everything they disassembled to conduct the search, every single thing they took out of place.
Her mind replayed all the times she had returned home with blood on her dress and how she had neatly disposed of them as if she had known this moment would come. However, for the times she had just woken up and met herself in clean clothes, she was scared.
Had she neatly disposed of the evidence of those times too or had the thing that usually possessed her carried out a messy clean?
For this, Aniya was afraid.
"The monster has been here?" Zesika said once again, looking around absolutely worried. "You need to leave this house once they are over. Come and stay in the guest quarters in my house. You cannot stay here. What if the monster comes back?"
Aniya appreciated Zesika's worry and she took note of the fear in her eyes. Things would be very different if she were to realize that she was the monster.
After a while, the soldiers all reassembled downstairs and the former king apologized for the inconvenience their search might have caused them.
They found nothing.
By Ignas, nothing!
That made Aniya happy and worried at the same time.
How intelligent was the thing that usually possessed her?
However, she couldn't get rid of the former King's presence yet.
He had found out about all the things they had bought from the market and Zesika had readily explained that Aniya was planning to celebrate her sister's fast-approaching birthday.
"It is a surprise. It is tomorrow." She declared excitedly and he seemed to have panicked a little.
He went along with the soldiers to continue their search but later that evening three soldiers had been sent to help with the preparation of the small celebration.
Aniya was glad to have the helping hands and soon enough she forgot all about her problems, while the whole of Inaymi was being paraded by soldiers because of the monster.
With everything prepared later that night, she fell asleep. Her room was filled with an oddly disgusting smell. She wanted to get out of bed and find the source of that smell so she could dispose of it, but somehow, she felt so at peace and relaxed.
Now, that she was observing it, this same scent had filled her bathroom this morning but she had been too worried about Belladonna to notice.
Tomorrow, she would find out what this smell was about before they would have to leave to prepare the hall for the birthday celebration, but tonight she would sleep.
So, she slept, only to dream of the dog and its owner - a man who hid behind the shadows of the trees along the path of her lonesome road.
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Eli was everywhere.
Ever since that monster's attack, he wouldn't go away.
This wasn't what she needed.
Belladonna had wanted to continue her mission here in Inaymi like nothing had happened and Eli would not let her.
"You should stay here for a while until we can confirm that it is safe for you to go anywhere." He had said.
It almost felt like that time her movement had been restricted to the castle because she had been attacked in the Capital's Village Square all over again.
As angry as she was about the situation, Belladonna wasn't stupid and she had decided to stay in the Guest Quarters till the warriors Alaris had sent to Inaymi would arrive.
That night, however, Zesika had invited her for dinner and Eli had no problem with it.
Which was strange.
He however was determined to escort her and she made no complaints about it.
It wasn't like he would listen to her anyways.
"Why do we need a carriage?" Belladonna had asked when she had been led to a carriage that was waiting for her outside the Guest Quarters.
"I have no idea," Lytio said from behind her.
So this dinner wasn't one for the ladies to exchange gossip over?
Interesting.
"You were invited as well, my Lord?" Lytio asked with a sheepish smile and Eli didn't dignify that with a response.
Somehow, someway, his anger with the golden boy remained no matter what.
It seemed that Zesika hadn't told her husband of the surprise ceremony. He must be terrible at keeping secrets. That was alright, he seemed incapable of many things.
They all got into the carriage and off they went.
Finally, they got to their destination and they got out of the carriage.
However, it turned out that Aniya and her secret keepers weren't the only ones planning a surprise for Belladonna that night.
The sound of leathery wings swooshing filled the air, Eli sent a sword straight towards that direction believing it was the monster but Alaris dodged that smoothly, and scooped Belladonna up in the air instead, while giving Eli who sent him an angry glare, a playful wink.
"Put me down!" Belladonna struggled against his grip around her stomach
"You have no idea how I have been dying for that letter, Nightshade. I just love it when you need me." He said as he flew them further into the sky.
"And I love it when I eat. I was on my way to dinner, now put me down or will you feed me?"
"If you'll let me."
"Are you drunk tonight?"
"Did you miss me?
"I didn't."
Belladonna noticed at that moment how far off they were from the ground and she suddenly felt vulnerable. Her hand gripped his hand that he had around her, holding her to him, with her back pressed to his chest.
"This time around, when I leave, you will miss me. I will make sure of that."
Great.
Something was definitely wrong with him tonight.
"When you leave me---" she gulped, looking down once again. "I hope you are not thinking of dropping me Alaris---"
"Come on, Nightshade. Have a little faith in me."
"Where are you taking me, Alaris?" She risked looking back at him and he had a playful glint in his mismatched eyes.
Whatever was fun to Alaris was certainly something dangerous.
"It's a surprise."
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This chapter is dedicated to Karen_Walker. Thank you for your support.