His hand moved lower, hovering over her face with a distant twinkle in his mismatched eyes, before he pulled away and laughed.
“This would be so much fun if Eli was here. I would still want to kill him but it would be fun. I’m angry that he died too early for me to make him wash my feet. What I would give to see the look in his eyes when I force him to wash my jars of hearts and rearrange them.” He frowned. “How dare Death steal my servant from me?
“Your servant?” She chuckled.
“Don't worry, we’ll get him back. So many years of servitude awaits him once I become King. He is being delusional if he thinks he can die and escape it. I shall have my revenge.”
Well, Alaris was starting to sound more like himself.
At least, one of them was living with this.
The pain felt too deep, a hole in her heart and one in her womb.
It would forever remain empty.
“You are insane.” She wiped her tears away as they streamed down her face and she rested her head against him once again. “My deepest gratitude that you are here with me, Alaris.”
“As it should be. My presence is more than gold can buy, and I give it to you freely.”
Belladonna rolled her eyes. “Even the stars are in awe of you, see how they twinkle.”
“Indeed.” His voice rumbled in his chest. “Lucky them.”
“They have no idea what opportunity they have been bestowed with to be in your presence.”
“They do not.”
“Lucky them.”
“Lucky them indeed.”
Then they both laughed like they would never have such an opportunity again, so they had to exploit this one.
Maybe they were right.
___
___
The directions the Princess had given her guided Aniya’s as she ran.
“Turn left… turn left again…”
She did, holding Arlo to her chest, while her feet hit the ground with a quick pace.
Oana had kept to her promise. She said she would find a way to get her out of here and so she did, only that she could only go so far with her. She had prepare for their disguise, snuck them out of the castle and in a random carriage she had brought them to the edge of the forest.
“When you get there, you will see a door. It is the portal to any realm you desire to go to. Hurry! Run! It will be open, waiting for you.” So the Princess had said.
Aniya had thought to herself that her absence would be noticed quickly but she didn't envisage that it would be noticed this quickly.
She could hear wolves tearing through the forest in search of her and Arlo.
Tears streamed down her face and hope lit in her heart when she saw the door that Oana had spoken about from a distance.
But she never got there.
Someone slammed his body against her and knocked her off her feet but before Arlo would suffer any damage, he had been yanked away from her.
Aniya turned sharply to her attacker as he held Arlo far from his body. It was a warrior she had never seen before with gray fur clothes covering his body away.
She didn't have the opportunity to struggle with him to get Arlo because in no time, she was surrounded. Ikrus pushed throughout the circle of warriors that surrounded her and she took a step back, remembering their last encounter.
She had not seen him or spoken to him ever since he had attacked her in his wolf’s form and that was two days ago.
Now that he was seeing her trying to escape again, was he going to yell at her once again that she had brought shame upon him? That she had harmed his reputation by showing that he had no control over his mate?
Mate? That word irked her to no end.
If he tried to question her about who had told her about the door, she would keep her mouth sealed. The princess deserved that much… or did she?
Was this like the dinner?
Did she plan her escape and plan her capture too?
When he walked closer to her, she stilled in fear of what he might do. They all seemed to respect him, no one would fight against him to protect her.
Why would they even want to protect her?
There was no reason for that. She was a stranger they all hated, an ugly stranger.
Ikrus walked past her instead and he grabbed Arlo from the other warrior who had taken her son away from her.
A smile brightened on her face and she stretched her hand to take him from Ikrus but he held Arlo to himself instead.
“You can go.”
“My son?” She asked, her eyes fixed on Arlo who was in his arms with a smile on his face.
Why was he always smiling in moments like this?
“He will not be coming with you. Go, run to your Realm.” Then he turned and left as the rest of the warriors followed him.
She ran after them immediately— after him. Begging for him to give her back her son.
Ikrus stepped into a carriage and the other warriors hopped on their horses.
Aniya banged her hands on the carriage but she got no response, instead the horses galloped away and she was left to run after it, as she cried and begged for her son to be given back to her.
____
____
It felt like forever before they got the Palace.
Ikrus didn't step out of the carriage though, instead there were guards who poured out of the door and dragged her inside. She struggled against them with no success.
They dragged her up the stairs, tossed her into a room and locked the door. She banged her hands against the door but she saw a window and rushed to it instead. The window was however locked but she could see through it and right into the carriage whose curtain had now been drawn open.
It felt intentional. Her gaze clashed with Ikrus’ before she looked at her son who was now crying although she couldn't hear him.
The instinct to save him drove her crazy and she yelled so loudly that it felt like she would lose her lungs, her fists banging against the glass over and over again till she bled.
Her cries didn't cease, even after the carriage left through the gates.
An hour must have past when the door finally opened.
She sprung up on her feet and rage boiled in her when saw the Princess.
Immediately, she grabbed something from the bed, and she sent it flying against the Princess’s face. It left a small cut behind that healed as quickly as it had appeared.
“Aniya, that is no way to behave to a friend.”
“Friend? More like an enemy. Don't think me stupid, I know you set a trap for me. Just like the dinner. You told him! And now he has taken my son from me. I hate you. I will kill you!”