[LYCAN'S REALM]
Indeed Ikrus stayed in the adjoining room - one which he called his study, and Aniya stayed in the room.
She had her bath and slipped into a nightdress as she counted down the minute her son would be returned to her. She also had the time to think about what their moment in the garden meant, and finally, she came to a conclusion.
That moment wasn't going to last forever, something would happen to ruin it, just like his Priest friend had done with this. She couldn't rely on him, she had to continue with her previous plan for the sake of her son and so that she could live.
Three drops.
What would one drop do?
So she found her way into his study with a knock. He was standing by the wall, staring at the weapons hung on the brick surface, a goblet in his hand, the small golden gem above providing just enough light to the room.
Ikrus seemed to take in a deep breath before turning to look at her, his massive back stiffening slightly. He was no longer in his former outfit, but a
“The hour isn't over yet. You have no need to worry.”
“I’m sure Arlo is safe. Oana gave me her word,” she waved her hand dismissively. “Are you alright?”
He tilted the goblet to the side as he shrugged. “Join me?”
She arched him an eyebrow as she walked toward him. “Are you certain you do not have devious intentions?”
“I’m certain.”
“Shame,” she stopped right in front of him, her hand slipping around his to bring his goblet to her lips. “I do have devious intentions.”
A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes, sending a strange warmness to tingle in the depth of her belly, threatening to make her lose focus. Her gaze remained fixed with his as her lips met the cold edge of the chalice, taking a sip of the wine.
The harshness of the drink stung her tongue; bitter alcohol.
She pulled away, gulping down the liquid.
There were some things this Realm shared with Inaymi and this was one of them.
“Where is my goblet?” She asked as she walked away and took her seat in the chair she assumed was his; it looked more comfortable than the other two. “Or do I have to steal yours just as I have stolen your chair?”
“Savi’ek, Ikrus.”
“What?”
His gaze was filled with the most puzzling look; it was hard for her to read, and she just hoped that he looked that way only because he was getting drunk and not because of anything his Priest friend must have said to him.
By Ignas, she hated that stupid bald Priest!
Finally, he broke the silence. “Give me a moment.” He placed his goblet in front of her. “Mine. I will get you yours,” he stated firmly and she smiled.
Then in a flash, he was gone.
Not to another section of the room but outside the room.
She heard another bang, and with that, she was sure he was far away from the room!
It couldn't have been easier.
By Ignas, it was as if everything was in support of her killing Ikrus, even Ikrus himself. Hadn't he just placed his goblet in her care?
Perfect.
But she didn't want to kill him yet. Too much than his nose might notice.
Too risky, too stupid.
One drop it would be.
One drop was safe. She would introduce it to him slowly till he wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
Besides, she didn't need him dead now; she needed him dead later.
So quickly, she added a drop of the poison to his drink, but her trembling hands were against her and a couple more drops slipped in.
No! By Ignas, no!
She hurriedly hid the bottle in her dress, though, and before she could even think of what next to do, the door was pushed open.
She froze with shock before quickly covering it up with a smile. “You are fast.”
He placed her goblet of wine on the table and took his. “Displeased?” He asked, standing straight and tall next to her, making no attempts to pull her out of his chair.
Now that was displeasing.
It gave her no chance to make an excuse to be even closer to him.
She wasn't particularly fond of him, that would be ridiculous. However, she was strangely afraid that he might die from the poison. It would be terribly disappointing.
By Ignas, this wasn't how she planned it at all!
What a waste and shame it would be for him to die just like that with no exploration of what intimacy with him would feel like.
A shame.
Although it was true that she had stated she didn't want pleasure from the hands of her murderer but if he died from this poison, she would be his murderer and he had stated no objections to that specifically.
Oana had said that many said it was glorious. It would be a pity not to be able to confirm things but wonder forever.
“Of course not.” She chuckled as she took her goblet.
He raised his goblet to his lips and she prayed he wouldn't be able to smell it. The poison had no smell to her but then there was nothing special about her nose.
Then he took a gulp and the only thought that crossed her mind as she watched from the corner of her eyes was, ‘Let’s see Ikrus, if you are stronger than a fish.’
______
[Important Notice - Ikrus and Aniya will no longer be appearing in this book. A kind reader suggested to me that it would be better if they had their own book and that is what I will be doing. The reason I left them in this book for so long was because Belladonna’s story is intertwined with Aniya’s own. Also, they were supposed to just remain side characters with nothing much going on. However, I seem to have fallen in love with them, and their relationship is something I want to explore.
There will be more information about this new book soon. It will be available here, maybe by the end of the week, for anyone who is interested in their story. Also, it isn't going to be a long book at all. Long books take a lot, I’ve learnt from this one.
Once again, thank you for coming this far with me. I plan to end this book soon; from now on, I’m going to focus majorly on Belladonna so we can wrap this up. Your comments have been really helpful. Thank you.]