Chapter 161
161 Chapter 161 : Trapped
“So Aiden, which hole have you been hiding in all this time?” Dvalin asked the nosferatu prince, he still couldn’t believe that he was actually looking at Stefan’s boy. “Last I heard you went a little crazy and left.”
The nosferatu prince looked up at king Dvalin and forced a smile, “saying I went ‘crazy’ is a bit exaggerated don’t you think?” He responded, “you’ll make my brother in law here even more suspicious of me than he already is.”
“Well then would you care to explain yourself a bit more?” Zander interrogated the man, “especially the part where you claim to be princess Melissa’s brother. Why has no one ever mentioned you before?”
“Oh but people mention me all the time,” Aiden responded, “I’m what goes bump in the night.. I’m what parents use to scare their children into behaving.”
When Aiden smirked, a frown painted Gareth’s face, that stubborn unsolicited sarcasm, he was definitely a relative of Melissa and Vivian.
“Come on prince Gareth I’m only trying to lighten the mood,” Aiden added on when he noticed Gareth’s expression, “I’m sure you’ve heard my story, many already have. I lost my temper one day and sucked a human dry, after which I developed these,” he pointed to his receding horns, “and few other abilities.”
“But everyone says you went rogue,” Finwe commented, “what are the odds you won’t snap and lay waste to each and everyone of us.”
All eyes fell on Aiden, “you know I don’t find it fair that I lose my temper for thirty minutes and suddenly I’m called rogue,” the nosferatu prince complained, “any one of you could have done what I did and maybe even worse. For instance, prince Gareth, the whole kingdom knows you are a little unhinged when it comes to my sister am I right?”
Gareth’s frown only deepened at Aiden’s words, he wasn’t unhinged when it came to Melissa, he was just a little overprotective.
.....
“Now imagine someone tried to kill her,” Aiden’s face had gone from neutral to dark pretty quickly as he uttered those words and it made Gareth’s heartbeat speed up. “Imagine her covered in blood and screaming out to you, calling for you to help her, and someone just snatches her away. You don’t know what they could do to her.. they could slit her throat.. torture her.. and maybe even have their way-”
“Stop!” Gareth growled. His eyes were already flickering between a shade of purple and brown and his breathing was strained.
“My point exactly,” Aiden concluded and leaned back on a log and placing his feet near the flickering fire they were sitting around. “I did what I did because I was angry, I don’t regret my decisions, and for Estel, I’d do it again.”
Finwe studied the red haired man, he knew that look, the look of a man desperately in love, he had seen it countless times on Gareth’s face. “How are you sure my sister is even still alive?” Finwe asked.
Aiden lowered his gaze to the crackling fire, he too at one point had thought Estel was dead, he had almost lost hope, but now he had new intel that she was alive, if what that cloaked mage told him was true, the humans wanted to harness her power or their sons, or even both, for some reason. He had to find her before they could do that, and the only way he could was with Melissa’s help. But he couldn’t disclose all of this to Gareth and his allies yet, he didn’t know how they would react to it especially since Gareth was so overprotective of Melissa.
“I can just tell,” Aiden responded. He looked to Gareth and pointed at his neck, “it’s the mark. If anything were to happen to either of you. Trust me, you would feel it.”
Gareth instinctively covered the bite mark on his neck, “I see.” The prince’s eyes then drifted towards Theodora who was comfortably leaning on Aiden’s back, “Is she your mistress or something?”
“Yes..”
“No..”
Aiden turned his head and gave the woman a disapproving glare, “Theodora is an acquaintance of mine.”
“We live together,” Theodora responded while wrapping her arms around Aiden.
“She’s a bit touchy but she means no harm,” Aiden explained.
“And her powers?” Gareth inquired further, “she used some very powerful magic, but you haven’t introduced her as your relative so I’m assuming she’s not a blue blood. So how is she able to harness such power?”
“I too partook in the drinking of human blood,” Theodora responded casually, “anything to help prince Aiden.”
Gareth merely nodded. So drinking human blood actually increased a nosferatu’s power tremendously, is that why they had outlawed it? Because they were afraid some would become too powerful to control? Speaking of drinking blood, Gareth wondered how Melissa was faring in that department, when they were together she would drink some liquid from a golden canteen, but he remembered her mentioning that she was down to her last sip. He hoped Vivian or Maria had arrived in Meria, if anything, they would best be suited to help her out.
*
Melissa briskly walked down the hall to her and Elric’s chambers from the library where they were having tea. She pried the door open and rushed to her dresser and yanked open the bottom drawer.
“Where is it...” she mumbled to herself as she searched. Finally she caught sight of the golden canteen she had hidden there, pulled it out and opened it. She brought the canteen to her mouth and attempted to take a drink but nothing came out, the canteen was almost completely empty except for a single drop of ichor. “This will have to do..”
“Lissa..?”
The beautiful blue eyed woman hurriedly rose to her feet and turned towards the silver haired king. “Elric..” she tucked the canteen behind her and smiled at him nervously.
“What’s that you’re hiding behind your back?” The man spoke as he slowly made his way to where she was standing. Melissa took a step back but was halted by the dresser behind her.
King Elric wrapped one hand around her waist and with the other he reached for the canteen. He lifted it to his line of sight and inspected the golden container, “this is a pretty little thing,” he mumbled, “why were you hiding it?”
“I wasn’t hiding it I was just -”
“Did the elf prince give this to you my wife?” The king’s voice quickly went from sweet and curious, to angry and possessive.
“No he didn’t,” Melissa responded, she had to get the canteen from him, she hadn’t taken the last drop of ichor yet and she could feel her nosfertu side growing more and more thirsty. “Please may I have it back.”
“Why is it so important to you if it’s not from him?” Elric questioned the woman, the grip around her waist tightened with every word. “I certainly didn’t give this to you.”
“It has something very important Elric..”
“What?” He tilted the flask and Melissa’s breath hitched as she watched the last drop of ichor flow out of the canteen and splattered onto the ground.
“No!” She pushed Elric away not realizing how much strength she had put into the shove. The silver haired king was sent flying across the room and crash landed into the bed, breaking its poles and legs on impact.
Melissa covered her mouth and gasped at the sight, she didn’t mean to push him so hard, okay maybe she did, but she didn’t think he’d be sent flying. “Elric!” She rushed to the broken bed just as the man was getting to his feet, his eyes were glowing yellow and his fangs and claws were elongated.
“Elric are you-”
“Stay back!” He growled making the woman freeze up.
“I didnt mean to,” Melissa muttered, “I just wanted to-”
“You just wanted a little keepsake from your little boyfriend right?!” The man roared, “is that it?!”
“No!” Melissa yelled back. Why was he so jealous of every little thing that involved Gareth, wasn’t her being here against her will assurance enough that he had won her over. “This has nothing to do with Gareth you’re overreacting!”
“I’m overreacting?!” Elric strode towards the woman and looked down at her, “you shoved me into the fucking bed and I’m the one overreacting?!”
“You’ve been acting irrationally for a long time now!” Melissa spat back, her eyes were also flickering from blue to red and Elric could see her fangs growing. “You literally took me away from Gareth against my will and even used my family as bait! I’m here now! With you! What more do you want?!”
“I want you to forget him!” Elric growled, his hair had now spread down his back and arms. “You’re MY wife Melissa! Mine! I want you to have nothing to do with that elven bastard, I don’t even want to hear his name leaving your lips!”
“You’re insane!”
“I’m king and I’m your husband!” The man roared. He crushed the canteen in his hand and tossed it aside. He then turned and started walking toward the exit.
“Where are you going?!”
“Until you learn to respect me and my wishes as your husband, you can get comfortable here because you’re not allowed to leave this room anymore!” The king commanded.
Melissa gasped and ran towards Elric, grabbing his now hairy arm, “you can’t!”
“I have and I will!” The man responded and pushed her back, “for every time to take a step out of this room, one of your family members loses a limb.”
Melissa’s eyes widened with dread, Elric couldn’t really do that could he? He was bluffing, he had to be. But then again there was that crazy look in his eyes, was it really worth it to call his bluff.
“You’re out of your mind,” Melissa muttered with tears in her eyes.
“Then don’t force my hand.” Elric then pulled the door open and banged it shut behind him.
Melissa got to her knees and cupped her face, she felt so angry and frustrated. Elric was a mad king, and she had managed to get herself involved with him in an entanglement that seemed to have no way out.
“Oh Gareth,” she sobbed, “what am i going to do?”
“So Aiden, which hole have you been hiding in all this time?” Dvalin asked the nosferatu prince, he still couldn’t believe that he was actually looking at Stefan’s boy. “Last I heard you went a little crazy and left.”
The nosferatu prince looked up at king Dvalin and forced a smile, “saying I went ‘crazy’ is a bit exaggerated don’t you think?” He responded, “you’ll make my brother in law here even more suspicious of me than he already is.”
“Well then would you care to explain yourself a bit more?” Zander interrogated the man, “especially the part where you claim to be princess Melissa’s brother. Why has no one ever mentioned you before?”
“Oh but people mention me all the time,” Aiden responded, “I’m what goes bump in the night.. I’m what parents use to scare their children into behaving.”
When Aiden smirked, a frown painted Gareth’s face, that stubborn unsolicited sarcasm, he was definitely a relative of Melissa and Vivian.
“Come on prince Gareth I’m only trying to lighten the mood,” Aiden added on when he noticed Gareth’s expression, “I’m sure you’ve heard my story, many already have. I lost my temper one day and sucked a human dry, after which I developed these,” he pointed to his receding horns, “and few other abilities.”
“But everyone says you went rogue,” Finwe commented, “what are the odds you won’t snap and lay waste to each and everyone of us.”
All eyes fell on Aiden, “you know I don’t find it fair that I lose my temper for thirty minutes and suddenly I’m called rogue,” the nosferatu prince complained, “any one of you could have done what I did and maybe even worse. For instance, prince Gareth, the whole kingdom knows you are a little unhinged when it comes to my sister am I right?”
Gareth’s frown only deepened at Aiden’s words, he wasn’t unhinged when it came to Melissa, he was just a little overprotective.
.....
“Now imagine someone tried to kill her,” Aiden’s face had gone from neutral to dark pretty quickly as he uttered those words and it made Gareth’s heartbeat speed up. “Imagine her covered in blood and screaming out to you, calling for you to help her, and someone just snatches her away. You don’t know what they could do to her.. they could slit her throat.. torture her.. and maybe even have their way-”
“Stop!” Gareth growled. His eyes were already flickering between a shade of purple and brown and his breathing was strained.
“My point exactly,” Aiden concluded and leaned back on a log and placing his feet near the flickering fire they were sitting around. “I did what I did because I was angry, I don’t regret my decisions, and for Estel, I’d do it again.”
Finwe studied the red haired man, he knew that look, the look of a man desperately in love, he had seen it countless times on Gareth’s face. “How are you sure my sister is even still alive?” Finwe asked.
Aiden lowered his gaze to the crackling fire, he too at one point had thought Estel was dead, he had almost lost hope, but now he had new intel that she was alive, if what that cloaked mage told him was true, the humans wanted to harness her power or their sons, or even both, for some reason. He had to find her before they could do that, and the only way he could was with Melissa’s help. But he couldn’t disclose all of this to Gareth and his allies yet, he didn’t know how they would react to it especially since Gareth was so overprotective of Melissa.
“I can just tell,” Aiden responded. He looked to Gareth and pointed at his neck, “it’s the mark. If anything were to happen to either of you. Trust me, you would feel it.”
Gareth instinctively covered the bite mark on his neck, “I see.” The prince’s eyes then drifted towards Theodora who was comfortably leaning on Aiden’s back, “Is she your mistress or something?”
“Yes..”
“No..”
Aiden turned his head and gave the woman a disapproving glare, “Theodora is an acquaintance of mine.”
“We live together,” Theodora responded while wrapping her arms around Aiden.
“She’s a bit touchy but she means no harm,” Aiden explained.
“And her powers?” Gareth inquired further, “she used some very powerful magic, but you haven’t introduced her as your relative so I’m assuming she’s not a blue blood. So how is she able to harness such power?”
“I too partook in the drinking of human blood,” Theodora responded casually, “anything to help prince Aiden.”
Gareth merely nodded. So drinking human blood actually increased a nosferatu’s power tremendously, is that why they had outlawed it? Because they were afraid some would become too powerful to control? Speaking of drinking blood, Gareth wondered how Melissa was faring in that department, when they were together she would drink some liquid from a golden canteen, but he remembered her mentioning that she was down to her last sip. He hoped Vivian or Maria had arrived in Meria, if anything, they would best be suited to help her out.
*
Melissa briskly walked down the hall to her and Elric’s chambers from the library where they were having tea. She pried the door open and rushed to her dresser and yanked open the bottom drawer.
“Where is it...” she mumbled to herself as she searched. Finally she caught sight of the golden canteen she had hidden there, pulled it out and opened it. She brought the canteen to her mouth and attempted to take a drink but nothing came out, the canteen was almost completely empty except for a single drop of ichor. “This will have to do..”
“Lissa..?”
The beautiful blue eyed woman hurriedly rose to her feet and turned towards the silver haired king. “Elric..” she tucked the canteen behind her and smiled at him nervously.
“What’s that you’re hiding behind your back?” The man spoke as he slowly made his way to where she was standing. Melissa took a step back but was halted by the dresser behind her.
King Elric wrapped one hand around her waist and with the other he reached for the canteen. He lifted it to his line of sight and inspected the golden container, “this is a pretty little thing,” he mumbled, “why were you hiding it?”
“I wasn’t hiding it I was just -”
“Did the elf prince give this to you my wife?” The king’s voice quickly went from sweet and curious, to angry and possessive.
“No he didn’t,” Melissa responded, she had to get the canteen from him, she hadn’t taken the last drop of ichor yet and she could feel her nosfertu side growing more and more thirsty. “Please may I have it back.”
“Why is it so important to you if it’s not from him?” Elric questioned the woman, the grip around her waist tightened with every word. “I certainly didn’t give this to you.”
“It has something very important Elric..”
“What?” He tilted the flask and Melissa’s breath hitched as she watched the last drop of ichor flow out of the canteen and splattered onto the ground.
“No!” She pushed Elric away not realizing how much strength she had put into the shove. The silver haired king was sent flying across the room and crash landed into the bed, breaking its poles and legs on impact.
Melissa covered her mouth and gasped at the sight, she didn’t mean to push him so hard, okay maybe she did, but she didn’t think he’d be sent flying. “Elric!” She rushed to the broken bed just as the man was getting to his feet, his eyes were glowing yellow and his fangs and claws were elongated.
“Elric are you-”
“Stay back!” He growled making the woman freeze up.
“I didnt mean to,” Melissa muttered, “I just wanted to-”
“You just wanted a little keepsake from your little boyfriend right?!” The man roared, “is that it?!”
“No!” Melissa yelled back. Why was he so jealous of every little thing that involved Gareth, wasn’t her being here against her will assurance enough that he had won her over. “This has nothing to do with Gareth you’re overreacting!”
“I’m overreacting?!” Elric strode towards the woman and looked down at her, “you shoved me into the fucking bed and I’m the one overreacting?!”
“You’ve been acting irrationally for a long time now!” Melissa spat back, her eyes were also flickering from blue to red and Elric could see her fangs growing. “You literally took me away from Gareth against my will and even used my family as bait! I’m here now! With you! What more do you want?!”
“I want you to forget him!” Elric growled, his hair had now spread down his back and arms. “You’re MY wife Melissa! Mine! I want you to have nothing to do with that elven bastard, I don’t even want to hear his name leaving your lips!”
“You’re insane!”
“I’m king and I’m your husband!” The man roared. He crushed the canteen in his hand and tossed it aside. He then turned and started walking toward the exit.
“Where are you going?!”
“Until you learn to respect me and my wishes as your husband, you can get comfortable here because you’re not allowed to leave this room anymore!” The king commanded.
Melissa gasped and ran towards Elric, grabbing his now hairy arm, “you can’t!”
“I have and I will!” The man responded and pushed her back, “for every time to take a step out of this room, one of your family members loses a limb.”
Melissa’s eyes widened with dread, Elric couldn’t really do that could he? He was bluffing, he had to be. But then again there was that crazy look in his eyes, was it really worth it to call his bluff.
“You’re out of your mind,” Melissa muttered with tears in her eyes.
“Then don’t force my hand.” Elric then pulled the door open and banged it shut behind him.
Melissa got to her knees and cupped her face, she felt so angry and frustrated. Elric was a mad king, and she had managed to get herself involved with him in an entanglement that seemed to have no way out.
“Oh Gareth,” she sobbed, “what am i going to do?”
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