Princess of the Damned Page 18

  He released her immediately. “Did I hurt you?”

  She shook her head and stroked his back because it looked like he was having difficulty breathing. “The poison is still circulating in your veins. You should rest now.”

  He lied down as she instructed. He caught her hand when she turned the other way. “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “I’m going back to my bed,” she replied.

  “Stay here with me.”

  Her heart was pounding inside her ears. “I… I can’t do that.”

  He slowly let go of her hand. “You are probably right, but when we are married, you will not be staying at the queen’s quarters.”

  “Are you still intending on marrying me?”

  “I don’t think I can get the thought out of my mind now. I feel possessive of you.”

  She didn’t know what to say to that. His words caught her by complete surprise and it made her heart run amok inside her chest. “I didn’t sacrifice myself to save you, you know. I knew I would be able to survive it.”

  “And I still haven’t punished you for it. I don’t need a woman to protect me.”

  “You would have died.”

  “Then I would have been spared ten agonizing days.”

  “It could have been avoided in the first place if you weren’t too stubborn to take my blood.”

  He flinched and made a painful sound.

  She climbed onto the bed and placed a hand on his forehead. “Are you in that much pain? Do you need me to summon a physician?”

  He rose up and pinned her shoulders down on the soft linen. He dove down and stole a kiss from her lips.

  “You tricked me?!”

  “We are not quite even, but it is a start. Do you still want to return to your bed now? I am in a lot of pain, but I can still persuade you to be my wife.”

  A comment like that deserved a slap in the face, but why did she suddenly feel too weak to move. His eyes were smiling down on her and teasing her, but why couldn’t she retaliate. Her heart felt like it was going to explode inside her chest. This was not like her at all.

  “I was only teasing, but why do you…look so vulnerable?” he asked. She was at a loss for words. She did not need them when he closed his mouth over hers. This kiss was passionate, unlike the first timid kiss. The feeling of tenderness followed his touch. She let out a soft protesting moan when he broke the kiss.

  He brushed her hair aside and gently suckled on the flesh of her neck. She quivered at the strange sensation rushing through the rest of her body.

  “You should stop me,” he said in a quiet whisper although his hands did not stop exploring her body.

  The problem was she didn’t want to.

  He pulled on the ribbon in front of her gown and the layers of soft silk slipped off her breasts. She had never been ashamed of her body, but why did she feel like shriveling up when his dark brown eyes stared at it? She jerked her head to the side when she felt the tickling feelings of his soft hair on her chest and the moistness of his lips on her breast. His hand traveled up from her waist and then cupped her other breast.

  He rose up and pulled the tunic over his body. He had the build of a warrior and all of the scars that came with it. He bent over her again and softly licked her lips. She hated to admit it but she liked the feeling of his bare hard chest against her skin. Her heart skipped a series of beats when she felt his hand on her inner thigh. His slender fingers explored her secret place.

  “There are a million reasons why I shouldn’t do this…” He leaned closer to her ear. “Do you want a man who has bathed in so much blood that he would never be able to get rid of the scent? This beautiful scent of yours…I might taint it. You should have stopped me when I told you to, because now, I really can’t hold back.”

  He guided her legs to wrap around his waist and placed a hand on the side of her neck. She felt something both soft and hard pressing against her. When he pressed on, it hurt. At that moment, she was a little confused. Her memories told her that she had had lovers before, but why…

  She let out a sharp cry when he thrust forward.

  Her vision blurred from the mists floating around her eyes. He scattered kisses around her eyes, as though he was comforting her. When he withdrew and thrust forward again, it still hurt. The feeling of being filled and stretched nearly made her cry, and she rarely ever cried. He picked up a rhythm and the pain eased with each stroke.

  The pain subsided and made way for another sensation. Her body shivered, as though she was cold, but she had never felt such an intense heat. She immediately covered her mouth when she became aware of the strange sound she was making.

  He pulled her hands away from her mouth and positioned them over her head. She had the impulse to cover her mouth again, but his right hand pinned them in place.

  “You need to breathe…” he said breathlessly.

  If she continued to make any more embarrassing sounds, she would rather that she didn’t. She looked up at him. Her pale green eyes were pleading him to let her hands go, but she became even more embarrassed when she saw the focused look in his eyes. Had he been staring at her this whole time?

  She closed her eyes tight.

  Her moaning becomes even more intense when he changed his rhythm. She was melting underneath him. She helplessly tried to fight the strange sensation that had taken control over her body, but she lost that battle. Is this what the other women refer to as ecstasy? She felt like she was drowning in it. She wanted to run from this overwhelming feeling, but at the same time, she couldn’t get enough of it.

  She opened her eyes again when she felt droplets of water dripping onto her skin. He was drenched in his own sweat and so was she. He released her hands and then lowered his head to kiss her. When he lifted up his head again, she let out a surprised gasp when she felt his warm liquid inside her body.

  So this is what they call love making.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Nala had dazed off for too long and the warm bath water wrinkled her skin. The female servants helped her into a white robe as soon as she stepped out of the shallow pool. They secured the robe with a string at the waist and waited for her to be seated before they combed through her wet hair. It was just last night that they were terrified of her.

  “Your hair is so silky that it is even easy to comb through when it is wet,” one of the servant commented.

  “Aren’t you afraid of me?” Nala asked. “No one even wanted to look at me yesterday.”

  “We eavesdropped on His Majesty’s explanation to the lords this morning, my lady,” the one with wavy brown hair replied with a smile. “I feel a little guilty for not having enough faith in His Majesty.”

  “What did he say?” Nala asked curiously.

  “His Majesty said that you were bitten by snakes when you were a child and have developed immunity toward it. Your heart was slowed down from the poison, making it seem like you were dead. We should have been grateful to you for saving His Majesty’s life instead of shunning you. Please forgive our shallowness.”

  Nala softly laughed. “And you believed that?”

  She nodded. “All of us were worried about His Majesty when he locked himself in and then this morning he stepped out of the room for the first time in eleven days. We were so relieved. If anything happened to His Majesty, our kingdom would surely fall.”

  “He is the only pillar holding up our kingdom,” the female servant with the slightly darker hair said, joining the conversation.

  “Where is His Majesty now?”

  “His Majesty is still at the morning meeting with the lords, my lady.”

  The servants dressed Nala in a pale pink gown, her favorite color, and escorted her to the meeting hall. She knew it was not her place to enter, so she waited just outside of the door. It was not long before Sayan noticed her.

  “You came just in time, Nala. I was just about to summon you.” He held out a hand to invite her in.

  She took his hand and ente
red the meeting hall. “You need me, Your Majesty?”

  He frowned. “Sayan,” he corrected her.

  Nala scanned the room full of nobles for any sign of objection. There were none. “Why do you need me, Sayan?”

  “We need you to approve of future expenditures. First off, the four cities to the west need repair and the fallen soldiers’ families must be compensated. Malin needs supplies at the borders and…”

  She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You do not need my approval to spend the gold in the treasury, Sayan. You are a king. Use the gold as you see fit.”

  “I gave the ambassador of your father my word. I cannot go against it.”

  He really was a stick in the mud. “In that case, I approve of all your decisions. Will that satisfy your promise to my father’s ambassador?”

  “You have no interest in helping me nurture my kingdom at all?”

  “You know that is not what I meant. I will help you however I can to reunite Phasia.”

  A round of laughter passed around the room.

  “Did I say something wrong?” Nala asked.

  “I take pride in that our future queen has such extraordinary ambition,” a man with pure white beard said to her. “You were admirably courageous to sacrifice yourself to save His Majesty from a cobra’s poison, Princess. We should all follow your example.”

  She turned to Sayan. “I still haven’t agreed to marry you.”

  “That is all for today. We will continue tomorrow. The most important task ahead of us is sending ambassadors to buy grains from foreign countries. Our people cannot starve any longer. That cannot be delayed.” Sayan said and then led Nala by the wrist out of the meeting hall. The nobles bowed their heads.

  “Our private conversation must remain private, do you understand?” He said as they walked down the hallway. “And don’t you think it is too late for you not to marry me?”

  “I don’t think so,” she replied bluntly.

  “Well, it is.” Sayan grabbed a hold of his chest and staggered toward the wall. His other hand covered his forehead.

  “You should not have left the bed yet.”

  “There is so much to do and I have stayed in bed long enough.”

  “Don’t be stubborn, Sayan. Let me help you back into bed. Perhaps the physician can give you something to numb your pain.”

  Sayan shook his head in protest. “Numbing medicine clouds the mind. I need my wits to make decisions.”

  “Then at least get some more rest.”

  “Not yet, I need to summon my generals. The Southern Kingdom could attack us at any time. I need to have my generals prepared under the circumstances. The Southern King employs Lilan and her lackeys. We must be on high alert.”

  Nala remembered the raven-haired beauty who claimed to be her father’s daughter. “You could always try to persuade her to work for you again. She liked you very much, so I don’t think you will have a problem convincing her.”

  Sayan stared into her eyes. “Not at the conditions she demanded.”

  “What are her demands?”

  “She wants me for herself and she wants to send you away.”

  “I don’t see what is so unreasonable about it.”

  “But I do. Do you want to make me twice a traitor?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I have served you since I was eight years old. If that doesn’t make me a traitor, I don’t know what does.”

  “I will have to go home eventually. If she can help you reunite Phasia then…”

  He interrupted her sentence with a kiss. “Don’t push me to another woman’s bed, wife.”

  The burning feeling on her cheeks made her speechless.

  Nala heard her name being called in the depth of her mind. She woke herself from sleep and quietly slipped off the bed so that she would not disturb Sayan’s sleep. Traces of poison still torturing his body made it that he had only fallen to sleep an hour ago. It was almost dawn.

  She quietly left the room and then closed the door behind her. As she expected, Trent was waiting right outside. The expression on his face was much calmer than the last time she saw him.

  “I didn’t mean to anger you that night,” Nala said softly.

  “It had nothing to do with you. It was my fault for not being able to control my frustration. You don’t have to apologize to me. It is not like you.”

  “What was I like?”

  “It doesn’t matter anymore.” He held out a hand to her. “Come with me. There is someone you must meet.”

  She trustingly gave him her hand. He led her one step forward and the scenery around them changed. They were no longer in the hallway of palace. They were standing in a clearing surrounded by massive trees and heavy forestation. In front of them was a charming and well-lit little cottage.

  Trent gently knocked on the door and it opened almost immediately. A young man opened the door with a bright and cheerful expression on his face. He had short dark brown hair in front and a long section of hair in the back. His eyes were the color of tree sap with specks of gold. He carried a pair of twin blades on his waist.

  “He is Alex.” Trent introduced. “He is mother’s adopted son.”

  Alex held out his hand to her, but she did not know what he wanted. He took the initiative to take her hand and then shake it. “It’s how we say hello back in my time.”

  She knew instantly that he was human. “That would make you my brother, wouldn’t it?”

  Alex stole a glance at Trent. “I think so...”

  “It is nice to meet you, brother.”

  “I will prepare some warm tea. Even though it is spring in this country, the nights are still so cold,” Alex said and then headed toward the door in the back. He walked past a cloaked figure sitting by the table. The crest on his hood was the same as the man in her memory.

  “You…”

  Nala impulsively pulled the hood from his head to reveal his face. His green eyes glared at her. He stood up and before she knew it, the slap of his hand sent her to the wooden floor.

  “Are you going to seduce him too?”

  “Noctiam…!” A female voice shouted out. A beautiful woman with long and silky black hair sheltered her. Nala looked up. The woman’s dreamy violet eyes were strikingly bewitching. “Noctiam, control yourself!” She wrapped her arms around Nala and gently stroked the back of her head.

  Trent’s sword pressed against the ambassador’s neck. “You stay here quietly or I will force you to leave.”

  The ambassador mockingly chuckled. “Is today the first day you know her, Trent? Have you forgotten what mischief she is capable of? How do you know this is not another one of her personas that she has made up to fool you?”

  He laughed as he sank into the shadow.

  It felt warm.

  Nala’s heart felt nervous and was beating wildly inside her chest. She was overwhelmed with mixed emotion when she noticed something was so very familiar about this woman; that she had completely forgotten about the shock of being slapped. It was her scent, but it had nothing to do with sense of smell. It was her warmth, but it had nothing to do with sense of touch. Could it really be possible?

  “Are you my mother?” Nala softly asked.

  She nodded and then held Nala’s face between her palms. “You and Trent are one, so I suppose I am.”

  “You don’t look any older than me or Trent.”

  “If I looked my age then I would be a pile of dirt,” she smiled humorously.

  “None of us do,” Trent added.

  “Are you really my mother?” Nala needed confirmation.

  “I am Trent’s biological mother. Actually, I am not his biological mother. Well…it’s a complicated story.”

  Nala knitted her brow to express her confusion.

  “She is our mother,” Trent placed a firm hand on Nala’s shoulder to assure her. “Unlike we who are born demons, our mother was a mortal human. She gave birth to us while she was human. Our father’s subje
cts objected to the union and plotted against her. One of the plots involved switching her soul with a demon’s to deceive our father. The vessel you see before you is not our biological mother, but her soul is. Do you understand now?”

  Nala nodded. “I think I understand a little. What about us, Trent? I don’t understand how we were one person.”

  “I apologize if I didn’t explain thoroughly enough in the beginning. You see, Nala, every demon is born with an instinct. A demon’s instinct is very similar to that of a human’s primeval instinct. Its only motivation is to survive and gain control over its host. You were my instinct, but you were special, Nala. You had the ability to think freely and independently. You were fully capable of being selfless. You voluntarily separated yourself from me and traded yourself to save our mother.”

  “…Into this body?” Nala placed her hands on her chest. “So this body is not mine?”

  Alex came over with a tray of tea to offer everyone. Nala politely shook her head.

  “No, it is yours. They implanted you into an inactive demon egg and the gender just happened to be female. I was quite shocked about that. Since you borrowed my image when you were with me, I always thought of you as a brother. You probably don’t even have your own instinct, since it is only an empty egg.”

  “What do you mean, I borrowed your image?” Horror crawled onto her face. “I was a man?”

  “I did not say that. You don’t have your own physical body, so you manifest yourself to look like me.”

  “Did it…feel weird when there was another person inside your mind?”

  “Honestly?”

  She nodded.

  “It feels more unnatural now that we are separated. It is as if someone has ripped out half of your heart and still expects the other half to function property.”

  “Is that why…” Nala abandoned the sentence. It was not the time to talk about it.

  “When will you be coming home with us?” Alex asked. “Most of the demons don’t bother themselves with the human world. I imagine it must be very lonely by yourself.”