Nolan had backed away from Baila and chosen to stand in a corner far away from her. His heart thudded dangerously fast whenever he was near her.
Twelve blasted hells!He had hoped with all his heart that he was wrong and yet when he kissed her, every sleeping part of him had awoken. She was the one. She was his to protect.Nolan watched her brown eyes gaze outside the window. He was certain that she wanted to be free, to leave but for some reason, she stood still with a lost look on her face.He could not let anyone know about her. Not yet.Goddess! The council. What would they say if he told them that his mate was a witch? Nolan squeezed his eyes shut, wondering if he should let her know or watch her walk away forever. The latter was a better option but somehow, Nolan knew it would be impossible to let her go."Can I stay for a few nights?" she asked.Nolan looked at her. There were a lot of questions he should have asked her. Questions that were very important and necessary for the safety of his people. Instead, he had kissed her and now, he was about to let her stay."Of course," he nodded, eager to please her. Nolan groaned inwardly, wondering what was wrong with him.He couldn't rule out the fact that she could have spelled him into thinking that she was his mate.He groaned inwardly again. Once again, he wondered what the hell he was doing. She was a witch. He couldn't cut her any slack for the sake of his feelings. He pinched the bridge of his nose. It was his duty to protect his people and he would be damned if he let feelings hold him back."How did you get here?" he asked her.Nolan watched as her eyes went wide and she shifted uncomfortably on her feet."I.....I owed some people some money. They came after me and so I run and climbed over the wall. I didn't think it through when I climbed the black wall," she stuttered, playing with her fingers.Her eyes never met his as she spoke. Nolan suspected that she was lying. She had to be desperate to climb the black wall which had large shards of glass sticking out of it. He didn't need to ask her how she got to the river and ended up drowning. He knew how the river called to its victims. His parents had been the first.Still, he wondered how she had managed to breach the barrier. He should have felt it the moment she stepped into Northwood but he hadn't. She was a witch. She must have cast a spell that prevented him and any of his men from sensing her presence."What is your name?" he questioned."Baila," she smiled softly at him."Baila" he tested the name on his tongue. Nolan froze at her smile. Such a pretty name for a witch.He was sure of it now. She had cast a spell on him and until he figured out how to break it, he couldn't let her leave.Aaron had spent the night outside Nolan's bedroom. As captain of the guards and his best friend, Nolan knew that Aaron was paranoid when it came to his safety.Nolan mind linked Aaron about his suspicions, how he felt and the fact that Baila would be staying for a few nights. Aaron was not happy about the last part. He was even less happy when Nolan told him that he had to show Baila to her room."You can stay. It will be for three nights," Nolan informed Baila.He saw her face fall when he said she could stay for three nights.Was she disappointed? Did she want to stay longer or was it something else?Nolan looked at her, studying the bruises that marred her legs and arms. For the first time since he had seen her, he noticed how the white tattered dress she wore clung to her like a second skin. It was transparent enough that he could see the faint patch of red skin on her waist.Nolan cleared his throat, focusing on the books and papers scattered on his desk. He had a lot to do. He couldn't spend all day wondering about the red patch on her waist.When he looked at her, she was staring at him with a brow raised questioningly.Goddess! Those brown eyes."Aaron is outside the door. He is the captain of my guards. He will show you to your room," Nolan said, trying to think of something other than the fact that a witch had cast a spell on him.Her presence would raise questions and he needed to find a way to answer them.What worried him was that any other witch would have been dying to leave but here she was, asking to stay.Any other witch, he would have killed but then again, he couldn't be sure about that since she was the first witch to step on his land since he became king.She paused briefly and Nolan looked expectantly at her as she run a frustrated hand through her hair. Had she changed her mind? Did she want to leave? So soon?"Thank you. If there is anything you ever need, I'll be more than happy to help" she said with a polite smile before stepping out of his room.Nolan took a bath and wore a dark blue tunic with golden buttons as was the tradition of lycan kings who had come before him. He fastened a black cloak around his neck before leaving to meet the council members in the round room.There was nothing much to discuss anyways. The treaty had not been violated in any way and there was peace but his monthly meeting with the council elders had been put in place long before he became king. As a king, it was his duty to honour it. Whether he liked it or not.If it were up to him, the council would be dissolved altogether but the council made the people feel safe. All twelve members of the council had been elected by the people themselves.Eight hundred years ago, Jared Caldore had been the lycan king. He had stolen money from the people. During his reign, the people had to pay insanely high amounts of taxes. He forced women and children to go to war against the vampires. Jared killed anyone that spoke against him. The people suffered in silence until he died.After his death, his son, Jairom Caldore became lycan king. He was nothing like his father. Some say that his heart had been softened by his pale mate. Jairom asked the people to elect twelve families from among them. A member from each family was elected to form the blue council. The blue council had a say in whatever law was passed. If a tyrant ever rose again, the council could take his crown.For years, the twelve families had provided successors whenever a council member passed away.Nolan straightened the collar of his tunic as the guards pushed the timber double doors open. The council members rose to their feet as the announcer spoke."All hail King Nolan Caldore, the sixtieth king of Northwood, keeper of the golden cup, bearer of the blood crown, commander of the army of the fallen sons and the first black lycan since Vaeya the creator!""All hail!" the council members chorused once the announcer was done.Nolan took his seat at the head of the table and the members followed suit. Once he was seated, he noticed that Sara sat in councilman Geris' seat. He knew what that meant."I am sorry for your loss, Sara. I am sure that you will do your best to fill your uncle's shoes" Nolan said, smiling sadly at her.Her uncle must have passed away during the night or early morning. Yet, Sara was forced to attend the meeting. If she had missed her first council meeting, it would be a sign that she did not want the position and it would be passed down to someone else in her family.Nolan stared at the carving of the snarling wolf in the middle of the dark brown table as he waited for councilwoman Sabyni to speak."The bride trials for the high king are still ongoing and it has led me to suggest that our own king settle down as well. Due to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the death of our previous king and queen, the people are scared and restless. Marriage and an heir will put their hearts at ease," she spoke.Councilwoman Sabyni was the oldest of the council members at two hundred years. Werewolves and lycans had lost their immortality since Jared the cruel. Nolan thought that it was the Goddess' way of making sure that no one had too much power. Immortality was too much power."All in favour?" Councilwoman Sabyni shouted, raising her hand.Eight of the council members raised their hands. Nolan muttered a string of curses under his breath. Sara had raised her hand too.Unlike most previous kings, Nolan's parents hadn't arranged a marriage for him and he had no one in mind.Twelve blasted hells!It looked like he would have to organize a bride trial of his own.Baila felt quite uncomfortable as she walked alongside Aaron, the captain of the guard. He kept his distance from her like she was a kind of virus that had no cure but his right hand was always on the hilt of his sword. Baila was scared to even sneeze. The slightest movement from her could cause Aaron to cut her down. She was sure the captain would not hesitate to kill her. As they walked further and further away from Nolan's room, Baila wondered why Nolan had asked her about the spell. She had been dying. Surely, she couldn't have cast a spell. She couldn't rule out the possibility though. But her necklace had been around her neck the entire time she was drowning. Besides, she didn't know any spells to call out to a werewolf or any other creature. Mother! No. It couldn't be. Her demon had been dormant but the other part of her wasn't. She had also been underwater. That was where the siren part of her thrived. Could that side of her have called out to Nolan? She had never used her
"The queen was a fireball," Sara started. "She was so fierce but kind and warm at the same time. She treated me like I was her daughter. When she died, I felt like I lost my mother. Anyways, she and the king had an arranged marriage. She wasn't too happy about it initially but in time, they fell in love. King Arlen was a kind man and Queen Ariadne was his world even after they had Nolan, he doted on her like she was everything. Ariadne used to scold him all the time. It was fun to watch them be together. I miss them but Nolan must miss them more especially since he was crowned king three days after their deaths. He was only ten." Baila found Sara's hand in the dark and held unto it, squeezing it comfortingly. Unlike Nolan, Sara still had family but it did not mean that she was less affected by the deaths of the king and queen. "Does Nolan have a mate?" Baila asked. She was scared Sara would snap at her as Aaron did but so far, the royal physician had been nothing but nice to her. "N
"What?" Aaron spluttered. His eyes were wide like saucers as he stared at the redhead. Baila glared at him. Now, he chose to pay attention. "You want to say that I'm your whore?" Baila frowned, confused. She did not understand what Sara was trying to do. Either way, Baila would still end up with the brand of a whore. "No. A dancer. I had many dancer friends before I became.....well....this. All of them have travelled far away from the city. I could say that you're having money troubles and came to me for help. You can stay here for as long as you want with that excuse," Sara explained. "Like hell, she can!" Aaron swore, approaching Sara. "You can not possibly think of vouching for her. If anyone ever finds out the truth, you'll be punished or worse," "You chose Aaron, why can't I?" Sara shrugged, straightening up and squaring her shoulders to face him. Baila had never seen Sara behave this way before but she hadn't known her long enough to come to that conclusion. Aaron grabbed
Baila stumbled back, struggling to breathe as her breath escaped her mouth in strangled hiccups. The creature before her was once human, she was sure of it. It was a woman with hair badly ripped out that Baila could see the soft pink flesh of her scalp. Her teeth were a long line of small sharp triangles like a fish's teeth. The woman wore a tattered black dress and black veins littered her pale sickly skin which had a sticky transparent liquid on it. But what scared Baila the most was her eyes. They were endless pools of darkness like a bear's. Footsteps drew closer and Baila glanced backwards to see Sara approaching with a sword. The creature looked highly amused with what was going on. Baila made a decision. She wasn't sure Sara's sword could even nick the creature. With a trembling hand, she reached for her necklace. "Baila. Don't!" Sara snapped but Baila wasn't listening. She ripped the necklace off with all the strength she could muster and it fell to the ground with a clink.
Baila groaned into consciousness. The ruffled bed space beside her told her all she needed to know. Sara had spent the night in her room. With a frightfully loud yawn, Baila jumped out of bed and stretched. Her muscles felt sore from releasing her demon the previous night. Memories came flowing back in and she pieced them together as her back popped and her pain was relieved. She had rejected Nolan's help the previous night. Baila felt horrible about it. Her rejection must have stung him and hurt his pride. Lycans had a lot of pride. The sun wasn't shining and Baila had a feeling that last night's occurence could be the cause. She wanted to bathe in the river and she wondered if Nolan would allow her to go. With a slight shake of her head, Baila headed out to find Nolan. She was determined to apologize even if he shut her down. She found Nolan behind a stack of books piled on the table in his bedroom. He looked up from the books when she stepped in before gulping down the goblet of
Baila ran through the forest, her barefoot crunching on dead leaves and branches. From a distance, she could hear the barking dogs assisting the guards in the hunt.The hunt for her.She ducked behind a tree when she found nowhere to hide. Baila tried to slow her breathing as she wrapped her hand around her necklace and prayed. With tears in her eyes, she lifted her head to the skies.The moon was covered by thick dark clouds. It would rain soon and the dogs would not be able to catch her scent but she was afraid that the rain would make it difficult for her to escape. What had she done?She had been sent here to change things, to be a difference. Every last witch in the world was counting on her and she had let them all down. She had done worse than disappoint them, Baila had repeated the same crime that started the witch hunt-a tradition she could have easily put an end to by winning the bride trials and marrying the high prince.When she closed her eyes, she could still see the ho
In the castle walls of house Caldore, Nolan sat behind his table, looking at the list. A blinding headache was hindering him from fulfilling the list of duties he held in his hand. If the pain persisted, he would have to see a healer and postpone everything he planned to finish before morning.It was the day of his parents' death anniversary. He had made sure no one was at the river. The night guards included. He didn't want to think of the number of lives the river claimed every year on the day of his parents' death anniversary. If he figured it out sooner, a lot of people would have been saved.At least, the past six years had gone by without a single person drowning in the river. He wondered if the witch's curse had continued even after his parents were dead.A million lives for one. A million by the river.Nolan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. All those people had died for the sake of one girl. Witches were vindictive. He knew that now but he wished his parents had known
Baila had a strange dream about a man with eyes so blue they frightened and entranced her at the same time. At first, he was a blue-eyed boy who got excited at the little things. His excitement and curiosity were infectious. Baila could hear his laughter as he ran through the meadow. Soon, he was a man with the same bright blue eyes. The only difference was that he had lost his excitement. His laughter was not as genuine and wild as it used to be. She felt it. The emotion that swallowed him whole was not sadness or trauma. It was loneliness. She could feel his pressing need to have someone and to belong somewhere. Baila wanted to hold him. She reached out for him but the world swirled into different colours around her. The dream changed and she was drowning under the moon. She smiled up at the stars as hands reached down and pulled her to the surface. Frost. She heard the wind whisper. Air filled her lungs and Baila gasped awake. The bed was warm and comfortable. Bed?! Baila sat