Something drastic was happening. She couldn't control the rapid transformation going on within her body. Her nails grew longer, darker, and sharper. Her pretty face was gone, tearing apart to give way to the horned monster hidden within her. Screams erupted as the crowd scurried away. This wasn't the wedding they were expecting. Hell, no one expected the gorgeous princess to be secretly a monster. Styles remained frozen on the spot, stunned to disbelief. Ivory got off her seat, shocked by the revelation. How did this monster get past the border? She hurried from her seat and grabbed her husband to move away from Heli. Heli struggled to control whatever was happening within her but it was stronger. For some reason, the demon just wanted to break free from her body, ruining everything she'd worked so hard to secure in the last couple of weeks. “Why are you just staring? Somebody bind her! A monster like this shouldn't be let out," Someone yelled out but no one dared to step forwar
Darell took the moment of distraction to launch her last attack and the demon hit the floor, shifting back to Heli's fragile form.Cedric released a deep breath and scrambled off the floor. “What is wrong with you?! Have you lost your damn mind?! I could have been killed!!" He screamed at the General.“So what?" Ragi retorted. “My duty is to ensure the Emperor's safety at all times, not protect you. If you had gotten in there, so would hundred others and eventually the monster!" "Are you even listening to yourself? A good Emperor would be more concerned about the safety of his people…” Cedric started."And a good General is more concerned about the safety of the Emperor. I guess we are even now,” Ragi finished. With nothing left to say, Cedric stormed away. Ragi stayed behind to examine the damage. More than half of the guests were severely injured and a few of them dead. Darell walked over to Heli's body and turned it over. “What do we do with her now?" Ragi asked. “What do you
Chains. The first thing that pushed Heli into panic when she woke up. She yanked the chains, hoping to free her hands but it was no use.How did she end up like this?Heli struggled to remember the events of the last couple of hours but nothing was coming up. Her mind was a blank space. “Let me go…” she said quickly but only the echoes of her voice responded. She yanked the chains harder, panicking as the tears burned her eyes. "I said let me go!!” She screamed but once again, there was no response. Heli looked around the room but there was nothing other than bars and emptiness.Either she was kidnapped or imprisoned. She hoped it was neither. The thought of being kidnapped didn't sit well with her, not when her people had next to nothing to get her out. Being imprisoned was way worse. It only meant that she'd been discovered and that was trouble for everyone, not just her. “Please help me…” she resorted to pleading. "Is anyone out there?” she sobbed. "Please let me out… I can't
The temperature in the room dropped by ten degrees as the Styles read the letter. Ivory hadn't been lying. Someone took advantage of her right under his nose. His fists clenched around the letter as he read the bastard's writing. The audacity! “Where did you say the note was?" The coldness in his tone startled Ivory. It was expected of him to be enraged but this cold fury made her shiver. “It was just on my pillow the minute I came in. I am sure he must have sneaked in while I was away. I asked the guards but they said no one came into my room… “"If no one came into your room, how the hell did it get to your pillow then? They are incompetent, all of them! A man took advantage of my wife right under my nose and dared to send her letters. Do you know the temerity it takes to send them? He knows that he wouldn't be caught!" Styles growled. Ivory took slow steps towards him. “No one is impossible to find. We will get him, but before that, you need to calm down. The most important th
Heli sat up when she heard approaching footsteps. She expected to see the skinny woman who threatened her endlessly last time but now, the woman before her was full of flesh. The sweet scent of blood trailed into her nose, stirring the demon within her. Thankfully, it seemed asleep or possibly too weak to make a move, else she would have been on the woman, draining her blood to the last drop. “Who are you? Who let you in here? No one is supposed to be in here…”"You talk too much, don't you think? You should be more bothered about what I can do for you instead of ranting about how I got here,” Elena stated. Heli swallowed her anger. Had it been normal, she would have torn the woman to shreds. “What do you have to offer?" Heli asked. “Freedom. Do you want anything more?" Elena asked. Heli took a look at the cell. How did the woman intend to break her out of here without attracting attention? To the best of her knowledge, the cell was heavily guarded by soldiers and there was no
“She is a very foolish one, I tell you. I made her an offer and she ignored me. Now she is going to get what she deserves,” Elena scoffed. When she didn't get any response to her rants, she turned to the people behind her. Joel and Klein were busy cleaning up their father's body."Is that how we do things now? I speak and you all ignore me?” She exasperated. “Mother please, now is not the time for trouble. We should be more concerned on how to help father recover,” Joel said."And you are one to speak? When last did anyone see you around here? You have been busy doing whatever and we have been suffering to keep him stable while fighting for our rights!” Elena yelled. "Why are you shouting, Mother? You are well aware that Joel had to leave for some manual work in the heart of the city to make money for father's treatment. You, on the other hand, have been chasing shadows and ranting all day,” Klein defended. "Oh, I see what this is. I won't stand here and let you both insult me. Be
married was tempted to yell out at that moment. Ask if he had lost his sanity but she couldn't. She had to keep pretending like she didn't know who he was. Who knew what he would do to her if she dared speak?“Why are you doing this?" She opted for the safer question. The response didn't come as quickly as she hoped. The man was busy. Busy feeling her up and it disgusted her to no end. She wanted to push him away, slap him across the face, and tell him how much of a disgrace he was but she couldn't do any of that. She was tied to a chair with very little movement permitted. “Why am I doing this?" He repeated her question. “You of all people shouldn't be asking me that. I already stated my reasons in my letter but since you want me to spell it out, I will…”Each passing second confirmed his identity more and more. He was getting so comfortable speaking that he didn't notice his facade slipping. "I can't get you off my mind, Ivory. I want you. All I can think about is you. At first
Joel hit the ground with a groan, his life decisions flashing before his eyes as the soldiers emerged from the shadows.His vision was starting to blur out but just before he passed out, he made out the figures of the Emperor and his general.At that moment, he realized that he had been tricked. It was a carefully planned scheme to get him and he fell for it. The Emperor stopped in front of him but before he could process anything, a kick met him in the face, sending him to unconsciousness.“Throw him in the well and make sure no one knows rs about this. I don't want him tried. I want him tortured to death," Styles instructed. “Yes, Your Majesty," the soldiers bowed before lifting his corpse. Styles proceeded into the house and was stunned to find his Empress half-naked. Ragi turned around immediately and ordered the soldiers out to give him privacy. “Styles?" Ivory guessed since she could scent his perfume. “Please tell me it is you. I can't stand this place any longer." He walk
“You already cast this spell on me. Am I supposed to stay awake forever, Darell?” Ivory was fed up. “Please calm down, your highness,” Darell said softly. “How many more of these temporary spells do I need? You already did the first one and it wore off in three days or less and now this?” Ivory exasperated.“We are trying to buy time to find a solution, Your Majesty. Please understand,” Darell explained calmly. She couldn't find it in her to get pissed at Ivory. She couldn't even imagine what the woman was going through now. “You know what, I'm done with this!” Ivory growled and stormed out of the room. “Where is she going? Somebody stop her!” Darell yelled but the glares that Ivory threw their way made them stand back. They resorted to informing the Emperor as he was the only one who could calm her down. Ivory got to the kitchen and matched to the cabinets where the knives were kept. The maids gasped as she grabbed the butcher knife. Darell rushed into the kitchen at that mom
Darell went to the execution ground with a couple of guards. Roy was still unconscious and it was perfect for her operation. She set her materials in place and started the ritual. Soon enough, she invaded Roy's mind but just before she could extract the information she was looking for, his eyes flew open and a cruel laugh escaped him.“What do you think you are doing?” He asked her. “Do you think I will keep such confidential information in my head?” “What did the Empress do to you?” Darell demanded.“Nothing,” he shrugged. “Was it the Emperor then?” She asked. “He doesn't need to do anything for me to punish him. I love the feeling of crushing the weak,” he laughed. Darell knew this man was a maniac.She knocked him back unconscious with an enchanted powder and began the ritual once again. Although he made it clear that the answers were not in his mind, she didn't want to relent. Even if she didn't get a direct answer, she was sure she would find a clue on how to stop it. She
The first hit had Daniel flying across the street. He let out a loud groan as his back connected with the tree. This wasn't the regular fight he was used to but he knew exactly what he was getting himself into when he challenged Roy.He forced himself up the ground and charged towards Roy but the man easily swung him to the side. “You know when you challenged me, I actually thought you had some insight on how to fight me spiritually,” he huffed, “but engaging you has proven to be a waste of time!”“Which is why you should take me on!” A feminine voice challenged from behind. Roy already recognized the voice as Darell's.He whipped his head around, surprised that she could get the chains off her. He'd always known there was something special about this woman and every single minute he spent with her proved that she was twice as powerful as he was.“I didn't expect you to be up so soon,” he said. “How long did you think I could stand the stench of your wife?” Darell retorted. “Wife?
Eisha didn't dare look back as she ran. Although she was afraid of what would happen to Daniel with her gone, she knew it was necessary to save the Empress before the monster she once considered a friend got to her. She didn't think that Daniel was equipped enough to hold him down for long and her legs were getting tired. On sighting a horse from a distance, she quickly flagged the horse and luckily it was a royal horse. “Who are you running?” The soldier asked. Eisha was about to respond when she suddenly realized that a single royal horse couldn't be out here in their market.It only meant one thing. Without responding, she dashed past him, running to catch a carriage to the palace. Her heart skipped when she heard the horse galloping behind her.“Hey, woman! Stop there!” He yelled. She quickly diverted into a narrow street and went through several houses, confident he wouldn't find her. By the time she was out on the street again, the rider was nowhere in sight. She flagged a
“You need to come with me to the palace now,” Daniel told Eisha. “Why? Is something wrong?” She asked. It was sudden to see him return at that this time of the day so she knew for sure that something was up. “Yes, very wrong. The Empress, something is happening to her and we don't know the cause of it,” he said. “What is wrong with the Empress?” Eisha asked. “Her nightmares are becoming reality. She has bite and claw marks all over her and it's becoming frightening. I have this feeling it might have something to do with Roy,” he said. Eisha frowned. She didn't exactly see the connection. As if he read her mind, he responded. “The attacks started immediately after the ceremony,” he explained.“I know Roy is into some shady business but I am not sure he has anything to do with the Empress' ailment,” Eisha argued. “Fine! Even if he's not responsible for it, let's inform the Emperor about his true identity.”“I don't know, Daniel. Is that really necessary…” Eisha drawled uneasily.
Darell opened her eyes to an unfamiliar environment. The place was stuffy and smelled like it hadn't been cleaned in years. Her heightened senses could pick out the smell of a rotting corpse somewhere. She tried to sit up from the lying position only to discover that her body was chained to the bed. Her nose scrunched in irritation. “You're awake,” the gruff voice startled her. She didn't notice his presence in the room, until now. “That's good. I was hoping we could have a civil conversation.”“If you were going to abduct me, you should have at least picked somewhere with enough oxygen. I would the bare first than a room with a rotting corpse,” Darell said.Roy's eyes widen in shock. He thought the spell he used to give the room a homely smell was very effective since no one ever complained about it.How come she smelled it in just seconds of consciousness?“I don't know what you're talking about,” he denied. “You have a yard behind this place, don't you? Didn't it occur to you
Darell squinted her eyes, trying to get a glimpse of his true appearance but there was nothing for her to see. Everything was concealed by the mask on his face. “I don't want to kill you. Left to me, I wouldn't even be here but you are trying to interfere with something that is none of your business and I can't let that happen,” Roy said. “You mean the royal family? I'm afraid that is every bit my business as it is yours and I am going to stop you,” Darell said confidently. Darell pulled out a sword, surprising her. For someone with such an evil aura, she expected him to go fully spiritual on her. “A blade? I thought we were playing with magic. Except, you're not as powerful as you pretend to be,” she mocked. Roy didn't let her words get to him. The mountain already weakened him enough. Any attack he made on this woman had to be physical.She could head to head with him spiritually because of his weak state but her dainty form was no match for his physical strength.“You are not
“What do you think?” Ragi moved away from the Empress with a puzzled expression. “I must confess your highness, I have never seen anything like this. It is strange to me,” Ragi said.Ivory’s shoulder sagged hopelessly. She was expecting that response. Even in her kingdom, there had never been a record of anything like it. “So what do we do now? We have less than ten hours to figure this out, Ragi. I don't want my wife going to bed and waking up with more injuries. We need to do something about this,” Styles said. “I'm sorry, your Majesty but I really don't understand what we can do in this situation. It is a new ailment and it is quite scary,” Ragi sighed.Ivory stood, begging to be excused. She couldn't take it anymore. The images in her head was scary enough, she didn't need a reconfirmation.Styles wanted to go after her but Ragi stopped him.“Maybe Darell can help,” he suggested.“Right, Darell! Why didn't we think about that earlier? Get her here as soon as possible. I'll go
Ivory sat in her chelanvers, staring at the clock. She was afraid to sleep. She didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time.A part of her was still trying to convince her that it was all in her head. That she probably for the scratches from thrashing. But the injuries were too deep to have been her nails and the doctor confirmed it too.Styles walked into the room and this time, she was well aware of his presence. “My love,” she smiled. “Why are you still awake? It's pretty late,” he asked then glanced at the baby's cot, “was she giving you trouble?”“A little but I'm glad she's asleep now. I didn't expect you to come in so soon,” she said. Of a truth, she didn't expect him to come to her chambers at all. She was afraid he would easily notice the marks. Although she was fully clothed, she could feel the lust as his eyes roamed her body. “You're a bit overdressed, don't you think?” He spoke up and she bit her lip. “I was catching a cold,” she lied. “Are you feverish?” H