9

The man began to untie my hands and legs. "Hold her down for me." He yelled. The other two men grabbed my arms and pulled me down on the cold floor. I began to scream and struggle hysterically. I would rather die than have them **** me. "Please stop!! Help me!!" I screamed and every time the man slapped me across the face. I felt no pain this time, just fear, extreme fear. He ripped my dress open which made me scream so loud it felt as if my throat was bleeding from all the screaming and crying. God please help me!! Someone help me!! Suddenly I heard a crushing sound and I couldn't feel the man's heavy weight on me anymore. The hands holding me down were gone and the men were on their feet quickly pulling their daggers out from their pockets. "Who are you?" I heard one of them say in a shaky voice. I moved my head to see who had come but saw the man that just tried to **** me on the floor in a pool of blood, his body unmoving. Was he dead? Yes, he was. His throat was cut with what looked like sharp claws. My eyes traveled further around the room looking for a threat or an escape but my gaze landed on hands with long and sharp claws. Almost animal like except the hands belonged to a human, they belonged to Lucian. Blood was dripping down his nails and his eyes were red. He looked like the Devil in my nightmares except he didn't have any black horns. "Who are you?" the man repeated with a louder voice but still his voice trembled. He was probably horrified by the sight in front of him. "It's pointless to know when you are going to die anyway?" Lucian replied then suddenly the men were in flames. They were burning as if someone set them on fire but Lucian was still standing in the same place. He hadn't even moved an inch. Their screams filled the room as they rolled on the floor. The sight was horrifying and my head started to spin. Lucian turned his gaze toward me. My heart jumped as I gazed into his blood red eyes while I tried to cover myself. As he walked toward me he took his robe off, crushing down he covered me with it. To my surprise I didn't try to run away from him I just let him gather me in his arms. I wasn't scared anymore, strangely I felt safe in this man's arms, this man who could be the devil himself. "It's alright. You are safe now." He said holding me closer. Sleep now love and before I could think about the voice in my head I fell asleep. Pain. Pain was the only thing I felt as I woke up. My head, my face, my throat even my whole body was in pain, especially my arms where the men held me down. Afraid by the memory I looked around for any threat, but I was back in the castle, so I was probably safe. A bottle of water on the table caught my attention. I needed water. My throat burned and itched and I couldn't take the pain anymore. I made my way to the table quickly ignoring the pain in my body because it was nothing compared to the pain in my throat. I grabbed the bottle of water and emptied it quickly. Suddenly Oliver came to mind. Was he safe as well? If something happened to him how could I forgive myself. I needed to know so I walked toward the door but stopped suddenly when I walked past the mirror. Taking a few steps back and I stared at my reflection. Dark bruises covered my face, my lips were slightly swollen and chapped and my hair was ragged. You are at least safe I consoled myself. "Are you alright?" I jumped at the sound and looked to where it came from. Lucian stood suddenly in the room with his hands behind his back. He seemed angry and there was an aura of danger around him. How could I not have heard when he came in? "I.." my voice cracked and my throat burned. I could barely speak so I just nodded. The way he stood reminded me of earlier. His red eyes and nails sharp. He really was the Devil or maybe it was my imagination. But I was sure I saw him, and the men who were suddenly burning, was it his doing? My head was already hurting but now it hurt even more because of my thinking. "Oli…ver" I said trying to speak. "He is alright. Don't worry about him." I sighed in relief. Lucian still stood on the same place with a frown. I knew he was angry I went outside of the castle and that he wasn't saying anything because of my condition. Yes, I know I put myself and Oliver in danger and that I made Lucian worry. I know that everything was my fault but it was partly his fault too. If he hadn't gone with that blonde all this would not have happened. There were just too many emotions including anger and regret that I felt at the moment. I just wanted to disappear. Turning around I was about to go back to bed but before I could take a step Lucian already picked me up. "I…" I tried to protest but couldn't finish the sentence because of the pain. "Shhh…no need to say anything." He said while he carefully lay me down on the bed. "Rest now," he said and I closed my eyes as I didn't want to look anymore. I didn't want to feel or think but my thought wandered back to Lucian standing there with his red eyes as blood dripped down from his long nails. He killed the men. Lucian fingers traveling down my cheek disrupted my thoughts. "You scared me today. I have never been so scared in my life before." He whispered. Opening my eyes I looked into his sad and concerned eyes. "Don't ever make me worry like that again." Why am I not scared of him? Instead, a warm feeling spread through my body as I noticed how worried he had been and that he truly had been scared for me.

Anger boiled inside him upon seeing Hazel's bruised face. He wanted to go back and burn the bastards all over again and enjoy their screams of pain. He had been so scared and worried when he discovered that Hazel went outside the castle. If she hadn't put as much perfume as she did today he would never have been able to follow her scent and find her. Never had he let his demon take over completely before, but seeing Hazel get hurt today made his vision red with anger. He would have burned the whole place if Hazel hadn't been there, but he was regretful. Regretful because he had shown the beast he was, the devil he was to Hazel. He hadn't want her to see that side of him but now she did and when she recovers and remembers clearly what happened today she would fear him forever. Leaving hazel to sleep Lucian made his way to the gatehouse while clenching his fists to suppress the rage he felt. Walking into the guardroom the guards moved out of his way as they sensed his anger. Oliver laid on the bed as Lincoln attended to his wounds. "Your highness" Lincoln said standing up immediately. Oliver, on the other hand, was trying hard to stand up as he was severely injured but Lucian didn't feel any empathy at all. Anger was all he felt at the moment. Anger that Oliver risked Hazel life, he should have known better. Oliver dropped to his knees in front of Lucian. "Your Highness, no apology is enough for what I did. I deserve to die." He said looking down. Ky walked into the room with a dagger in his hand. He held the dagger out to Lucian. Lincoln stood at the corner of the room trying to keep a straight face but Lucian could see a hint of fear in his eyes, and when he took the dagger from Ky's hands he could hear Lincoln's heart beat faster. Oliver still kept his head down while blood dripped from his wounds down to the floor. Everyone was waiting for Lucian to kill Oliver. He could even hear the other guards voices outside the room. They were both scared and sad that their friend would leave this world very soon. Lucian had never killed one of his men before but he never got this angry on one of them either. He remembered how Hazel had been worried about Oliver and that he had said that Oliver was fine. If he killed him now what would he tell Hazel? And what would she think about him? Besides, would his anger disappear by killing one of his men? Still, he was angry. Angry that oliver had put Hazel's life in danger. Angry because of the pain Hazel had to go through today. He knew that it was something she wouldn't be able to forget, and angry because she had seen the real him today. Oliver lift his head up slightly confused by why he was still alive. "I won't kill you." Lucian said. "But it's not because I forgive you, it's because of my wife and yours." It wasn't entirely true. Even though he was furiously angry with Oliver he didn't think he deserved to die for a mistake, besides looking at his wounds he knew Oliver did try his best to protect Hazel. Lincoln's shoulders dropped in relief. Oliver looked at him surprised for a moment. "Your Highness, please let Her Highness know that I am deeply sorry." He said looking ashamed. "You should do that yourself." Speaking of Hazel he needed to go back before she woke up. Leaving Oliver behind he left the room but Lincoln was right behind him. "Did you really think I would kill him?" Lucian asked a little irritated that even Lincoln thought he could kill someone easily. "If it didn't concern Her Highness I wouldn't think so." He replied. Lincoln was right. Lucian had thought about killing Oliver on his way here but had calmed down and come back to his senses. "Make sure no one knows about what happened today." Lucian said. Lincoln nodded but kept following him. "What is it?" Lucian asked irritated. "Your Highness…your father, the King is dead." He said. Lucian stopped in his tracks. "I am sorry, Your Highness." Yeah sure he was, but Lucian didn't feel a bit of sorrow. He tried to look for an emotion inside of him but he felt nothing. "Something else?" he asked starting to walk again. "Nathaniel and Peter are at war with each other." His youngest brothers. Lucian knew it was Pierres doing. Lucian could already see his plan. He would make his brother kill each other and when he is left alone take the throne. "Something else?" "No your Highness." "Good, now stop following me." Lucian said. He couldn't think of all the information he got just know. The only thing he could think about now was Hazel. When he reached the room he was glad that she was still sleeping. Feeling tired himself he laid next to her and listened to her heart beat and her breathing. It somehow calmed him down. He closed his eyes and decided to take a nap. A fresh scent of cinnamon and honey woke him up but he didn't open his eyes. He could hear Hazel's heartbeat nearby. She was very close to him, towering over him. Would she touch him again while asleep like last time, he was curious to know. She was leaning even closer now and he instantly stiffened as he realized what she was going to do. Kiss him. No! Not now when she was hurt. Not now when some men had already forced themselves on her, he wasn't sure he wouldn't force himself on her too. Waiting for the kiss he only felt her fingers on his lips. What was she doing? Then he heard a small gasp before she pulled her finger away.

When I woke up I decided to take a bath. Lucian was sleeping next to me looking clean and fresh and here I was all dirty. I prepared a bath myself and rubbed the dirt off my skin and hair till I was satisfied then I grabbed a towel and wrapped myself in it. Walking out and into the room, grabbed a simple gown and slid into it then I dried my hair with the towel. Even though I was all clean I still felt dirty. My stomach growled. I was hungry since I didn't eat lunch and it was nearly sunset. I wanted to go down and look for something to eat but looking at my reflection I couldn't bring myself to walk outside the room. The bruises on my face and arms looked terrible and they still hurt. Thinking back of what happened made me sick. I was nearly r.a.p.ed, I would have been if Lucian hadn't come in time looking like the Devil. I went back to bed and studied Lucian while asleep. I didn't know what I was Looking for but I was looking for something. My eyes traveled to his fingers, no sharp nails. Just normal short clean nails and his eyes had been normal too. But I was sure I didn't imagine what I saw. Then I remembered something, his lips. I had bitten him this morning which reminded me of his wounds that just had disappeared. Was it the same with his lips. I leaned closer and put my finger on his lip and moved it a little so that I could see better. There was nothing on his lip, not a wound, nothing. A gasp escaped my mouth. I guess I hadn't believed he was the devil's son entirely until now. I couldn't and didn't want to believe it. He couldn't be what the rumors said he was, the devil's son with red eyes and long nails. He had burned the men alive and he could heal. What else could he do? He opened his eyes slowly which made my heart jump. I looked into those eyes that had captivated me so much, I looked at the man I was married to, the man that moved my heart, evaded my thoughts and made my body tingle with pleasure. He couldn't be the son of the devil. There was nothing evil in his eyes, in fact, they looked troubled. "Is everything alright?" he asked. "Yes" it came out as a whisper. Bringing his hand up he cupped my cheek. "I am sorry I didn't come earlier." He said sounding really apologetic. How could this man be the devil's son? "It's alright, I am fine." I really was because it could have gotten much worse. "Why did you go out? You could have asked me to go with you if you wanted to go." This reminded me that I had been really angry with him for being with that blonde. "Lucian?" "Yes." "I don't want you to be with someone else. I want you for myself." He looked at me surprised. I was surprised myself. I couldn't believe I told him that especially now when I knew the rumors about him could be true. But that didn't change my feelings. Lucian was surprised. He already knew she wanted him but hearing her saying that stirred something inside of him, something wild and wicked. He just hoped he had enough self-restraint to not take her here and now. "Sometimes I feel you want me and sometimes I feel you don't." She said a sadness in her voice that made his heart ache. Did she know that he had been with someone else? Or was she talking about Klara? "I feel I am not enough for you," she continued. She was more than enough for him, she was everything to him. Maybe he should tell her the truth about himself, but what if he pushed her away with the truth now that she finally opened up to him. He sat up on the bed and straightened himself. "Hazel, I… I." What if she thought he was making excuses to not be with her. She looked at him with disappointed. "I am hungry." She cut him off and her stomach growled shortly after that. Maybe it was for the best to not tell her, not yet anyway. "I'll bring you something to eat."

Ouch, my stomach hurt. This time not because I was hungry but because I had eaten too much. I felt as if my stomach was going to explode. Lucian was sitting in front of me and seemed to be thinking about something, ignoring him I stuffed the rest of the food into my mouth. He probably thought I was eating unlady like but you know what? I didn't care anymore. Since I wasn't enough for him I planned on getting fat, maybe then I would be enough. Someone knocked on the door. "My lord, my Lady, princess Klara is here to meet you?" a maid called from outside. I panicked. Why was she here? I didn't want her to see me like this. I looked at Lucian who still had a calm face. "Tell her to come in?" he said. "What no, wait?" I said standing up but the door already started to open so I hurried and hid behind the dressing screen. Lucian gave me a questioning look but then turned his gaze toward Klara who had just entered the room. "What brings you here?" I peeked from behind the dressing screen. "I just came to see if you were alright? I heard your father died." The king died? How could I not have known this? "I am fine. How is your arm?" he asked. She took a few steps closer to him blinking with those lashes again. "I am alright. Maybe you should go easy on me next time." Next time? There would be no next time. "I'll keep that in mind." He said. "My brother is throwing a party tonight. You know how he is. I hope you and your wife can join us?" How could she invite him to a party when his father just died? I wondered how Lucian felt at the moment. "Sure we will." He said calmly. "Save me a dance then." She smiled. "I will," and with that she left. I quickly came out from where I was hiding. "Your father died and you didn't tell me? And they are throwing a party when you father just died. And what? You are going to dance with her? You know I can't go there looking like this." I said pointing at my bruises. I was so angry and I was yelling. "You don't have to go if you don't want to?" He said with that annoyingly calm voice again. "And what? You want to go? So that you can dance with her?" "That's not what I meant." He protested. "I don't care what you mean. The fact is that you have many mistresses, that you spend time with other women than me and that you like blondes. I am not as nearly beautiful as her and you… you can get any woman you want and I don't have any saying in it." You may like Steepto This Will Fix Your Knees And Joints In One Night! Arthrazex How To Prevent A Heart Attack (Do This 3 Times A Day) Cardiovax Your Wife Will Surely Appreciate This Trick – Try It Tonight Manplus Lucians eyes widened at my confession. "And I was nearly r.a.p.ed because of you." I added yelling. Lucian clenched his fists. So all this was his fault. He had hurt her feelings and got her nearly r.a.p.ed. She must despise him now. He felt as if his heart was breaking into a million pieces. He wanted to say something but he stood frozen in the same place. With the back of her hand she wiped her tears away then she walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. I sat in the bathroom crying for a while before I could calm down. Yes, I was nearly r.a.p.ed because of him, not entirely, but I was saved by him too. I shouldn't have gotten that angry, he had just lost his father. Never push your husband away when he is interested in another woman. That's when you need to keep him the closest. I remembered what Ylva told me. I needed to always look my best and keep my husband interested in me if I wanted him for myself and here I am pushing him away. But I just couldn't help it. I was very emotional at the moment. A lot of unexpected and stressful things have been happening in my life lately and I didn't know how to deal with it. Wiping my tears I decided to go back to the room and act maturely. I walked out from the bathroom but Lucian was already gone. "Your highness, the king wants to meet you." What now? Lucian was not in the mood to meet anyone. His father was dead, his brothers were in war and his wife was hurt. Could it get worse? Yes, he knew it would get worse so he needed to keep his calm. He made his way to the garden were the King wanted to meet him. Rasmus was standing tall and strong with his arms crossed behind his back. His long dirty blonde hair falling smoothly over his shoulders down to his waist. Rasmus reminded him much of himself, the way he walked and stood except he didn't speak like him. "Draco, here you are" he said a smirk on his face. Lucian didn't smile, he just stood there waiting for Rasmus to get to the point. "I heard about your father, I am sorry but I am sure you are not." He said. "Should I? Your Majesty." Lucian asked. Rasmus laughed as he walked closer to Lucian. He looked him in the eyes. If he was trying to intimidate him then he failed. "What are you planning on doing now?" Rasmus asked ignoring his question. "What do you want in return for helping me?" Lucian knew that Rasmus was not the type to do things without asking for anything in return. Rasmus sighed looking away as if he didn't like what he was going to say then he looked back at Lucian. "I want you to marry my sister."

"Excuse me?" Lucian said unsure of what Rasmus meant. Why would a king want his sister to become a second wife when she was a princess. "You know that my sister Klara likes you. I would of course like her to get married to someone who isn't already married, but I know she won't accept someone else than you." "Did she tell you that?" "No, but I know my sister." Rasmus said. Lucian sighed. He already had enough problems on his plate and know he had to deal with yet another problem. "I have a meeting to attend, think about what I said carefully." He said looking displeased himself before he left Lucian to stand alone there. "Your highness, as your personal adviser I suggest you take princess Klara as your second wife." Lincoln said who had been listening to their conversation. "You need a friend at the moment not another enemy. Besides taking her as your wife will help you even when you become a King, I am sure her highness will understand. " Lucian wasn't sure about that. Hazel was already angry with him and he had hurt her enough. He didn't want to anymore. Maybe if he spoke to Klara he might change her mind. Tonight at the party, he would speak to her. "My lady, I have brought the books." "Thank you. You may leave." Placing the books on the table the maid left. Picking one of the books I started to read but my thoughts wondered to Lucian. What was he doing now? Was he dancing with Klara at the party? Shutting the book angrily I put it aside. It wasn't keeping me interested enough to forget about Lucian. Dracula. I thought I heard the name somewhere. Yes right, the bloodthirsty king had told me the story of Dracula, the man who made a deal with the Devil. Grabbing the book I looked at its front. It was bound in brown old leather and smelled of dust. I slowly opened it, the pages were cracked and barely holding together. As I looked at the page the first word I read was Draco. Draco, it was what the bloodthirsty king called Lucian. Draco is the latin word for Dragon. Did the king lie to me? Why did he say it meant devil? I continued reading. The dragon is the largest snake of all snakes and is the… A spicy scent filled the room and made me look around. Was Lucian here? Looking around I found no one. Strange. I tried to go back to reading but felt a presence in the room, as if someone was watching me. My heart started to beat faster in fear while my eyes scanned the room ready to run as soon as I found a threat. "Lucian?... Lucian? Are you here?" I called but got no answer. Suddenly the door opened and I jumped. Lucian entered the room walking unsteadily. His cheeks were flushed and his lips red. He smelled of wine, no spicy scent. "Where have you been?" I asked standing up. He ran his fingers through his hair to remove it from his face then he looked at me. "At the party…dancing with Klara…incase you wanted details." He said trying to keep his balance. Was he trying to anger me? Strangely I didn't get angry, instead I went to help him. "Let me help you." I said. I placed his arm on my shoulders and put mine around his waist, then walked him up to bed. As soon as we reached the bed he collapsed on it. I had never seen him like this before. What had made him drink this much? He must have been sad because his father died. I guess he did care after all.