Call Of The Dark

Lazarus clenched his jaws so hard that his teeth hurt. "You will not harm that body of yours!" he growled. "Or do you wish to spend the rest of your life chained to my bed?"

Emma choked on her laughter seeing his serious demeanor. Did he really think that she would give up her life for him or for Maeve? No way. She was going to fight for it until the last day. She had to change the topic and the best she could think about was to know more about her competitor. "So, what is Maeve like?" she asked. She turned to face him and rested her head on her elbow that she propped up.

He stared into her emerald green eyes, grabbed the quilt she was in and covered himself with it. Emma naturally scooted towards him. Her warmth, her scent surrounded him and unbeknownst, he felt… calmer. Once again, he crossed his arms beneath his head and looked at the canopy above. He had never brought a woman to his bedchamber, let alone slept in the same bed as his. Even Maeve hadn't earned this chance. But it was partly because she was saving it for their marriage. He didn't really like that about her but he could wait.

He said, "Maeve is a goddess so powerful that she can walk through realms. She is ruthless, valiant and she is honest. Her hierarchy in goddesses is pretty high."

"She is ruthless and valiant?" Emma remarked.

"Yes," came a boring answer followed by a yawn.

"So a ruthless yet honest woman— sorry, goddess— doesn't mind the fact that you are spending so much time with another woman?" She raised her eyebrow. "That is hard to believe. And she has left you all alone even though she knows that you are one of the most sought-after vampires of Wilyra. After all, you are the heir of your father."

"Maeve is saving herself for me for the marriage, unlike someone who has thrown herself at me," he said sarcastically.

Emma narrowed her eyes and if looks could kill, she would have stabbed him a thousand times. "Then maybe you shouldn't have accepted my offer. Why did you accept my offer?"

"Are you reneging on your offer?" he mocked, doubting she would. His muscles tensed.

She didn't answer him but instead asked, "Talking about heirs. Is Maeve open to having children with you?"

"Of course!" he replied, but then he didn't recall a moment in which she mentioned having children. "That goes without saying." He convinced himself that Maeve would never deny him that. "It's me who is delaying the process. She is not really that strong and if I claim her, her weak body won't be able to hold it."

"So you are so strong that you would harm her if you try to have babies with her?" she chuckled. "And how long have you known her in this body?"

"Yes, I am very strong!" he grated. "I can pulverize you if I try to claim you also, Emma. You are no match for my strength. And Maeve? Her current body is weak. It can't sustain her magic for long." He was going to cast her soul out, get Maeve's soul in and then sink his fangs inside her, making Maeve his blood slave for life.

"With Maeve by your side, what will you do after that?"

"I will ascend to the throne and become the king of Wilyra."

"And after that?"

"What do you 'after that'?" he shot back. "After that I will start conquering other kingdoms along with Maeve." Maeve had plans. She planned on defeating the wizard king of Draoidh, Vikra and also taking control of the Silver Vales where the werewolf packs were not unified.

"And after that?"

He scoffed. "Your little brain would not understand the deals of a kingdom."

"Maybe, it won't," she said and turned her face away from him. "But I do understand one thing. Even if you conquer the entire Lore, what will you do after that? What is your purpose to conquer it all?" She yawned and closed her eyes. "The happiness that you are seeking… When will you find it? Or do you have another goal other than being happy?"

"Maybe you should sleep," he rumbled. "It won't get into your tiny brain." He was angered by her constant questioning.

"Hmm…" she mumbled.

Lazarus waited for her to reply back to him but she went off to sleep. Her breathing became rhythmic just like her heartbeat. He peered over her and saw that her lips had parted. How could she fall asleep so soon when he was still awake? This was the second time she did that. He covered himself with the quilt properly, covered her as well, turned on his side to face her back and watched her… sleeping. Soon he curled his arm around her, pulling her against his chest and spooned her. The sun would come up in a few hours and he should have been doing his duties, but here he was— sleeping at the same time as the human was.

Next day when Emma woke up, she found herself in her room, covered with furs. The fire was burning in the hearth and the last of the log just caved in, sending a plume of ambers in the air. She stretched her limbs out.

"Emma?"

A soft voice made her snap her head in that direction and she immediately got up. A woman with red eyes was sitting on the couch, sipping something steamy hot. She remembered her seeing at the royal dinner when she had gone to meet the king.

The woman chuckled and said, "I am Gladys, Lazarus's fourth sister."

"Oh!" Emma removed her furs and got up. She was surprised by her visit. "Have you been waiting long? You should have woken me up!"

"Don't be so surprised. I didn't want to disturb your sleep," Gladys said with a soft laugh. "I came here to talk to you."

"About?" Emma asked, tilting her head, her eyes rounding at the corners.