The Pure-Hearted Princess and the Kiss of Darkness

- LIAM ~

"Nothing..." Raihana sighs as the crawler simply hisses at her again.

"Well, seems we won't be getting answers from him. So shall we talk now?"

"What is it? I told you I had something to do. That's why I left."

"Yeah, but we were meant to stay together, especially at such a moment. Kat is..." I sigh, I don't want to blame her, this isn't on her, but maybe things could have gone better and no one might have died if we had them both here too. "Are you accusing me of Kat's state? Couldn't you guys handle it?" Raihana asks sharply, her eyes flashing with hurt. "I wanted to help her; we needed answers."

"No, I am not, Raihana. I'm just saying-"Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

"I'm done with this conversation. I don't answer to you."

"You kinda do. I was put in charge," I say, blocking her path, my eyes glimmering. "We all know I was sent to make sure everything went smoothly. Do you want me to report your actions to Alejandro?"

Her eyes flash as she steps closer, glaring up at me. "Don't threaten me."

"I'm not. I'm simply saying you went off."

"To find answers and we got some!" she hisses, glancing around as she steps closer, her foot hitting mine as she stands her ground, but I'm not going to back down either. She creates a barrier around us so no one can overhear.

"We learned that the Ash Stone isn't needed to control the guardsmen. I guess we were just late, and this could have gone differently, but we also learned-"

"Wait, how did you find that out?" I ask quietly.

She crosses her arms and looks away, clenching her jaw.

"Raihana..."

"I asked a witch."

"What witch?" I push. Something tells me it's not Haala or she wouldn't have asked Enrique's permission to question her. "A dead one, ok. Happy?"

My eyes widen as I stare at her.

I'm trying to keep myself calm when I am anything but. The irresponsibility and recklessness of her actions are not those of the Raihana I know. One would expect that from one of our kids, not a woman who is not only an adult, but a mother and a High Witch. "You disturbed the dead," I state as I try to wrap my head around it.

"Yeah, and we got answers, so-"

"Are you listening to yourself?" I ask quietly, taking hold of her arms, concern flooding me.

"What? I know it was wrong, but sometimes we have to do what we need to do."

"No, we don't. Not when it means you have broken the very rules of the council you head. You are in a position of power, Raihana. You can't be doing this."

Because I need to become close to him in order to determine whether or not this plan, which I don't even know will work or not, has a possibility of succeeding, I need to make sure that I strive for persuasive.

Okay, if you guarantee that none of these individuals will be harmed, I will be by your side. I will not look back. I assure you!" My eyes well up with tears as I take in the sight of one of the mutilated bodies lying on the ground, with blood splattering across the surface of the ground like paint.

He is observing me with a keen and attentive gaze, as if he is unsure whether or not he should believe me.

"I are not going to be yours. Not at all. Nevertheless, I will obey! I assure you of that." Those words cause him to relax a little bit, but it's just a tiny bit. I cannot help but whimper.

With a flick of his fingers, he releases my chin, and a tendril of darkness materializes around me, encircling me securely before he pulls me closer to him. As I pray that Enrique is able to sense my proximity, I fix my gaze only on his eyes.

As of right now, My Queen, I do not trust you. "Please forgive me," Azarakh mutters out loud. My head nods.

I whisper, "I understand, but as long as you don't hurt them, I won't fight," because I am uncertain whether my innocent expression or words of promise would be effective on a creature that is not similar to us.

When I look at him, I try to maintain the most innocent expression I can conjure in the midst of a situation in which people are being assaulted all around me. I want to be of assistance to them, but at the same time, I have to earn the confidence of the monster that is in front of me. Although I don't react, it appears that he is analyzing me before the dark tendril wraps around me even more tightly, to the point where it was excruciating. It is then that he abruptly grabs my arm and pulls me closer, his lips touching mine. "Very well then, as you wish," he says as he makes this comment.

I am being bitten by a painful cold, and my heart is beating erratically, all before the pain begins to rip through me. It hurts my eyes, but I don't move because I'm trying to keep myself from pulling away. Mr. Enrique...

Do you happen to be in that room?

My heart is pounding as I press my lips against his, attempting to avoid being disgusted while simultaneously focusing my thoughts solely on Enrique.

Should you happen to be present, Enrique...

When I think about all the different ways in which what I'm about to do could go wrong, my mind is spinning. On the other hand, it is the only thing that is current in my head at this moment." Slowly, I make my way back.

"Enrique... if you can hear me, fight it, My Love," I mutter quietly to myself. Now that Azarakh understands what I meant and what I said, his eyes widen and his face contorts in anger; nonetheless, it is too late for him to change his mind. Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on Jo b n Ib.com. Visit Job ni b. com to read the complete chapters for free. The moment I open my eyes, I close them for a little moment before opening them again. As I allow my aura to extend, they burn brilliantly, and then pink blazing cherry blossoms wrap about us. I look Azarakh dead in the eye as I break free from my bindings and let my aura to spread even more.

"You..."

"I will never allow anyone to hurt my Enrique."

She shakes her head. "Ahren was there."

I frown as she lowers the barrier. "You know I have to report this, right?"

"Yeah, whatever." She's about to walk off when I take hold of her elbow.

"You aren't selfish. You bend over backwards for others. This was just a dangerous move."

She doesn't reply and I let go, sighing as she walks away, and I take out my phone and message Delsanra. She's at fault here, too.

I step into the hall just as Delsanra is coming down the hall. "What's wrong?" she asks me.

I jerk my head towards an empty room, and she glances around the hall before she follows me and I close the door behind us. Leaning against it and crossing my arms.

"You were with Raihana when she... or you, called upon a dead witch."

She nods. "Yes, and it was me. I agreed willingly." Her voice is almost defensive. I know she and Raihana are close, and that is the problem.

"You didn't once think to advise her against it or refuse?" I ask.

She sighs. "We didn't call on a dark witch."

"But you used dark magic, in a place we already know is tainted with darkness. I don't think Rayhan would approve," I say quietly.

She purses her lips. "Maybe not, but I agreed willingly."

"So that's on you. You know her more than me. You know what she's going through. Maybe you thought if she found answers, it might make her feel better or keep her mind off things, but it's a temporary solution. I will be reporting this once we're back." She frowns at that. "I think we can do that ourselves. I'll take the blame. I'm the one who performed the spell. In fact, I'm the one who gave her the idea."

"Funny, she didn't even mention you when I spoke to her. It's admirable you are both defending one another, but you both made a mistake. I don't think hiding her mistake will benefit anyone. Her included," I say, sighing.

I already feel dreadful for arguing with Raihana when I know she's going through a lot, but I can't turn a blind eye to it either.

"I know... I'm sorry on both of our behalf. We should have told you before leaving. We have made a mistake, but you can't blame Raihana," she says calmly.

I run my hand down my face. "Look... I'm just giving my point of view, but here's food for thought; I am extremely calm in comparison to your mate and his uncle. They will be more pissed off than I am."

Her face drops a little and I sigh, almost feeling bad for the fact I'll be reporting it, but it's more dangerous if I don't. Raihana needs help to cope with her heartbreak and her family needs to help her.