134 Chapter 134 : Damien
Aiden whipped his head back when he heard a gentle knock at the door. âHey!â Theodora called out from outside, âI brought you some clothes to change, can I come in?â
Aiden pried the door open and the woman gasped a little when the tall red headed man stood at the doorway in a towel only covering his lower half. She swallowed some saliva as her trembling hands stretched towards him. The nosferatu prince took the clothes and nodded, âthank you.â
âN- no problem,â Theodora responded. She couldnât help but notice the tiny horns on his head and she wanted to ask about them but her treacherous eyes trailed down to his chiseled chest and abs.
âIs there a problem?â Aiden asked the woman.
âUmm no nothing,â Theodora responded, how could anything be wrong with a fine body like that. âDinner will be ready soon!â She quickly turned away and walked away from the man before he could see the blush on her face.
Theodoraâs heart was still racing as she served food on her small table for her and her guest, she pulled out some old fancy plates that she thought she would never use ever again. She rinsed them thoroughly in a basin and moved to place them on the table, as she briskly placed the plates she tripped over a wash rug, luckily before she could go splat Aiden grabbed her and helped her retain her balance.
She looked up at the man who was holding her firmly by the hands and instantly her face turned completely red. She squealed and moved away from him, she didnât notice how vivid the blue of his eyes was. And those little horns gave him a devilish handsomeness that made her stomach churn.
âPlease sit down and eat!â She spoke a little too loud for her liking.
âAlright,â Aiden responded casually before pulling out a chair and sitting across from her. Theodora put the plate down and took her seat, why was she feeling so overwhelmed around this man? She had been approached several times by handsome men so what was different about him? She looked up at him and realized he was sitting staring at her.
.....
âArenât you going to eat?â She asked.
âIâm sorry, I was waiting for you,â Aiden responded, âyou are my host after all.â
âOh of course!â Theodora uncovered the pot of stew, poured some for herself and passed it to Aiden who did the same. As they ate, she watched the red headed man, he was so poised and elegant in the way he carried himself, even the way he ate was so classy, he definitely wasnât an ordinary man.
âSo where are you from?â Theodora asked in an attempt to get to know a bit more about her handsome saviour.
âI live my life on the road,â Aiden responded, âI donât really have a place Iâm from.â
âI see..â his vague response made her even more curious, but before she could interrogate him some more, he asked her a question.
âYou said you donât have any family,â he spoke without looking at her, âwhat happened to them?â
Theodora put her spoon down and sighed, this wasnât a topic she liked talking about but if she was going to get this mystery man to open up more about himself, she was going to have to open up herself as well.
âMy mother was killed during the great cleansing,â she spoke, âIâm an only child, and after my father passed away she was the only family I had left. So when she was killed I practically had no one. Unlike the other survivors who were captured and subjected to gruesome experimentation, I was taken in as a slave by a rich old scummy human. Heâs a foul man who worked me to the bone and violeted me constantly.â
Aiden flinched at her statement, he could only imagine how scarring that experience must be. And if she went through such inhuman treatment he could only imagine what the others were going through and it made his blood boil.
âWell a few weeks ago I decided to escape,â Theodora explained, âIâve been living in hiding ever since. This old little house was abandoned when I found it because there were rumors it was haunted or something.â The woman chuckled and picked her spoon back up, âso this is my little humble abode now.â
â I see,â Aiden responded, âIâm really sorry about what youâve gone through, itâs terrible.â
âDonât be sorry, whatâs passed is passed,â she spoke as she finished up her stew and leaned over the table. âSo what about you? Why are you just roaming the continent, whereâs your family?â
Aiden finished his food and put down his spoon, âmy family... well... they were taken away from me.â
âTaken away? By who?â
âThe humans,â the nosferatu prince responded, âI donât know where they took them, but I assure you Iâm going to find out and save them.â
âOh Iâm sorry about that, is it your parents?â
âNo,â the red headed man responded, âitâs my wife and child.â
âOh,â was all Theodora could respond. She didnât know why but hearing him mention a wife and a child broke her heart a little, but at the same time she felt bad for him. She related to his pain and regardless of who it was, losing someone you love was a heavy burden.
âIf you donât mind me asking,â Theodora asked the man, âwhat happened to you? I mean youâre a nosferatu but none like Iâve ever seen before. How did you get bicolored wings and those horns on your head?â
Aiden fell silent for a bit, he had completely forgotten about his horns and how she had seen his wings before.
âIf you donât want to tell me thatâs alright,â the woman quickly added on.
âNo itâs alright,â Aiden responded, âI mean you were kind enough to host me so itâs only fair I explain myself to you.â
Theodara leaned closer anxiously waiting for his response. Was it a curse? Was he born like this? Did someone put a spell in him?
âI drunk the blood of a human,â Aiden responded.
Theodora went wide eyed. It wasnât the fact that he had drunk human blood that took her by surprise but the fact that he said it with zero emotion. What on earth had this man been through?
*
A man in a long black hooded cloak walked rushly down a flight of stairs surrounded by high walls only lit by a few occasional candles. He reached a large wooden door that he pushed open and walked in, the room he entered was mostly empty except for a bed in the far end with a frail man laying in it.
The man laying on the bed turned his head and looked up at the cloaked intruder with his sickly sunken eyes and coughed violently before speaking. âHow is she doing?â
âShe cooled down a bit,â the cloaked man spoke, âsheâs also more cooperative now.â
âIt is imperative sheâs healthy enough..â
âI know your lordship..â the cloaked man responded.
âAnd the child, how is the child?â
The cloaked man pulled down his cloak revealing his bold head and plain facial features. The only thing about him that would catch someoneâs eye was his luck of eyebrows and the âall seeing eyeâ tattoo etched onto his forhead. âThe child is healthy as expected your lordship,â he responded, âhe has not yet began to reveal any magical attributes, but his physical features are very distinct.â
âIs that so?â
âYes your lordship, the boy has the ears of an elf but bares the fangs of a nosferatu, itâs absolutely incredible.â
The frail man smiled to himself and turned his head to face the ceiling, âthat child is my key to immortality and getting rid of this retched body that withers away each day,â he rasped, âtake good care of him, of both of them.â
âOf course your lordship.â The cloaked man bowed and turned to leave the room. As he walked a proud smile painted his odd looking face, he was so happy that he had finally found a suitable vessel for his masterâs soul, what were the odds that an elf and a nosferatu would procreate and create a being so powerful, it was absolutely amazing!
He walked up the dark flight of stairs till he emerged into a hallway that led him to another staircase that led up to the tallest tower of the castle. He stopped at the door and knocked gently. Upon not hearing a response he knocked again but this time a voice came telling him to go away.
The cloaked man opened the door and walked in, âoh come on now I thought we had started getting along?â
Estel rose from the bed and moved to the crib where her son was laying asleep, âdonât come any closer Kazan Iâm warning you.â
âI only came to bring you those herbs you requested,â the wizard spoke, âyou mentioned that Damien wasnât feeling too well so I decided to bring the herbs myself.â
Estel drew in a breath and relaxed her composure, âyou can put them on the table over there,â she directed the man, âafter which you can leave.â
âTesty,â the man chuckled as he put the bag of herbs on the table. He turned to head for the door only turning to face her briefly, âmake
sure nothing happens to the boy, heâs the only reason youâre still alive.â And with that the man closed the door.