Chapter 25

It was still dark when Xenia finally woke up. She smiled, snuggling into the warmth that she was feeling.

However, a frown formed on her face, her eyes fluttering open in shock. She blinked several times and gulped. If she was right, then her face was currently brushing against Darius’s hard but warm chest.

‘What’s going on?’ Xenia thought in a panic.

Her legs were even intertwined with him. It was like she was a pillow entwined into his embrace. And what was even more terrifying was how her arm was currently wrapped around his waist as well.

Did she really just do that? Embracing him like this? It was like they were cuddling… No, they were really cuddling each other for sure.

Xenia could feel the drumming of her heart inside her chest. Her face was glowing red, and she didn’t know what to do. But one thing was for sure, she had to break free from her precarious position without waking Darius up.

Moving carefully, Xenia tried to free herself, but Darius’s hold on her was too tight. He suddenly moved, and she froze.

Slowly, she tilted her head to look at his face. She unconsciously sighed, seeing how he seemed to still be in a deep sleep.

Looking at the window, the sun was about to rise at any moment, so she should move quickly if she didn’t want to get caught in an awkward position with him.

It would be too embarrassing, not to mention how she was already feeling weird with the unexplainable tingling sensations running throughout her body.

Xenia filled her lungs with air, and, with a great force, freed herself from Darius’s hold in one fluid motion. She then quickly moved to the corner of the bed, turning her back on him for the fear that he would wake up after her stunt.

She closed her eyes, cringing at the corner like a curled-up shrimp. She bit her lower lip as she waited…

When she was finally sure that she was free, Xenia let herself relax her body. She should really be getting up by now before the sun rises.

She was about to move, but her body stiffened when she felt Darius’s strong arm move over her flat waist, pulling her in with one swift motion.

‘What the hell!’ she gasped, mortified. Her thoughts froze as her body became a statue, especially when she felt his warm breath moving behind her nape.

Oh, how she regretted bowing her head now, giving Darius unrestricted access to her bare nape. Based on his deep breathing, he seemed to still be in a deep sleep. Still, that didn’t mean she shouldn’t be careful.

Xenia gulped, firmly grabbing Darius’s arm and removing it from her waist. She then almost jumped out of the bed, panting as if she had just wrestled with a polar bear.

Looking back, she turned and glared at Darius, who seemed to be unbothered from all of the commotion with his eyes still closed.

‘Is he seriously still asleep after that? Damn! You could easily kill this man in his sleep!’ Xenia silently beamed as she walked towards the door.

The sun was already up, and she better go get some fresh air and get rid of the sweat she had because of Darius’s closeness. Everything seemed and felt new to her, and she felt conflicted and confused with how her body was feeling and reacting to Darius.

Anyhow, she didn’t like it, and most certainly did not want to entertain whatever it was that seemed to be going on!

***

As soon as Xen went out, Darius opened his eyes, absentmindedly staring at the ceiling as he whispered, “I’m going insane.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

[You’re stupid. You can pretend to accidentally touch her chest and grab a feel, but you chose to touch her belly instead. You dummy!] Zeus growled.

Darius only chuckled, “It’s fun though.”

He was obviously having fun teasing Xen despite the torment on his part. Besides, it was great control practice to try and restrain his carnal urges for the lad.

[Absolutely insane!] Zeus bombarded.

Yet the smile on Darius’s face faded when a servant entered and introduced himself as someone asked by his companion to help him with getting ready.

Seeing the stranger, Darius’s face soured as he hissed, “Leave, I don’t need assistance.”

Watching the servant leave, Darius immediately got ready before going outside to look for Xen with a crumpled face.

***

Xenia embraced herself as she let the cool morning breeze wash across her face. It was another morning… and yet another day of her regretting her decisions about running away from their kingdom.

Looking out, the light rays of the sun were starting to shine brightly. She knew that Darius would wake up soon, and she had to somehow assist him in getting ready like the pampered King that he was.

Walking out, the innkeeper greeted Xenia outside. She smiled as she requested, “Could you please inform His Majesty that I’ll be at the dining area making sure that the table is ready for breakfast.”

“I will do so, my Lord. I shall take your leave now.”

At her word, the innkeeper politely bid her leave, and Xenia soon found herself walking back inside to check on their breakfast detail. Judging from the sun’s position, Darius should already be awake. It would only mean that she had to do her job now.

Soon enough, Xenia saw the king walking towards her.

“Good morning, Your Majesty,” Xenia politely greeted with a bright smile, hoping that the King would spare her any more grief this morning. As if on cue, she quickly stood up and pulled out a chair for him. “Breakfast is ready, Your Majesty. Please take a seat.”

The King sat on the chair with a frown.

Already, Xenia could sense that he was annoyed with how down his face currently was, but she ignored it by keeping a smile on her face as she apologetically said, “Your Majesty, I apologize if I was unable to assist you as soon as you woke up. I-”

“Stop, Xen. I don’t wanna hear any more of your excuses,” Darius cut her off, raising a hand to stop her from speaking.

“We’ll talk about it later once we come back to Cordon. There, I will decide whether or not to keep you or throw you straight into the pit!” he exclaimed before turning his attention to the breakfast served to them instead.

Hearing his threats, Xenia gulped as she quietly harrumphed, ‘Hmpph! As if I’ll ever come back with you after all of this…’

But then, she found herself frowning as she considered her options. ‘Maybe a pit is in many ways better than getting married to a vampire and living in a kingdom populated by a majority of blood-sucking vampires?’

At least in a pit, she would be able to fight for her honor, dignity, and her freedom. However, she quickly dismissed the thought since it would also mean that her sister Mineah would take her place once again. It was sickening. Doing that to her beloved sister just didn’t sit well in the incognito princess’s stomach.