The garden was quiet. Too quiet.
Elena stirred against the soft grass, the cool evening breeze blowing softly against her hair. Her lashes fluttered open, and a line leaf fell nervously on her eyes, making her wince. She turned her head slowly, taking in the endless rows of roses and hedges.
As she admired the beauty of the garden, confusion sank in first, heavy and suffocating.
Why am I here? Was the first question that popped in her head.
The last thing she remembered was dizziness and the way the world had spun before everything went black. She sat up quickly which made her head pound even harder, and gasped when an image flashed in her mind. She remembered a man had been there with her but who?
Was it Damien?
Or one of the maids?
A man's silhouette against the light. His scent sweet yet strangely cold like a plum that had been soaked in ice water overwhelmed her senses.
Her breath caught. Was that really Damien?
No. Her chest tightened. No, it hadn't felt like him at all. Damien's scent is intoxicating and strong but the man in her memory's has a milder one. The face was blurred, as though her mind wasn't allowed to remember it fully, making her lose her mind even more.
Who the hell had brought me here then!?.
Elena rose on her numb legs, brushing away the grass from her gown. She turned toward what she thought was the path back to the palace. The hedges loomed around her like green walls, twisting and stretching, each turn more unfamiliar than the last. It was like she was in a maze with no way out
Minutes passed still every path she took looked like she was walking in circles.
Her pulse quickened. "Hello?" she called in a trembling voice. It echoed through the silence of the garden and died in the air.
A prickle of dread spread across her skin. The silence was suffocating her entire being and fear was already creeping in.
She tried again, louder. "Is anyone there?"
Still, no answer.
Panic clawed at her chest. She began walking faster, the train of her dress catching on the grass and slowing her down. The hedges seemed bent on frustrating her even more as they twisted into endless loops.
Her throat tightened as she ran. "Please...please anyone help me!"
Tears blurred her vision, and suddenly everything around her seemed louder—much louder. A bee's wings beating above the roses thundered in her ears. The drip of water from the fountain nearby pounded like drums. Her own heartbeat roared defeaning in her ears. Elena was so confused and troubled at the sudden occurrence that she could barely think rationally anymore.
She stumbled, clutching her head and shaking it vigorously. "Stop...stop! What is happening to me?!"
Her hands flew to her ears, trying to block the noises out. But it only grew worse. Every whisper of leaves, every creeping insect and animals down to the wind blowing against the stream—it all crashed into her at once like a tidal wave of sound.
She screamed, but even her scream was too loud and it reechoed inside her skull. Her throat burned raw and her lips were already chapped from the dryness of the air. Then something even worse hit her and she suddenly felt very, very hungry.
The kind of hunger that no one could handle.
A strange hunger for something heavy— fierce, clawing and unbearable.
Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground allowing her palms to scrape against the stone path.
"I can't—" Her voice cracked. She screamed again until her voice broke and nothing came out. Her chest heaved soundlessly, her lips parting for air that seemed too thin.
And then—
A deafening, piercing sound rang inside her, splitting her body in two. Her vision blackened. The world tipped, and she collapsed, limp against the grass.
From above, hidden in the boughs of a tree, a figure leapt down. His boots landed softly on the earth beside her slumped body.
He crouched, tilting her head gently with one hand, brushing strands of hair away from her face. His eyes glinted with a red hue and he smirked, sharp and cruel.
"Pretty little dove," he whispered. His thumb brushed her cheek. "You'll break sooner than you think if you continue like this."
For a moment, he stared at her face with silent amusement. Then, with a low chuckle, he stood and vanished into the shadows of the garden, leaving her unconscious and alone.
....…...…...…....….....
When Elena woke again, she was no longer in the garden.
The silk canopy of her bed stretched above her, the faint scent of lavender clinging to the air. Her body felt heavy and her head was thick with confusion.
Slowly, she sat up, blinking against the bright light that made her eyes water. The door creaked, and the head maid, who had been waiting, gasped.
"My lady You're awake." she greeted her with a light bow. Elena stared at her like a mad person.
This woman didn't even look surprised or remorseful at the least!
She curtsied quickly, not minding the stares she got from the lady. "I shall fetch the prince at once."
Before Elena could even ask where she was, the woman hurried out and soon disappeared from her sight.
Moments later, the door opened again and this time, Damien stepped inside.
Her breath caught.
He wore a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms, and dark trousers that clung to the strength in his thighs. The simplicity did nothing to dim his commanding presence. If anything, it only pronounced it. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, and his crimson eyes were now we'll hidden beneath his dark brown one. Those eyes that he...
The air thickened the moment he entered.
"Out," Damien said with dark coolness.
The maids who had trailed behind him curtsied low and scurried away, shutting the door with a soft thud.
Elena clutched the sheets tighter around herself, her heart pounding. Even though he had never done anything to hurt her, she still felt incredibly wary of this prince.
"Your highness, I—I can explain..."
"Do not try anything like that again." His voice was low and calm, but the weight of it pressed on her chest like stone. His voice made her jump slightly on the bed but even that didn't move an inch of his muscle on his stone face.
Her throat tightened. "I didn't mean to—I— I don't even know what happened—"
He didn't let her finish. He turned, already striding for the door. His hand gripped the handle and was about to turn it when he heard a soft muffle.
Tears welled in her eyes and it flowed down her cheeks soon. "I don't know what's happening to me... I'm scared" she whispered, but the words dissolved in the air.
Without another glance, he opened the door and walked out.
The silence he left behind was suffocating. Elena sank back into the pillows, tears spilling freely down her cheeks. If this was what marriage was, then she'd happily become a nun.
......
The days that followed were a mixture of constant loneliness and tiring training.
Elena noticed that she collapsed often sometimes during her etiquette lessons with the head maid, other times in the corridors. Her body trembled with exhaustion, her senses became more overbearing and that strange thirst gnawed cruelly at her throat.
The human servants whispered behind her back.And not long later, rumors began to spread like wildfire all around the entire place.
Some claimed she was carrying the Prince's child. Others claimed that she was intitally pregnant before marrying the prince. The have been several occasions where they would find her in the kitchen chugging down jug after jug of icecold water like it was nothing.
But no matter how much she drank, that thirst was always there... mocking her.
The word soon reached the Isolde after a few days since the rumor started to spread.
"It seems out Prince is doing a bad job now, doesn't it?" she said watching Elena from her crystal ball.
"Is it time yet, your highness?" the man beside her asked.
"Be patient, Cassian. The right moment is yet to come..."
The blood bond Damien had forced upon her was consuming her and everyone was waiting for the outcome...
The moment of truth finally came when it happened again one afternoon in the Prince's palace halls.
She had just finished her morning lessons when her vision suddenly blurred. This had been her routine for the past three months and so she she was already used to it. She immediately excused herself from the class and walked slowly to the veranda that spanned the eastern side of the palace where onky she and the prince resided.
The ground tilted beneath her but she struggled to maintain her balance. But before she could hit the marble floor at the double doors of her room, her knees gave out and she fell.
"Elena." Damien called out
The sound of her name made her shiver. She knew that tone all too well. He held her against him, lowering her carefully to sit against the wall. His dark brown eyes searched her face quietly yet intensely but his brow remained in a thin line.
"Your—your highness..." she greeted weakly, bowing her head though her lips trembled. Her throat burned with that unbearable and unquenchable thirst again and all she wanted to do was bolt out of there.
"I was just taking a little break since I felt a little faint. I apologize for taking your time."
There was no way she was letting the prince see her in such an 'unmannerly' position.
"You're not well" His voice came out, deep and cold.
Then, before she could protest, Damien lifted his wrist to his mouth. His fangs pierced his skin, and dark, rich blood welled instantly.
Her breath caught and her eyes widened in shock. Elena immediately caught his hand and stared at it with worry in her eyes"Your highness! Why would you do this to—"
He held his wrist toward her lips, ignoring her shocked expressions. "Drink."
She shook her head violently, pushing at his chest. "What?! How can I drink your blood?! I can't—don't ask me to—"
"You'll die if you don't." he said even darker than before, startling her in the process.
She tried to turn her face away, but the scent hit her—rich, metallic and intoxicating. Her body trembled with need, her throat clawing for it. Her mouth watered at the sight of the blood flowing graciously into his palm.As she reached to take his hand, she suddenly slapped herself hard across the face.
No! What am I doing?!
She pressed her lips together and crawled backwards quickly away from him.
Damien growled low in his chest. His face held a tired expression like the one a father had when he was dealing with his stubborn child. In one swift move, he appeared by her side, grabbed the back of her head and pressed his wrist to her lips.
"No!" She thrashed, trying to kick him away with her feet but his knees had trapped her between his legs. The first taste of his blood touched her tongue; it was like fire and darkness mingling, sinking into her veins. She whimpered, struggling harder not to take anymore.
"Stop fighting and swallow it." His voice boomed out rough and commanding.
Tears streaked her cheeks. "Please...stop!" she screamed out, terror and fear overtaking her completely. All her lessons of how to be delicate and polite abandoned her right at that moment as she struggled to free herself from the Prince's grip.
In the next heartbeat, before she could even attempt another round of thrashing, his lips were on hers.
He kissed her hard, rough and demanding. She gasped against him, her mind flooding with confusion and fear all at once. His hand tightened at her waist, pulling her closer, his tongue sliding against hers with the taste of his blood between them.
Her thoughts blurred, her resistance was slipping. The fire his kiss brought made her entire body limp and boneless like she had lost every ounce of her willpower.
But then—something inside her snapped.
Heat rushed through her veins, burning and angry. And intense, unknown burst of power crackled under her skin and she felt immediate strength.
Damien's hand slid toward her throat, arching it against himself but before his could grab it fingers Elena shoved at his chest..hard.
Too hard.
The force sent him crashing back into the wall. The marble cracked with a sharp, deafening sound, sending sharp shards splintering around him.
Elena froze and she stared at her hands trembling. The effects from his kiss still made her mind woozy and that's when she felt it.
The taste of his blood on her tongue. He had made her swallow it!
Damien straightened slowly. His eyes flickered between crimson red and brown and he closed them. Once he opened them after a few seconds, they were back to normal. His shirt clung to his chest with three buttons already gone from it.
Her lips parted as she stared at the man in front of her in disbelief. "What...what did I just—"
Fear consumed her and then confusion hit her.
What am I turning to? How could I hit the prince?
Elena scrambled to her feet, pushing hard against the floor to summon her legs up. She limped across the hallway and ran down the stairs. Luckily, the maids were already off duty so there was no one who could see her in her unmannerly state.
Her slippers pounded against the marble floor and her gown lagged heavily behind her as she lifted it with both hands, running through the hallways blindly. Tears streamed down her face in quick succession, blurring her sight even more.
What's happening to me? What am I becoming? Why...why the hell did I want to drink his blood?!
She burst into the courtyard with her tongue still burning from the taste of blood.
She had barely crossed the courtyard to the fountain before she slammed headfirst into something solid.
The impact knocked her backward, but she was caught up by it.
"Be careful, princess. We don't want you getting hurt now do we?" The voice came, softly yet holding a trace of darkness.
Elena's breath caught slowly for the hundredth time that night before she looked up.
A man stood before her, tall and broad-shouldered. He had a deep shade of golden hair that glinted softly in the setting sunlight. His smirk curled dangerously at the corner of his lips, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.
"Aren't you our new bride?," he murmured, his gaze sweeping over her trembling figure. His hand softly held at her arm, tracing up till it rested on her bare shoulders "Running from him already? I wonder what he must have done to you" he continued with an amused look on his face.
Elena tried to process what was happening to her. She had barely recovered from the shock her 'husband' had plunged her in and now she was already in another one!
She tried to pull away, but his grip tightened slightly on her waist.
"Or…" He leaned closer, his breath brushing her ear. "…are you running from what you're becoming? Running away from your troubles is a race you'll never win"
Her heart pounded in terror and confusion. What does that even mean. Her eyes immediately shot to his face which held an amused smirk on it.
Who was this man?
The man's smirk widened
with her expression. He was seriously enjoying this. "Tell me, dear, how long until you're no different from us?" he asked before moving his head closer and closer to her lips...