BLOOD.FANGS.N'.FIRE

"No, it's not, Your Highness." Matthew replied, standing at the doorway.

Gavriel cut his palm and his sister's with his sharp fingernails. He joined the bloody palms, and the black veins that were under Elerah's skin transferred to his skin instead.

His fangs elongated, and his eyes were pitch black, his muscles clenched underneath his skin, and his aura became deadly.

Matthew knew what the king had just done since it wasn't his first time seeing it.

But he didn't agree with the self-destructive method.

"At what time does the girl finish her rehearsals?" Gavriel asked, slowly brushing the hair away from his sister's face.

"She should be done five minutes from now, Sire." Matthew checked his pocket watch and answered.

"Prepare the carriage," the butler snuck a last glance at the king and left to go do his job.

"Huhuuuuuhh," a whispering scream greeted her ears, "swoosh," a blurry figure sped past her.

"Ding, ding," a loud bell rang in a distance, turning to the direction where the sound came from, something dark hit her.

"Huuuuuhhh!" Florah gasped for air. Looking at her surroundings, she realised that it was just a dream she thankfully thought.

Speaking of her surroundings, her eyes looked at the vast body of sky blue water twinkling not far away from her.

"How did I..?" Before Florah could ask herself any more questions, all the memories of the past half hour flooded in her mind.

A deep routed anger boiled deep inside her chest. She felt like she wanted to kill him with her bare hands.

He wanted to drown her, no matter how much she was an obedient servant to him, he didn't appreciate any of it.

Instead, he wanted to kill her.

Before she could have any murderous thoughts, her heart almost leaped out of her chest when her soon to be victim appeared right in front of her.

Wet hair, wet clothes, blank gaze, Gavriel looked at Florah scanning her body head to toe.

She adjusted her body, wanting to cover herself because her body shape was visible since her dress was torn and stuck to her body like a second skin.

Gavriel strut towards her while unbuttoning his shirt. He saw how Florah was evading his gaze, but then only seconds later, she returned it sharper to match his.

"What have I ever done to you?!" Florah asked while standing up, hands folded across her chest.

Gavriel raised his brow at the girl's actions and smirked, "What are you talking about?" He asked innocently

"What do you mean, 'WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT?' You almost drowned me minutes ago. And now here you are asking innocently, I have been very obedient to you. Listening and obliging to each one of your needs. Even when it tainted my dignity!! You blo...." Florah, shut up the moment Gavriel's eyes turned red with black veins underneath his eye lids.

The king held an almost fleeting Florah by the hand and smiled, showing his fangs, "Go on, my dear servant. You almost called me something.." he urged

At the moment Florah regretted ever opening her mouth to speak, the king looked like he would snap her bones any minute from now.

She wanted to apologise, but her tongue betrayed her at such a delicate moment.

Gavriel pulled Florah so that there was no space in between them. He slowly brushed her hair behind her ear and said, "Florah Crest." he called her name for the first time.

Florah, too, noticed it, but her drumming heart was all she could focus on.

He caged her body in his arms and said "Florah let me tell you a little secret that you are yet to know dear, I, Gavriel Thornhart, am the king and I do as I please. So if I want to kill you, no one, not even you, can stop me from doing so."

After a minute of silence, a helpless lone tear slowly trickled down Florah's left cheek as she thought about her situation.

To think that she had delivered herself to this man's reach, all in hope of finding a better future for herself.

'WHAT A JOKE SHE WAS!!'

Gavriel observed the raw emotion that swirled in her eyes. He had also noticed a subtle change in them, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

"Oh, save your tears, Red, remember you will need them to grieve for your unrequited love later." Gavriel said smilingly