by Alexia Praks
Cecelia stared with wide, disbelieving eyes at the dying animal.
“Well done, Brian,” he whispered softly into her ear.
Cecelia shivered deliciously again and felt her body melt weakly. She turned back slightly to look up at him. What she saw in his eyes was pure darkness and passion. She caught her breath at the back of her throat as Drake wrapped his arm around her waist.
“You’re too soft, Brian, even for a human,” he said playfully.
Cecelia didn’t have time to respond, for he kicked on his stallion, jerking them both forward, riding toward the dead boar.
“Yeah, Brian, you killed the boar,” Lucifer shouted.
“Good on you, Brian,” Adam said, patting Cecelia’s back as he rode past.
Gerick jumped down from this horse, picked up the boar as if it were a kitten, and laid it across his stallion’s back.
“Come, we have a feast tonight,” he said, climbing onto the saddle and laughing as he rode away. Lucifer and Adam followed behind him.
“That was a very good shot, Brian,” Leon said as he trotted past.
Drake started forward, when Cecelia said, “Wait, what about my stallion?”
He stated, “It’ll find its way home.”
With that, they followed the others back to the palace.
* * * * *
Chapter X
LUCIFER WAS LAUGHING LOUDLY, RECITING to Vera how Cecelia had killed the boar. Cecelia herself could only smile and shake her head at the animated tale that was the center of everyone’s attention.
“And then Uncle Drake showed him how to use the bow and arrow. And Brian shot it right in the forehead.”
“My, my, how marvelous it is, is it not, Brian?” Vera asked Cecelia.
She said, “I couldn’t have done it without His Highness.” Heat rushed to her face as she remembered his warm breath against her ear and his hard body against her as he guided her hand about the bow and arrow.
“Aye, that was a very good shot indeed, Brian,” Adam said. “I’ve never seen one like it with a human before.”
“Indeed,” Drake said. “Perhaps you’ve had practice with the bow and arrow before?”
“I have, sire,” Cecelia said. “When I was much younger. My father taught me.”
“A scholar taught his son how to shoot?” Drake chuckled. “How fascinating. Come, tell us more, Brian, about yourself and your vast knowledge of plants. Surely, you must have encountered many during your adventure across a number of kingdoms. Perhaps your father taught you with swords as well?”
“I haven’t yet had the pleasure of visiting that many kingdoms, sire,” she said honestly but haughtily. “So I have nothing much to tell you. And yes, my father did teach me with the sword.”
Drake raised an eyebrow at her.
Gerick laughed. “Well done, Brian. Well done. Shall we have a duel? I’m eager to test your swordsmanship.”
“A small thing like you can use a sword?” Adam asked, incredulous.
“I can use the sword, Papa,” Lucifer said, pulling at his father’s sleeve.
“Aye, love, a wooden sword,” Adam replied.
Vera cleared her throat then and said, “Come, we should retire to the drawing room so Robert can summon his team to clean up our mess.” She stood, eyeing the butler who was hovering to one side of the dining room. “I see he is impatient to get started.”
Robert nodded his gray head politely with a slight smile. Cecelia sighed in relief, and as everyone stood, she hastily got out of her chair as well and headed to the door beside Vera and Lucifer. The boy was skipping and humming when he suddenly stopped and asked his mother, “Do I get to have port?”
“Nay, you may not. You will have chocolate,” Vera replied firmly, in which case, Lucifer proceeded to practice his scowl once again.
In the corridor, after all the men had entered the drawing room, Cecelia stopped and turned to look at the end to the door that would lead her around the corner to the library on the other side of the building.
“Is something the matter?” Vera asked.
“I was just wondering if you would excuse me. I need fresh air.”
“Why, of course,” Vera said. “Go along, then. The air is especially cool at this time of night.”
Cecelia nodded with appreciation, and Vera and Lucifer walked into the drawing room. Alone, Cecelia turned and headed toward her intended destination. She was just turning the corner when her arm was caught and she was shoved around none too gently. The action was so quick she was out of breath as her face met a wall of dark coat.
She looked up to see Drake close above her.
“Getting lost already? Outside is this way,” he said, and still with his hand wrapped firmly around her arm, he led her toward the door.
Cecelia wanted to tell him she didn’t want to go out for the fresh air and what she really wanted was to find the Pearl of Life Potion Book. But she couldn’t really tell him that, now could she? So she kept quiet and allowed him to lead her into the exotic garden outside.
The smell was wonderful, and Cecelia closed her eyes and simply inhaled the pleasant scent.
“Do you like the fragrance?” Drake asked.
She nodded without looking at him. Her heart started to beat outrageously fast and loud. She moved her arm so he could let her go.
“And the flowers?”
She nodded.
“Can you only nod your head?”
She shook her head.
“Can you actually speak?”
She nodded.
“What are you, Brian?” he said to himself.
“What do you mean, sire?” she asked.
“Your aura tells me something, yet you present yourself as something entirely other. What are you really?”
“I don’t understand, sire. What do you mean by that?”
“Are you a man, Brian? Or are you a boy? Or are you something in between?”
Cecelia could only smile at that. “Perhaps I am in between. Neither a man nor a boy,” she suggested playfully.
“Nay, Brian, you confuse me very much. Your aura is so clear, yet you are so blurred. You are neither a man nor a boy. And nay, neither are you in between a man and a boy.”
“What do you see in me, sire?” Cecelia asked, very curious to know what he thought of her.
“Can it be that you are in between?”
“But you just said I am neither man nor boy, nor am I in between these two,” she replied, looking at him with interest.
“What I mean, Brian, is that perhaps you are between a man and a woman.”
Cecelia blushed and her eyes widened in shock. “Sire, I assure you I am not,” she said. Angry at his odd assumption of her gender, she turned on her heel. She’d taken a couple steps when Drake roughly caught her by the slenderness of her arms and drew her back to him. She nearly collided against his massive chest as she came to him, out of breath.
Drake moved his hand and tightly cupped her delicate chin as he gazed down at her. “You draw me to you like no other I have ever met. Why?” he said more to himself than to her as he looked deep into her eyes. “There is something about you. Something…”
Cecelia licked her lips and swallowed. The touch of his fingers was making her feel rather weak. No man had ever touched her this way before. No man had ever been this intimate with her.
She tried to pull back, but Drake only held her tighter. Then he chuckled. “Ah, I see now,” he said, as if he had her figured out.
Cecelia panicked, thinking he’d figured out her plan, and struggled harder. Oh God, she hoped he hadn’t deduced she was a female and she was here to steal his Pearl of Life.
“You’re hiding your intention, Brian. And I don’t like that. I’ve had my suspicions since I saw you yesterday. You too are here for the Pearl of Life?”
Cecelia blinked and her face became red with dread. She noted the bright glint in his eyes. He knew he’d hit the spot.
He chuckled. “Perhaps I shoul
d put you in the dungeon to prevent you from acting out your plan?”
Cecelia glared at him and finally managed to free herself from his imprisonment. She staggered back a little before finding her footing.
“What evidence have you that I plan to steal your precious jewel?” she managed, her voice shaking along with her body.
“I warn you, Brian. To steal the jewel is a serious crime in this kingdom. The punishment is death.”
Cecelia’s heart skipped a beat. Death was it? To steal this powerful jewel of his?
She took another step back. “Only a barbaric kingdom would commit such a barbaric punishment,” she stated. “What if the act was to help the life of another? Would that be considered a crime too?”
“Indeed, Brian, it is a crime. Like I said, perhaps I should put you in prison—”
“I refuse to be imprisoned, sire. Least of all here in this barbaric Demon Kingdom with a king such as you who only kills because you want to and considers it appropriate,” she spit venomously. Suddenly, no matter how much she tried to forget, the images of her home being burned down and her father killed by these demons were strong in her mind. And now, to stand here before the very demon who destroyed her family, she just couldn’t handle it.
“You, sire, are the worst creature within these nine kingdoms. I will tell you now that I will avenge my father no matter what may come.”
Drake had no idea what she was talking about. He roughly caught her wrist, pulling her to him. “Then avenge him now, this father of yours, whomever he may be.”
“Let me go, you beast!” she snapped, swung her small fist up, and got him in the chest. He caught her wrist and before he could think or stop himself, he grasped her roughly by the nape of her neck and crushed his lips against hers.
Cecelia was shell-shocked for a moment that the demon king was kissing her. Though his lips were firm and hard against hers, she found it oddly pleasant, and her body became weak from the warmth and nice sensation. When he deepened the kiss, urging her lips to part for him, she came to her senses and tried to fight her way free.
Drake finally decided to let her go, and she staggered back, breathless.
Blushing intensely from the short, intense experience, she turned on her heel and ran back into the castle. In the hallway, she stopped, leaned on the wall, and took deep breaths. Her heart was still pounding hard as she thought about that kiss.
Why? Why did he kiss me? Why do his touches stir something deep inside me?
Perhaps he was playing with her. Perhaps he knew of her plan to steal the Pearl of Life and now he was playing a game with her?
But he was kissing her as Brian, a boy. What was wrong with these demons? And how did he come to know she intended to steal his pearl? Cecelia shook her head. Nay, that couldn’t be. Demons could surely not read minds. Perhaps he just guessed and she responded too hastily.
“Brian!” Lucifer suddenly appeared beside her, which made Cecelia jump in surprise. “You look upset. Are you angry with Uncle Drake?”
When she saw it was only Lucifer, she told herself to calm down. It wasn’t Drake here to claim her and throw her into the dungeon. Smiling at the boy, she shook her head vigorously. “Nay.”
Lucifer, however, wasn’t convinced. He cocked his head to one side and said, “Are you sure?”
“Very sure,” she said, nodding.
“All right. Come along. Tea is ready.” The little demon grabbed Cecelia by the hand and led her into the drawing room.
They had their tea, and Cecelia was glad Drake didn’t join them. About an hour later, Vera told Lucifer it was time for him to go to bed, which the boy expertly begged and pleaded to stay for just another ten minutes but failed miserably. Cecelia excused herself as well, begging that she was very tired after the hunting.
* * *
Drake suspected he was going quite mad. Nay, not mad. Perhaps he’d finally realized he preferred a male lover after all. Perhaps Gerick was right. That was why he’d surprisingly kissed Brian in the heat of his impulsive enthusiasm. And Drake had never been impulsive nor that enthusiastic for sex before he met Brian. That was why he rarely bedded any woman that came his way. Even though those women were few and far between since they were too frightened of him and his dark scowl to consider him a bedmate.
Aye, there was no doubt about that. He was attracted to the boy. A human boy at that. In that, the Demon Kingdom was doomed to suffer because if he had no proper bride to bed and she couldn’t bear his blood, it would mark an end to all demons.
Despite such a dire situation, Drake couldn’t help himself and laughed loudly until his stomach hurt. It was a good thing too that he was alone. If anyone were to witness him laughing this much, his fearsome, infamous name would be ruined. Be damned, but he didn’t want that.
Once he’d managed to calm down, he viewed his situation more objectively. Aye, he couldn’t afford to choose who his lover was to be. He was a king, and his kingdom came first. He didn’t have the luxury like Gerick, who had both male and female lovers yet was bound to none. Drake was a principled demon. He would stick by his bride’s side, regardless if he loved her or not. Aye, he needed a female tonight to prove that his comrade down there was still working in proper order. And he would find such a female even if he had to leave the castle for the city to get one this night.
* * * * *
Chapter XI
IN HER BEDCHAMBER, CECELIA FORCED herself to go to sleep, for she would need the energy for what she was about to do come early morning. Yet all she could think about was Drake and his kiss. Instantly, his image appeared in her mind’s eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. She gently felt her lip, the spot where he’d touched her with his, and groaned.
She turned on her side and hit a fist against the soft pillow. “You disgusting demon!” she whispered softly between her lips. “How dare you kiss me? I am Lady Cecelia Van Zandt.”
Even as she said that, her heart ached. Aye, she yearned for him to kiss her again. She longed for something else as well, something deeper and hotter that burned within her core. For the first time in her life, her nether space hungered with a heat she’d never experience before, making her utterly restless.
She lay there for a long time, thinking about Drake and his kiss, her dead father and the destroyed Rosevalley Island, and her brother Brian and her ailing mother, until she eventually drifted off to sleep.
She woke again with a start a few hours later, her heart pounding. She sat there for a few moments, trying to calm down. Once she’d gotten her bearings, she saw it was fully dark and all was quiet within the castle. She quickly got out of bed, dressed herself in one of the maid’s uniforms she’d stolen before dinner, and slipped her father’s dagger into the under sleeve for protection. She decided to leave her long hair down, as she wouldn’t be recognized as Brian if she were to be seen in the dark. Whomever chanced upon her would simply think her nothing more than one of the serving girls working within the palace, going about her chores this late at night.
She took a candle and then slid her slim frame out into the corridor. Inspecting across the dimly lit length, she found the place was deserted and silently rushed through the maze of hallways toward the library. At last, she found the room she was looking for and slipped in. She thanked the gods it was deserted.
Holding the candle in front of her, she went in search of the recipe book for the Pearl of Life, her fingers frantically touching each thick volume in turn as her eyes hastily scanned shelf after shelf. After a long while of fruitless searching, she wondered if she would be able to find the precious item this night, as the library was a big place with thousands of books. Where had Julius put it after they’d left the library yesterday morning?
She turned, looking up to the balcony where Julius had descended from yesterday. It must be on the second level, she thought and hastily ran up the spiral stairs. She noted there were hundreds of books along the shelves here, too, and her heart sank at the thought of going through al
l of them.
No. She mustn’t give up, she told herself firmly. Thus, she went to the end of the shelves and started there. Thank the heavens, for it wasn’t long before she found it. The book wasn’t stored like the rest. It was sitting alone in a secured glass box at the end of the room. She rushed to it, her legs weak at the sight of it.
She started fiddling with the glass door, her hands shaking uncontrollably. Miraculously, it opened. She wondered if Julius had forgotten to lock it up yesterday. Whatever the reason, she was glad she was able to get into it.
Once she got the glass case opened, she took the book out and hastily flipped to the index pages. She scanned down until she found the HEALING OF LIFE POTION. Page thirty-two, it read. She turned to page thirty-two and started reading.
THE HEALING OF LIFE POTION
The Healing of Life Potion is used to heal life-threatening poison such as the Westwick Poison from the north, the Naga Poison from the southeast, and the Green Snake Poison from the east.
Ingredients:
1 Pearl of Life
10 Cups of Water
1 Cup of Honey (to taste)
Handful of Lavender (flower and leaves)
Handful of Rosemary (flower and leaves)
Handful of Sage (leaves only)
Method
Put water and Pearl of Life in a pot. Bring to boil. Then add honey, lavender, rosemary, and sage. Stir until liquid thickens. During this time, the powerful essence of the Pearl of Life will infuse into the liquid mixture. After half an hour, take out the Pearl. Then drain the liquid into a jar, leaving only flower and leaves of Rosemary and Lavender. These leftovers can also be used to wrap skin wounds. Drink one tablespoon of potion three times a day for eight days.
Cecelia was excited. She scanned through the book two more times to commit the recipe to memory.