The Assassin

Her long dark hair falls around them and his addictive mint scent hits her. His lips press against hers, soft and surprisingly tender but she bites him. She is barely in her early twenties with an innocent demeanor but her aura exudes death. 

Lavi does not let her go, holding her still in that position. He tries not to lose his mind over her essence but it is hard not to notice. Unlike the other women he beds, she is tougher and ferocious. 

The girl fights against the attraction from the mate bond and punches him hard. Lavi staggers back but does not let her move. Using his strength, he keeps her captive on his lap, their faces only inches away now.

Her snowy skin is slightly red with a small mole on her nose. Under the candle lights, her hair is silky and shining while her rosy lips are smeared with his blood. She is tall but compared to his large build, she is quite slender. 

But Lavi is not interested in his looks. There is something else which piques his interest.

Her pupils are completely white; she is blind.

“Blind, huh?” He murmurs. “I will still not go easy on you.”

The girl snarls and headbutts him. Her hit does not hurt but that damn intoxicating scent is distracting him. He falls backwards and taking the chance, the girl heads for the window using her senses.

“This is not over, Prince!” She growls and jumps off.

“It is not,” Lavi says and snaps his fingers.

The girl lands on the sand below. Thanks to her training, she lands on her feet and darts towards the exit. All the routes of the palace are carved into her mind and she runs for the southern exit which is not far from the Prince’s chamber.

“Got you.”

Suddenly, the girl falls on the ground as a blue lasso ties itself around her foot. She is dragged backwards by the lasso and a foot pins her to the ground. The girl snarls in anger as Lavi stoops down to face her. She cannot see him but she can smell him.

That darn smell!

The moment she entered his chamber, she knew he was her mate. Her wolf, Thena, has been jumping up and down in joy, urging her to accept her mate but the girl is adamant on killing the Prince. 

Mate? He is her mate? This has to be the sickest joke of her life!

“What is your name?” He asks.

The girl does not reply so he presses his foot more on her throat. Despite feeling the pain, she remains quiet. Lavi’s cold expression does not soften at her state. There is no pity in either of them and they are hell bent on breaking each other.

He takes out a token from his pocket.

“This fell out of your cloak,” he says. “The emblem of the Black Jacks. An assassin’s guild, am I correct?”

Several guards appear and bow in front of Lavi.

“Take her to the dungeon,” he orders. “Keep her there. I will be questioning her tomorrow morning.”

The guards obey and grab the girl’s arms. Lavi is intrigued when she does not fight back but keeps up a calm dignity. She walks away with the guards, in a graceful manner as if the pain is nothing to her.

He raises his eyebrows at the mysterious girl. She will not accept his rejection but will gladly kill him and endure the excruciating pain of losing her mate. 

“It is a shame that she will have to die,” he sighs. 

…

“Get in there!” A soldier barks at the girl and pushes her into the cell. The girl staggers into the cell room which is then locked. She hears them lock the gate and walk away. Only a couple of guards stay back to watch over her.

“The girl’s blind!” One guard claims. “She’s no danger!”

“Can’t believe she tried to kill the Prince!” Another guard snickers. “He’s the strongest warrior in Faika! Even the Emperor can’t beat him in a one-to-one fight. What made a girl think that she can do it?”

The girl stays silent, memorizing her surroundings. Inside her head, her wolf is getting impatient.

“Anna, you silly girl!” Her wolf Thena moans at her. “You found your mate! Accept him!”

Anna ignores him and keeps on observing her cell. She can hear the sound of water flowing somewhere but the palace is in the middle of a desert. There is no river around so the water must be from a fountain. The cell is also dark because it is quite cold and she cannot hear the flicker of candles anywhere.

“You know very well that the mate bond can heal your eyes!” Thena tells her. “Why are you delaying this? Tell him the truth about your identity and I am sure that-”

“He has to die,” Anna tells her. “To avenge my parents’ deaths, I have to kill him.”

“The pain of losing a mate will kill you!” Thena scolds her. “Remember the prophecy, Anna. Your life is tied to his. If he dies, so will you!”

Pain? Death?

Anna touches her eyes. Bitter memories rush into her head as she recalls how her family members were slaughtered like a pig. 

Ten years ago, she was the pampered princess of Ezealyra, Anna Visserion. Her father Nikolai was a Lycan but his mate Alexa was a vampire. Her lineage was kept a secret because the union of a Lycan and vampire is a taboo. 

But the citizens of Ezealyra were incensed by the enemies of the Visserions, resulting in a coup.

Her parents and elder sister were killed by the men they used to trust before blinding her. Even her beloved tutor was not spared. The only person who is alive from her family is her brother Alexei but she got separated from him.

Recently, news came to her that Alexei had returned and killed almost all the perpetrators of the rebellion before taking back his crown. The men who killed their parents and sister were dead.

Except for one.

And the person protecting the killer of her parents is Lavi Costa. Her mate.

Her enemy.

Thena shakes her head, disapproving all of this.

“He is your mate!” She reasons. “You should not be fighting your mate-”

“He is going to kill us all,” Anna mutters. “And I must kill him before he does that.”