"If anything had happened to you tonight, I would have never forgiven myself." He sighed, his voice causing a sort of vibration to her ears that was pressed against his warm chest. "I really wanted tonight to be perfect. Now, it is all ruined.""It's not.""It is. Her screams will give you nightmares." He moved his hand over her hair, brushing it lightly. "I am so sorry." He paused, his hand on her hair going still for a moment. "Will you like to pass the night in my room?"Her heart skipped a beat at the offer and she shook her stiffly. "I'll be alright in mine." The idea had sounded so tempting, in fact, she could almost feel herself in his bed, having him so close by made her feel so safe, but with how close they had gotten tonight, sleeping in his room might be pushing things to a direction she still didn't want to head to yet."I'm confused by how the people switched quickly from the tension to the cheers again like..." her voice became lower as the memory played again in her he

Belladonna pulled away from him to look up at his face, her gaze fixing upon his mask instead, the image of the expectant look that would be in his eyes, taking form in her head."That you will not take any more brides after me."He stared back at her, studying those eyes that held a sought of fire in them when she had said out her demand firmly.Was it selfish that she wanted to be his last bride so much, that she wanted him to give her his word on it? Maybe. But she certainly didn't want any other woman to have to suffer an unsure fate, also she had every intention to end this curse, as soon as possible, with whatever it was that it would cost her.Promising to do as she had requested right now, would mean that he had as much trust in her as she had in him. With no response still given, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat under his smoldering gaze.Her gaze was fixed on the floor of the carriage, the sound of the carriage's wheels on the rocky road filling her ears, while she w

It was spiral line, that extended to three different angles, curled at each end. It was small, black. She had never seen it before until tonight."You have it too." She looked up at Raquel, but when the oblivious look in her eyes didn't change, she added, "the tattoo.""Oh, that." Raquel chuckled. "Everyone has it." She squinted her eyes, looking at Belladonna as if searching for something that should be there, before she relented and looked back at her quizzically. "You don't?"Belladonna dropped her hand from Raquel's shoulder, shaking her head. "No.""B-but everyone has it." A grin stretched across her lips, one too wide "Once a child is born, he gets the tattoo. It is a sign that you are one of us.""One of you. You mean the people?""Yes, people of Ignas. I thought everyone had it." Raquel moved closer, her eyes searching desperately this time, the urge to find so immerse that she held Belladonna's wrists in her shaky hands before dropping them. "You don't have it in Inaymi?"B

The sound of birds singing from a distance away sipped into the room. The cold of the early morning, the aftermath of the dew, the raising of the morning sun... and those birds again! Must be because of the field that was just below her window. The only sound disturbing the morning wasn't just the birds though, but the musical instruments from a distance away, most likely the Temple.The four walls of that worshipping place had known no rest since it had been declared that the King was yet again in need of a Bride and it was Inaymi's turn to provide one. The Choosing Ritual was in a week, the weddings would be unending till the last moment they had to match to the village center. Belladonna forced her eyes opened, but all she could see was darkness, the smell of old and dusty book filled her lungs.Ah!She had slept with a book on her face. Her bed frame creaked as she sat up slowly, feeling exhausted, as of she had slammed herself into a wall before dropping on her bed. The boo

Belladonna staggered away from his grip, leaving him at the podium, while she looked around at the guests and families that had gone unbelievably still around them, their faces no longer held happy smiles, neither did shocked gasps slip out of their mouths and fill the temple at what the lovely bride had done to the unsuspecting groom.They just suddenly froze.All of them.Her gaze snapped back to Lytio, who was brushing his finger lightly over the cut on his face, blood trickling down his neck and dissolving into the collar of his white wedding robe. His demeanour, unmoved.Seeing the blood, he looked up at her, an unreadable expression in his blank eyes. He should be groaning in complete agony but he wasn't. For someone with that huge, fresh, bleeding cut, he was too calm.Slowly, his brows knitted together, his forehead creased into a frown. Then, it happened.A force exploded in-between them, pushing them both back, like some invisible entity made to rip them apart. The people