Chapter 29: Chapter 29: VENUS FLYTRAP

VALORIA WILDEROSE

“W-what?” I stare, wide-eyed and dumbfounded.

His odd statement manages to shock me out of my trance and the aftereffects of my concussion.

It’s more from what he’s said than the fact that he’s crouched over my broken frame, having shielded me from a bell that definitely should have killed me—large enough that both of us should be squashed into a fine puree.

He doesn’t say anything else, rather rising to his feet and pushing the large object off of him along with the debris settled on it.

I’m given a glance at the large indent on the side of the bell that has it nearly broken in half for merely daring to come in contact with the Lycan King, and I swallow hard.

He stands over me like an indestructible wall of muscle, more terrifying than ever, making me lose more faith in the fact that this man can actually be killed by anything.

A strong wolf—the strongest—can’t even withstand the collision.

It would be a miracle if they survive without a life-altering injury.

I stare at him longer, realizing how much of a monster he is, and while I’m distracted he leans in closer again.

His large hands find their way beneath me. I panic, struggling until I’m lifted off the floor with ease.

“W-ait! W-What are yo-you do-ing?!” I push against him before the pain in my body stabs right into me and I wince out loud.

“Stay still.” He commands, and my body freezes on its own—stiff and obedient between his warm, strong hands, suddenly so aware of how much of my body is in contact with his.

“Good girl.” His deep voice vibrates through his chest.

A strange feeling creeps up from my chest at his praise. All of this feels weird… strange, confusing.

I want to stare a hole right through his head, but I’m too scared to look at him—let something in him snap again.

Gently he carries me out, out of the rubble and wrecked building, toward a few guards waiting out front and the man I recognize as his Beta with cold, emotionless eyes: Eros Stormbringer; the famed right-hand man of the devil and a Lycan himself.

Terrifyingly strong but nowhere close to the king. He took over the position as Azrael’s Beta from his father, after proving himself.

All of this is bits of information fed through Yue, who’s heard stories and tales of the most loyal family of Lycans serving the king for generations, earning the most favored position.

“Sire…” He draws his attention, completely ignoring the fact that I’m nestled in his master’s arms, and pulls out a terrified Ivana from behind himself.

She struggles against his hold, unable to break free until he tosses her forward and she falls on her knees in front of everyone.

Minutes ago she was smug and confident—sending me to my death; now her eyes are tearstained with mascara running down her cheeks, trembling like a cornered animal, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Ivana was spotted leaving seconds before you arrived, so we apprehended her just in case she has anything to do with the collapsing building,” he explains. “She was also absent from the vetting ceremony, although it was not reported by her maid.”

She breaks out wailing desperately and staring up at Azrael.

“Your majesty… all of this is a misunderstanding…” She begins beating her chest.

He cuts her off without batting an eyelash her way.

“Lock her up in the lower cell until I can figure out what to do to her. And kill the maid. Clearly she forgot who she actually serves.” His commands are cold and harsh, like a blade that could cut through anyone’s heart—hers especially on realizing she’s about to lose her servant and her freedom.

I almost feel bad when I see the way her teary eyes widen with horrified realization… almost. That is, if she wasn’t a psychopathic, murdering bitch.

“No please, my love, my lord.” She screams, leaping forward with her body, but the guards grab her from the back.

She fights them violently to be heard and seen by Azrael—for him to listen to her for a moment.

“She’s lying to you! She’s a snake, she doesn’t belong here—you were deceived!”

But he doesn’t even look at her, not even once.

“Stuff her mouth too. It’s giving me a headache.”

I get sudden chills from his brutality and her screams before her mouth is actually stuffed and she’s dragged away.

His warm hands aren’t so comfortable anymore. I’m reminded that they are stained with blood—endless liters of it, much of it belonging to innocent people slaughtered for his entertainment.

It shocks even me, who already knows his ruthlessness—without an ounce of pity for a woman who threw so much away for him, all at his request.

I pry my eyes away from the scene, forcing my thoughts elsewhere, remaining still so as not to be a bother. But I cannot unsee what I have seen and heard.

I’m in no position to pity her. Sooner or later, I’ll be in her shoes after all.

He walks farther away from the scene for minutes until we’re closer to the main castle, never stopping to let me go once.

It’s gone on for a while, and I now feel very uncomfortable and exhausted. The exhaustion begins to slowly force my body into a state of shutdown.

Leaning back, I resign to my fate, finding myself meeting his face again, trying to figure out what exactly he’s thinking—what he feels when he sentences a person to death.

Is there a part of him that regrets it, I wonder?

This man is a dangerous, enticing Venus flytrap — lulling prey closer to their death. Damn it. He’s breathtaking.

“You’re staring. Am I that handsome?” he suddenly speaks, startling me half-awake from my daze.

Suddenly he’s smiling, mischievous as ever. I’m taken completely off guard.

I frown, diverting my eyes away and blinking through the exhaustion.

“I d-don’t kn-know wh-at you’re tal-king ab-bout,” I fumble through my words.

“It’s alright, you can stare. It’d be weird if you didn’t. I’m aware of how I look, so I’m used to it.”

Admiration turns to disgust too fast and I shudder.

“C-can you po-possib-bly b-be any vainer?”

“I could try,” he teases, chuckling at the end.

He’s saying things and making sounds that are unlike him. I definitely have a concussion.

Sadly, I’m unable to test my theory just before I finally pass out.

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