SPELLBOUND

Chapter 1:In the middle of the night

"Milady, they're here… the prince is here."

Evie's shoulders immediately tensed up when she heard the shaken voice of her maid. Cold sweat dripped on her back as she shot a nervous look at her mother who had just arrived to check in on her.

"Mother, I…" Evie subconsciously grabbed her mother's skirt. She couldn't help it. She thought she had prepared herself enough in the last few days but it seemed the fear and uncertainty still threatened to crash her resolve now that the moment had arrived.

"Hush, dear," her mother said as she gave her daughter a reassuring hug, but the concern in her eyes gave her away. "Don't worry, you can do this my dear," she whispered as she gently rubbed Evie's back. "Don't forget the reason you have to do this, Evie…"

Her mother kissed her head and though she didn't look shaken, Evie could sense the anxiousness and distress within her mother.

Evie took a deep breath. "Yes, mother," she replied, as she flashed a forced smile toward her mother. "I can do this."

"Good girl..." Her mother's arms wrapped around her again for one last hug and after a second, her mother nodded at her maid.

"I am going to meet the guests now while you get ready," she told Evie and after giving her daughter one last encouraging smile, Evie's mother finally left the room.

Evie closed her eyes and her maid immediately hovered around her. She tried her best to calm her pounding heart, talking to herself inwardly and telling herself it would be alright, that everything would be alright. She was so focused in hardening her resolve that she was a little startled when the maid finally spoke.

"You look stunning, milady." Evie's eyes flew towards the mirror and she studied her reflection. Her hair was so beautifully arranged; her face painted just enough to emphasize her natural, innocent, maiden features.

Evie stared at herself quietly. It had finally arrived, the day of her wedding. She used to fantasize about this day when she was younger, daydreaming about how magical and wonderful it would be to marry the man of her dreams. She had seen herself smiling with so much happiness and excitement and delight as she marched down the aisle towards her dream groom.

But none of these fantasies of hers were going to happen. Instead of excitement and delight, her heart was filled with dread and unease. Well, nobody could blame her because like most of the ladies in the highest echelon of power, Evie couldn't choose whom to marry. She had mistakenly, stupidly thought she was safe from all these things because she wasn't a princess. However, she was the daughter of the most powerful noble family in the entire Empire. In the end, she couldn't escape this fate. In fact, she couldn't believe she actually had it worse than anyone else she knew, probably even more than the princesses of any Empire in existence. At least those princesses were married off to emperors and high ranking military generals from their neighboring human empires.

Yes, she too, was about to marry a prince but… unlike those princesses, her husband-to-be wasn't human… he was a vampire. And vampires were their enemy, the human's mortal enemies.

The door at the entrance was opened for her and she stepped gracefully over the sill before proceeding calmly along the corridor. She couldn't count how many times she had taken a deep breath as she walked towards those doors, doors which looked more daunting with each step she took. With one last step, she finally stood just before the large double doors leading towards the wedding hall.

'Be strong, Evie. For the sake of your family and the entire empire,' she whispered to herself again and again. She squared her shoulders and looked up once again as she waited for the doors to open. The moon and the stars were brightly shining down on her.

In her daydreams, her wedding day always took place on a fine sunny day where she would be surrounded by falling petals dancing in the wind. Who would've thought she was going to get married in the middle of the night and to a creature of the night?

The sky was clear and calm and peaceful. The stars blinked at her but even the calmness of the sky couldn't ease the turmoil that was bubbling inside her. Her pulse was racing and all she could do was take deep breaths, again and again. Her hands were shaking and it took all her strength to keep them still again.

Her presence was then announced and at long last, the procession began.

The hall she walked into screamed of luxury and was a feast to the eyes, but contrary to all the beautiful grandeur that filled the room, the atmosphere was, as expected, tense and heavy. It was extremely rare for vampires and humans to be present under one roof. There were occasions, of course, where the two races stood under the same roof but the difference this time was that they weren't intent on killing each other. Because of this wedding, the vampires and humans agreed to a ceasefire, the first one in history.

As she walked closer to the altar, her long, tapered fingers clutched her dress hard - an action that went unnoticed by the guests because her hands were swallowed by the voluminous folds of her gown - but Evie's eyes remained fixated on the floor. Her face was still facing forward but her eyes were trained on that single spot, always 5 feet away in front of her on the floor. She couldn't relax. She felt like she was walking on a small, thin stretch of road between vampire and human armies on the battlefield right before they collided and killed each other. Above all, she felt like a small, innocent little lamb voluntarily walking to the butcher's house to be sacrificed, despite being promised that her soon-to-be husband and the vampires would never hurt her.

The tension was so thick in the air that all she wanted to do was turn around and run away, but she didn't. She couldn't.

Evie couldn't hear anything but the loud pounding of her own heartbeat. She couldn't even raise her eyes to take a peek at her husband-to-be because she was terrified! All her encounters with vampires terrified her to the core. Granted, she hadn't seen that many of them, but five years ago, she had come across a captured vampire. The vampire had had his sharp teeth bared, snarling with disgust and rage at his captors, and his eyes had glowed blood red which was a stark contrast to his overly pale skin. This vampire's appearance had horrified Evie. The same was true of the vampires who attacked her carriage a year ago.

She was scared of all vampires. All humans feared vampires. Vampires were the villainous monsters that mothers always used to scare their children. And yet, here she was, about to marry one of them.

Lost in her own fears, Evie didn't realize that she had reached the altar and she was instantly pulled back to the present when a hand appeared in her view. She almost stumbled in shock. Staring at the hand, Evie swallowed. She just knew this was the hand of the vampire prince she was going to marry.

Slowly, she lifted her eyes, her gaze moving from his hand, up to his elbow, across to his abdomen before stopping on his chest. She breathed in silently before she continued upwards, finally stopping on his face.

And the moment their eyes met… Evie's heart momentarily stopped.

 

Chapter 2:The vampire prince

The man before her looked nothing like she had been expecting. His eyes weren't red like blood. His fangs weren't showing. In fact, he seemed to have no fangs at all. And… he wasn't as pale as the vampires she had encountered before. He was pale compared to humans, but he wasn't that sickly shade of white like all the other vampires she had previously seen. And the most striking thing of all was that… he was just… breathtaking.

Evie was lost in a trance but was immediately jolted back to the present when she heard someone clear their throat.

She couldn't tear her eyes off his as she slowly lifted her hand to place it in his outstretched one. His eyes were silvery gray, akin to the bright moon, and they were full of life, as if there were many stars swirling within them. Then there were his lashes… they were so indecently long and thick for a man. His lips, his jaw, his nose… every single part of him rendered her speechless. She had never seen another human who had been fashioned with such beauty and perfection. But then again, she remembered that he wasn't human to begin with.

She told herself to look away but for some reason, she couldn't. She felt like he somehow did something to her as soon as their eyes met.

When her hand touched his, she almost flinched as her heartbeat thudded even louder. He led her to stand right next to him before he let go of her hand. When he released her hand, she felt the cool air replace where his hand had been and it was then that she realized his skin wasn't cold. She had heard from human soldiers that vampires were cold blooded creatures and that they were as cold as corpses to the touch.

But his hands weren't cold at all. Why was that? How come his hand was warm? It couldn't just be her imagination!

Evie didn't have the chance to even begin to ponder this puzzle any further because the ceremony started without delay. Anyone from the outside looking in would easily be able to tell that everyone couldn't wait for this wedding to end. The humans present were eager for the vampires to finally leave this place and their empire while the visiting vampires were certainly also looking forward to granting the humans' wishes to leave this place and go back to their own empire. For once, humans and vampires agreed on the same thing.

And thus, just as everyone hoped, the wedding hastily ended.

Evie had attended other princesses' and nobles' weddings before and she almost wanted to smirk at the speed at which they carried out and ended what was meant to be a most special occasion; her wedding. But then again, she couldn't blame anyone. No one wanted this wedding in the first place. Every one of them, even the bride and the groom, was forced into this union.

A deep, quiet sigh escaped Evie's lips when everyone started to quickly move and disperse. She couldn't believe how quickly the hall became empty.

Her husband offered his hand to her again. Of course, Evie already prepared herself for this. She was going to the Northern Empire, the vampire's land, right after the wedding so she already said her goodbyes to her family before the vampires even arrived.

A little shaky, Evie placed her hand in his. Her eyes were hot but she swore not to tear up. She looked at her mother as the vampire prince led her towards the door.

Chapter 3:Truce

"Scared?" His deep and masculine voice echoed inside the carriage causing the already tensed Evie to flinch. She realized that she was clutching her dress so hard that her knuckles had turned white. She kept her face looking outside the window, blankly staring at the palace that they were just married in, as it slowly disappeared from her view.

With a deliberate slowness, Evie turned to face him. When she lifted her face, his perfect face graced her eyes. Only one thought ran through her mind as she looked at him. If only… If only, he was human.

She answered him with a shake of her head. Of course, that was a lie. She was scared to death. It didn't help that her husband… yes, her husband was such a gorgeous creature, because she knew what was really hidden behind all that beauty and perfection.

"I… I thought v-vampires didn't ride in carriages," she stammered, saying the first thing her mind could think of that had nothing to do with how perfect he looked, in her desperation to break the awkward and deafening silence. And perhaps, also to try and subdue her rising fear. She needed to relax. There was nothing else she could do anymore. There was no turning back so it was no use being scared now. If she wanted to survive this, she needed to conquer her fear and face her new life head on. That was the only choice left to her, to willingly lay in the bed that others made for her or suffer the consequences.

When she saw a small smile curve on her husband's face, Evie almost forgot to breathe. "That's right. We usually don't need to," he replied.

"T-then why…" she trailed off realizing that it was definitely because of her. Her fear somewhat lessened, knowing that this vampire prince, her husband, was at least being considerate. But then she remembered this was part of the deal. The vampires, especially her husband, were now responsible for her. They were to watch over her and keep her safe whether they liked it or not. Still, Evie was glad that at least her husband, the prince, decided to be the one to accompany her on this journey. "T-thank you, y-your highness."

His immediate response was a soft sigh.

"Evielyn," he called out and Evie didn't know why but she caught her breath. The sound of her name spoken by him suddenly sent a strange and weird feeling through her. "Do you know my name?" he asked.

"O-of course I do."

"Then use it when we're alone."

"Yes, your…uh, I mean, Prince Gavriel."

His brows creased, causing Evie to subconsciously flinch. "Remove the title, Evielyn."

"G-gavriel," she uttered obediently as her eyes wandered around. Surprisingly, this somehow wasn't as hard as she imagined. Evie never once thought she would one day find herself married to a vampire, a creature she, and every human, grew up believing to be a savage monster. She had expected she might not be able to speak at all to her husband without trembling but somehow, conversing with him wasn't as dreadful as she thought. She was tense and stammering but she was glad, she wasn't muted because of fear and she wasn't trembling before him as she had thought she would be.

Gavriel leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "The vampires promised that no one, I, your husband, included, could lay a finger on you without your consent. Your father and those human emperors made us take that vow. I'm certain you know that vows are sacred to us. We rarely make vows because we don't break vows. We can't," he said suddenly without looking at her. His eyes remained closed. "That should be enough to ease your fears."

Evie bit her lip but before she could say anything, he continued.

"I'm your husband now, Evielyn." His voice became a little firm. But then, he opened his eyes and leaned closer to her. He stared so deeply into her eyes that Evie couldn't turn her gaze away even if she wanted to. Why? Why did he have to look this gorgeous?

"Let me remind you again that as your husband, I personally vowed to protect you. So stop flinching every time I speak to you…" he trailed off and he lifted his hand as if to pinch her chin but stopped midway. "I don't like it when my wife keeps flinching as if I'm going to attack her every time I speak."

Since Evie was a young girl, she was taught that vampires were monsters who viewed humans as nothing but food or slaves. She grew up believing they were humanity's notorious enemy.

Vampires and humans had been mortal enemies since Evie could remember. She heard that Vampires saw themselves as the superior creature and wanted to rule over the humans, treating them like they were their slaves and food.

The world they lived in was divided. The northern part of the Land of Lirea was occupied by vampires while the south, east, and western parts were occupied by humans.

There were endless wars between vampires and humans and despite the fact that humans dominated most of the Land, they couldn't defeat the vampires solely because vampires were powerful creatures. For countless years, the battle never ceased to end and vampires never once lost a war. But even so, these vampires never tried to annihilate any of the human empires because to them, humans were livestock that should exist forever for their enjoyment. Evie even heard a story from one soldier that the vampires never took the wars seriously, treating them like mere child's play.

Evie heard that humans have been under the vampires' mercy for countless years until one day, humans learned to use the dragons to fight for them.

Since then, humans were no longer inferior and vampires began to lose some battles. The tides were slowly turning and even to the present day, the wars continued. Humans wanted to eradicate the vampires with the help of the dragons but the vampires were still powerful enough to withstand a fight even against the dragons. They were powerful, tricky monsters as the humans called them.

So when Evie first heard about her being married off to a vampire, she broke down. She was so angry and terrified that she had planned to run away. But on the night that she planned to escape, her father foiled her plans and stopped her before she could even leave her room. Evie adored her father and looked up to him not only because he was the current Guardian of the dragons and humanity's hero, but because he was her beloved father. Lord Lucius Ylvia, Evie's father was also the head of the house of Ylvia, the most powerful human noble family in the entire Land of Lirea.

The so-called guardians were the only ones who could tame and control the dragons and all of the guardians came from the house of Ylvia. Once the former guardian died, the guardian's son stepped up to take his place. It had been like that since the beginning of the house of Ylvia and this was why Evie's family was considered humanity's most protected treasure - for without the guardians, the humans' only hope to stand against the vampires would crumble to ashes.

That night, Lucius spoke to Evie and told her everything. He told Evie that he and the three human emperors had proposed a truce with the vampires. They made it appear that Lucius refused to fight for the humans because he didn't want to die young like all the other guardians before him, saying that it was finally time for both vampires and humans to cease fire. But of course, that was a lie to cover the real problem. Lucius explained to Evie that humans were on the brink of doom because Lucius still couldn't produce a son, an heir, the next guardian. If Lucius died in battle, there wouldn't be anyone to succeed his power - since it was only the direct male son of the current guardian who could inherit the power to tame and control the dragons.

And then, Lucius hesitantly revealed to Evie that the vampires asked for something to solidify the truce between the two races and the human emperors suggested a marriage between human and vampire. The emperors suggested the most beautiful princess in all the three human empires but the vampires wanted her, the sole and beloved daughter of the current guardian, to marry their prince and then be taken to the North. Of course, even if her father didn't elaborate this, Evie knew why the vampires wanted her. She'd be a more powerful hostage compared to any other princess. As long as she was in the hands of the vampires, the humans would not attack the Northern empire, especially because everyone knew how Lucius adored his daughter.

Evie refused to accept it but eventually, the emperors soon convinced her that she had no choice. They told her that if she didn't agree and the vampires attacked them, her father might die and she and her family and all the other empires would be destroyed. She would end up as food or a sex slave for the vampires, too. And thus, Evie was forced to accept her fate and become the sacrificial lamb to save everyone.

That night, her father had hugged her, apologized to her, and promised her that once an heir was born, he would definitely come to rescue her. This was why Evie made herself believe that she was just a hostage under the guise of the prince's wife. She never even thought about anything else but to survive in the vampire's land until her father came to rescue her.

Chapter 4:Come here

The inside of the carriage was enveloped with silence. The prince simply remained still, closing his eyes as if he had shut himself down.

This was the first time she had travelled by night, but Evie knew she had to endure this. Her wedding was a secret and only the royals and her family knew about it. Common people didn't even know that vampires silently set foot in their midst. That was why their wedding happened at midnight. Now they needed to cross the border before daylight to avoid alarming the citizens who might spot the vampires who were with her.

So, she couldn't complain. This, too, was part of her duty, a duty she needed to endure.

The carriage rolled on and on, until suddenly, the carriage bounced and Evie nearly fell on the floor. She was instantly startled and she lifted her face, just to find out that strong large hands held her shoulders, steadying her. Gavriel had kept her from tumbling to the floor.

Still, she flinched and stiffened the moment their eyes met. His face darkened and he immediately let go of her. "You're not going to tell me I broke the deal because I touched you without permission, are you?" he asked in a cold but deep and mesmerizing voice. She couldn't believe that even his voice was too perfect. Why did nature bestow all these perfections to a creature like him? It wasn't fair!

Evie shook her head like a rattle. "No, of course not. You saved me. T-there's no need to ask for permission in such circumstances."

His expression somewhat mellowed as he surveyed her.

"I think we should look for an inn –"

"No!" Evie cut him off and when she realized how she answered him, she lowered her gaze. "I-t's okay. I… I'm fine. I am used to this. Besides, we need to cross the border before daylight."

The man fell silent but Evie felt he was staring hard at her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I would prefer a sleepless night rather than be the cause of a fight breaking out."

She heard his quiet sigh. They again both sat in silence. Evie couldn't help but peek at him and she noticed the deep lines on his forehead getting deeper the more the carriage bounced. It occurred to her that he must hate riding a carriage. Vampires, she heard, were faster than any creatures, even faster than birds. They were able to reach their destination many times quicker than humans. She hadn't witnessed any vampires in action so curiosity suddenly hit her.

"Is… is this your first time? Riding a carriage?" she asked.

His gaze fell on her and stared at her. "No, but this is the longest I have stayed inside one."

"Oh." She noticed that there seemed to be no one left of the numbers of vampires who were with them in the palace. They must have left them long ago. "How many hours would it take you to reach the imperial palace if I wasn't with you?"

"Just a couple of hours."

Evie's eyes widened. She heard that it would take two days to reach the vampire empire. For a moment, her eyes flickered with amazement. She thought that to be able to travel like that would be amazing! She would not need to endure the uncomfortable and tedious carriage rides. Looking at him, she wondered if he was dying with impatience because he was forced to endure travelling at such a slow pace because of her. He would have been in the imperial palace right now, resting.

"You really don't need to accompany me –"

"Do I disgust you so much that you don't even want me inside the same carriage as you?" His eyes narrowed. Though his expression remained calm, Evie felt chills as soon as she looked into his eyes.

Shaking her head, Evie spoke. "No. That's not what I meant. I just thought it must be very uncomfortable for you to… stay in a carriage because you're not used to it."

The displeasure in his eyes was quick to disappear causing Evie to sigh in relief. Gavriel looked so calm and still, literally like a harmless, perfect statue. His appearance, Evie thought, must be the sole reason why she can speak to him like this without trembling in fear.

But she had also heard that vampires could become savage when angered so she was being very careful not to anger him. She didn't want to see this man with his eyes red and his fangs bared. Evie didn't know if she would still be able to speak calmly to him like this once she saw him in that state.

"Are you saying you're used to this?" he asked. "You don't look any less comfortable, Evielyn. I would rather carry you and get this trip over and done with, but I doubt you could withstand the cold outside this vehicle."

"C-carry me?"

"Yes. The others must have reached the capital by now if they travelled at full speed. I'd have to go slower if I was carrying you but even so, we would probably get there before daylight, but…" he surveyed her. "It's way too risky for you," he concluded.

Silence reigned between them once more because Evie's eyes began to become heavy again. The rain that Evie was dreading had also come. It was already cold as it was and now it was raining too! She drew her cloak closer against her chest as she began to feel the dropping temperature when...

"Come here," the vampire prince said suddenly, causing Evie's head to whip towards him. "Lean on me and sleep."

Evie blinked. She didn't expect his offer at all. And her shocked expression sold her out.

Gavriel's face became a few shades darker again at the sight of her reaction and she saw his jaw clench slightly. "What's with that look?" He narrowed his eyes but in the next moment, he leaned in so close to her that Evie almost gasped. "Even if you think vampires are cold-blooded monsters, I am not just some vampire to you now. Let me remind you once again," his voice hardened, "that I am also your husband. So stop expecting me to treat you like you're my enemy. Are we clear? Evielyn?"

His words made her swallow and her heart pounded, but she eventually nodded, and he moved away and ran his fingers through his hair.

He looked at her again and spoke. This time, his voice was gentler and there was a welcoming expression in his eyes. "Come, wife. Don't worry, I don't have any plans to eat you."

Chapter 5:Journey

"No one's allowed to hurt you, not even me. You have nothing to be scared about," he added gently and before Evie realized it, as though he had cast a bewitching spell on her, she obeyed.

He shifted and made room for her and then she found herself half lying on him with her back to his chest and his arm wrapped around her, holding her, keeping her tucked against him as the carriage lurched forward. It seemed her fatigue and dizziness had given her away because of how little resistance she had against his irresistible offer of comfort. The back of her head settled on his solid and hard chest, which suddenly felt like a cushion, as she relaxed comfortably.

This was the first time she had experienced anything like this. She had never let any man hold her this way before. She found it overwhelming because, even in her lightheaded state, her body reacted in a strange way as he held her. And the most surprising thing was she didn't hate it. She had thought she would despise any physical closeness with a vampire so this was surprising.

However, she brushed it off. She thought that she was feeling this way because of the strange situation she was in. She was perhaps just really exhausted.

"You are… warm…" she muttered in a sleepy voice, her eyes already closed. "I thought… vampires are cold."

"I am the only exception," he answered and she forced her heavy eyelids to open.

An amused smile curved on his lips as he watched her forcing herself to open her eyes, struggling to fight her dizziness. "What do you –"

"Hush…" His finger almost landed on her lips. "Sleep. One day, I might tell you," he whispered and Evie could no longer fight the call of the god of sleep and finally succumbed to its irresistible invitation.

…

Twisting, she glanced up and a gorgeous face greeted her good morning. Her eyes circled at the sight of the man and almost immediately, she pushed herself away from him so hard that her back hit the wall on the other side of the carriage.

Deep lines formed on the man's smooth forehead, but, "Good morning, Evielyn," he greeted still. He seemed displeased by her reaction. Despite his expression, Evie couldn't help but just stare at him. His legs were still parted, one resting on top of the seat and the other hanging down to the floor. Evie knew that he was in that position because he had cradled her in her sleep. And more importantly, he was… oh god… Gavriel, her vampire husband, in daylight was a sight to behold - not that he wasn't already - but unlike his angel of the darkness appearance last night, he now looked approachable and almost harmless. It was as if the daylight had turned him into the angel of light or something. Evie could even stare at him longer now without flinching.

She shut her eyes and then blinked quickly, as if she was trying to wake herself up from having a hallucination, but when she looked at him again, her shoulders dropped, disappointed that she wasn't hallucinating at all. Evie couldn't help but feel this uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. This was not supposed to happen. She was not supposed to be admiring any vampire's beauty. She was supposed to despise them all.

"Good morning, Your… I mean… G-gavriel," Evie struggled to respond calmly.

"We'll stay in this inn until you're ready to continue the journey," he said as he opened the carriage door and then he jumped down and stretched out his hand towards her.

Hesitantly, Evie put her hand on his and he gently helped her down. Since the moment he had held her hand at the altar, this man, she noticed, always held onto her with an almost exaggerated gentleness - something she never, ever expected from her vampire husband.

"Make sure to take your time and rest properly," he said, causing Evie to look up at the inn in front of them before she looked around.

"Have we already crossed the border?" she asked. She was glad that the rain had stopped and the weather was looking fine again.

"Yes. This inn is the last place where you can take a comfortable rest. It'll be a long stretch of traveling after this. It will take longer for us to cross the Dark Valley and reach the next village than the journey so far, so make sure to have a proper rest. We should be able to stay here for at least three hours, longer if needed," he said as he led her inside the inn.

The innkeepers welcomed them. They were both gray-haired and wrinkly with old age but what Evie noticed, with mild surprise, was that they were humans. They smiled at her but then, they also smiled at her husband! They were polite towards Gavriel and it seemed to her that they knew he was a vampire prince. It was completely unexpected. Evie had never seen any human not cower in fear in the presence of a vampire, let alone greet them politely. Shaking her head at the unbelievable scene that just played out before her, she walked in almost a tranced state towards her room.

Evie had eaten her meal inside her private room alone. Her husband didn't come back to check on her - or maybe he did but she just missed it because she might have already been fast asleep on the bed.

Before the wedding day, Evie had actually travelled for many days to reach Rennox Castle where their wedding had taken place.

The house of Ylvia was in the Southern Empire and the human emperors couldn't allow the vampires to set foot down South so they brought Evie to the Eastern empire, to a citadel closest to the northern border. It had been a long journey. Although she rested for a couple of days before the vampires arrived, Evie's fatigue from the last uncomfortable journeys had still not fully recovered. And now, she was going on a new journey again. A journey that she would never, ever forget.

...

After napping for about two hours, Evie woke up and readied herself for the long journey ahead. She had a small chat with the old innkeeper when the old lady had brought her meal in and she had told her that they needed to cross the Dark Valley before the day ended because that place was very dangerous. She said that the Dark Valley was a peculiar dark forest through and through. Evie had also heard before from one of their soldiers that the Dark Valley was the place where the vampires loved to ambush the human soldiers in every war. It was said to be the first and hardest hurdle for humans to cross every time they invaded the vampire's land. The innkeeper also told her that at night, the place would be filled with the notorious beasts coming from the Middle Land.

Evie didn't want to encounter any beasts. Vampires were already killing her with fear so she didn't want to see one of those creatures too! She already had enough 'excitement' in the last twenty-four hours to last her a lifetime without adding that to the list! If that did happen, she didn't know if she would reach the vampire's imperial palace without fainting from fright! Worse yet, she might not even reach the vampire's land alive if those beasts attacked them! The vampires that were present at their wedding were all gone. The only ones left in their party was herself, the vampire prince and the vampire coachman. Why on Earth did everyone else leave them? Wasn't her husband a prince?

Human princesses and princes, even she, a noble's daughter, had knights or guards that were appointed to stay by their side whenever they travelled anywhere. Even though she didn't like it sometimes, she knew it was a safety precaution. But with this vampire prince - they all just abandoned him! Was it because they thought he didn't need protection?

Evie couldn't come up with a reasonable conclusion. But then, she thought that the vampires might have a different system or maybe the prince she had married was probably so powerless that his emperor didn't even bother to give him any guards. Evie had heard about powerless princes like that, especially ones who were born from concubines and maids. This thought worried Evie even more. They really needed to cross the border before daylight faded to avoid those dangerous beasts!

"Are you sure you don't want to stay longer? We can continue the journey this afternoon or even at night," a deep, pleasing voice echoed inside the room and when Evie looked over her shoulder, she saw the alluringly gorgeous creature, her vampire husband, looking at her as he leaned against the door frame. She didn't notice his arrival or his presence at all.

"I-it's fine. I prefer travelling during the day," she said, averting her gaze from him. "I'm ready."

Her firm answer made his right eyebrow twitch slightly as he watched her but eventually, he let out a quiet sigh before he finally relented.

As they both left the inn, Evie looked back and saw the old human couple step out as well to send them off. Evie waved at the human couple before she entered the carriage, wondering if they would be the last humans she would see on this journey. But then she remembered that the vampires agreed to give her human servants because the vampires had many human slaves in their land. That thought somehow made her feel less apprehensive.

But her ease and the little energy she gathered from her rest abruptly evaporated. The road through the Dark valley was brutal. It was obvious that this road wasn't used often. In fact, it must've been a long while since the last carriage passed through it. The vehicle jolted and swayed until Evie began to feel nauseous. All the uncomfortable traveling she had endured in the last few days until that dawn was nothing compared to this.

Although the vampire prince wasn't as miserable as Evie, he, too, had acquired a little rumpled appearance. The deep lines on his forehead seemed to have been permanently carved on his gorgeous forehead since the carriage started to bounce on and on. It was obvious he badly wanted to leave the carriage and walk or leap or run instead.

But he couldn't, knowing that his wife would surely fall on the floor and bump her head on every wall of the carriage like a pinball, without him there. Since the carriage had entered the Dark Valley, Gavriel had caught her from nearly falling on the carriage's floor twice before he decided to sit next to her and hold her waist.

"Shall we take a break?" he asked her after an hour, but Evie shook her head.

"No, let's keep going." She remained willful despite the look on her face.

But after another hour, the vampire prince asked again.

When Evie still shook her head and told him to keep going, a slight smirk curved on Gavriel's face.

"I didn't know human females could be this stubborn. You're clearly having a hard time yet you're not even complaining," he said with a hint of amusement and wonder in his tone.

But Evie couldn't even form a response. The two hours of the nonstop brutal ride had already exhausted her and her nausea had not subsided since it started. She had never experienced anything like this. Back in the South, as well as when she travelled to Rennox Castle, there were times when the road was bad because of bad weather but they always took a break or made camp and postponed the journey to the next day. But Evie knew she couldn't do that this time. They needed to make haste or the beasts might catch them.

However, after half an hour, Gavriel spoke again. And this time, he didn't ask anymore.

"Let's stop for a while," he declared and surprisingly, Evie was very quick to nod. It seemed she had finally reached her limit. The carriage stopped and he quickly helped her out. But as soon as she stepped on the ground and looked around, goosebumps crawled under her skin and she instinctively stepped back.

Chapter 6:Unbelievably

The sight of her surroundings made her swallow and goosebumps crawled on her skin. It wasn't just because of the biting cold, it was mostly because the valley felt absolutely eerie. In fact, eerie might still be an understatement to describe the place. All the countless trees were coal black and leafless as if they were all scorched to death. Black ravens were settled on the tree branches and they all looked like they were staring straight at them. Evie couldn't see any plant that seemed to still be alive.

A thick layer of snow had iced the ground. The fog was also thick that even though it was still morning, it already felt like twilight. It felt like the darkness would soon settle in and she imagined those notorious beasts suddenly appearing from the thick mist surrounding them.

"I- I think we should go on," she stammered.

Gavriel's head whipped around to face her.

"But you're clearly –"

"I'm fine."

"You're not."

Evie met his gaze and was surprised at what she saw in his moon-like eyes. She saw worry in them, a very intense one that Evie froze for a moment. But then she quickly reasoned to herself that this prince must have been worried that she might die or something. She was such a fragile thing in his eyes after all, judging from the overly careful and gentle way he had touched her.

"It's… cold here… outside," she murmured and without waiting for her husband's approval, she turned around and climbed back inside the carriage by herself. She would rather endure being uncomfortable inside a moving carriage than stay in a place like this. All she wanted that moment was to finally cross this valley and reach the village, where it was safe. And besides, she had told him the truth; it was freezing. She already felt the biting cold that made her shiver from just stepping out for a moment.

As she sat in the carriage, she looked at Gavriel and she saw him run his fingers through his hair before he told the coachman to keep going.

And thus, the journey continued as they rode together in stoic silence. The brutal journey stopped her from thinking and the temperature kept on getting colder and colder as they wound their way deeper and deeper into the Dark Valley.

Gavriel had wordlessly wrapped her up in a quilted blanket somewhere along the way upon realizing she was starting to shiver. But it wasn't enough. Evie was from the Southern Empire, where it was normally warm and sunny. She was not used to being in extreme cold temperatures. She had actually never experienced this level of coldness. The blanket definitely wasn't enough to warm her up.

The extreme cold swallowed Evie's fears and reservations and she burrowed even further into the depths of her husband's coat.

"I'm relieved," he said.

"Hm?"

"It seems you're not that scared of me anymore."

Evie froze in his arms. He was right… along the way, her heart had stopped hammering with nervousness and fear and she was actually snuggling herself closer to him without reservation now. She was shocked.

"It seems you have also shocked yourself."

She felt his chest move beneath her ear in what seemed to be a huff of amusement which made her glance up at his face.

"Let me warm your hand," he offered as soon as their eyes met. Evie felt her cold ears heat up and averted her gaze but she eventually lifted her hand slowly.

Without a word, Gavriel took her hand in his and began to rub her palm and cold fingers. His hand was strong, velvety and… warm.

"You are… really warm. A-are you really a vampire?" She snapped her lips shut upon realizing what she just said.

Gavriel's hand also stilled and Evie bit her lip, nervously. "I'm sorry. I… it's just… I'm just –"

"I am, Evielyn. There's a reason why my body is warm. But I am undoubtedly a vampire."

Evie didn't know what to say. She wanted to speak more but she was afraid to offend him or upset him. She didn't want to anger him. She didn't want to see his eyes turn red or for him to bare his fangs. She thought she might not be able to survive this journey if that happened. She might die from both fear and the freezing cold.

The feeling was so good that Evie managed to doze off just before he ceased his playing. Still, he kept her fingers folded in his.

However, after enjoying the blissful nap, she was jolted awake because of the sudden and violent pause of the carriage. Even though Gavriel had held her firmly to stop her from getting hurt by the violent movement, Evie still yelped in shock.

And then, there was an eerie silence. She looked at her husband with wide eyes but the man remained calm. He held her shoulders and whispered, "don't be afraid. Just stay inside. I'll get rid of them. Don't even try to peek because you might not like what you will see."

Before she could even make a sound, Gavriel had already opened the door and swiftly jumped down, closing the door firmly behind his back.

Chapter 7:Over

Bone-chilling growls filled Evie's ears as soon as the carriage door was closed. Her eyes were still wide and her hand was left hanging in midair in a failed attempt to stop her husband from leaving. She knew by the monstrous sounds alone that the beasts had come. Why? It was not even nighttime yet!

Evie's throat ran dry. Her face became even paler as she noticed the sounds becoming louder and louder. The beasts were approaching closer and it seemed that there weren't just two or three of them. It sounded like a whole tribe had come for them. Her hands flew to her heart as the fear spread throughout her entire body. What was going to happen? Was she going to die here?

Dull sounds of what seemed like a sword slashing into flesh filled the air and the growls became more violent. She felt the earth-shaking thuds which caused the carriage to shake. She wanted to hear Gavriel's voice but all she could hear was the overwhelming sounds of battle that she never wanted to hear. "Please, don't get hurt! You can't leave me here alone! Let me know you're still there!" Evie murmured as she trembled on the carriage floor.

Crouching on the floor, Evie crawled towards the door with what little strength she could muster. Her mind and body were becoming numb from both fear and the cold. All she wanted in that moment was to know that her husband was still alive. The loud, barbaric noises faded into the background in her hazy mind as she concentrated on getting to the door to look for her husband.

With trembling hands, Evie reached for the door but before she could touch it, the carriage shook again from a large something - hopefully a dead beast - crashing against it, causing her to be thrown back to the opposite wall.

Evie yelped as her body crashed against the wall. It seemed that her nightmare had come to life again - the most terrifying nightmare she had ever had. Years ago, Evie was attacked by vampires while she was traveling and after that experience, she had re-lived that moment many times in her nightmares. But at that time, her mother was with her and many guards traveled with them for protection. The fight back then was fierce and Evie was terrified but her mother had held her in her embrace the entire time, reassuring her that their guards were amazing soldiers and that they would be okay, until the fight was over.

This time was completely different. She had no one to hold onto. No one was with her in this horrifying situation telling her that she was going to be okay, that they would defeat their enemies and even more terrifying was that she knew they had no guards. Even if her husband was a vampire prince, could he really go against that many beasts and survive? What if… what if her husband was already…

The fear in her heart was too much and it was getting harder for her to breathe. Still, she crawled towards the door again but the moment she touched the door, she noticed that her world became eerily quiet. Tremors shook Evie's body and she swallowed. What happened? Was it over? Was he all right?

Evie bit her trembling lips and she pushed the door open. The freezing wind welcomed her but she didn't freeze because of the cold, she froze upon seeing what lay before her.

Huge, furry, bloody, ash-colored beasts were scattered on the ground. They looked like gigantic wolves. Body parts of the beasts were scattered all along the white snow painting the ground red where they lay. Evie also spotted a leg of a man which she assumed, even prayed to be the coachman's and not her husband's, next to one of the beast's heads. The sight made the already pale Evie turn almost as white as a sheet of paper. The gore that was spread before her eyes made her body feel completely numb that she didn't know if she was still breathing.

And then, there he was, the vampire prince she had wanted to see. He was standing in the middle of three huge beasts that had fallen around him. He stood as still as a painting, chest heaving from the exertion as he scanned his surroundings, holding his sword upright before him. His sword was painted scarlet and his black coat was dancing in the wind behind him.

When he turned and looked at her, the world screeched into a halt. His eyes that used to look like a calming pair of silver moons were gone. They were replaced by an intense and bloody-red pair of eyes. Those were the eyes of the monsters in both her reality and nightmares. She felt like the god of death was staring at her and her body fell backwards onto the carriage floor.

The man halted for a few seconds at the sight of her reaction but then he continued approaching the carriage, stopping by the door. Evie had her face buried against her knees, as if not seeing him would lessen her fear. She hugged herself in a fetal position, trembling uncontrollably.

Gavriel stared at her and the sight of her made him think that she was like a little white bunny cowering in fear because a hungry wolf had cornered her to her demise. His jaws clenched but he remained calm as he quietly cleaned and sheathed his sword.

He remained standing by the door. "Evielyn," he called out. His voice was gentle. "It's over. There's no need to be scared now. I'm here, don't be scared."

Chapter 8:You're late

The poor little bunny moved and peeked at him through her silver-blond locks but the moment their eyes met, she flinched and buried her face again.

Gavriel's eyebrows twitched from the realization that the bunny was scared of him, not at the dead beasts that were scattered around him. He shut his eyes and when he opened them again, his eyes were no longer red. He ran his fingers through his hair and patiently, he tried to coax the bunny once more.

Slowly, he climbed inside the carriage, moving very carefully as he approached and squatted before her.

"The beasts are dead. You're safe now. No one can hurt you," he said, but the girl still didn't move. Gavriel knew that there was no way it would be easy for this little terrified bunny to crawl back to him again after what she saw. However, he could see that she was on the verge of freezing herself to death. Glancing at the crumpled blanket on the carriage floor, Gavriel picked it up. "At least take this blanket, Evielyn."

"Y-y-your eyes," she finally uttered between her trembling teeth without looking at him, her voice barely a whisper.

Gavriel brows momentarily creased but he immediately realized what she was trying to say. "They are not red anymore. Why don't you have a look and see?"

Unexpectedly, she lifted her face and looked at him much quicker than he would have thought.

She stared at him and then suddenly, her body swayed as if she was about to faint. Gavriel caught her shoulder as she began to sway and he held her steady. He settled himself next to where she was sitting and then picked her up and placed her on his lap. He removed his cloak and the blanket before he pressed her against his chest. He realized just how cold her body had become as he wrapped his arms around her and gave her back a quick rub to get some heat into her. She was warm and fine when he had left her. His forehead creased with worry as he quickly wrapped her up with the blanket and then his cloak. He grabbed her hands, which had turned ice cold, and began to rub them in an effort to warm them up.

He never thought she would easily become this icy in such a short period of time. He knew humans, especially women, were frail creatures but it seemed this bunny was way weaker than he expected; so weak that it seemed even such a short exposure to the cold temperature was enough to beat her up.

After some time, the girl in his arms finally started to warm up again. She had lost consciousness shortly after he placed her on his lap and he didn't know if it was because of the cold or the shock or both. He felt her steady breathing and he let out a sigh of relief but then, his eyes became as sharp as his blade the moment the carriage door was opened.

A huge, long haired man, wearing a black cloak identical to his, stood by the door. He looked like he was about to speak but was immediately silenced by Gavriel's deadly gaze.

"You're late, Samuel," Gavriel said in a low and calm voice that made not just the huge man called Samuel, but the other four men outside the carriage, flinch from obvious fear.

"Apologies, Your Highness." The huge man bowed in apology when someone butted in from behind Samuel.

"Please don't blame Samuel, Your Highness. I was the one who insisted that the human lady would still be resting in that inn. But it turned out my prediction was wrong," said the lean and brown-haired, intelligent looking man, named Zolan.

Gavriel sighed. He understood why his men would think that way because even he was surprised when Evielyn insisted on continuing the journey after only a couple of hours' rest. He thought his wife would delay the journey as much as she could since it was obvious enough that she was scared. But, she did the opposite of what he had expected.

"Enough." Gavriel lifted his free hand, ignoring the curious and surprised look in his men's eyes as they looked at the way he was holding his wife. "Do you think this carriage can still cross the valley?"

Samuel shook his head. "I'm afraid our only option now is to carry her."

"She won't withstand the cold," Gavriel said.

Seeing their prince's expression as he said those words, the men set a quick glance at each other.

"Then, shall I and Levy go to the village to fetch a new carriage?" suggested Zolan.

"No." Gavriel rejected his suggestion and then fell silent as he stared at the woman wrapped in his arms. After a while, he lifted his face back to his men and commanded. "Remove all your cloaks."

Chapter 9:Slow

The men creased their brows, with heads cocked to one side. However, despite the confusion which were visibly portrayed on their faces, everyone immediately obeyed and took off their cloaks.

"Give them to me," Gavriel ordered and once again, the men glanced at each other, except Samuel who had kept his eyes set on the vampire prince.

One by one, the men approached the carriage, single file and handed their cloaks which they had flicked off earlier to remove any dust and dirt and all neatly folded, to their prince. The vampire prince's face was so serious that no one dared question what he was about to do. The men could only wait to see what he intended to do with all those cloaks. And then, they watched him carefully and slowly wrapped the human girl with their cloaks.

Their eyes widened in shocked surprise, mouths hanging open speechlessly. Their prince was moving so damned slowly that to them, a turtle might be moving faster than him. Vampires move quick and it was no difference for this prince. In fact, Prince Gavriel's speed was actually unmatched so just watching him now moving so excruciatingly slow had them almost gasping as though they would get heart attacks. Why? Why did he need to move so exaggeratedly slow like that?

No matter how these men try to reason out their prince's action, they couldn't understand. They knew about female humans being frail but wasn't he being a little too much? Or was he afraid to wake her up? But why would he be afraid to wake her up? They couldn't think of any answer that was logical enough for them.

The five able bodied vampires were all scowling as they remained still, watching the oh-so-slow-moving show before them. They never knew something like this would frustrate them to no end. Even though they were only watching.

After what felt like an eternity, the prince finally managed to put on the last cloak around the human girl. The vampires silently and collectively breathed out their held breaths, it was as if there was an inaudible 'at long last' that was released simultaneously, in their minds.

Now completely wrapped up in thick and all-black garments, Gavriel double checked to make sure that the girl was covered properly from head to toe before he finally lifted his face. He moved out of the carriage with the girl in his arms and spoke.

"We will travel slowly," he ordered and with that, he leapt. His men trailed closely after him, happy to be finally moving again.

But then, after a few minutes, his men found themselves scowling at their situation once again. They couldn't help it. It was because the 'slow' their prince had mentioned wasn't even the kind of slow that they or all vampires knew. This was… bloody, bloomin' slow…

Levy's comrades simply shrugged but their expressions all indicated that the same thoughts were running through their minds as well. They were among the best of all the vampire warriors – the elites. They never, ever travelled or moved this slowly in their entire lives! They didn't even know that something like this would actually frustrate them so badly until now that they were seeing and experiencing it first-hand.

'Bloody hell! Zolan, tell his highness that the girl will definitely not die if we sped up a little! For goodness' sake. This is too much!' Levy complained again.

'Why don't you tell him yourself?' Zolan responded with a devil-may-care look on his face.

Frustrated, Levy turned his gaze to his stoic looking comrade named Luc, who gave the same reaction.

'Ugh, you do it Reed!' Levy said to the youngest looking one but the man named Reed, just blinked innocently and averted his gaze away, ignoring Levy.

'His Highness is acting strange! What the hell happened to him? Did the humans do something to him? One of us should've at least escorted him when he set foot in the human's land!' Levy continued complaining, leaping or bouncing backwards while facing his comrades.

'It's not like this is the first time His Highness set foot in the human's land. He'd even reached the Southern empire a few times,' Zolan replied.

'But this is the first time he lingered inside a human's castle. What if –"

'Stop it Levy, His Highness is not a fool to let anyone do such a thing to him. And do you really think any human can do anything to His Highness?'

'But…' Levy pressed his lips together and shook his head in frustration as they continued the most frustrating travel they ever encountered in their lives.

…

When Evie opened her eyes, she was in blissful ignorance for a few sweet moments. It felt like she had awakened from a very deep sleep. She blinked owlishly without moving for a while and when she turned around, she immediately stiffened.

A man was lying next to her, and he was… naked. Evie's eyes widened as she rose. She was about to yelp in alarm but as her eyes jumped to the man's face, she froze.

The memories came flooding in. Everything, since the night of her wedding, the blood and gore, up till she passed out inside the carriage. Her chest tightened so hard that she had to desperately drag air into her lungs.

When breathing slowly became easier, Evie swallowed hard as she gazed at the man, her vampire husband's face. His appearance when he had those terrifying bloody-red eyes suddenly flashed in her mind, and a shiver travelled up her spine. The thought of wanting to run away and escape came to her, but her mind quickly dismissed it, reminding her that she had nowhere else to run and there was nothing she could do.

She took a deep breath, trying to find her control as her eyes remained fixated on her husband's face. The longer she stared at his breathtaking face, Evie somehow felt it helped her calm down. She didn't know how but it seemed his beauty had miraculously settled the fear in her heart. Was it because he looked so peaceful, innocent and harmless while asleep?

Evie bit her lips as she forced herself to stop being mesmerized by the vampire prince's beauty. But before she could force her eyes off him, she was reminded of his nakedness and her eyes circled once again. Her face burned while her eyes literally inched from his face downwards, to his neck then his muscular and lean chest, and then his perfect abs that were half covered by the blanket. Evie's lips subconsciously parted, utterly distracted and mesmerized until something registered in her that drove the blood out of her face.

Her eyes whipped towards herself and when she saw that she was fully dressed, she finally let out the breath she didn't know she was holding in.

Chapter 10:Are we clear?

Evie frantically surveyed herself. There seemed to be nothing unusual with her body. The vampire prince didn't seem to have done anything to her while she was asleep, she just somehow knew it.

She looked at his sleeping face again and her shoulders relaxed. A long sigh escaped her lips before she looked around the room. It was vast and the windows were covered with thick maroon curtains. The ceiling was also very high. It was a little dark but Evie could tell it was daylight. How long did she sleep? Was she in the village across the Dark Valley?

But judging from the size of this room, it somehow seemed to be a master room of a huge castle. Was there a huge castle in the very first village across the border? Or could it be that this wasn't the village anymore?

The thought that she was finally in the foreign land, the land she and all her friends used to imagine as a place as good as hell, made her subconsciously hug herself. She didn't tremble in fear but there was a peculiar churning in the pit of her stomach – the fear of the known and unknown making her heart convulse with unease again. What was going to happen to her in this land of bloodsuckers? She even chuckled wryly in her mind – they were true and living bloodsuckers, in the literal sense sand not just a figure of speech.

"You're finally awake," a pleasant and husky voice made her shoulders jolt and her spine straighten. Her head whipped towards the glorious man, but his back was already facing her as he rose from the bed.

Evie couldn't help but feel her ears burn hot at the sight of his broad and perfectly chiselled back. She was glad his lower half was fully clothed. She watched him as he gracefully walked towards the large windows and pulled the curtain slightly open, just enough for the light to brighten up the room.

The light came streaming in and it slightly blinded Evie. But good lord… Evie couldn't help but gape because the man was more blinding than the light. And she couldn't even scold herself and tell herself that she was being ridiculous. Because she knew she wasn't, and it wasn't fair! Thank god she managed to maintain a shred of dignity by keeping her mouth from shamelessly hanging open.

It was all she could do to drag her eyes away from him. She was mortified because she thought she had expected to be unable to look into any vampire's face. Who would've thought she would actually find herself struggling to look away instead? This was… ridiculously unbelievable!

"Are you alright?" the face she was trying so hard to look away from suddenly appeared right before her and she almost gasp. "You've been sleeping since yesterday, Evielyn." He added and Evie almost believed the worried look on his face. But she wouldn't dare. She wouldn't dare believe that he was really concerned about her, even his gentleness and care for her since their wedding until that brutal journey.

She wouldn't dare believe all of those gentlemanly actions were sincere. Because Evie had been warned beforehand by her parents and the emperors to remain vigilant and careful because the vampires would surely try everything to win her trust and then extract information from her. After all, the humans knew that the vampires would remain suspicious about the real reason behind the truce the humans had offered. They weren't idiots after all. They were intelligent and sly creatures as the emperors called them. They would go as far as to use their beauty and charm to bewitch the poor humans to their submission. And Evie had vowed not just to her parents and the emperors but also to herself that she would never, ever, let any vampire fool or bewitch her, not even this prince, her very own husband.

"I am fine." Evie replied and she couldn't believe she was staring back at him and with a hard glare too. "Y-you… why…you," she breathed, "are… sleeping next to me?" Evie stuttered out the thought that was plaguing her but was so disconcerted that her sentence came out weird.

The pair of moon-like eyes slightly widened and then narrowed at her. The next moment, he was right before Evie's face. His hands already on the bed as he leaned over her. Evie held her breath. The sight of him that day in the Dark Valley flashed in her mind and her body tensed up.

Evie gulped, her mouth opened and then shut. She suddenly didn't know what to say. It was as if her mind failed her as soon as she looked in his eyes. And all she did was watch him as those silver discs shuttered and let out a quiet breath right before her face. She subconsciously jerked backwards when her mind registered his cool breath fanning across her cheeks.

His eyes flashed open at her sudden movement and stared at her again, silently but intensely before he bit his lower lip in exasperation. "Are you still not fully awake? Fine." He nodded as if trying to reason with himself. "I am sleeping next to you because I am your husband and you are my wife." He told her in a serious but almost mocking voice.

Evie was forced to look away because staring back at those pair of silvery moon eyes were too distracting for her. She can't let herself be rendered mute by his gaze. She must respond. But before she could open her mouth, the vampire prince's spoke again.

"Say, Evielyn," his eyes brooded. "The deal was that I am not allowed to touch you without your consent, and I promised to respect that and will never force myself on you or harm you. But it seems as if the meaning of those words to you isn't the same as what I understood? The way you are reacting is as though I am not allowed to stay in the same room and lay in the same bed as you, am I right? Evielyn?"

He bit his lips again, this time harder. Evie stiffened because she felt the atmosphere turned heavy. Worry began to consume her, scared that his eyes would turn red. But it didn't.

"Listen," his voice became calm, utterly calm. "If that's your understanding, then I apologize, my wife. But I'll have you understand that it is totally off the mark and I'm not going to buy such nonsense. You and I are married, therefore, we shall stay in the same room and lay in the same bed. Are we clear?"