A Bastard's Allure-Chapter 123: Freed Shackles

Darion was walking around the training yard when she spotted Jophiel walk in with a basket of fruits. For some odd reason, his heart raced. But he was not ready to face her, not now. He hid behind a pillar that was only able to mask half of his body.

Jophiel would have taken the hallway that led to Elena’s chambers but she chose to use the garden pavement. She thought Elena might be there since it was a sunny afternoon.

Upon stepping on this pavement, she spotted a silhouette of a man hidden behind a pillar in the most ridiculous way. Those strong arms, and the signature black boots. His face popped in her mind.

Before she knew it, she was already standing behind him. From the looks of it, he was trying to avoid her by pretending to be staring at the knights who were training below the yard.

"Darion?" She called.

Darion swallowed the lump in his throat. His nightmare was undoubtedly here, and there was no way out!

"Hmm," he reverberated, slowly turning to face her. She was just as he could remember. The only difference, she’d braided her hair. His eyes wanted to wander south but he was quick to avert them.

"You’ve been avoiding me," she stated the obvious. She tried searching his eyes but they were cast everywhere else but her.

"Have I?" He asked, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "I’ve been a very busy man lately." It was a lie!

Jophiel pursed her lips, her heart tightening in her chest. "Very busy you’d rather take another route than the one I’m using," she said, referring to the incident he avoided her the last time she saw him.

Darion’s eyes darted around. He had been caught in a web of his own lies, and there was no escape.

"Um...," he began with a stutter. "I don’t actually remember..."

"Was it real?" She asked, cutting him midway. "What we had? Was it real to you?" She asked. Though her voice was cool, he could detect a slight tremor in it, and a longing in her eyes when he looked at them.

She was beautiful, too good for him even. How could he deserve this? He, a man who had spent his entire life whoring? He knew he wasn’t avoiding her. He was avoiding the version of her that wished what could have been.

"Whatever happened between us," he started, his eyes staring deeply into hers. He knew what he was going to say would hurt her, but he’d be protecting her from himself. "It was nothing I never did with other women."

Jophiel could have sworn the world spun around her the moment the words left his lips. It was like a hard plunge of a dagger into her heart, one she’d never be able to remove until the bleeding stopped. And that would be a very long time!

She sighed and whimpered at the same time, her lips sealed together. The tears had already collected at the brim of her eyes but she didn’t waver. Even with the tears threatening to spill anytime soon, she clenched the basket hard, staring back at his emotionless eyes.

"I could have known soon," she mastered the courage to say. "I was in shackles, in doubt, but now I’m free."

She looked at him one last time before she left the castle without taking the fruits to Elena.

Darion watched her retreating back until she was out of sight. He hated to watch her leave, but he would only hurt her if she stayed. Maybe it was for the best, he thought, turning to look at the soldiers sparring in the yard below.

*****

Back in Elena’s room, Gabriel took short but measured steps towards a naked Elena. He slowly grabbed her by her neck, his eyes settled on the fangs. How comes he never saw them before, not even earlier today when they kissed.

There was only one explanation; she was a demon in disguise. His hand moved around her neck, giving her a soft squeeze. Oddly, she seemed to like it.

’Then you’ll like this more,’ Gabriel thought before his hold on her neck tightened. She held his hands trying to free herself as she fought for air. Gabriel raised her a few feet above the ground, watching the life slowly sip out of her.

She held his strong arms, her eyes now watery and red as she fought for air. Gabriel’s face grew smug as he waited for her to reveal her true self. But strangely, her fangs retracted to their normal size and she didn’t appear to change anytime soon.

With his face now a mixture of worry and surprise, he let her go. He stood rooted at the same spot as he watched her gasping for air.

"I’m sorry," he said, kneeling to her level. "I thought you were someone else," he said, his speech now gibberish. It was as if this wasn’t the first time he’d attempted to murder her.

"I’m really sorry," he said, taking her tightly into her embrace. She could hear his heart racing, more like the fear of losing her.

"I’m really sorry," he muttered again, holding her tightly as if she’d vanish any second soon. A cryptic smile curved on her lips, one that was quick to disappear when Gabriel moved to help her back to her feet.

The consequences of his stupid action were printed all over her skin. The marks of his claws were on her neck, a single tear drop in the corner of her left eye. Reaching out with his thumb, he wiped it off and muttered another sorry under his breath.

"It’s okay," she said. "Even I couldn’t accept the changes happening to my body. Maybe we should ask your mother," she suggested, her eyes lighting with something Gabriel couldn’t figure. Was it enthusiasm?

Since she was the one who brought her back, it was the only logic thing to do.

"Let me fetch her. Stay here. I’ll have the maids bring you water."