A Bastard's Allure-Chapter 28: Temptation

His room was where he wanted to be but seeing that human princess, who was now his wife, worried sick for him was not a picture he liked particularly. And as much as she wanted to help him, he knew he had to face it alone as he’d always done before. Marrying her was one of the mistakes she ever made, though she never appeared regretful about it.

He wandered around the castle for a while but he ended up in the hallway leading to his chambers. From afar, he could spot the door narrowly open. The wind blew up on him and with it, that scent... How could he ever forget it?

He hissed in rebellion when the scent hit his nostrils. His fangs grew long as if they had a mind of their own, his head now throbbing in pain when he tried to fight it.

A deep breath helped him calm down, the red in his eyes now replaced by the initial gold. He tilted his head to one side and curbed his breath when the scent came again. His already elongated nails dug in his flesh when he clenched his fists.

He moved towards the wall and supported his frame before he could give into the temptation. He needed a clear mind! Blood! Yes, it was her blood! Worry etched on his face now, a new surge of energy coursing through his body.

With concern now written all over his face, he strode towards the slightly open door and pushed it open. Elena came into view, her eyes trained on her bent elbow while holding a bandage against the bleeding wound. She felt someone’s presence in the room, lifting her eyes to meet with Gabriel’s worried ones.

Two steps was all it took to have him standing in front of her. His eyes fell on the bloodied bandages first and then to her wound. For some odd reason, she couldn’t read the expression on his face. Was it fear?

He’d said she was the cause of last night’s tragic accident in the pleasure house through her blood! What if...? Elena’s heart raced, her eyes widening when Gabriel sat on the edge of the bed.

"Let me," he said, holding the bandage for her. Slowly, she let go of it, her eyes still trained on him. He lifted the bandage a little and took a peak at the wound. "Not as worse as I had thought." He managed to smile, and Elena felt her heart skip a beat.

His cold hand held hers and expertly bent it. He picked a fresh bandage and wrapped it around the wound. "What happened?" He asked while rolling the bandage around her hand.

"I slipped and fell," Elena lied.

"You need to watch your step Bunny. Next time I might have you for supper instead of this," he teased, forming another smile that melted Elena’s heart.

Her eyes settled on his white pearls, probably the beautiful of smiles she had ever seen. If only he followed Brandon’s earlier suggestion, the world might be drooling in his smile, just like her.

He raised his brows when he caught her staring at him dreamingly. Surprised, Elena looked everywhere else but him, her cheeks now flushed pink.

"What’s my bunny upto now? The last person to look at me that long ended up being my wife," he stated, and when Elena processed it, she blushed even harder.

Gabriel smirked at the number of times this cute bunny blushed within a short span of time. Her face was cast down all the while and he wondered what she might look like right now. And as if with a mind of their own, his hand moved and his finger held her chin.

"Look at me bunny," he said, his voice commanding but one Elena could not simply ignore. She raised her head as directed by his finger, and her eyes settled on those beautiful golden orbs that made her feel like sinning.

Her cheeks were still flushed, he noticed. She looked all pink, and annoyingly adorable! His eyes were trained on her face as if engraving every finer details of her in his mind. Her lips slightly parted and Gabriel was certain he felt a purge in his heart. His eyes settled there, her luscious lips proving to be a living temptation.

"Hopefully this might help with your wound," he said, but Elena only saw his lips move. He leaned closer, and she had an idea of what he was about to do. She closed her eyes anticipating for that alien feeling again, and when his lips brushed slightly against hers, the stars twinkled in the abyss of darkness.

She leaned over hoping to feel him again but the feeling never came. Disappointed, she fluttered her eyes open to find Gabriel staring back at him, a smirk playing on his face. His thumb caressed her lower lip before he spoke.

"I didn’t know I had such a naughty wife."

Elena’s mind finally started working, and when it did, she blushed even harder. She looked down avoiding his face all the while until she felt him move. She lifted her eyes hoping he’d be facing the other side but she was disappointed. He was still there, just a few steps away, his eyes still on hers, calculatingly at that.

"What?" He purred. And like one hit by realization, "Don’t tell me this naughty bunny likes the taste of my lips?"

Elena felt like slapping him across the face to wipe off that annoying smirk out of existence, yet she found it annoyingly cute whenever he smiled. His face turned serious all of a sudden, and with it, her rugged breath.

"Father wants me to settle the matter in the werewoods. He says this will keep me from the murder case and exaggeratingly, his way of helping me," he revealed. And finding her eyes, he asked, "Do you think I should go?"

"If you see it right, why not?"

"It might be right for me but leaving you behind and alone in this castle is what I’m afraid of." He let a little silence grow between them, observing her emotional shift. She was sad yet glad at the same time.

"If it’s the only way, then you have to take the chance. Prove to the people that you’re worth of the throne as much as your purebred brother." She walked closer, her face shining in determination. "I believe you’re better than any of them."

"Easy thing to say when your lips are parted. Tempting me, aren’t you?" He asked, the previous smirk settling on his face.

Elena instinctively took a few steps back and bit her lips into a thin line.