A Bastard's Allure-Chapter 88: Walking Skeleton

Gabriel had tried to maintain his cool under Brumfort’s skin, and for a while, it worked. The sight of Charles laying his hands on Elena stroke a chord of jealousness in him, so great he wished to chop the caucasian’s prince hands.

’It’s just a dance,’ he dismissed it with a thought. But not until prince Charles leaned close, so close he could see Elena feel uncomfortable from where he sat. He whispered something in her ear, which he caught instantly with his vampiric power. So the whitie wanted to take revenge on the Thornhart’s by agreeing on this marriage, knowing pretty well what he’d do to El, his wife!

’No one touches what’s mine,’ he declared in his mind, clenching his fists under the table. The gods must be cruel to present him with such a sight! And as if they had heard his thoughts, the music came to a halt, Elena and Charles offering their bows before resuming to their initial positions.

Her heart was racing from the moment she left the floor until now. She was staring blankly at the pork and delicacies served on the table now, her mind clouded with thoughts and premonition of the future. He hated to see her that way.

She reminded him of the day of their wedding. She was a timid little human scared of a pale being to be her husband. And to think she was subjected to the same treatment again, he could not think Andrian lesser of a monster. Who, in their sane mind, sells their sister from one kingdom to another in return for power? Somehow, he reminded him of his father. The two had some common characteristics.

He searched for Elena’s face in the table, and she was timid as before. Unmoving, shoulders dropped in defeat, while her heart raced uncontrollably. To her, the merry going on in the throne hall was just but background noise.

He hated every second she spent in such a dull mood. He had to do something. An idea came at the back of his mind.

"My Lady?" He called, his voice raspy and low. Her eyes were trained on the table. "El?"

She raised her eyes in bewilderment, searching around as if she had heard a daydream. Her eyes found Lord Brumfort’s, her heart dropping to her belly in... was it fear, or relief?

His eyes had changed color to a familiar shade of gold. And how could she forget that pair of moonlit eyes that made her body speak in a different language?

"Gab... Gabriel!?" She asked, her eyes looking at his grey beard and Brumfort’s figure. Brumfort’s eyes turned back to normal in an instant, as if the gold was not there in the first place.

"Meet me at the back," he said and left through the rear door that led to the hallways to the king’s quarters.

Elena’s heart now raced in a mixture of fear and anticipation. What she just saw, it felt so real. His eyes transported her back to the moments, Gabriel’s face coming into her mind. Or was it just her mind playing tricks on her? There was only one way to find out.

She gathered her skirt, standing up to catch the attention of the merrying trio; Charles, Magnus and Andrian.

"You’re leaving already?" Andrian asked raising a brow that implied ’why are you embarrassing me in front of my visitors?’.

"You haven’t tasted your food," Charles pointed.

"I feel nauseous," Elena lied. "If you’ll excuse, I have to use the bathroom." Left with no choice, Andrian nodded, but his gut was telling him something was off.

Elena hurried outside, but to her dismay, the hallways were empty. The only person she saw was the silhouette of a maid disappear around the corner with a tray.

Determined, she held the hem of the dress, her heels clicking loudly against the marble floor. She was heading nowhere in particular. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Just as she was about to give up around the corner, a hand pulled her into a room and the person closed the door before sealing her lips into a searing kiss. Everything had happened so fast when Elena caught Lord Brumfort’s figure kissing her.

She didn’t know how but she pushed him with new profound wave of energy before landing a slap across his wrinkled cheeks. What could be so disgusting than being stalked by a man old enough to be his granddaughter. How he was still walking was still a mystery everyone in the hall was yet to unravel.

Brumfort held his reddened cheek, a smirk dancing on his cracked lips. This version of her intrigued him.

"You nasty old moron!" She cursed, her lips twisting in disgust. "I’ll call the guards on you!" She added, already walking towards the door.

Gabriel held her hands and pinned her to the wall, his grip firm. Elena was intrigued by how strong he was when she tried to free herself.

"I don’t mean any disrespect to you, Lord Brumfort," she started, swallowing hard at his closeness. "For the respect you had for my father, I ask you to get your hands off me before I scream and you die before you enjoy whatever time is left for you!" She released her breath, snarling at the end.

Brumfort’s eyes searched hers, the mirth slowly disappearing on her face, now replaced with intrigue. He let her see the shade of gold behind his sunken eyes.

"You don’t know who I am?" He asked, equally curious.

Her lips parted to say something, the words Lord Brumfort at the tip of her tongue, but her heart beat to his name, and her mind too. She had a strong feeling it was him, yet a part of her refused to acknowledge the thought.

"Someone hiding behind this mask," she replied, her eyes never leaving his. And the more she stared at them, the more of Gabriel Sinclair she could see in him. As they say, the eyes are the windows to the soul.

"Nice guess, but you could do better than that, bunny." The way his lips curled into a smile when he said those words filled the missing puzzle in Elena’s mind. Now, she was more than certain Brumfort was indeed Gabriel Sinclair in disguise.

Her hand moved to caress his cheeks. "I thought you were in a dark cell."

"Do I look like someone to be imprisoned by humans?" Gabriel asked, exuding his ego through Brumfort’s beard.

"What happened to you?" She asked, scanning him from head to toe. "You look like... a walking skeleton!" And she was serious about the compliment!

"Vathin," he paused when he remembered the scene at the cellar. "He, um, cast a spell on me and himself so that we could infiltrate the palace unnoticed."

"What about the real Lord Brumfort and Lady Leana?"

"We hijacked their carriage on the way here. Lord Brumfort," he clicked his tongue, scratching the back of his ear. "The old man could barely breathe, so we left him in a comfy bush. Leana keeps her company."

Elena stared daggers at him. "It was the only way!" Gabriel complained. "Besides, your brother wants us dead after escaping from the cellar."

A little silence grew between them for a little while, Brumfort letting his eyes settle on her dress.

"I can’t believe you agreed to this!" He said, his voice hurt.

"What? No!" Elena said in a panic. "It was either your freedom or your lives. I couldn’t risk to see you..."

"Dead?" Brumfort asked, raising a hairless brow.

"You’re creeping me with this look," she complained. "I want to see my Gabriel, the real Gabriel."

"That’ll cost a kiss," Gabriel teased.

Elena looked at him and she could already guess the evil thoughts running in his bony mind. "Okay," she replied.

Brumfort’s lips curled into a not so admirable smile before his body enveloped into a bright halo, momentarily blinding Elena. The light dissipated slowly, and right there in front of her was the bastard of Eldoria, her husband. He was as handsome as she could remember.

"I know I’m handsome!" Came his comment, followed by his usual rolling of eyes. Elena could not contain the emotional rollercoaster she felt at the moment, and the next thing she knew, she grabbed his jaw harshly, sealing her lips with his into a heated kiss.

Though caught by surprise, Gabriel reciprocated, prying her open and knocking the air out of her lungs. Her back crashed against the wall, her hands digging into his shirt at the back as he kissed.

"You’re mine! Do you hear me?" Gabriel asked in the midst of the kiss. The fact that Charles lay his hands on her made him go all rough, as if to claim her very existence.

He sucked the skin behind her ear, which he knew was the perfect spot to turn her on.

"Someone might come in on us," Elena reasoned, her eyes to the slightly open door.

Gabriel undid the stripes on her chest, giving him access to her peaches. He sucked at the nipple sending Elena’s mind into a bliss.

’Let them come,’ he thought in his head.