The Blood King's Bride

Elena felt like the ground had swallowed her. After the shocking declaration dropped by Calhoun, to say she was shocked would be the biggest understatement of her entire life. Courting... Calhoun wished to court her. Her emotions were a mix of happiness, shock, fear, and suspicion. She has come to know Calhoun in the past weeks, and as she had only a month to train, it would not be long before she started heading home. But suddenly, Calhoun wished to court her. She was happy, delighted that someone was genuinely interested in her, and on the other hand, she was scared and sad that even if she did agree, she wouldn't be able to spend enough time with him.

Swallowing a gulp, she asked him why he wanted to court her, his reasons, and why her of all people.

"What?" She said, her voice coming out breathless. She innately berated herself for seeming like a dummy. Unfortunately, what she wished to ask wasn't what came out of her mouth.

Seeing that she wasn't against his touch, Calhoun became bolder and placed his hand on her cheek, gently caressing it.

"For the past weeks that we have come to know each other, I would not deny that I feel something... powerful for you. And I also know you feel the same way for me. To be honest, this is my first attempt at a relationship. I hardly spend my time with any female, except my mother,

but these days I find myself wishing to be in your presence at every hour of the day. This may seem so fast, but I really want to see where this goes."

Elena gulped, her heart beating faster. She looked at Calhoun and saw that he was

serious. He was genuinely interested in her.

"If I agree, we may not even last long as a couple. My training would soon end. I would have to go back home."

A flash of panic crossed his face before it was immediately replaced by determination.

He leaned even closer to her, their breath mingling as he studied her.

"We would cross that bridge when we get there." He looked at her lips, then back to her

eyes.

"But first, answer me. I wish to court you, but I won't do it without your permission." At

that, she snickered, thankful for the joke.

"Like you can do it without my permission."

Calhoun raised his brows in mock outrage.

"Are you daring me?"

"No." She said, snickering. "But, as for your declaration..." Suddenly everywhere became

silent, the tension heavy. Even though Calhoun's face didn't betray him if any emotion, the hand

he placed on her cheeks trembled; she knew he was beyond nervous.

"Yes. I agree to court you." Calhoun released a smile so bright, Elena was almost blinded.

His body was strung tight, not knowing whether to jump, hug or kiss her. By the way, he was staring at her lips, he had already made his decision.

"May I... kiss you?" He asked, his voice coming out breathless. Elena felt her heart almost

jump out of her throat, and with the way it was beating, she suspected that she would soon die of

shock. Yet nothing would stop her from getting her first genuine kiss. Yes, she had been kissed, but most of them were forced upon her, and the one she did allow barely even touched her lips. To see Calhoun panting heavily, his eyes hooded with lust and desire for her and only her, coupled with the genuine interest he had for her, there was no way that she was going to deny this. This kiss was not only for him but for her also.

"Yes." She whispered. Immediately Calhoun swooped down and covered her mouth with his. At first, it was probing; he kissed her lips a little, then rose to look at her, studying her reaction to know if he was doing anything wrong. He did this action twice before he finally bent down and claimed her mouth hardly. His lips tugged on hers, his tongue dragging around the seams. His teeth pulled the bottom lips, and his tongue pushed back her teeth, trying to gain entrance into her mouth. She opened up and couldn't stop the moan that escaped her mouth. As they both sat on different chairs joined together, with the handles acting as barriers, Elena had to hold on tightly to Calhoun to avoid losing her grip and falling. Even though she was sitting, she could feel her legs getting weak. Calhoun had one of his hands on her cheeks and the other on her head, gently nudging them closer. His tongue swooped in her mouth, tangling with hers, tasting her walls, and sucking her lips again. As she moaned, she felt Calhoun groan against her. "Ancestors..." He breathes out in reverence, breaking the kiss. Elena's brain was muddled, and she could barely tell her left from right. But her lack of orientation didn't stop her from noticing Calhoun's expression. He looked at her with worship, and awe etched on his face. His eyes were lowered half-mast, and his lips were swollen. Obsession and intense desire also made themselves present in his expression. Oh, he had enjoyed kissing her just as much as she did. She had never felt anything like it. If this was how it felt, she could only imagine what would happen if they took it to the next level. Surely she would combust. There was no how she would be able to survive the intense energy of the action.

"Calhoun, she whispered..." Her mind scrambled. That was the only thing she could say. Calhoun still held her face with both hands, gently caressing it. He leaned down and pecked her, then stood up, grinning widely.

"Today is the mark of a new beginning... darling. I look forward to spending the

remaining days with you!" Elena watched as he walked out, finding how he turned back to look at her cute. She smiled at him, her heart galloping. It really was the start of a new day.

*****

The remaining days sped by in a blink. Calhoun had never felt so much happiness, and yes, he loved his parents, but being with Elena completed him. Made him whole. He had never been so comfortable staying with someone, and he looked forward to seeing her every day. As time went by, she became perfect in her sword practice, although unfortunately, the dreaded day for her return drew near. Calhoun wished he could accompany her, but he did not want the royals in the other kingdom to know of his arrival. The kingdom of Tush never knew of his, and he couldn't blame them. The town they were in was very close to the Wastelands. He doubted that their leaders would be paying attention here. He also had a job to fulfill. Having found Elena, he can finally check the 'bride' of his list. He still needed to find who had destroyed

the Wastelands. He would have suspected they would head to his kingdom, but his kingdom had a barrier placed around it, allowing only those of its decent to freely enter. If a foreigner enters with a person from the blood kingdom, there would be no problem also.

These past few weeks, he had spent his time in the Red Queen's restaurant, aiding Elena while also looking out for information. So far, there have been rumors of a particular set of people who wore white garments that go around pillaging towns and villages. He even heard one claiming that they had power, but he wasn't sure if he saw- or rather heard-well. Calhoun wished to go and check it out, but he didn't have enough men if anything bad were to happen. He didn't want to end up putting his men in danger. He had to return and seek the counsel of his father.

But first, he would convince Elena to return with him.

He remembered the first time they had kissed. He had never felt so conflicted in his life; desire, obsession, lust, awe. For someone like him who had been celibate all his life, feeling those emotions at once was thrilling as it was scary. He had wanted to go slow with her, but he kissed her as if his life depended on it. And as the remaining days bled out, he found himself kissing her longer than the last. After the day her friend Forest caught them kissing- and yes, he didn't notice his arrival- to u decided to share the news with everyone in the house. He more like wanted to stake his claim. Assuring everyone that Elena was his and he was hers. Elena's friends took it in stride as if they were already expecting it. The old man looked at them with joy and surprise, expressing his happiness and congratulating them. His guards were shocked. Their king, who was never ensnared by a female, was in a relationship. Firoza had given him a stiff smile, which had caused him to be on red alert. Lately, he wondered if the man they had found that night was right. But he couldn't find any proof. Since she had taken him from that place, she lived like any normal person. He still told himself to be careful around her. And he didn't going to release her until he found out what was suspicious about her.

He always made his way to Elena's side of the house. He had become addicted to her cooking. Another interesting thing that happened to him was that he didn't have to beat himself to draw blood. Usually, when his power was acting up, he always had to carry out a form of self- inflicted torture, hoping that the pain would go. But for almost a month, he never had to do that ever since Elena arrived. He decided then that Elena was his bride. He would take her back with him even if it was the last thing he did. He just needed to find a way to do it and fast. Time was drawing near.

In two days, she would be returning.

*****

Elena stood in the courtyard, practicing her sword strokes. He moved to the front, her sword held forward with both hands on the hilt. She slashed, drew back with one hand, and then moved back, slashing again. She curved, dodged, split, and jumped. She attacked the air with precision, sweat dripping off her eyebrows. She kept repeating her movements till she collapsed on the ground, tired.

She began to think of Calhoun. She may or may not be returning home to her

grandparents. But she missed them, especially her grandmother, who she worried for. She was a bad daughter, having ever only written to the woman three times, and those times were just to reassure her that she was well. After her training, what took up her mind was Calhoun. He was everything Elena had always wanted in a man. Caring, gentle, possessive. And at times, Elena had also seen that flash of danger that always seemed to surround him.

Did that make her like him any less?

No. It made her like him even more.

Forest called Calhoun henpecked- though not in the presence of the said man- saying that if she told him to do anything, he would even go as far as to mutilate himself to achieve it. But she didn't know what to do now, especially as her day to return drew near. She wanted to stay with Calhoun, but she also wanted to see her grandparents. And Calhoun wanted her to come back with him, to meet his family, promising that they would love her too. She had also told Calhoun that he could go with her, but Calhoun refused, saying that he sincerely wished he could, but something had happened, and he needed to find the clue on who had caused it. He still refused to tell her what the problem was, though.

Her musing was interrupted by the sound of crunching grass. Someone was walking over to her, and she knew it wasn't Calhoun's. His was methodical, almost silent. This was aggravated, almost bothering enraged. She sat up to view who it was, noticing the outline as it came closer. Finally, the innocent face of Firoza came to view, only this time it wasn't naive; it was instead filled with malice.

"Is anything wrong?" Elena asked, threading silently. Something about this girl always

ticked her nerves, but whatever it was, she decided to temper her reaction and instead study the

girl.

"Stay away from Calhoun." She said, her voice dripping with venom. At that, Elena

frowned. No one told her to stay away from people she lo-liked. Yes, liked.

"And who are you to tell me who I should be with?" Elena said as she stood up, her anger silently building.

"I have noticed the looks you have given him. He doesn't like you. He doesn't pay

attention to you. Get over that fact and know that he is with someone he truly has affection for." At that, Firoza grinned cruelly.

"Looks at you. Wagging your tongue when you don't even know what's happening." Elena scrunched her brows, frowning.

"What do you mean?"

"Calhoun's father had been giving him brides for years. He had even gone as far as to throw some at him, drug him, and manhandle him. Not that that can happen." She said with a cruel snicker. "He was ordered to find a bride. When he saw me, he was cautious at first, but he slowly came to like me. We like each other. But we fought, and then he is using you to make me jealous."

"You don't seriously think that I would believe that."

"Ask him then. Ask him who I am to him. If he says no one, ask him why I follow him then. Why he keeps a maiden next to him, someone, who he claims to mean nothing to him. Letnoveldrama

that answer your question." She said, snickering as she walked away.