Chapter 331 Deja vu
The cold rain didn't help to even just dampen the fire on Alex's body. Her mouth… the way she tasted was just… how could she taste so good? How did this woman make him react like this?
His hands were on the railings, gripping them tightly because he wasn't allowed to touch her. This might have been a bad idea. This was a torture for him! He wanted to pull her to him and devour her. He had never felt this crazy about a woman's warmth, about a woman's kiss and touch. And again, something in his mind told him that there was something in her kisses. She was so wild right now, as if she had given in to her carnal desires but each kiss, each touch from her were filled with so much emotion and it made him feel like she really wanted him, like she longed for him.
Oh, f*ck… he wanted more… more than this… he couldn't get enough… he wanted to kiss her forever… and eventually become one with her… he wanted her so bad… so bad he could die…
But the divine bliss that he had been given a taste of didn't last much longer. She eventually pulled away and her lips left his. They were both taking shallow breaths as they looked at each other.
"That was hot enough, Alex. Now let's go inside," she ordered. How could she be so composed after that? Did she not feel the same thing he felt? Couldn't she feel the chemistry between them? How was she so easily satisfied with just that?
"Not yet Abigail, I want more," he told her, looking very serious. His playful smile was nowhere to be seen this time.
Abi's eyes slightly widened. "Y-you're being too greedy. I am not your – ahh, what have you done!!"
Alex followed her line of sight and saw that the metal railing he had been gripping was crumpled like a piece of paper in his hands.
"Oh, don't worry about this. I'll compensate the owner," was all he replied, not sorry at all.
Abi was about to scold him but then, she sneezed. That finally convinced the stubborn man to go inside.
"I saw that there was a hot water swimming pool at the back. Come, little lamb… I'll teach you how to swim," he said. His wicked smile had made a comeback.
The look in his eyes made Abi feel that it was a bad idea to go with him but if she said 'no', this man would certainly go there alone.
Left without a choice, Abi could only follow after him.
The pool looked very appealing. The narrow and long rectangular shaped pool looked very inviting especially when she saw the steam coming from the hot water. The steam of the blue water made Abi just want to jump into it and relax her tensed nerves. The last time she went and dipped herself in a relaxing hot spring was back in that Snowy mountain and thinking about that place somehow brought back the memories of their time there.
"Don't just space out right there. Come join me." Alex's voice pulled her from her reverie. He was already in the water, standing there, revealing his drool worthy upper body while his lower body was covered by the blue water.
Flashing an inviting smile, Alex stretched out his hand for her. Abi could only reach out and she let him help her into the pool.
Once Abi dipped into the water, she closed her eyes, just letting herself soak in the blissful warmth of a natural hot water. Her body loved the way her muscles relaxed as the heat seeped into them, softening all the hardened nerves that had accumulated over the past three horrible months.
Alex just sat there, leaning against the edge of the pool, watching her. He had just realized that having her touch him and kiss him was another mistake. If he wanted to survive four more days, he would have to stop having Abi touch him, or kiss him or whatever else his body wanted. He was damned if he did, and damned if he didn't. But at this point, he thought that this was the lesser of two evils. Alex could only shake his head over how foolish he was in suggesting such a ridiculous deal. It seemed he had overestimated himself when it came to this woman.
"Ah, that was nice!" Abi's face was almost sparkling in pure bliss as they both climbed out of the water.
Somehow, he was glad he stopped himself from teasing her otherwise she might not have been able to enjoy her relaxing bath.
"Do you want me to dry your hair?" Abi offered when she saw Alex drying his hair with a towel. She had said that out of impulse, because she had always liked drying Alex's soft hair.
A smirk flashed on Alex's face. "Sure," he said, just before he berated himself at easily succumbing to her. Where was his resolve to not let her touch him anymore? He looked out the window and imagined that he saw his resolve on the back of a flying pig. Alex sighed inwardly and obediently sat on the edge of the bed, in front of Abi.
Abi knelt on the bed behind him and started drying his hair. She had definitely missed this. She had missed these mundane, everyday things they used to do.
Alex closed his eyes. His face looked peaceful and relaxed. He was wondering why even something small like this felt so nice to him. Everything she did always felt extraordinary no matter whether it was drying his hair, or holding his hand, or kissing him, and at this moment, he had a feeling of deja vu. In fact, he noticed now that he may have felt this more and more often with her, even a while ago when she kissed him on the veranda. But Alex shrugged those feelings off because there were other girls in his life before that kissed him under the rain so he thought that this must be the reason why the scene seemed familiar. But this, he could not remember anyone else doing this for him before. So why did this feel like this wasn't the first time?
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Chapter 332 Vivid
She finally turned the blow dryer off and the room became quiet again. Peaceful even. Alex opened his eyes reluctantly. That felt really satisfying.
"Abigail," he called out, throwing his head back to her that Abi was forced to catch his head and let it fall on her lap. She looked down and their eyes met.
Sparks seemed to fly and Alex's hand seemed to have a mind of its own. It started to reach out towards her, to touch her face. Damn. He should stop this. He needed to stop because he needed to prove to her that he didn't just want her body. But as much as he told himself to stop, his hand kept reaching out to her, wanting to touch her, to feel her skin. It was like she had hypnotised him but she didn't even do anything!
His hand inched closer and closer but before his fingers could touch her face, a loud, shattering noise pulled their attention.
Alex immediately got up, alert and ready to attack, if needed. The noise sounded like glass windows shattering.
Abi was quick to cling onto Alex's arm as they both walked towards the veranda. The rain had stopped and the full moon had started to rise, replacing the sun.
The moment Alex held the door knob, Abi quickly stopped him.
Because she could now hear it. Their heartbeats. The strings of violet in colour, the fast paced and high pitched heartbeats. They were here and it wasn't just one. She could hear the heartbeats coming from above and below them as well to their right and left. They were surrounded.
"A-alex…" Abi's voice slightly trembled. "T-they're here," she added, gripping him tightly.
What she whispered in fear made Alex smile. His eyes turned gold as he opened his lips. "Bring it on, witches," he said and in the blink of an eye, the glass windows, the solid roof and walls shattered in one go as four women with long hair emerged.
The blissful hotel room suddenly looked like a scene from a horror movie. The witches were dressed like normal humans but they had black lips and their skin were white and grayish, like corpses. It seemed that they didn't bother trying to disguise themselves anymore.
"Just stand here and don't move, my sweet maid," Alex told her and then, an unexpected kiss landed on her forehead, distracting her for a moment.
But that single moment was enough for Alex to escape her tight grip.
"That kiss is an exception because it's something I needed to do in this dire situation," he said, even winking wickedly at her.
And then, there he was, suddenly appearing in front of a witch and smashing her head against the wall. The witch seemed to have cast a spell and turned herself into a bat. Did it not die?
Abi was frozen in shock as she watched Alex effortlessly dealing with them barehanded. He was still smiling and his fiery golden eyes made him look like the devil. Every time he landed a hit, blood would splash out from the witches but then their body disappeared and turned into bats where they would quickly make their escape and fly away.
However, more and more of them arrived. Abi was bombarded with all their heartbeats at once that she couldn't tell how many of them there actually were! It seemed to her that once Alex dealt with one of them, another one would take their place! How many of them were there?!
These witches were keeping Alex busy. His main priority was to keep these witches from Abigail. He wasn't going to let any one of them touch a single cell on her body.
Abi could only watch as he fended off all these witches from her, from him. After seeing how powerful Alex was, how the witches couldn't even touch him, the fear inside her heart somehow subsided. But that relief didn't last because Abi suddenly heard a very loud heartbeat, a stronger one than the rest of the fast, high pitched ones that bombarded her. The colour of this woman's heartbeat was a dark and vivid violet. Abi shivered because she somehow knew that this particular witch was different, stronger and more powerful than these weaklings around them. She followed the trail and it was coming from above them! She immediately looked up and she saw the owner of that heartbeat standing up there on the rooftop, looking down at them through the hole that one of her minions created - and yes, Abi could instantly tell that all these other witches were just minions, sacrifices, compared to this woman.
This particular witch was dressed in a white, flowing dress and she didn't look pasty like the others. Her long silver hair flowed down her back, dancing in the wind and Abi just watched, mesmerised. If Abi didn't know any better, she would have confused that woman for a goddess; she was that beautiful. The air around her seemed to sparkle, drawing power from her. It was like air itself was drawn to her, like a moth toward the light. Was she the queen of the witches?!
The witch's eyes were glued onto Alex like he was the trophy that she had long coveted and the way she looked at him made Abi's heart thud against her ribcage. Oh no! This was bad! If she was the queen, then she could take Alex away from her. NO!!!
The moment Abi thought that, the woman's eyes moved towards her and their eyes met. Abi subconsciously held her breath. Oh god, her eyes… she felt like this witch's gaze was sucking her breath away.
Abi couldn't even blink or look away. She was rooted to the ground, as if she had looked into Medusa's eyes.
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Chapter 333 Different reason
After smashing the last witch on the floor, Alex straightened up and looked back at Abi. The moment he saw her looking up and holding her breath, he cursed and the next second, he picked the witch on the floor and used her as his wrecking ball to hit the witch on the rooftop, holding Abi's gaze.
The witch was hit by her comrade's body and she dissapeared. Alex had been holding back, trying not to destroy the entire house into pieces but at that moment, he didn't hold back at all. How dare this witch try to manipulate his woman!
Alex immediately moved towards Abi. It seemed that she was still in a trance.
"Breath, Abigail," he told her as he touched her face.
When the girl didn't respond, Alex's eyes narrowed. That witch must have been quite powerful since she actually managed to do this to Abi within just a short period of time.
"Fine, I'm going to kiss you to wake you up. This doesn't count," he added and the next second, his lips were on hers. He pried her luscious lips open and delved inside. When Abi was still unresponsive, Alex pulled her into his arms and he sucked her tongue hard.
Abi snapped and she pulled away coughing and gasping for air.
What the hell was that? What happened to her?
"Tch! Now I'm starting to worry about you, little lamb. Zeke actually took a clueless one like you to join the hunt. It is a common knowledge in this country never to stare into a witch's eyes, Abigail. Yet look what you did," he said as he held her. "Are you alright?"
Abi's breathing slowly stabilised and she looked at him.
"A-are they gone? Are you alright?" she asked him and Alex's lips curved up. He couldn't help but feel good seeing that the first thing she was concerned about was him.
"Didn't you see how magnificent I was?" his voice was again filled with mischief. Couldn't he be serious during situations like this? "Tch. We need to find another hotel to spend the night in," he added as he looked around.
The pretty hotel room was ruined. "Alex… what if they follow us again?" she asked, worried. She didn't understand what was going on. They were supposed to be the hunters but here they were, being ambushed. And this Zeke had disappeared into thin air.
"Nope. They won't."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Those little stinky rats simply came to pay us a visit. They knew they couldn't win against me. In short, they came for a different reason. Perhaps to confirm something?" he explained and Abi's brows could only knot again.
The event that happened was still like a jumbled nightmare. She couldn't believe she actually saw real witches and they didn't look pleasant at all, like how some of the books she read portrayed them.
"Confirm something? That you are here?"
"Nope. They already knew we were coming before we even arrived. There must be something else they were looking for," he answered and bent down to look closer at her. "Or maybe, those witches were just curious about the beautiful little lamb who's following me around."
"P-please be serious. Why would they be curious about me? You're the one they want! And where is Zeke, anyway? Why has he not showed up yet? It's been hours!"
Alex pulled away and tilted his head as he looked past the broken window.
"Hmm… don't worry about that guy. He must have left us here alone."
Abi's eyes widened. What the hell! Was he serious? And why was he saying that in such a carefree manner?
"H-huh? Please don't be ridiculous. This was his plan. There must be another reason why he isn't back yet! Wait. Could it be that the witches caught him?!" Abi exclaimed. She couldn't accept what Alex said, that Zeke brought them here and left them alone, as if they were some contestants of a survival game he just dropped on a poisonous island and left to survive by themselves. Even though Zeke was such an unfathomable guy, she was sure he wouldn't do something like this! Something must have happened to him and that was why he wasn't there.
Alex let out a short chuckle. "Oh well, don't worry about that. Zeke is the last person I could ever imagine being caught by a witch. I would really laugh my ass off if that actually happened," he said before he stretched out his hand towards her. "Now come. Let's go."
"Where? Are we going to chase after them?"
"You want us to chase them?"
"No! I… We should go get some reinforcements, don't you think?"
"Reinforcements." He echoed. "Sigh, little lamb… you have no idea… we're not going after them, not when that witch managed to do that to you."
"She did something to me?"
"She did. And that's why you need to rest."
Abi wanted to ask more but he was right, they had to leave this place first.
"H-how about this place?"
"The people here are used to this. Although this must be the first disturbance they have had in the last fifty years. They will fix everything and the kingdom will compensate for it."
As they left the house, Abi still felt uneasy. She was still confused as to what was going on. What was really their purpose for going to this place? Why did it feel like something was off?
They landed on another house near the falls.
The place seemed to be expecting them because the lights were already on but Alex told her that these places were kept prepared by the locals once they heard the news that a royal vampire was arriving at the village. They always knew that something would happen.
The house was smaller than their hotel but it was just as beautiful. It was made of wood and there were flowers all over the house. This was like a garden type villa.
Alex went to shower because he had touched the witches while Abi changed her clothes again, despite not being able to have any contact with them.
She lay on the bed because she felt tired. Did that witch suck her energy or something? There was just too much she didn't know. And she didn't understand why Zeke was doing this.
"What are you thinking?" Alex's voice jolted her. He was already lying beside her.
Turning to face him, Abi let out a quiet breath.
"Alex… I want to know more about… about vampires and witches. Can you tell me more?" she asked and Alex raised a brow.
"Abigail. What fun is there in knowing about those stinky little rats? I'm more interesting than vampires and witches, I assure you."
". . ."
Oh God, this guy…
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Chapter 334 Vampires and witches
Abi just stared at him and had no words for him anymore. She was quite amazed at how hard Alex was trying. If he didn't make a deal with her, she was certain that he would be all over her by now, touching her and teasing her to no end. But now that he couldn't touch her, he had been teasing her verbally much more often than ever before. She didn't know how many times she had become speechless from all his cheesy pick up lines and all the teasing that he seemed to have perfected in such a short period of time. His words were much more provocative than it used to be. Although Abi knew he was just such a natural flirt, this Alex right now was truly getting more and more unbelievably mischievous.
However, Abi was not going to give in. She turned her back from him, ignoring him.
Alex bit his lips, unable to accept that the girl had actually turned her back from him. How was this happening? Did he really not attract her at all? This was tougher than he thought.
Suddenly, he wanted to go and find that man she married and skin him alive.
"Fine. What do you want to know?" he relented. It seemed his flirting wasn't working so Alex decided to behave for now. Maybe he could find out her interests by letting her talk more rather than rendering her speechless all the time. Maybe his flirting was a bit too much for her. Maybe he just needed to tone it down a little. Maybe he just needed to learn how to hypnotise people so that he could just hypnotise her into liking him. So many thoughts and possibilities ran through his mind.
Damn, he couldn't believe he was doing all this just to get this hard-to-get maid of his to like him!
Abi's lips curved up just in time for her to see it when she turned around to face him again. Her heart swelled, relishing the thought that Alex still relented to her quite easily, just like his old self.
"You said the witches already knew we were coming before we even arrived. That means that these witches can really see the future, right?"
"Not really. They cannot see it; they just somehow know when things would happen. The witches could watch us, even now, if they wanted to. They can watch people having conversations through their magical devices. They can't hear the voices but they can read lips well. That is how they knew about our plans. Every plan that has been voiced out will be known by them. And that is how they find out what will happen next. They don't only watch one person, they can watch even a hundred all at once," he explained, causing the sleepy Abi to become fully awake.
"So that's why the witch was in that dungeon. They found out about Zeke's plan to punish me by sending me into the dungeon and so they waited for me down there."
"That's right."
Abi swallowed. It seemed the witches were really powerful. If they knew everyone's plans, they would be one step ahead and have time to devise a counterattack. In fact, they must have already prepared themselves well enough when they found out that the three of them had planned to come to this little town. Was this the reason why Zeke never told them about the plan?
"T-that's kinda amazing. They're such a tough enemy."
"Well, this is the reason why the witches have survived up to this day."
"Do witches have long lives like vampires?"
"No. Their lifespan is the same as humans. Only the pure blooded witches live longer, although they don't live for as long as the royal vampires. The witches usually pass their powers to one of their offspring when they die. That's how there are still powerful witches around to this day."
"Why do vampires and witches hate each other?"
Alex smiled. "What makes you think we hate each other?"
"When you guys talk about them, you all make it sound like they are your mortal enemies."
Alex lifted his hand and made it his pillow. "Vampires and witches are both just superstitions to humans. We were not really enemies to begin with. We had no reason to fight each other, but because of my existence, vampires and witches somehow ended up being enemies. Vampires became superior because of me, because I became an immortal and a strong one at that, creating a huge power gap between us and them. As a result, some vampires ended up treating the witches as an inferior species and some started to abuse them. That happened thousands of years ago and I was one of those who used them for their powers. They became something like slaves, servants for vampires. The vampires wanted to own a witch, like they were some kind of pet, for their own gains. That's how the witch hunt started. But as time went by, the witches also learned to fight. Some witches managed to manipulate their owners and the tables turned. They started to learn more and more spells and curses and since then, vampires and witches never lived together in peace again. Of course, vampires are still superior, but witches are still powerful, if not sneakier than before."
"So that's why they want you gone?"
Alex nodded and his hand moved to tuck the stray strands of hair that fell on Abi's face. But he stopped centimeters away from her skin. "Now that I've answered your questions to the best of my ability, I deserve a reward, don't you think, Abigail?"he said, changing the subject. His eyes glimmered with desire as he looked at her. There it was again. The flirt was back.
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Chapter 335 Friends with torture
However, to her surprise, Alex retracted his hand and ran his fingers through his hair.
The next second, he sat up and climbed off the bed.
Abi rose, surprised. "W-where are you going?" she asked and Alex glanced back at her over his shoulder.
"The bathroom," he said and headed there, leaving Abi frozen still as she watched the closed door.
Alex leaned his back against the door, throwing his head back as he shut his eyes.
Damn… this was truly getting harder. This was thousand times more tortuous than him jumping into a literal furnace. The worse thing was that he was the one who put himself in this situation.
He couldn't believe that he, of all creatures on earth, was actually planning to just raise his white flag and accept defeat because he couldn't take it anymore. And what made things worse was that the girl didn't even do anything at all! She didn't even try to seduce him to make him give up! He somehow wished that she did that so that he could at least justify to himself that he was giving up because she forced him to. F*ck!
He found himself under the shower again. A very cold shower. He imagined that sleeping with her on the bed would feel like he was putting himself on a chopping block, just meekly waiting to be axed to pieces. It took everything in him to keep his sanity. The only thing holding him back was the thought that he would be proving to her that he was just after her body if he gave in now and that was the last thing he wanted to happen. He had to prove to her that he did not just want to sleep with her, although that was something he very much wanted to do, but he also wanted her to realise that he was serious about her. He thought about marrying her, for goodness' sake, but he couldn't tell her that! Words are just words anyway. He had to show her through actions of his intentions and that was why he had to win this deal he made, at all cost.
Alex's eyes fell onto his hardened little, big monster and his fingers closed over it. If this would make things easier for him, then he would do it. He closed his eyes as his hand moved back and forth. F*ck. He couldn't believe he was doing this! When was the last time he had had to do this to himself? Years, was the answer. He couldn't even remember being so aroused and not have someone there to satisfy his need. This woman was really something else! She was torturing him without even knowing what she was doing to him! He shook his head, briefly wondering why the hell he was putting himself through all this for her. Why was he doing all of this? It didn't make sense to him. This really was very out of character for him, so why?
The thought was fleeting as Abigail's image filled his thoughts. All the questions were long forgotten as he pictured her perfect body sprawled on his bed, completely naked. He thought about her scent, her warmth and the taste of her lips and skin, filling his mind with just visions of her and just like that, he was extremely aroused. He found it utterly unbelievable.
"Oh, Abigail… what did you do to me?" he whispered to himself as he threw back his head. His hand slid up and down his length and his pace became faster and faster as he replayed the scene in the bathroom where he made Abigail wash his naked body in the shower. He tried to remember how her hands felt like, roaming all over his body, teasing him to the fullest. Then his mind jumped back to the scene on the bed where he had touched her wet sex, where he had tasted her sweet juices. He remembered how sweet she tasted, how her body had reacted to his tongue swirling over her entrance. At this thought, his mind went crazy and so did his little, big monster. His ragged breathing mingled with the sound of the falling water and as he imagined himself entering her slick, wet entrance, he finally let himself go. He stood under the shower for a long time, to stabilise his pounding heart and he finally opened his eyes, biting his lips hard.
As Alex's mind started working again, he wondered at how satisfied he felt just now. Previously, he never even bothered relieving himself this way because it never felt satisfying, but now, he actually felt good. Was it because he hadn't gotten off since Abigail appeared? No. That wasn't it. This was because the image of her in his head felt so real and was so damn hot. The effect she had on him was just too unnerving, just way too much and there was no cure for it. He seemed to have become addicted to her and he wasn't in any hurry to go to rehab.
He stepped out of the shower finally and wore a new bathrobe. He then grabbed a towel to dry his hair and he was rubbing the towel on his head as he stepped out of the bathroom. His eyes flew towards the bed and saw that the little lamb was already asleep.
His lips twitched and he quietly walked towards her.
Draping the tower over his shoulders, Alex's hands landed on the bed, with her between them. He gazed down at her and watched her sleeping face before a smile broke on his face.
"Such a little bad… bad… girl…" he uttered. "You actually fell asleep while I was… sigh… it seems I really have to survive three more nights to prove myself to you. Sigh… I am going to become great friends with torture," he added and he sighed again before he pulled away, dried his hair and finally laid down beside her.
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Chapter 336 Silver witch
Abi found herself in a dark place. She rubbed her eyes and when she looked around once more, she realized she was in a dark, dark forest.
The forest was cold and dense. She couldn't even see the sky because the tall trees blocked her view of it. The place was simply eerie. What was she doing in this place?
Abi was jolted by the sound of flying creatures. Birds?
She looked up again and saw bats hanging on the trees. 'Witches!' she thought and she shivered. Had she been abducted by witches? Was that how she got here?
Abi started to run. She began yelling for help because the bats started to chase after her. "No! Don't come!" she screamed, but the instant she looked back, the bats were right behind her. She fell on the ground as the bats flew over her fallen body. They flew in a circle above her, leaving her paralyzed with fear.
She screamed, calling for Alex but no words came out of her throat.
"No one can hear your screams, little girl," a sweet voice echoed.
Abi looked up and she saw that woman; that silver haired witch she saw standing on the rooftop of that hotel.
When she began to step closer to her, Abi crawled backwards. 'No, don't come!' she wanted to yell, but couldn't. She suddenly felt breathless.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," she said, once Abi was cornered against the tree trunks.
"What do you want from me?" Abi asked, terrified.
"Do you want your husband to remember you again?"
Abi opened her lips but she didn't know what to say. Of course they already knew! But why? Why was she asking her this?
"Do you want to save him?" she asked again. "Your husband is running out of time. If you want to save him, come to the black forest. Alone. If you come with someone or tell anyone about this, you will lose your chance. This is your last chance to know everything, Abigail, to save him. This is the only way. If you don't come, you will lose him, forever. I will be waiting for you," she said and…
"Abigail! Abigail!" Abi opened her eyes and saw Alex looking at her with worry in his eyes. "Are you okay?"
He was holding her shoulders as if he had been shaking her for a while now. Abi's eyes looked around and she saw that it was already morning.
Her eyes fell back on Alex again and as if her mind finally clicked that she had had a nightmare, she suddenly hugged him tight. That was just a nightmare. But was it? It felt too real. And those words…
"Let me get you some water," Alex pulled away and went to get her a glass of water.
Abi gulped the water down like she hadn't had a drink in days, but her mind was still stuck on her dream. She couldn't forget the words the silver witch said.
Alex reached out and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Was it a really bad nightmare?" he asked and Abi dropped her eyes as she nodded.
"It's okay, it was only just a nightmare. It isn't real. Besides, you have superman right next to you, so there is nothing to worry about," he started to tease her again, trying to take her mind off the nightmare. However, it didn't seem to work. Abi still looked shaken, so he tried another tactic. "The food is ready," he told her and finally, Abi moved. She excused herself to go to the bathroom.
Abi took some time inside the bathroom. She sat on the covered toilet seat as she thought about her dream, trying to determine if she should treat it seriously or not. She didn't know what to do. Should she go? Was it a trap? Should she tell him about it?
In the end, she decided to keep it to herself. When she came out, she walked outside and saw Alex in the garden, waiting for her. A table for two was set up beautifully in the scenic front yard, overlooking the white majestic falls.
"G-good morning, Alex," she tried to act normally as she sat across him.
"Good morning, my sweet maid," he replied, flashing his signature mischievous smirk. Her eyes moved towards the food and she was immediately distracted. She felt weak and tired so seeing the delicious food made her drool.
Alex started putting food on her plate and the girl didn't hesitate to dig in. it was happening again. This familiar feeling. He didn't know why he did that. He couldn't remember doing that for anyone, putting food on someone else's plate, and yet it felt so natural. And she was acting so naturally as well. She was his maid and she knew who he was. Yet his actions didn't seem to have surprised her. Even he was surprised with what he was doing but she was not. She was acting like this was normal and it was intriguing him to no end.
"Alex… I think we need to look for Zeke," Abi said to him while he was just enjoying giving her food.
"Hmm… of course. We'll go do that. I will treat it as our second date."
". . ."
Speechless, Abi stared at him seriously. "Please be serious. I really think something might have happened to that guy. What if that silver witch seduced him and now he is confined somewhere because they manipulated him?"
Alex laughed, amused. "Zeke? Being seduced?" he shook his head. "Rest assured, that won't happen, little lamb."
"And why are you so sure that he won't be seduced? Have you seen that silver witch? She is… she is so beautiful!"
"Not as beautiful as you, little lamb. Believe me, you don't have to worry about that guy being seduced. He's around somewhere, alive and kicking."
"I don't know why you're so confident he won't be seduced at all! Wait…" Abi's eyes widened as she leaned towards Alex. "I-Is it because Zeke is… Zeke is gay?"
There was a short silence before Alex burst into laughter.
Abi bit her lips at what she just said and Alex's reaction. However, what she heard next made her gulp and run over to Alex.
"Who are you calling gay?" Zeke suddenly piped up.
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Chapter 337 Devil on her shoulder
Abi quickly hid behind Alex, peeking out from over Alex's shoulder at the man who had suddenly arrived and caught her words about him. After seeing Zeke's dark scowl, she immediately ducked down again, trying to be as small as possible.
"Don't scare my little lamb, Zeke. You can't blame her for thinking that," Alex said, smirking at Zeke, still amused at the little lamb's words.
"I… I'm sorry. T-that was just a joke. I didn't mean it," Abi said, extremely apologetic, peeking out again over Alex's shoulder like a little cat.
"So? Where have you been?" Alex asked as he looked at Zeke as if he didn't really care.
Zeke, however, didn't answer his question. Instead, he brought a strange order from the kingdom. "The King has summoned you, Alex," Zeke said straightforwardly.
Alex merely raised his brow. "The King…" he echoed. "And are you going to order me to go?"
A short silence passed by as Zeke seemed to be weighing something up in his mind. "Yes. You and I will go back and answer the summon."
Abi, who had been squatting behind Alex, suddenly stood up in surprise. She was shocked. What was going on? They hadn't even been here for a full day yet and they were already leaving? What about their mission? Were they just going to abandon that?
She looked at Zeke with wide eyes filled with questions. She just couldn't believe it! They came here to find the witch queen so that they could find some answers which they hadn't found yet! Why the sudden change of plans when they hadn't even started yet?
"Uhm… are we really going back to the palace?" she butted in and Zeke finally looked at her.
"Yes," he told her. "I will head back first. You two have to be back at the palace by tomorrow morning. I will leave the car here for you," he added as he tossed the keys to Alex, who caught it without batting an eye.
Alex didn't seem to be phased by the change of plans but, of course, Zeke hadn't told him the real reason they were doing this so he didn't really care that they would be going back again. What he cared about was that he would have the whole day alone with his little lamb again, without this third wheel hanging around. Maybe he should thank Zeke for leaving them alone like this.
As Alex was thinking this, Zeke turned to leave.
Abi was suddenly jolted into action. She just couldn't believe that they were leaving, just like that. It made no sense! Besides, Alex was above the King so he didn't have to listen to him, right? So why was Zeke making them go back? Clearly, this was his decision. She had so many questions and she wanted answers. She knew what was at stake for this mission and she needed to know he wasn't giving up. She needed some reassurance from him that their mission was still going to happen, that it was still a priority to him.
"Wait!" she called out after him as her feet moved, but she had barely taken two steps before a hand was wrapped around her wrist, stopping her progress. The hand then pulled her back and she ended up sitting on Alex's lap.
A dark cloud started to hover over Alex as he saw his little lamb chasing after another man. He didn't like it, not one bit! She shouldn't be chasing after another man at all and not only that, she did it while he was around to see. Why did she call after Zeke? Did she want to go back with Zeke instead of staying with him? Was that what she wanted?
Alex's face was dark with displeasure but Abi was none the wiser because she had her back to him. She was still watching Zeke's back as he walked away, thinking that she really needed to talk to him about what the hell was going on!
Alex felt his blood boil with jealousy when he noticed that his maid was still watching Zeke even though he was right there. She was even sitting on his lap and yet, she still ignored him. Gone was the thought of thanking Zeke for leaving the two of them alone and now all he could think about was how to smash Zeke into smithereens and make him disappear. The green eyed monster had appeared and it had taken hold of him.
"He's gone, little lamb," he suddenly said, his voice as cold as ice.
His cold words made Abi jump, as if someone had snuck up behind her and said 'Boo!'. Her thoughts were brought back to the present and she finally realised that she was sitting on Alex's lap and that the temperature had suddenly dropped. Goosebumps crawled up her arms and she rubbed them subconsciously. Where did the sun go? she thought absently but then she realised that it wasn't the lack of sun that was making her feel cold, it was this man she was sitting on top of.
"I told you, that guy will never like anyone so just give up on him," he suddenly whispered in her ear, like a wicked devil on her shoulder.
Huh? What was he saying? Abi barely registered that this man might have been dark with jealousy because her mind was in turmoil. She felt so disheartened at this turn of events. She came here for a reason and that was to find something, some knowledge of how to stop Alex from dying. She wouldn't allow that to happen. She couldn't, because she knew that her life would mean nothing if he wasn't in it.
"What are you saying? I… I just wanted to ask him why? He was the one who said we needed to catch a witch to get answers. He was the one who dragged us all the way here! It was all his idea and yet, we're already going back without…" Abi trailed off, realizing that she was becoming too emotional.
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Chapter 338 A little longer?
She hadn't realised how much she hoped that this trip would give them some sort of clue, some kind of answer on how to save Alex or even how to get his memories back! They were running out of ideas and she felt that they were just going round and round in circles. So when Zeke proposed this plan, she was all in. She knew that sitting around waiting for him to regain his memories would be futile and as much as they tried to make him remember by trying to provoke him, that plan had borne no fruit. They had to think of something else, think outside the box, think of all the possibilities that they could do to help Alex. Knowledge was power and she thought that Zeke's plan was a good one. If the witches knew or saw something that could help, then they would be leaps and bounds ahead of where they started from.
But now, this whole thing seemed to be for nothing! She felt like they had wasted precious time coming here just to turn around and go back empty handed. What was the point? She just couldn't take it! Her hopes of finding something were so great that it was hard for her to bear when that hope was crushed to pieces.
Alex watched her expression closely. She looked really disappointed and he could tell that she was close to crying. When he saw that, his cold aura immediately dissipated as he started to feel worried about her. It also helped his mood to know that she didn't go after Zeke because she wanted to go with him.
But why was this little lamb so close to tears over them leaving this place? He thought she would have wanted to leave after her experience last night. Why was she so invested in this?
"Tell me, little lamb, what are you thinking?" Alex asked, worried as well as a little curious too. He couldn't quite understand why she was so upset.
Abi sighed, as she stood up and faced him.
"I just don't get it. It's like we came here for nothing," she answered honestly.
"And why are you so troubled by it?"
Abi swallowed. "Well I…" she paused, trying to think of what to say to him.
She reigned in her emotions because she couldn't give too much away. She couldn't tell him that she was worried and afraid for him, that they were here because they thought he was running out of time. The thought that she could lose Alex was too much for her. She didn't want to think about it at all.
Alex was running out of time. That was what Zeke said, so why would they go back without catching a single witch? And where did he come from anyway? He drove them to this place, dropped them off at some hotel and just left them to fend for themselves! He was supposed to be there to protect Alex, especially against the witches and yet, where was he when they were attacked last night? What if the witches had succeeded in controlling Alex? What then? And now, he arrived just to tell them Alex that he was being summoned by the king?! What the hell was going on?!
Abigail suddenly became angry as she thought about it all. She just couldn't believe that Zeke just left them open and vulnerable. For the first time, she actually wanted to cuss at him and call him all sorts of names. She was so emotional that she started to shake. She really wanted to hit something, or that particular someone!
Alex saw the change in her expression and his brows knotted.
"Abigail?" he pulled her attention back to him, looking at her suspiciously.
Abigail saw his expression and she immediately closed her eyes to try and compose herself. She opened her eyes again and answered him, her voice a bit more steady than before.
"Well, Zeke was in such a hurry to get here like this witch hunting shouldn't be postponed so I just don't understand why he suddenly wants us to go back immediately. And I…" she paused and peeked at him. "I heard you don't listen to the king… so I am wondering why you seem to be more obedient now." She deliberately added that last bit to distract him from and it seemed to have worked, thankfully.
"I don't. But..." He paused. "It might be about something more important."
Abi was not convinced. What was more important than saving Alex? However, she didn't say anything more.
She walked to the other side of the table and sat on her chair. She felt a lot calmer again and now that she was less emotional, her mind started to work overtime, trying to find answers to all her questions. She just couldn't shrug the unease in the pit of her stomach and no matter how hard she thought about it, she just couldn't understand what Zeke was doing.
Alex noticed that Abigail was staring out into space again and he couldn't take it anymore. How could she ignore the great Alexander! So, he suddenly stood up, walked around the table. He then slammed his hands on the table, earning a look from here and he took advantage of that and stared directly into her eyes.
Still holding her gaze, he asked, "Why do I feel like you don't want to go back yet? Could it be that you want to stay with me a little longer?"
Abi was speechless. He really had a knack for making her brain stop. She could only stare at him as her mouth opened and closed. She had no idea how he got that idea but then again, she had no idea how his mind worked anymore.
"It's okay, Abigail. We can take our time going back to the city. We can even stay here for another night," he drawled, activating his seduction mode again.
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Chapter 339 Technically
N-no… that's not what I meant… I definitely want to go back right now. I'm afraid those witches might come attack us again," she told him.
Abi didn't have a choice. Now that Zeke had actually ditched them again like this, she felt uneasy. She felt that it would be safer for them to go back than stay in this place where witches were just around the corner.
The picture of the dark forest from her dream popped into her head. She was torn. She wondered if her dream was just something that her brain subconsciously created for her to be able to deal with the trauma she had experienced. She wondered if it was her brain conjuring up some message of hope from her deep need to save Alex.
But then, she thought back to those dreams she had had about Alex clutching his chest, of her hands blood soaked hands - the dream that became reality. What if this dream was more than just a dream, too? What if that white witch actually had the answers she was looking for? Shouldn't she at least go and find out what she had to say?
But what if it wasn't true? What if it was a trap to lure her into the woods so that they could use her against Alex? That was also a very big possibility and she really didn't know enough about what the hell was going on to be able to make a decision.
On the one hand, if it was real and they knew of a way for Alex to regain his memories and also to stop him from dying, then wouldn't that be worth it?
But on the other hand, if it was a trap, she could end up losing Alex in the process.
She really wished Zeke had stuck around so she could have asked him about her dream. But the guy didn't stay long enough for her to do that!
So in the end, Abigail opted for the option that was safest for Alex. She just couldn't risk it. His life was worth too much to her to take that risk, because knowing him, he would surely follow after her the moment she realised she was gone.
Sensing Abigail's uneasiness, Alex could only relent. He thought that what happened last night must have really scared her. He stopped his teasing, went back to sit on his chair and told her to finish her breakfast because they would be leaving soon after that.
After breakfast, the two of them went back to the room to pack their things. Abigail was quiet, lost in her own world, while Alex couldn't help but frown, wondering what was on her mind.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
Abi was startled out of her thoughts and she inwardly berated herself. She needed to stop dwelling on her dream because she already made the decision. It would only make Alex suspicious.
"I… I was just thinking about what I should do with you," she answered, clearly trying to divert his thoughts from what she was really thinking about.
"Oh really? Have you finally accepted that you like me?" he quickly interjected.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Abi teased. "It's because I won the bet. Before, when Zeke was leaving, you pulled me back. You touched me, so you lost."
Alex smirked mischievously, unfazed by what she had said. "Tsk, tsk, little lamb. Don't be in such a hurry to win. I haven't lost yet," Alex countered, making Abi frown, wondering what this man would say to get out of it.
"Technically, I didn't touch you because I picked up a table napkin first and when I grabbed you, the napkin was between my hand and your wrist," he explained smoothly, grinning widely like a cheshire cat. "And that doesn't count, little lamb… I did that to stop you. You can't leave my side, remember?"
"..."
Abi was amazed. She couldn't believe that he had actually thought that far ahead! She thought that he had just grabbed her out of instinct and so forgot about their bet at that point but it seemed she was wrong. He really was taking this bet seriously after all and it made Abi smile as her heart fluttered a little. This man was really doing his best, after all.
But Abi turned away. "We need to finish up here so we can leave soon," she said, trying to turn Alex's attention back to the task at hand and Alex, for once, obeyed without a word.
Ten minutes later, they were finally on their way, with Alex driving the car. She noticed that he didn't drive nearly as fast as Zeke did.
"Are we going to go back here once the matter with the king is over?" Abi asked as she looked back at the beautiful paradise.
"Maybe, but I doubt it."
"What do u mean? What about the plan to capture the witch queen?"
"Well, Zeke isn't the type who will leave without getting his goal. Him leaving might mean he has found what he was looking for or it could be that what he was looking for is not here. It wouldn't surprise me if we end up on a witch hunt at a different place."
Abi fell silent. She felt like that paradise was the right place, probably because of her dream about the white witch.
"… by the way, if I were to send a message, would the witches know what's in it too?" She changed the topic.
"Yes. It's like how they can see people inside the house. They can read your message even if you hide it. Why? Who are you planning to send a message to and why don't you want the witches to know?"
She just wanted to tell Zeke about the dream to see what he thought about it, but now it seemed she really couldn't.
"No reason. I was just curious about it," she deflected.
As they travelled back towards the big city, Abigail wondered what was waiting ahead of them.
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Chapter 340 The swindler
The car halted on the roadside. They were still in the northern part of the country and the places they passed were as beautiful as White Falls Village.
There was a scenic waterfall near the road where they stopped.
Alex turned the ignition off and climbed out of the car when Abi looked at him, surprised.
"Alex?"
"Since we're here, why don't we spend the rest of the day in leisure and relax? It will be quite boring if we arrive at the palace too early," he told her. "Come swim with me, Abigail."
Abi glanced at the inviting water. The blue lagoon below the waterfall looked so clear and beautiful. It was hard for her to ignore its call.
Looking at him again, Abi finally moved and climbed out of the car as well. He was right. They should at least enjoy themselves. Besides, Zeke said they don't need to be there until tomorrow and now that they were a few hours away from White Falls village, Abi felt that they were somewhat safe from the witches. She felt a bit better knowing they had put some distance between them and witches that she didn't protest and just followed him.
Alex stretched out his hand to her. "How about we pause our deal for a day and resume it again tomorrow?" he suddenly suggested, causing Abi, who was about to reach for his hand, to halt in place. "Our deal was that I would not touch you for five days. I didn't say it had to be five straight days."
There he was again, the cunning Alex, the lawyer, the swindler. "It really is not a good idea if I am not allowed to touch you right now. What if you need help? If you slip or fall on me accidentally or get a cramp while swimming, I'd have to touch you to help you. We can't just say it doesn't count all the time, right, little lamb? What do you say?" His eyes glimmered with mischief and excitement and persuasion, making Abi sigh in disbelief.
But Alex had a point. Like right then, she needed to hold on to him so he could take her there in one swoop.
"C'mon, my sweet maid. It'll be easier for you. If you insist with the no touch policy right now, you'll have to walk on your own down to the lagoon below. You will be exhausted once you get there and then you'd have to walk back up again. That's quite far for humans to walk," he continued, stretching out his hand again, tempting her with his tantalizing gaze to say yes.
Abi bit her bottom lip, if she said no, this man would surely go down there on his own and he knew she wouldn't allow that. They were still in the north end of the country and there were no vampire backups around, so while she felt less nervous, Abi still couldn't drop her guard. She couldn't believe he caught her in his trap again. This guy!
"F-fine." She relented and Alex's face immediately brightened. "But I think a day is too long. Wouldn't an hour be enough?"
"Nope, I suggest we pause until we reach the palace. Our trip is quite dangerous, you see?" He flashed her his seductive smile. Abi could already tell that it would definitely be a bad idea if she said yes, judging from his shamelessness. So she was not going to make it that easy for him.
"Nope, just one hour Alex," she firmly said.
"Two," he negotiated, gazing into her eyes deeply.
Letting out a sigh, Abi finally agreed and before she could even touch his hand, Alex grabbed her and off they went, leaping down the lagoon.
"You're such a good girl, Abigail. That's why I'm crazy about you," he said, smiling as he landed on top of a round shaped rock.
He leapt once again and Abi wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on as tight as she could before they landed on a fine, flat rock sitting just next to the water of the clear blue lagoon.
Alex put her down and Abi gasped at the beauty of the place. She looked up at the small waterfall that was flowing down so smoothly. It was mesmerising, seeing how the sunlight sparkled as it hit the waterfall.
"Nice spot, right?" Alex pulled her attention and when she looked at him, he was already undressing. She watched him pull his shirt off, revealing his perfectly delicious torso. He looked so sexy with his disheveled hair combined with that damn sexy smirk that somehow told her to go ahead and drool for him.
Abi tried her best not to gape and she looked back at the clear blue water again once Alex started to remove his belt.
"Yeah. It's an amazing spot. This could be a famous tourist spot if people found out about this place."
"But it's best that others don't know about this place. Because if they knew, we wouldn't be able to have this place to ourselves, little lamb. I like it like this, just the two of us here, alone..." he trailed off as his breath touched her nape. He was already standing behind her, so close as he spoke. "Would you like me to help you undress?"
"I can undress myself, Alex," she rejected and Alex backed off, although he was still smiling as he watched her.
Abi took off her pants first and then her shirt. She was wearing sky blue underwear. She was damn sexy and beautiful that Alex felt his body heat up just by watching her. He could watch her like this tirelessly forever.
But he looked away and jumped in the water, thankful for its cooling effect.
He emerged from the blue water and ran his fingers through his hair. "Come, Abigail!" he called out and Abi was also fired up. She wanted to enjoy the water as well.
She stood on the edge of the rock and dove into the inviting lagoon as Alex watched.
"Ahh! This is so nice!" Abi said, smiling widely. She looked like she was truly enjoying herself and relaxing at the same time. Alex had just realized that this girl loved the water.
He thought that he should transform his house into a beach for her. No, that wouldn't be enough. He could make a water park for her; a house that had a waterfall, lagoon, swimming pool, hot spring and a beach in one place. That would definitely please her and she wouldn't want to leave his house again, he thought.
Alex was busy daydreaming that he didn't notice where Abi had gone. She disappeared from his sight and he immediately started to panic.
"Abigail?" his eyes slightly wide as he looked around. Damn, he just got distracted for just a moment and now she was gone?!
Alex couldn't see her anymore. She didn't come out of the water, right? He looked around the surrounding area and couldn't see her. So did that mean she was still underwater? Did she drown?!
His heart thudded in panic and without wasting a moment, he dove under the water.
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