Ch. 111..120

Chapter 111 - Something Magical

The both of them were silent for a moment as they looked at the necklace. After a couple of seconds, both Gavriel and Evie looked up and their eyes met with similar questions reflected in each other's gaze. What was the meaning of this? Why did this black gem suddenly resonate with Evie as soon as it touched her skin?

Gavriel had his brows creased at the strange occurrence. Wealthy vampires and even few humans had worn this same gem and they remained black. Never had this event ever occurred before in the long history of the vampires. The only known change of color of the gem was only when if it was reflected against the moonlight. Gavriel had never known anyone else who could make the gem change its colour into something else aside from black and silver before. If something like this happened before, everyone would definitely know, and most especially him.

"Oh my god!" Evie finally exclaimed, wide-eyed, as her gaze darted back and forth between her necklace and Gavriel. "This is so cool! It'll change color once worn too! Is this some high-class kind of mood necklace?"

"Actually… I don't think this had actually happened before. I've seen many others who have worn this same stone and it has always remained black on them. The only time it changes its colour is when reflected under the moonlight as I have shown it to you earlier."

Evie blinked and then her delicate brows knotted. "Then… how come, it changed just now? Are you certain this necklace doesn't possess some sort of magic?"

Gavriel narrowed his eyes and stared hard at the necklace. The next moment, he lifted his hands to take the necklace off from her neck. The necklace immediately lost its colour the instant the gem lost contact with her skin.

"Let me check for a moment," he said as he put the necklace around his own neck. Gavriel thought that perhaps something is different with this particular necklace and that it reacts differently when worn. However, the stone remained black the whole time it was on Gavriel. "Does this mean this stone only works on you?" Gavriel asked, his expression filled with interest and at the same time wariness. Why would a gem from the forbidden land react differently on his wife alone? There was something definitely amiss here.

"Wife," Gavriel did not put the necklace back on Evie, "I think this matter needs to be further investigated. There might be something special with this necklace." He explained though his voice sounded uncertain. "I'll have this checked out and cleared first before you put it on again, is that alright with you?" Though it was certain he would do it no matter what, Gavriel still run it through with his wife as a show of respect on her opinion.

Evie blinked and for some obscure reason she felt as though she did not want him to take it away from her. Though Evie was confused on why she would even feel like she was already so attached to the necklace. Gavriel immediately noticed the reluctance on her face. And it made him feel even more puzzled.

He smiled gently at her and caressed her cheek. "Don't worry, I'm not going to have it thrown away," he said mischievously, "It's just for precaution, love."

"I… I'm not worried." She said but without knowing why, she felt her heart disagree to the gem being taken away from her.

"Alright, then don't look so sulky." Gavriel teased her as he gave a gentle flick on the tip of her nose.

"I'm not. Why would I? It's not like it's a very important heirloom or something… and you have said it, you'll just have it checked right?"

Gavriel was silent for a moment, staring at her and then he gently pinched her cheek. "Yes. I will give it back to you once I'm certain it wouldn't cause any harm on you."

After that Gavriel and Evie went to the walls and met up with Gavriel's men there. He gave the necklace to Zolan and told him to immediately investigate it after putting it on Evie one more time and showing them the strange reaction the gem had when touching her skin.

Everyone, as expected, were surprised since they too have never seen anything like it.

"As soon as you find some information about it, come report it to me in the castle," Gavriel said and Zolan nodded, intrigue and interest were also brimming in Zolan's intelligent eyes.

"Got it, Your Highness. I'll go work on this now." Zolan said immediately and when the man turned to leave, Evie found herself stopping him.

Even Gavriel looked at Evie when she suddenly said 'wait'.

"Yes, princess?" Zolan asked, still eager to leave to finally work on this interesting find.

"Err…" Evie didn't know what to say, "t-take good care of it…" she said lamely and forced a smile.

Everyone fell silent for a moment before Zolan smiled back at her and spoke. "Rest assured, My Lady. I will definitely take the utmost care with this necklace."

After giving her a small bow Zolan was gone.

Gavriel had a serious look on his face as he continued watching Evie's expression, with her not aware of his observation of her. Her sudden strange attachment to the necklace they had only recently bought made him feel suspicious. But it was no use thinking about it right now. He will have to wait for Zolan's report before considering more on the matter.

And thus, with a smile, Gavriel gathered Evie in his arms, surprising her.

"Alright, shall we continue on with our adventure tonight, my wife?" he whispered.

Evie nodded as she smiled back, now a little distracted. "Where are you bringing me this time?" she asked, raising a brow.

"Hmm…" Gavriel seemed to think about it and then he glanced at his men. "I still have something to show you." He said and he nodded at her men.

The men immediately left in a blur while Gavriel positioned Evie in his arms and making sure she was properly wrapped with her furry cloak well.

"Hold on tight love, I'll show you something magical."

Chapter 112 - Forbidden Land

Evie was so curious within the protective confines of her thick and furry coat, because it had already been a while since they have left and yet Gavriel was still running and leaping. She could tell they had already left Dacria and by now she was certain they were already quite far from the city.

Anticipation bloomed in her chest, maybe because this was the first time in a long while she was going out of the secluded city. And he also said he was going to bring her somewhere magical.

A long while later, Gavriel finally halted but he did not immediately put her down on the ground. He had kept her tucked securely in his arms as he walked.

"Where are we?" Evie asked, it was dark, but she could tell that they were in a thick forest.

"We're now at the border of the Northern empire and Crescent Land."

Evie's eyes immediately widened with shock and alarm. From what she had heard, the Crescent Land, also known as the forbidden land was the most dangerous place in the entire Lirea. It was a land formed in a crescent shape and it was located between the Northern Empire and Eastern Empire.

The Crescent land was called the forbidden lands for a reason. No human would ever dare to set foot in the land because it was where the large and most ferocious of beasts live. It was said that even the vampires themselves would avoid it as much as possible. And only elite knights were brave enough to go on an expedition to investigate the land.

It had also been said that beasts residing in this land were magical and Evie knew that this was the place where the dragon live as well. When Evie had asked her father long ago where do his dragon live, he had told her it always return to the forbidden land.

She had always been curious on what kind of place would this forbidden land be and why did the beasts and the dragon never leave this place. Especially the dragon, it could go anywhere since they have wings to fly and bring them anywhere else, but it never leave unless a dragon guardian summons it.

This land had always been a mystery to the humans and since none of the humans were brave enough to investigate it, they have little to no information about this mysterious land. And their hands were pretty occupied in their war against the vampires, so they barely paid any attention to this strange place where creatures much more dangerous than the vampires resides.

And now, she was actually here at the borders of these lands? She was about to set foot in this forbidden land?!

Gavriel saw the look of horror and surprise in Evie's eyes, and he smiled.

"It's okay love, the beasts don't come out to this particular area for some reason." Gavriel said. "I discovered this place back then. When I was running away from the horde of beasts, I stumbled into this place and for some reason they just stopped chasing as if there was an invisible barrier holding them back. I also tried this before when I came back here with my men, and it seemed my observation back then was proven right. The beasts cannot set foot in this area. And I'm guessing because this place might be truly special."

"I heard before from Caius that you went to a journey…" Evie replied after absorbing the intriguing information Gavriel had told her.

"Yes… the emperor suddenly sent me to this place most probably hoping that I would die from the attacks of the beasts here and never return again." Gavriel shrugged a little and as Evie's expression became grave, Gavriel laughed mockingly, "Little did he know that I've been here before and survived."

Evie exhaled. The anger that rose within her faded at Gavriel's haughty tone.

"Does the emperor always send vampires to this place?"

"Yes."

"Why? To fight the beasts?"

"No. To search for the nest of the dragons."

His answer made Evie fall silent for a moment. The mention of the dragon made her feel something strange. It felt like worry… and she did not know why. Was she worried about her father's dragon?

Evie shook her head to clear her thoughts. "W-why? He wants to kill the dragon?"

Gavriel halted for a moment and stared at her before he continued walking. "Yes. He couldn't accept that the humans can use them as their weapons, so he always sends the best soldiers to go find them. And kill them."

"Did they… find the nest?"

"No. None of the vampires ever found the dragons' nests. Aside from the deadly journey and battles against all sort of beasts, only few vampires had ever managed to reach farther inside the land. I and my men managed to reach the heart of the land but…" Gavriel paused, "there were many dragons guarding it."

Evie's eyes circled. "Dragons?" she repeated.

Evie thought that there was only one dragon. The dragon her father was summoning was always the same one. And when the guardians summon, there was only one dragon that responds to that summons.

Gavriel was not surprised that even the daughter of the dragon's guardian did not know about this. There was no way for the humans to know because none of them tried to set foot in this land. They were much more focused on the vampires that they did not even think about the possibility that the guardian could probably enter this land with the help of his dragon. But then again, he could not blame the humans for being extra cautious. The guardian was still just a human after all so they could not afford the risk especially since they were always in a war.

"Yes. I've seen more than two dragons during the journey into the inner lands. And I believe there are more of them that we have not seen." He told her and Evie's lips parted with shock.

Chapter 113 - Goddess

All that talk about dragons and how there seemed to be more than one dragon, just went and shocked Evie into silence. She honestly did not know if her father ever thought of the possibility that there were actually more than one dragon hiding in the forbidden lands. Or perhaps he and the past guardians had thought of it before but there was just no way for them to traverse into those areas to confirm it since manpower was lacking due to so many of the soldiers being recruited and drafted into efforts of war.

Even when Evie was still a wee lass, she had remembered asking her father if he could call upon many dragons at once. Her father had answered her that he could not and when she had asked why, her father said that a dragon guardian could only call one dragon ever since the beginning of their practice of dragon summoning. Her young and curious self had asked why again, and her father told her that perhaps, because there was only one dragon to be called upon. This was the main reason why Evie had always thought that there was truly just one dragon residing in the forbidden lands. The thought of maybe there would be a whole colony of dragons living together never did cross her mind at all. So, this revelation was truly a shock to her. However, after thinking about it a little more, it did not seem that strange after all.

"Will… will you tell me more about what you saw…" Evie trailed off the moment Gavriel put her down. There was now light, a bright light coming from behind her.

"We're here, love. This was what I had wanted you to see." Gavriel said, smiling down at her.

Evie blinked at Gavriel in excitement and even though she wanted to talk and ask more about the dragons, she curiously and obediently turned around to where he was gesturing her to look at. When she finally laid her eyes on it, her mouth dropped.

A pristine and tranquil lake was before them, and it was glowing as if the stars had descended and settled under the water. Evie was awestruck at the sight. There never were lakes as beautiful as this one in the human region. The water looked as though it was filled with silvery glitters.

"Gods… this is like a dream… is this a lake where fairies or goddesses reside?" Evie gasped, unable to take her eyes off the incredibly magical scenery before her. Never in her wildest dream had she ever thought a place like this exists in real life. She would think this sort of view would only be found in the pages of a fairy tale book.

"Hmm… I don't know but I don't think there are fairies or goddesses here. I've been here before more than twice and had seen no one else. This place seemed pretty deserted. There are no fishes in the water as well." Gavriel recounted all these to Evie as a matter of fact.

"But… could it be, that the fairies are hiding from you?" Evie reasoned. Her question was a sincere one, asked with wide honest eyes.

"And why would the fairies hide from a gorgeous creature like me?" Gavriel's tone had a laughing quality to it.

His response finally made Evie focus and look at him. And the sight of that haughty and very confident look on his face just made her want to pinch him – hard. This person just could not live a day without pulling at her leg! She rolled her eyes at him.

"If someone were to be living here, I highly doubt they would hide, especially after seeing me naked bathing in the water." Gavriel continued on commenting with his poker face and looking for all the world as if he were talking about the plain old weather.

Evie's eyes circled wide before she narrowed them and looked at him suspiciously, causing Gavriel to chuckle at her expressions and actions.

"What's with that adorable jealous face, my wife?" he cocked his head as he looked at her, still grinning. "Were you perhaps thinking that some fairies might have been watching me bathing naked here before? Hmm?" Gavriel kept on speaking that way, trying to stir Evie up a little more.

"Nope, I'm thinking why would you even come here to bathe? Hmm, my husband? Could it be that you were planning to seduce the fairies here?" Evie countered Gavriel with her own jab.

Gavriel chuckled again before grinning widely at her, obviously pleased at their playful banter. "I'm so glad you're even jealous of those non-existent fairies even until now, love. It shows me how much you want to monopolize me."

Evie blushed. "I was –" Evie broke off mid-sentence once she saw Gavriel suddenly began undressing. She blinked at him.

"What are you doing?" She could not quite understand why he was taking his clothes off in the middle of nowhere right now.

"I'm on a surefire plan on seducing a goddess right now," he drawled lazily, smiling seductively hot as he pinched her chin, "the one and only goddess of my life." His gaze was intense as they burned right into her own.

Evie could not find her voice to speak. The way his eyes gleamed sucked away her power of speech and as she watched him take a couple of steps back. When he started dropping piece by piece of his clothes slowly while his eyes remained on her, Evie felt as though she was paralyzed on the spot. The scene was just too perfect. The most beautiful and perfect creature was there shedding his clothes before her very eyes in the most magical place she ever saw… this was a combination that was deadly!

She felt like she was watching a god and it truly seemed as though the place was made for someone like him to bathe in. He was just so worthy to bathe in this seemingly sacred place.

Evie swallowed hard when he was finally naked, and she could not help but feel her face flush and become so hot. He had won again as she was completely and utterly seduced by him. Who would not be? Evie was certain, even fairies and goddesses would be seduced in an instant if they could see him like this!

He dived elegantly into the water and then emerged a few feet away. The view of the water ripples moving in a circular pattern outward from where he was the centre was just mesmerising.

The picture he painted was perfect. His perfect torso was glistening with little droplets of water that were rolling down deliciously and Evie swallowed again, wanting him suddenly.

He ran his fingers through his now drenched hair and then he bit his lip as he gestured her to come to her. And Evie stepped forward as if some god of seduction had hypnotized her.

'Gods, did he bring me here to show a magical place or to seduce me like this?'

Chapter 114 - I Think This Is Magic

Evie's eyes were dazed as she fixed her eyes on her mouth-wateringly seductive husband, taking slow but steady steps towards the crystal-clear lake where he was waiting for her.

Seeing that Evie was approaching him trustingly and without resistance, Gavriel's sensuous lips curved up, pleased, knowing that his wife was hopelessly charmed by him right now.

"Undress and come join me in the water, my love." He encouraged in a low voice, as Evie stood right before the gleaming water.

She blushed hard but she knew she did not want to decline his invitation. At that moment, he was an inviting flame, and she was the moth that was fatally attracted to it. She wanted to touch the fire and she absolutely did not mind getting burned in the slightest.

"Don't worry, there is no one else in this place but us. I would never let anyone see you," he coaxed, "you'll know what's the real magic of this place once you soak in this water, Evie. I know you'll love it." He held out his hand, encouraging her to step up to him.

Nibbling the inside of her lip, Evie's hands moved to remove her cloak. Her face was red, and she was utterly nervous and thrilled. This would be the first time she was going to shed her dress before him. He had always undressed her those few times before, when they were getting intimate but with her doing the undressing while he was watching her, felt extremely challenging.

Nevertheless, Evie clenched her jaws and soldiered on. Shedding her clothes slowly one after another. She wanted to join him and feel the magical water he was talking about. This might be her only chance to soak in this mysterious lake. She could not let her shyness stop her to experience this with him.

By the time she had shed every single article of her clothing, Gavriel's throat had already been working quite a few times. Her, undressing before him… it was a scene that would forever be kept in the archives of his mind. He had to firmly root himself to the spot where he stood to prevent himself from jumping like a perverted wolf on this goddess who had firmly seduced both his body and soul.

Her hands were shyly covering her intimate places as her long silvery hair flowed over her delicate shoulders and hid her breasts from view. She was so damned ravishing – more than worthy of a woman to be worshipped.

Gavriel watched her as she slowly dipped her feet into the water. He could tell she was a little nervous and quite mortified at being naked outdoors, but Gavriel loved it too when she was red with embarrassment.

"Oh my!" she gasped as she felt the water. Her eyes were wide as she looked at Gavriel. "I didn't know it would be warm! But I can't see any steam!" Evie exclaimed in surprise.

She momentarily forgot about her shyness, and she excitedly waded farther outwards to where Gavriel was.

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"I was worried about the cold. Oh god… this feels so nice…" she added as she finally reached Gavriel. "The water is warm but it's not just only that, there's something else so amazing I don't quite know how to explain!" she exclaimed, smiling wide as she gathered the water in her palms and looked at it with utter wonder.

Seeing her expression and reaction somehow awakened Gavriel from his raging desire and he tussled his hair to calm himself down and focus on the situation at hand. "Amazing, right? It seems like this water really has some kind of healing magic or something. Back then, when I found this place, I felt like I was nearly dying from all the fights and hunger but when I accidentally fell in this water, for some reason, my body regained some strength."

"Really? That's just amazing!" Evie twirled around, enjoying, and feeling the water to her heart's content. "I think this is magic Gav!" her voice became a little louder as she backed away from him, flashing him a heart stopping smile.

Her hands were skimming on the gleaming water. She looked like a water nymph enjoying her bath, playfully splashing around in the crystal-clear waters of the lake. It was truly a sight to behold. Such a sight for sore eyes. She had completely forgotten that her beautiful breasts were on full display for a certain someone's viewing pleasure.

Gavriel simply stood there watching but when Evie looked as though she had forgotten about him too, Gavriel caught his lower lip between his teeth. How could she forget about him for this long? Did the water just beat him? He just could not believe it! He lost to water? Though the water was beautiful, he was indignant that his wife actually could lose herself to something inanimate.

After seemingly pondering about something, Gavriel narrowed his eyes and then he smiled wickedly.

"Evie." He called and Evie turned to him. However, Gavriel was no longer standing in his previous spot. Evie blinked and looked around, trying to see where he went.

"Gavriel?" she called out, looking around again. "Stop hiding, where are you?"

She stared at the water and when she could not see any movement at all, Evie began to feel a little alarmed.

"Gavriel?" her voice became even louder. When no one emerged, Evie began to feel really worried. She knew her husband was strong but what if this magical lake did something to him?

Worry now gripped at her heart as she moved to where she saw Gavriel last before he disappeared.

"Gav! Where are you? Stop this, I'm… Gavriel!"

All of a sudden, Gavriel came up just in front of her, smiling.

"Y-you…!" Evie pushed against his chest though her anger was quickly quenched when he let out a deep, rich, and beautiful laugh.?And she could not help but let go of other emotions and laugh along with him.

Chapter 115 - Heavy?

"Don't you ever dare pull that trick on me ever again!" She warned him and then went on to turn aside and pouted her lips once their laughter faded, "You had really given me a scare." Evie's voice was soft as she added on the later statement. Gavriel knew he had really scared her and sought to appease her feelings.

"I did that because you've forgotten about my existence, my love." His voice was gentle, soothing and had that quality of trying to cajole her stung emotions.

"H-huh? When was it that I…" Evie trailed off at the realization of the intimate position that they were currently in. Her arms were wound around his neck and her bare chest was rubbing against his rock-solid muscles. His eyes were smoldering through his thick wet lashes and Evie could not help but catch her breath. That gaze of his was messing up her mind and hypnotizing her yet again. Though she has encountered this sexy gaze of her husband more than a few times, she was still reacting to it as though it was her first time. The magnetic pull and seduction of it was truly awe inspiring.

"How do you feel right now?" he asked, his husky voice swept across her like a warm gentle wave and had a spine-tingling effect.

Evie blinked, unable to pull her eyes off him. "Great… yes, I feel really great right now." Was all she could reply. She mentally slapped herself up her head and rolled her eyes thinking of her lame reply to his question. Her brain has officially turned into mashed potatoes with the extended exposure to this god of seduction who conveniently was also her husband.

"Do you…" he bit his lip before slowly and sensuously releasing it, "still feel sore?"

Speechless, Evie could only part her lips. Her face suddenly flamed up in embarrassment. Though they have done it quite a few times already, however, she was still getting used to the way he so unabashedly brings up their intimate activities. With just those look in his eyes, Evie somehow knew why he was asking this very question and she could not help but blush even harder. She could even feel the heat emanating from her face. And it was no surprise that her husband was now looking like a starved wolf again. She knew the moment she said 'no', he would immediately pounce on her hungrily. Though she was not sure what would happen if she said yes. As she could very clearly feel the outline of his erection raging hard against her.

He tucked her hair behind her ear and then his thumb caressed her lips, tracing its shape. "Or… shall I check it myself?"

Evie's eyes circled. Her hands immediately caught his face. "N-not anymore!" she blurted out, "I think this magical water is indeed working…" Evie's voice trailed off at the sight of the triumphant and wicked glimmer that graced his glorious eyes. Oh no… she fell into his trap again!

"Good," he said and in one swift movement, he pulled Evie up and cradled her, her legs wrapped around his lean hips. And oh my… she felt his long and hard member against her. Evie had thought that he would bring her up to the shore, but Gavriel did not move a single inch from his current spot.

Instead, he began to lick and kiss her skin, trailing his erotic tongue skilfully across her skin as if it were a brush painting her skin that was the ultimate canvas.

"W-wait… Gav. You're not thinking about doing… that in here, are you?" Evie asked, biting her lip as she looked down at him.

Gavriel paused and lifted his gaze. "Yes, I'm about to do just that here, Evie…" his reply came out slow and lazy. And Evie's eyes circled once again, causing Gavriel to chuckle at her response. "Rest assured love, I will make this experience an unforgettable one for you." He then flashed that deadly gorgeous smile of his before having his mouth land on her taut bud and sucked at it.

"Aaah…" Evie could only hold helplessly on to his head. "B-but… won't this feel uncomfortable to you? I… I think I'm heavy –"

"Heavy? You? Who do you think I am? Huh? My love?" he cut her off, his devilish smile flashing on his face, "your husband is the strongest, Evie. Carrying you like this is piece of cake to me…" he pulled away and stared at her. "I want to make love with you like this Evie," he whispered as he began rocking against her, rubbing his hardness against her delicate flower.

The sensations that were aroused in her body this time was different because of the warm water that was surrounding them… but it was… it felt incredibly good. And before she knew it her body was moving on its own, rubbing herself against his hard length incessantly as though she too was hopelessly starving for him. Oh my, what was happening to her? What was he doing to her?

"You want it too right, love? Tell me Evie… tell me you want me inside you now… here…" he coaxed and before long Evie nodded, "Yes, yes Gavriel… I want you… please give it to me…now," she pleaded. Her hands gripping his hair. She could not think straight anymore but to just agree with anything he asked of her.

Incredibly pleased, Gavriel licked his lips. There was nothing more arousing than hearing his beloved wife's consent and pleas. He loved hearing them even though those words truly drove him insane.

Effortlessly, Gavriel lifted Evie, placing her delicate entrance at the tip of his raging manhood. Without warning, he then slid her down his length.

"Ah!" Evie let out an adorable little squeak at the invasion that filled and stretched her fully.

Gavriel cursed, groaning hard in utter pleasure as he felt Evie's tight and warm wet walls surrounding him tightly as though trying to suck him in. And it was so deliciously divine.

He began to move, rocking his hips back and forth in a slow and steady rhythm. After some moments, he then picked up his pace as he started to pump into her, burying his entire length inside her.

Chapter 116 - One Day

"Ga- gav!" Evie could only hold on to him, as though she was clinging for dear life. Her fingernails dug unforgivingly into the back of his neck, but Gavriel was past caring about little things such as this.

He was drowning in pleasure as currently nothing matters to him anymore but her and their intense union. Good Lord, he felt like he had turned into a beast who was hungry all the time and could never get enough no matter how much he ate… What the hell did this woman do to him?

Before long, Gavriel's thrusts turned into pounding. He could not help himself. He wanted to hear more of her adorable little squeaks and moans and dive into the deepest part of her.

"Gav! Ah! Oh, god!" Evie's voice had long since turned into a sobbing mess. He was too much. This intensity was too much. And yet… she did not want him to stop. She felt an indescribable pleasure. And when their eyes met, Evie did not know that she had an intense look of hunger reflected in her eyes, telling Gavriel that she wanted him as much as he did.

And all it took was that one hungry look for Gavriel to completely lose it. "F*ck! Evie!" he growled as the surge of pleasure welled up inside him. His rhythm hastened even more as his already hard and thick shaft swelled and with one final thrust, he slammed his length deep inside her with vigour.

At that moment, both of them had their eyes shut tightly. Evie's thighs began to quiver violently as Gavriel spurted his seed inside her. Her insides constricted over and over around him as if to milk him dry and Gavriel growled again, uttering love curses.

They both rested against each other in the aftermath, with Evie resting her head on his chest and Gavriel's forehead on her shoulders. Damn! That was just too incredible… it was… he did not have the words to explain what had just happened!

When Gavriel finally lifted his face and looked at her, he bumped his forehead against hers and in an almost inaudible husky whisper, he said, "I love you," before kissing her forehead.

Evie missed hearing it as she was still dazed from the lovemaking and all she could hear was her heavy pants and the loud beatings of her heart. She felt utterly weak as she slumped against him.

With her legs still wrapped around his hips, Gavriel finally moved, and exited her. She felt him wash her down there and then he began to walk towards the shore, holding her so gently in his arms.

Evie just rested her head on his shoulder, her gaze fixed on the water. She would never ever forget this night and this place, and what they just shared between them. Flushing harder, Evie's arms around his head tightened as she buried her head into the crook of his neck as if to hide from something. She was embarrassed because though she utterly loved what they just did, the thought of her becoming so lewd mortified her.

She peeked over his shoulder again and her attention was finally pulled away from the intense lovemaking they had just shared.

Blinking owlishly, Evie focused her gaze on the water as Gavriel was reaching the shore. Realization seemed to flash in her eyes. "Gav?" she called out softly.

"Hmm?"

"It seemed that this water changed its colour too… like that necklace?"

Gavriel paused and his eyes slowly narrowed at the sight of the water before him. The silvery glitters had changed into the same colour of that necklace when Evie had worn it!

As if to ensure he was seeing things properly, Gavriel closed his eyes and then opened them again. It was the same!

Hastily, Gavriel quickened his pace and at last he reached the shore. But he noticed that when none of Evie's body was in the water anymore, the water's colour immediately turned back to normal.

Gavriel halted in his steps. What was going on?

Curious, Gavriel dipped Evie's feet into the water again and the glittery particles in the entire water turned into amber again. Making the entire water looked like a goddess just sprinkled it all over with gold dust.

When Gavriel lifted Evie out of the water again, it turned back to normal, causing Gavriel's expression to become severe for a moment.

"Seems like it," was all he could say as he finally took her out of the water. Evie shivered now that the warm water was no longer surrounding her, making her exposed to the cold temperature.

But Gavriel was swift to wrap her up with their cloaks, drying her up quickly before dressing her in her warm clothes.

"Thank you," Evie said, and he just smiled at her as he led her to a stone and sat her there as he went and dressed himself knowing that her knees might still be wobbly due to their intense exercise.

Evie was watching the water with great interest and curiosity until Gavriel gathered her in his comforting arms again.

"It's time for us to go." He reminded her.

"Will we return here again?"

"Of course, love. In fact, I wanted to show this place to you when it is still daylight. You'd be surprised again if you see it."

"Oh, really? Now I'm excited to return here one day."

"We will." He smiled and they began to head off from that magical place.

Evie leaned her head into Gavriel's chest and asked in a soft voice after a few seconds. "Why do you think the water changed the way it did when my body entered the water?" her tone held curiosity and a slight trace of fear of the unknown.

Gavriel was silent for a while. When he opened his mouth to answer, Evie suddenly stiffened.

"Evie?" Gavriel halted and looked at her. Her face was severe.

"Is it raining?!" she asked, her face horrified.

Gavriel was alarmed at her expression. "No. It's not. These are dews. Why? What is wrong?"

Evie's face relaxed a little but her gaze to Gavriel remained severe. "G-gavriel... there is something I need to tell you."

Chapter 117 - The Right Time

"Okay, let's wait until we stop, then you can tell me what you need to say." Gavriel did not say much after that and the both of them silently made their way back. Evie could only nod and stay silent and musing with her own thoughts.

Upon landing at the top of Dacria's watchtower, Gavriel sat Evie down at the edge of the tower securely. She clearly noted that she was jailed between Gavriel's powerful arms and that gave her a feeling of protection and calmness.

It was already daybreak and they both remained quiet as they took a moment to look out at the horizon, appreciating the beautiful streaks of morning light. After a few moments, Gavriel turned Evie towards himself and held her shoulders in his hands – gently but still Evie could feel the underlying firmness in his fingers.

"Alright, now tell me what it is Evie…" he said after staring at her for a few moments.

Evie took a shaky deep breath. She did not know what Gavriel's reaction would be, and she would be lying if she said she was not worried and anxious at all.

Nevertheless, she knew in her heart and mind that she must tell him. Before it was too late. She raised her eyes and looked at him squarely in the face and saw the acceptance and love shining in his eyes. And she knew that no matter how scared and apprehensive she was in telling him, he would never hurt her nor abandon her.

"It's alright… go on, love. I'm listening." Gavriel coaxed, probably feeling her anxiousness. Though he looked relaxed, Evie could tell that he was also feeling a little anxious as well on what she was about to tell him. All her hemming and hawing had caused a slight tension in him as well.

"I… I had a dream Gavriel," she started, "In my dream… Dacria was… it's burning." Evie's voice slowly got softer as she continued her sentence. Her eyes fluttered close as that vision flashed through her mind again, giving her the shivers. That red blazing flames and huge inferno was still so vivid in her mind's eye.

Gavriel went silent. Then he lifted his hand and smoothed her hair. But Evie held his wrist and stopped him as she looked anxiously into his eyes. She could see he did not totally discount her statement. In fact, there was a contemplative gaze that was not there initially before she told him of her dream vision.

"In my family, dreams are serious. We normally don't dream. And when we do have them, they are usually never of random things," she continued, her voice becoming more and more agitated, "to us, every dream is… a premonition of what's going to happen in the future. And… I… I saw a dragon in my dream as well… flying above Dacria."

Gavriel just hugged Evie closer to himself. He was silent and did not say anything.

"Calm down, wife…" he whispered after he felt Evie fidgeting, after which he kissed her head and rubbed her back. Although contrary to his calm and soothing voice and hands, his eyes blazed intensely as he looked far ahead beyond the horizon. And he looked as though he had seen something, that a massive storm was on its way here.

"My father…" Evie whispered as she wrapped her arms around Gavriel as well. "I'm afraid he might be on his way here to -"

Evie could not finish her statement because of a certain someone who suddenly landed behind Gavriel.

"Pardon me, Your Highnesses, but there is a very important matter you needed to know." Said Samuel.

Gavriel pulled away from Evie and turned to look at Samuel though he kept his arm on Evie's back.

"What is it?" he asked and Zolan and within the next few seconds, his other men also appeared.

"We had just received intel from the capital," Zolan said and then paused as he glanced at Evie.

Immediately, Evie looked at Gavriel with pleading eyes, and with that one look Gavriel knew she did not want to be sent back into the castle. His wife wanted to know and despite Gavriel's hesitation, he could only relent. He understood that she did not want to be left in the dark. Moreover, it must be the right time for him to involve his wife with these matters now. Because no matter how much he hated even the thought of Evie being involved in these things, he knew that it would eventually come to a point that it would be unavoidable because he knew wars would soon be a part of their journey together.

Gavriel had promised to keep her safe and he would do everything even to the point of sacrificing his very life to do just that. But he had never planned to keep her permanently and indefinitely in Dacria like this. He wanted to change this empire and the only way for him to do that was only by taking back the throne that was rightfully his and become the reigning King of the vampires.

"Go on," Gavriel finally nodded at Zolan. The men were surprised as they all thought he would order one of them to send the princess away as he usually did.

A little hesitant, Zolan stared at Gavriel and upon seeing how serious he was in his decision of allowing the princess to listen in on it, Zolan could only give in.

"Apparently, the human emperors including the dragon guardian made an alliance with emperor Lorcan. And now, both the imperial army, the human elite army and the guardian are all on their way here. Lorcan and one human emperor are also heading here as we speak." Zolan reported, and everyone went silent. Evie's hands flew to her mouth as her eyes widened in shock before quickly looking over at Gavriel.

"How did that happen?" Gavriel asked. His voice remained calm but there was something dangerous in his absolute calmness now.

Chapter 118 - Are You Prepared?

"How did that happen?" Gavriel asked.

"Unfortunately, we didn't receive any report about what happened between the humans and the emperor. And how did Lorcan even manage to make an alliance with the humans who despised vampires. However," Zolan paused for a moment and his intelligent eyes glimmered, "If I were the emperor, I would use Princess Evielyn to gain the guardian's trust first and foremost. I would tell the guardian that his daughter had been kidnapped by you and that she is now being tortured in your hands. I would also make you out as the scapegoat and lead the humans on to think that this rebellious prince is the evil one who is sending the vampires to war against the humans to collect humans to become his food. I would also use the fact that you are the only real royal blood vampire left and tell the humans that the real vampire royals are the enemies and once all of them are annihilated, the wars would end. I would tell the humans that even though I am the emperor, the real royal bloods are the true monsters that are very hard to kill, and this is why I sought an alliance with the humans to kill the last vampire royal. After that I would promise the humans that once you are dead, there will be no more wars between humans and vampires. Of course, that is another deceit but it's something that the humans would definitely buy. Especially if the guardian loves his daughter so much that he wanted to rescue her."

Everyone was silent while Evie's lips began to tremble with anxiety. She was worried to death now for her husband.

"I see… so that is most likely what had happened." Gavriel said, still unbelievably calm.

"Yes," Zolan said, "knowing the emperor, I believe that's what he exactly did. I hate to say it, but our minds are somewhat the same."

"I must admit he is very clever then." Gavriel said with a smirk then as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He then glanced over at Leon.

"Leon." He called and Leon stepped forward. "From now on, I would like you to guard my wife. She is now your top and only priority. You are to stay with her at all times." He commanded and Leon knelt before him.

"Yes, Your Highness. I will protect her with my life."

Gavriel then turned to Samuel. "Go prepare everyone for battle." He told the huge commander. Samuel bowed before his lord before he immediately disappeared.

"Your Highness," Zolan then spoke after Levy, Reed and Luc left as well upon Gavriel's order, "I think fighting them head on this time will be fatal for us."

Gavriel's eyes hardened at Zolan's words. "You are not going to tell me we should escape Dacria are you? Zolan?"

"Though it seems cowardly, that would be our best choice right now, Your Highness. We might win against the wars with both vampires and humans but not against a dragon." Zolan explained fearlessly, despite Gavriel's darkening expression, "Well, I know some of us will definitely survive, especially you… you could even kill the dragon without…" Zolan suddenly paused, and Evie knew he had edited out something for her sake the moment he glanced at Evie, "but Dacria will be destroyed in the process. Even if we eventually win, many innocent lives in this city would definitely be sacrificed. In fact, all the common Dacrians might end up being annihilated. I believe that is also one of Lorcan's goal. He would gladly turn this city into dust, and I believe he'd somehow manipulate the guardian to carry out that dirty deed for him. In short, we must avoid this war."

The atmosphere in the watchtower became extremely heavy and suffocating as Gavriel glared at Zolan. Everyone else could feel the electric tenseness between the two as the silence stretched between them. Evie got more nervous as the both of them just continued staring intensely at each other. Why were they not saying anything? Were they trying to out stare each other? And in the midst of her worrying about the tense atmosphere, she was also worrying about how her vision is seemingly coming true.

Unbeknownst to her, the two men continued to talk through their eyes. They were continuing their discussion through the special communication that they could carry out, effectively leaving Evie out of what was being argued over.

'Please think carefully again about this, Your Highness. I could be wrong, but I have the feeling that Lorcan has an even bloodier plan up his sleeves. And I am really praying that I am wrong in this. I am also very aware of your strength, My Lord and what you can do, but if you fight… yes, I know you are more than able to kill the dragon. But I know you know the city would already be destroyed by the time the dragon is dead. Are you so willingly prepared to sacrifice everyone in this city and even the innocent children ? There are so many of them too. You have seen it before, the guardian does not actually have full control over their own dragon. It is all they can do just to be able to summon them. Their dragon will spit fire without stopping until there is nothing left for them to burn anymore. This type of attack is indiscriminate and recognizes no friend nor foe. I know there is another way to stop the dragon before it could burn everything… but are you prepared to do it? Are you certain that you can kill your beloved wife's father right before her eyes?'

At that last question, Gavriel froze on the spot.

Evie finally realized that there was something going on in the undercurrent, and she attempted to reach out to Gavriel. But she halted and she felt her body turn into a statue because raindrops had begun to fall on them.

Chapter 119 - Plan

Evie caught her breath as she stared at those little drops of rain falling onto her outstretched palms. She could not believe that this was already happening. She also could not help it when her heart shook within her in fear. Her father was finally coming for her as promised, but her reaction was now the complete opposite of what she had been imagining before she fell head over heels in love with Gavriel. Dread and fear gripped strongly at her heart.

"How long will it take for them to reach Dacria?" Gavriel asked as he swiftly pulled Evie's hood up to cover her from the drizzle. Evie's heart melted at his actions. Even during such serious matters being discussed, he still was aware of her to the point of not wanting her to be wet by a little light drizzle. How could she not love this man?

"I estimate they'll be here by twilight. I believe the emperor would be travelling at humans' pace as he will be accompanying the humans here." Zolan replied when Leon hesitantly butted in.

"My Lord, how… about we evacuate the Dacrians now? There's still plenty of time if things are planned and carried out systematically." The half-blood suggested.

"I doubt the Dacrians will leave this city," Zolan said, "and even if they do, there is nowhere else for them to go now. The emperor would chase after and seek to execute all Dacrians who escape the city. You must not forget that they are twisted enough to annihilate their own rulers. Thus, he will definitely not hesitate to massacre an entire clan to use them as an example for others. More so if this plan of his to kill His Highness falls through and fails."

"So, our only option now is to leave this city?" Leon asked again, understanding the severity of their situation.

"It won't be as easy as that," Zolan's delicate face became serious, "if we leave just like this, the Dacrians will suffer. They will be tortured heavily once our enemies find out we are not here anymore. That would be the price they will have to pay since they had harboured us. The emperor will use this chance to punish them for harbouring traitors in their midst. They might not be massacred but many will be killed."

Evie began to shiver. The faces of the people here, their lively personalities, the smiles and laughter of those lovely children… she could not bear to imagine that all these might just crumble to pieces. This beautiful and peaceful place… she did not want this place to be ruined. She did not want anyone to die and suffer. And it is all because of her… though indirectly, she was still being used as an excuse to spark this war.

"Our only choice now is…" Zolan lifted his gaze to Gavriel, "force the Dacrians to drive us away from here. We must make them believe that you had captured the duke and forced him to harbour us against his will. We must make them believe we blackmailed the duke to order the soldiers to aid you in the previous war. The soldiers only aided you because of fear. But now, because they had found out that a dragon guardian is coming, they do not need to fear you anymore. And that is why they planned not to support you in this war anymore. However, you found out about their plans to turn their backs on you at the very last minute and you also found out that the dragon guardian is coming, so you could only choose to escape with a small group of your loyal men."

"And you are saying that we should make this rumour believable and start a battle within Dacria?" Gavriel was the one who spoke this time, and the intensity of his voice was incredibly dangerous despite the controlled calmness.

Zolan nodded. "Yes and…" Zolan's expression hardened, "I know that this is cruel, but a bloodbath is necessary at this point. We must show Lorcan that the Dacrians had truly tried to stop our escape or else he will think that they purposely let us escape. In short, we must sacrifice a few to save the majority."

"You think that Lorcan would fall for this?" Gavriel asked.

"He would have no choice but to believe it… if we kill enough soldiers."

"Then how many do we need to kill before the numbers are 'enough' for Lorcan to believe it?"

"A hundred would be enough." Zolan's voice was flat.

Evie's eyes widened with utter shock and horror. A hundred?! A hundred lives will have to be sacrificed for this farce to look real? Evie felt shivers run down her spine and her entire being shook. She knew war happened and people die… but her husband and his men will need to kill the very people who aided them and did nothing wrong just to be able to pull this wool over the emperor's eyes? Even so, this was just... it was too cruel. The thought that many of these soldiers were probably the fathers of those little cheerful children she just met broke her heart and she could not bear it. Was there really no other choice?

"I know this is cruel and you don't want to agree to this, but there is no other way," Zolan emphasized despite the regret and sadness in his eyes.

Gavriel remained silent. Zolan knew that this prince was always confident, and he would never doubt that his prince would always come out victorious in any war against the vampires. Especially now that he has someone he wholeheartedly wants to protect. Zolan had felt like his wife's presence in his life had tremendously improved Gavriel's strength. Though after reflecting, it made sense but none of them would have ever seen this coming. That the guardian and the dragon would be involved. Not to mention that this very guardian is the birthfather of his beloved wife.

 

Chapter 120 - Believable

It was incredibly ironic. No, somehow, Zolan had realized now that their enemy, the fake royalty is truly one dangerous enemy. It is no wonder they had actually managed to annihilate the powerful royal family long ago. He had always wondered how they even did it, but he somehow had a clue now.

Zolan let out a deep sigh and his gaze shifted towards Evie.

"Also, about the princess…" Zolan started again even though Gavriel had yet to give his final approval about the plan he had just suggested earlier. It could be seen that Gavriel was also seriously contemplating it. "We cannot take the princess with us." The moment Zolan mentioned this, he could literally feel the sharp piercing aura of death descending around them.

Just as he expected, Gavriel's aura darkened so incredibly dangerous he had to look at Evie to help make the prince calm down.

Despite all the turmoil Evie was going through, she immediately picked up at what Zolan wanted her to do, and she reached out towards Gavriel and held onto him.

"Let's… listen to what he has to say first…" Evie whispered in a soft voice. Somehow, she managed not to voice her disagreement as her grip on Gavriel tightened.

Gavriel calmed down a little, but his body remained incredibly tensed.

"The guardian is here because of her." Zolan continued. "If we take her with us, the guardian will end up going after us. But that is not the end of the problem, we need her to stay because she would be the one to testify on everything that had happened here. If it's her, the guardian will believe her testimony and even the emperor won't have a choice but to accept her testimony. She's the real key in keeping the Dacrians safe. I am certain the emperor will still have a shred of doubt even after seeing the dead soldiers and he might still investigate and torture some vampires to speak the truth. But if the princess is here to speak and testify against you, there will be no need for the emperor to do any investigations. And even if he did, the princess' words will still be the one that will be honoured." He explained.

"Do not worry, Your Highness, I am certain the emperor will never harm her. He wouldn't do anything to displease the guardian, much less harm any of them, because Lorcan still needs the guardian's help to take you down. As long as you are alive, the princess and her father will stay safe under Lorcan's wings. Moreover, Her Highness would also be a huge help to us. She might be able to convince her father that the real enemy is the one he is aiding. She could be our ally on that side in telling him the truth. So please, I ask that you consider this suggestion." Zolan paused and his gaze at Gavriel became intense. "You have half a day to make a decision, Your Highness. I hope you will heed my advice but whatever decision you make, we will follow." He declared and bowed at him. "For now, I'll go prepare and plot for a believable escape plan."

Zolan then turned his back from Gavriel and then glanced at Leon to come with him. But before he leapt off, he glanced back at Evie with a look that was telling her that he was leaving everything to her as well. Zolan knew that the two needed this moment together to discuss and he knew the princess was the only one who could convince Prince Gavriel to leave her behind.

As though Evie had understood what Zolan wanted her to do, Evie suddenly hugged Gavriel after the two vampires left them alone in the watchtower.

The light drizzle continued but the two of them could not care less about the falling rain at this moment.

Gavriel remained unmoving as Evie gripped him as tight as she could. Their emotions started to become incredibly heavy. Perhaps, Gavriel already knew deep down that Evie was going to try and convince him to go off and leave her behind as how Zolan planned.

Evie felt her throat constricting and the sting of tears hit her eyes. She fiercely blinked back her tears and swallowed hard past the lump in her throat. Now is not the time for her to cry and play the weak lady in distress. However, she never thought they would already need to separate this soon. If only there were one more day and night for them to be together. Why so soon? And she was shocked at how she felt that she was already missing him to death even when he was still here with her. How would she fare when Gavriel left, and they would not know how long their separation would last this time? It could be a long time before she finally gets to see him again. She recalled the last time they were separated. It was only a few days, and she was already so worried and agitated as though she were sitting on a seat of hot coals.

This feeling she had right now was already unbearable. Can she survive the coming days when she would not be able to hold him freely and see him anytime she wants just like this? Her heart shuddered at the thought of this upcoming separation.

Evie held back the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. This was not a good time to cry, she told herself again. She must speak calmly and be clear headed with him.

"Gavriel…" she called his name as she reluctantly pulled away to look at his face. He kept her arms around his waist as she looked up at him. When he did not meet her gaze, Evie lifted her hands to his face and made him look at her.

They stared at each other for a long moment before Evie opened her lips. "I will stay."