Lyne sat on the floor, placing Zeidan's head on her chest as she kept sobbing. Rubbing his head in circles and hoping he was okay. She tore a part of her dress, tears rolling down her cheeks and soiling her dress. She was sweating despite the cool air around. 

Pressing the cloth on the sword wound, she got a reaction from Zeidan who coughed and looked like he had just woken up from consciousness. 

"Zeidan? Zeidan!" She had never been so happy as she saw him open his eyes weakly.

"What has been going on, arrogant Queen?" Zeidan teased as he smiled, getting a light tap from Lyne.

But she doesn't care. All that mattered is this man in her arms. 

"You scared me, Zeidan." She whispered.

"And you inspire me, Lyne." He placed a hand on her face, which he brought down to kiss her cheeks. Lyne chuckled and blushed slightly, not minding the blood smeared on her cheeks. Instead, she turned her face and kissed his lips in full. Zeidan tried holding back but she wasn't and she missed him with her emotions and all of her unspoken words were passed during this moment.

She felt him grab her head and pressed his lips on hers, totally taking control. His heart raced fast by the time their lips parted and she pushed him slightly in the chest.

"Ouch!" He winced and she quickly held his shoulder.

"I have a lot to tell you, Zeidan, but I want you to feel better before putting pressure on you."

"Why not now? Just say it." His eyes looked expectant but she was determined not to tell him until he was okay. She stood up and grabbed his arm while he groaned in pain.

"I'm sorry. Let's get help for you."

Zeidan nodded and in a minute, they were walking out, his arm swung around her neck and she held his waist for support. She sighed with contentment but the sigh soon turned into a groan when she went outside and saw her core enemy.

"Luana. It's nice to see you here." She called, rolling her eyes at her. 

Luana rushed to them and grabbed his arm away from her neck caused which caused him to wince. 

"What are you doing? Can't you see he is in pain?"

"He is in pain because of you. We have no business with you. Just get yourself ready to show up in court."

Lyne slowly let go as she remembered that they still have a brawl in court. She let her hand slowly slide from his waist but Zeidan grabbed it even though his eyes were locked with Luana's. 

"The case is dismissed."

"What?" Lyne couldn't even believe her ears. She felt him squeeze her hand gently and at once she felt like hugging this man here and there. He was standing up for her again.

"I'll have the best lawyer defend Wikh in court, just to have time with her. It's been so cruel of me to think she can do better alone." 

Disappointed and pained, Luana dropped his arm and she swallowed consecutively as she followed his other hand that was locked with hers. Her breathing had turned ragged and Lyne felt high at this point.

"She deserved to be alone the moment she stood up for someone whose mission is to destroy the city. Why are you suddenly defending her?!" She yelled and Lyne could swear she saw a glint of a tear in her eyes. 

"I am not defending anyone. I just don't want anything coming between us. You can still go on with the case if you want to. As for me, I'll worry about her before anyone else." He smiled down at her and she smiled back. His face held a beautiful sight and she immediately felt the urge to touch this man everywhere, to kiss him and stay in his embrace till dawn.

"This is ridiculous."

"What's more ridiculous is you standing in our way when he is supposed to be getting help right now." Lyne snapped and without waiting for her reply, she grabbed his arm and they went to the horse that was tied to the tree and rode away under the drizzling rain just like they had done when they just got married. 

Under the cold drip, Lyne knew, she just knew that this is it. The feeling of security and the ability to take risks whenever it has to do with him. As they rode through the streets, Lyne could feel her heart pounding, not of fear but love. She turned to look at him every few places to check how he was faring. Through tear-stained eyes and rain-beaten face, she could see blood wash down his shirt.

They got to the palace and she waited for the royal nurses to take him in before going back inside her room where she had a warm bath and changed into new warm cloth. 

★★★★★★★★★★

"What did you say happened to him?" 

Shelbrooke asked, a glass of gin in his hand as he stared intensely at the woman before him. 

"Nothing much but I suspect he will call me out in court on the day of the next hearing. We don't have much time."

"What do you say we do?"

"Eliminate him. That's all I can suggest. That tall man is a pain in the ass."

"So, that means we have little time to prepare for to attack."

"You don't need to worry about that. Let's worry about Wikh. I can't wait to get my hands on him." She smiled, pleased with herself as she revealed two sprouted fangs.

"And what about us? The Onyx is all I care about." Shelbrooke sipped the liquid. "Once I put it in the room, my people will worry no more about food, wealth, and power. We will be number one..."

"Can you stop ranting about your future success and focus more on working on it?" She snapped, crossing her legs. "Zeidan. All I was able to figure out is that he is worried about Lyne and he might be distracted. However, we can't take chances. We need to draft a plan."

"What kind of plan?"

"The dangerous one. The impatient one. I'm tired of waiting. Before then, I have someone I want to see." She rose from the chair where she had been sitting and looked out of the window thinking about her friend, Maya. 

Maya has been her best aide and she made use of her whenever she wanted. Her martial skills and ability to deliver have made her the most trusted woman and she could give her the job. When she lost her sister years ago, she looked for her and almost gave up until she joined the Vampire army as she heard that they knew a lot during the genocide that made her lose her sister. She knew she needed to be like them before she could join. So, she married her husband when she was seventeen, and they made love and made him bite her. Immediately, she joined the army and realized something vital a few years later. Her sister had been killed in an abandoned temple and when she wanted to go and help them, the King had stopped her.

"It is an order that you stay where you are. No one is going outside or coming in."  King Hail had said.

"But, I can hear their screams. Why can't I go and help them?" 

"I have lost enough men, I'm not ready to lose the best."

"Maybe losing me isn't the best but restraining from saving my sis..."

"You will not go anywhere! And that's an order!" She had flinched when the King yelled that order and surrounded by hundreds of older armies, she heard the cries and howls of the Wolves.

How did she get into their midst? But that wasn't the most important thing. The next morning, she had rushed to the temple to meet dead decaying bodies and blood splattered across the wall. She touched the picture that had a man holding a lamb and took out the drying blood with her claws. She was still looking at it when she heard a blade crossing her neck which she dodged and grabbed the hand, pulling it and digging her claws into the person's neck. 

"I'm sorry..." She muttered in Spanish and she released her. 

"Who are you?"

"I am Maya, an ancient Ninja. I'll forever serve you if you spare my life." 

To date, she still wondered why Maya feared her. But that didn't matter. What mattered is that she worked for her now and it has been a good advantage.

She looked around the room. She had known Shelbrooke for years too and she couldn't miss the smell, the mark on the beautiful walls, and the chandelier that hung from above for all the fourteen years that she had always been here.

"I hope your plan works, Chloe," Shelbrooke called.