Had I dug myself deep into a hole by bringing up the subject about Maya? I wondered, sinking into the tension that had surrounded us after Adam’s last statement.
Rachel’s mouth has never gotten around getting closed, and Raul’s grip had tightened on my hand. The triplets all had smirks on their lips, masking, almost completely, the uncomfortableness that the topic on Maya had brought up.
I shook my head. Even if I hadn’t talked about Maya, the triplets wouldn’t have allowed Raul to leave here with me, without making some lame agreement.
“Dora, is this right? Did you agree to it?” Raul asked, incredulity ringing in his voice.
I hissed from irritation, before I could stop it, causing Noah’s smirk to get more prominent. “Why would you think I will agree to such stupid suggestion made by egocentric fools to soothe their egos because a girl turned them down?”
“I’m sorry, I just…”
“You thought I will be way over my head because three fine ass boys were coming for me.”
I freed my hand from his grasp, tired of playing the game, tired of playing any game at all, not even moved by Daniel’s wide smile.
At my sharp rebuff, Raul transferred his agression to the boys, to Adam especially. “What do you think you are doing, Adam? Competing to have another girl, whilst you are already bethrothed.”
Adam shrugged his shoulders again, fully moving into his nonchalance state. This kind of Adam was dangerous. I didn’t think to warn Raul about that. Nothing he said or dowould change their minds. The ball was only in my court.
“Last I heard, you were also bethrothed…you cancelled it because of her right? Well, why can’t I cancel mine?”
The twins gasped in shock. I wasn’t surprised, not in the least. I had seen the sentence coming.
“You wouldn’t dare!”
Raul gnashed his teeth in anger. I wasn’t sure if he was still fighting to have me alone, without any stupid competition, or he was fighting for his sister’s pride. Rachel now had a sheen of tears in her eyes, but she was not glaring at the triplets, like her brother was. No, she was staring at me.
Surprisenly she wasn’t glaring at me either, or fuming. It was like she had given up on those emotions. Rather there was a plea in her eyes. And this time around, it wasn’t a haughty one, balanced with a threat. She was really pleading with me to take the veil of disgrace from her face.
“After all, I am sure that my father would be pleased to have Dora, with her magic and all. The fact that she is a royal, unknown, but still, a better chance than Rachel who is none. As a matter of fact, there is not a need for the alliance.”
Raul gripped Adam’s shirt, bundling it to the latter’s neck. “You wouldn’t dare!”
Adam chuckled drily. “Don’t worry, Prince. If you are afraid that I had used her like Duke had used Zande, then there is no cause for alarm. I haven’t even kissed her. You can ask her.”
Raul’s grip on Adam’s shirt loosened, while he stared at his sister for confirmation.
I found it funny, then annoying, that he was concerned for his sister being used as a clutch, but he had kept quiet whist his brother had done the same to Zande, whilst Rachel had bullied Levina in the cafeteria. However, I didn’t want to count that, not now that I wanted to stay away from the Lycan triplets.
I could afford to have Raul in my space for a while, knowing there were no obligations to him, but not Adam or his brothers. They were like leeches, they would stubbornly stick to me no matter how hard I try to shake them away.
“Well, that doesn’t matter.” I said, causing the attention of them all to land on me again. I spared another glance at Rachel. This might be the last and only time I will be doing her a favor.
“The competition I mean. Because you see I was about to tell the Queen, about my affection for Raul… It’s gonna be a betrothal something.”
Silence filled the hallway. Raul’s mouth dropped open in shock-he hasn’t seen part of this drama coming.
Adam was first to recover, and when he did, it was with a laugh. “You mean the Queen that had almost throttled you when she had discovered your powers? Nah, I think you are just trying to push us away…It won’t work Dora.”
Without much ado, without further explanations, feeling my strength depleting with every passing moment, I commanded Raul to me with my eyes, pleased for his sister’s sake when he obeyed, playing the game with me.
When he got to me, I swiftly held the base of his neck and pulled him down into a kiss that wouldn’t leave his memory for a long time, nor would it leave the memory of the triplets. I stood with him in such a way that our kissing position and movements were seen in clear light by Adam and his brothers. But this time around, I was in control of my reality.
I was aware when Adam fisted his hands, even though my eyes were closed, even though my tongue fought with Raul’s for dominance, even though Raul’s hand suddenly went to my waist and drew me closer, even though I let my hand free fall to Raul’s belly. I was about going further, hoping I wouldn’t have to go further, when Daniel suddenly pushed us apart.
When I looked at him boredly, he was breathing heavily, just like his brothers.
“What are you doing?! Are you so keen on having us leave you, because of some misguided notion about us?”
I scoffed, then perused the three boys. “Keen? I don’t give a damn about any of you. I’m sure I have made that clear since the time we met. You lot are just pathetic leeches. I am with Raul, now be respectable boys and accept defeat. Accept shame, and accept that a girl wants nothing to do with you pigs for the first time in your pathetic lives.”
Daniel gritted his teeth, the same action that besotted his brothers. Even Adam was no longer nonchalant. He was glaring at me now, and as the glaring intensity increased by every second, so did the burn that started at the area where he had marked me.
“You…”
“Before you speak, try to remember your mother’s memory. Ask yourself if your mother would be proud of you and your brothers now.”
And just like that, Daniel shut down. His feelings immediately zapped out of his face. Adam and Noah too.
‘I told you not to mention the memory of their mother?’ My significant other complained in my mind.
‘Was there any other choice? You have remained silent all these while, not giving me ideas. How was I supposed to escape from their clutches? Hopefully, they will take the hint this time around.’
There was no response form my other after that.
Oh well, that was nothing new.
I watched as Daniel turned away from me, and walked to stand by Noah, each with inscrutable looks. If I had known that their mother’s bullet would do this, I would have shot it a long time ago, never mind my other’s fears. My hunger was starting to tear at my intestines.
I jerked subtly, when Adam spoke suddenly. I thought he was done?
“You want to be with Raul so badly? You want to suck the Queen’s ass so badly?” This he asked, maintaining the aloof expression, not minding that Raul glared at him for putting his mother and ass in one sentence.
“Then go ahead. I won’t trouble you. Neither will my brothers. Never again. Never again will I speak to you about Maya, or whatever…”
The burning around the mark got more intense, such that I bit my lips not to scream out in pain.
“Never again would I look your way…”
The burn touched a nerve then, so painful was it that I gasped, and shut my eyes before I could help it. I held my neck immediately, the exact area where the mark was, and exacted a chilling magic on it. It didn’t work.
When I opened my eyes in frustration, deciding to walk away from the group there and then, I noticed that Adam was watching me, with a furrow on his forehead, or rather he was watching the spot where my palm hovered on.
“What happened to you there?” His voice had turned hoarse, and he stepped closer to me.
Panicking, I took a step back, looking at the window that was behind him, and peeking at my neck. I was shocked to my roots when I noticed that the mark which had been covered with whatever was out in the open-a strand of roughness connected to a tiny hole, that could either be done by a Lycan’s teeth or a vampire. I knew no vampire.
Adam’s reaction kickstarted the others, who were now staring at me strangely. Without making any explanations, I turned away to hurry down the hallway.
Adam tried to touch me then, but I snarled at him, holding a ball of fire in my hand. “If you touch me again, either you or your brothers… if you ever come near me again, I will kill you. I will kill them.” I said, before waving Raul off when he made a move to follow me. “Don’t.”