Garden Of Poison

For several seconds, Emily lay there frozen with a stunned expression as she gazed into the darkness while acutely aware of feeling Raylen’s arm holding her as if she were a stuffed toy.

"Raylen... Do you know what you are doing?" Emily asked, trying to stay calm even as her body continued to heat up with her cheeks on fire.

"Attempting to sleep but being disturbed by your question?" Raylen’s voice held a questioning tone, blatantly ignoring the fact that they had skipped all the steps.

"No. You are holding me," Emily stated, rolling her eyes.

"I thought it was obvious, Princess. I am holding my wife," Raylen hummed, his voice gradually fading as if he had settled into a comfortable position and was ready to drift off to sleep.

"Raylen!" Emily scolded him, though Raylen found it all the more endearing. "I thought we were going to take little steps."

Raylen could only imagine that Emily was soon going to combust into flames from sheer embarrassment. Given that her soul had almost succumbed to corruption, and as they were not fated soulmates, their bond was yet to fully bridge, even though their true feelings had already begun to surface before he had bitten her to mark her. He wondered how she would react if he were to light a candle just to catch a glimpse of her blushing furiously.

"Little steps?" Raylen asked her with a hint of mischief in his voice. "Unfortunately, I happen to have rather long legs. No matter how small the steps I take are, they inevitably turn into big ones."

Emily was well aware that he was toying with her; the wicked Archdemon enjoyed teasing her nearly as much as her blood! Heat gradually began to spread from him to her, creeping down her legs and making her toes curl.

"And these are small steps," Raylen whispered from behind her.

"How so?" Emily inquired softly, blinking in the darkness. These steps were nothing less than a hurricane started by Raylen, one that wouldn’t stop until he engulfed her completely.

A gasp involuntarily escaped Emily’s lips when Raylen spread his fingers across her stomach. She heard him say,

"If these were truly big leaps, I would be holding you in a much more intimate way. Much, much closer," Raylen uttered, his voice laced with a tinge of velvety seduction. As if to show her, he pulled her impossibly close to him, and she could feel the front of his body pressing against hers. "I would want to have you close, where I could inhale your sweet scent, Princess," he added, and his face moved forward as he invited himself to the crook of her neck from behind.

Emily felt her heart skip a beat when she heard him inhale at her neck. And as he breathed, every breath felt like pearls cascading on her skin, gently tickling her body and mind.

She shuddered when his lips left traces by merely hovering above her skin, and he hinted, "There are other ways to warm you if you so desire."

"I—I think I am warm enough now," Emily stammered. She didn’t know whether it was the fact that they were finally alone and in bed or if it was the night itself, shrouded in darkness, that enhanced all her senses when it came to Raylen. Oh, dear God! Emily exclaimed silently in her mind. He was inflaming her imagination!

"You sure about it, sweetheart?" Raylen asked her while gently coaxing her to answer a question that had been unspoken but deeply felt.

With words failing her, Emily attempted to nod her head, but in doing so, it caused his lips to brush against the nape of her neck. Her eyes fluttered shut, and her heart almost leapt out of her chest. She whispered, "I am sure..."

"And you thought we needed two blankets." Raylen’s words were hushed, like a devil whispering right next to her ear. "You know, Alice was like this too. Squirmish before she finally settled down."

From a simple cheek kiss, they had progressed to cuddling in bed, Emily thought to herself. Her heart had settled down, no longer racing as before. She heard Raylen breathing calmly, the tranquil rhythm reminding her of the ticking of a clock, and it lulled her into a trance that gently guided her towards sleep.

How strange, Emily thought, to not be scared of the darkness with his company. Was this what people meant when they said that meeting the right person would make everything better? With time gradually easing her shyness, her body relaxed in his arms, finding a quiet comfort in his embrace.

"There is something I wanted to confirm," Raylen began, and Emily wondered what he was referring to. She turned her head to look at him. He continued, "You do know how babies come into the world, don’t you?"

Emily frowned and replied, "I believe most of us are aware of it. Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious and making sure that you knew, wondering what you thought happened once soulmates came together. You are the untouched, reserved princess, after all. If you didn’t know, I would be more than happy to teach you," Raylen teased her, receiving a glare from her in response.

"I am not a child not to be aware of such things," Emily huffed. It was just that she had assumed things would progress slowly, not realising that relationships didn’t have an actual map of predefined steps and were, in fact, random. She scooted away from him, but she was effortlessly pulled back, and his sheer strength turned her on.

"Stop trying to escape. You don’t want this dragon wrapping its leg over you to keep you in place," Raylen murmured, pulling her close and snuggling once more. This time, he observed that there was no word of protest from her.

Amidst the cold weather and the comforting warmth encircling her, Emily’s mind quietened before pulling her into a dream. However, this dream wasn’t her own but belonged to Raylen. A fragment of memory, an insight to his past, and her surroundings changed, making her feel wide awake to witness it.

Emily found herself standing in one of the castle’s corridors, and for the briefest moment, she wondered if she had sleepwalked to this place. But then again, she doubted Raylen would have allowed her to leave the room without him. She noticed the walls appeared fresh, with lanterns and candles casting a warm and bright glow throughout the corridors.

’It seems like you both find it hard to understand.’

The voice belonged to a woman whom Emily had never heard before. She made her way towards the stairs and looked down to find Raylen’s mother standing at the bottom of the staircase.

The woman stood tall and proud, her beautiful face now twisted in a grimace as she glared down at two young boys. One of them was blond, and the other had red hair, and he was noticeably taller than the blond boy.

’I am disappointed. More so in you, Raylen. Being the eldest prince, you thought you could play a prank like this before the guests, and don’t tell me you didn’t do it.’ The woman silently fumed from where she stood.

’It is the truth,’ Raylen responded calmly.

Emily cautiously descended down the stairs and took a closer look at the young Raylen, who wore an expressionless face and had his hands tucked into his trouser pockets.

’I saw what happened, and it was you who was playing with the salt, pouring it entirely into the guests’ cups! Expecting basic manners from you is too much, clearly,’ the woman clicked her tongue in disapproval. ’It would be better for you to spend your evening in your room and go without dinner. Both of you.’

’Sorry, Mother,’ the blond boy apologised, while Raylen stared at his mother briefly, showing no attempt to respond, and then turned away. He began to walk up the stairs, leaving his mother’s mouth hanging open.

’Logan,’ the woman called out to her second son, ’I need you to accompany your father for the meeting.’

’Brother Raylen won’t?’

’No. He is disturbed.’ The woman gritted her teeth, as if she already knew it since he was the Devil’s spawn. With a huff, she walked away, and when Emily turned to the blond boy, she noticed his creepy smile. She remembered Raylen mentioning his siblings never being up to any good. The next second, the lady and the boy disappeared, and she felt a breeze as she noticed the redhead walk past her.

Emily quickly followed Raylen out of the castle, and she realised she had to run to keep up with his pace, as his legs were fast for such a young boy. It was snowing, and the streets were deserted. After they had walked for quite some distance, the boy stopped, bending down to pick up something that had caught his eye.

Suddenly, the young Raylen turned and threw the stone he had picked up in Emily’s direction, nearly startling her. However, the stone moved past her and was swiftly caught by a shadowy figure positioned next to the alley where they stood.

’Didn’t expect myself to be found out. Aren’t you a smart boy?’ inquired a familiar voice, and the person stepped out of the shadows, revealing themselves to be the Devil. Viktor said, ’Your parents must be very proud of you.’

Raylen glanced disinterestedly at the Devil, showing little concern for the compliment. ’Go find somewhere else to scavenge for food and stop following me.’ Emily couldn’t help but laugh. Did he just imply that the Devil was a beggar?

Viktor stepped forward, towering over the young prince, who didn’t bat his eyes. ’What makes you think you are so great that I would follow you?’

’Your parents must be disappointed,’ Raylen muttered under his breath, feeling the cold air biting into his skin even though he had worn his coat and scarf. ’Good if you aren’t,’ he added, as if he wanted to spend his time in solitude.

’Such striking blue eyes,’ Viktor murmured. ’I was searching for a sacrifice, and I found you. My kin.’

Viktor followed Raylen’s footsteps, and so did Emily, watching the young boy’s breaths form visible puffs of fog in the chilly air, yet it didn’t dissuade him from moving away from the castle.

’Don’t you have to go back home than wander at this hour?’ Viktor asked, speaking loudly enough for Raylen to hear.

Raylen didn’t respond and ignored the stranger following him. He walked to the bell tower and climbed to the top to take a seat at the edge. Emily caught up to him. As she neared him, she saw sadness in his eyes as he gazed towards the castle.