Chapter 76

Claudia's POV
I stood there, frozen in place. I looked down at Maxwell not knowing what to do. I was shocked, dumbfounded and at the same time angry. Angry that Maxwell was here, angry that he had blood on his face and angry that my uncle was sitting in his chair doing nothing about this. My heart was pounding so fast that I could hear it beating with every passing second. Maxwell stood up slowly and took a step back trying to regain his balance
I finally came back to my senses and ran to where Maxwell was standing. I cradled his face in my hands and tried my best with taking off the blood from his face with my thumb. When he looked at me, I was hypnotized by his eyes. His eyes were an open book, I could see every emotion he was feeling. I saw a mixture of pain, sadness and love. I kept staring at him, trying to understand why he was sad
I turned around, anger blurring my vision and looked at my uncle
"What is Maxwell doing here?" I demanded taking a few steps forward. My uncle seemed surprised by my tone but tried to hide it by pulling off a neutral mask. He didn't say anything at first, staring at Maxwell who had his eyes glued to the floor
"Why don't you ask him?" It seemed more like a statement than a question but I didn't do what he said. I stood my ground, fists clenched and brows furrowed. Uncle Mark waited for me to ask him, and when he finally took the hint that I won't, he started explaining
"Very well then, Prince Maxwell here was caught in my kingdom, more specifically in the forest near the castle. The guards caught him and brought him here," he said. I was about to reply when he held up his finger signaling me to wait until he finishes
"After that, he thought he would manage to convince me that he's here because he wants to help us." My uncle scoffed. I looked at Maxwell, trying to see if what my uncle was saying was true and the answer was confirmed when Maxwell looked at me and didn't say a thing
I frowned at that, remembering all those times when Maxwell told me how bad he wanted to free his people from his father's violet and callous nature. That was why I was pretty sure, actually, I was one hundred percent sure that Maxwell's wasn't lying when he told my uncle that.
"And you don't believe him?" The question slipped from my lips. I cursed myself at how dumb I must've sounded. I mean, of course my uncle won't believe him, he's the enemy after all. My uncle looked at me as if I was crazy and I couldn't blame him for that. He was probably thinking, why is my niece defending the demon, our enemy in this war.
"Of course I don't believe him. His father could've sent him here for all I've known but why was he alone." He mused.
"We didn't find a trace for any other demon that might've been with him." He put a hand under his chin looking deep in thought
"I told you, I'm here because I have the same motives that you have." I turned sideways and looked at Maxwell who was now glaring at my uncle. Before I could say anything, try to convince my uncle that what Maxwell said is true, my uncle laughed humorlessly
"Fine. Let's consider that what you're saying is true. Why couldn't you wait for after the war to turn against your father? Why now?" Uncle Mark stood up and took two steps forward untill he was a few meters away.
"Claudia." Mark blurted out, he took a deep breath and continued.
"I love her, that's why I'm here. I know that by the end of this war, we can never be together if I took my father's side so I'm here because this is the last chance of us sticking with one another." I looked at him; he looked so confident in himself while saying it, not afraid of anything which made my heart flutter in joy. A small smile spread across my face as my eyes shone with admiration but it quickly faded as I thought of what he said. Maxwell was here, because of me.
"I'm fed up with you lying Maxwell."
"Why would I lie about loving Claudia?!" I nearly jumped in my place from Maxwell's outburst.
"I love Claudia." He said it slowly like a mother talking to her five year old kid.
"I want to save my people from my father's ruling. Stop being stubborn and believe what I'm saying Mark." His word were sharp and I could see that he was angry as hell
"He's not lying." I summoned up all the courage I had to say that. Both, my uncle and Maxwell looked at me; Maxwell's expression was surprised but it soon changed to relaxed while my uncle looked furious. The tension in the room was getting unbearable, especially with my uncle glaring at me
"Maxwell and I have been dating-"
"You have been what?!" My uncle's thunderous voice echoed through the room. I could see veins popping from his forehead and it made me scared. Seeing my uncle reacting this bad to me just saying that, made me think about what his reaction would be if I told him the whole story. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. C'mon Claudia, you can do this.
"We have been dating, since before the war. Maxwell isn't lying uncle Mark, he's telling you the truth." I calmly stated as I opened my eyes
"You foolish girl. How do you know he hasn't been planning this for the whole time. Getting close to you and making you fall in love with him so his father could destroy you. You are the girl in the prophecy Claudia and his father will do anything to have you killed and you go_ you go and date that demon?!" I cringed at his harsh tone and replayed what he said. I couldn't deny that his words made sense but I know Maxwell would never do that.
"I would never do that." I looked behind me when Maxwell growled.
"And you expect me to believe that? I would do anything to protect my niece from such horrible and despicable creatures like you demons, especially you Maxwell. Just like your father, two faced showing my niece your good side and hiding your repulsive side from her." My eyes went wide. I had never seen this side of my uncle. His words were so cruel and harsh
"I'm nothing like my father." I gasped when Maxwell's eyes started turning a darker shade of black. He began breathing deeply, chest heaving up and down like he just ran a mile. A part of me stood there dumbstruck seeing Maxwell going through this while another part of me was screaming at me to go and help him – and that was what I did.
I put my hands on his shoulders trying to make him look at me but it was futile. Maxwell was looking at my uncle with a murderous glare covering his face. Maxwell's back hunched forward and he suddenly hissed in pain. I heard shouts all around me but my eyes were only focused on Maxwell only. He was gripping his knees, nails piercing through his skin. What is happening to him?Transformation, he's changing into his demon form.
"Get away from me Claudia before you get hurt." Maxwell said through clenched teeth. Before I could do anything, I was suddenly ripped away from my place and pulled backwards. I tried fighting the person but it was useless. The place was now buzzing with guards and I heard my uncle shouting commands to them
"Take him away and put him in the dungeon." I turned around and glared at my uncle. No way in hell would he put Maxwell in a dungeon. I would not allow that!
"No, you can't put him in the dungeon!" I yelled at the top of my lungs gaining the attention of my uncle and all the people in the quarter.
"Please." I pleaded. I had a very little hope that my uncle would listen to what I had just said. That little sparkle of hope faded when uncle Mark turned his attention from me to Maxwell and his eyes grew cold.
"Put him in one of the dungeons now and make sure that the cuffs are resistant to his powers." I put a hand over my mouth to keep myself from whimpering. I can't believe that my uncle is actually doing this to Maxwell.
Maxwell suddenly let out an animalistic roar. His hair grew an inch longer and his skin was turning somewhat black. I heard muffled voices in the background and caught some of what my uncle was saying. I think he said 'hurry up' or something like that.
Maxwell looked up and I gasped. His eyes were now black, canines extended and he looked as terrifying as ever. I saw him clench his fists but before he could do anything else, his eyes started drooping. He looked like he was losing his balance. In less than a second, Maxwell landed on the floor with a loud thud. I screamed and tried to run to him but the guard's grip was too strong for me to handle so I did the only think I could think of, I used my powers. I closed my eyes and in less than a second, the guard took his hands off me and started hissing in pain. Yeah, I burned his fingers.
I watched as they dragged him out of the chamber and closed the doors. A million thoughts ran through my head, very dire thoughts. Maxwell landing on the ground, just so suddenly made my heart beat wildly out of fear. What if he's dead? I inwardly shook my head. Don't be stupid Claudia, he's not dead cause if he were then you'll kill your uncle. I furrowed my eyebrows when I remembered my uncle and turned around, rage slowly filling me