chapter 56

I stepped on the first stone, wobbled a bit but regained my balance, the strange woman was warning me to be careful where I step. I was just curious to know who put her there, why she looked so weak, why she was still staying. Of course, there was a huge river that could burn anybody that was not demon royalty.

“You are not yet royalty so that will burn you, be careful” I stepped on the next big stone and it went into the water harshly making the water splash on my leg and burn deeply into my skin. It took everything I had not to start jumping around on the rock and fall into the water to my doom. I got across the lake in one piece and met with the woman.

She looked creepier up close and I was regretting my decision. Her hair was short in some spots and the smile she had on her face was sickly. showing off her full grin, except the grin was not so full, there were a few missing teeth. An eye was a bit swelled and she was crooked in every inch of her being, her staff her back her extremely long finger even her nose was crooked

“Come in, come in”

“I rather not I am not meant to be here anyway, why were you calling me do you need help away from this, this wretched place”

“I am afraid, I cannot leave here my child, you are just as beautiful as what my good ears have heard” people were talking about me?

“You called me"

“Be patient” she walked around me studying my body “you will fit in the role I want to give you perfectly” ROLE “You are in grave danger my dear and unless you run away you will never escape doom, The one who nourishes you will destroy you” she stroked my cheek with her aged crooked finger

“The one who nourishes me will destroy...” I was cut off when I was abruptly yanked backward

“Meredith, leave her alone” Xavier’s voice yelled over my head. “If I see you near her again, I am going to make sure you don’t take another breath,” Xavier said and the woman named Meredith glared at him.

Xavier pulled me the rest of the way home, he was too blinded by anger to notice that I was hurt on my leg.

“What the hell don’t you understand by do not fucking leave this house Winter, you could have gotten yourself killed!”

“No one tried to kill me everyone was nice and that woman was nice too”

“Enough about her, stay away from her she is bad news” Xavier came to me and leaned his forehead against mine “I am sorry, she isn’t nice she is evil up to no good, promise me you won’t go near her again, please don’t go near her again do you understand me” I nodded and he pecked my lips “You hurt yourself” he looked down at my leg and placed his hand on my leg. The wound instantly healed. I am having a slight feeling that this is an angel, not a devil that I am speaking to right now.

I slept off and the woman’s voice was still in my head, the one who nourishes you, will destroy you. What did that even mean? The one who nourishes you will destroy you. Wait does that mean Xavier will be my doom, that cannot be right. I sat up and looked at Xavier, he was typing something, I wonder what he was actually doing on that laptop.

“Go back to bed, Winter you have training tomorrow”

“Oh right,” I covered myself with the blanket again, before I slept off I found myself staring into the darkness of my side of the room

***************************************

“Did you not get enough sleep last night” After three hours of training, my body felt numb, AGAIN.

“I did not Xavier, I kept thinking about what that old lady said to me”

“Forget about her, what she said was useless”

“Useless, of course, you would know what is useless and useful”

“Yeah I do, and do you want to know what else is useless?”

“What?”

“This conversation” he deadpanned and I glared at him

"Do you know what I picked up in my Latin books today?” I asked him

“I don’t want to know”

“I am sure you would, Stultus es”

“I am an idiot huh”

“Yes you are, I don't want to insult you on a serious note Xavier, that woman needed help who put her there, Xavier she looked weak”

“I don’t know” he shrugged, he knew he just did not want to tell me.

“You are the prince, you are supposed to know these things Xavier, someone is suffering under your care and you have nothing to do about it, You will make a cruel king. Did I say cruel, I meant CRAP. I will study Latin words alone thank you. Not sure why considering your father speaks perfect English. I got out of my chair and walked to my bedroom.
“Meredith is not one of my subjects, she is almost as old as time itself, she found herself here and just as my forefather she refused to submit to authority because she thought that she was better than authority as well, she was a threat and she was trapped there. You don’t need to worry about what she said”

“She scared me with what she said don’t you understand”

“Well you shouldn’t have been looking for her trouble in the first place, I told you to stay here in the house while I ran some errands and you deliberately disobeyed me.”

“I wasn’t looking for trouble I was just by the lake staring”

“You know that place is dangerous, you were just trying to piss me off weren’t you?”

“SO?”

“So you should be punished for it, but I will just give you a warning. Next time when I give you an order fucking listen to it or you will be sorry”

“WHAT DOES THE ONE WHO NOURISHES YOU WILL DESTROY YOU MEAN” he froze ”Is that what she told you”

“Yes it is, answer me now”

“It is nothing”

“Damn, it is not, you are lying”

“If I am” he shrugged, I jumped on him and tackled him to the bed, trapping his arms above his head, my leg swung over his waist and I straddled him.

“Answer me” I seethed dangerously through my teeth

"You are only exciting me" he smirked and ground against me, despite the pleasure that shot through my body I kept my stance and annoyed expression

"Answer me, Godammit"

“You already know what it means, you know, you know what it means, why bully me to get it out of me?” he asked calmly, looking up at me with intrigue and desire in his eyes, OF COURSE, he makes this sexual, he makes everything sexual

“I want you to say it, Xavier, I want you to say it and assure me that it is not true so I don’t tie you to this bed and run away with my father to someplace you will never find me and cause you to be the laughing stock of the whole entire nether region”

“You meant to tell me, you think you will run away and I will not track you down”

“You are damn right Xavier now answer the question, WHAT DOES IT MEAN”

“What you think it means” he flipped us over and shook out of my grasp then walked out of the room. The question is what did I actually think it meant?