51. Ready or not.

He paced around the dark halls, leaving the woman locked in a separate bedroom. If there was anything, he needed, it was time and an insane amount of patience while dealing with her. No excuses could cover her doings and words she had said already. The male wanted to run to the bedroom, kick the door open, and demand explanations since she needed to give him more than just a few. Yet, he tried to stay as calm as possible; perhaps scaring her wouldn't lead him anywhere. After all, it wasn't that he wanted to hurt her- more like threaten the woman a little to move on with the plan.

"I can't stand this waiting; whatever is taking so long for her is frustrating the fuck out of me!" The male growled just seconds before a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. On any other occasion, the person might startle him, but not now. He felt the stranger's presence for a while, waiting for the beast to be ready and approach him.

"Did you get any answers out of the human, son?" A deep voice spoke up, questioning the male. This man was able to scare anyone in his way with the voice alone- he sounded like someone who just dug their way out of their grave.

"I wish I would have any information to share, father, but as you see- I'm still waiting on the bitch. I had to send her to another bedroom to make sure she would feel somewhat safe. Have you granted her wish yet? We might try to talk and promise that the wish shall be granted after telling us what happened back there. Since we have her weak spot, we can surely use it against her, can't we?" The male couldn't stop staring at the door, wondering if she would share the information if the men tried to use her wish against her again. Technically, she went through with the plan's part, which was her responsibility, so she wouldn't have to keep working for them. But, there's always a but- nobody knew if she succeeded.

"Sounds like a good idea; why don't we pay a little surprise visit to our precious human, son?" The older male grinned, squeezing his son's shoulder and pushing him towards the door. The only problem was that the younger male had no idea if his father would follow his own words. He was a strange, old man, with some secrets of his own.

Both of them knocked on the door, waiting for any kind of movement or sounds coming from inside the room. There was no response for five minutes, and both men started thinking that the woman had escaped or probably killed herself. Working with the shadows took all energy from a human; most of them died sooner or later, not that it worried the shadows.
The younger male suggested kicking the door open just as the woman unlocked it and snuck out of the bedroom.

"My Lord," she bowed her head, staring down at her bare feet. If she was brave enough, she might try to look at their faces, yet the woman was too scared. Her mother warned her, saying that as much as mere eye contact with the shadows could kill her. The young woman had to stay alive- for her mother and family. This was just a one time job; she would deal with the questioning and leave safe and sound. That is, if the shadows would be pleased with the work she had done. If the monstrous beings thought she failed- she would lose everything she had ever held dear to heart.

"Adelaine," the older male greeted her, being as polite as he could be. He was a monster, but one with manners, and if the human respected him- he would do as much as acknowledge her existence. Unlike his son, he held no interest in the woman's appearance; he focused on the bedroom. She must be hiding something if she decided to sneak out in the hall rather than let them in. "Why don't we get inside that room and have a friendly chat? The walls have ears, darling; we must be careful." The male suggested, wondering if his suspicions could come true.

To his surprise, the woman nodded her head and whispered a weak: "of course, my Lord." Adeline opened the door and entered the bedroom, growing worried as she did. The young woman felt anxious, terrified of what might happen if the men close the door. She wasn't as scared from the Lord- the older male had treated her with respect, and there wasn't a day when he wasn't rather kind. The young Master, on the other hand, was one to be worried about. The main reason why she locked herself in and hid away was that the younger male was alone. She didn't have any reason to trust him- last time they were alone, the male tried to push himself onto her. Thankfully, before he could do anything- his father arrived and literally saved her purity. Adelaine suspected that the older male might have fallen for her; Lord was too kind and way too friendly to her. That is, compared to other humans and servants in his castle. Not that Adelaine didn't get any warnings about the possibility before. Her mother suggested she stay away from him; the Lord was known for his likings towards younger women, and so was his son.

"I assume the conversation would be about the temple, am I right?" Adelaine sat on the edge of her bed, keeping her head low.

"Yes, that is correct. Please don't be scared; we won't hurt you, it's just a discussion about what happened there. One of us can leave the room; if you don't feel safe, just speak up. After we get the information, your wish shall be granted since the job is done. I wish I could do that faster, but I do need that information, Addy." The Lord spoke in a soft voice; he did his best to comfort the terrified woman. Before speaking, he took a look around the bedroom, nearly sighing in relief after making sure that nothing had changed. Adelaine didn't hide anything from him, and for some reason, it calmed the older male. His eyes landed on the small human frame, wondering if the woman had eaten. Sometimes the Lord couldn't understand where the thoughts came from, but Adelaine had a special spot in his heart, no matter what everyone else thought.

"I did everything as instructed, my Lord. The deadly sin, I assume, finished the marking process when I got there. I am terribly sorry for being late; I think the plan worked. He chased me out of the bedroom, but the Princess was still awake as I screamed out the lines. The sin chased me down the halls, nearly killed me, but by then, the Princess was awake. I think everything worked out pretty great since he held me by the neck and whispered a promise to kill me as the Princess approached us. Even though he was about to murder me then, she assumed that the position she found us in was rather intimate. She screamed at the sin and ran away. That's the reason why I'm still breathing- she was in the right place at the right time. As soon as she disappeared, he let go of me and ran after her. I took the chance and escaped before the sin might have any suspicions about where I would go and try to follow me. He had a lot of explaining to do, and I doubt that the woman would believe in his words. The odds were all against him. Honestly, my Lord, I know that my opinion doesn't matter, but I think that she will break the newly formed bond. It wasn't even a couple of minutes after he marked her, and she found out about another woman." Adelaine took a deep breath after the last words left her lips. The young woman told them everything in nearly one sentence, including all of the essential details. She needed their help, if this fails, there's no more hope for her mother, but Adelaine wouldn't give up. She would beg the Moon Goddess, exchange her life for the health of her mother if needed. She wouldn't stop at anything.

"So, do you know if it worked or not?" The younger male nearly jumped back to his feet. He couldn't hold himself back as frustration overtook all of his emotions. They had been working on the plan for way too long to fail now. Just a little success was enough to destroy them, the whole Royal family, and the sin if needed. Not even one of them had something against the deadly sin; he was like a blessing when someone had to get killed, but the Royals were another type of a problem.

"I am not sure, young Master," Adelaine replied sincerely, holding her tears back. "I just told you everything I know, including all details; what happens next is not something I could have any influence on. It's between them, but hopefully, things go as I assume they would. I've heard a lot about the Princess- that woman is not stupid; she wouldn't believe anyone if she didn't get to see everything with her own eyes. But she did- she heard the words I said, and she witnessed how close that monster stood to me, how he leaned next to my ear. I would assume it looks like two lovers more than enemies as well." Adelaine bit the inside of her cheek, praying the Gods for the young male to stay calm. Sometimes, when he lost the battle to his temper- he did awful things to humans and servants around the castle. He had been targeting Adelaine since he found out about his father's liking towards the young woman. Who knows what might happen at night, when the Lord is asleep. The thought terrified her, tonight; she wouldn't sleep in her bedroom; maybe that would save her from his anger.

"I don't know how about you, son, but I call this a success story. Like Adelaine just said, the Princess isn't a woman who would believe in words before seeing actions. And Lord, did she see those actions. I would pay a lot of money, do a lot of things to see her face. And Wrath's face while trying to explain everything as well. Princess Ally is known for her stubborn nature; if she gets something in her head- she won't stop. I'm sure that's one thing which will play in our favor these days. Let's celebrate; suddenly, I feel like drinking and enjoying the night." The Lord laughed, standing up and approaching the young woman. He extended his arm, offering her a hand with a wide grin plastered all over his lips. "And all thanks to you, my lovely Adelaine. Tonight, we celebrate you," he added, proudness oozing from the older male.

"I'm in if it means drinking. Miss Adelaine, please, do join us. You truly are the reason we are here now, and as father said- we must celebrate. You have done a great job; we will be forever grateful." The young Master added. He, unlike his father, didn't grin. The smile on his lips was sickening, full of dark thoughts.

The young woman nodded, aware that saying no would be seen as a sign of disrespect. *"Avoid the young Master, don't drink anything given by his hand, and you'll be fine. Stick around the Lord; he will keep you safe, even from his son."* the woman thought to herself, reminding the little things she had to follow. Hand in hand with the Lord, Adelaine walked to the grand hall, where servants rushed filling glasses with colored liquid. Some brought plates full of different foods and snacks. Adelaine's stomach growled, making the Lord chuckle.

"I was wondering if you had eaten today; I guess this is my answer," the older male leaned to her ear and whispered. Unlike other times, this one made her feel a wave of pleasant shivers traveling down her spine. She was genuinely grateful for the affection he showed her, for the care, and little things he noticed. The young woman wouldn't dare to dream about being his mate, but if she were- she wouldn't be able to reject him. The man had been there for her even at nights if she had nightmares. When her mother told her about being sick, the young woman had more night terrors than ever before, and the Lord had a bedroom prepared for her right next to his. Whenever she cried or screamed, he was there, comforting her until she fell asleep again.

"Father, miss Adelaine, you two enjoy yourselves. It seems like there is an issue my friend had faced; I must leave for a while. Can't promise anything; possibly will stay out of the castle for a couple of days. Let me know if anything changes and when are you planning to take the next step towards our goal." The younger male announced, turning his back to both and leaving. He didn't wait for any answer- there wouldn't be any since father was way too carried away with taking care of that human. Sometimes, he hated seeing his father like this, but at times, it was somewhat useful. The male was blind to whatever happened around; if Adelaine was near, she took all of his attention. And now, he had no idea what his son might be up to. Aside from following his father's plan, the young male had an idea of his own.

"Ready or not, here I come, you can't hide, Ally," he whispered to himself before leaving the castle. The young male had nowhere to hurry since the Princess must be alone. On his way to the temple, he had more than enough time to come up with more ideas. Whatever thoughts he had- all of them aroused him, the male didn't travel to talk. He headed for the goal to take what was rightfully his, at least that's what his sick mind thought it was. He wouldn't accept the fact that the Princess wasn't his to have.
"I'm going to find you and make you love me." Deimos laughed out, his mind set on the goal more than ever before. It was tonight or never when he would take the Princess- with her consent or without. She had to become his mate, even if he had to force her down, bite her over the true mark, and mate her as soon as he did. Who cared about hatred or fear if Deimos had dreamed about the night when he would have Ally all to himself for so long?