Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 116: Only Way To Salvation

Chapter 116: Only Way To Salvation

At first, Samantha had the intention of refusing to go anywhere with him, at least not in the late night when the world is meant to be asleep, but upon seeing how disoriented he appeared after walking through that door, jaws clenching and his eyes blazing like an incoming tsunami ready to wash off whatever filth lingered within the Palace, it only piqued on her curiosity to know exactly what had happened.

"Okay." She whispered her approval. Her gaze seemingly drifted to the closed door, as if waiting for him to lead the way outside so she could follow, but what she hadn’t expected was for Ivan to, without any warning, sweep her off her feet into his arms. That one swift motion had caught her off guard; she managed a breathy yelp, and when she looked at him with wide eyes, cheeks flustered at the thought of being in his arms yet again, she heard him say.

"We won’t be using the door."

Looking down at his little lamb whose eyebrows were knitted puzzledly, he quietly carried her towards the balcony where she explored earlier today. To Samantha’s biggest surprise, he stood on the balustrade, and when she looked down at the height below, it left her nervously clutching to Ivan whose hold around her had turned protective.

"What... what are you planning to do?"

"Hold on tight."

"What?!" Before Samantha could protest against this idea, he jumped. Instantly burying her face against his chest as her arms secured themselves around him, clinging on for dear life, her mind already pictured finding herself dead the minute they hit the floor, but when she heard the quiet thud of Ivan’s feet dropping to the ground, she slowly pulled back to find herself alive, and they were already on ground level. Stupefied, she glanced up at the height before looking at Ivan who carefully dropped her to her feet.

"How did you–"

"I’m a vampire," he reminded her, regardless of how obvious it was. "I’m not that stupid to put our lives in such risk. That’s not even important, get on my back."

"What?!" Another shock of the day. "I...I can’t possibly do that." Samantha took two steps back away from Ivan who was waiting for his little lamb to get on his back so they could leave. Turning around to see her staring as if he had said something wrong by asking her to get on his back, he covered the distance between them and took her arms on his shoulder before lifting her without warning on his back.

"W-wait! This is.... I can’t be seen on your back! Like this! What if..."

"You’re my bride." He cut her off with that important reminder. "And where we’re going is quite far from EmptyHollow, so I have to give you a ride there. Hold on tight, and you won’t end up with a broken skull."

Hearing this, Samantha clung tight to Ivan as she wouldn’t want to end up having a broken skull. In the blur of a moment, they were both out of sight.

—-

As the moon painted the night sky with its gentle glow, Ivan led Samantha to a secluded spot near the shore. The rhythmic sounds of the crashing waves filled the air as they stood barefoot on the soft sand, holding their shoes. Their toes sank into the sand’s comforting embrace as they took a leisurely walk, watching the waves in silence.

The ocean stretched out before them, vast and unfathomable. The wind tousled their hair, making them dance to its call, and the moon casted a silver trail on the water, luring their attention to it as Samantha had stopped walking so she could watch the waves clash against the shore, and her lips had curved into a tender smile as merely watching the nature’s symphony had eased her heart and mind.

Ivan came to stand beside her, hands in his pocket as he watched the waves with her. For a peaceful amount of time, he stole a glance at her side profile, and there went the strange rapid beating in his chest again. Taking a deep breath as he turned to the water, he said.

"After that day when she shared a moment together under the moonlight, watching the riverbank, I don’t know... I just... wanted to experience it all over again. Excluding the fact that we were both drenched."

"This is beautiful!" He heard her say in a sweet voice that softly drifted with the wind. "It looks more vast than the ones at the riverbank, I could watch this all night." Samantha simply sat on the sand, and when she tilted her head up to look at Ivan who was watching her through crimson orbs, she patted the empty space beside her, beckoning him to sit with her.

When he had kissed her without permission earlier, Ivan assumed she was going to start distancing herself from him. He was being selfish, he knew, there were many dark sinful thoughts swirling in his mind whenever he thought about her but then he couldn’t keep himself away, it was like trying to stay alive without oxygen.

Seeing her beckon him to join her on the sand had eased him a bit, and before she changed her mind, he took his seat right beside her so they could both watch the clashing of the ocean waves. He had been skeptical about bringing her here, but now that he did, he couldn’t have been more grateful to himself for making that decision.

After finding solace in each other’s silence, Samantha heaved a deep breath and finally turned her head to look at Ivan. "Are you going to tell me what really happened at the royal court meeting? Did they disapprove of our...alliance? Did my real identity get figured out by those scary Lords? Am I in trouble?"

"No, none of those things happened." Ivan answered her questions softly, his crimson eyes that bore solitude remain fixed on the ocean. "Can I ask you something? I need you to be hundred percent honest with your answer."

"Yes, what?"

"Would you distance yourself from me if I murdered my whole Family in cold blood?" He asked, leaving Samantha’s eyes to momentarily widen at his strange but shocking question. "If I killed all of them, right now, would you blame me for it?"

"Are you.... planning to murder your family?" Samantha carefully inquired instead, still awestruck to her wits, but then he sighed and met her round eyes that now gleamed beautifully under the moonlight.

"My brother is back, frankly speaking, I believe all three of them are back." He told her while stifling a pained laugh, but after hearing the ones that effortlessly escaped his lips, it sounded forlornly dry to Samantha’s ears, and he continued. "The eldest amongst the three stormed the royal court after many years of being away, of ignoring it just so he could gain power. He cunningly crafted a fabricated decree, claiming our Father’s favor in ruling the kingdom.... The court is planning to take the dispute to the court of public opinion, and if they do, he will win over the Throne, without a doubt."

"What?" Samantha’s eyes gleamed with a mixture of shock and concern, whilst she shifted closer to Ivan. "That much happened?!"

"My brother is loved by the people, he was never around when they needed him but they believed he was, no one sees faults in him. Apparently I’m the black sheep compared to my brothers. When he looked at me, after all these years, I almost had him burned to ashes, but I controlled it without knowing how.... That’s why I’m asking you, what would you think of me if I stopped resisting the darkness and.... killed all of them."

Samantha stayed quiet for a brief moment, seriously contemplating on the abomination he planned on committing. When he asked her at first, she assumed he was trying to frighten her again, but from the looks in his eyes, he seems quite serious about what he intends on doing to them. If he can get rid of his family because of this... does that mean he could easily get rid of her too?

"I won’t do it." Samantha suddenly heard him say, snapping her out of her thoughts. When she looked at him, he was staring at her with a look that told her he had gotten his answer.

Was her reaction to what she had been thinking that obvious?

"I... please do not be offended, I didn’t..."

"Don’t bother," he cut her off in an understanding tone, and he didn’t sound upset either. "I’ve always kept it bottled in. It’ll remain bottled in. You can hate me as much as you want to, but don’t run away from me."

His voice, a sad melody amidst the backdrop of nature’s symphony, had Samantha developing the strangest urge to hug him. She quickly turned her gaze away from him, feeling her heart race in rapport whilst she gazed back at the ocean to gain her resolve.

"I can’t tell you to get rid of them," Samantha uttered with all honesty as she pulled her legs up so she could rest her chin on it. "But if you think getting the throne is the only way to your salvation, then I say..... do whatever it is you can to make it happen. Don’t let anything or anyone stop you, not even my fears."