Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 145: One More Night

Chapter 145: One More Night

Both Caddel’s and Maurice’s wrist had been freed from the ropes used to tie them up, and Caddel was immediately taken back to a different cell by the guards. Ivan, who remained in the courtyard, watched as both brother and sister stood at a corner, embracing one another without letting go; their silence conveying how much they have missed and suddenly felt to be reunited with one another, and he noticed how the young lad’s expression had softened immensely, a deep contrast to when he was brought here.

The emotional sight had Ivan clicking his tongue with envy, whilst he rolled his eyes elsewhere. To avoid making his jealousy known, he turned around to give them that space, and although he knew their relationship was nothing more than them being lost siblings, he still didn’t like the idea of any other male touching his little lamb, and he was seriously doing his best to tame that jealousy.

"She had to have a brother as a sibling." He muttered his complaint, massaging the back of his neck as he waited for them to end their own conversation. When he turned around again, he noticed Samantha gazing at him with ardor, but when she tried to approach him like he had expected, her brother, whom she was delighted to have been reunited with, grabbed her wrist to stop her from going anywhere near the vampire King.

Taking aback by his firm hold on her wrist, Samantha looked at her brother who was busy glaring daggers at Ivan, and if looks could kill, she doubts Lord Ivan would be able to handle the intensity of what her brother’s gaze portrayed. She had been worried about this, which was one of the reasons she had decided to go look for him herself. She knew her brother quite well and now that he was standing in front of Lord Ivan, it made her grow concerned about what might happen next.

"We’re leaving." Maurice said to Ivan who already expected this type of reaction from the young lad. From the start, It wasn’t easy bringing him here after they had found him within the capitals; the lad was beyond stubborn, his silence was enough to prove the first stage of his tenaciousness, but on the way, it became obvious that his sister was his weakness, cause merely mentioning her name had turned him obedient till they made it to the Palace.

Ivan knew he deserved the hatred he was seeing, but he wasn’t going to allow the woman he adored to step out of the Palace without confirming that wherever she might be heading to will be a safe place for her to stay. He wasn’t someone who would cower at her brother’s feet, and his hatred had no effect on him as long as his little lamb no longer hated him.

"You will leave, that I promise you, but not tonight." Ivan assured Maurice whose frown only deepened. "I understand how you must feel, but I gave your sister my word and I intend to fulfill everyone of them. You can ask her yourself."

"We don’t need favors from the man who killed our Father and ruined our lives!" Maurice quietly snapped back, and he swiftly pulled Samantha behind him as if to shield her from the devil they were presently up against. "Nothing you say to me will make me trust you or your intentions towards us. Because of you and your people, my sister and I were caught by slave traders! We got separated, tortured day and night– you have no idea what I had to face when those slave traders came to me, everyday with stories of how they made my sister go through hell in that forbidden place! Our lives have been ruined since the moment we met you, and you’re the one to blame for it!"

"Maurice." Samantha tried to stop her brother from speaking. She could see his eyes were already welled up with tears, and they glistened with untold fury as he didn’t even blink but kept staring at Ivan who remained quiet at the accusations. Samantha could feel tears prick her own eyes as she glanced at Ivan, and from his expression, she couldn’t tell if her brother’s words had angered him or not.

"Can we talk about this later? Please?" Samantha pleaded with her brother who met her glossy eyes, but he shook his head at her request, staying defiant as he met the crimson gaze of Ivan. Finally standing in front of the vampire who had taken away the happiness from his life, he certainly wouldn’t sit back and watch him take away the only family he had left in this world, and that was his sister.

"Hate me as much as you want to," Ivan finally responded, his wavering eyes darting between Samantha and her brother. "I won’t deny my faults, what I have done to you and your sister is unforgivable, and I know that there is absolutely no way I can change what has happened, but I’ve been given the chance to rectify that mistake. I won’t question you, but all I need from you is to let me help your sister, help you."

"Then let us go." Maurice said, raising a challenging eyebrow at him, and the atmosphere felt tense. "If you want to help, then let us leave this place. Don’t bother us, don’t have your guards following us about and don’t try to figure out our location, can you do that? If yes then I will believe that you really are trying to atone for your sins."

"Maurice stop, that’s enough." Samantha tried to stop her brother from saying what might anger Ivan. She knew he was doing it deliberately, to test the vampire’s limits, but she knew Ivan wasn’t the type who showed his fury so readily. "I am not hurt, I am fine and so are you, but–"

"Fine." Ivan accepted Maurice’s request, to Samantha’s unexpected surprise. "I can assure you that no one will know your whereabouts, not even me, but if you want us to do it this way, then I insist you wait until after the blood moon. One night, spend one more night within the Palace, and after the end of my coronation, which will happen during the full blood moon, you and your sister will be free to leave."

"I heard you’re a man of your word, I’m hoping to see you keep to this." Maurice scowled before finally letting out a breath, as if he was emotionally exhausted. He glanced at his sister who was busy staring directly at vampire King, and in a matter of seconds, a servant showed up at Lord Ivan’s request.

"See him to his chamber at the West wing." Ivan ordered the servant who bowed her head. Maurice was reluctant to leave his sister behind, but after Samantha’s persuasion, he eventually agreed and was forced to leave her standing alone with the vampire King. When he was out of sight, Samantha turned her attention to Ivan, and as much as he tried to hide how he felt, she knew he was hurt by her brother’s words.

"Maurice is not a bad person, please do not hate him for what he said." Samantha quickly tried to explain, "he’s more quiet than you think but it’s just... when he gets angry he says things, and he isn’t one to stop unless he lets them all out but.. but he’s not–"

"I know." Ivan softly said, and Samantha kept quiet at his agreement. "What he says is the truth, and I can’t hate him for that. I promised you I’d never hurt him, and no one will. Infact, It makes me less worried now, knowing you’ll be in the hands of someone who can protect you. He has a hidden potential, and I know I can trust him to keep you safe."

For a moment, the two of them felt the quietness of the courtyard envelope them. Ivan’s hand secretly balled into fist at his back, and he tried to keep his emotions at bay. The distance between them, he wanted to erase it, he wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to love her even if it was just for the last time. He could feel his heart bleeding at the torturing distance, yet he was unable to do a thing about it. He knew he was being punished for his past sins, and that punishment would be losing the only woman he has grown to love and protect.

He had no one to blame but himself.

"Go to your brother," he said with a faint smile, "I grant you permission to be with him. I have things to do anyway and you two must have a lot to catch up on." Clearing the sudden lump that was beginning to form in his throat, Ivan turned around and left before Samantha could say anything in response.

She watched Ivan’s back retreat as he exited the courtyard.