Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 161: His Gentle Side

Chapter 161: His Gentle Side

When Ivan returned to his Chamber some minutes later, he found his little lamb all curled up like a ball in his bed. She had buried herself in his duvet, and her small frame was outlined by the blanket. When he approached his bedside, he no longer perceived the tempting scent of her blood but instead, a sweet floral scent that was pleasantly familiar to his nostrils.

Dropping the cup of warm tea on the bedside table, Ivan gently pulled the blanket to reveal his little lamb’s face, but she gave no reaction to his presence. Her eyes were squeezed shut, eyebrows creased in agony, and she was still curled in that position, it made him want to take her in his arms again. He hated the idea of bothering her, but if bothering her presently would make her get better, then he was more than willing to take that option.

"Little Lamb." He gently called, his hand reaching for her face as his fingers caressed her cheek, but when she gave no response to him, he called her name for the second time, but it sounded more persuasive than the first, whilst she had to answer as it was a familiar tone of his she couldn’t dare to ignore. "I need you to sit up, now. I’ll help you up."

He extended his hand for her to take, and Samantha, who eventually opened her eyes to see his proffered hand stretched out for her to take, had no choice but to accept it. He kind-heartedly assisted her to sit up, and when she eventually obliged, he reached for the cup on the table and handed it to her. "Here, drink this."

Samantha glanced at him before moving her questioning eyes to the porcelain cup he was holding. "What... what is it?"

"Raspberry leaf tea." He answered before gesturing for her to take it from his hand, "it’ll relieve you, don’t stop until you finish it." He instructed calmly.

At this point, Samantha was willing to take anything that would help her deal with the cramps, and when he mentioned raspberry leaf tea, she didn’t hesitate to take it from his grip, whilst she quaffed downed the warm liquid down her throat. Just as he instructed, she didn’t stop till she had consumed the warm tea.

Ivan’s concentrated gaze lingered on her till she emptied the cup, and when she made attempts to drop it, he received the cup from her and kept it down on the table himself. Seeing her sit up, Ivan understood why he no longer perceived the strong scent of her blood. Her change of clothes and the sweet fragrance that overshadowed her scent made him conclude that she had washed up when he left, but then, a frown dawned on his expression as if he just realized something.

"Don’t tell me you used cold water."

"It wasn’t that cold, and I couldn’t go outside." She gave her honest answer before glancing at the empty cup on the bedside table, curiosity painting her features as she studied the cup. "But I never asked for herbal tea, how did you... get one?" Samantha knew she never asked for herbal tea, and she remembered telling him that she was fine even though she wasn’t....so how did he get the raspberry leaf tea?

"Even a blind man can tell you’re unwell, so I asked Lucy to make one for you, as you’re more close to her, I presumed she’d understand how best to handle you." Ivan explained, but he was oblivious to how her questioning eyes widened in surprise. "How are you feeling?"

"You asked Lucy?" Samantha inquired, and he nodded his head in response.

"Well yes, you were in pain and I couldn’t leave you like that." He admitted, but before he could utter anything else, his little lamb had gotten out of bed and was embracing him. He shouldn’t be surprised by her actions, but he was, and so was his body which automatically froze under her warmth. His little lamb had never dared to hug him willingly so it was understandable for him to be taken aback by it, and also, it made him feel inexplicably good.

"Thank you." He heard her say before she pulled back to look into his eyes with gratitude, "thank you for being... nice to me." Her eyes gleamed, and even when he tried to fight it, his lips eventually curved into a slight smile, whilst he gave her head a loving pat.

"I won’t deny, when I smelled blood earlier, I feared something far more sinister had happened to you." He expressed as he pulled her back into his embrace, and he felt even better when she didn’t make attempts to pull away. She felt warmer than her usual temperature, and he liked the feeling of it.

"Sinister?" Samantha finally pulled back to gaze at him, her eyes glistening with curiosity and a touch of confusion. "How sinister?"

"Little Lamb." Ivan’s lips twitched slightly, "I have encountered countless creatures that can cause great harm. Yet, none strikes with such frequency and intensity as your kind’s monthly visitation." He explained, his voice tinged with a mix of amusement and genuine concern. He might be a vampire, but he still possessed humanity’s trait from his Mother.

Samantha’s jaw dropped, her cheeks turning scarlet as she struggled to comprehend his words. "You...you...speak of...you have knowledge of such...?" She mumbled, her words faltering.

Ivan chuckled softly at her flustered expression, his eyes sparkling mischievously, whilst he was also relieved that their conversation was swaying her mind from the pain she was feeling, and then he said, "Though not bound by mortality as you are, I am not immune to the fascinating intricacies of the human condition."

Samantha’s discomfort dissolved completely, whilst she blushed even deeper, her eyes darting away once more. "I... I did not think you’d be concerned about such matters." She admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

If she wanted to be honest she had tried to keep herself wary of him, she never assumed his reaction to her condition would make him this concerned, infact, she had predicted his annoyance, or maybe his disgust? Her mind had thought of all the negative reactions she would face if he ever found out, but once again, he was surprising her with another gentle side of himself.

Lowering his head, Ivan’s lips brushed against her ear, his voice filled with affectionate amusement. "My little lamb, do not underestimate the length to which my concern for you shall stretch. Even the trials of your mortal existence won’t go unnoticed by me." He whispered, a hint of playfulness coloring his tone as he pulled back to meet her eyes.

"Stay here, I have other matters to deal with, I’ll check on you in the evening when I’m done." Although he wished he could do more for her, he had to deal with that witch in the cell. He helped her get back on his bed even when she no longer needed his assistance.

"But... your migraine?" She asked before he could leave, "are you feeling better, did the Willow bark tea do any help?"

"Like magic." He winked, making her blush even harder before he exited the room. Samantha stayed in bed like he ordered, and it wasn’t before long Lucy showed up to check on her friend, but she made sure Ivan was nowhere near the chamber.

"How are you feeling now? Those cramps got you good didn’t it?" Lucy could see the exhaustion on her friend’s face, and then she smiled weakly.

"I feel better now thanks to your herbal tea."

"Don’t thank me, that’s why I’m even here." Lucy drew a chair close so she could sit beside the bed. "You won’t believe what happened when I made the herbal tea." Her eyes sparkled, and she couldn’t wait to gist Samantha about it.

—-

Ivan made his way to the dungeon after visiting Maurice in the guestroom, and Herbert stayed by his side as they both headed for the witch’s cell. His gaze no longer possessed their earlier warmth as he made it to her cell. Watching her sitting at a corner, the witch immediately flinched in fear upon sensing his presence.

"Open it." He commanded the guard incharge to open the cell doors.