Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 254: He Is Different

Chapter 254: He Is Different

As the sky gradually darkened, everyone in the Palace quickly retired to bed as tomorrow was going to be another busy day. With the wedding already around the corner, they could not afford to make any more mistakes from here on out. Unknown to everyone, the couple they were straining their energy to work for were having a moment of their own as Ivan successfully snuck into Samantha’s chamber.

She had waited for Lucy to retire to bed before letting Ivan in, and unlike last time when he used the window, he dared to use her room door today, whilst she dragged him in quickly before anyone would notice his lingering presence on her doorway.

Sitting on her mattress, Ivan seriously scrutinized the little plant who seemed to be gazing back at him with the same concentration, as though they were in a staring contest. When he cocked his head slightly to the side, the little plant imitated his gesture in silence– when he repeated his actions, tilting his head the other way, the little plant did the same, and then out of his unrestrained curiosity, he gave the plant a scare.

"Boo!" The way his crimson eyes narrowly darkened, like the fading embers on a dying fire had the plant startled, and it immediately jumped into the arms of Samantha, hiding itself inside the sleeve of her dress to avoid his stormy eyes. A satisfying smile curved Ivan’s lips at its frightful reaction, but when he looked up to meet his little lamb’s stare, she was glaring at him with those doe eyes.

"What?"

"Now you act like Alistair, you frightened my plant into hiding, are you okay?" She asked her little plant who slowly peeked out from under her sleeve, its vine’s trembling as they held onto her sleeve for some comfort.

’Viney is fine, but viney is not brave in the face of deadly aura. Master seems to have a... standard choice when it comes to loving unhinged men.’ thought Viney.

"W– what?" Samantha’s lips parted in disbelief at her vine’s remark towards her choice, and as though it sensed her building fury, it quickly hid back under her sleeve.

Ivan simply watched their wordless interaction, and from her constant change in reaction, he knew her mind was linked to that of the plant she was presently conversing with. When she happily showed him her newest ’pet plant’ he observed the plant creature to ensure this wasn’t some kind of trap that had been laid for his little lamb, but noticing how she reprimanded him all for the sake of a plant, he hissed in displeasure.

"You mean to say your vine was actually a walking plant." Ivan noted, already amused, and she nodded her head in answer. If Ivan ever got to know what little viney had said about him, he would squash her new pet in his palm like a bug.

’Master, Viney won’t be happy if that happens.’ came its voice that was transmitted in her head, but Samantha simply ignored it. Unknown to her, her pet vine was being completely realistic concerning the type of men she had met in her present and past life. They both possess such terrible, frightening auras, it could not bear to be in either of their midst.

"That is a man-eating plant hiding beneath your sleeve, am I sure it is safe to leave you in the hands of a plant that is capable of swallowing you whole? No." Ivan, who was a bit skeptical about her plant’s origin, spoke his mind, and Viney stuck its head out again.

’Viney would never hurt Master! Viney only protects Master." It answered back as though Ivan could hear it speak, and it immediately went back in its shell.

"Viney is under my control, it’ll never hurt anyone unless I say so." Samantha explained to Ivan, "it calls me Master, so it won’t do anything that goes against my wishes. Actually, I’m more excited to know about this!"

’Master needs men with less frightening aura, viney does not want to lose his life in the hands of a deranged.’ her plant communicated to her once more, making her roll her eyes, but she chose not to answer it. With the amount of fear she could perceive from her new pet plant, how on Earth does it plan to keep her safe?

"Your powers are really something." Ivan leaned his back on the headboard, his crimson eyes shifting to the smiling woman in front of him. "The Mystic orb has been in my family’s possession for a long time, but they’re main purpose was to give nature, and grant wishes, at least that was what I thought back then... but right now, your powers are extending beyond that purpose, I can sense your aura." His voice held warmth, but there was a hint of worry she perceived as well, one she failed to fathom the meaning behind it, and she could only guess that he was being concerned about her like he normally does.

"Like I said before, I haven’t discovered the depths of it yet." Samantha moved to sit beside Ivan, resting her back on the headboard and drawing her knees up to her chest. "I wonder if I could do more. I am excited and anxious at the same time. It pains me that I have to discover my identity as an object of power and not a human, or a Fae, but I’ve decided to accept it, cause you and everyone else has done so."

’Master is an orb?’ Viney communicated with her once more, interrupting Samantha who had to pause in order to hear it out, ’but... does Master really not remember what happened at all?’

"What am I supposed to remember, Viney?" Samantha asked out loud with an exasperated sigh, gaining absolutely nothing from Viney’s gibberish words. Ivan tilted his head slightly when his little lamb palmed her face with her hands, and then she took it up into her hair, as if trying not to succumb to the sleep that was veiling under her eyes.

"Come here." Pulling her gently into his arms, Samantha let herself submit to the comfort his protective hold always brought to her soul, and she smiled when he kissed the top of her hair.

"Little Lamb."

"Hmm?"

"Do you still get those whispers?" He asked, and Samantha shook her head.

"I don’t, I feel more relieved now. After what happened with His Majesty Nichole, it frightened me at how compelling they became, but it stopped. Why do you ask?" She tilted her head up to look at his face, and he had managed to conceal his worries before she could see them.

"I wanted to make sure you weren’t bothered, go to sleep." Reaching for her blanket, he pulled it up to shield her lithe form from the cold that would get worse overnight. Samantha cuddled against him as she closed her eyes, and as always, he watched her sleep, but this time around, there was evident worry painting his features as he studied her– the need to be around her and never let her out of his sight.

"I won’t let him hurt you." He promised softly, his fingers caressing her cheek as she slept peacefully. Unbeknownst to Ivan, little Viney had peeked out from under the blanket.

Although it had no eyes to see what was happening, it could sense the protectiveness emanating from the vampire. He worried for her like a guardian angel watching over a loved one, and it was a rare feeling for the plant, because in the past, it hadn’t sensed such a pure feeling from its Master’s previous husband, and if it had facial features, one would easily denote its pondering.

’He... is different.’ thought Viney, a tinge of hope lighting its soft, childlike voice.