The Devil's Betrothed
Chapter 404: Bite For Bite

Chapter 404: Bite For Bite

While others believed the couple was indulging in a blossoming romance, the reality inside that gazebo remained a mystery.

Oriana attempted to push Arlan away, but he had effectively trapped her between the substantial pillar and his unyielding frame. Her hands were ensnared in his firm grip, while his other hand tightly gripped her hair at the back of her head. His mouth aggressively pressed against hers through the veil that separated them, his actions rough and intense like a tempest.

He had succeeded in silencing her, putting an end to her taunting and provocation. However, that was not enough for the restless beast within him, yearning to break free from the constraints to claim his mate, especially when she emitted such a tantalizing scent.

Even through the fabric of her veil, Oriana could sense the searing heat emanating from his mouth, and the way he held her conveyed the fierce desire burning within him. She was taken aback, but this was not the time for shock.

Arlan withdrew his head and gazed at her angry expression.

Oriana could see his eyes had turned red, and his irises appeared golden. The skin of his face pulsed with the appearance and disappearance of golden scales.

"You...," she began, but before she could utter more, he swiftly removed the veil from her face and covered her mouth once again with his hot lips, whispering in a hoarse voice, "I’m tired of telling you to shut up. This is what you get for disobeying me."

Leaving her with no escape, he continued to kiss her fervently, devoid of any restraint. The inner beast within him yearned for her, and he was surrendering to its desires.

"Let me... go... Jerk..."

She struggled with all her strength, but her resistance only seemed to intensify his fervor. His lips devoured her passionately, her enchanting scent inundating his senses, leaving him fixated solely on his mate.

Oriana felt her lips being sucked and bitten firmly, his tongue dominating hers without inhibition, making it nearly impossible to catch her breath. Their bite exchanged a taste of blood, and a strange sensation rippled through them both.

Arlan was momentarily stunned when he tasted her blood, finding it strangely heavenly, even tempting him to partake further—a notion that alarmed him.

Oriana was nearly breathless, a painful groan escaping her, her grip on him loosening, and her knees growing weak from suffocation. She teetered on the verge of collapse had he not let her go.

Arlan ceased, observing the blood seeping from the corner of her lower lip. He licked his own lips, his gaze locked on the blood on her lips, tempted to taste more but...

"You dared to bite me?" She growled with indignation, catching her breath. Her fingers gingerly touched her wounded lips and then examined the blood on her fingertips. "You monster."

In the next moment, she lunged at him, gripping his collar tightly, and with fierce determination, she mercilessly bit his lip, drawing fresh blood.

Arlan never expected such a reaction from her and was utterly shocked. Although he felt pain, he remained still, allowing her to bite him.

Once satisfied, she released him, wiping her mouth with her hand, now stained with his blood.

"You dared to bite me, so I’ll do the same, you rascal," she snapped, her anger visibly etched across her face, her chest rising and falling with each agitated breath.

Arlan, who had remained silent until now, finally reacted as his gaze grew colder. "Weren’t you the one who dared me to do it? Don’t you want to have children with me?"

She couldn’t retract her previous words at this point. "I do, but you can’t just force yourself on me. You need my consent."

"Do you think I care about your consent?" he declared, taking a menacing step closer to her. "I’ll do as I please, whenever I please. Right now, I’m tempted to do everything with you."

Oriana, who often projected an air of fearlessness in his presence, couldn’t help but feel wary of him when his more primal instincts began to surface.

’Dragons only mate with their chosen partners,’ she thought. ’It’s written in the books, which is why I was confident in provoking him. But this dragon...he seems intent on making me suffer. He wouldn’t actually harm me, would he? Maybe he’s just trying to scare me.’

"Stay away from me," she growled, taking a step back. "I’m not in the right condition at the moment. I’m on my monthly cycle."

He sneered, "It’s just blood. Do you think I’ll let you go without making you bleed in a different way? I intend to make you suffer and torture you in the worst possible manner."

’Why is my plan to annoy him now backfiring on me?’ Despite her trepidation, she gathered her resolve and issued a stern warning, "I’ve stated that whatever you do to me, I’ll reciprocate in kind, and I mean it. Don’t dismiss my warning lightly. I am a physician. If you harm me now, later, for retribution, I’ll administer you with a potent drug and take advantage of you. I’ll plan it the way that I will conceive your child and give birth to it, and that child will stand as proof of your shame – that you were exploited by your enemy’s daughter."

"You dare," he growled in disbelief.

No woman had ever contemplated such an audacious act, yet the woman before him had meticulously planned it. She was brazen, scheming to exploit him.

"If you dare, then I’ll dare to do it too. Don’t underestimate my resolve to repay the harm you would inflicted on me," she declared. "The last time you laid your hand on me, I had decided that would be the first and last time. I would punish you the same way you would hurt me."

"Very well, let’s put it to the test," Arlan advanced toward her, as if her words were nothing but passing breeze.

Although she felt nervous deep down, she held her ground. "Go ahead. Let everyone bear witness to how the Crown Prince of this kingdom exploit a woman."

"Do you think I care? It should be you who should worry about the utter humiliation in front of others," he retorted, moving closer.

"Your Highness," Imbert interjected, arriving with his head respectfully lowered. "Members of the Candace family wish to visit the lake. Should we grant them permission?"

Arlan continued to gaze at Oriana, who now had a trace of relief in her hazel eyes. The traces of beast inside him, started to vanish away.

"He threw a veil at her and said, "Cover your disgraceful face. I do not wish other nobles to see you and then looked down on royal family for having lowly woman like you as my betrothed."

With that, he turned and departed from the gazebo. Oriana finally felt her jangling nerves relax and leaned against the support of the pillar.

’That was a close call,’ she thought, taking several deep breaths. ’But why isn’t he behaving as a proper beast? Could it be that the book was wrong, and beasts don’t only become intimate with their chosen mate? Is this Dragon a perverted one, seeking to entangle with any woman he encounters? Has he forsaken the moral standards expected of the greatest divine beast - a Dragon? It seems he may bring disgrace to his divine kind by entailing with other woman than his mate.’