The Devil's Warrior Queen
Chapter 88: Illusion Or Hallucination?

Chapter 88: Illusion Or Hallucination?

Rama’s eyes squinted in confusion as she peered her gaze at the fresh red roses that was momentarily dead with crimson dripping from the petals.

She looked around the room with a scrutinizing gaze, even though she was alone, she felt an unnerving sense of sinister eyes on her and an ominous presence looming heavily in the room.

It felt like Draco, his dark presence resided in the room, his sinister aura cloaking it made her feel suffocated to the point she felt nauseous.

Her lips felt dry which she licked in trepidation. Even though the fireplace emitted warmth in the room, her body felt cold as a surge of chilling sensation ran down her spine.

She hesitated as she approached the vase of roses seated on the table. She flicked her fingers across the fresh petals with a deep shade of red. They felt real, so the dead shriveled roses were either an illusion elicited by the dark energy she felt or an hallucination provoked by her uneasy mind.

Either ways, she could feel that familiar ominous energy that lingered in Draco’s presence and no doubt he had been in her chambers, lurking in the shadows.

The mere thought of him watching her like a creep made her want to flee from the chamber, but how was he watching her when she couldn’t catch a single glimpse of him? Except it was one of his vampires trick of being invisible.

A grim look settled on her face as she exited the room, strutting down the hallway with scurried footsteps as if moving away from the room would conceal her presence from the invisible prying crimson eyes beneath the shadows.

She would steer clear from her chambers and have a talk with Damien when he returned from his unknown journey. She took a deep breath as she pressed her back against the wall of the aclove where velvet tapestries were trussed with loosened gold cords.

Her eyelids closed for a moment, shutting the world out for a while. She wished for a moment she was born as a typical girl who didn’t have to take on heavy responsibilities from a young age, who didn’t have to grow up quicker than others and just enjoy the naivety and innocence of life.

They wouldn’t be a need to be fierce or skilled just to depict that she was fit to be a ruler, she would live in serenity, but no, the universe had designed her twisted fate in a pattern of obscurity, where she never had to experience normalcy for even a day.

"Normalcy is for the weak." A husky baritone voice whisked from beneath the thick tapestries inside the dark aclove.

It was daunting, spurring a wave of darkness within the air, but it was familiar, too familiar for her to have forgotten the ripple of the air when words rolled out of his lips.

It felt as if her body turned numb for a moment as she stood unmoving. But suddenly, as if a wave of electricity hit her, she veered around in a bolt, dread rocked over her as she shuddered.

Her eyes locked into the glowing crimson ones behind the tapestries, his form stolen into the darkness, but she knew who it was, undoubtedly none other than Draco.

The commanding presence and intimidating aura of melancholy he emanated suddenly sufficed the entire area, making her draw her feet back.

She wasn’t surprised by his sudden appearance, she had been expecting him sooner or later to show up and snuff out any bit of hope she retained in having a different life and walking down a fresh start.

Rather, her face fell grim, but she could hear the loud, pacing thud of her heartbeat against her ribcage.

"What are you doing here? Most importantly, why are you hiding behind a curtain?" She snorted out, trying to conceal her fear by pointing out the obvious, but her hesitant movements and wavering stares threw her off.

He scoffed darkly, but he retained his position, hiding behind the curtains and concealed into the shadows.

"You’ve been watching me, like a creep." She pointed out in a hard tone, emancipating on the words between gritted teeth as her face etched with a frown.

"You think getting married to Damien will save you?" He queried rhetorically, as he ignored her statement.

Her lips fell slightly apart, she could feel the sweat on her palms which she hesitantly wiped against her skirt.

"Being the vampire king, you still have a lot of spare time to spend on watching a lowly human, I guess lord Damien was wrong after all and I made quite an impression on you." She stated with confidence as she held her gaze on his.

A smirk tugged the corner of her lips up, as she realized her words had an effect on him, making him suddenly struck with silence.

"You’re right, I’m intrigued by your fierceness, I wonder how long till I break you until there’s nothing left, just a soulless being like an empty shell." He said in a lazy drawl.

Rama’s face twisted.

"You can’t break what’s already been broken." She remarked.

"Yet you seek redemption." The words were said in a mutter, floating with the wind.

She stayed silent, unable to oppose against the blatant accusation which was undoubtedly the truth.

She had hoped for redemption, for a new life where she could have the normalcy she craved, but she suddenly realized how impossible it would have been if she ended up with Damien, he was a night creature after all and there was nothing normal about that.

"At this point, it’s hard to believe that you’re doing all this to satiate your sadistic pleasure, is there another reason perhaps?" She queried with nothing but pure curiosity flashing across her jade eyes.

At first, she had reasoned he was merely punishing her for her stubbornness and defiance, but he seemed to have given her special attention in his hunting list, be it intrigue or sadistic pleasure.

"Your candor amuses me, feisty princess." He said as he gradually moved out of the darkness engulfing him in the aclove beneath the curtains, but still the darkness seemed to hover above him, swirling around the silhouette of his figure.

His flawless, dark being emerged out for the light to illuminate on his perfectly sculpted figure. His countenance was a neutral one as he stared down at her thoughtfully, while looming above her like a sinister sentinel.

She could feel the intensity of his predatory gaze fixated on her, trapping her in a motionless state, provoking every caution and reason tugging at her mind.

He leaned towards her as he took a step closer for his presence to encompass her, his parted lips brushed her ears in a feathery touch as he whispered in it.

"Truthfully, I have no idea." His voice smooth as silk resounded in her ears, his hot minty breath fanning her neck made her face heat up.

The rich timbre of his words was both alluring and darkening, she felt a shiver cascade down her spine.

She felt his fingertips graze the trail of her collarbone with a light feathery touch that made her subconsciousness melt, defying every word or action from her, as her mouth and limbs failed to work.

His fingers brushing against her skin ignited a trail of spark in it’s wake, but then as his fingers trailed to the swell of her cleavage peeking out of her dress, he withdrew his hand as he stood straight mechanically, almost spurring a groan of dissaproval from her.

Her jade eyes dilated, unable to comprehend the situation of what had just transpired.

"What do you think you’re doing?!" She spluttered, being in disarray herself.

He had made her feel a strange sensation with just a light touch, a dangerous touch that made her almost lose her rationality, defying all sense of reasoning.

"Finally found your voice?" He taunted with a sarcastic smirk tugging the corner of his lip up, casting her a slithering look with one raised brow.

She opened and closed her mouth twice, unable to form words. He had tried to seduce her and she had conformed to his touch. Coming from someone who was on a hunt to break her, it seemed more like a hunt to seduce her.

Her brows furrowed deeply at the realization and just as she was about to snap at him, she heard Malika’s voice from behind her.

"Rama.". Malika called with that sing song airy voice of hers.

She instinctively veered around to meet her bright amber eyes as she cast her a smile. She felt a soft gust of wind whisk past her and when she turned to look at Draco, he was gone.

There was no sign of him, only the lingering trace of his spicy scent remained in the air, portraying his presence and not an hallucination elicited by her mind.

She could still feel his burning touch against her skin which made her visibly shiver, every sensation embedded in her head.