The Vampire King's Possession
Chapter 412. The Penalty

Chapter 412: 412. The Penalty

"Me going back with you. What does it mean? Who is to say you won’t change your mind again and ask me to leave? If you have done it before, you should have no issues doing it again."

Jael looked down at Mauve as she stared up at him with big brown eyes. Her eyes looked tired and he could tell the rest of her body was pretty much in the same state.

Her shoulders looked tense and when he applied a bit of pressure in a certain way on her arms, she winced a little. He doubted she was aware she did this.

The physical exhaustion wasn’t the only apparent thing. She was also stressed mentally. He didn’t like the fact that he had something to do with it.

He had heard her words clearly, he understood what she was asking him. There was no reason for her to have any worries.

The past couple of months had been nothing short of hellish, everything had seemed bland. He never wanted to experience that again.

Having her in his arms felt a bit unreal, did she really think he wanted to lose her for the third time? (The first time was the Paler attack.)

He must have been crazy the second time around. He wondered how he had been willing to let her go forever.

"That’s not right," he said with a straight face. "It is precisely for this reason that I can’t do it again. I don’t want you to be away from me again. It might sound like mere words to you but I mean that with every drop of blood in me."

She blinked up at him, her heartbeat echoed in his ears. The steady familiar beat was a joy to hear.

He wanted to wrap his arms all around her and squeeze her even tightly to himself but he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable in any way.

"What if you do?" She asked, looking up at him with concern in her eyes, her voice was heavy with uncertainty.

This was his fault, they wouldn’t be here now if he had done things the right way. She wouldn’t look so hurt and unsure.

"Words are not nearly enough, Jael," she said and turned her gaze away from him.

He didn’t like that, he wanted her to keep looking at him. "What would you like me to do to prove this to you?"

She peered at him, "You’d do anything I ask?" She asked.

He nodded eagerly, he truly would. A chance to make up for what he’d done, he would gladly take it.

He hated that he had to thank Louis for making this possible. If Louis hadn’t been adamant, he wouldn’t have realized what was wrong.

But now that she was here, now that her scent filled his nose and her warm body rested in the cradle of his hands, he knew exactly what he had been missing.

To think he would have lost her without even realizing was almost sad. He wanted to bury his head in her neck.

It wasn’t too hard to suppress his hunger but he would be lying if he said he didn’t think about it. Her scent filled the carriage, he could clearly hear the sound of her heartbeat and her blood pumping.

He had to make a conscious effort to keep both hungers in check. He knew better than to pounce on her. She looked too exhausted. He didn’t want to put her through any more pain.

"I don’t have anything right now," her soft voice reached his ears as she still kept her gaze on him.

He wanted to touch her more but he kept his arms around her stomach, this was more than enough.

"Take your time," he whispered.

"Okay," she nodded, there was a hint of a smile on her face. He would take it.

"What would happen if you don’t keep your word?" She asked. "And you chase me away again?"

He blinked and looked down at her, "You can have my fangs," he said without blinking.

Mauve gave him a blank expression, and he held back a chuckle. "You’ll just grow back another one," she said.

"True but it won’t be the same," he said.

He didn’t expect her to understand but vampires don’t change canines and it’s usually the last teeth to grow out.

If a vampire were to lose their canines it wouldn’t grow back the same way and it did take a while to get used to the new set. Not only that, it was humiliating for a vampire to be without their canines.

"How won’t it be the same?" She asked. He could tell she was genuinely curious and not being condescending.

"How about this?" He bent his head, his eyes strayed to her lips no matter how he tried to keep them on her eyes. "You can decide the penalty."

Another two inches closer and their lips would touch, it was hard not to think about this. He wondered if she missed him as much as he did.

Did her body crave him? Did she ever have urges and wish he was right there? Did she have trouble sleeping sometimes?

He stared into her eyes, hoping to see this. He wanted to tell her all that he had gone through while she was away from him but he didn’t want to bombard her with too much. He was sure he was already overwhelming enough.

"What if I ask you to kill yourself?" She asked with a slight smirk. "You definitely don’t want to leave that decision in my..."

"Done," he said blinking.

She gasped, "I was teasing. That’s not the penalty."

"Is that proof enough for you?" He asked. "If there was ever a time I ask you to leave, I shall kill myself."

She looked at him with mouth agape. "You don’t mean that," she said.

"I do."

He did. Right now, as he held her in his arms, he couldn’t think of ever letting her go and if peradventure that ever happened, he was sure life wouldn’t be worth living.

When she left he could sleep, couldn’t eat. Food and blood tasted like water. He got irritated by the slightest of things.

He was sure that wouldn’t change if time passed, he didn’t want it to. Therefore, he was certain he would never send her away again.

Mauve tried not to react too strongly to Jael’s words but she would be lying if she said it didn’t catch her by surprise.

She didn’t mean that to be the penalty. She had only wanted him to see why it was a bad idea to leave the decision in her hands as she would ask for his life.

The last thing she had expected was for him to agree to it without flinching either. Even if it was a joke, nobody should put their life on the line.

"Is that proof enough for you?" He asked, looking down at her.

Mauve looked away, "Yes," she replied with a bright blush on her face.

No one had put their lives as a bargaining chip for her before. She didn’t know what to do with this. Basically, he would rather die than send her away. She didn’t know how to handle this.

Why was Jael like this? He could have just told her he liked her or something close. He didn’t have to go through this roundabout method.

She didn’t know what to do or what to say. She rested on her chest as she brought her hands to her lips.

He placed his palm on the side of her head and traced her head. She sat as still as she could, her mind racing.

Her body was tired but her mind was as alert as a chicken in sunlight. It didn’t help that her mind wouldn’t stop replaying Jael’s words.

There was probably no more than an hour before sunrise, she doubted they would ride for that long. They would have to find shade soon enough.

Mauve’s cheeks started to hurt and she realized she had a fixed smile on her face. She couldn’t help it. Nobody said that so easily.

Jael wasn’t the kind to lie, he might avoid the subject but if he said it, he meant it and she had seen the way he looked at her as he agreed to it. He had meant it.

The carriage shook suddenly more than usual. They must have gone over a huge stone. Mauve only felt the vibrations of the carriage shaking, she wasn’t tossed around as usual.

"Are you comfortable?"

He asked after the carriage returned to a steady pace.

She nodded, he sounded so close, so close she could feel his breath as he spoke on the top of her head. Why did his voice sound so good?

"Yes, I am comfortable."

"We should stop soon. Hopefully, you can get some sleep then. I am sure the carriage’s constant movements are a bother."

"It’s not that bad," she said.