Chapter 3 Chapter 3
Her mother? Isabella blinked as a cold shock dropped straight into her stomach. How did he know about her mother? She needed answers, but the question got stuck right in her throat because right now this wasn't a situation where she could ask such questions.
He was literally about to end her life.
But Isabella refused to just stand there and do nothing to save herself from this monster, so she brought her knees up hard right into his stomach.
He grunted in pain, doubling over as his grip loosened. But her freedom lasted only a second. Before she could scramble away, his arm whipped around her waist, dragging her back until her back slammed against his chest.
Her whole body went numb.
She had never been held this close by any man before, and the sudden coldness of him threw her completely off balance. But while her mind scrambled over the unexpected closeness, Kade was cold and focused.
He was here to kill.
In one swift move, he flipped her around, trapping her against the shelf, the previous position he had put her before.
His hand closed around her throat, not crushing her windpipe, but firm enough to lock her in place. His golden pupils flared as he locked eyes with her. She tried to look away, but couldn't. She already knew what he was doing. He was hypnotizing her, forcing her mind to bend while she stood there helpless.
"On my command. Do Not Move," he ordered, his voice dropping to a chill that made her skin crawl.
The second the words left his mouth, her body stopped belonging to her. She couldn't move an inch, couldn't even blink. She just stood there like a statue, watching in silent horror as he leaned down to her neck.
His tongue brushed her skin gently before he sucked at her collarbone, like a man starving for weeks. Fear tried to claw its way up her chest, but a strange, dark thrill pooled inside her instead, making her treacherous body want more from this monster.
Then the illusion shattered. Kade sank his fangs deep into her neck, releasing a poisonous venom into her bloodstream which burned like fire as it spread fast.
She wanted to scream, to thrash, but the command kept her completely locked down.
He pulled back, a satisfied look breaking across his face that she couldn't quite read. He watched the bite marks closed up right before his eyes, leaving only faint red spots.
He was supposed to be surprised or curious with this discovery but he wasn't, it felt as if he knew her body could heal on its own.
He brushed a thumb over her skin as her legs gave out. Her mind went completely dark, her head falling back as her body finally broke free from his spell because there was no life left in her to obey his command.
He exhaled heavily as if he were exhausted, stepping back as her lifeless body hit the floor, her eyes wide open and staring at nothing.
"I never knew a princess could taste this sweet," he murmured, licking his lower lips which still has her blood on it.
Two days Later
"Dad, coming in here to clean her body for two days straight won't bring her back," Sofia scoffed, rolling her eyes with heavy irritation.
"That's enough, Dad. This is really getting out of hand," Elara added, her voice sharp as she snatched the damp towel from Alpha Raja 's trembling hands.
Alpha Raja was sobbing bitterly like a child, completely broken. He couldn't accept that Isabella was gone, lying cold on the bed.
Deep down, both sisters were happy about this because Isabella was always the favorite, treated like delicate glass while they felt invisible. They knew her secret too, no matter how hard their parents had tried to hide it.
A sudden, sharp gasp ripped through the silence.
Isabella sat bolt upright, air tearing into her lungs. She blinked, her head spinning as she looked around the room, trying to make sense of why she was back in her own bed.
Elara who was beside the bed froze, the towel she was holding slipped from her hands as her face drained of color.
Sofia who was beside the door let out a high-pitched scream and sprinted through the doorway. Elara didn't wait around either, scrambling right out behind her sister screaming like a banshee.
Alpha Raja stumbled forward, his hands shaking violently as he grabbed Isabella's fingers. "Are you... Is this really you?" he stammered out, his voice cracking with disbelief. "This is impossible."
"Dad," she called out softly, her was throat dry. She wanted him to wrap his arms around her, to stop looking so terrified, because she had no idea what was happening to her either.
"Who did this to you?" he demanded, pulling her tight into a desperate hug.
Isabella's thoughts rushed back to those final moments before she died. So when they pulled away from the hug, she explained everything that happened, watching her father's face turn pale as raw horror set in.
He realized then that even Vexin oil couldn't protect them from Kade, and the thought terrified him to his core.
"How long have I been out?" she asked softly.
"Two days." He searched her face as if looking at a ghost. "I don't understand how you were able to come back to life."
Isabella couldn't accept that she had actually died. "I wasn't dead, Dad. I must have been unconscious or in a coma."
Her father shook his head, tears spilling down his cheeks. "You were not breathing, Isabella but even with that I couldn't bring myself to do bury you, knowing my own decision caused you your life." He was talking about refusing to give his daughter to Kade.
"Dad, you did nothing wrong," she insisted, reaching out to wipe a tear from his face. "You did the right thing by not giving Sofia to that murderer."
"You should rest," he advised, squeezing her hand gently. "I will have the royal physician come examine you." He stood up slowly and walked out, his shoulders heavy.
Weeks passed, and Isabella waking up from the dead remained the biggest talk in the royal castle. Alpha Raja had warned everyone to keep quiet to avoid suspicion, but that couldn't stop the maids from whispering.
Walking along the corridor today, Isabella caught two maids talking in low voices. But the gossip was different this time. They were whispering about the arrival of the serpent people of the Serpent Kingdom, saying they were there to pay a bride price.
A heavy numbness settled in her stomach as she absorbed this information
Her father had sworn he wouldn't hand his daughter over to a killer. He had almost lost her over it, yet here he was, breaking his word anyway.
She was so angry as she marched straight toward the council hall where she knew they were surely going to be gathered at the moment. When she got to the door, she pushed it open not caring about protocol.
As she walked in, all heads turned to her but her eyes were on her father who was sitting at the head table, surrounded by his ministers. She walked right up to him, her hands trembling with rage.
"Dad, tell me this isn't true," she demanded, her voice was shaking.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Kade sitting casually at the side of the table, looking completely amused by her sudden entrance.
"So you are giving up Sofia to a murderer?" Isabella yelled, making the ministers gasp. She knew she shouldn't say that out loud, but she didn't care anymore.
"Who says anything about marrying Sofia?" Kade's smooth voice cut through the air, instantly making her swallow her words. In that instant he was admitting he was a murderer and he didn't look angry at her accusations.
Even from across the room, his presence made her throat go completely dry.
Isabella stood confused.
Had she misheard the maids, or was it just some gossip they cooked up? She took a deep breath, suddenly feeling like a fool in front of everyone.
But her father next words confirmed everything. "I am sorry, Isabella, but it's the right thing to do." he said as he stared down at his hands, unable to meet her.
She tilted her head as she tried to process his words and the previous words of Kade. He had made it clear he wasn't marrying Sofia but the way Kade spoke, She knew he was still going to marry one of them, but who?
She took a step closer to her father's chair. "If it isn't Sofia, then who?"
"It's you, princess," Kade smirked, his lips curving into a dark smile that made her blood run completely cold.
