Chapter 5 Poisoned

Zara

Five  days later and my  life had become a routine, I woke up before sunrise, prepared the Lycan King's tea, carried  it upstairs and put it on the table beside his bed. Leave before he comes out.

Watch over his meals in the kitchen, memorise his menu for the day, spend hours tending to the gardens. Then repeat everything again.

It was almost laughable, I was supposedly the lady of the house. The servants called me "Lady Zara" because they had been instructed to but the  King never did. He never for a second acknowledged my presence, he acted as though I didn't exist.

I was really grateful and I hoped everyday that he would never acknowledge me until I got the chance to escape.

Every morning, I would carry his tea to his bedroom, by then, he was always in the bathroom. I would hear the shower running, place the tray on the table and leave. 

The bathroom door never opened until I had gone. At first, I thought it was a coincidence but by the fourth day, I realized it wasn't. He simply didn't want to see me. Fine by me, the  feeling was mutual.

But no matter how ordinary my days became, one  thought refused to leave my mind. The poisonous plant. Every afternoon while tending the garden, I would steal a glance at it.

I had gone over my plan so many times that I could recite it in my sleep. Poison his morning tea, wait outside the door, return ten minutes later.

Grandmother had once explained that the poison acted differently depending on the person.

Humans died within seconds but immortals, it might take some minutes.  If everything went according to plan, by the time I returned, he would already be lying helpless on the floor.

Unable to move and unable to chase me. Then I would calmly walk downstairs, tell the guards the King had sent me into the city or If I could get into his room before leaving, I could use his phone to call them myself and order them to let me pass through the gates. Once outside, I  would disappear. It was perfect, at least it sounded perfect in my head.

This morning, before anyone else entered the kitchen, I quietly slipped on a pair of gloves. My heart pounded so loudly I was certain someone would hear it.

 I had hidden the tea inside my apron as I prepared his tea exactly the way he liked it. I looked around, slowly I removed the tiny leaf and I dipped it into the steaming tea.

Then I quickly pulled it out and wrapped it inside a cloth before throwing it into the fireplace.

I stared at the tea, it looked exactly the same. Taking a deep breath, I placed the cup onto the tray and made my way upstairs. Outside his bedroom door, I paused. 

I knocked softly, no answer came like every other morning. I pushed the door open, the bathroom shower was running. Nothing unusual,  I placed the tray beside the bed and turned toward the door.

Almost there, just  leave,  count ten minutes and come back. You are going to be  finally—Click.

I froze, the bathroom door opened. For the first time since I had started bringing him tea, I slowly turned around. The Lycan King stepped out, dressed only in black trousers, a towel hanging loosely around his neck as he dried his damp hair.

Water dripped from the ends of his dark hair onto his broad shoulders. His sharp eyes settled on me. "Stop."

My feet refused to move. Every muscle in my body stiffened. "I..."

"I said stop." My heartbeat became erratic.

He walked past me without another word and picked up the teacup, I held my breath. This wasn't part of the plan, he raised the cup to his lips. My pulse hammered in my ears as he took a few sips of the tea. 

 A slow smile threatened to spread across my face, I was finally going to be free. He emptied the cup before placing it back onto the tray. Then he held it out to me. "Take it."

I hurried forward and accepted it with both hands, trying my hardest to hide the excitement bubbling inside me.  I excitedly walked towards the door, counting to sixty. 

"You seem eager to leave."  My footsteps stopped.

I forced myself to turn around. "Is... is there anything else you need?"

"There is." He looked directly into my eyes.

"You made this tea."

"Yes."

"Good." He took a single step toward me. "Then you won't mind finishing what's left."

My smile vanished, I looked down at the cup in my hands, a thin layer of tea still rested at the bottom. Only a few mouthfuls remained. My fingers tightened around the porcelain cup as my pulse thundered in my ears.

He folded his arms across his chest and waited. "Drink it."