Power outburst

Devon's beautiful, shiny, and sophisticated living room was a stark contrast to the tension that filled the air. The plush couches and chairs, the sparkling chandelier, and the elegant artwork on the walls seemed to fade into the background as the conversation turned heated.

Devon wasn't in a good mood, listening to the Princess. His sly smile, usually a fixture on his face, was nowhere to be seen. "Devon, are you here with me?" Alisha asked urgently, her voice piercing through the silence.

Devon looked at her, his expression unyielding. "I wish I weren't."

Alisha's eyes narrowed, her frustration evident. "For heaven's sake, Devon." She took a step closer, her voice firm.

"Didn't Declan explain anything to you?" Devon frowned, his brow furrowed. "He did, but—" Alisha's words trailed off, and Devon finished for her.

"Did he mention her life might be in danger, and I'm simply doing this to protect her?"

Alisha's eyes flashed anger. "Exactly my point of confusion! Why!" Devon shrugged, his shoulders barely moving. "You have to protect what's yours."

Alisha's growl was low and menacing. "She's not yours, Devon." Devon raised a brow, his gaze mocking. "Yeah, she's not."

Alisha's face reddened, her voice rising. "Why do I feel like you just want to exploit her?"

Devon shrugged again, his expression nonchalant.

"If you guys are all done, will you let her go?" Devon's response was immediate, his voice cold. "No, she's my prisoner forever."

Alisha's outrage was noticeable,"Hey! That's unfair! You can't just use and... keep her!"

Devon's smile, when it came, was cold and calculating. "I can, and I will."

The room seemed to grow darker and Alisha's eyes never left Devon's face, her gaze a mixture of anger and fear. She dare not talk back at him more than that!

"Instead of trying to persuade me to let her go, you should be thanking me for not killing her. I could have had her head sent to her father." Alisha's breath caught, and she glanced at Declan, who merely shrugged.

One wouldn't even notice his presence for he was silently sitting and sipping tea.

Devon continued, his voice dripping with malice. "We all know Lissa died cruelly and unjustly because your uncle and aunt chose to confine her powers. And now, Leticia might be in danger since Lissa's powers could have transferred to her. Once a royal mythic dies, their soul chooses another body to confine their powers. I believe Lissa's remaining powers are within Leticia, and if her own powers awaken, it could be disastrous."

Alisha's eyes widened, and she nodded hastily. "I'll talk to Uncle Ethan. He'll do something about it."

Devon's expression remained icy. "Good."

Declan then stood up, his eyes fixed on Alisha. "I have a meeting very soon. Princess, will you keep Devon company?"

Alisha quickly rose to her feet, "No!" She shot a glance at Devon, her expression unhidden. The guy creeps her out, but she dared not say it! No one dared. Devon's smirk was immediate, his blood red eyes glinting with amusement.

Alisha's haste to leave was evident as she bowed hastily. "Thanks, Devon." Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she quickly followed Declan out of the room.

***

Leticia had been restless for three days, ever since Devon sent her away. She hadn't caught a glimpse of him since then, and Luis and Cecil's responses only added to her frustration. "He's busy" was all they would say. She wondered if Devon was avoiding her.

'Is he that busy, or is he just avoiding me?' Leticia wondered, feeling a pang of uncertainty. 'What I did wasn't wrong in any way. Or was it?' She thought back to their last encounter, remembering how she had disobeyed him. 'Right, he hates when I disobey him. But he rejected me... ugh, that's stupid of me. I should just apologize.'

She decided to go and look for him. She made her way to the meeting room and surprisingly, met Seraphim.

Leticia almost groaned. She thought Seraphim had gone for good. Seemed she's back. Seraphim's eyes fell on Leticia and she raised a brow, "Where do you think you are going, you filthy maid?"

Leticia's eyes flashed anger, and she retorted, "First of all, I'm not a maid! And I'm going to see Master Devon and next time, before you call someone filthy, look at yourself!"

Seraphim was shocked. Too shocked to react. Leticia turned and walked away, leaving Seraphim's shocked expression behind.

Soon, it changed into anger and she thought to herself, 'Seems like that girl is already growing wings. I'll cut them off before she can fly.'

Leticia approached the door and hesitated, her hand on the handle. The silence on the other side was usual but strangely unsettling, and a voice in her head warned, 'Don't go in.' But Leticia was stubborn, and she pushed the door open anyway.

As she entered the room, she was met with a sight that made her blood run cold. A man lay lay on the table, surrounded by some other man and a tall figure held a sword raised high. A sword? They're real?!

The room was filled with people watching in silence, their faces twisted with a mix of excitement and horror. Before she could even blink, the sword fell, and a head rolled off the table, blood splattering everywhere.

Leticia's knees weakened, and she froze, her opal eyes fixed on the gruesome scene in horror. The room erupted into cheers and applause, and Leticia's mind raced with confusion and terror.

Leticia wanted to turn back and run, she wanted to scream for Devon but she was frozen in shock, her eyes fixed on the bleeding body without a head. 'Devon... Devon...' was all she could think of. She needed him to help her out of here!

But then, her knees suddenly felt weak when the beheaderlooked up at her, his dark red eyes flashing with a spark of gold. He glared at her with anger, his gaze piercing through the now silent room.

He walked towards her, his bloody sword still in hand, and Leticia froze, unable to move or look away. The people in the room watched with a mixture of pity and morbid fascination, their faces somber. It was clear to all that she was doomed to meet a tragic end that night.

"Leticia!What are you doing here?" he called sharply, his voice penetrating through her shock. She gasped, covering her ears, fearing he would behead her also, and a powerful scream erupted from her throat.

The sound shook the very foundations of the room,the ground trembled beneath their feet, and a fierce wind blew through the space, causing the awed men to stumble and struggle to maintain their balance. The table shook and the chairs fell, the lifeless body falling to the ground.

Devon's eyes flashed, his grip on the sword faltering for a moment, as Leticia's scream seemed to unleash a force that would turn the room upside down.

She didn't stop screaming, and the ground continued to crack and shudder. "Leticia! Stop!" he finally called sharply, his voice cold and commanding, as he approached her.

The screaming stopped abruptly, and she gasped, staring up at him with eyes that had turned a piercing blue. Her golden blonde hair had turned a stark white, and her gaze was unfocused.

Leticia heard him call her name with such firmness that she was snapped out of her trance. But she didn't feel like herself - her vision was blurry, her head was pounding, and her senses were overwhelmed.

She felt her nose start to bleed, and her legs gave way beneath her. The last thing she heard was, "Leticia!!" before darkness consumed her.

***

Devon watched her sleep, his expression softening. Why did she have to walk in at that moment? Didn't she see Seraphim? Seraphim should have told her not to come in.

He felt her temperature again, relieved she wasn't cold anymore. Her nose had stopped bleeding, but her powers bursting out like that kind of him. Why did it happen?

The door opened and Quynn entered, his footsteps quiet on the floor He walked to Leticia's bedside and gazed at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

Devon, still watching over her, spoke up, "I'd prefer you do something rather than stare."

Quynn's eyes flicked to Devon, and he asked, "Her hair is white. What happened? Did she exhaust herself?" as he took Leticia's hand and checked her pulse.

Devon replied, "Her powers burst out, and she passed out. Also, her nose bled."

Quynn's face remained blank, "Her illness has resurfaced and she must have seen something that made her so shocked that she felt she needed to protect herself which is why her powers burst out like that ..." He pulled out his tablet and typed something before looking at Devon.

"She'll be okay, just weak. It might take long hours before she wakes up."

Devon didn't respond, and Quynn didn't say anything else. He gave Devon a knowing look before turning and leaving the room, leaving Devon with Leticia.

He felt her temperature again, relieved to find it warm. He nodded to himself, reassured.

Just then, the door creaked open, and Luis entered, his brow furrowed in worry as he took in Leticia's still-unconscious form. "Six hours have passed, Devon. Are you planning to stay here until she wakes up?" Luis asked, his curiosity and surprise evident in his tone.

Devon shrugged, his expression unreadable. Luis nodded thoughtfully. "I'm heading out on a hunt tonight."

"Have a good one," Devon bid him, his voice low. Luis nodded once more before his gaze lingered on Leticia. He had witnessed her destruction of the meeting room, and the memory still lingered in his mind. The room was still being repaired. With a final glance, Luis departed.

Devon settled in, sitting comfortably on the bed with his back against the headboard. He closed his eyes, his expression blank. He would wait for Leticia to awaken, no matter how long it took.

He knows exactly why his behaviour changed towards her but he wasn't willing to accept it; Not yet.