CHAPTER 98

The magnificent ride had finally ended and the creature laid his head down for them to step down, Lothaire carried her down swiftly making her cheeks turn slightly red at his gesture as Lothaire treated her like an over pampered princess but she liked it.

Larisa's face had been lit with a big smile during the ride and after, she never knew she could experience something so marvellous, she couldn't still fully believe it was all real, the supernatural and the incidents that had taken place, but Lothaire felt the most unreal to her, he wasn't her knight in shining armour who would save her from a big bad man, he was a fiery demon who would burn the word down with flames of hell for her but he would never let a flame touch her and to her, she felt like she was living in a dark yet beautiful fairytale dream that she never wanted to wake up from.

The place had darkened as it was almost midnight and the skies had been covered with thick blankets of dark clouds that almost seemed black but the tiny magical wisp of lights scattered in the eerie garden lit the place up, making it look daunting yet ethereal.

Her eyes felt a bit heavy as sleep threatened to overpower her but she didn't want to go to sleep yet, not back to the nightmare she dreaded or the presence of death lurking around her heavily, haunting her but oddly, being in the eerie garden made her fear fade away, it made the world seem distant as if she and Lothaire were the only one who existed and she didn't want the feeling to go away, she had grown used to his darkness and it made her feel safe.

Lothaire and her walked slowly through the path of the garden looking at the beautiful dark flowers while she roamed her hand lightly through the floating wisp of glowing lights scattered in the air, she could feel her mind slowly being drifted into sleep but she forced her eyes to keep open, she didn't want to close her eyes to her dreadful nightmare again, she wanted to enjoy every moment with Lothaire and she didn't want the night to end either, it was a serene feeling and she loved it.

A yawn threatened to escape her lips but she stifled it.

"You're feeling sleepy, should we go now?" Lothaire asked but she immediately shook her head vigorously in negation.

"Can we take a swim in that lake?" She queried with narrowed eyes at the magical lake that enticed her to dip herself in it as it shimmered brightly under the moonlight as if a thousand diamond stones were scattered inside it with the moonlight reflecting on it.

A smirk cut through Lothaire's lips as she suggested for a swim and she could see his golden eyes which almost looked light brown as a lack of light gleam with a dark, rousing look.

"Sure, but they were mermaids in there." He warned, his voice hard and stern but she could see a mischievous smile playing on his lips which made her eyes go wide with disbelief.

"Mer...Mermaids?!" She exclaimed in wonderment with eyes going wider at each passing second, her facial expression held one of amusement and awe.

"Yes, they lived there, but now they're extinct." He stated with an amused smile on his lips as she followed behind him to stand at the edge of the magical looking lake.

Her amused face immediately turned into one stricken with disbelief, wonderment and sadness, she wondered who had wiped out the existence of those wonderful creatures she had once adored, as a kid, she had always loved mermaids and she loved learning about mythical creatures as they seemed intriguing. Five minutes ago, she had been in delight thinking she could actually get to see one but after learning of their extinct, her face grew sullen with sadness washing over it.

"That's a shame...I liked mermaids.." She mumbled lowly to herself but as usual, Lothaire had caught it and his face turned grim for a second, knowing it would have made her happy to see them, but now they were all gone, not a trace of life from them as they had been thoroughly wiped out from the face of the earth.

"All girls likes mermaids, don't be deceived by the movies you watch, they're not nice creatures and can be quite vicious and aggressive, they're gorgeous but they entice you with their beauty only to slaughter you, and they're also very manipulative." Lothaire explained which made her eyes expand uncontrollably as she had always imagined mermaids to be ethereal and kind creatures but it was only from movies and she was now facing reality, which seemed rather dark.

"What or who made them go extinct?" She queried curiously.

"They were a threat to the empire, luring humans and vampires to them with their poisonous voices, so I ripped out their throats, every last one of them." Lothaire said blatantly, his eyes blazing as he spoke with not a hint of remorse in those dark eyes of his, not that she expected to find it, he was Lothaire after all.

"Even the babies?" She blurted out, thinking they might have been innocent mermaid children.

A short chuckle escaped Lothaire's lips.

"The only difference is time, don't ever think of them as innocent because they'll still grow up to be just like them or even worse." Lothaire said and she took his words into consideration but her thoughts were immediately interrupted when her gaze fell on Lothaire already taking off his clothes and soon, he was standing in front of her naked, his perfectly sculpted masculine body revealed to her eyes that became scorched with carnal desires.

She watched as his muscles flexed in his back and long athletic legs as he moved slowly into the shimmering water, she swallowed deeply as she watched him immerse himself fully into the water, looking like the god of the sea, she couldn't seem to tear her eyes off him until she heard his daunting, deep voice resonate in her ears.

"You asked for a swim, didn't you?" Her eyes blinked in confusion as she composed herself and immediately closed her mouth that had been hanging open like a fish all through.

She felt his eyes on her as she peeled off her dress from her body, she thought of leaving her underwear on and was about to go into the water but his chilling voice halted her in her steps.

"You'll get it wet, take it off." She heard Lothaire's voice command her with an air of authority and at that moment, she felt like a bunny at the claw of a wolf that was only licking it's fur.

She meekly unhooked her bra with her cheeks flushing red as his gaze were fixed on her as she peeled her bra off. It was dark and hard for a human to see but she knew he could see her very clearly as he had heightened senses. She told herself to be confident as they were already married and had sex a couple of times but she still felt shy and with the way his gaze was fixed on her every movement, she wanted to run and hide, she couldn't still get used to it, it felt familiar yet alien.

Lothaire's throat bobbled up and down his throat as her naked body immersed into the water slowly, he could see her body shiver slightly as it came in contact with the cold water. He suddenly pulled her close, making her yelp at the sudden movement, but when their naked skins rubbed against each other, she realized why he pulled her close as the heat from his body emanated into hers, making her relax in the water.

"Feel better?" His voice was now low and deep with a husky undertone to it, his face was so close to hers, she felt his hot breath fanning her right cheek.

She nodded but she couldn't think properly as she had already started aching between her legs to feel him there as their naked skins pressed into each other and she bit her lower lips in arousal.

"The mermaids were coldblooded creatures, so the water suits them." She heard Lothaire explain even when she didn't ask for one but she felt his voice, waking up the insatiable hunger to have him, her body heated up and she could feel his burning with need to have her.

She felt his large hand wound around her small waist, making tingles run through her body and then the other hand tilting her chin up to meet his gaze that seemed to burn into hers with scorching flames of desire.

....

Lothaire tucked Larisa in the bed gently as she fell into a slumber and unfortunately, back to her nightmare. He was determined to do whatever it took to see her genuinely happy again and at peace with herself, not having to live in fear and dread by the unforgiving goddess of death who was hellbent on killing his breed mate and making him live in an eternity of painful longing.

He watched her sleep with gritted teeth knowing how useless and helpless he seemed, knowing there was little or nothing he could do, he felt pathetic by the fact that he couldn't protect his breed mate from harm. He was the most powerful being in the face of the universe, an immortal demon that could cause destruction and havoc with just one slight movement, the fiery prince of darkness that every breath he let out embodied evil, but right then as he watched her struggle with her nightmare, he felt utterly useless, knowing he had no choice but to take his father's dangerous offer.