FOREDOOMED

Chapter 4.1

Ruven was quickly up to his feet. "Good morning, Your Highness and Third Justice," he greeted them with a low bow.

Adira did not look back at the king and decided to sit as comfortably as she could. He could not simply march his way down here and growl like a wild beast, as though accusing her of any wrongdoing when all she ever did was work hard in learning how to shoot those stupid arrows.

When she realized she was sulking because the king had not paid her a visit and deliberately ignored her, she stood up and greeted him in the same manner Ruven did. When she raised her head after bowing was when she noticed the king's other company, the old man in a grey suit standing behind the king. "Third Justice, it's a pleasure seeing you again," she greeted him in a formal tone.

"Same here, Lady Woodville," the old man decided not to address her queen or any honorifics befitting for royalty. She was not yet married to the king, after all. "King Henric told me you've been practicing archery for the Hunta."

'Learning' was the most accurate word, not 'practicing'. "Indeed, I am. Your Highness has chosen the perfect trainer. Ruven has been nothing but patient," she said with the sweetest smile she could come up with.

"Oh, I see," the old man grumbled, discontented with her closeness with the handsome young vampire. Whatever intention the king had for causing that closeness, it would not bode well, the old man was certain of that.

Vampires were innately skilled in the art of seduction, that one lethal skill they were effectively using in luring their prey before sucking them out to death. But, of course, that skill was as effective as bewitching any woman and falling for their irresistible charms. And Inferus were always the easiest prey.

"Leave," King Henric ordered the young vampire, who readily obeyed him. He then sat down to where Adira had a while ago occupied, the queen's chair, and motioned to the old man to take the other available seat. "Show us what you've learned," he commanded her.

With Adira standing next to the king who was wearing his crown and appearing seated on his throne, and then commanding her like she was his slave and doing that in front of the Third Justice, she thought he was intentionally humiliating her. This was probably her punishment for getting close to Ruven, which obviously was his own doing. And if he expected her to take meekly the punishment that she didn't deserve, then she would gladly fail that ridiculous expectation of his.

Adira shrugged her shoulders, then elongated her neck before looking down at the king. "Then, may I request the assistance of my trainer, Your Highness?" she asked nonchalantly.

King Henric tightened his grip on the armchairs. If he regretted choosing that young vampire to train her, it would be this moment. He had expected occasional touching that was required in training her. But touching her as he saw fit warranted him a severe punishment. As for her, well, a fair warning would suffice. But then, hearing her mention again that vampire, and on his first name, seemed pushed him to reign free the rage that he was restraining at his mightiest. He took one deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I'll assist you," King Henric said, taking the bow on the table before standing up.

Adira stilled as she did not anticipate that. When the king handed her the bow, she compelled her hand to move and take it. Her feet however unwilling, she had willed to take steps forward and positioned herself where the target stood facing her.

King Henric took an arrow from the leather quiver that was strapped to her waist and gave it to her. She took it and attached it to the string before raising the bow. When she was ready to shoot, she heard the king's voice.

"Plant your feet wider," he said not in his usual gruffly commanding voice, but in a low, deep voice as though cajoling her.

She did obey him, spreading her feet apart. Then, she felt his hand with a glove pressing her lower back. Instead of flinching due to his unexpected touch, her body simply abided by his caresses' bidding.

"Flatten your back and keep your arm straight." He gently tapped her elbow with his other gloved hand, and her arm that was bending outward while holding the bow had straightened. Then, his hand brushed her fingers that were wrapped tightly around the bow. "Don't clench, loosen up a bit," he added, deepening his voice.

Her hands did the opposite, gripping more firmly the bow. With his presence closely hovering behind her, his hand resting comfortably on her back, and his deep voice lingering intimately on her ear, she found herself overwhelmed with tingling sensations. Soon, a shiver ran down her back, causing the bowstring to quiver with her three fingers hooked on it shaking as well.

"Steady," he said when he noticed her hold in the bow unstable.

Yet, she could not find a way to stop her hands from trembling and decided to just surrender. When she was lowering her bow, he held her trembling hands and steadied her hold. He had taken control of the bow, placing his large hands over Adira's that was still gripping the bow and the other grasping the string.

"Adira..." he murmured her name, his lips hovering over her ears. Hearing her heart beating wildly and feeling her entire body shuddering against his hard, tight build, he knew he had to calm her down. "Relax, Adira."

Him calling intimately her name in the most gentle voice had eased up her shivering. She sighed as her body relaxed against his warmth.

"Steady your hold, hmmm?" he coaxed her.

She nodded. When he slowly let go of the bow and took a step back, she had straightened her posture, flattened her back, unbent her arm, and held the bow, not too tight nor too loose. With the bow string barely grazing the corner of her mouth and her right eye closed, she was ready to release the arrow while aiming for the center of the target.

"Slowly, let go," he whispered in her ear, to which she replied with another nod.

"Now, release," he commanded.

And she did release. And the arrow went straight at the center of the target, making Adira ecstatic and Henric satisfied.

Before Adira could fling her arms around the king to embrace him, someone's clapping had her realize they were not alone. And she was thankful she had evaded into doing something stupid.

"Excellent, Lady Woodville," the old man said while clapping. "The king is right, you are ready. The Hunta will officially commence tomorrow morning. See you at the Merica Woodland," he announced as though telling them the weather forecast for today.

When the Third Justice had left to go inside the castle, King Henric turned to Adira with a stern expression. "Act appropriately with the lad," he reprimanded her, his voice returning to its natural gruffness.

Creating a considerable safe distance between them, Adira took a few steps back. "Ruven has been your apprentice for how many years, so you must have known him better than I do. Yet, you appointed him to be my trainer," she pointed out. It finally dawned on her the motive behind his choice: he was testing her.

"He is young and reckless," King Henric reasoned out, not moving from where he stood. He was expecting him to flaunt his flirting skills to her, but not to the extent of touching her. He would pay dearly with his recklessness. "And you ought to be wise and prudent," he added as coldly as possible to mask his disappointment, and well, jealousy.

"Did I pass the test?" she asked, disregarding what he had said.

There were rare moments when he hoped he had a dumb mate, and this was one of those. Was it really because of her cunning intelligence or was he turning to be predictable? It could be both, the king decided. How easy it was for her to read him like a book was turning out to be a threat that he had to decimate. He needed to be more careful.

"You'll not be seeing that lad anymore," King Henric said with finality.

"I ask a question, and I demand an answer," Adira said stubbornly.

An Inferus demanding an answer from him, the King of Werewolves. It was ludicrous and somewhat insulting, bruising his ego. "Your training ends now. Rest and prepare for tomorrow," he said, opting to leave before he could do something to the Inferus woman that he would regret.

"I will not go to that dreadful woodland unless you give me an answer," she said when he turned his back to her.

And now the Inferus woman was threatening him. For once, he thought using his Alpha tone to make her bow to him and make it perfectly clear to her that she was in no position to demand or threaten him. She had only to obey. But somehow, he found himself giving in to her. "Barely," he said.

A fit of laugh she had burst into, a reaction the king had least expected from her. When he faced her again, her head was crazily bobbing while her hand was on her chest which was heaving up and down.

When Adira sensed his eyes observing her, she stopped laughing at once. "When you choose to leave me in the dark, letting the beta and Ruven do your bidding for informing me about the Wuna and training me in archery just to find out that I'd be hunting, you decided to test me. Really, a test, Your Highness. Wow, your timing couldn't be more perfect," she bellowed out, throwing the bow that she was still clutching. "And when I have confided to the only available person, you accused me of acting wantonly. Well, if you only made yourself available of seeing me and talking to me even for a couple of minutes, then you could be the one holding and comforting me," she finally voiced out what she had been bottling inside of her.

When she realized she was putting up a tantrum, she thought of composing of herself but then decided her reaction as an Inferus was valid. So, she continued to stare accusingly at him.

Behind her outburst of rage, the king detected her fear. Fear for what he could not tell. "Are you afraid?"

Yes, she was afraid of dying in that woodland without taking him down. Death was supposed to be her last resort, her final weapon against him. "I don't know anything about hunting and killing. I only know saving lives," she said in a calmer voice.

"I will protect you," he vowed, looking straight into her eyes.

Adira needed no protection. She had lived alone and survived without the help or protection of anyone. But she could not deny she loved that warm and comforting feeling of knowing she had finally someone she could rely on, even if that person was her enemy. "Thank you," she said and walked away.