Tempting The Dark King [Enchanted World Series Book 2]

Chapter 12

When the door clicked behind them, Lyrah turned to the large shirtless male in front of her. She watched in amazement as his tattoos calmed down and turned violet. She swallowed hard as she looked at him. His eyes were intense. Eventually he rested back on the pillows and one corner of his mouth turned up.

“Come.”

Lyrah snapped out of the daze that she was in. “What?”

“Come closer.” his voice thickened.

Lyrah swallowed hard again but managed to get her feet working. She took one step forward then another until finally she was beside him. Without a warning, Rhol's thick arm snaked around her waist and pulled her to him.

Lyrah gasped sharply when she found herself perched on his lap. Heavens his body was scorching hot!

“Oh, you are burning up!” She stuttered.

“A little present your brother left behind after healing me.” Rhol answered.

Lyrah struggled against him as his hand scaled up her leg and hiked up the skirts of her dress. “What are you doing?”

“Sit still!” Rhol growled in warning.

But Lyrah couldn't just sit there and have his hands scale up her body like that even if he was her mate! “Stop!” she tried pushing him away but ended up tumbling over him.

Rhol seized the opportunity of locking her hands together over her head and pulled her body closer to him. The heat radiating from him threatened to scorch her skin away. It also awoke places she would have liked to remain sleeping.

“Don't struggle...or I will end up doing more than just look at your healed wound.” He purred thickly, promising wicked action if she didn't comply.

Wait, what? “My wound?” Lyrah repeated like a parrot.

Rhol quirked his eyebrow at her. “Why else would I want to see up your skirts. It's not like we want that sort union between us, is it?”

That sort of union...did that mean that there would be no intimacy between them? That was good right? It meant that they would just concentrate on business. “Right.”

“Right.” Rhol repeat as his hand slipped under her skirts again.

Lyrah had to bite back a moan because the hot palm left her entire body quaking and clenching, greedily wanting the touch of its mate. Desire infused into her blood-stream and left her light-headed and a little too hot for her own liking. Her eyes snapped towards Rhol's. Was she the only one who was feeling that way? Was he doing this on purpose?

Rhol parted the skirts away revealing her white creamy skin on her thigh. His eyes strayed towards where his fingers lightly traced the three pink lines that were almost healed. Lyrah hardly felt pain. Just a few more days and the lines were going to fully disappear like they had never been.

Rhol loosened his grip on her hands as he became more immersed in studying her wound. Lyrah discovered that during the time she was struggling with him, his tattoos had entangled themselves around her arms, soothing her like the way they did the last time.

“Are you in pain?” he asked her, his concern very much notable.

Lyrah shook her head. “No. In a few days' time I will be fully healed.”

“Are you able to travel back home with your brother now?” He asked her.

“Yeah but I'm not going anywhere.”

“Lyrah...” Rhol turned to her.

Lyrah shrugged her shoulders. “If you don't listen to me then I have no choice but to stay here and make you understand.”

“What is there to understand?” Rhol rested his head back on the pillows. “I thought I made myself clear when I said I didn't want to get involved.”

“But you already are involved. I mean, you almost died from that abomination. We don't know if that thing has already escaped into other parts of your Realm or other Realms but know that you are as responsible to get rid of it as me.” Lyrah managed to sit up but as she was about to slip off Rhol's lap, the tattoos solidified and held her in place. “And for once can't you control your tattoos?” she struggled against them.

He shrugged his broad shoulders and placed his hands behind his head. “They have a mind of their own—just like I do. I don't want to involve myself with either the Lord Mage and anyone else in the other Realms. I will deal with my own problems, the rest of you find a way to deal with yours.”

“I don't believe you are this cold hearted, Rhol--”

“Don't speak of me as if you know anything about me.” Rhol gritted his teeth. “The past few days that you have been here do not, in the slightest, give you a hint of what I am.”

“You are not a bad male, Rhol. You are all about justice, just like my brother. It doesn't matter which side you fight for, all you want at the end is justice.”

Rhol was silent for a moment. “I want you to leave with your brother tonight. You are no longer welcomed here.”

Lyrah's eyes widened. “What?”

“Leave my Fortress, leave my Realm and never return. I don't want you here.”

Rejection. Rhol had once again rejected her and his words tore into her soul like cold angry claws. The tattoos wailed at that statement and held her closer.

Rhol snapped and shook his shoulders until finally they let go.

“You should get going.”

Lyrah didn't expect each moment she got rejected by her mate would hurt especially if it was Rhol they were talking about but her heart mourned for his closeness when she got up and walked away. She held her head up high and didn't want him to see just how much of his final rejection had hurt her but deep down inside, there was sorrow that she got rejected and that she couldn't accomplish what she had come to do. She also had regret that she had been stupid enough to allow her body to recognized the mate who didn't want her and so she was going to live a life of misery because of it.

Without another glance at King Rhol, Lyrah walked out and closed the door quietly behind her.

Lyrah found herself standing in the familiar lounge of the Mage Fortress. She expected to feel a little relief that she was back in a place that didn't hold any surprises for her but instead the pain that surged through her body was almost physical. The distance she had placed between her and her mate was already affecting her. She tried to push the thoughts of Rhol far away from her mind and concentrate on anything else for that matter.

“Oh, Lyrah!” She found herself being pulled into a tight embrace by the Mage Queen, Noelle. “I was so worried about you.”

Lyrah had to smile because one thing the Queen Mage didn't know was to stop worrying about everyone else and start worrying about herself. Somehow, Lyrah felt she was a little selfish for doing all that she did because she got everyone in the Realm of Spells worrying sick about her but at the same time she didn't regret trying her best with King Rhol, that arrogant and most maddening male in the whole of the enchanted world!

“Are you alright?” Queen Noelle moved back and regarded Lyrah from head to toe with enough worry in her eyes to drown the world a thousand times over.

“I'm alright. You are worse than even my helper.” Lyrah tried to smile but the aching in her heart was unbearable.

Queen Noelle grinned in relief and shook her head. “And I thought I was the worst when it came to driving the Lord Mage up the walls. Oh, you should have seen him when he found out you were gone. He almost brought the fortress down on our heads!” as she talked, Queen Noelle's Fae wings buzzed behind her with excitement. “But what possessed you to go to the Realm of The Dark?”

Lyrah sighed softly and turned her eyes to the floor. “With everything that is happening, I thought King Rhol would be willing to help.”

Queen Noelle took Lyrah's hand and led her to one of the sofas before they settled down cozily and continued talking. “I know this is all difficult right now, Lyrah, but I don't believe the Lord Mage doesn't have a strategy to tackle this. He is not the male to give up easily and you should know that by now.”

“It's not easy when you have everyone pointing fingers at your brother for being the one responsible for breaking up the peace in the enchanted world. And with everything that has happened with Queen Seranis and the Fae, I think it is too much for him to handle it by himself.” Lyrah breathed in lightly.

Queen Noelle nodded. “I understand what you mean but I don't think King Rhol is the male to approach at such times. He had his reasons not to attend the conference and I think by now we all know he is not reliable.”

“There is so much going on in the Realm of The Dark.” Lyrah turned to her friend and sister-in-law. “When I was there, I felt it.”

Queen Noelle frowned slightly. “What did you feel?”

“The same feeling I had when Olena was close beside me...but this time it was a thousand times more.” Lyrah assured Queen Noelle.

Queen Noelle's eyes widened. “The dark, uneasy feeling?”

“Yes.” Lyrah shifted on her seat, shaking away the shiver that made her way up her spine. “There was a low hum everywhere that you went and it was driving the Ghouls and the animals crazy. And then there was this...thing that invaded the fortress--”

“You shouldn't think about going back there.” Noelle replied quickly. “I know when you talk like that, you believe that you can do something to help.”

“But I can. Only I was able to feel this new evil. Even though there was a very ancient Mage living there, she couldn't actually pinpoint where this evil was but I could.” Lyrah assured Queen Noelle.

Queen Noelle pursed her lips and asked. “What did the Lord Mage think about all this? He is not the person to actually let this go....what really happened there?”

Lyrah studied the Mage Queen for a moment. Though they were very close friends, she didn't know if she could tell her that she had found her mate and it is the one ancient male no one trusted in the enchanted world. Queen Noelle was all about protecting everyone else and Lyrah had a feeling if she told her, the Mage Queen would try in her power to protect her.

“Lady Lyrah, your body is yet to recover.” Lord Mage's voice was the last thing Lyrah wanted to hear but at that moment she was glad he had come just in time to save her. The large male sauntered in and stood behind his mate.

The Mage Queen immediately stood up and her little black wings buzzed with the excitement upon seeing her mate again. Lyrah envied their connection because they were bound not only by duty but love in its purest form. The Lord Mage was no longer alone. He had someone who cared for him and who was ready to lay down her life just so she could save him.

The only thing she felt radiating from her mate on the other hand was nothing but rage at the fact she was his mate. Did he expect someone from a upholding race like the Fae or the Mer-people...or perhaps a Dragon or Phoenix? Well, she was a royal blood Mage and if he didn't like that, he could get himself united to a Ghoul for all she cared!

Lyrah got up and bobbed lightly. “I think I better go and rest.”

“I'm glad you are home and you are safe.” Queen Noelle smiled softly.

Lyrah wasn't sure if that was what she wanted; home and safety. Her body was a raging mess, screaming for it to be taken back to the mate that had once more rejected her.

As if Lord Mage read her mind, he frowned at her with concern. “Can you bear it?”

Lyrah quickly nodded. “I'll survive.” she turned on her heels and quickly fled the room.

Both she and the Lord Mage knew she was risking her sanity with this. It was only going to get worse. Sometimes she wondered how her brother was able to survive such torment for a century when the Mage Queen fled to the human world. Maybe their bond was not that formed at that time but as for her and Rhol, they had been in each other's presence for several days.

Suddenly Lyrah heard a sharp gasp behind her and quickly turned to see the Mage Queen's ashen face and wide eyes. Tyran must have told her. Lyrah didn't want to be there any longer so she flashed herself out and into her room where she curled herself into a ball on a bed that felt too large for her and tried to gain control of her body once more.

Rhol's body was still burning with the effects of the healing session with the Mage. And then there was also that terrible heaving of his heart and it started the moment Lyrah left the Black Fortress. At first it was like an irritating hum and it made him feel as if he had misplaced something and he couldn't remember exactly what it was and where he had lost it. Now it was a dull aching in the pits of his heart.

Though everyone was singing the same song about him getting lots of rest, he couldn't close his eyes without being plagued by scenes from the past battles he fought. He relived them and they were so vivid to the point that he sometimes couldn't tell whether he was still dreaming or he had woken up. However, there was something strange about the battles. He was watching himself slaughter hundreds upon hundreds of warriors. What frightened him the most was that while he watched himself doing the killings, he couldn't shake away what it felt like. There was cruelty and malice in his face and it looked as if he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Rhol couldn't deny that he felt more at home in battlefields than on the throne. There was something dark in him and it came out when he battled. He loved that feeling of freedom and not having to reflect on his actions.

“This is you....” A voice hissed in his mind. “Embrace it....”

Blood ran down the fields like rivers. The wails of warriors losing their limbs was maddening. The wails were mixed with evil laughter as the warriors gloated while they killed. They were more monsters than warriors of worth. Even their faces had contorted into masks of pure evil. This wasn't what really happened....

Something was terribly wrong with that memory.

The warriors were never this filled with glee when they killed in the battles. They were filled with sorrow and anxiety to get away from all that blood shed.

So, what the f**k was this!

Suddenly the landscape in front of him changed and black clouds boiled over them. Lightning crackled and thunder roared so loudly, it even rattled the land they were standing on. There was no longer a battle in front of him but rather a sea of dead bodies. The stench of it made him gag and his eyes teared. The clouds above him burst open and rain poured down over the dead bodies. Rhol looked down at the rain and discovered it was black and oily.

The wails started again as the dead bodies, one by one, began to get up. Their bones popped and their bodies convulsed in odd angles as they stood up and stared at him with empty eyes.

“This is your army....lead them to victory...” the voice hissed again.

Rhol's eyes widened in shock as he recognized one of the thousands of warriors in front of him.

“No...” Rhol took a step back. “This can not be.”

“It is...son.” Uzrel stared blankly at his son and took a step forward. “This is your destiny...accept it and lead the most powerful army to victory.”

“No!”

“Rhol!” Uzrel roared, his body contorting with his rage. “Accept your destiny!”

“No!” Rhol shot up from his bed and looked around him frantically for a way out. The room was plagued by wailing shadows. It looked like those dead warriors had found a way to escape from his head and plague his Fortress.

“Rhol...calm down.” A voice female voice came through but Rhol couldn't see who it was.

He couldn't trust anyone....no one was worth trusting but-- “Lyrah?” Even to him, his voice sounded desperate.

A warm hand touched his shoulder. “Calm down so that your tattoos don't need to protect you. You are safe.”

That was when he realized the shadows were caused by his tattoos. It was a way they protected a distressed Jinn—by providing a protective cocoon around them. Rhol turned to the female standing over his bed and discovered it was Zafrina. Her face was pale with worry. Zafrina wasn't the female to worry over him but at that moment when he saw her face, he wondered just how he must have looked like for her to have such an expression.

Rhol swallowed hard and rested back on his bed. He didn't want to close his eyes anymore. He calmed down, controlling his heart beat, all the while softly rolling his arms so that his tattoos reattached themselves back on his skin.

The shadows began to fade and his skin tingled slightly as the tattoos slithered back on him. They still  mourned quietly for him, for his loss.

Finally, when there was light once more, Zafrina collapsed on the chair next to his bed and sighed in relief.

“I have never...” she began and swallowed hard before looking up at him with her eyes wide with terror. “I have never seen you like this before.”

It was because Rhol had never dreamed of his father for what felt like a life time. Seeing him in his dreams was the most terrifying thing he had ever encountered in such a long time. “I saw him....I saw my father in my dreams.”

Zafrina was quiet for a moment before she asked. “What does that mean? Should we get the High Priestess?”

Rhol rubbed his eyes and wondered if even a high priestess was able to help him with this. “There's no need.”

“My King, you were terrified by this. It can't just be a bad dream. This could be a bad omen and I think the High Priestess should be called.” Zafrina reasoned with him.

Rhol stared at the ceiling for a while then sighed. “Fine.”

Zafrina stood and was about to leave when she turned to him and added. “You called out Lady Lyrah's name several times in agony. From what I heard, the bond is only going to get unbearable at the end but you are such a stubborn son-of-a-b***h, you will never accept defeat.”

Rhol found himself chuckling at his second commander's choice of words. “You are enjoying this, aren't you?”

“You have no clue just how much.” One side of Zafrina's mouth arched up. “She is as stubborn as you are so don't expect her to buckle first. She's stronger than you think.”

When Zafrina left, Rhol breathed in hard and got up. There was no sleeping if the nightmares were that bad. On top of that, his body was buzzing out of control. He was filled with so much excess energy and he needed to expel it before he imploded with it. Rhol flashed himself to practicing grounds and started working out for the rest of the night.