Samael carried her straight towards the third prince's quarter, which was left untouched for a long time.

"Fabian," Samael called out, upon sensing Fabian's presence behind him. "Call someone to prepare the bed."

"They already changed it and cleaned your quarters, my Lord. It seems His Majesty expected this outcome."

"Of course, he had that annoying foresight ability," Samael replied as he walked through the hallway leading to his bedchambers. "Tell Noah to postpone my visit to his mansion."

"My lord, you won't hurt her, right?" Instead of answering the duke's orders, Fabian inquired solemnly. "You didn't mean it when you said you accepted her death, right?" He observed the corner of Samael's eyes but couldn't tell what the Duke was thinking.

Fabian had already considered the worst outcome that could have happened to Lilou during her stay in the palace, but Samael guaranteed him Stefan wouldn't hurt her. (For a reason Samael didn't explain.)

Although Lilou was unscathed, Stefan sired her, which made things worse. Therefore, even Fabian didn't know what was going on in Samael's head. Especially with the Duke's current state of mind, there was no telling how he would react if provoked.

"I won't kill her… that's for sure," Samael muttered as he kicked the door of the bedchambers open. He didn't waste time as he trudged inside, leaving Fabian behind.

Fabian noticed the dangerous glint that flickered across Samael's eyes as the door slowly shut closed on its own.

"My lady," Fabian whispered under his breath as his eyes brimmed with worry, "I wish you well."

*

Samael stood beside the bed and gazed down on her, seeing her clasped on his chest tightly as she broke out in sweats. "Wake up." His tone was deep and menacing as his grip on her shoulder tightened. "We need to talk."

But nothing. She remained trapped in her nightmares while holding onto him desperately in her sleep. He had thought about how he'd feel once he laid his eyes on the woman he wanted to marry, but the crazy, jumbled emotions he felt were not on his list.

"I said wake up," he repeated as he shook her, but Lilou didn't bulge. "I need to know if he touched you anywhere." So he could decide whether this truce was worth it to consider.

"Whatever," he whispered as he attempted to toss her on the bed, but changed his mind at the last minute. Instead, Samael carefully laid her down while staring at her intensely.

He squinted his eyes into mere slits as the scene of Lilou choking flashed across his head, driving him madly crazy at the thought that Stefan lived another day. He would have killed him, but for her sake, he had to hold back.

"Lilou," He muttered through his gritted teeth, wrapping his fingers around her neck. "What should I do to you?" He asked with genuine wonder in his husky voice. "Should I strangle you? Or kiss you?"

Those were the thoughts that had been circling in his head when he laid his eyes on her. "Because I don't know, my love. Your very existence is driving me crazy."

Holding back was not his style, so snapping her tiny neck wouldn't take a second, but he couldn't. He couldn't kill her, even if he wanted to try. "Damn it!" He cursed under his breath, pushing himself up as he ran his fingers through his hair in distress.

"This won't do," He uttered as he sprung back on his feet. "Staying in this place won't quench my anger."

"Sam… don't… please…" He froze upon hearing her shaking voice, turning his head back just to see her still asleep.

"Then what the fuck should I do?" Samael gritted his teeth before he stomped his way back to the bed, bouncing as he laid beside her. "This is aggravating," he muttered as he rolled to his side and faced her.

"Who or what are you dreaming about making such a painful expression?" He asked despite knowing she would answer with a faint struggling noise. "You're making me mad," he whispered in distress as he reached for her trembling shoulders and carefully cradled her into his embrace.

"You…" He trailed off, brushing the strands of hair falling to her face. "... why did you do that?"

He was referring to the time Stefan ordered her to stop breathing. Samael planned to back down a little since he had a vague idea of the current state of affairs. However, Lilou's eyes told him not to save her.

It was the subtle hints he and Lilou could only understand because of the level of trust and love they shared in the past. He wished he didn't understand her, but he couldn't pretend not to know.

"With such a feeble body with a brief life, why did you refuse my help?" He asked, trying to contain the fury building up inside him. "The audacity to think you can save me the trouble."

If he was the Sam she had known, he would probably understand. But his resonance right now couldn't comprehend her reasoning.

Samael knew Lilou would choose death instead of being used as a tool against him. But in his logic right now, it made little sense. For someone as feeble as her, it was more understandable if she asked for his help, but she was more concerned about his well-being.

"This is annoying," He mumbled, noticing how she trembled under his grip. "Her existence feels like a leash."

To calm her down and bring her a sense of security, Samael rubbed her back. But not only Lilou calmed down, but her warmth soothed his raging heart.

"How strange," Samael muttered as he continued to rub her back before he traced the list of what he wanted to do with her to kill time. "I want to kill her, sink my fangs into her skin, own her, make love with her until she breaks."

But he didn't do any of that. Instead, he was lying beside her and comforting her in her sleep. "very... strange."

**

Samael didn't notice time as he organized his jumbled thoughts, but there were some questions that needed an immediate answer. So he shot her a glare, shaking her while saying, "Wake up.

After several attempts, she finally let out a soft moan as her eyes fluttered weakly. Before Lilou could even grasp everything, he held her shoulders and pulled her to a sitting position.

"Sam?" Lilou rubbed her eyes as she blinked and set her eyes on him.

"Can I kill you?" He asked without beating around the bush.

Lilou let out a faint chuckle as she collapsed to her side, yawning. "Go ahead," she crooned, closing her eyes to continue her sleep.

Her indifferent answer made him frown, shaking her arm to wake her up again, "I'm serious."

"Mhm," Lilou hummed, believing it was merely a dream.

"You, don't you have any sense of danger?" Samael clicked his tongue in annoyance as he collapsed beside her before he mumbled. "I don't need this leash."