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Whispy strands of purple and black flew waywardly in Helvon's wintry cold air as Avyanna stood at the balcony of her room. Her amber eyes were downcast at the dreary scenery of Helvon's castle grounds.

She didn't know what to do with the isolation she'd been left into after Marilla left her here. Zander's second-in-command did peg her continously but she knew very well how to avoid people.

Just like right now. Even when Derek had asked her to get ready so that he could tour her around the clock tower, she'd rather chosen to stay cooped in her room.

A barely noticeable annoyed sigh leaves her lips as she hears footsteps approaching her on the balcony. Why wouldn't the man just let her have a moment of peace?

"Don't you demons ever get tired of just appearing and dissapearing anywhere you like?" Avyanna didn't take her eyes off the black roses in the garden below, her face maintained the same blank expression she'd seen the High King adorn too many times in the court.

"Woah so you speak." Derek let out a slight chortle as he scratched the back of his head coyly, "And who told you I teleported here? Only the royal demon bloodlines have that ability."

Avyanna's brow furrowed and she turned her head slightly to glance at the hazel eyed demon, "Then how did you-"

Her words cut short as she observed the pieces of grass stuck in Derek's hair and the dirt coating his washed jeans and maroon sweater.

"You climbed up here." It wasn't a question but a statement.

A lazy smile appeared on Derek's lips, "Bingo!"

Avyanna just stared at the man wordlessly trying her best to coat the feeling of incredulousness in her mind.

"And why would you do that?" She asked instead focusing back on the roses in the castle grounds.

She heard Derek's footsteps inch closer and closer until he was standing next to her.

Derek planted his elbows on the iron railing and rested his chin on his outstretched palms.

Following Avyanna's gaze, he focused his attention on the midnight roses before he chose to answer her, "Because a certain purple haired girl refuses all my hospitality and now I don't know what to do than give her some company."

"Well than you should know she doesn't need company." Avyanna rebuked, her tone calm as ever but even then Derek could hear the annoyance in her voice.

The second-in-command tilted his head to the side and glanced at Avyanna from the corner of his eyes, "The first time I bumped into you in the hallways. . . ."

Avyanna's hand stiffened the slightest bit on the railing but she chose to ignore him. It wasn't like he'd have noticed-

"You were crying that day, weren't you?" Derek's words were gentle but there was a curiousness to it.

He still remembered how he'd been scratching his head after Zander disappeared with Marilla thinking what was up with his friend when he'd straight-on went crashing into Avyanna.

At first when he glanced at her, he'd almost believed her to be his mate. She was very beautiful. So was the blue-haired girl he'd bumped into earlier but this one was different. There was something about her that made him....just stop and stare.

But then he'd seen the dried tears on her cheeks and the unshed tears filling her amber eyes in the dim lighting of the hallways. But before he could ask her why she was upset or whether someone hurt her, the girl had quite literally pushed him away and walked off in middle of his introduction.

Back to today, Derek turned his head to look at Avyanna. His eyes softened as he saw how she'd gone stone still no matter how uncaring she tried to appear.

She still looked ethereally beautiful to him and he couldn't help but stare like that day in the hallways. His hands itched to tuck away the purple strands of hair obstructing half her face from view but he stayed put and looked away.

"I think you're my mate." Derek blurted out of nowhere making Avyanna's head turn to him in a quick whip.

Her eyes widened before she shook her head vehemently with a sad look, "I can't be."

Derek's heart hurt a little bit at the pain coating her face. It was the first time he'd seen any expression at all other than the blank mask. But to think it was sadness. He rather preferred the blank mask than this. The anguish in her eyes had him feeling....he didn't know what exactly but it wasn't something pleasant.

"Why? I have a strong feeling you are." Derek said desperately.

He'd been waiting for his mate for so long now. All those years when he was sentenced serving for that one sin in Hades' palace, his mate was the only thing he'd been looking forward to. His mate and his sister. . .

The thought of his sister had Derek's heart twisting but he brushed it away and focused back on the nymph.

"I can't be." Avyanna murmured again looking away.

"Why-"

"Because only werewolves and lycans have second chance mates. Not the other creatures. And I already had mine. So I won't get a mate ever again." The last two line was a whisper but Derek's sharp ears caught it nonetheless.

Derek felt something in him sink at her words, "Oh. . ."

So she had a mate already? Was he waiting for her to return back? But he'd heard from Marilla that Avyanna didn't have a partner. . .

But what did Avyanna mean then? And more importantly, was he never going to find his mate if Avyanna isn't her?

Just then, as if the goddess who paired the mates heard his whine, a sweet scent of wild lilies filled his nose. The speed in which his head turned to Avyanna, it was a wonder he still had the part attached to his neck.

"Your scent-"

But before Derek could say anything, he saw Avyanna's whole form freeze and tremble as she stared at something in the castle grounds. Derek tried to follow what she was looking at but before he could catch sight of the thing that had the purple haired girl terrified,

"No no no! Something is not right here! We have to inform Marilla and Zander!" Avyanna bellowed.

That was the last thing Derek heard the nymph speak before she grabbed his hand and pulled a confused him along to lords know where.

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As the first hazes of consciousness starts slipping back, I squint my shut eyelids at the warmth cocooning my body.

Something or rather someone's one large arm is wrapped around my waist and the other holds my head to their chest....

"What in the name of holy macaroons!" My eyes fly open the moment the realization of my laying half naked on top of a naked chest dawns upon me.

I whip my head up from the hard body so fast that it hits the chin of the person holding me. Brutally, if I might add.

"Agh! What the fuck man!" The person, oh wait it's devil incarnate himself, groans tightening his hold around me making my body plaster to his.

His action makes our skins glue to one another's and ignite with the crazy mate bond tingles. Zander sprawled on the cave floor on his back with me on top of him like in one of those sappy romance movies.

I glare at Zander's face as he squints his eyes in pain at his probably throbbing chin. Even though I feel the tiniest—just a teeny veeniest okay—guilt at hurting him unknowingly, I plaster my palms on his chest trying to push myself off him.

Which was a huge mistake, by the way. Because that very moment, Zander Hellion decides to open his eyelids. When those dark grey bedroom eyes just in the morning meets mine, it has my heart flipping in an ancient teenager way and my palms slipping from his chest.

And so ladies and gentlemen, the great me instead of rising from top of him quite literally ends up falling more closer to him.

My palms glides through his oddly hard and silky skin moving up to his neck and my face ends at an awkward angle at the space between his neck and collar bone.

Another groan escapes Zander's mouth at my brutal slip but the moment he realizes the precarious position we're in, I see his entire body stiffen.

I blink rapidly like a fool myself trying to control my uneven breathing from the messy slip. But it ends up as another mistake since my breath fans the crook of Zander's neck making his grip tighten even more around my waist and his fingers slightly dig into the skin.

"Woah, fish. What are you doing?" Zander's husky deep morning voice has me blinking again like a dumbo.

Don't think funny business, Marilla. Don't. You. Dare.

"I. . ." When I lift my head off the crook of his neck to look at his face, I feel my words waver and my heart rate spike all of a sudden.

Why the hell does his eyes look so darkened?! And his lips so tempting and soft? Phew Marilla, you aren't supposed to feel too hot right now!

Well I'm hot I know but this is different kind of hot. . .

It's because of the mate bond. It's because of the mate bond.

While chanting the mantra in my head, I stare with owl-like eyes as Zander lifts one hand that isn't around my waist and tucks away the hair falling in front of my face behind my ear before holding up a strand.

"I've noticed. Your hair changes colour. Sometimes it's darker shade of blue. Sometimes lighter." Zander let's go of my hair before connecting his eyes with mine, "Even your eyes."

My heart fumbles for some bizarre reason knowing he had nothing else to do then notice my changing eye and hair colour.

It is true though. They do change. For two reasons.

"It changes with the ocean's weather as ever since I became the queen, I'm connected to the marine lands. And also with my emoti-" My words pause as I see him stare at me oddly.

"What?" I ask narrowing my eyes at the way his eyes remained glued to my face.

Talk about mood swing. The dude seemed pretty curious about my fluctuating hair and eye colour few moments ago and now he seems disturbed by something else.

"You almost drowned to death, you stupid fish." His words are like a mother scolding their kid for doing something wrong.

I throw him a nasty scowl, "You are stupid, not me."

"Well I wasn't the one falling for the illusion and almost dying." He retorts with a huff. The same type of huffing I do all the time.

"Stop copying my huff!" I ignore all of his other words and glare because even though I'd never accept, I knew for a fact that I indeed was stupid to fall for the illusion.

"What if I don't?" Zander challenges making my attention return to him.

"Then take the damn copyright from me first!" I yell like a maddened woman.

"No thank you. I'm too lazy to do that." He passes me a cheeky smile before shutting his eyes again as if intending to take a nap while he still had his one arm wrapped around me firmly.

"Take your hands off me." I wiggle on top of him in a frenzy.

Zander's grip tightens and he lets out a low agonized groan opening his eyes again, "For Pete's sake woman, don't move on top of me like that. Not when you're half naked and so am I."

I stop instantly as his words register into my head. Oh, for Poseidon's sake. I'm still partially naked. Not that it bothers me as much as the fact that my actions just few seconds ago must've given the whole different signals. And even though I shouldn't be happy about it, but the fact that my actions had the devil incarnate disturbed gives me great pride. Also, now that I think about it, it wasn't that bad. . .

Aghh Marilla control your hormones!

I pull my bottom lip with my teeth coyly and try to not pay too attention to his darkened eyes or his 'parts'.

Ignoring the strange giddiness or the sudden spike of my heart, I pass Zander another nasty scowl before getting of off him. Successfully this time.

Avoiding the demon still lying on the ground, I glance around the cave for my discarded top.

"Here." I hear a low whisper as my top is outstretched to me in the hands of devil incarnate himself.

"Why thank you." I reply sarcastically, grabbing the top and pulling it on.

"I did ask for your permission for the body heat thingy yesterday, you know." Zander says as he too gets up and pulls on his shirt and leather jacket.

"I know. That's why I didn't point it out when I woke up half naked, dumbo." I grumble before glancing at him, "Did you get to talk to any shadow creature or get any information unlike me?"

This time, his smirk is instant, "I did, fishy. But it's a riddle. And we better ask people who can solve riddles first before jumping to conclusions. Also, teleportation does work here. It's rumors that they don't. We should've checked before believing they didn't. I could do it yesterday when you drowned. So like I can do it now as well."

"Bravo! It's high time we return back to Lycor then." I creepy smile at him, "Let's go now."

"Yes, mam."

And then he strides towards me and grabs my hand before we teleport back to the castle.

***

Lycor's castle's white marbled walls and gold interior greet us instantly as we winnow at the entrance. Zander let's go of my hand as I walk ahead enthusiastically to push open the heavy white wood and gold double doors.

Although the moment the door opens and I walk in, a green-haired woman's figure approaches me in the speed of a lightning.

Despite the surprise of seeing her here, I couldn't help the excitement as I embraced her tight not giving her any time to speak.

"Hello, Ursula my love!" I hug my second-in-command with a huge smile the same way I used to hug my mother.

When I let her go of the embrace and step back though, that's when I notice. My eyes flicker at Anthony and Carla standing at a distance with worried looks on their faces.

The smile on my face drops instantly as I take into how Ursula is drenched with blood and bruises on her arms and clothes.

"What happened. . ." I dare not let my voice waver as I see the lost look on her face.

"Layla. . ." Ursula begins making my heart drop at the single name.