"Eh?" Ella frowned at the nonsensical words Xander has said. What does he mean he loves it that she has respect for her late husband?

"I mean to say, I love it that you still respect your first husband and was loyal to me and shall I warn you that I am a very, extremely a possessive man." Xander locked his eyes with Ella's with a clear warning in them.

Ella could see the of hell fire in his eyes which were telling her to look and him and only him. The red rim in his eyes was spreading over his orbs of eyes and instantly his eyes turned completely red and horrific.

Ella's throat constricted at the sight of red burning eyes that she once saw in the woods near the lake. Her face paled and her lungs thwarted the air.

"Your – Your eyes." She stammered. She wanted to scamper away from him but her hands lost any strength they had after looking at those red haunting eyes.

"Hmm, you remember them, don't you, love?" He chuckled, nuzzling her nose with his. "You have no notion what I had to do for you to be here, close to me, in my arms." Xander sniffed Ella's hair and hummed in ecstasy.

"What are you?" Her thin voice whispered in the room. Xander looked deep into the enticing eyes of Ella and kissed both her eyes with so much love and affection.

"How interesting! You didn't ask me who I am but you asked what I am. Interesting." Xander's smile morphed into a smirk. "What do you think I am?" His finger trailed alongside her cheek making the hair on his body stand up in Goosebumps.

What was it in her that he couldn't take his eyes off her? Five years, five long years he could only think of her and only carve for her. His days were filled with long dreams of having her all for himself and nights filled with gazing at moon and stars counting the days he had to stay away from her.

What was he? Why does she feel an invisible power, a strong aura around him that gives chills to her? Who – what exactly was her new husband?

"I don't know. I don't know who or what you are but you have a sort of something dark around you. You inflict fear in me." Xander did not like her answer. If anything he wanted from her then it would be that she would never fear him. Though he liked to see fear for him from others but he did not like the same from his Ella.

He likes it if she was brave and could talk to him liberally like she always did before the grave. He always loved how simple and expressive she was.

"You must be exhausted, Love. Sleep. We will talk about it later." Xander pecked her forehead and pulled her into his arms, placing her head on his chest.

What could he do to lessen the pain she was going through long years. What could he do to turn her fear in trust and love?

What was the way to make her accept him like she did to Alexander?

Everything about Ella cannot be resolved in jiffy. It takes time. Xander knows he need to be patient to cure the wounds given by town people.

When on one side, Lord Knight was planning to make Ella's life better from worse, on the other side miffed Knox was speechless and thoughtless about what must be his next move.

The misfortunate girl he wanted in his bed was in the Lord room as Lady of honor and a wife to the great Lord. What had happened? Why did the Lord marry such a girl who was nothing but a doll to be played?

The Lord's interest in wedding Ella was still a puzzle to Knox as well as to the other villagers. When Blythe was under the Lord's wing from weeks, how come Lord wanted to marry a girl whom he met on the night just for a ritual?

Why?

Hand on his heart, Knox knew this interest of Lord's on Ella was not mere a nightly bewitch. It must be something else, something more than it appears, and something beyond his belief. No, this was not just a mere interest! It couldn't be.

But what bothered him the more was his daughter's behavior. What has ever happened to her? She stood before the Lord like a servant who needs permission to even move her muscle.

Why?

"Why is the town head still anxious even after the ritual is finished?" Madonna, the witch asked taking his hand in hers and pulling out the rings of his fingers.

"Lord Knight." His simple answer brought a knowing smile on the Witch's lips. A smile which notifies that she knew something that was secret.

"Ah, the Lord. What about him?" Madonna asked curling her fingers in the bush of Knox's hair.

"There was something taking place which I couldn't understand. I don't know why I feel that the whole wedding with Ella was well woven plot." Knox took a deep breath and leaned against the bedpost of the bed on which he and the witch are sitting.

"Madonna, Is it possible to know about someone through your magic and spells?" Knox queried when he saw a wicked smile on the witch's face. He wanted to know about the Lord. He was feeling a very dangerous aura around the Lord and it was not just because the Lord was in a higher rung of the hierarchy but it was different.

The Lord was feral.

"Yes there is a way to know about a person but no magic or spell can give you the full life chapters. There is this practice in the dark magic where you can know a very few set of eventful things relating to the person." Madonna was now interested in what Knox was asking.

She knows that Knox would be baffled when the ritual was once done. Madonna smirked inwardly

"But there are not many who can succeed in this spell." Madonna completed shaking Knox's shoulder for his attention but Knox was deep in thoughts and couldn't forget the way his daughter behaved in the court room.

For the first time in his life, he was scared.

"Can we perform it, if ever I want to know about someone?" Knox looked at Madonna with hope and desperation clear in his eyes and tone.

"It takes a lot of patience and knowledge to perform. Quite a difficult task it is, but not impossible. We can give it a try," Madonna's words brought a ray of relief in him yet there was this strange fear crawling slowly in his body.

It was a fear of unknown. Fear indicating that he was treading with death whenever he thought of the Lord.

"And why are you enquiring about this?" Madonna knew the answer yet she was enjoying the fear Knox was feeling right then.

If anyone knew about the Lord and his abilities evidently, then it was Madonna. She knew what and who Lord Knight was but still will be shutting her mouth and keep the information to herself.

"There is something very mysterious about Lord Knight and I want to remove the covers over it. I want to know what is it in the Lord that is so strong to even pull him to knees with the power." Knox's curiosity was blessed with a loud laugh from the witch who was laughing gleeful at Knox.

"Are you certain you want to know about him, Knox?" Knox raised his eyebrow in confusion when he heard the mock in the witch's tone.

"Yes, why? You know something, don't you?" Knox got the hint that the witch knew something that he wanted to. Madonna could only smirk in reply and shrug,

"Because you need courage to learn about your death."