Chapter 330: Chapter 330

[A/N: The craziness never ends, does it? SMH]

A similar situation had happened on Natasha’s side that same night. After Ava and Samantha had left her, she had been aggrieved, but Natasha did not care about such trivialities. She preferred to act and strategize on the following action instead of wallowing in self-pity. She had been groomed to understand that self-pity was just a time waster!

She had left swiftly afterwards and bumped into a badly beaten man, who she avoided, not wanting to touch the person. Natasha preferred to stay out of trouble as much as possible. Besides, the person was dressed below her status, so she most definitely wanted nothing to do with him. However, to Natasha’s surprise, the person called out to her.

She stopped and frowned, wondering why the voice was so familiar, but she did not indulge with people of a lower class, definitely not with a homeless beggar!

Natasha only spared a glance and continued her exit.

"Why are you doing this to me, Natasha? I thought you were different!"

The man raised his voice and attracted a few people’s attention.

Natasha swung her tiny waist around and glared at the person. She was pissed! She cared about her image more than anything!

"Who the fuck are you?!"

If her father had been around, he would have told Natasha to mind her language, but she probably would not have cared anyway.

"How can you forget me so soon! Wasn’t it just last week that you bared out your legs for me... y-"

It was then that she pieced together who the person was. The familiar voice and the message’s context. She still did not recognize him. She could not piece together the young man in front of her and the one who had made her scream out profanities from sexual ecstasy. She took one look at him and took a step back.

"What do you want? ..... Raye?"

She mentioned his name as if he had been stuck with some heinous disease, and she wanted nothing to do with him. Natasha did love the sexual interactions that they had previously had, and that was precisely what she would have loved on a night out like that where her father was not in the picture. Natasha had an unusual sexual appetite, but she did not want to lay with someone who was bankrupt and in that miserable state.

Just then, it dawned on her .....

"Hahhahahahahahaaa....." She used her handkerchief to cover her mouth at the thought. The little audience lost interest and started leaving, only to stop at Natasha’s following words.

"Funny, you should say those words to me. When you obviously came here for your little moneybag? Why? You could not get her? Did she dump you after your family’s issue? Heeheeeeeee.... Or.... Did she cause it? That’s awesome... if she did that !"

Natasha’s every word cut deep into Raye, and he tried to reign in his anger. He was in no mood and, most importantly, in no state to offend Natasha because of her family.

"Did she have you beaten up? I did not take her for that.... Well? Did you offend someone again? You need to keep that pride and attitude of yours in check ....."

Natasha continued rubbing salt into wounds, not even caring about where they were and who was listening.

".... You should make better friends so as not to find yourself in this predicament again."

"Natasha! Do you want to see me more miserable than I am now?"

"Of course!" Natasha replied without missing a beat.

"Are we not friends?"

"Ha! Friends with benefits are not friends, Raye. You were a good fuck! And that was all there was to it. I don’t give myself to poor folks. That’s too contagious! You know, I must protect myself. I am out of your league. You should understand that simple fact. I know you to be more sensible than this. You are not an idiot, so wake up to that reality."

Natasha turned and left without a backward glance.

Raye, forgetting his pain and pride, rushed after her but bumped into two men. He had forgotten one simple fact: Natasha was her dad’s pearl and always had bodyguards around her. It was too late to regret, but he did regret all the actions that had led to that day. Raye was taught another lesson that night and beaten again by Natasha’s guards.

No one heard of him again after that day.

Natasha did not care but had heard of the Thornston upcoming banquet, too.

’I wouldn’t miss it for the world!’ She thought as her car sped back home. The festival was no longer entertaining, and she decided to return home and prepare for the challenges and opportunities ahead. Raye was already history!

Shelby, on the other hand, had a blissful night! That morning, however, she and her husband were in for some strange news.

She stirred gently, waking to Ian’s warm embrace the following day. The soft light filtered through the curtains, caressing her cheeks and lids. A warm, contented smile tugged at her lips before her eyes opened, the feeling of deep satisfaction lingering from the night before.

She turned toward him, her heart swelling at the sight of her husband lying peacefully beside her and looking straight at her. His face was relaxed, his grey eyes trained on her, and his chest’s slight rise and fall were steady and comforting.

For a moment, she watched him, basking in the quiet joy of waking up next to him to see that tender gaze. Her hand moved almost instinctively, brushing lightly against his arm, and she sighed a deep, contented breath. This is happiness, she thought, her heart full. Everything felt right, safe, loved, and perfectly at ease on the quiet new day.

Ian was an early riser and judging from the sun rays seeping through the fluttering curtains in the room, it looked to be well past midday.

Shelby stretched and winced. Her lovemaking with Ian has always been like that. He would literally make love to her or fuck her until she was sore, but Shelby loved every bit of it, and Shelby would never exchange that for anything else. She loved how he filled her to the brim and the surge of power that ran through her whenever they made love.

However, even Shelby, who was not a Fae, could feel that something had changed with their lovemaking from the night before. She was curious, but what did she know about the Fae world anyway, apart from what Ian had talked to her about? Also, there were other pressing issues...

"Good day, my sleepy head,"

Ian kissed her hair and drew her closer, hugging her tight on the bed.

"I know you don’t, but I can’t help but ask..."

Shelby wondered what the issue was. His statement sounded strange but like something he had thought about for a long time if that was the first thing he said when she woke up.

She detangled herself from him just as her tummy made a slight noise, and she blushed. She had slept through breakfast, so that was unsurprising.

"Let’s get you something to eat first," Ian added with a chuckle. He gathered Shelby together with a light blanket while he remained naked. He carried her through the adjoining room to his kitchen, then set her on the counter as they had grown accustomed.

Ian pulled a few drawers, and then, in no time, he had whipped together a sophisticated sandwich filled with lettuce, ham, crunchy onions, and cream and set it down before his beloved.

Shelby sat on the high counter, swinging her legs and taking a bite out of the freaking good sandwich. Ian leaned against the same counter, still naked and also bit into the one he had made for himself. There was something very erotic about Ian making the meal for her in his birthday suit.

"So, what do you want to ask?"

Shelby asked between mouthfuls about Ian’s first question after she had woken up a few minutes’ prior.

"Hahahahahahaaaaaa....." Shelby let out a sweet laugh and nearly choked on her meal.

"Here...." Ian quickly fetched a glass of juice for her, and lightly tapped her back. Shelby accepted it gratefully and took a hearty sip. After calming down, she asked,

"Why do you call him that? He has a name, you know...."

Ian smirked, "He looks like a chicken!"

"Me? Why would a whole me be jealous of that nobody?"

Shelby stifled a giggle and covered her mouth.

"Why did he want to meet? You know, I could not reach you.... It’s scary when I cannot reach you, Elfin...."

Ian’s tone went low, and Shelby’s heart went out to him. She knew how that felt and did not want to experience it again.

"I- Royston is only human, and I am not sure what h-"

"I know, Elfin, but that woman who was with him is my problem...."

Shelby was surprised. She quickly finished her light breakfast as she knew there was more to this than Ian let on. She stretched out her arms to him and, letting the cloth go, embraced Ian’s between her lap.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he rested his head on her breasts, but surprisingly, he did not fondle her as he would have usually done. She had already finished her sandwich and quickly re-highlighted why she thought Royston had asked to meet without any reference to Royston’s supposed cousin.

Ian listened as he carried Shelby into their bathroom to attend to her bathroom duties. The two took a quick shower together and then entered the cold room. Shelby never brought up the unfinished conversation because she knew the time to talk about that would come. She decided after her last near-death encounter to always cherish the moments between them. Such unnecessary things would have their time and place!

That room was still as cold as could be, and Shelby shivered.

There, they found a very grim-looking Currey and a not-so-different Murray.

"What do you have for me?" Ian asked. He wanted Shelby to be in that conversation. That was why they had come there right after he heard from Currey.

Currey and Murray shared a look and then Currey said,

"Before that, Your Majesty, there’s been an unexpected issue that we think should be brought to

"You visited the other land..."

It took a moment or two for Ian to understand what that meant, and he did not look happy!

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