Chapter 25: Chapter 25

[Tyler’s POV]

Just like that, Nivera had turned into my personal bodyguard as she was always walking behind me and I didn’t let her out of my sight for one second, well, except for at times like these when she needed to use the bathroom.

I glanced at my wristwatch. What was taking her so long? I wondered.

Suddenly, I heard voices. She was speaking to someone, and I hurriedly tapped on the bathroom door, feeling more apprehensive than I thought I would. It was as though I wasn’t afraid of her leaving the palace, but more afraid that she went back to be with the vampire. How they had met each other, I still didn’t know, but he was the first man to bring me to my knees and I despised him with so much passion. I could only hope for an opportunity in future to get rid of him.

Nivera opened the door and stepped out. “I’m sorry I took too long,” she apologised upon seeing me.

I looked away from her and opened the bathroom door wider, trying to see if anyone was in there, but no one was.

“Who were you speaking to?” I asked in an urgent tone.

“No one, who’s there to speak to in the bathroom?” she asked, gently folding her towel and the clothes she had on before.

I didn’t believe her. “Vampires… don’t they have the ability to teleport?” I asked.

She looked up at me, showing that she now understood why I was asking that question. She heaved a sigh, then began talking, “I haven’t spoken to Lucien since the day we left and he certainly isn’t one that would appear while I’m having my bath,” she said.

“Then, whose voices did I hear?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she said, and quietly kept the folded clothes among the dirty laundry.

I decided not to push the matter any further, and concluded with the fact that I might have just been hearing things. I proceeded to sit on the bed while she laid on her back on the mattress which had been placed on the floor directly next to my bed just for her. Her fingers were intertwined and she looked up to the ceiling, appearing to be deep in thoughts.

“What are you thinking about?” I asked, minutes later.

“Books,” she simply responded.

“Why?”

“I love reading and I wish I had a book right now,” she said.

I laughed. “You should focus on doing better things like embroidery and makeup. You didn’t even go to school that much, what good will reading books do for you?” I asked.

She looked at me, rolled her eyes then stared back at the ceiling.

I would have responded, but something on the wall made me jump up from the bed in fright. “Oh, dear goddess,” I muttered.

She stared at me with a blank expression. “What’s wrong?” she inquired.

I pointed at the wall. “Th…that,” I said in a low tone, consumed by fear.

She stood up, then walked over to where I stayed in the corner, almost frozen to death. “What are you talking about?” she asked.

I pointed again, and her eyes followed the direction of my finger.

She looked incredibly surprised. “But that’s just a spider,” she said.

“Just a spider? Are you trying to be funny? Get one of the guards in here very quickly,” I ordered.

To my surprise, she just began to laugh out loudly. I knew I was scared, but her laughter calmed me down and I couldn’t help but be amazed at how beautiful she was, especially now that she laughed heartily, exposing her perfect set of white teeth.

I felt a tingle in my heart, and the next thing she did surprised me even more. She stopped laughing, reached out for a slipper and jumped on a chair, then raising her hand up high, she hit the spider with the slipper. It fell from the wall and onto the ground.

“What did you just do?” I asked, regaining my voice.

She smirked, then came down from the chair and picked up the spider by holding two of its legs, and she started to walk towards me wearing a huge grin.

“What do you think you’re doing? Get that away from me!” I yelled at her.

I moved backwards as she drew nearer, holding the spider up that I could see it dangling in front of my very eyes. I hit the wall and there was no place left for me to move to.

I shut my eyes very tightly. “Please, get that away from me. Please,” I shook in utmost fear.

She resumed laughing, and I dared to open my eyes a teeny bit. “I honestly can’t believe this. You, Alpha Tyler Jefferson, who has slain thousands of people and are a widely known tyrant, no offence, is scared of a spider… a dead one at that,” she said.

I opened my eyes completely and tried to look at the spider, but couldn’t and almost threw up. “Get it away from me, come on,” I pleaded.

“What would you do for me in return?” she asked.

I thought long and hard about it. “I’ll get you a book, is that okay?” I asked.

“Deal,” she said, with so much excitement then threw the spider out of the window.

I looked at her, exhibiting so much fury in my eyes. “How dare you do that to me!” I screamed at her, drawing close to her. It was her turn to move backwards in fear.

“I… um… I thought we were just having fun. I… I didn’t mean to offend you,” she stuttered.

“Well, you did. You belittled me, made fun of me and forced me to make a promise of getting you a book,” I said, eyeing her menacingly even though deep down, I was just paying her back for the fright she had just caused me.

“I am sorry, I didn’t mean… Whoa!” she screamed, as she hit the centre table in the large bedroom which she hadn’t seen since she had been moving backwards.

She lost her balance and was falling backwards when I caught her in my arms and held her still, ensuring she didn’t fall. Her eyes met mine and for a moment, it seemed as though time had stopped. My heart was racing so fast that I wondered if she could hear it, and I got insanely drawn to her like that was how it was always meant to be. I had never felt that way, not even for Malia.

At the thought of that, the clock resumed ticking for me and upon hearing footsteps and perceiving what was surely Malia’s scent, I tossed Nivera onto the bed where she landed with a mild thud, and immediately, Malia walked into the room without bothering to knock just like I had suspected she would.

“Hey,” I said nervously.

“Hey,” she said, wearing a smile on her face which vanished the moment she saw Nivera on the bed.

“Why are you lying there? Have you lost your mind or something?” she nearly screamed on top of her lungs at Nivera.

“She was cleaning and lost her balance then fell on the bed,” I said, surprised at how quickly I had come up with a lie.

Nivera nodded her head in agreement and got up from the bed. She bowed low, “I’m sorry, please, forgive me,” she said.

“Keep your sorry to yourself, you good-for-nothing. Change those bedsheets immediately before you infect the Alpha with whatever skin disease you have. In fact, throw them out. If possible, change the bed he sleeps on,” Malia yelled at her.

“Malia, calm down. That’s too harsh,” I said in a firm tone.

“Did you just shout at me?” she inquired.

“I didn’t. I was only saying…”

“Only saying what? Am I in the wrong here? Shouldn’t you be cautioning your slave so she never accidentally falls on your bed again? Do you even believe it was an accident? Trust me, she only just wanted attention. I mean, she could have landed anywhere else. Why did she choose specifically to land on your bed?” Malia asked, then walked closer to Nivera. “And you, did you think that if you somehow laid on his bed and spread your legs like the whore you are, he would feel attracted to you? Get it into your head, slave. The only reason you even have the chance to be in the same bedroom with the Alpha is because he detests you enough to want to make sure you’re out of his life on the day of the full moon which is in three days time,” Malia said to her.

“That’s enough, Malia,” I half-yelled, noticing the hurt written on Nivera’s face.

“Did you just yell at me again in front of this wench?” she asked, looking really offended.

Nivera couldn’t take it anymore and sobbing hard, she ran out of the bedroom. I made to go after her, but Malia held my hand and prevented me from doing so.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she asked.

“I need to calm her down. You upset her,” I said.

“And so? How about me? Shouldn’t I have gotten upset after seeing a random girl on your bed? Didn’t I have a right to act the way I did?” she retorted.

“I know, but…”

“But what? Tee, I can feel you slipping away from me. I’m terrified. What if you end up accepting her? What would happen to me then?” she asked, appearing to be worried.

“That is never going to happen,” I said, cupping her face in my palms. “You said it yourself. All that’s left is three days. Nothing can change my mind within that short period of time. Just trust me, okay? I’m never letting you go,” I said, then pulled her into a warm embrace.

She hugged me tightly, and while that would be ordinarily soothing, I couldn’t help but feel unsettled because I knew Nivera wasn’t okay. When that started to affect me, I didn’t know, but I was probably wrong when I said that nothing would change within three days.