Elias already knew where the rat was hiding. He instantly headed for Adeline’s room. In the still of midnight, when even the Vampires retreated to their rightful places, he silently stormed down the hallways. His footsteps loudly echoed, a haunting melody of stealth and wrath.

He was not going to let the rat walk away, alive.

Elias grabbed the handle on Adeline’s door. He pushed down, only to hear a soft “click.” She had locked him out.

Cruel, cunning laughter danced through the silent corridors. So, she had finally learned her lesson. That was fine. He had the keys. This was his estate, his domain, his battlefield.

Elias clicked his tongue. To unlock the door or not, to respect her privacy or to violate it. He chose the former. Turning upon his heels, Elias headed straight for his room. It was a short walk down the hallway. He silently entered his room and brushed through the darkness.

“What an idiot.”

With one shoulder, Elias leaned upon one of his enormous windows. He crossed his arms and peered down. Sure enough, his men were alive and kicking. But in the darkness, he saw an unpleasant pair of burgundy brown eyes.

Elias’s eyesight was a lot better than the Vampire guards stationed outside. He could see into the forest miles beyond the estate, and analyze which bug was crawling on the branch.

So the pesky bodyguard wasn’t as useless as Elias thought. At least the fool had risked his life to save Adeline. Too bad all of the hard work would go to waste.

“You certainly were busy whilst I was away,” Elias loudly taunted. He turned his head to the left, where the connecting wall to Adeline’s room was shared. His lips twisted into a sardonic smirk.

When nectar was too sweet, every pest would flock to the flower. Elias included.

Now that Adeline had Elias, there was no need for a bodyguard. He would guarantee her safety in this enormous castle, protected by thousands of heavily armed soldiers and invisible magic barriers.

Elias continued to observe the pair of eyes hiding in the bushes. He tilted his head, wondering if he should just order the execution of that man. But then his darling little Adeline would be upset, her lips would wobble as she held back tears.

In all the years he knew Adeline, she had never cried in front of him. Some even said she didn’t even cry at the funeral of her parents. She was strong, in her own little way.

“How fun would it be to watch him tortured by her love for me?” Elias wondered out loud, his lips curling into a sinister smile. It would teach that lowly creature his rightful place in this world.

A servant was meant to serve their mistress—not bed her.

Elias supposed undying loyalty of a childhood friendship was far too interesting to discard.

“Thank the Heavens, you rat. I just spared your life.”

– – – – –

Elias concluded the bodyguard was too weak to take action. What was he planning to do? Camp in the bush all night, waiting for Adeline to wake up? He scoffed at the idea. As if.

The first face that Adeline would wake up to would always be Elias, and the last face she’d see would always be Elias. He would not have it any other way. If they were going to pretend to be husband and wife, he intended for them to play the part to utter perfection.

“And then he captured her in a brutal, punishing kiss…” he quietly read out loud.

Book in hand, Elias was lazily sprawled upon the plush, velvet couch the color of fresh wine. He slowly shook his head whilst flipping the page.

Sure, she wasn’t reading erotica. This history book, The Rise of Xueyue, certainly seemed like one, amidst its detailed bibliography.

Elias let out a small laugh at the memory of her reaction. She was flushed on the spot, terrified that her secret had been discovered.

With one hand, Elias closed the book shut. Now, he knew what she enjoyed. Elias planned to utilize this to his full advantage.

“She’ll need all the sleep she can get.” Elias rose from the couch. He slipped the hardcover book into the shelves. Amongst the bookshelves were other books, some forbidden to even be opened, and others just blending in.

Now that he thought about it, Adeline must’ve been dying of boredom. Books were her escape as a child, and it was the only thing that helped her sleep.

“But no more erotica for her.” Elias stepped away from the bookshelf and cast a single glance out the window.

The rat didn’t crawl into the trap yet.

“Why read it, when she can experience the real thing with an even better body?” Elias simply shrugged in response, knowing there was no one more good looking than him.

Elias speed walked to the cellar and grabbed a chilled wine. He returned in less than a minute. Whoever saw him would think of nothing but a blur of black clothes and the wind rushing past their hair.

“If I am going to sit in utter boredom and wait for the sun to rise, I might as well get comfortable.”

Heaven knows he’d need the patience. Especially when she was just a very, very thin wall away.

– – – – –

Stuck in dreamland, Adeline was drowning in another nightmare.

Adeline was back in the dark, ruined hallways again. She was dressed in a long, flowy white dress with pleated, sheer layers that graced the ground and created a short train behind her. The dress was dirty, like her arm that was littered with scratches and cuts.

The same hallway, the same dress, the same ruined hair. She gathered the sides of her dress and trudged backward, knowing walking forward would never work.

“H-hello is anyone there?” she loudly called out, knowing no one would ever respond to her.

Adeline observed her surroundings. Her dress quietly swished when she turned around, bare-footed amongst the fancy hallway of updated stone and marble. Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. She squeezed her eyes shut in fear.

It felt like the floor was moving underneath her foot. Soon, replacing the ruined and cracked floors was a plush rug.

Blinking in surprise, she opened her eyes.

“Where…” Adeline breathed out.

Suddenly, the rubbles of the destroyed hallways were nowhere to be seen. The cuts on her skin were gone, the dress no longer soiled, and her hair wasn’t a bird’s nest. In the reflection of the window, she looked fresh and clean.

“I know this place.” Adeline turned around, instantly recognizing her surroundings. She had just walked down this hallway not too long ago.

Adeline’s dreamland had brought her to Elias’s castle. Did this mean… the ruined hallway once belonged to his castle? So many unanswered questions ran inside of her head.

People always kept her in the dark, believing it was for her own wellbeing.

“If only they know, it makes me do stupid, dangerous things just to find answers,” she angrily mumbled under her breath.

“What are you doing out of bed?” A pleasant, yet stern voice demanded.

Adeline instantly lifted her head. Her eyes widened and her lips parted.

Standing in front of her was a familiar man. Blinking in disbelief, she gouged him for Elias, but much younger. He had the appearance of a teenager, maybe just a bit over the age of seventeen or eighteen. He had the same height and body shape, but his face somehow seemed younger.

“This is the second time you pretended to fall asleep, you spoiled Princess.”

Second time…?

Adeline opened her mouth to respond but paused. Something didn’t feel right. For some reason, she was looking up at him, as if he was the tallest person in the world.

Adeline turned her head back to the window. She was much shorter and had the appearance of a nine-year-old.

“Your father wouldn’t be happy to see I’m spoiling you further by letting you wander the castle past bedtime.”

Adeline pressed her lips together. Why was Elias appearing in her dream? He said he knew her as a child, but she thought he had caught a small glimpse of her and that was all. Sort of like how relatives always asked, ‘Do you remember me? I changed your diaper as a baby!’

“Off to bed you go,” he sternly said.

Adeline opened her mouth to say nothing, but nothing came out. Elias wore a strict expression on his face. There wasn’t a hint of laughter or amusement. He didn’t seem to enjoy teasing her, as he did in the present.

Suddenly, he sighed. “Don’t make me carry you.”

Adeline scowled. He made her seem like a spoiled brat.

“Fine,” he hissed.

Elias’s long strides effortlessly carried him towards her.

Adeline was rooted to the ground. She wanted to move and say something, but it was useless.

Elias had never been a part of her dreams before. Why was he suddenly showing up?

Suddenly, a familiar voice came out of her mouth. “Carry me.”

Adeline realized she had said it. But that was impossible! She didn’t intend for those words to come out. It felt like her body was not her own.

Before Adeline knew it, she was lifting her arms up.

Elias narrowed his eyes. “Your parents spoil you far too much.”

Despite his harsh words, he bent down and lifted her into his arms. He carried her with one arm, but she felt secure against his body. Her tiny legs dangled off his chest.

Adeline always knew she had a slower growth spurt than her peers. At the age of nine, she was still quite small. Because of this, her Father would always tease her.

“There, all better now?” he irritably said, as if he couldn’t believe he was forced to hold her.

Adeline sulked. Her bottom lips jutted out. Before she could react, Adeline’s arms wrapped themselves around his neck, as she buried her face into his shoulder. She heard his loud, agitated sigh.

Suddenly, he was patting her tiny back, whilst carrying her down the hallway.

“Eli, Eli,” she mumbled into his white button-up.

“What is it?” he demanded, but in a softer tone.

“I’m hungry.”

Elias slowly shook his head. “I’ve already fed you two cups of warm milk and honey. You can’t have any more.”

She angrily kicked his chest. Finally, he laughed. It was a gentle sound that brought a smile to her face.

“Behave,” he chided her.

“Eli, Eli,” she complained.

Elias raised a brow. “What is it?”

“I have a secret to tell you.”

Elias was intrigued. Which one of her parents’ secrets was she going to spill now? She was always eavesdropping on her parent’s conversations. It was a bad habit, but the Roses were too engrossed in their argument to notice.

“I heard Mommy and Daddy arguing,” she whispered, pulling her neck back.

“And?”

“Daddy was mad… he said Mommy shouldn’t lie to me.”

Elias nodded his head, waiting for her to continue the story. He was silently walking down the hallway, and towards the other side of the castle— far from his wing in the palace.

Elias had designed the palace just for her.

As much as he refused to admit it, Elias would give her anything she asked for. Her parents spoiled her, but Elias spoiled her rotten.

Seeing she was quiet, he decided to take the initiative.

“And what did your Mother lie about?” Elias asked.

“Something about my birthday…”

Elias slowly nodded. Were they discussing the events of her birthday party? She was going to be turning ten tomorrow, and he had a great present for her. He was certain she’d love it.

“Mommy said it’s wrong to celebrate my birthday on Halloween,” she quietly complained.

“And why does Addison think that?”

“I heard Mommy say I was actually born a minute after Halloween.”

Elias’s smile disappeared. Did he hear her correctly?