The Blood King's Bride
Chapter Forty Eight

The celebration dinner was very eventful. Elena couldn't remember smiling as much as

she had that day. They all had fun, with Forest always looking for a reason to annoy Calhoun and Calhoun's need to constantly attend to Elena, whether she opted for it. Old Porv provided other hints of sword fighting to her, and Elion included her points. Calhoun's men, as usual, wore a stoic expression. Though at times, they could not hide their snicker at the jokes Forest told just to annoy Calhoun.

Firoza, on the other hand, was another case. On several occasions, Elena had met her murderous gaze, and instead of gazing back at her to prove that she didn't mean anything, Elena chose not to lock eyes with her. She didn't want anything to ruin her evening. All the while, Calhoun placed his hands on her laps under the table throughout the party, gently caressing her. If his hands were not there, they were at another part of her body. Once she had moved minutely, just a few feet away from him, he had wasted no time dragging her back. Elena's face had reddened more times than she could count, but she couldn't say the same for Calhoun, who looked to be faring far better than her. Finally, they left for home after drinking, eating, and partying. It was almost midnight when they arrived back at their abode. Calhoun's guards helped to take the old man to where he slept, as he had passed out from drunkenness on their way back. Firoza barely looked at anyone and stomped to her room, slamming it loudly. Forest and his sister strode back to their part of the house, leaving Calhoun and Elena at the house entrance alone.

"Is this where we say goodnight?" Elena asked, shyly looking up at him from under

beautifully long lashes. Calhoun remained quiet, studying her face with so much longing, Elena felt she would suffocate.

"I want to stay with you tonight." He deadpanned.

"What?" Elena blurted, flustered.

"I want to stay with you tonight." He repeated. "The thought of being separated from you,

I don't like it at all. So even if we have just a few hours left, I want to spend that time with you. I promise I won't do anything else."

Blushing, Elena remained silent for a while. Her mind was blank and raging with obscene images at the same time. The conflicting episodes inside her didn't help either, as it caused her nervousness to increase.

"Elena," Calhoun said, reaching out to hold her hands. "Please, let me stay with you." Elena nodded, the reply so automatic she couldn't scold or refute herself. It was like her subconscious already knew the answer to his plea. She was just too shocked to reply to him. They both walked down till they reached the second part of the house. Elion and Forest were nowhere to be seen as they entered, giving them the much privacy they both needed.

Leading Calhoun to her room, Elena slowly opened her door, leaving it wide open for Calhoun to enter. She walked in just behind him when he did and shut the door softly.

The air crackled with tension and nervousness with a heavy tint of awareness. As

Calhoun looked over at her bare room, she noticed his face dropped when he finally spotted her luggage.

"You're packed already." He stated, his voice filled with sadness. That was one of the reasons Elena so much liked this man. He was huge, a very tall being that wouldn't exert too much stress to crush her. But when he was with her, he always bared his emotions, laying them all at her feet. A man, his men, knew to never react to anything became a person brimming with different emotions. When he was with her, he became happy to the extreme. When he was not, he became sad. When he missed her, he never failed to tell her how much in their private moments, most times kissing her till she felt the pain he felt at her absence.

She walked over to him and hugged him from behind, choosing to remain in that position and not say a word. After a while, he turned around and engulfed her in a full hug, hiding his face in the junction between her neck and her shoulder. He sniffed her and laid soft kisses on her skin while she gently ran her hands through his tresses.

"You should give me an address. I want to know how to reach you when I have

returned." Elena said. Calhoun remained silent and instead hugged her tighter, the thought of her leaving more painful to him than she had assumed. When he still didn't move from his position, she tried slowly to pull herself away from his hug, but the action seemed futile as he held on, increasing his grip on her.

"Calhoun," Elena called out. He shook his head, remaining in that same position.

"Do you know how tall you are? It's kind of a strain hugging you, even though I enjoy it much."

Immediately Elena was lifted from the ground, and she quickly crossed her legs around

his body, trying to get a hard grip so she wouldn't fall. The action wasn't necessary, though, as Calhoun had placed his hands behind her, making sure she wouldn't fall. But the mirth in his eyes told her that he much preferred the position they were currently in.

"Drop me down." She lightly chided. He shook his head, releasing a slight pout that was too adorable to fit with how huge he was. She couldn't stop herself from giggling, and she then touched his cheeks.

"You have to let me down. I want to bathe." He kept holding her, and then he released a long sigh, letting her down. She smiled and stood on her toes to give him a short kiss on the mouth.

"I'd be right here. You can sit on my bed or look around, not that there is much to see. I would soon be out." Not waiting for his response, Elena quickly dashed into the adjoining bathroom. She entered and closed the door with a loud click, then turned around, leaning her back against it. She thought of the fact that Calhoun remained in her room while she was just too close to him, bathing. Naked. The thought caused her cheeks to turn deep crimson, and she quickly covered her face with her hands, willing herself to stop the images from entering her head.

When she finally calmed herself, she started to remove her clothes. The gown came off her and landed softly at her feet. Her shoes were next, releasing her bare feet. She walked to the bathing stall and was relieved to see that there was water in the huge bowl. She went inside and started to bathe, pouring water all over herself. She also poured some scented flowers into the bathing bowl. She didn't want to come out smelling like damp sweat. As she taught of that, she suddenly realized that she hadn't brought any other cloth with her into the bathroom. She looked around, and the only piece of clothing was the huge towel she would use to dry herself. She sighed loudly, silently scolding herself.

*****

The more Calhoun stayed in Elena's room, the more he didn't want her to leave. He didn't know if it was his instinct or just his possessive nature acting out, but everything in him was against her going. But then, there was nothing he could do. She had made up her mind, and somehow, he couldn't blame her. He had barely courted her for just a month. Who was he not to allow her to spend more time with her family? Even he missed his parents, though he would rather take a knife than admit that loud.

He sat on Elena's bed, gently caressing it before lying flat on it, his feet still on the floor. As he faced the ceiling, he wondered what life without Elena would be like. He still hadn't come close to telling her the truth about his identity. He had slipped a few times, but fortunately, she never noticed it. Being the Blood king was a huge piece of information to tell someone. He had always known that his name elicited fear in anyone, but he didn't think he would love seeing that fear on Elena's face. He wanted her to like him without the burden of his title. And apart from that, something told him that she was not comfortable at just the thought of the blood king. He had always tried to ask her what it was, but she constantly changed the topic, leaving him in hopeful fear that he hadn't killed one of her family or close ones. Besides, he was sure that she had secrets, but he was convinced it didn't rival his own.

He didn't know how long he had stayed in that position when he heard the soft click of the bathroom door. It was accompanied by an enticing scent of roses, and he could help but rise

to follow the smell. Once his gaze captured the vision in his front, his mouth went dry. Elena stood by the door side, her wet hair clinging to her face, neck, and shoulders. She had a towel wrapped around herself, and her face was brightly flushed, her eyes darting around and looking anywhere but at him. He followed the drop of water that formed a trail from her jaw to the middle part of her chest. Suddenly he was finding it hard to breathe. "You're done?" He said, his voice coming out hoarsely and not as he intended. She nodded and looked at him quickly before removing her face and staring at her feet. Finally, she released a sigh, raised her chin, and slightly widened her stance, seemingly having made a decision.

"I forgot my nightwear. I want to take it." Two simple sentences, yet they made the noise

in Calhoun's ears ring louder. Not able to form a response, he simply nodded his head, slowly rising from the bed.

Elena walked towards her luggage which was placed on her bed with the poise of a warrior. Seeing Calhoun splayed so comfortably on her bed had done things to her that she couldn't make sense of. The butterflies in her stomach that seemed to have been accompanying her ever since she met Calhoun were on a rampage. She could barely control her nerves, and the way Calhoun was looking at her wasn't helping matters. Still, relying on the boldness that she drew from the very depths of her soul, she quickly walked to where she placed her luggage, searched out her innerwear, and took it. Then with the same attitude, she walked back to the bathroom, closing the door much quicker than before. Her heart was thumping loudly; it felt like it would tear from her chest. Patting her hands down her chest, she was finally able to calm down. She dressed up in her nightwear, then picked up her earlier gown and folded it. She picked up her shoes and, taking a deep breath, opened the door. Calhoun had laid back on her bed again, and her heart and stomach started that strange leap and buzz, respectively. She gulped, then ambled towards her bed. Calhoun had risen, sitting on her bed and still staring at her as if she were a meal. Knowing that there was no way she would be able to look at him without embarrassing herself, she decided to save herself from the unfortunate event and stared straight at her luggage. When she reached it, she placed her gown inside it with her shoes. She finished, zipped the bag, and sat it on the floor.

She urged her boldness to appear again and faced Calhoun, seeing that there was nothing else to do.

"So, what should we do?"

At that, Calhoun stood up and started removing his clothes.