Chapter 14
“Why don’t you ever want me to take your shirt off?” Xavier asks as he dresses.
A tingling sensation filled with disgust and weakness, unknown to him, shudders down my waist as I say, “Embarrassed.”
He smiles, and I assume he will say something sweet, but all hope leaves my body when he says, “Is it because your boobs are small?”
My brow twitches. I’m aware my breasts are smaller than average. It’s easy to tell, especially in sports. All the other girls changed in the dressing room, and I’m there, looking more like a twig.
When I don’t answer him, he says, “I bet having sex with you after I awaken will be more intense.”
If the intensity he’s referring to is like a dagger puncturing his throat, then I can agree.
Apart from that, any intimacy with Xavier makes me feel sick to my core.
Not just because he forces himself onto me and begs for sex, but because he’s a fire elemny.
Whenever he’s over me, I picture the fire elemny who burned part of my body, and it’s hard not to shut down whenever he becomes affectionate.
Xavier heads into the bathroom to wash up.
He asks if I’d like to join, but I decline with a sweet smile.
When he’s out of sight, and I hear the water running, I rummage through my suitcase until I find my moisturiser.
Rolling up my shirt and biting into the fabric, I squirt lotion onto my hands and rub them together.
The cold liquid glides over the lumpy, wrinkled, and red scars along my waist. It bites from my ribs to my hip.
Long finger burn marks tell a story of where he gripped me when he—
A sharp pain of memories stings across my temple.
Deep breaths.
After moisturising the area and putting the lotion back in the suitcase, Xavier exits the bathroom looking fresh and casually dressed. He appears much more alive, and a waft of musky, overpowering deodorant tickles my nostrils, and I feel the urge to sneeze.
“Are you going to be okay if you come with us?” I ask, hoping he says no.
But the way he dresses and his need for a shower after sex tell me he’ll come, no matter how much I plead for him to rest. Surveying the area with Sara in tourist mode will be hard enough.
Having Xavier tag along also makes my analysis of the castle pointless.
“Sara and Kylie want to see the castle. I won’t miss the chance to show them everything before I get cut off from you lot while I wait to awaken.”
And I can’t wait until they escort him away. I need some peace before heading to the castle and murdering the king who told those filthy fire elementals to abuse my body in the worst way imaginable.
No one deserves to have no control over their own body.
I wouldn’t even wish that on my worst enemy.
Yet King Ragan shows no sense of morals or high ground since the reckoning of my kingdom.
Every time I flicked on the news station, another death was attributed to him.
Word is spreading around the academy that he’s now the Mad King.
He can’t help but kill, and he’s not the only one.
After they speak about King Ragan, they talk about the mutt and their similarities.
Some even worry he might stake a claim to the throne, but I doubt it.
If my parents had already decided that Typha would marry Walkyer for the crown, why would they bother trying to set up a marriage for me with the mutt?
But I can’t voice the issues, as doing so would raise heavy suspicion.
Unbeknownst to anyone lurking outside Xavier’s room, my face flushes as I glance at Sara as we exit.
She presses her lips together, stifling her giggles.
Kylie wears a smug look and nudges her head our way.
It seems Xavier was rather loud while having sex with me, and I did not know, since I was too wrapped up in my thoughts.
“Oh my God, Xavier!” Kylie bursts into laughter as we stroll down the street. “You were so loud!”
“So loud,” Sara mimics her girlfriend. “And Mrs Clark was making us tea while we could hear you!”
“Fuck,” Xavier groans. “It’s Panda’s fault. The way she moves her hips and—”
I grip his arm and say, “Stop, Xav! It’s too private.”
Sara and Kylie giggle like schoolgirls when my face flushes, burning bright red. It could be the sticky heat. Night doesn’t bring any relief.
When I have sex with Xavier, I don’t remember it.
I’m absent during those moments. However, I feel the aftermath.
Disgust grips my stomach, leading to nauseating cramps.
That’s all there is to it. Any movements, false moans, or sweet nothings come from elsewhere, while I usually sit with Desmond and build snowmen.
Except for tonight. Memories haunted me, and the tingling sensation at my waist persisted. In this heat, it’s even more unbearable. The sunscreen lotion will dry up, and then I’ll have to wait until Xavier’s asleep or when they take him away to tend to my wounds again.
“Where are we going first?” Kylie asks.
“The castle!” Sara claps her hands together. “When else are we going to see it?!”
Xavier shrugs. “Sure. Afterwards, I can show you the Crimson Hotel. Many elemny sell the autobiography books of Prince Emmerton and Walkyer.”
“What about the other brother?” Kylie says.
“Prince Reen?”
Kylie claps her hands together. “Right. That’s his name.”
“It’s because he’s a mutt,” Xavier says. “Why would they give it to him?”
Mutt or not, he has royalty in his blood. No matter what anyone says, he is Queen Ji-Sun’s son, which means he should have some claim. Even a fucking book. But is it an argument I want to die on? No, instead, I keep my mouth shut, like a good, cute, meek girlfriend does.
We reach the taxi bay after five minutes of walking, and once we’re inside, Xavier explains he’s awakening tomorrow. It’s common knowledge that an elemny’s awakening can lead to a day of free stuff. Most elemny celebrate right after they awaken: partying, drinking, and having a good time.
Xavier believes we will not leave his bedroom. It explains why he was pushy in wanting to come out with us. The expectations this guy has of fucking a corpse have no bounds.
I share the backseat with Sara and Kylie, while Xavier sits up front.
As soon as the car moves, he closes his eyes and grunts every time we hit a bump.
Meanwhile, Sara bounces in her seat. I’m glad someone is happy to see this pathetic kingdom.
The world here is in ruins. Even the colourful neon lights can’t compensate for the drab, washed-out, bleak black, white and grey kingdom known as Flesh.
Ash clings to everything. The active volcano in the kingdom continues to unleash relentless, suffocating heat.
And despite knowing it’s hot, it’s not from the sun.
There’s no sun. A layer of smoke covers the sky, washing out the brilliant blue.
Bodies lie on the ground like flourishing bushes in Oceanview Harbour.
I crack a smile. It’s hypocritical of me to complain about bones, dead bodies, and crimson staining the ground when my mother buried a body in our backyard every week. Being the only one unfazed, I had to help her. Typha dry-heaved whenever she encountered death, but it didn’t stop her from…
Deep Breaths.
We slow down at the Crimson Hotel. Women wear flashy, bright dresses, the highest heels imaginable, heavy, beautifully applied makeup, and hair styled in extravagant designs. Men wear suits, dressed to impress, and some link arms as they enter with flushed, lustful looks and heated gazes.
An arm snaps in front of my focus, and Sara squeals, “That’s Prince Walkyer!”
Sara’s words travel fast through the open window. He rises from signing books amid the chaotic crowd. Icy blue eyes turn in our direction and pin me with their intensity. Prickles creep up my back at his fierce gaze. I look away, tighten my grip on my dress, and scowl at my lap.
Sara snaps photos, but I keep my gaze fixed on my lap, hoping he pays more attention to Sara than to me. I don’t need any accidental cameras on me after King Ragan dies, and some clueless prince spots my face and makes a remark.
Sara ducks inside the car window and says, “He waved! Did you see it, Panda?”
“Uh, no.”
The cab drives off when the red light turns green.
Feeling bold, I sneak a glance out the window. My throat tightens as Prince Walkyer stares at the cab, watching us drive off
Shit.
Sara leans against my shoulder and shows me the photos she snapped of Prince Walkyer. In every shot she took, he maintained his focus on us, and she definitely caught his attention. Good on her. Not so good for me.
A few minutes pass when we reach the castle entrance.
As I step out of the cab, I turn to Sara, who wants to show me more photos, while many things are happening simultaneously.
Kylie points to the nearby florist's shop.
Sara waves the phone in my face, and Xavier drops to his knees, crying out in agony.
Kylie and Sara move towards him, and I take a moment longer to realise I should do the same.
I kneel beside him, and my focus settles on the tight grip he has on his arm before someone nearby cries in pain as well.
A woman clutches her arm and kicks her feet as she lashes out.
Then, as if in sync, Xavier and the woman stop crying.
Silence fills the air as Xavier touches the black ink marking its way onto his skin.
Holy fuck, it happened!
My gaze darts to the woman. Tears swell in her eyes, and her attention is fixed solely on Xavier Clark.
A twitch of a smirk settles on my face after I cover my mouth with my hand. He fucking tethered with her.