385 Brazen

Abi's lips parted at his words. She couldn't believe that he could still act like this in this kind of situation, but why was she even surprised anymore? Hadn't she already learned how shameless this man could be?

"P-please stop being naughty, Alex." She held his wrist to move his hand away from her nape. "This is not the time to –"

"Naughty?" he cut her off, his lips curving up mischievously. "I was going to tell you a story to distract you, little lamb. What did you think I was going to do?"

Abi's eyes widened and she couldn't help but feel her face heat up. Seeing his grin made her feel even more embarrassed. But really? He was going to distract her by telling her a story? This Alex?

Realizing that Alex was teasing her, Abi retorted. "Don't lie, Alex. I know you were thinking about doing something else."

"Something else? Like what? Tell me, little lamb."

"Like doing naughty thi…"

Abi bit her lips, stopping herself from saying anything more, while Alex's throaty chuckle echoed inside the room.

He leaned in and pinched her chin. "You're getting naughtier by the day, Abigail." He licked his lips and moved even closer, whispering in her ear. "And I so very much like it when you're thinking naughty things."

Speechless, Abigail could only puff her cheeks. "I… I am not the one thinking naughty things, Alex," she protested but Alex simply chuckled.

This sight of him laughing made Abi momentarily forget about anything else. He was laughing. His eyes were bright and he was genuinely happy.

Abi couldn't help but smile and reach out. She held his face, cupped it and planted a kiss on his cheek before she hugged him. This was all she wanted to see, a happy Alex, a smiling Alex. After all the pain he had gone through, she just wanted him to be enveloped with love and happiness and she hoped she would be able to give him the love he deserved. No, she would make sure of it.

"Abigail…" he called her name. Abi didn't notice how that simple kiss and her hug made Alex stand frozen for a while. "Tell me…" he pulled away and looked at her, eyes glimmering with anticipation and nervousness. "You finally… fell for me, right? Your heart only beats for me now, right? You love me now, don't you?"

Abi pressed her lips tightly. Silly… silly Alex!

She watched his expression for a while and she couldn't help but want to squeeze him in her arms. Judging from his expression, he must have felt a little like she did when she first confessed her love for him; a mixture of a fear of disappointment and rejection as well as hope.

Somehow, she felt thrilled thinking about how he would react if she told him that she loved him before they even met in that ball.

Finally opening her lips to speak, Abi held his hand and placed it on her cheek. "Alex…" she started, but before she could continue, the spell broke.

"Alex… let's go," Abi tugged at his sleeve and Alex's shoulders could only drop in displeasure. Holding his wrist, she didn't wait any longer and pulled him with her towards the door.

However, the moment they stepped out, Abi froze by the door. The witches were lined up in a row on their knees, their backs torn open, drenched with blood. Zeke held a whip in his hand and she could see that each witch had at least three whiplashes on their back.

Abi slightly stepped back. This was not what she expected. She looked at Alicia and it looked like she suffered the same cruel punishment. No, she suffered the worst. She had many more lashes on her back then the others! Her damp silver hair stuck to her face and her back was covered with blood and sweat.

Covering her mouth with her hands, Abi looked at Zeke. He didn't say anything and his expression was as unreadable as usual, as if he hadn't just tortured this group of witches. Did he really need to go to these extremes?

Alex pulled her and buried her face on his chest. He didn't say anything as well and just caressed her hair.

"Alex… I don't think this silver haired witch will speak anytime soon," Zeke told him. "We have been at this since last night. It seems this kind of punishment is not hard enough to make her talk."

"What do you want us to do?"

"Take her back to the castle and imprison her there. She needs a more severe torture to coax her into spilling her secrets," Zeke said in a menacing tone.

Alex was silent for a while before he finally nodded.

"And these minions of hers?"

"We have no need for any of them."

"That's true."

Zeke picked Alicia up and tied her hands behind her back. "You can run fast, right? Witch?" Zeke asked while Alex carried Abigail, princess style.

"Let's go," Zeke signaled and in the next second, all four of them leapt into the dark forest.

In no time, they reached the entrance and finally got out of the forest. The car was still sitting in the same place where Abi had left it.

They were approaching the car when suddenly, Zeke dropped the witch on the ground and he leapt in the air. The next second, he kicked a log away from its original trajectory - it seemed like it was aimed towards the car - towards the ground to the left. The log dug itself into the ground as it landed, creating a slight earthquake.

Zeke smiled as he landed on the ground.

Alex held Abigail in his arms, with his hand over her head in a protective manner, as they looked behind them. It seemed that the rogue vampires had caught up to them.

"How brazen of you to come after us," Zeke spoke at the shadows within the dark forest, nonchalantly putting his hands in his pockets. "I wonder what you guys are after," Zeke goaded, standing in the middle between Alex and Abi and the vampires, with Alicia still kneeling on the ground right next to him.

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