Chapter 74 - Birthday Gift

The shock of the outcome of the situation was written in both their faces. The shadow that terrified the world sort the crown prince out to deliver a present. 

Davion was way too astounded to open the gift. Aricus was a name he wasn't expecting to hear again. It was supposed to be a forgotten memory. 

Jason was speechless, either he had lost his mind or the author hated him. The man had not set him to war but brought him back to the novel in the heart of the battle field.

He had enemies from each side of his life, he had Sashina one end who was hellbound on having him. There was Amberly who was two faced and was master at playing around with words. 

Then there was the royal grandmother with whom Sashina had created a bad image of his love. She was set on getting him away from Davion and was supporting Amberly to win. 

And now Aricus was coming to the picture. Each of this characters had one thing in common, they didn't want the two of them to be together. 

Jason couldn't put his finger on it but even was sure that so many villains so early in the book wasn't a good sign for the protagonist and being the main character his life was in danger. 

He was certain the author was taking revenge on him for some reason. But he couldn't find a reason why the man would want to ruin him before the book even reached its climax. 

"Open it," he insisted. 

His curiosity was piqued. He needed to know what gift his major love rival had gotten for the crown prince. 

"Okay."

Davion opened the box. The only thing inside the box was a note. He picked up the note and read from it. "To my better half and soulmate, the only gift I can grant you is me," he read with a frown. 

The words on the note started dancing around on the paper. Davion dropped the paper on the ground feeling it getting hotter. 

A black mist oozed out from the paper and formed a man right before their eyes. Jason was impressed. "Awesome," he let out. 

Davion was far from impressed, it was another headache that had walked into his life. The day just kept getting worse and worse. 

All hopes that he had of celebrating the day and turning another year in peace flew off the window. 

"Miss me," Aricus whispered in a deep low voice. 

Jason glanced at him from head to do. The painting at the cafe did no justice to the man. The male was way more handsome that the painting made him out to be. Hus physique was amazing and hus grasp on magic was outstanding. 

From what he had read in the book, the man was responsible for the Seam. He freed the demons from the underworld to cause chaos to the world as a way to convince the gods to give him his beloved back. 

For Davion, the man fought for over a thousand years just to be with him once more. All that was not something that could go away easily. 

He was a savior, no chains could hold him for long and their was no line he wasn't willing to cross to get what he wanted and if he could do all that he did to the gods. Jason couldn't help but wonder what would become of him now that the man had come. 

Aricus knew how to get the gods to do his bidding, he had the demons under his control and was not afraid to spill blood to prove his point. 

He would rip any place apart and make it rain blood if it pleased his cause, the only thing that mattered to him was his love for Davion. 

Being the hero of the book, Jason was certain it fell on his shoulders to defeat Aricus and send him away. But how where to you send a man who came from hell can't be accepted by the heavens. 

"Not even a greeting?" Aricus asked. 

Davion got up and walked away, he needed a minute to process what just happened. 

"I am not so bad that you need to run away when you see me," Aricus spoke out at his disappearing back. 

The crown prince didn't even look back. He dashed off into the woods, nothing could make that day more unpleasant.

Jason was left with the villain of his love story. Face to face with the man was different from reading about him in the novel. 

It was truly not the best day for him. 

"I'm prince Nedryn," he introduced himself. 

"Oh, the person I need to grind down and break. Pleasure," Aricus let out taking his hand. 

He squeezed Jason's hand to a point that it hurt. His eyes were soft and his lips wore a kind and friendly smile but his actions proved anything but friendly. 

"That hurts," Jason pointed out. 

"This," Aricus asked increasing the force on his hand. "I haven't done anything and you are already feeling pain. Imagine when I actually come for you," the man challenged. 

"I am not afraid of you," Jason quoted. It was far from the truth, his heart pounded against his chest in fear. He was face to face with a monster and with no way to escape. 

"You will be," Aricus spoke out. "I will make tremble in fear at the mention of my name. You will break so bad that you won't ever look at what's mine ever again," he added. 

"Davion is mine," Jason shouted at him. "I will kill you if you dare go near him."

"And when did I say I will after him. All I did was congratulate you on your engagement," Aricus let out his voice softening. "I missed my chance and wish you to be happy, so why are you threatening me?" He inquired. 

Jason was tongue tied. The man was the one who was threatening him. He was just fighting back and defending his territory, he wasn't the villain. 

"Is this how you welcome the guest of the throne to Aphidia," Aricus turned his head to the side. Jason followed his line of sight and found the crown prince with the others behind him standing there. "I greeted your fiancee and he starts throwing threats," he added. 

Aricus reached his hand into his pocket and took out an envelope. He waved it in the air for Davion to take it. Amaru stepped forward and took the envelope from him. 

His curiosity was piqued by the scene that he walked in on. He wanted badly to know who the hunky new guy was and why Jason was at his neck. When they arrived they heard Jason threaten him while his reaction was confusion. 

"I can't believe it," he uttered. 

He handed the invitation card to Davion to take a look. The crown Prince read it and was shocked beyond words. 

Jason strode forward and glanced at the content of the card, his eyes went wide with shock. It was a letter from the crown inviting Aricus for the party, the king himself wrote that he owed the man a debt and he is to he denied nothing in Aphidia. 

"All I wanted while I stay here was to celebrate your birthday," Aricus began to say. "But after the rude way your fiancee has treated me, I think I will ask for you instead," he added. 

Jason cursed his luck. The author was definitely out to get him, he couldn't think of any reason why Aricus would walk into his life with a golden card to be with Davion if not for revenge.

Alperx aka Davy definitely had something against him and was getting even with him. How was he supposed to develop his relationship with Davion when so many obstacles were thrown at him at the same time. 

"This just gets better and better," Amaru uttered. 

Davion was pale, he had not anticipated such a move from the mysterious man. At the least he expected the man to use the night they shared to blackmail him but was proved wrong. 

The man came into life with everything he needed to get what he wanted. "Don't look at me like that, I am doing you a favor," Aricus said. "We can continue from where we left off that night," he added. 

Davion gritted his teeth, it was times such as these that he wished that he wasn't a prince. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, the universe proved him wrong and made things much worse. 

"What debt does the king even owe you?" Jason asked. He was certain the male gad no explanation. He had done nothing for Aphidia, the author just needed an excuse to introduce him into the novel early. 

"I saved Aphidia from the monsters of the Seam," Aricus uttered. 

Jason's jaw dropped. The man who created the problem was calling himself the hero.. He felt a splitting headache coming on.