SPELLBOUND

Evie pressed her lips together, seeing that he seemed to be enjoying his little teasing game. But she really wanted to know what this piece of good news was.

"You're… a tease." Though she complained, she stepped closer to Gavriel who ended up biting his lower lip again probably to stop himself from chuckling.

"Closer, wife."

She pressed her lips tighter and despite the moment of hesitation, she still obeyed, causing Gavriel's eyes to lighten up even more.

Evie steeled herself as she continued to approach Gavriel. They were already too close, and their faces were only inches apart! She didn't dare look up at him and just kept her eyes staring straight at his chest while waiting in anticipation. He finally bent over, so close that his lips felt like they lightly brushed past her ear. She knew it didn't, but his cool breath caressed her ear and she couldn't help but feel disoriented. "My wife finally made a move on me."

She drew back, looking at him. "What?"

He bent again, this time, his breath swept past her cheek. "She nearly kissed me. That's her first ever move on me."

Evie was so speechless her jaw dropped. And then her face became red as a cooked lobster as Gavriel eased back with a satisfied and somewhat seductive smile. "You don't need to do it sneakily my wife, you are always welcome to just jump on me and devour me anytime. I am yours after all." He added with a wicked chuckle and Evie felt like her entire body would blow up due to overheating.

"I… I wasn't… that was –" she stammered so badly and before she could even form a coherent sentence and regain her bearing, Gavriel moved back and yanked on his collar as if he were in a hurry to take off his clothes.

Evie's eyes immediately widened, and her body stiffened but when she looked into his face, he had his eyes closed as he unbuttoned his shirt. "Those officials talked way too much. I've tried to escape midway during the bloody meeting, but they were as elusive as ever. They already knew how to force me to stay with them, those sneaky old coots ..." He complained, stretching his neck from left to right, producing little cracking sounds as if he was really tired.

Watching him, Evie was surprised at how human he looked and acted right now. His appearance was as godly as usual, but he felt a little more human when he was dishevelled. She never would have thought that he was tired if she didn't hear from Elias a while ago while they were touring around the castle that Gavriel hadn't slept in the past four days straight.

Elias of course told her it wasn't that big of a deal as vampires can go on for days without any sleep just fine. But Evie had heard previously from her father that the limit vampires could go without sleep was three days. They can move just fine even without sleep or rest for three days straight but after three days, her father had said that the vampires will start to move slower, and their strength would also be reduced to be a little weaker than normal.

The butler told her that Gavriel was fine and that he could even go on without any rest for many more days but that didn't erase the tinge of concern in her heart for him.

And before she knew it, she had approached him and reached out to help him remove his shirt. Gavriel immediately paused in his movements, staring down at her in shocked surprise. His little shy and wary wife was helping him remove his shirt?

Evie remembered her parents. Every time her father arrived home after a meeting with the emperors or from a war, her mother was always there to support and aid him in every little thing. She did not allow the servants to help her husband take off his robes and shirt. Her mother had told her that this was not just because it was her duty as his wife, but also because it was her way of showing her support and care for her husband.

Evie did not know whether or not she was doing the right thing. She was well aware that her marriage with Gavriel wasn't like her parents which was grounded in their love for each other. Theirs was a love match, while hers and Gavriel wasn't – it was a transaction. And she was not supposed to end up caring about him. She sighed in her mind and thought how messed up her situation had become just this short time of being here in the vampire realm.

But no matter what, she was still his legal wife and remembering the fact that Gavriel had chosen to take her away from the capital for her safety and ended up being labelled as traitor, Evie could no longer bring herself to keep hardening her heart against him and to keep thinking of him as her enemy.

All of a sudden, he bent, and he buried his head in the hollow of her neck. "Evie…" he uttered her name, his voice became hoarse. Evie felt goosebumps form on her skin as never had her name sounded so tantalizingly seductive from another's lips. She waited for what he would say next with bated breath, but nothing else came. He just stayed still and remained in that position.

"Y-yes?" Evie managed to say. Her heart starting to thud harder. "Are you alright?"

He shook his head and Evie was slightly alarmed.

"Wha… what's wrong? Should I go call Elias –"

"No." he cut her off, still not moving at all.

Evie slowly lifted her hand to touch his arm. She felt his muscle contracted at her touch. And he was cold.

Her eyes widened and her heartbeat accelerated because she knew that he wasn't like other vampires. Gavriel was never cold to the touch but comfortingly warm.

"I think you're not fine." panic was evident in her voice.

"Are you worried?" he asked and even his breath against her skin was cool she couldn't help but shiver.

"Of… course. Please let me go call someone…"

She felt him smile and he eased back, his eyes glimmering as he gazed down at her.

"No need, wife. I don't need someone else to help me."

"But…" she was about to protest but she somehow knew that any number of objections she raised would be futile. "Then, what do you want me to do? How can I help you?" she asked, unable to hide her panic anymore.

"Let me touch you."