SPELLBOUND

The look on her face made his eyes gleam in confusion now. But immediately, Vera reached out and clung to his broad and assuring shoulders, not giving him any chance to back off. "Don't… don't go," she whispered into his ears breathlessly, making Gideon's body stiffen for a moment. And the next second, as if her whisper had pressed a button, he grabbed her and made her kneel between his legs as she was still clinging to his neck.

Vera just softened her body and did not resist, allowing him to position her whatever way he wanted. Because all she asked for was for him to not leave her. Not to stop.

His hands then removed her robes and threw it to the floor in a messy heap. But when he reached at the hem of her nightgown and started pulling it up, Vera suddenly gasped and instinctively held onto her clothes.

Gideon had just creased his brows again as he looked at her, the quizzical look in his eyes intensifying. However, Vera spoke quickly, stammering out her reasoning, afraid he'd misunderstood her action. "My… my body is… it's ugly…" she said weakly as she clutched hard onto the fabric of her night gown.

Gideon's eyes slitted but his expression immediately changed again as a realization came to him. That she wasn't acting like this because this was her first time being naked before a man... it must be because of the awful fresh scars on her body.

He moved his face closer and then whispered into her ears as his hand moved over hers. "Oh, it's not Red. If you're talking about your scars… I don't care about them." His voice was low and seductive, and that was all it took for Vera to let go of her doubts.

However, just as Gideon lifted her gown up to her upper abdomen, he saw something that made his bpdy freeze into a halt. His body became still as his gaze was glued on her lower left abdomen. An ugly scar as big as his palm was etched on her fair and delicate skin.

Gideon could tell that this was a scar that had been burned into her skin using a very hot material – most likely a metal brand.

The scar looked the same as the permanent mark being etched by a high-level fire magic at the back of the most ferocious dark fae criminals. Why? Why would a frail lady receive such an awful mark like this?! Who could have done this to her? He could feel his rage boiling and churning up a storm within him.

Seeing the change in his reaction, Vera pulled away from him and covered herself. Crestfallen at the thought that he was obviously bothered by the scar on her body, she looked down and did not dare lift her head to see what was the expression that was currently on his face. She was afraid that it would cause more scarring of her heart if there was censure on his perfect face.

"Who did that to you?" his voice came out low and heavy, and her eyes flew upwards to meet with his. "Why would someone like you have a mark like that?"

Vera was unable to respond immediately. Was he angry? Why?

"This… it's… my mother," she finally decided to answer him truthfully and Gideon's eyes widened, "because I tried to run away from home. I stole a horse to escape but… but I was caught and out of anger, my mother saw some men branding horses nearby as we were in the stables that time and… and this happened." Vera explained as if reporting something unimportant, as though she did not particularly care about what had happened to her.

What she said made him utterly speechless for a long while. Then fury blazed within him. The anger was so strong he had to jump from the bed and pace back and forth to calm himself. He could not believe this. What? Her mother? How dare… how dare she! He was going to f**king kill her!

Bloodlust suddenly oozed out of him in great waves that even Vera could feel the effects of it.

"My… my lord?" Vera called out and Gideon snapped out of that haze of anger he was caught up in. Seeing the darkness seeping out from him and enveloping the room, his eyes fell on her as her large pale blue eyes stared at him with worry, not fear.

He cursed under his breath and without another word he disappeared from her view. He needed to calm himself down . He must contain himself. He can't let her see the power she had on him, that she could make him feel like he's about to lose his mind just by seeing one awful scar on her!

Meanwhile, just outside the castle, Azrael was absentmindedly swinging his sword, practicing unenthusiastically by himself when he sensed something. Someone was coming towards him. Fast! He turned around and faced the castle's door and saw dark smoke appearing within seconds.

Gideon… he thought, recognizing that familiar dark magic. And his guess was proven right when Gideon did materialize by the door. However, he was not the only one that appeared. Kione materialized next to him and in the very same moment.

And to Azrael's confusion and surprise, the two had a very strange atmosphere which surrounded them. Gideon looked like an old man trying his very best to calm down and not to bursting out in a dangerous fit of anger, while Kione was another old man in utter turmoil, looking like he no longer knew what to even do.

Azrael's eyeballs moved left and right, looking at his two friends in utter confusion. Now what the freaking hell is going on between these two at this time?

Relying on past experiences, he did not rush to speak but just crossed his arms across his chest, fixing his gaze on them. He was fully contented to just sit aside and wait, looking at the two of them as two fools who were lost in their own worlds.

After a long while, the two fools seemed to have calmed themselves down a little and finally noticed the presence of the other.. Slowly, their heads moved in unison, and they looked at each other.