The Devil's Cursed Witch

Morpheus immediately retreated. "Calm down. It was by pure coincidence. Well, I was just passing and dropped by to say hello, but I left in a hurry. Do you know why I pushed you into the river? That was from experience. I also had to take a dive just like you, so I personally know how effective the river was."

However, Draven wasn't keen on letting him go.

"I told you to stay away from her."

Despite hearing the threat in Draven's tone, Morpheus didn't take it to heart and simply shrugged, even letting out a smirk on his face. "And I also told you I am her friend."

Draven was starting to lose his calm once again, but before he could say a word, Morpheus commented in a teasing tone, "You know, mated pairs are not set in stone unless the bond between them is complete. There is a possibility for a female to change her mate to another if the first male who marked her won't complete the bond--"

A powerful blast cut him off, and the Divine Eagle was thrown away far from where he was seated, his body even skidding against the hard ground, leaving a trail of overturned rocks

Draven strode towards him with blazing anger, and even before Morpheus could get off the ground, he was pressed on his back with Draven's hand tightly gripping his throat.

"Don't make me rip your wings, Morpheus." His eyes turned bright crimson with all the rage he was feeling inside him. "I let you off again and again for old times' sake. You can do anything to me, can take anything from me, but if you touch her, you lose the last bit of guilt I have for you."

Draven looked like he would kill him for sure.

"Ember is just mine. Only mine!"

But Morpheus simply chuckled as he met his gaze. "That's it? Are you done?"

His crimson eyes flared. Draven found himself gripping his neck tightly enough for him to choke, roughly pushing the shapeshifter into the ground, causing a deeper impression on the overturned soil.

"Don't you dare have any other thoughts for her. I know once I fulfil the bond and she becomes my true mate, you will exact your revenge. Friend? Hah. You only care about the fact that she is my weakness, the way to kill me," Draven sneered. "Let me warn you, I will never let you harm her. The day you try to harm her, I will make sure that you will breathe your last. Mark my word, I will put an end to your entire race. Regardless of age, regardless of gender, none of the Divine Eagles will be allowed to survive. Everyone will pay if you touch her."

Morpheus pried at his fingers and coughed, but instead of apologizing, he laughed out loud, as if he heard the silliest thing in his life.

"You think I alone have a grudge against you? You really think my race has forgiven you? Didn't you almost put an end to us?" Morpheus said in between laughter, but his laughter sounded painful to the ears. He sounded like a crazed madman. "Because of you, our people lost their families! I lost my family! The once large and happy Divine Eagles were merely left with a handful of survivors, leaving all of us in grief!

"What? Are you not allowed to lose anyone but others are allowed? If I touch your mate, what, I will breathe my last? Like how my father breathed his last trying to protect his fellow warriors? Like my mother did in order to keep the humans away? My sister...She thought of you as her brother, and yet what did she get in return? If you had not trusted that human, she would have been with us!

"To avenge my people, if I have to sacrifice that one human, your mate, I will do it without a second thought! That day, you will breathe for the last time, not me..." Morpheus shook his head with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Draven Aramis, I cannot wait for you to disappear into nothingness. This hatred, this grudge, I will bear it until one of us perishes. Either you kill me or I kill you."

"I won't hesitate to kill you. Just try it, and you will see the worst of me," Draven growled.

"I have seen the worst of you long back, Draven Aramis. Now the only thing left is to show the worst of me." Morpheus didn't back down from his same arrogant self and didn't even try to free himself from Draven's grip. "You have to suffer like I did. I want you to be in pain. I want you to be in great despair, you will beg me to give you death. You just wait."

Draven sneered and let go of him, but that fierce look was still there on his face. "My death? You think too highly of yourself. At that time, don't blame me for being merciless."

Morpheus sat up and said with his words filled with mockery, "You have always been merciless so I expect nothing less from you, Your Majesty. And for that human, you should blame yourself and your immortal life. If I could kill you just like that, I wouldn't have used her. It's your fault that she has to die."

"Leave," Draven growled at him.

"Why don't you leave?" Morpheus countered. "I plan to stay here and admire how wonderful your crazed look would be once I serve justice on my family's behalf. Go on. Leave. I am sure you don't want to leave your mate alone. May I remind you she is capable of attracting any random male's attention due to her intoxicating fragrance?"

Draven simply closed his eyes as he decided to ignore the shapeshifter's jabs. He had sent all the males away from the palace and no one would dare sneak around at this hour. He dared not get back to the palace, not when he himself was not confident he would not lose control once he smelled her.

The cold breeze blowing from the river seemed to be whispering for the two men to calm down, and as if they hadn't just threatened to kill each other mere moments ago, the two old comrades continued to sit by the riverbank without saying a word to each, simply staring at the silent river until the break of dawn.