The Devil's Cursed Witch

The way he looked at her scared her, but then Ember suddenly let out a relieved smile as her eyes turned elsewhere.

Someone arrived and landed next to the two of them.

Draven was too focused on his mate that he only realized the new presence when he saw his mate's eyes brighten up, seeing the one who had just arrived. Her expression made it seem like she saw an angel coming to save her from the jaws of a terrifying demon.

A handsome man with ash grey wings folded his majestic wings behind him.

"Morph!" she exclaimed with tear-filled eyes.

Draven's anger was redirected--amplified even--upon seeing how happy his mate was to see another male. With gritted teeth and clenched fists, he shifted his attention to his side where he saw the winged man smiling at his mate, ignoring his presence.

Draven controlled his anger as he didn't want Ember to witness him killing someone. "What are you doing here?"

"I am here to see my friend. I hope you won't be a petty man to stop a friend from seeing his friend," Morpheus answered as if Draven's anger didn't matter to him and then looked at Ember with his trademark lopsided smile. "How are you doing, little female? I wanted to see you sooner, but you know, I never got a chance to visit since there's this one petty person who won't allow me to enter the palace."

"What?" she exclaimed, seemingly startled by his words. She looked totally different from how she was a moment before.

"You can guess who it was, right? Since you are a smart girl."

Ember let out a small smile, aware that he was taking a jab at the King.

Draven felt his anger rising seeing her smiling at another male when she never bothered to even look at him unless he ordered her to.

"Divine Eagle Morpheus," Draven called him out formally with a voice so cold, it could freeze all the rivers in Agartha. "Even if you're my mate's friend, it is rude to interrupt my mate and I when we are having an important conversation at this moment."

Morpheus didn't even pretend to hear him putting emphasis on the word 'mate', and instead, offered a mocking smile to him.

"My Almighty King, pardon your lowly subject's rudeness but I am a very busy person so I don't know... Maybe I will come back again soon, but since I came so far just to see her and she is already here, shouldn't I spend a bit of time with my friend?" He looked at Ember with a sly grin. "Do you want me to leave  just like this?"

Ember shook her head immediately to say she wanted him to stay, but then peeked at Draven as if she was afraid he wouldn't let Morpheus stay. In the end, she's someone living under the grace of the King. The palace was his. She didn't want to do anything against Draven's wish as it was his home.

Morpheus raised a brow. "Why are you looking at the King, hmm? Do you need his permission to do anything here just because you are staying in his palace?" He looked at Draven as he crossed his arms. "Are you treating my friend like a prisoner and won't allow her to do what she wants, Your Majesty?"

Draven offered him a killer gaze as this shapeshifter was intentionally saying all these words to put pressure on Draven. If he were to continue chasing away Morpheus, then he was sure she would take Morpheus' words seriously and believe she was truly being treated like a prisoner here.

"My mate is free to do what she wants," Draven declared in a firm voice, his anger suppressed under his usual cold face.

"Amazing! You are truly benevolent and kind, Your Majesty!"

Morpheus almost laughed at Draven's twisted expression that immediately returned to calm before Ember could see it. He felt fortunate to come to the palace and chance at this golden opportunity to annoy the King.

"Then, I would like to take Ember with me and have some friendly talk," Morpheus said and then looked at the human girl by his side. "Do you want to, little female? His Majesty said you are free to do what you want."

"Yes, take me with you!"

Ember immediately nodded with a relieved smile, thankful to find a chance to escape the uncomfortable confrontation with her mate. However, she had no way of knowing that the relief that brightened her eyes caused the anger that Draven was feeling to deepen.

"Your Majesty, as she has agreed to go with me, I believe you won't stop her," Morpheus said in a way that Draven found irksome. He could see his mate truly wanted to leave with this annoying eagle and even though he wanted to stop her, he could not say anything at this point.

Ember wasn't and would never be a prisoner, and she had the freedom to do anything she wanted. Draven would not give Morpheus any opening to make her believe he was treating her like one.

The human girl had wide eyes as she waited for Draven's response with bated breath. She then heard him say, "Only on one condition."

Morpheus smirked. "Oh, conditions. Pray tell, Your Majesty. It should be something this little female is capable of doing, right?"

Draven ignored him and only talked to his mate, "You are allowed to go only if you give me your word that you will think about the questions I gave you. Find the answers to those questions, and do not run away from this one task. That is all I ask of you."

'It's this again.' Ember understood that his request must be really important if he kept on pressing her to think about those questions. She sighed. "I give you my word."

At this moment, she could not wait to go away from here. All she needed was to think about those questions; there was no time limit when she'd give him her reply. She could delay them for as long as she wanted.

Morpheus could see Draven's rising anger upon seeing her half-hearted response, but he ignored this and said to Ember, "I suggest you wear something thick over your dress as we will be going somewhere high up and you might feel cold."

"Wait for me! I will return soon," she said and left to go back to her bedchamber.

Once she was far enough to no longer see or hear the two men, Draven was finally ready to teach this annoyingly stubborn eagle a lesson, but even before he could do anything, Morpheus took a step back.

"If she sees me hurt, she will know it's you." He even raised his arms to the sides, as if to show him he wouldn't even defend. "Do you plan to go against your word that you won't treat her like a prisoner and won't stop her from doing anything?"

Draven took a deep breath to stop himself from grabbing the man and throwing him to who knows where. "You better bring her back within an hour."

"Oh? Aren't you being lenient? You won't say anything like 'to not harm her' or anything along those lines--"

"Our bond is not yet completed so I know there is no use for you to harm her," Draven interrupted him.

Morpheus smirked. "I never thought you'd trust me that much."

"It's her who trusts you, and I know you are not so low to break her trust in you so easily. If you are taking her with you, you better take care of her well and bring her back soon," Draven warned.

"You say that, but to me, it sounds like Your Majesty still trusts me a lot," Morpheus said with a mocking laugh. "But let me warn you, I might break that trust."

"That day would be the last one for your and my existence," Draven said and turned to leave, but Morpheus wasn't done speaking yet.

"Did you even realize what you were doing to her a while ago? If I had not intervened, you might have ended up ruining things between you and your mate."

"That's not your thing to worry about," Draven countered without turning around.

"Can't help it when I call her my friend," Morpheus could not help but argue.

Draven finally turned to look at him, his flat gaze accompanied by a sneer. "Since you are so invested in that friend of yours, why don't you use your silver tongue to inform her that she will become completely mine six days from now, on the night of the full moon? I had been trying to prepare her for it, but it seemed like my painstaking efforts were unwelcomed and unappreciated. Though you don't have a mate, I believe you are well aware of how important that night is."

Morpheus was taken aback. But before he could say a word, Draven had already left after giving him a mocking smirk that showed she would be completely his soon. His mate by all means.

'Night of the full moon?' Morpheus mumbled as realization dawned on him. On that night, it would be near impossible for those two to not consummate their bond. Morpheus felt a little shaken.

Wasn't that part of the plan? Only after she fully became Draven's mate would Ember be a useful piece to him. Though it was something good, then why was the thought of Ember becoming Draven's mate so uncomfortable?

He shook his head. 'It's because I have grown a little attached to her. I shouldn't be soft. It's good that they will consummate the bond. Only then can I proceed to fulfil my revenge.'

As he was trying to clear his thoughts, he saw Ember at a distance, coming towards him clad in an adorable-looking long coat.

Seeing that innocent young female approaching him with a smile, all he could do was to question himself.

'Can I even fulfil my revenge?'