The Devil's Cursed Witch

This bonus chapter is dedicated to the reader "RMehrotra" Thank you so much for the supergift. <3<3

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The second night since the mating bond was initiated, Draven found himself staring at the human in his bed once more.

He was clad in his sleeping robe and intending to sleep, but this time, he said something else to himself.

'It's my bed and it's only right to sleep in it.'

He climbed to his bed after taking his robe off. At this point in time, he was done questioning himself. He decided to go with the flow and kept his mind blank from thinking anything and drawing any more conclusions.

'If this is what helps her get better…'

He held her in his arms, pulling her close to his warm body just like the previous night and closed his eyes while holding her frail body as if to protect her. He could not deny it felt better to sleep like this and he felt the urge to hold her even tighter. His heart remained unstable just like the night before.

He exhaled deeply and simply let things go.

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When he woke up the next morning, bright sunlight had filled the entire chamber once more. This time, he was no longer startled, even sighing as he had accepted this unwelcome change to his sleeping habit. He was about to sit up when he felt the movement of head on his arms.

'Movement?'

As the realization hit him, he lowered his head to look at that small head crowned with rich mahogany hair that was… snuggling against his chest.

It was as if the world stopped when the human in his arms tilted back her head to gaze up at his face.

Emerald green eyes met with his red ones. They were like brilliant gemstones from up close, as if they were the purest crystals in existence. To call them beautiful was simply an understatement.

She was blinking sleepily, her eyes half-lidded as if she was yet to recognize her situation. Draven didn't expect her to wake up like this, as he thought she would remain unconscious for a few days more.

And then her entire body stiffened.

She was in the middle of letting out a yawn when she belatedly realized who was next to her. Her eyes widened in panic, but before Draven could say a word, she passed out in his arms.

Draven was as shocked as Ember because he didn't expect her to wake up so soon, much less in this situation. Not like he was used to waking up with a lady in his arms. Worse, she had the nerve to faint as soon as she saw him!

He sighed and looked at the unconscious girl once more. 'I was just trying to help you survive. Ungrateful human.'

As he sat up, he found himself checking if her breaths were even. He then had his fingers trace her cheeks, going down along the curve of her neck, where he found a beautiful crimson blossom in place of where his bite mark should have been.

'A flower?'

His forehead creased in confusion. He had heard before that a mark would appear on the mates of the descendants of divine beasts, but he knew it would be some kind of rune or symbol of that race. Why did a red flower appear on her skin? He moved away from her as gently as he could and covered her with a blanket.

"Erlos!" he called.

Upon hearing his master's call, Erlos entered the chamber with a bright smile.

The young elf was mostly idling outside the King's chamber due to Draven starting his mornings later than usual. It was a pleasant change, one he was more than ready to embrace.

"Good morning, Sire—" He nearly missed his step as what he saw was not the scenario he expected.

He saw Draven without his robe, clad in only his pants, sitting next to the human in bed while fixing the blanket on her body.

'Why is he half-naked? No, before that, is he sharing the bed with that human girl?' Erlos thought, but before he could draw any conclusion, he heard Draven speak again.

"Ask Leeora to come to my chamber immediately."

"What happened—"

Draven turned his head to glare at him, and the elf obediently shut his mouth.

"I shall excuse myself, Sire."

Erlos disappeared in a hurry as he understood it was something serious.

Upon receiving the King's summon, Leeora hurried to come to the palace as soon as she could.

When she arrived, Erlos came to welcome her at the entrance. "Thanks for coming on such quick notice this early in the day, Elder."

Leeora was used to the King's sudden summons and didn't mind it since she lives near the palace. "Why did Sire summon me in a hurry?"

"Not sure but I think it's about that human girl," the young elf replied as the two walked towards the King's chamber.

"Did Ember wake up?" Leeora asked with a hopeful voice.

Erlos shrugged. "She was still unconscious when I saw her earlier, but I am not sure. I am merely obeying Sire's orders."

"It seems I'm being overly anxious. Only two days have passed, and as far as I know, even for shapeshifters, it would take several days. I should see her first," Leeora said.

When they reached their destination, Erlos opened the door for Leeora but remained outside to give them privacy. Draven could be seen standing by the window while petting his owl, Midnight. He was clad in rather casual attire, merely donning a plain black vest over a white long-sleeved dress shirt, and dark pants.

The elegant elf bowed as she entered, speaking formally as usual. "Leeora of the Wood Elf Clan greets King Draven, the ruler of Agartha."

Draven turned to look at her and Leeora asked, "Sire has asked for me?"

He nodded before looking at the unconscious girl lying in his bed. "She woke up about an hour ago."

"Truly?" Leeora felt happiness as a wide smile spread on her lips, but one more thing was there to notice—that the King had not addressed Ember as simply 'human' or 'creature' or any other coarse words. He regarded her as a lady, calling her 'she'.

"That's good news, Sire!" Leeora said happily. "Can I see her?" she asked.

Draven approved with a nod and the elderly elf went toward the canopy bed to check on Ember. Though she was still pale, a healthy colour had returned to her lips and cheeks. She then found an unfamiliar mark on the girl's neck.

'Hmm? A crimson blossom?'

Leeora placed her hand on Ember's forehead and closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes after a while, a sigh of relief graced her lips.

"Her life force seems to be stable now. She survived this stage of the bond." Leeora smiled as well and caressed Ember's head. "Such a strong child. But why is she sleeping again? Is it normal for the mated females to sleep after waking up?"

Leeora was puzzled. Though she wasn't a shapeshifter, she had been alive for so long that she had heard plenty of things about matters of other races.

"I don't think she should be sleeping even if it's because she is weak. I heard females would generally be very hungry upon waking up…" Leeora looked at Draven who was quietly looking at the human in his bed as if nothing happened. "Sire, what was her reaction after she woke up? Did she say anything?"