Ezekiel stilled. Her question seemed to make him wage war with himself again on whether he should tell her the truth or not. She could feel the turmoil he was feeling within, and it before she knew it, she shook her head and forced out a smile.
“You don’t need to answer that if it’s too hard for you.” She said quickly, concern filling her eyes. She did not want to push him. He was already so tortured that she did not want to add to his agony. She was afraid that he will lose control again and she might even accidentally slip into his memories again. “It’s okay I… I won’t get angry.”
A ghost of a smile flashed over his face. “That’s unexpected. But really? You won’t get angry?” there seemed to be a tinge of amusement flashing in his eyes.
“I won’t. I might keep thinking about it, but I won’t let it rile me up, don’t worry.”
The amusement spread out over his eyes and his face.
“Soft.” He muttered under his breath, but Alicia heard him and could not help but frown, wondering what he was referring to. “Your heart is as soft as your breast.”
Her mouth dropped to the floor as heat instantly coloured her face. What the
He cringed at what he blurted out himself before a low chuckle echoed from him. She could tell he was laughing at himself. “Sorry, I’m just trying to distract myself. I know that was not the more tasteful thing I could say.”
Alicia took a deep sigh to regain her composure and to stop the blush from overtaking her. “Nice attempt. But that’s really something I’d never ever imagine Ezekiel Reign would say. I didn’t know you were even capable of saying such a thing until now.”
“Actually, I think the same too.” He was still smiling, shaking his head as he kept his eyes closed. “Even I don’t recognize myself when I’m with you. So, you and I should bear with it. At least for now until things are settled.”
[Updated from F r e e w e b n o v e l. c o m]
They both went silent because Alicia had started to reach out and gently stroked his hair in a rhythmic and slow caress. Her hand just moved absentmindedly, and she was already touching the strands of his very dark hair when she belatedly realized it.
She stilled at that moment and her heart raced. She had been fighting the urge to hold him close to her and hug him tight, but she was afraid that her touch would do the exact opposite instead of offering the comfort she was wanting to give.
Holding her breath, she waited for him to catch her wrist and stop her from continuing in her actions. When he did not, she moved her fingers hesitantly and fiddled with his hair.
She had been wanting to do this for a while too.
“You’re really… soft.” He commented in a muted voice, still not opening his eyes. But somehow, his face seemed to have lost that extreme stressed out look now. Alicia stared at his face, and he did not look so strained now.
“I’m not.” She disagreed with his comment, wondering why Ezekiel was saying that she was soft. She honestly did not think so. Anyone who would hear his story will definitely react similarly to her. Many others would even be bawling their eyes out by now.
“You are. You’re being sympathetic with your enemy right now.” He reminded her as a lopsided smile graced his lips.
Her hand stilled upon hearing the word ‘enemy’. He was right… they were, by definition, enemies. She had hated him for the things he had done to the witches in the past. But now that she had learned about what the witches did to him in the first place… yet he did not show the same hate. She was not sure if she were in his shoes, she would be able to do the same.
He had all the reasons to hate her too, but she had never felt it. The hatred. She’d never feel it nor seen it in his eyes. Or was it always there but was just hidden so well from her that she never realised it?
Suddenly, she remembered that sudden and inexplicable intense hatred that was trying to take over her for a couple of times now. Was that it?
She continued fiddling on his hair. “Aren’t you the same? You might say you’re doing all this because of the thing you wanted from me. But aren’t you caring too much about me, a person you’re supposed to hate? You’ve been fighting so hard just so I wouldn’t see your haunting and disturbing past. If you didn’t care, you could’ve just let me see it all, right?”
“It would be ridiculous for me to hate you. You don’t have anything to do with the witches in the past. You are you.”
“But you vowed. I saw and heard you vowed to annihilate all the witches until there were none of us left in this world.” Alicia’s word came out softly.
He opened his eyes and stared unseeingly at the ceiling. “The memories you saw is a bit distorted. Don’t get me wrong, they were all real… but they had been stored and shown to you in false order. I’ve already accomplished that vow in the past. When my father and that witch finally got what they want, they didn’t keep their words. Not even once. My father vowed that he would free us after… that. Then he will leave us for good because he will go with his mistress and become her king. But he had decided to make the witch queen his queen instead. The two of them aimed to rule both the vampire and witch kingdoms. Such greedy fools.” Ezekiel sneered as he recalled that. “They wanted to create a new era, a new dynasty that will be ruled by their offspring, their future half vampire half witch children..”
