Angelica was surprised to find him in a bookstore.
He stared at her hand on top of his and Angelica quickly removed her hand away. He picked up the book from the shelf before looking at her."I'll take it," he said.Well, it is not like she could fight him to get it.She nodded. "Do you like reading?"Angelica smiled, realizing that he was being sarcastic. He always seemed annoyed.Eva watched them from a distance, looking worried."Then maybe you can lend it to me. I'll read it fast and give it back to you so you can put it on your shelf."He narrowed his eyes. "Do you like to read about monsters?"She nodded, "Yes. It seems like we have the same taste."Angelica wondered why he picked this particular book. She could hear him say the title 'the monster is me' in his dark husky voice. She would have believed him had he said so.Lord Rayven ignored her and went to pay for the book. The seller's eyes widened and his hands trembled slightly as he received his money. A sigh left his lips once Lord Rayven walked out of the shop.Angelica followed him, and Eva rushed after her in panic."My Lady, what are you doing?" she asked."I need to speak to him."Eva bit her lip and rubbed her hands together, anxiously. "I don't know if that is a good idea."Angelica wasn't listening to Eva anymore. She was for the first time seeing how people in her town reacted to seeing Lord Rayven. As soon as they took notice of him, they moved to walk on the other side of the road, as far away from him as possible.Some wrinkled their noses as if he smelled and others whispered behind his back. Lord Rayven kept walking without turning once to look at the ones talking about him.Angelica followed him in silence, curiously watching people's reactions. When they left the market and came to a small village the children playing outside their homes started calling him 'monster face'.Monster face?That was rude.Angelica wondered why he was walking and not riding to save himself from his misery."My Lady, we should go back now," Eva pleaded.Lord Rayven took a turn and around the corner, there was another group of children. Young boys throwing stones at a dog. The dog was small and white and one of his legs seemed injured.Angelica became angry and was about to go yell at them and chase them away when Lord Rayven halted. He had been ignoring everything and everyone, but this he wasn't going to ignore, it seemed.She became curious about what he was going to do next, but Lord Rayven stood still. He glared at the boys, but something about his aura changed that triggered fear in her. The boys seemed to feel the same, since they dropped their stones and backed away before running as fast as they could. Even the dog barked.What was that?It was frightening to witness, as if he had turned into a monster in front of her despite looking the same. But that fear disappeared when he carefully approached the scared dog and slowly reached for him. He stroked him gently and the dog understood that this big man didn't want to harm him.Lord Rayven put his book down, reached inside his pocket and took out the same white fabric that the King had wrapped around her brother's hand. Lord Rayven wrapped it around the dog's injured leg.Angelica was surprised to see this side of him. She had never seen him being gentle before.When the dog limped away, Lord Rayven picked up his book and stood up again. He turned to Angelica. "Is there something you want to tell me, Lady Davis?"Angelica walked up to him. "I wanted to thank you for warning me.""What warning?"Oh, he wasn't supposed to admit it.She shook her head, "nothing." She smiled.She wanted to ask him why he helped her, especially since he seemed protective of the King but since he couldn't speak about it, she didn't ask."The killing seems to have started again. Something tells me you could catch the killer easily if you wanted to." She began. "Don't you want to free yourself from the accusations?""Free myself?" He scoffed. "The accusations are the least of my worries.""Then what worries you, Lord Rayven?"He seemed surprised by her question."Do you really not care about the women dying?" She asked."It seems like I wasn't clear last time. I don't care.""I don't believe you. You don't seem like someone to ignore when someone else is getting hurt. You stopped to save the dog."He chuckled darkly. "Yes, the dog. I don't care about people.""You cared to help me," she said.He pressed his lips together, "I never helped you." He insisted.She looked into his eyes, not knowing what she was searching for. "I think you did."One corner of his lips slowly turned up. "It seems like you have forgotten that I am rude and ill-mannered. Shall I remind you, My Lady?" He said, taking a step toward her."I am not scared of you," she said, holding her ground."That is your first mistake." He tried to intimidate her with his dark eyes."My Lady. We are late. We should go back home." Eva came to her side and grabbed her arm to pull her away.Angelica knew that Eva was uncomfortable and scared of being around him in an empty corner."You are rude and ill-mannered, My Lord. But I hope not heartless." She told him before letting Eva drag her away.Heartless? If she only knew? He watched her get dragged away by her maid, who had been panicking the whole time. Foolishly brave, he thought to himself before going back to the castle. Skender was busy dealing with humans when he went to see him. Rayven couldn't understand how he could be so patient with the old men talking about making their kingdom better when the only thing they cared about was their own personal benefits. But who was he to judge? He was just like them. Selfish. When the meeting ended, the courtiers and Lords left the meeting room avoiding him on their way out and only the seven of them remained. "You missed the meeting, Rayven." Skender spoke displeased as he sat down. "I have nothing to add," Rayven said, pulling out a chair to sit down as well. He put his book beside him. Lazarus leaned over his shoulder, taking a look at the book he bought. "The monster is me." He read the title and nodded thoughtfully. "Are you sure?" He asked him. Lazarus loved to b
Who am I, you might wonderMy face is only a cover For the monster inside I try to hideBut if you look closer into my eyes You might discover my disguiseFor I am no man, and I have no soulNo heart, and a beast I can't control Alone, I suffer at nightAnd when the sun rises again, I pretend to be alrightMy only wish is to be released from the chainsAnd the hatred that runs through my veins But I know that the end is nearI shall dig my own grave And rest in it with no fearBecause death is all I craveRayven closed the book. Whoever wrote it had described his suffering so well. Death was indeed all he craved. He looked over at the boys' training and his gaze fell on William. The boy was working hard and getting better each day. He caught up to the older boys that had longer training than him. His hair got in his eyes as he fought, distracting him and giving his opponent a chance to knock the wooden sword out of his hand. The boy then proceeded to hit William with the wooden
"My Lady, someone is asking for you?" Eva informed. "It is a man. He is waiting outside." Angelica frowned. A man? It couldn't be Sir Shaw because Eva knew him. "Did he not tell you who he is?" She looked confused. "I… I didn't ask." "It is alright. I will go see him." Who could it be, she wondered. When she went outside, she found a man on his horse. He wore a black cloak that covered his face. When Angelica neared, he removed the cap, surprising her. "Your Majesty?" He smiled. "Angelica." She looked around, but he was all alone. What was happening?"Are you busy?" He asked. "No, Your Majesty." "Would you mind spending some time with me?" The question surprised her. She hadn't seen him for a month and thought that he was angry with her the last time they spoke. She didn't understand why he kept showing interest in her. The last thing she needed was to like someone and become disappointed. He was easy to like and feel safe with. Angelica thought of denying his request befor
Skender arrived in time and joined them in the backyard together with Blayze, Mazzon and Vitale before the Arch arrived. Rayven could feel the tension in the air when everyone gathered. No one was pleased that the Arch would come and they wouldn't have visited if Skender had done his job. Blayze was already showing his bitterness toward Skender. Mazzon kept to himself, and Acheron and Lazarus stayed quiet. Vitale sat on the floor, looking exhausted. He didn't know if it was the thought of the Arch coming alone that exhausted him or if there was something else. "Well, well, you have already gathered, my Lords." Lucrezia appeared from thin air with her two wingmen on each side, startling a few of them. Her aura sucked all the existing air whenever she arrived. Today she wore a long-sleeved green dress that complimented her green eyes and a crown of black thorns sat on top of her head. Her dark hair cascaded down to her waist in elegant waves and her sun kissed skin glowed in the eveni
Oh pain, what have I doneTo make you my companion Having you around is no funI want you goneRayven opened his eyes slowly, the lights greeting him with their warmth. But right now, all he wanted was to feel cold. To feel numb. Why did he wake up? He wished he had never opened his eyes again. Skender sat next to the bed in a chair and Acheron on a coach in the corner. He was falling asleep when he saw that Rayven had woken up. Skender loomed over him with a worried expression. "Rayven, you worried me." He said, breathing out in relief.Acheron came to his side as well. "What did she do to you?" Rayven saw anger in Acheron's eyes. The man never showed anger unless he was hungry. Opening his mouth, Rayven tried to speak despite his extremely dry mouth and throat. The words cut through him, causing him to grimace in pain, but he could barely be heard. Acheron hurried away to bring him water. Pushing himself up with his arms, Rayven tried to sit, but almost cursed when his healing
29"William, ;come here!" Rayven ordered when all the boys left their training. ;William came to him, keeping his head down. ;"What has happened to you?" he asked. ;Today, he wasn't as focused as he used to be. ;William looked up at him. "I didn't sleep well." ;"Seems like reading isn't helping anymore.""I have read all the books at home. I have nothing left to read. My sister will buy me a book today," he explained. ;"Take this," he said, giving him the book in his hands. "Make sure to come well prepared tomorrow." ;William looked at the book in his hands. The Monster Is Me. Then he looked up at him again. "What are you, My Lord?" he asked straight. ;"What do you think I am?" Rayven asked. ;"I am not sure," William replied. ;Interesting, Rayven thought. So he could sense that he wasn't human. Rayven wondered how he would react if he told him the truth. Most people didn't believe when the truth was told blatantly. ;"I am what most people call a demon." ;"Not evil? Just dem
Angelica paced back and forth in her room feeling anxious while her brother followed her with his gaze until he became dizzy and gave up. "Why didn't you tell me first?" She scolded. "I am sorry. I thought it was the right opportunity." He said. She stopped pacing and looked at him. "Why did you tell him?" she asked curiously. She thought he liked the King the most. "He is honest. If I tell him, I will know his intentions. He won't pretend to be kind and then betray me." Angelica didn't know him as much as her brother knew him, so she trusted his intuition. "What about the King?" "I can't know for sure if I can trust him." William replied. If the King was a charmer, then it would be hard to know what he was thinking if William told him. She was proud of her clever brother. When they went to bed at night, William was reading Lord Rayven's book. The one that had caught her and his attention in the bookstore. He had refused to lend it to her, but he gave it to William. He definit
"My Lord, thank you for giving me your book. I enjoyed it greatly and finished reading it at once. I believe the book is special to you so I thought of giving it back." William held out the book he had given to him. Rayven had regretted all of his actions last night, but he mostly regretted that he gave away his book when he remembered what he had written in it. Without hesitance he took it back from William. Spending time with this boy was messing with his mind, so he left him this time before William could leave. Rayven went to his chamber so he could be alone, but found Blayze waiting for him. Rayven gave him a questioning look. "Have you asked Skender if he found a solution on how to deal with Lord Davis or will your punishment go to waste?" Rayven sighed as he sat down on the bed. "He was willing to take the punishment to save him, so I am sure he is thinking of a way." "Are you sure?" Blayze asked skeptically. Skender was known to be negligent. Maybe he wasn't doing his j