Mated to the Mad Lord-Chapter 187: Hand in Marriage

"I enjoy holding you!" he whispered, and without the mark on her neck, Fiona would have completely discarded it. But knowing that he was bound to her, she knew he couldn’t completely be lying.

"Is that all you enjoy doing?" she lightly teased him as she raised her hand to run it through the black curls in his hair. Not surprised to watch the smile on his face grow bigger, closer to a grin.

"Regardless of how much time we have left...I want us to enjoy it!" he suddenly said in a more serious tone as he fixed his gaze on her, even as Fiona stared right back at him, matching the intensity he portrayed.

"I’m nothing but my father’s will!" Fiona said, and she meant it. "...my father will use me when I’m useful and discard me when I’m not! Your plan...whatever it may be, will not work!" she told him seriously, almost as if she were trying to show him things he might not have carefully considered.

The fact that he marked her meant that the bond had a stronger hold on him than it did on her. If she were to break it or reject him, he would die, while she would only need a longer time to recover.

Only to watch William lean closer, pulling her head closer to plant a soft kiss on her cheeks, all the way down to her lips. At first, it was subtle, until it slowly grew more intense, and Fiona had to push him away.

"You’re not in a rut! You just finished one!" she snapped at him, only to feel him lift her easily, as if she weighed nothing, as he chuckled in response while holding her in his arms.

"How about we get married tomorrow? It’s a little fast, but we can always have a proper wedding later!" he told her, even as a wild expression of shock flashed across Fiona’s face. She fixed her eyes on him, only to realize that he wasn’t kidding—he was deathly serious.

"I need to attend the council meeting today, so I need to leave for a while, but I think tomorrow is a good day. If you want me to shift it, I will! I mean, you’re the one—"

"You could just force me! It’s not like it matters what I think!" Fiona snapped at him before he could finish, as she realized that whatever dreams she had of someone who loved her looking at her on an altar were nothing but grand delusions.

Yes, William was mated to her, but just because they wanted to sleep with each other didn’t mean there was anything like love tying them together.

"You might find this hard to believe, but if I didn’t want you...then I would have figured out another plan where your head on a platter would have been good enough!" His eyes were clear, and although his words sounded threatening, the way he looked up at her with clear eyes and a sincere smile made it hard not to believe him.

"...and if I say no?" Fiona asked, wanting to know what that would entail, only to watch as he instantly shook his head. He began to walk toward the house with Fiona still in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist as she held onto his shoulders.

"Then no it is. I’m a patient man!" William responded, which earned him a scoff from Fiona, who couldn’t help the fleeting smile that lingered on the edge of her lips.

"Then it was your evil twin that couldn’t hold back last week!" she told him, turning her face to look away, even as she noticed that William increased his pace as he headed up the stairs with a spring in his step, heading straight for his room. He held her in such a way that made it clear he had no intention of letting go.

"I can be both fierce and patient, can I not?" he asked, even as he pushed open his door and slammed it shut, making his way to the bed. He gently dropped Fiona onto it and immediately began to take off his shirt. Fiona shook her head as a light chuckle escaped her lips.

"You’ll be late for this council meeting you’re supposed to attend!" she told him, her legs slightly parted and a sly smile on her face. As wary as she was toward William, she would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy the pleasure she got from sleeping with him—which was also a kind of rebellion against her father.

"We both know that once is not going to satisfy you!" she said, not surprised to watch William remove his shirt faster than before, his gaze fixed on her as he tossed it to the ground, revealing his muscular chest. He slowly climbed onto the bed and moved closer to her.

His lips were inches away from hers when he suddenly gasped, his hand reaching for his chest as if he were trying to claw his way into it. Blood slowly dripped down his nose.

Fiona was completely taken aback at the sudden sight of blood. She dove forward the next minute to pull William closer to her before he fell back and hit the floor. "Hey! Are you okay?" she asked, even as she felt him grit and grind his teeth together, as if he were trying to hold the pain in a way that wouldn’t terrify her.

"William!" Fiona gasped, pulling him to lie on the bed as his forehead became matted in sweat within seconds. She stared at him as he lay there for a long time, as if he found it hard to breathe, even as she continued touching the side of his chest where his heart was supposed to be.

"William!" Fiona whispered, only to scramble off the bed after a few seconds when his condition didn’t improve. She was about to run toward the door and call for help from the servants who might know better or his assistant when she suddenly heard William leap off the bed and grab hold of her hand, pulling her right back onto the bed and into him.

"Just—just hold me!" he whispered to her as he wrapped his arms around her, his grip much weaker than it should be, in a way that worried Fiona as much as she refused to admit it. She opened her mouth to ask in a steady tone.

"What about the potion you take? There should be a potion you take!" she told him, keeping her voice steady even as she felt her anxiety grow. Just because he kidnapped her didn’t mean she wanted him dead!

William shook his head for a couple of seconds before he croaked out, "Left side drawer at the table!" Fiona dashed toward it and grabbed the only dark grey potion there before running back to William, trying to feed him the entire thing, only for him to take just a bit.

"I feel better! Really!" he said as he slowly took the potion from her and wiped his lips, even as Fiona stared at him, a nagging feeling in her heart that he could have been pretending. She pushed the thought aside the more intensely she looked at him as he raised his gaze to look at her with a regretful smile on his face.

"Relax! I’m not dying! It happens, but I was pretty confident that it wouldn’t happen with you!" He turned his gaze to fix it against the wall as he struggled to get to his feet. Fiona knew better than to try to help him.

He’s not pretending, she realized, knowing that no lord would like anyone to see them at their weakest point. Fiona didn’t know what to do as she got off the bed and walked toward him, grabbing his hands as she whispered to him from behind.

"Let’s get married tomorrow!" She wasn’t surprised to see him jerk back to look at her with a trace of anger in his eyes as he stared right at her. "I’m not looking for your pity, Fiona!" he snapped with a bit of a bark, which only made Fiona chuckle as she stepped forward to kiss him right on the lips.

A marriage means nothing. It’s a piece of paper that can be torn. Moreover, we kinda like each other.

"I thought you were looking for my hand!" she mumbled against his lips, satisfied to feel him grab the back of her neck, pulling her in as he kissed her more intensely and passionately than ever before.