The Devil's Warrior Queen-Chapter 403: Confessions

Vlad looked away as he pulled his hood over his head to conceal his face. He could feel his heartbeat escalate with a foreign feeling, one that made him tense, because he knew what it was. If only she wasn’t so strangely sweet and rather being her usual self, he wouldn’t find it so hard to resist her charms.

"You should stop hiding beneath your hood." Ari said and at those words, she suddenly pulled the hood away from his face.

Vlad reflexively caught her hand as the hood fell. His eyes met hers for a split second and the tension in the air grew. Her porcelain skin felt warm beneath his finger tips and a familiar surge of desire swirled in his lower region.

There was a tempting yearning to feel her warm skin against his but before the situation could escalate any more, he shoved the fantasies in his head as he looked away while releasing hold of her.

Vlad swallowed as he controlled his erratic breathing. For a moment there, he almost lost control of himself and his tamed demons were on the brink of becoming untamed.

Perhaps, Ares had been right. Was Ari presumably his mate or was it something else? He pondered. After all, she was the only one who ever made him feel out of control and somewhat bestial, almost as if he wanted to devour her.

Ari was the only one capable of making him aroused without even doing anything, but he had managed to keep his salacious desires on check. Because of her, he had visited brothels, thinking it would help alleviate his temptations to have her.

Unfortunately, it only worsened the situation. The only woman on his mind was Ari, but then, how on earth would he reveal it to her without making things between them awkward or in worse situations, she probably never felt that way about him.

He wondered if there was a one sided mate thing. Vlad was immediately snapped back to reality as Ari’s voice rang into his ears.

"You have very captivating eyes, I don’t understand why you hide it. It’s quite annoying to be honest." Ari blurted out.

He sighed softly as he asked "Then why do people stare, not out of captivation but rather, repulse?"

"People stare when they are captivated, I doubt it was repulse." Ari said and he grunted in a disbelieving tone.

"If I’m being honest, I’ve always been envious of your eyes. I once asked my mother why I don’t have your eyes and why you’re the only one that’s special. I was eight by the way." Ari remarked.

"You were always so brutally honest. You still are." Vlad intoned and she beamed him a demure smile.

"Can I confide in you about something?" Ari queried with a worried tone.

Before he could say anything, she swiftly interrupted "Of course I will anyway, letting it all out is relieving but I just didn’t want to let it out on my mom or Ares, they aren’t as understanding as you..." Ari trailer off, biting her lower lips as she glanced at Vlad.

Vlad smiled softly at her statement, but at the same time, he struggled to keep his inner demons at bay.

"Go on, I’ll listen." He assured her and Ari’s big purple eyes sparkled with an unfathomable gleam.

"Everyone might portray me as carefree, but truly, I worry a lot. I worry even more since my visions, I’m afraid that I might not have enough time or worse, a second chance." Ari whispered softly, her fingers twirling nervously at her hair pooled on her lap.

"Enough time for what? What could you possibly need a second chance for?" Vlad queried.

"To do things, things that I should do, but I’m afraid to and spend more time with the people I love before death comes for us all." Ari mentioned, her voice barely rising above a smattering whisper.

"No one will die and you will get to do what you want and spend time with everyone else, moreover, we don’t know exactly what the vision means so let’s not jump into any conclusions." Vlad implied.

"I don’t know, the vision points it all out clearly even though it was kind of foggy. I only wish I could have seen the names or what could possibly cause the deaths." She sighed with dropped shoulders.

"When we get back, I’m sure your mother will help and do her witch thing." Vlad said.

Ari chuckled softly as she muttered "Witch thing."

"Well, what would you have me call it? Sorcery?"

"Sorcerers are different." Ari corrected.

"How so? Isn’t it all magic?" Vlad asked.

"It’s a different kind of magic. While witches make spells and potions, sorcerers draw their magic from forbidden alchemy and nature, they don’t need spells or potions." Ari explained.

"It’s still the same magic, just different means." Vlad reasoned out.

"Yes exactly." Ari chirped with a big smile, almost as if she had forgotten about the despairing vision, but he was pleased to see a sincere smile graze her lips and he never wanted it to fade.

They sat in silence for a while, until Ari broke it again. He always thought it was impossible for her to stay quiet for a second, but despite her noisiness he doted on every inch of her, from her flaws to her perfection.

"I’m so excited to see Ares’s mate. I hear she’s got blood red hair, literally bloody red and blood red eyes, I think." Ari said in excitement.

"Just earlier you had a presumption that she could be the cause of the death prophecy in your visions, what’s changed?" Vlad stated out.

"Well, like you said, it was a presumption not a fact. I truly hope it’s not a fact." Ari said hopefully.

"Right."

"After we find Ares’s mate, we’ll find yours." Ari said with a grin tearing through her lips.

Vlad’s lips twitched doubtfully but he didn’t say a word.

"You doubt my investigating skills, don’t you?" Ari quipped with a frown etched on her face.

"No, it’s just..." Vlad trailed off. He suddenly pondered on whether it was the right time to confess or not, but knowing Ari, it was a hassle to imagine what her reaction would be after he confessed.

"It’s just what? Is there something you’re not telling me?" Ari nudged with eager eyes as she cast him a skeptical, unwavering look.

"No, it’s nothing." Vlad said nonchalantly as he shoved it aside, but she was persistent as always.

"Come on! You’re obviously hiding something! Spill it out!" She urged, unwilling to back down.

"Alright then." He finally gave in, ready to talk and she immediately froze as she waited with suspenseful eyes.

"I think I may have found her, but I’m not sure." Vlad said casually as he averted his gaze.

"Your mate? Who is she?" Ari asked, her words hanging in anticipation.

"I mean, who may she be?" She corrected in an eager tone.

"She’s a beauty, but I can’t tell her name right now." Vlad said.

He saw the excitement in her eyes die down as she gasped softly "Oh, I see." He could sense a tinge of jealousy in her voice as she spoke, or perhaps he was hoping that was what he sensed.

"What is it?" He asked.

"What? Nothing." She blurted out awkwardly as he looked away.

Vlad sensed something off with her, one moment she was eager to know who his mate was and the next, the light in her eyes dimmed.

"You were so eager to know who my mate was, what’s wrong now?" Vlad asked, realizing the reason for her mood shift.

"I never said anything was wrong, you’re the one who doesn’t want to say her name, not like I care." Ari grumbled out, her face twisted into a scowl.

"Well, do you want to know her name then?" Vlad teased and she threw him a glare from her side eye.

"Why would I care for her name? Although, I’m slightly curious on who the unlucky girl is." Ari sneered.

He could see the jealousy in her eyes, she had only been curious on who his mate was only because she was expecting an answer befitting her pleasure, but when he didn’t give her the answer she was expecting to hear, she snapped.

Fortunately for Vlad, this little confession from her without her knowledge already gave him the answer he had been searching for.

He had yearned to know what her reaction would be if ever he confessed and now, he could see it clearly that it wasn’t a one sided feeling.

As much as he wanted to confess his true feelings, she had also hidden hers beneath her thick mask of nonchalance, but now, it was breaking through to reveal her true feelings.

"The unlucky girl is Ari." Vlad mentioned with a straight face, portraying his seriousness and Ari’s lashes fluttered in both disbelief and confusion.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢