Capítulo 27: Jealousy

Laurel's eyes went back to Elize and she thought how pale and weak and unattractive the vampire was. It would be so easy for her to kill her or make her weaker. All she had to do was ensure that she wasn't blooded. She laughed on the inside. Proud, with her chin up, she turned her glance back to her prize—Caleb, King of Ixoviya, the most powerful sorcerer in the world.

Pursing his lips at the way she looked away from him, Auril huffed. He said to Caleb, "I am going to call three more stags to ride and I will lead the way out of here. We have to travel during the night because in the day," he waved at the forest annoyingly, "the birds of this place keep an eye on me!"

A rumble formed in Caleb's chest and it vibrated with a low growl. "You can call two stags." He didn't have to worry about his wife. As if to show what he meant, Caleb let his wolf free. When he dropped on his fours, he had turned into a massive werewolf with thick midnight blue fur. A cool breeze swept across ruffling his fur in a ripple.

Laurel gasped at the sight. It was the first time he had seen their sorcerer king in his werewolf form. He was breathtaking, stunning and she was mesmerized, that she wanted to thread her fingers in his fur. To be the wife of one so powerful… Her heartbeat accelerated.

Her attention was snagged when Auril let out a low whistle.

A few seconds later, they heard heavy footfalls against the ground and two stags came to stand right in front of them. They nuzzled their snouts in his palm as he stroked them and laughed. "Sorry guys, I don't have your apple with me," he said affectionately to them. He looked at Laurel and Elize and said, "You can ride these."

Laurel's lips curled in disgust. Why would she ride the stags when her king had so kindly offered his back to her? She was going to ride the king and then spread over his back to feel all the warmth, and to make him feel the suppleness of her breasts. Entice. Seduce. Her chest heated at the thought and her thighs clenched. She chuckled inside. She was going to take the advantage of the rift between the king and the queen to the fullest. The vampire was truly no competition to her. Laurel thought that she wouldn't even have to try much.

Excited at her opinion, Laurel's lips tugged up. Leisurely, she ambled to where Caleb was standing, pawing his foot on the ground, scraping the soil. His breath was so heated that it was forming clouds in front of his mouth. Laurel was only four steps away from her ride, when a shoulder hit her on hers and she stumbled backwards. She saw a shock of golden hair beat her to the wolf.

Elize scratched her ear casually as she mounted the wolf, with possessiveness. Caleb growled with approval. He looked at Auril and waited for him to lead the way.

Red hot anger scattered through Laurel, as she tried to gain her footing on the ground. Shocked that Elize would even dare to push her in the race to sit over the wolf, her mind scrambled. Her eyes became wide and she glared at the vampire with hatred so strong that her magic rushed in her veins.

Elize shot a dark look at her and raised her eyebrow. "Is anything wrong?" she said, as she patted Caleb and then ran her fingers through his hair. She scratched him behind the ears as she scoured the trees around them, making it a point not to look at Laurel. Laurel's magic was howling for lashing at the vampire, but she would not let it out. She controlled herself and then bowed to the queen. "N—nothing is wrong, Your Highness. I—I was just amazed by our king's transformation." She was sure that Elize had caught her staring with stars in her eyes towards the king. She had to have more control. Next time.

Elize gave her yet another deadpanned look. "I see," she said indifferently, her gaze darting back to Auril, who had already mounted Lord. "Then pick up your ride," she pointed to the stags who were standing next to Lord. "We don't have much time left." Her words came out more as a command then as a request. She could see the mist-drenched mountains that were looming over the trees. It was too dark, and the only source of light was the yellow orb that floated around Laurel. The thin layer of snow on the ground glistened softly beneath them in its light.

"Yes, Your Highness," said Laurel, as if coming out with a cold snap. She strode to where one of the stags was standing. Roughly, holding antlers of one of them, she mounted it. It was uncomfortable and her legs hung very close to the ground. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Caleb's back was so wide and he was so tall even on his fours, that Elize's leg hung comfortably in the air.

"Hey, be careful when you handle my stags," Auril shot acerbically at her, almost too protective towards his animals. "They sense your emotions and if they find that you do not like them, they will be your enemy—for life!"

Laurel gritted her teeth, but in a polite voice said, "I don't know how to mount a stag, and that's why it came rough, but point taken. Apologies." She stroked the stag's fur to show that she liked it.

"No worries!" said Auril and then nudged Lord to move forward. The stag started and Caleb followed him. Laurel's eyes stared at the vampire's back as if she had done a backflip on the werewolf she wanted to mount.

Elize held her braid and flipped it over her shoulders with attitude. It came to settle in between her shoulders and swayed as she moved with the wolf.

Laurel noticed that the vampire leaned forward and dug her fingers in the soft fur in order to hold herself steadily. Jealousy Flared. She swallowed down the acrimony that burned the back of her throat.

Next time.

And next time, she wouldn't lose the opportunity. She shot daggers at the queen, no, soon to be deposed queen. Jealousy was burning her on the inside. Suddenly the stag took off with her. She screamed as she held on to its antlers for her dear life, cold wind whipping her hair, slapping her cheeks.