The King's Curse

A Happy Home.

Lara.

I was standing in the dark and dreary office of Adonis. He was sitting in his tall brown leather chair. 

"So." I began. He sighed.

"Lara..." He spoke. There was a pause and we both held eye contact.  

"What occurred during the dream was." He began slowly.

"Interesting?" I said with a smirk.

In our shared eye contact, there was a stillness in the air and yet there was equally the same amount of tension and mischief that moved about. 

We were both silent and yet it felt like a conversation was happening between us. 

A blink from me conveyed an invitation to a rebuttal. His eyes traveling down my form to the floor responded with a refusal. 

I step forward trying to bait him yet again. He returns eye contact; we are in the same era of tensionless tension. His eyes sparkle with a tinge of mischief. I fell a thrill rush through me.

He's eyes flash a golden color, and a rose materializes between us just above his table.

I tilt my head in confusion. He nods his head to it. I reach out to take it. It moves out of my reach. I reach for it yet again, but it moves yet again. I smile. How childish.  I reach for it again but there is a knock at the door.

It snaps us out of our childish game. I straighten my posture and Adonis clears his throat as the rose disappears in a golden flame.

"Enter" Adonis commanded in a stern voice.

A woman walks into the office heels clicking confidently on the beautiful checkered tiled floor.

"Your Majesty." she said as she curtsied. Her eyes traveled to me with a tinge of curiosity. 

"Your Highness." she said to me and curtsied to my horror. 

"Oh! no, no, no, I'm just a duchess goodness no." I said as I reached for her elbow in an attempt to stop her curtsy. 

"Oh? But..." She spoke before looking confused between Adonis and I repeatedly her cute red eyes filled what I can only explain as wonder.

"What is it, Marie?" Adonis asked. Standing from his seat he walked around the table and stood beside me. His playfulness now long gone his posture now regal, and his eyes dim and calculating. 

Marie the vampiress who's name I now know took a step back. 

"Well it seems both his majesty and the duchess share the same energy." She spoke.

"What?" I asked.

"Uhm, your highness no. Your ladyship. I... I can see people's life essence a sort of energy if you will and when I look at you and his majesty, I cannot see any difference. It's one and the same. Which is why I accidently referred to your ladyship as your highness, my deepest apologies." She said shakily eyes still darting quickly between us.

"Thank you for your insight, Marie. Do you perhaps know about life binding spells and how to dissolve them?" Adonis asked.

"I am well read on life binding spells, but I am not a blood mage so I can't possibly undo one." Marie answered.

"WAIT! THATS WHAT IT IS!" she screamed in shock. 

"Volume." Adonis commanded.

"My apologies. This makes so much more sense. This means that." She began as she took a step towards me and grabbed my hand and broke a bone right in thumb. 

I screamed in pain and shoved her away. At the same time, I hear Adonis muffle a groan. I look at him and he had the same injury as I.

"It means that you both share technically the same body. That's amazing." Marie said.

"Why did you reach for me why not him?" I asked in pain as the bone reset itself and began to heal rapidly.

"Well, your ladyship if I had reached for his highness I would not have gotten far before I got hurt but you have your guard down." She said with a sweet smile on her face with quickly fell when she looked at Adonis.

"Thank you for your demonstration, Marie. You will be heavily rewarded for it." Adnis said in a low dark tone.

I cleared my throat as an attempt to ease the tension that had begun to suffocate the room.

"So. How did this happen Marie?" I asked.

"It could be something like you drinking his highnesses blood and him doing the same." She said her gaze now cast on the floor.

"Oh. Interesting. This must be one of Gabriel's plots." I said shaking my head.

"Gabriel!" Marie exclaimed her eyes meeting mine but as soon as they travel to Adonis they return to the floor.

"Yes. Adonis I have something to tell you." I said as I turned to him. His eyes slightly widened.

"Me?" He asked.

"You're the only Adonis I know." I replied. 

Marie curtsied once again and walked back two steps before turning to leave.

With the click of the door closing Adonis was closer to me.

"Gabriel was in the dream world." I spoke.

"I know." He responded his eyes tinging with anger.

"So, you heard his evil little plan?" I asked.

"Yes, I heard his schemes, and I could not move a muscle or raise my voice loud enough to warn you. I was... powerless." His said as he shut his eyes tightly.

"Adonis. I am not your biggest fan, but I can admit that I think we are just two pawns in somebody's chess game." I said as I put my hand on his shoulder.

"More like I am a king, and you are a pawn." he said with a slight smile. To which I pushed him back.

He stumbled back a few steps then straightened up and crossed his arms over his chest. 

"My uncle wants power and you were collateral I'm sorry about this. I will say though you have made it very far so here is a congratulations rose." he said as the rose reappeared between us again.

"Adonis I don't think its coincidental that your uncle chose me and that I am the only one who has made it this far." I said as I reached for the rose but as predicted it moved out of my grasp.

"Come on now mon chéri, maybe you are special." he mused.

"That would be lovely but you and I both know your uncle has been cooking up this plan for years." I spoke.

"Centuries." Adonis said.

"Exactly. My involvement and our little bond is no accident." I continued. 

"Your countenance in this moment is sinfully indulgent" he said. 

To which I realized that I had unknowingly perhaps in auto pilot had sat on his mahogany table, his scepter in my hand chin resting upon it as it stood horizontally on my thigh.

I put his scepter back in its rightful place and began to get down. Adonis steps in front of me a hand audaciously placed on my waist.

"Do not be in a hurry to dismount your comfortable thrown." he spoke.

I push his hand off.

"Don't be forward." I warn.

"I'm sorry." he said softly.

"In the only family I knew, my mother was a blood mage, my father was a vampire hunter and my siblings all somehow had a good understanding of both magic and vampire hunting. My dead parents were the Duke and Duchess of what seems like a grand coven. Adonis if this does not smell like a heavily concocted plan, I don't know what ells to say."

He hummed in agreement.

"What about your family?" I asked.

The room seamed to drop in temperature.