The Cruel Prince of Wolves

19

There was a loud noise outside the door. The dangerous sound of a wolf snarling his warning to an intruder. It woke Ramona in the middle of her sleep. It was dark, but she could recognize the sound of Val's wolf anytime. He never did join her in bed tonight. Val was too upset to even calm down, so he did what he usually does most evenings, he paced back and forth the hall like a mad dog guarding their door.

She decided against urging him to get to bed, deciding it was best to leave him alone or she may as well join him out there since she's too wide awake to go back to sleep.

A movement by the window distracted her, the velvet curtain fluttered stirred by the wind outside. She stared at it, troubled by the oddness of it. Val had all the windows sealed after she had gotten back for obvious reasons. Assassins can scale the wall and get in. What's the point of him guarding the halls when it's just as easy to get in from the window? As if she suddenly remembered why it was odd, the window shouldn't be open. Ramona cursed herself for being slow. There was too much that happened today, too much on her mind that she didn't think of the obvious right away.

She yanked the sheets off her lap and immediately made a dash to the door only to run into Val's massive wolf baring his fangs to a demon trying to breach his way past him. It was Midnight. How long had they been in a standoff like this? Had she slept the whole time while Val and Midnight faced off just outside the door?

Midnight did away with his elegant ensemble and exchanged them for more comfortable clothing, a loose black shirt and leather vest and black pants. He straightened as soon as he saw her and cracked a smile. "There you are, princess." He greeted her casually as if he simply stopped by for a visit. "Have you at least packed your bags?"

Ramona's throat dried. He returned for her so soon. She can very much remember the bargain she made with him clear in her memory. Give me the power, give me strength so I can take my revenge. The bargain echoed in the back of her mind. "Midnight."

His smile brightened. "I was worried you won't recognise me."

How can she forget? She had only foolishly offered her soul to him.

"Are you ready to go? We have a lot of things to catch up on." He lifted his hand and offered it to her.

Ramona reached out for strands of Val's fur instead. Just as she made contact with him, Val's wolf was in front of her protectively snarling at Midnight. But Midnight couldn't be outdone. He flashed his own set of deadly fangs. He came back to the palace to collect his overdue price after all and he simply couldn't leave without it. He had waited for a long time and been patient for years. He lunged at the wolf. The two became a blur in front of Ramona's eyes. There was a fight going on. A lot of hissing and growling, crunching of bones but she couldn't see anything. They moved too fast even for her enhanced sight to keep up with.

She was lost in the chaos not knowing what to do, running isn't going to get her anywhere, not when the demon she's running away from is a powerful prince of hell. She thought of Lucian but remembered he set off on a journey chasing after Midnight and he hasn't come back yet. She felt her chest squeezed at the thought of him. What if he'd gotten hurt? What if Midnight had killed him while he was out there?

And then everything stopped and the air in the palace became saturated with magic, sweat and the smell of torn flesh. Val and Midnight were facing each other again. Both heavily breathing, both bloodied with wounds. Midnight grabbed his injured arm, Ramona could see the torn flesh marked by Val's venomous fangs. He laughed as his wound slowly knit itself the same way Val's was healing just as fast. "Oh I'm going to enjoy this, Valerian. I may not be able to kill you so easily but I can do so many more things to her." He jutted his chin to Ramona. "And I'll take pleasure as I inflict every imaginable pain. I'll make sure to send you what remains of her once I'm done, the same way you left the mangled remains of my beloved for me to find."

Val's heart stopped. His fear flashed before his eyes seeing the marred remains of Ramona. The vision that haunted him day and night, a nightmare he couldn't escape. He made a quick dash for her but as if Midnight already knew what he was going to do, he was baiting him after all. A flash of magic exploded around them blinding Val at the moment, Midnight's hand reached for Ramona's and as quickly as the magic exploded, he made for an escape with her through the portal he had been waiting in the darkness. He had everything planned and set up before he even made his way back to the land of wolves to collect his prize. A demon prince such as him does not come to a war unprepared. He had calculated everything to his favor and it was the wolf prince who did not stand a chance against him.

A harrowing howl reaped the rest of the entire palace awake. Val was chasing after the darkness before it was too late.