The doors to the palace were colossal. Carved from flawless white marble, their surface was cool and smooth, broken only by intricate patterns etched deep into the stone. Phaeryl had enough time to take in the details, unlike the last time.The door was bordered with thick golden frames, heavy and unyielding, yet crafted with precision that they almost looked weightless. Her gaze lingered to Esme and some other wolves that had been kneeling in front of the door for a while. She couldn't grasp why they had been calling out to Xhanes Ardegard to open the door.
She gently approached the door and pushed it open. She chuckled at their faces filled with awe as she walked in. Esme hastily stood up and tried to follow her but fell back when the door shut in her face. She wished they would take her place.
The palace was like a dream carved from sunlight. Phaeryl looked around, examining the entire place. Its towering walls were dressed in white stone so smooth they seemed to glow, veined with gold. Arched windows stretched high with delicate gilded patterns with domes above them crowning the palace.
The light flooded vast halls, and polished floors mirrored chandeliers dripping with crystal. The place breathed elegance. Something was different. The blood mess and bodies Xhanes had created were not there anymore.
"Hey you, are you just going to keep on admiring this place?" His voice echoed.
In a flash, he was already standing next to her. "Greetings, Revered one" she swiftly lowered her head.
"What is your name?"
"Phaeryl— Phaeryl Lanster" she uttered before he could decide it was her time.
"Phaeryl" He repeated as though testing it out.
"Yes, Revered one"
"Drop the formality. I've always hated those things."
This was as the rumors said. Xhanes Ardegard was truly strange.
"What should I call you?, Revered one"
"My name"
"Ok, Lord Xhanes Ardegard"
Phaeryl had been staring at the floor but could feel Xhanes' intense peer. "Raise your head. Just call me Xhanes." She tried to ignore the smug look on his face.
"Follow me" He led Phaeryl up the staircase.
Phaeryl couldn't control her shaggy breath. She quickly held the hand rail to support herself. They finally reached the top of the staircase; Phaeryl could feel her chest loosen up, and her leg stopped shaking.
"You are going to clean this staircase and report back to me when you're done"
This was a joke. Xhanes Ardegard was surely trying to have a stupid joke.
"Huh" She didn't know when it left her lips. But she hoped Xhanes would take back his statement.
"Did you not hear what I said?"
That damn smile. He was actually serious. Phaeryl's toes curled up as she twisted her ring to calm her down. She beamed him a fake smile, which faded as soon as he turned back to go.
Surely, this man has not been living with this type of brain. His smile creeps me out more.
She froze when he stopped in his tracks. Did he read her thoughts? She wore her smile back before he could turn back. He smiled more widely than before.
"Add the windows to your cleaning list" Her smile faded before he could finish talking.
This man was petty. Phaeryl took a deep breath. She just had to put up with this till she found a way.
Phaeryl's breath came in short, and uneven pulls as she dragged herself up the staircase. The sun had already gone down and everywhere was dark with the stars pricking the sky like scattered diamonds. It wasn't really a problem to see since werewolves had perfect night vision, and moon helped in significantly illuminating the palace in an oddly satisfying way. She could feel her legs almost give up by the time she made it to the top.
Before she could knock on the door of the room she assumed was his, it swung open. She sighted Xhanes by the window with his back facing her and a glass of red wine in his hand.
"I'm done with everything" She announced and was about to leave when the door closed forcefully.
"Sit down." Her eyes widened, and a sharp intake of breath got caught in her throat.
She hurriedly sat down on the couch. The regrets of going to the tavern that night couldn't stop flooding her head.
The silence in the room felt more piercing than ever.
Her throat tightened when he turned back and sat across from her. He poured out wine into another glass.
"I'm sure you would love this drink." Phaeryl hesitantly collected the glass. She knew better than to reject the wine Xhanes had offered. She inspected the content before gulping it down.
"Phaeryl, do you want my blood?"
"No" She was more surprised at the question he had thrown at her than the weight of what he was actually saying.
"What if I told you what you just drank was my blood?" Phaeryl quivered. He was already sitting next to her.
"I highly doubt that. It was not showing any characteristics of wolf blood."
Two claps echoed in the room. "You are awfully smart. It makes me want to freely grant you my blood."
"I would have to refuse it. I have no interest in your–" Before she could finish, he had already slit his palm with a dagger. Phaeryl couldn't deny the fact that it looked enticing as it slowly dripped down his arm.
"Are you sure?" He inched closer to her.
"Yes. I am" She cursed herself when an image of her licking Xhanes' arm flooded her mind.
"Why?"
"Your blood is poisonous. That night, you found me hiding behind a tree, I noticed that the girl didn't collapse because of any external injury. Then the small cut on your lips caught my eyes; it appeared that the girl tried to suck your blood by biting your lips hard. I just assumed that the blood she swallowed killed her " His lips formed a smirk while she explained everything.
"Interesting. I was right. You are smart. A lot of people can't handle my powerful blood." His powerful blood.Phaeryl blamed the fact that she couldn't control her facial expression on Xhanes' smug attitude.
"But I'm sure you can handle it well. My blood elevates one's powers. Let's try it out and see."
"I'm not worthy of this honour"
"You have a friend, Isla Heven. It would be brutal of you if she died because you didn't want to try something new."
Phaeryl was convinced that Xhanes Ardegard was a sick psychopath. There was no way she could defeat him; she wasn't going to be fast or strong enough to compare to him. She couldn't imagine this was how she was going to die. She closed her eyes tightly, hoping some kind of magic would happen or she was wrong about her assumption. She took a deep breath in and stretched out her tongue, letting the tip taste the blood before she licked some of it.