Chapter 75

Lady Delice had always seemed like one to hold her own, her smile ever present and the little aura of life seeping from her at a noticeable rate, but tonight, Zezi couldn't help but notice that she looked different.

Her smile was gone, non-existent, her eyes seemed a little dead than usual and have sensed a nervousness in her aura. Even without the King's blood running in her veins, Zezi could pick up on that.

It made her wonder how much Oliver could pick up on, leading her to be even be more curious about her past with him.

She could use this distraction till it was time for her to go down to the Library, after all, she still had hours left before that.

"It's been tremendously long." Oliver beamed, grasping her hand in his before she had time to oppose of his unanticipated touch. "We should catch up. What do you say?"

Delice looked up at him, feeling a bitter taste raise in her mouth as his scent poured into her lungs unrestrained, reminding her of days that she would like to forget.

Not after learning the truth.

Not after knowing that he was never even banished in the first place.

Not after realizing that her best friend had played her for a fool. Both of them!

"Oli--"

"Shhhhh." He said quietly, his grin widening, something like lust sparking in his eyes as he raised his hand to cradle her cheeks.

Delice was still her beautiful self.

After all these years, he still wanted her as much as he wanted her back then.

Grief must have made her hotter!

Irresistible.

"Sit with me. We have so much to catch up on. Don't you agree my Sweet Bun?" He allowed his hands to fall slowly down her cheek and trace a side of her neck in a lazy line, watching her gulp, knowing he still had that desired effect on her.

Good. Things had remained the way they used to be.

Perfect.

Oliver loved to believed that the only person Delice truly loved was him. If the King was getting any preferential treatment or had snuck into her heart some way, it had only been that way, because he happened to be her Sire.

It was no secret that turned vampires were always emotionally attached to their Sire, even by a greater extent when they were young. Their minds would easily manipulate them to feel things that were not there and even worse, when there was only little...

Their minds would exaggerate it.

Whatever she felt for the King was not love, it was a Sire/Turned relationship and he had come into her life to make her realize that.

If only she hadn't walked in on him deep inside Laura that eleven years ago, he would still have her.

He had a plan and she had only put ruin to it by what she did. Had a plan to take them both together, Delice would be happy if three of them got into a relationship, he would have eased her into it and she would have loved it.

Delice was weak. She didn't know what she wanted and he would have showed it to her.

All hopes were not lost yet though, he could still do that exact thing and finally fulfill his plan, only that this time, he would do things differently.

Hadn't the King already found his mate? With how obsessed the King was with his mate, Delice was no longer his wife to be and therefore, a safe one to pursue and get.

He would teach her pleasures that she would come to love for her very long life, she just didn't know it yet.

Zezi squinted her eyes, the tension was so evident but whatever was happening, Lady Delice didn't seem like she was enjoying it. Which was understandable, because wasn't Sir Oliver in a relationship with Lady Laura?

What was going on?

Finding a bit of her curious self rearing it's head even more, she threw in an invite without even thinking about it twice.

"Will you like to join me Lady Delice? Governor Oliver prepared this. Your company would be nice."

It was only then that Lady Delice took notice of Lady Zezi by the kitchen table. The plate of meat set in front of her and the wine in the glass that looked almost as read as blood.

Her mind had been so burdened by a lot of things that even though her senses had picked up on another's presence when she came in, her brain was too frustrated to make sense of it.

She took a step away from Oliver, pulling herself  of this grasp, letting his hand fall away from her.

How dare she had let that moment of vulnerability slip?

Oliver was a sweet talker and he knew her. He knew the things she liked, the things she hated, the things that made her weak in the knees and just how to go about it. He had been hers some years ago and she had been the happiest because he knew those things.

Right now though, she wished he didn't but he did, and matter how she wished for otherwise, it wouldn't happen.

She mustn't forget to be more guarded around him.

"Lady Zezi, it is good to see you." She said, her warm smile making it to her face again. It was indeed good to see her, being here alone with Oliver wasn't something she wanted. "Thank you for the invite but I have somewhere to be right now."

"You aren't running away from me, Sweet Bun. Get what you came here for before you leave." His voice was light-hearted and didn't skip a beat with his goofiness, but the undertone of it had Zezi looking at his back through slanted eyes.

"Maybe a sachet of blood? Some human food? What is it? Tell me, Sweet Bun, I'll get it for you."

He made no attempt to touch her this time, instead playing with his braided  beards as Delice took more steps away from him, heading instead for the door.

"Thank you Sir Oliver for your kind reminder, I only came here to get--" her voice cracked, trailing off as her eyes settled on Zezi, her gaze screaming for help.

Zezi back straightened immediately and she planted her feet against the floor, chuckling as she stood up.

"Me."