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I felt rooted to my spot as he strode to the door. “I want a queen to be my mate. So, when you decide to own up to it, come knocking.”
Raphael
I blocked the attack with my sword, the metal groaning as I pushed my training opponent back. My chest hurt like a fucking boulder sat on it. Prime Minister Nosha had chided me over my weakness. He attributed it to the missing mating bond. Bullshit. My chest hurt because I missed my best friend. I had regretted the harsh words immediately after they were out of my mouth. Her face had crumpled with hurt, and it was my fault. Seeing Chloe in pain was my biggest nightmare.
I wanted to turn around that very moment and apologize. She needed to hear it though. In any case, she wasn’t one to forgive and forget easily. That was why she didn't try anymore. She’s afraid to get hurt, again. Her biological father had hurt her when he abandoned her mom ten years ago. Before that, she was ambitious, raring to go and conquer the world. But when her father abandoned them, all her attempts to get him back were a failure. She loved him fiercely and was sure he would return. When that didn’t work out, she turned into a shell, her confidence shattered. She’d even begun to date guys just like her father. Each one proving her right. Now, she’s too scared to even try. What's the point, she would say.
My opponent’s roar jerked me out of my wayward thoughts. Jumping to stop my opponent from slicing my legs at the knees, I landed on the ground and swiped at his leg instead. He cursed as a dark welt appeared on his thighs. I rolled my shoulders ready for his next move, but he fell back on the ground, patting out. This fight should’ve been over long ago. I had watched the power that an Archangel could wield and what I have right now was more pathetic than the mewl of a kitten. Murmurs of the onlookers grated my skin. It wasn’t a good look for me. Who wants to follow a vulnerable Archangel?
I had to admit I felt weaker than usual. At least I was stronger than before I took on the throne and that’d do for now. I didn’t have a different option. Without Chloe’s mate bond, I would continue to weaken until anyone with a stick could send me crashing to the ground. At that point, I’d wish for an easy death.
Cleaning the sweat off my face with the towel, I strode out of the arena to the Archangel’s private wing and straight to the shower. Stripping, I stepped under the warm shower.
It’d been a week since the fight. Chloe hadn’t reached out and neither had I. Too damn proud to bend. She had to come to her senses and recognize the special bond we share. The kiss should’ve opened her mind to it. Just the memory of it had my cock hardening painfully. Groaning, I fisted the length.
Her lips were pillowy soft and tasted exactly as I had imagined. Honey sweet. When I plunged my tongue in her mouth, her moan almost had me coming in my pants. Her shirt had ridden up, when she climbed on me, giving me access to her soft, hot skin at her waist.
I squeezed my cock harder, bracing a hand on the wall. Her hard nipples had rubbed against me, and her arousal was thick in the air. When I finally have her under me, I plan to devour her pussy until she comes on my lips. Fantasizing about her tight pussy, I pump harder and explode with a harsh shout.
Fuck. I lean against the wall, panting. Fuck. I miss Chloe so much. I need her as much as I need air to breathe. If the mating bond isn’t something that she’s going to complete, fine. But she must deal with staying here in the palace close to me. I cannot stand this distance anymore. I miss my friend. My confidant. The one person I could be myself with.
No time better than the present to force her hand. Deciding that her condo would be my immediate destination, I put on my jeans. I had just grabbed my shirt when the emergency alarm wailed. This wasn’t the ordinary fire alarm. It was an attack alarm. Time to defend our home. The palace grounds have been breached. Fuck.
Grabbing my sword, I rush out of the room. My guards surround me, intending to guide me to the underground bunker. Fuck the bunker. I’ve to be here to fight. I’m not letting them handle the threat alone.
“Soldier, report,” I ordered. The laser focus reflexes of being a guard for years returning to me.
“Three Ashund vampires have been sighted in the palace, Archangel.”
Something akin to rage licked my skin, waking up the power in me. “Any casualties?”
“We saw two guards down on the way here,” the soldier responded.
I unsheathe my sword, the sharp blade glinting under the moonlight in the corridor. My powers had sharpened enough to hear the soft approach of a vampire beyond the corner. None of the guards seemed to hear the near silent footfalls. Pushing the soldier out of the way, I swipe at the shocked vampire, his wide eyes frozen in pain as I unburden his head from his body. The body fell with a thud while the head rolled down the stairs.
Before the head hit the landing, another vampire rushed at us with the unnatural speed they possessed, biting the neck of another soldier. I grabbed the vamp’s shirt from the back, ripping him off the soldier’s neck, and plunged my sword into his mouth. A guttural scream rose from within him. I kicked his body off my weapon. Blood gushed out like a fountain. Before he could move, I cut off his head, ending him.
“Move,” I ordered my soldiers. “There’s bound to be more. They always attack in packs.” I rolled my shoulder, dislodging the ache within. Between the fight in the arena and now this, I felt exhausted already. But more vampires could be out there, terrorizing my people.
I rushed downstairs, my guards in tow. There was blood everywhere and humans and angels alike were hurt. The ones not dead will wish for death soon. The infection will set in a few minutes. That was worse. My blood boiled in anger as I looked for the third vampire.
The attack came from behind. Not one but two vampires. How many of these bastards had snuck into the palace?
My soldiers fought valiantly and drawing strength from their bravery, I wielded my sword keeping the vampires’ teeth away from their necks. While one of the vamps was currently engaged with three of my soldiers, the other vampire had set his sight on me. His attacks were weak but he was faster than the other one which meant my hits were missing the mark again and again.
Despite not wanting to, I clutched at my shoulder. My arm felt as if it could fall off my body any second now. The pain making me slow. Sensing distraction, the vampire jumped toward me, and I swung the sword hard, finally drawing a deep cut in his stomach. He screamed but the very next moment, he was on me.
Overpowering my wounded right side, we tangled on the floor, his sharp canines closing in on my neck. My sword clattered away from me as we rolled again, with him on top of me. Grabbing his neck, I pushed with all my might, even though his ice-cold skin was freezing my fingers off. Another knock to my shoulder had his teeth coming closer, as his body grounded me harder into the marble floor. I panted. My body struggling to find the strength to breathe but I kept pushing back.
I blinked rapidly hoping to clear my suddenly blurry vision. What the fuck? Did I hit my head?
The vampire angled his head, a hungry smile on his face. I fell back in a thud as I was attacked again. I bent my knees and grabbed the knife I had stuffed in my boots. My fingers closed around the familiar handle. Thank the goddess. Just when he opened his mouth to bite, I rammed that knife deep, piercing his skull. The goddess had given me strength. He fell off me, and I heaved a sigh without his overbearing weight on me. Grabbing the sword next to me, I rose on my knees, and sliced his head off killing the bastard.
The last sound I heard was the squelching thud of the head hitting the marble before everything turned black.
Chloe
I typed in the last line of my resignation letter and glared at it. I’d been at this job for nine years with nothing to show but mediocre growth even though I was the most hard-working and sought-after cybersecurity programmer on this floor. I had personally attended to palace cybersecurity issues. Yet, I had accepted the lackluster life. I had no one but myself to blame. Not only was I afraid to be disappointed, but I was also plain comfortable.
