Stephanie’s blood left a bad taste in Kanyon’s mouth. From the moment Cassandra’s blood had touched his lips, none other sated him.
He felt this unexplainable pull towards her, the way his powers ignited every time they came in contact with her flesh, a fire burning in them ignited by his desires.
He wanted to perform unspeakable things to
her. No woman had stirred his heart the entirety of his life and now these new feelings had erupted inside him like a fiery explosion.
Before he would go to her, he needed to speak to the commander of the royal forces, so Kanyon visited the main palace.
"Have the ballistae (large crossbow-like siege weapons used to launch huge spearheads to kill monsters and creatures) been installed on the boundary walls?" Kanyon asked the royal commander. He had given him explicit details earlier of how they were going to fortify their city in case the dragon attacked.
"Yes! Prince Kanyon. I am having them installed on the palace’s battlements as well. We will not be taking any risks and in case he attacks, we will be ready," the commander with a mohawk and shaved head from both sides laid out his battle plans.
"Don’t underestimate him. Fortify the spells around the palace, no one should be able to enter the west wing. He can shift into many different animals, so be observant and keep your eyes and ears open at all times. I want defensive mages and spellcasters here," Kanyon instructed, casting a glance around.
The commander lowered his eyes and presented his complete plan.
"It will be done, you don’t have to worry. We will be coating the arrows and spearheads in the paralysing agents. We just need one piercing his skin and he would be unconscious in no time. Chains will be ready to bind him, and then he will be all yours." They used Almantium to create arrowheads, spearheads and chains. It was the strongest material known to the vampire kind and had a very high melting point. They were sure the dragon wouldn’t be able to melt it. The chains would hold.
Kanyon smiled with a hint of self-satisfaction. Placing his hand on his commander’s shoulder, he said.
"I believe in you. Remember, I want him alive. He is mine to torture and kill."
"I understand." The commander quickly nodded, the prince’s dark aura even unsettled him.
"Good." Kanyon walked away. He had planned an unforgettable night for Cassandra and now he wished to go see her.
Arriving at the small palace he was keeping her captive in, he walked over to her room; he was about to enter when the door opened, and Aiko stepped outside.
"Has she eaten?" Kanyon asked, staring at the tray in Aiko’s hands. She slowly shook her head, making the vampire take the tray from her.
"Open the door," he ordered with a straight face which Aiko knew too well.
Grabbing the door knob she twisted and let the door slide open so he could enter.
"Get everything ready for tonight, like I said," Kanyon passed one last order before disappearing into the room, the door closed behind him.
Aiko stood staring at the closed door and a wave of fear coursed through at the thought of what he would do to the woman inside. With slow steps, she walked away; the guilt had consumed her heart.
Cassandra was bundled up on the bed, her legs huddled closer to her chest as her head rested on her knees. Golden locks scattered all around her like streaks of the sun.
"You didn’t eat," Kanyon stated, placing the tray in front of her. The room was saturated with her scent and his hunger began to surface by being in her proximity.
"I am not hungry," she answered without being bothered to gaze in his direction.
"Eat as you will need your strength for tonight. I am taking you somewhere." He pushed the tray towards her. Cassandra didn’t believe in wasting food, but it took all of her resolve not to knock the tray down on the floor in defiance.
She contended with the continuation of her ignorance spree towards him.
Seeing her defy him like that had a malevolent smile grace his lips. His powers shot out in tandem, gathering all around her; they coiled around her gold-hued hair and tugged her head up so he could see her fuming face.
If looks could kill he would be a corpse on the ground.
"What? You are going to force-feed me now?" She asked, not even trying to keep the bitterness from her voice and trying to ignore the searing pain in her scalp.
"I thought you were smarter than that. Your body will shut down if you don’t eat. I understand you hate me, that’s no reason to hate the food. Eat." He nudged it forward again.
The silvery threads pulled all of her hair back so they wouldn’t obscure his view of her pretty face. He regretted why he had never visited Speldaria before and spotted her. He would have whisked her away a long time ago and made her his personal pet.
Cassandra still did not attempt to move or eat; she just stared back at him in rebelliousness. His magical wisps, which were shimmering now as they became in contact with her, picked up her hair. Swiftly moving they began to neatly braid her hair.
"It’s such a shame, Broken Butterfly, that your inability to obey me will lead to someone losing their life today. If you won’t start eating, I will bathe you in blood tonight," his ominous voice and that evilness peeking at her from his vermilion eyes had her heart stopping for a second.
He pulled at her hair so ferociously that her scalp was set on fire as she was jerked backwards.
"Ah!" Unwantedly a painful whimper fell from her lips as her hands reached back to dispel some of the building pressure.
He grabbed her face, her skin was so warm against his dead cold one. She shivered in his hold but those layers of unruliness wouldn’t leave her eyes.
"Would you be a good butterfly and eat, or do you want the blood of the innocents on your hands later?"
"Mmm," Cassandra mumbled, trying to wriggle out of his iron hold which was gripping at her mouth. He slightly loosened it so she could speak.
"I will eat no need to kill. What’s wrong with you?" She jerked herself out of his hold with terror now mingling with defiance.
He triumphantly let her go, his tendrils, which had sprouted out of his hands like octopus’s tentacles, retracted from her now braided hair.
Kanyon settled in the armchair and leaned back, watching her with ease, his hands behind his head.
He observed how her delicate throat moved as she swallowed to the veins protruding in her neck. His brain was a mess of thoughts which revolved around biting into her soft skin and relishing that red liquid. But he brushed those thoughts aside for now.
Tonight, he will have her tonight.
She took small morsels, and the food tasted like sand in her mouth. She missed Siroos and his touch; she had neglected him so much since that instant and believed this was her punishment for breaking his heart when he was a victim, too.
But she shed no tears, this man in front of her wouldn’t see her broken. She finished everything on the tray, giving him no reason to complain.
"Wasn’t that hard. Was it?’ He said in an amused tone. Before Cassandra could answer, there was a knock on the door.
With Kanyon’s permission, Aiko entered the room, carrying a large red platter with different accessories and a wash basin with a woollen cloth.
"Place them on the table and leave," Kanyon instructed in that hypnotic voice of his.
She quietly obeyed, throwing an apologetic glance in Cassandra’s direction. The girl with golden hair offered her a small reassuring smile to not worry about her.
Aiko knew her hands were tied on this matter but she wasn’t going to leave the princess in such a situation. The wounds on her body were increasing every day and she wasn’t going to stand aside and watch.
She left the room, slowly closing the door behind her.
Cassandra wearily turned her attention towards the prince, trying to figure out his real intentions.
Getting up he proceeded to the basin and brought it along to the bed. Placing it on the table, Kanyon dipped the woollen cloth in it and wrung it out. Squeezing out all the excess water. His long fingers moved efficiently.
The vampire then turned to Cassandra and gestured for her to stand up.
Her eyes shifted from him to the cloth as she asked with her heart beating much faster than the normal rate.
"What are you going to do?"
"Isn’t it obvious? I am going to clean you up. Be a good butterfly now and strip for me," he answered without hesitation making her mouth fall open.