Bride To His Darkness-Chapter 351: A Bad Idea

Upon arriving at the specific tent where Ivan’s visitor awaited him, Duncan and Tobias couldn’t help but tag along, and Duncan was only going for the entertainment, while Tobias was more interested in figuring out the right clue on how to get rid of Marius completely, so much so that once they were done with him, even his soul wouldn’t be able to traverse through hell.

Duncan waved amicably at Cassian as they walked by, and in the man’s hand was the scroll Ivan had given him, all in the hopes that Cassian would be able to crack the intricacies of the drawings before he leaves.

"When did you two become close?" Tobias raised an eyebrow at Duncan who barely even greets Ivan with that much enthusiasm. If Ivan had noticed, Duncan would have many explaining to do.

"Oh, he’s okay to work with." Duncan said, as if it should have been obvious, "we found Ivan together, and tracked Carmela’s fortress. He has potential, I guess I admire his charisma and skills. You don’t find it in many people these days, I’m sure we can both testify to that."

He smiled subtly at Tobias who easily guessed that the vampire was referring to him.

"Am I that boring?"

"Should I be honest?"

"Shut up." He silenced Duncan who obediently stayed quiet, but only because he found Tobias’s disgruntled expression quite amusing.

Entering the tent, the three of them froze when they were met with the least vampire they expected. Lord Draven turned around with the same calm unhinged smile on his lips, and he offered a slight bow to Ivan, already aware of the storms clouding his head. Of course, even Tobias was displeased by his presence, except Duncan who eyed him from head to toe with a pointless look.

"Did you miss me, Ivan?" He spoke coolly, as if he was greeting an old adversity, but then he seized his words when about five guards pointed their lethal weapons in his direction. He was going to admit that he was surprised, even though he had expected this behavior – unfortunately, Ivan was King now, and there was no other way to keep him on his leash like before. For the first time, he was a little nervous being here, but there was no avoiding it.

"What are you doing here?" Ivan’s voice dropped cold, with glaring eyes looking ready to rip Draven in half and placing his useless body beside Marius’s head. Duncan on the other hand could feel the tension rising, and from the looks on everyone faces, he seemed to be the only one enjoying the drama.

"Ivan, Tobias, Duncan?" He called all three of them by name, offering his greetings only to hear Duncan ask.

"Do I know you?"

His unexpected question made not only Draven’s facade drop, but everyone else within the tent. Duncan’s lips curled subtly, but no one detected the satisfactory smile lingering on his mouth.

"Are you joking?" Draven, who still couldn’t predict if the vampire was messing with him, questioned with a look of disbelief, but Duncan tilted his head, as if contemplating on whether they’ve really met, only to shake his head in the end.

"Never heard of you." Came his quipped response.

"You don’t know Lord Draven?" It was Ivan’s turn to ask, as he equally didn’t believe such a thing was possible. If it was Lord Lucius he would have understood, Lord Lucius never reveals himself that much, but Lord Draven? Currently the bad seed growing in people’s backyard? How the hell does he not know Draven of all vampires?

He wanted to laugh, actually. It was pretty hilarious.

"We’ve met at least five times." Draven grumbled, "and we’ve fought three times."

"So you’re unimportant?" Was all Duncan could ask, "I always remember my foes, are you really a foe since we’ve fought, or are you just naturally that bad?"

"Bad in what exactly?"

"Success?"

"Fuck you."

Draven’s anger only multiplied when the vampire smiled mockingly, it became obvious that Duncan was only messing with him. Asides Ivan he equally feared Duncan, no, he hated him, cause just like Ivan, Duncan posed a threat to his power and lineage, and maybe it just happened to be his bad luck that they were both rulers. The only difference was, Ivan had his people beside him while Duncan was still trapped under the vile chains of his mother, with no hope of escaping it. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

"What are you thinking, Draven? I have a feeling it’s a thought I wouldn’t fancy." Duncan’s voice snapped him out of his angry daze, and the vampire still wore that mask that barely had even the littlest cracks. All three of them annoyed him.

"Anyway," he cleared his throat, "I’m here to deliver Lord Viktor’s message. Apparently, you sent a note requesting if the books we had held any permanent information regarding Marius’s end, but I’m afraid to share with you, that there’s none. Asides vanquishing his soul from this world, he can easily be summoned again with the corresponding ritual, so you see, he’s more immoral than you can imagine."

"And you expect us to believe your lies?" Tobias scoffed in disdain, "there has to be some disadvantage to his power, and I know something permanent can be done for real this time. You on the other hand, you’re not interested in any of this, talk more about helping us, from the way I see things, you’d be more eager to side with the enemy as long as GreenHollow is crushed."

"Is that what you think of me?" His unhinged smile returned, and his left eye twitched at the accusation, "this is my first time hearing you utter so many words in a sentence. Your brother’s death has taken that much toll on you, hasn’t it?"

"I’ve had enough of this," in a flash, Draven soon felt his throat being held in a threatening grip, and then he was choke slammed to the ground by Ivan. He stared into the menacing gaze of Ivan’s red pupils, and he smiled bitterly at his fate. Ivan had the upper-hand here, and there was nothing he could do about it except to play along.

"If I wanted I could have ended you the day I exposed those good-for-nothing brothers of mine, and I warned you never to cross my path. Why would Lord Viktor send you and not Lord Lucius? And come to think of it, even if Alistair was under Marius’s spell, he wouldn’t have helped him get into the Palace in the first place. Only someone familiar with the routes of the Palace can offer such help."

"Are you accusing me of siding with an enemy I once fought?" Draven’s eyes narrowed into a glare, but his pupils widened when Ivan’s hold on his throat tightened.

"I’m not accusing you, I believe you are under him."

"Ivan dear, I don’t mind peeking into his memory for free." Duncan suggested, "if you want, we can get our answer in a matter of minutes but only if you’ll allow me. You’re not the only one who has scores to settle with Draven."

Something sinister flashed in Duncan’s eyes, a tiny hint of his malevolent dark powers clouding his harmless aura, but it was fleeting, and only Draven noticed. Despite how little it was, it sent shivers down Draven’s spine.

Maybe agreeing to come here was a bad idea after all.

******

A/N: Hello readers ❤️ thank you for supporting BTHD to this point, although it will be rounding up soon, I won’t be chanced to finish it this month. As you’ve noticed my updates have been poor, but do bear with me as I have a life outside my computer that needs attention. BTHD will be rounding up next month! Thank you for understanding ❤️

New novel chapters are published on fr(e)ew𝒆bnov(e)l.com