“Why are you here, Justin? I thought you had gone your own way.” Hera said without turning to face me. I was still several meters away from her and had just caught a glimpse of her silhouette yet she could recognize me with such precision. Conning her wasn’t going to be easy.
Drawing in a few deep breaths, I walked over to the rock she was seated on. She continued to look at the sandy ground underneath, tracing circles with her feet absentmindedly.
I dropped to my knees, trying to make my expression as pitiful as possible, “I… I am here to confess, Hera.”
She finally looked at me, “Confess?”
“Yes… I… I know that you will probably kill me after hearing my confession but I can’t keep this secret anymore. It is killing me.”
Her eyebrows raised, “You are underestimating my powers, Justin. There is nothing about you that I don’t know.”
There it was, that pride, arrogance. I must have been blinded earlier to be attracted to such a snobbish woman. My fingers dug into my thighs as I struggled to restrain my anger.
“If it makes you feel better, you can go ahead and say what you want.” She continued in a condescending voice after a long pause.
“I was sent here by the Lycan King. Trying to save your life, tricking you to make me stay, all of this was a part of his grand plan to find your weakness.”
Her face showed no change in emotions. Did she know about this too? No, that wasn’t possible. She was probably just a good actress.
She leaned slightly forward, “Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because….” I hung my head and continued in a feeble voice, “Because I have fallen in love with you. I can’t bear to hurt you anymore.”
“You gotta be kidding me,” There was genuine surprise in her voice this time, “Why would anyone in their right state of mind want anything to do with a person like me?”
I looked into her eyes, “I am not in my right state of mind, Hera. I am crazy; crazy in love with you.” I scuttled closer and clasped her hand. “I don’t expect you to love back a loser like me. I am content with the fact that I got to know you.”
She didn’t say anything; her expression remained blank. I traced the contours of her fingers as I continued, “I was supposed to follow you for seven days, Hera. My only request is that you let me stay by your side for the remaining two days.”
When she didn’t reply for a long time, I let out a long, rueful sigh before getting to my feet, “I can understand. How can you let me stay by your side after knowing the truth?” With those words, I started walking away with slow, deliberate steps.
She didn’t stop me as I had hoped. For this plan to succeed, I had to stay by her side and gain her trust. I kept wandering through the streets for quite some time. Hera didn’t come looking for me. I wasn’t the one to give up easily. I would keep begging her until she relented.
After giving it some thought, I decided to go to the Tavern where she had rented a room. My hand shook as I knocked at the door feebly at first; then with some force. It didn’t open. Had she already left the town?
“Hera? Are you in there?” I called out as I pushed at the door; staggering as it swung open. “Hera?” I called out again; taking a step inside.
A wave of energy hit me with a force. Thud! I was slammed against the wall. A scream left my lips as I dropped to the ground. The bones of my spine crackled as I pulled myself to a sitting posture, coughing violently.
“Aren’t you afraid of getting killed?” Hera’s voice boomed followed by the sound of approaching footsteps. I raised my head to look at her and smiled through the pain, “It is not always possible to live with the one you love. Dying at the hands of a loved one is good too.”
Something flashed in her eyes and a teardrop rolled down her cheeks. My heart fluttered and I felt the urge to comfort her. No! This wasn’t supposed to happen. I had already found my mate. I couldn’t feel anything for this devil.
I closed my eyes in an attempt to recall the moments I spent with Corel but all I could see was Hera’s tear-stained face. My eyes snapped open instantly. What was wrong with me? Had she used some hypnotic spell on me?
She held out her hand. I hesitated but then placed my hand in hers. If I wanted to gain her trust, it was necessary to behave like a love-sick fool. It was okay even if she was using some spell, nothing would matter once she is dead.
She made me sit on the bed and took both my hands in hers. The familiar feeling of warmth flooded me, healing my injuries. I gave her a shy smile and stuttered, “Th… Thank you.”
She returned my smile this time. “A simple thank you won't be enough. I want my payment.”
“I… I will go out and buy some candies for you,” I made a move to get up but she pulled me back on the bed. She drew closer until her nose was almost grazing my ears, “I don’t want candies. I want something else.”
Heat crept up my neck and cheeks, “W…what do y…you want?”
She grabbed my collar and looked into my eyes, “Kiss me.”
My heart skipped a beat. I had expected this but suddenly I felt reluctant, guilty. This was unfair to Corel. She pretended to be understanding when I told her about my plan. But, I could see it in her eyes. She was hurt.
When I didn’t make a move, Hera drew me closer and pressed her lips to mine. I braced myself and kissed her back. This was just a part of my job. I wasn’t having a relationship with Hera and I had told Corel about it too. So, this couldn’t be considered cheating.
My hands wandered along the length of Hera’s back and I pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. To my relief, Hera pulled away before we got any more intimate. Her eyes were still closed when she muttered, “Cassius, I….”
Her eyes snapped open, suddenly as if she had just realized that she was with me. She got all flustered and her face flushed. Her eyes turned bloodshot. For a moment, I thought she was going to kick me out. But, she regained her composure and stated, “You can stay with me for two more days.”
Then, she walked out of the room with swift steps, slamming the door behind her. There was only one word to define Hera ‘weird’. Wasn’t she the one who took the initiative to kiss me? Why did she look so upset now? Her emotions seemed to mirror mine.
Wait! Did she have someone else in her heart? She did talk about someone named Cassius. Yes! That’s it. Cassius could be her weak point. I had to get her to talk about him.
***
The next morning, I woke up as the twilight scattered the darkness. I had only two days to make my plan work. I bought some breakfast from a nearby restaurant and plucked some red roses before going to Hera’s room.
When I reached, she was already locking the door, “I didn’t think we would be leaving so early.” I hid the roses behind my back and held out the bag, “I brought you some breakfast.”
She looked at the bag in my hand before shifting her gaze behind me, “I am more interested in the stuff you are hiding.”
I lowered my gaze and held out the bunch of roses I had plucked, “I…I wanted to give these to you.” Gulping, I continued, “You can throw it away if you don’t like it.”
She pushed me against the wall and started kissing me like crazy. I hated how natural her lips felt against mine. I should have felt deep revulsion. My grip around the stem of the roses tightened. The thorns dug into my skin and blood trickled down my wrists. When I couldn’t bear it anymore, I pushed her away.
Hurt flashed in her eyes and I rushed to explain, “I… I am so sorry. It is just that… Umm… I have never been like this…ummm…” I stuttered a lot before saying, “I have never been like this with anyone and I was nervous.” I lowered my gaze, “I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
Her gaze drifted to the drops of blood falling on the ground, “Oh my God! How did you get hurt?” She grabbed my hand and opened my fingers forcibly. Using magic to heal me, she chided, “Don’t get hurt like this again. You must be more careful, okay?”
“Okay,” A gasp left my lips and I gulped. My heart felt so heavy. Why was it so painful to act like her lover?
She cupped my face and smiled, “Go to your room and rest. I will be back in a while.
I hung the bag on the handle of the door before rushing to catch up with her. With a sideward glance, she snapped, “I told you to go to your room, right?”
“I don’t want to. I want to go with you.” I replied obstinately. I had only two days to gain her trust. I had to go with her even if that meant sticking to her like glue.
She stopped walking and turned to face me. Her eyes flashed with warning, “Justin! Why don’t you understand? This can be dangerous.”
“All the more reason to take me along. I can bring you back if the situation gets critical.”
Conflicting emotions flashed across her face. In the end, she let out a sigh of resignation, “Do whatever you like but you have to promise me something.”
“Anything. I will do anything as long as you let me come with you.”
“Later, when I am dueling with the vampire king, you have to stay away. Don’t do anything stupid.”
F***! This woman was a walking disaster. She wanted to duel with the vampire king now? He was at least three thousand years old with immeasurable powers. No matter how powerful Hera was, she couldn’t possibly defeat the Vampire King. It was one thing to burn down a vampire’s castle but killing the vampire king? That was another level of crazy.