The Devil's Cursed Witch

Draven scoffed, "As she should. Pay attention to your family more. When we get Myra back, you ought to act like an ideal big brother should, and you also have to guide Aureus so that he doesn't end up influenced by your uncle and clan elders."

"You don't have to tell me what I need to do. I can take care of the matters related to my family and clan."

"You better," Draven said before disappearing from the cliff as if he had become one with the wind. After talking with the shapeshifter about things that happened centuries ago, he felt as if he had not seen Ember for a long time. He missed his little mate.

Morpheus sighed as he stared at the empty space beside him. With a heart both heavy and light, he then quietly returned to his sister's cave.

When Draven appeared inside the palace, Erlos had just finished attending to Aureus' needs and had started doing his evening duties. When the elf returned inside his master's chamber, Draven was unbuttoning his tailcoat.

"Where is Ember?"

"Welcome back, Sire. Miss is resting in her chamber. She also ate her evening meal there. The journey on horseback must have been tiring for Miss, though she didn't let out a single word of complaint."

"Hmm."

"I have prepared the bath for you already. Once you have finished washing up, I will bring your meal," Erlos informed him.

"No need to bring a meal. You can leave and go rest."

Erlos looked at Draven in shock. To think Draven was really dismissing him so early! What happened between his stone-hearted master and that birdbrain? He could only watch his master drop his dirty clothes on the floor, unable to stop his imagination from wandering.

As soon as his master entered the side chamber, Erlos snapped out of his daze. As quick as lightning, he picked up the dirty linen and hurried out of the room with a cheer. He was free for the night! Oh, how rare a chance that he got to sleep early.

Draven slowly soaked himself in the comforts of the heated bath, allowing the warmth of the water to relax his taut muscles. The entire day, he had been moving around  to find traces of Evanthe and Zaria the Black Witch. Though he was a powerful being, he was not omnipotent; using his teleportation magic continuously exhausted his energy reserves. He had so much in mind that there was not a single moment he could even think about rest.

Rather than sleep, Draven's mind wandered towards his mate.

'I miss her.'

Only now did he realize that all throughout the day, he had been unconsciously looking forward to nighttime, to having his mate in his arms and embracing her to sleep. Last night, when he sneaked inside Cornelia's home to sleep by Ember's side, it had been a brief but effective respite for his tired body. He came to her bed before dawn and left before she woke up, but those few precious hours of sleep was enough to get rid of all of his body's exhaustion and mind's fatigue.

His mind found peace the moment his senses were wrapped in that sweet floral scent from his mate. It seemed like the situation was the same for Ember--she had been restless in her sleep, but the moment he held her in his arms, she  drifted to a peaceful sleep.

After drying himself and donning his night robe, Draven disappeared from his chamber, only to appear in front of Ember's bedchamber. He was about to knock on the door, but stopped himself when heard the voices of her servants conversing with their master.

"Miss, do you need anything else? Should we put out the light from the lamps?"

"Keep the lamps bright. I don't feel like sleeping yet," Draven heard his mate say, her voice sounding a little muffled.

"Why, Miss? Didn't you say your back and bottom hurt from riding horses all day? Sleep is the best remedy for small body aches."

"Oh, cousin. How can you be so naive? Miss is obviously missing His Majesty, that's why she can't sleep!"

Cough! "It's not that."

Her servants giggled, and one pointed out, "But Miss, you have asked us so many times if His Majesty is back in the palace so..."

"If I remember correctly, during dinner, she asked us three times."

"She also asked us after her meal."

"And she asked after her bath."

"Even before that--"

"Stop it, you two!" Ember complained. "Isn't it normal for a wife to check if her husband is back home? It is the single most common scene in all the romance books I've read."

The servants laughed at her obvious embarrassment. "Of course, Miss, but didn't you realize that  in those books, the wife waits for her husband because she misses him? Longing for his presence, his voice, his touch, his--"

"Reya, you talk too much these days," she berated, "and Clio, you used to scold your cousin before. Now you two team up to tease me!"

This response elicited another round of laughter inside the room. "Miss, it is natural for you to yearn for your mate. There is no need to be shy. I am sure His Majesty must have missed you as well in your absence."

"I don't think so. If he had, he would have teleported to see me. He could do it but didn't. It's obvious I am the only one who feels this way."

"So are you upset that His Majesty didn't come to you?"

"Why would I be upset?" Her voice seemed a little annoyed and angry. "I am just correcting you about what you said that he missed me."

Inside the room, there was the sound of footsteps. "Well, Miss, maybe you do not know because His Majesty is not the sort to express what he feels..."

"Ugh, go, go! Why are we even talking about this? I am sleepy. You two should leave and sleep too." That impatient tone implied she didn't wish to hear more.

"Good night, Miss."