Dark Hunger

Caleb was very angry. There was so much rage on his face that his face looked angular. His face was flushed red. Elize had never seen him this way. His hands had gripped the wheel tightly as if he would crush it. "Who???" Elize trailed off knowing Caleb wouldn't answer. He looked ahead. Those black eyes flickered a blue with potent ferocity of a beast that was lurking inside and scrambling to come out to hunt for the eagle that had smashed against the window.

For the rest of the journey to the inn, no one dared to speak a word seeing his demeanor. The inn where they stopped for the dinner was empty except for the owner and two men who were drinking and watching Hurling???the nation's sport obsession.??

Caleb made way for her. They all sat in a spacious area. He checked her everywhere once again to see if she was injured.??

"I am fine!" she said, though she wasn't. In her entire life, this kind of a thing had never happened. What were the chances that it was a mere coincidence? She was shaky inside, but the amount of fuss Caleb was making for both of them that she didn't show it.??

"Your heart is beating fast, Elize!" he growled. "How can you be fine?" He cupped his hands on her cheeks and forced her to look his way. When their gazes met, even if the god appeared before them, she wouldn't have been able to look away from him. She felt his warmth and his relief and something so potent that she didn't need a degree in rocket science to understand what it was. Love???

"I am fine???" she said as her hands cupped over his.??

He exhaled heavily and she knew that he had exhaled his anger. His features softened and he reluctantly removed his hands from her cheeks. "Are you hungry?" he asked in a low voice.??

She knew that if she said yes, he would send Laurel to the forest and ask her to hunt blood for her. Elize didn't want to compromise Laurel's safety, so she said, "No, I am not." Her words seemed to relax him.??

The food was ordered. Auril was talking to Laurel about her stay in the jail and teasing her. "It was disgusting!" she said as she munched on a roasted chicken leg. "There were two other criminals sitting inside with me reeking of piss." She would never forget her experience and all because of the vampire.??

Auril laughed. "At least, you got away. I had to promise the Sheriff that I will send you to an institution for mentally deranged, and then only he left you."??

"Fuck off!" Laurel grunted. Suddenly, the doors of the restaurant opened again, the bell above chiming. She peeked over Caleb's shoulder to see who had entered and was surprised. Her eyes became wide as saucers. Two girls who were talking with Caleb in the driveway of the hotel walked in and one of them was Norma.??

The girls came to sit at a table that was placed after two tables. They were talking to each other as if completely immersed in the conversation when Norma glanced at their side and she squealed, "Oh my god!" She turned and quickly walked to Caleb. She waved her hands in the air and then pressed her mouth, looking at Caleb. "You are here!" she said in a flattering voice. "What are the chances that we meet again? I was going north and didn't know that you too are headed there!" She let out a soft laughter and fanned her face that was heated. "I think god wants us to really talk!"??

Caleb wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned back in his chair, while Elize stopped an urge to roll her eyes. Laurel narrowed her eyes.??

"And I am Auril!" Auril said and extended his hand to shake with her.??

"Oh, hello Auril! I am Norma," Norma said, fluttering her eyelashes. She quickly dismissed him and looked at Caleb. "Can we please talk about the project? I will never get this opportunity to meet you again."??

Caleb pursed his lips. He was sure that the girl had followed him all the way here and she was going to follow them further if he didn't listen to her. And that was one thing he couldn't afford. He said, "Please have your dinner. We will talk after that."??

"Thank you!" Norma squealed again. She went back to her table and ordered food.??

When the dinner was over, Caleb got up and went to the bar where the girls followed. Auril too left saying he would take a midnight stroll for a while. Elize was left alone with Laurel. This was her chance. Laurel said in a very low voice, "I am so sorry, Your Highness that I couldn't deliver your food yesterday on time."??

"No problem," Elize replied, her voice clipped.??

"I think that was why the king punished me yesterday."??

Elize didn't answer her, as she recalled what was going on between her and Caleb when the phone came last night. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear away from her cheek.??

So, when she didn't reply, Laurel became bolder. "I feel so sad for the king that it breaks my heart. Please don't mind me when I say this???" she gulped and her lips curved down. "If you feel that you don't like our king, then you should hasten your decision and tell him. Ixoviya needs him and it has been almost three months since he has become the king and not returned because of you."??

Elize's discomfort rose. She shifted in her place.??

Laurel continued, "If you want to reject him as your mate, then do so fast. I know that rejection comes with a lot of pain. But then all of us at Ixoviya are going to take care of our king. I will personally take him back and help him heal his heart. But please do not delay???" her voice trailed off as if her throat choked. She wiped a tear that rolled down her eye. Then she turned her face to her and said, "Trust me, Your Highness, I am also going to help you with this transition. Rejection is the most painful process. Our king has already had a very bad experience in his first marriage with Pia. She turned out to be a gold digger and???" Laurel bit her lip as if the thing that she was going to say next was awful. "And she was more interested in his younger brother." She turned her gaze to look at Caleb who was deep in conversation with Norma. In a strained voice she said, "Please, I beg of you, you must reject him." She glanced at Elize to gauge her reaction. It was exactly as she had anticipated. The vampire had paled. Laurel rubbed her neck and added, "Also don't tell all this to the king. Even though I am only talking in his favor, he will react adversely and may even kill me." She extended her hand to place on Elize's. "I will ensure that there is someone with him and with you to deal with the pain that comes with rejection. So just go ahead and reject him instead of playing with his feelings. Reject him for Ixoviya."??

Icy burst of shock surged through her and Elize trembled.