His Majesty's Devious Sin

Elias quietly entered Adeline\'s bedroom. To no one\'s surprise, she had changed out of the dress herself. She was snuggled into the blankets, with her back turned towards him. He wordlessly approached the foot of the bed and watched her sleeping expression. Her rosy lips were parted and her eyelashes were quite long.

"Sleep well, darling," Elias murmured.

Elias hovered a hand over her forehead, as dark wisps shrouded his palm. He didn\'t want to do this, but he must. It was his promise to Kaline and Addison. He would make sure she had nothing but happy memories of her childhood.

The memory and cause of her parents\' death were useless. She didn\'t need to remember it.

"When tomorrow comes, you will no longer feel sorrow," he muttered.

Darkness flickered in Elias\'s palms. This brought back memories of the past, when she held onto his pants dearly, hiding her face into them. Back then, he had done the same thing—wipe her unhappy memories away.

"No."

Elias was startled when she grabbed his hand with her tiny ones. She was wide awake with large, angry eyes. Instantly, the wisp disappeared and his palm went back to normal.

"What are you doing wide awake, darling?" Elias said as if he didn\'t try to perform magic on her. He sat beside the edge of her bed. Unknowingly, he brought the blankets higher up to her chin.

"What did you just do?" Adeline questioned as she scooted further away from him.

"Just a spell to help you sleep better, my sweet," Elias said with ease. He smiled for her and fixed the hair away from her eyes.

"Don\'t touch me," she blurted out, moving into the center of the bed and far away from him.

Elias\'s hand froze in midair. A dark glower crossed his sharp features before his smile widened. The tip of his fangs slightly protruded out. His eyes flashed red in a warning. He was furious with her words but had the patience to tolerate them.

"Are you upset by my help, darling?" Elias asked. He retracted his hands and kept it upon his lap.

Adeline was watching him like a wary animal before dashing into the forest for safety. She was terrified, her eyes shaking. She held tightly onto her blankets as if it was a safety shield that could keep her safe.

"I said I didn\'t want to forget," Adeline coldly responded.

Elias was surprised. She finally knew how to advocate for herself? He expected her to stammer and her lips to wobble. Surprisingly, when it came to her beliefs, she voiced them well. At least, ignorant of him. He had heard how much she suddenly began to stammer near Asher.

"I only wanted to make you happy, Adeline." 

Adeline shook her head. "You wanted to do it for your own benefit."

Elias raised a brow. "Enlighten me, Adeline."

Adeline\'s grip tightened on her blanket. She was still lying in bed, for she had been paralyzed with fear. 

Adeline was intrigued by his powers, but was not surprised. Vampires were strange creatures with unique differences that humans could barely understand. Perhaps that was why humans feared them. Vampires possessed things that humans could only fathom, but never have.

"If I forget about that nightmare, then you won\'t have to worry about me. I will be the same naive little puppet that you think I am," Adeline said in a tiny voice, like the rustle of leaves.

Elias raised his head and widened his smile. She was still his naive little puppet. With or without those memories. How funny of her to think she was more than that. 

"Who said I was worried about you?" Elias cooed. He rose to his full height, watching as her breath was caught in her throat. 

"I-I just thought—"

"You thought wrong." Elias threw her a humored glance before shaking his head.

For some reason, Adeline\'s chest began to ache. It was a twisting pain, like thorns clawing at her skin. She didn\'t expect his crude answer, but who did she think she was? 

He had never looked at her with more interest than a predator, never worried about her feelings, never treated her more than a toy. For some reason, it hurts. And she didn\'t understand why.

"I\'m glad," Adeline finally said. "It will make our divorce after the year much easier."

At this, the temperature dipped below the freezing point. The windows weren\'t open, but there was a violent wind in the room. The blanket could never keep her safe from the biting cold.

"What?" His voice was barely above a whisper. A single word sounded like a single threat. He was livid.

"The divorce," Adeline slowly repeated, as if he was deaf. "After the year, I\'m bound to leave you."

Adeline jumped when he suddenly laughed a thunderous sound, lacking warmth. He looked at her as if she had broken his family heirloom and ran over his puppy. There were so much displeasure and fury in his eyes, that she did not understand why. 

Why was he infuriated by her? Why was he glaring at her? Did she say something wrong? All she did was repeat the truth. Was it that difficult to hear for him to react like this?

"You\'re not leaving me, Adeline Mae Rose. Not in this life, or the ones after that. I will keep on looking for you, even when you reincarnate and have no memory of me."

Adeline\'s lips parted. She scrambled back when he lunged forward. He was directly in front of her now. But he didn\'t touch her. With his burning red eyes, he might as well have grabbed her throat.

"You belong to me, Adeline, and always will. I will not have it any other way. Even if I die, I will haunt you and keep you by my side."

Adeline was terrified. Just exactly who did she fall in love with? Exactly who was this man in front of her? Did he realize how obsessive and creepy he sounded?

"You sound like a crazy serial killer," she blurted out with trembling eyes.

Adeline cowered back, not wanting to be anywhere near him. She didn\'t realize he had this side to him. All this time, who was the Elias Luxton that she had been chatting with? Why did he reveal this side to him so late? 

Adeline didn\'t want anything to do with him anymore. But she knew her fate was sealed, and there was no escaping him. He meant every word he said. She knew of it.

"Past, present, and future, I will always be crazy for you." 

Elias\'s lips curled into a sadistic smile. She can run all she wants. She could go to the ends of this Earth and he would chase her. She could board a ship to space and he\'d be in a plane right after her. He would always be able to find her—even if it cost him everything.

It was too late for Adeline to dream of freedom. Now that she was beginning to teach him bizarre emotions he couldn\'t fathom, Elias was beginning to understand her purpose in his life. 

The King could not love. He did not have compassion. But he would devote all of these emotions to the one that taught him this. And it seemed his dear Adeline was tasked with this burden.

"You scare me, Elias." Adeline meant every word that she said, just as he meant his. She didn\'t know what to do with the likes of him. No one had shown her this kind of obsession.

"Don\'t fear me, Adeline. It\'s not like I\'ve hurt you before," Elias said in a wicked voice.

"I will always fear you," Adeline whispered. "There will never be a day that I question your sincerity. This unhealthy obsession will hurt both of us."

"Think of it as an undying devotion," Elias slowly said. "And you will no longer fear me."

Adeline cast a glance towards the bed. She was near the edge. One more inch and she\'d fall backward. He remained where he was and didn\'t follow her even when she tried to run from him. Was it even possible to outrun His Majesty, the King of Wraith? 

Elias had connections in every corner of this world. The Luxton name was everywhere, whether it was in elite hotel establishments, department stores, resorts, and selected airlines. She could take all the transportations in the world, and he\'d be able to follow her.

"Do I even have a choice but to accept your greed?" Adeline asked.

"You will always have a choice, Adeline," Elias said.

Adeline threw him a pointed look. He softly chuckled, the sound sending shocks down her body. She hated how she reacted to him so well.

"To like me or to love me, it\'s all up to you, my sweet Adeline."