311: Warning The Beast

Warning The Beast

Embarrassed to her bones, Oriana could only hide herself in Arlan's warm embrace. Her body felt tired as if she had done some hard labor. She stayed quiet while catching her breath slowly.1

She could feel his fingers gently running through her hair as if to coax her while his other hand circled her slender waist to keep her closer. 

Being close to him like this and being cared for felt pleasant and she wished for him to keep holding her like this forever. He gave her a sense of someone who would always protect her, it was comforting as if this was how it was supposed to be. 

She opened her eyes finally and was about to move away, but she noticed something on his neck. In the dark, with her eyes so close to his neck, she saw something which she had been missing out till now. 

"Your skin. Is it shining?"

Arlan's body tensed. He needed to stop her before she could discover it was real. His hand moved to cover her eyes immediately which took her by surprise. 

"Do not open your eyes," he instructed.

"Hmm?"

"You are in the dark for a long time and you are tired so your vision is not stable. Keep your eyes closed for a while and it will settle."

Though unwillingly, she obeyed him. She was a physician and if there was such a thing, she needed to pay attention to it, but she knew this was not the time for her study and research. 

Arlan looked at his free hand. The scales were still flashing on his skin and it annoyed him. He was worried that his secret would be revealed and he would end up scaring her. No woman would want to see the face of a man covered in those disgusting scales with frightening red eyes, a man who looked nothing less than a beast. 

He was scared to see fear and disgust in her eyes for him. 

Arlan closed his eyes to calm the beast inside him, trying to get hold of it and suppress it. He wondered, was it not enough for that beast that thanks to him he already got the taste of her and she was by his side? It was enough for Alran but it seems like that beast was being greedy and was adamant on showing his presence to his mate. 

'You brainless creature, do you want to scare her away? She is a human. You will scare her. Do you want her to reject us? I am human, I can be on my own. Can you afford to lose your mate?'

As if that beast had understood, slowly those scales started to disappear from Arlan's body. 

Arlan smirked, 'Do not forget she is with us just because of me. Do not act reckless and waste my efforts.'

In a moment, those scales disappeared entirely. Arlan removed his hand from her eyes and she looked at his neck again, then moved her face up to even look at him. Everything was normal. 

'Seems like it was due to darkness that I got the illusion of gold shiny patches.'

"Is your vision fine now?" she heard Arlan ask. 

"Hmm."

"Alright then." He spoke and pulled her back in his arms. 

She struggled, "Your Highness. I need to go. Her Majesty must be searching for me."

"Don't worry about it." He held her delicate body even tighter.

She stopped struggling and said calmly. "Please. I really need to go."

She had come here with the Queen of Megaris and suddenly disappeared. A queen without her lady-in-waiting? It was not supposed to be like that. She needed to fulfill her duty. 

He could not neglect her plea and finally let her go. He sat up in the bed and helped her as well. Holding her hands he assisted her down the bed and stood in front of her. She was puzzled. 

Was he planning to not let her go?

But the next moment she got her answer. His hands moved to her face and she found him placing her veil to cover the lower half of her face and then tied it at the back of her head. She was shocked. She had long forgotten about that veil. Realization hit her. 

'Without a veil he would have found I am not any lady Ria Burton but his personal aide.'

She gave out a sigh of relief but wondered something. She could not hold back and asked him. 

"Do you not want to see my face?"

"I want to but if you wished to show your face, you would not have put this veil on your face. I understand there must be a reason," he replied, "but If you wish to show your face to me, I would be glad."

She took a step back and held her veil with her hand, "I think we are fine as it is."

Arlan didn't insist and said, "Wait here."

She watched him going away, effortlessly walking in the dark. 'His sight seems really good even in the dark.'

She watched Arlan lighting up the lamps in the room and then returned to her. She was ready to leave but he held her hand and stopped her. She looked at him puzzled, her glassy hazel eyes staring at his handsome face.

"I don't think you can return by Queen's side," he commented. 

"Why?"

Holding her hand, he walked her towards the full size mirror attached in the stand next to one wall and made her stand in front of it while he stood behind her, looking at a certain place on her body through the mirror.

"You can see yourself."

Oriana noticed something. What she was scared of, finally happened. She looked at him through the mirror angrily. 

"Didn't I tell you to not…."

"You said not on your neck," he replied nonchalantly and then looked at the top of her chest above her neckline, "I didn't leave anything on the neck. Everything is below it."

'Shameless man,' Oriana cursed at how he was taking pride in it that he left her neck unbruised. What about the rest of the visible part?

Oriana frowned and looked at the part below her collarbones. There was no way she could hide those marks now. 

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