Chapter 9

Zev Wesley was the strongest of his kind. And his kind was superior to any other races. He was born a king. A ruler. A god. A demon. Feared by many until a curse ruined his plan to rule the world. The curse that forced him into isolation. It was a tragedy that he learned to get over with for decades, something he’s supposed to accept but that was no longer the case. The deity’s astral appearance tickled his frozen desire for revenge. And there was Layla, a newly-found companion he got. The young lady was not only fierce, but her lust was fueled with madness lurking within her. If he couldn’t achieve his goals, having someone do it for him was more befitting for a king like him.

However, to have someone beside him would mean he was no longer capable on his own. Zev would rather be called a ruthless demon than a merciful king. He wanted to rule the world on his own without relying on anyone. But what could he do so far? When he couldn’t even leave the peninsula which trapping him for tens of years.

Layla’s words enticed him. How he loved to hear that gruesome invitation. Zev would have already accepted it, if not for her shifting the previous night. When he kept believing to be the only white beast on the whole planet- as white symbolizing power throughout his race, he witnessed a mere dying lady shifting into one. If it wasn’t a hoax or a funny show, then he had to accept the fact that the young lady was one of her kind. The most ravenous beast that could only be born once in every five centuries.

“Do you have what it takes to stand by my side? I didn’t forget that I was the one who invited you to be my companion but I needed to know how much you could offer me,” Zev muttered while breathing heavily. He started to feel the pain seeping through his body after getting bitten by the lady while in her beast form. It was a humiliation for someone like him, and he still hadn’t given up on the idea of making her pay. “Hah, you have the guts to invite me like you are someone in power. Remember, I’m only keeping you alive to see if you have some use for me. Once you prove your strength and dedication, I’ll take you in as my person.”

He waited for her response and was expecting her to beg for his mercy which he was willing to give as long as she entered a blood pact with him. If he wanted to have her by his side, he needed something to bind them together.

Layla turned around to face him. Her eyes grew a bit wider when she saw his messy state. Surely, the man was having a hard time inside the room for some reason and his painful face pleased her a lot. “I thought you’re just bored and you need me to entertain you. So even being your companion needed to be through blades and irons?” She smiled, a deceitful one. “If that would make my master happy, I’m more than willing to prove myself.”

‘Nice pretense,’ Zev thought. He took a step to get closer to her. His lips quirked up as he grabbed her arms. “Then, show me what you got.”

For instance, Layla felt her feet not touching the floor anymore. Her hair was blown in the direction against the wind. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the dark areas between the concrete walls in the mansion before she was welcomed by the light on the outside. It was the first time she saw the bright sunlight, and she was never sure where it was coming from. Layla was too mesmerized by the light to think about why she was circling in the air. It was too late to be concerned about her safety when her back landed square on the ground.

“Argh!” A painful scream escaped Layla’s mouth. She could hear a few cracks coming from her bones. “UMF!” Layla groaned when she tried to move. Tears gushed out from her eyes like waterfalls.

“Three days,” Zev muttered while looking at the helpless lady on the ground. There was no sign of contemplation on his face. He regarded her as a mere piece on his game and if she survived, he’d give her a chance to live a life she wanted. Or perhaps, they could have both their revenge. “If you manage to stay alive in three days, I’ll acknowledge you as my companion and will even give you anything you want,” he continued and threw her a look for the last time before turning his back to her.

‘You have to survive to stay by my side. Having you as my companion is no easy task. First, you have to learn how to fend yourself,’ the man thought as the door was closing. “If you’re someone that the deity sent to end me, she will surely show up and help you accomplish this little task, right?” He clenched his jaw and found himself a seat where he could watch the lady struggled to get up from the ground.

Zev clutched his chest when he felt his heart stopped beating for a sec. The familiar pain he experienced just a few moments ago started to rule over his body again. “Damn! Just what did that lady did to me last night?” He cursed under his breath as he fell on the floor. His sight started to get blurry and his throat was dry. If not for his strong physic, he knew he would end up unconscious.

“W-Wisteria…” Zev mumbled when he finally realized the cause of the unbearable symptoms. He grew his nails turning them to fatal claws and pierced his chest. He had no idea how he acquired the deadly poison, not just for someone like him but for anyone else as well.

A faint smile reflected on his lips when he remembered what Layla said the other night. “Don’t blame me if you die right after you swallow me. I’m telling you my body was infused with poison for years” was what the young lady told him while offering herself to him. She did only not mention it once but several times. Layla was not lying about being poisoned. And the reason why he disregarded that piece of information was because he believed the lady would die after taking any amount of poison. Not to mention something like wisteria that could kill anyone once consumed.

‘Damn! How could I let that skinny wrench laugh at me when I die after giving me a warning? Moreover, why is she still alive after getting poisoned?’ The Wesley of the West had so many questions he wanted to be answered. Unfortunately, for the second attack, his body gave in to the poison.