Mated To The Cruel Prince-Chapter 769: Trouble Came Knocking

"Stop! Please, stop!" Islinda cried, her voice breaking.

Islinda swore she saw hell and came back. The pain was so intense that she felt Azula, the demon she kept buried deep within her mind, creeping in and compelling her to give in. But Islinda was determined and pushed her back. She could handle this. She would not give in. She would not let that demon take over again!

"That’s enough!" Aldric barked, unable to take in the sight of Islinda in pain anymore. It felt like his own heart was being torn to pieces, and it had taken him a lot of willpower so far to not rip Lilith apart for hurting his mate.

Before he could interfere, the pain ebbed away, leaving Islinda trembling and gasping for breath. She lay still, her body aching, her mind reeling from the ordeal.

Lilith stepped back, a satisfied smile on her face. "There, it’s done," she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

Aldric rushed to Islinda’s side, his face pale with worry and his eyes filled with guilt and anger. He gently lifted her into a sitting position, his hands shaking as he wiped the sweat from her face.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, his voice thick with concern.

Islinda nodded weakly, trying to catch her breath. "I’m... I’m fine," she managed to say, though her body still trembled from the residual pain.

"She ...she hurt me on purpose," Islinda whispered, her voice shaking

Even Azrael who had chosen not to interfere, his eyes blazed with cold yet controlled fury. "You went too far, witch."

Lilith shrugged. "Pain is often necessary for transformation, love. You’ll understand that in time."

Aldric’s anger bubbled to the surface, his protective instincts roaring to life. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Lilith, his hand wrapping around her neck. "If you ever put her in pain again, I’ll give you a misery you would never recover from!" he snarled, his voice shaking with barely contained rage.

Even with Aldric choking her, Lilith chuckled, a sinister smile playing on her lips. "Such fierce loyalty. When did you become such a pussy, Aldric? You were never this way with me."

"Perhaps I should simply send you to your ancestors and you can get the answers there," Aldric’s eyes flashed with menace, his grip tightening as he seemed on the verge of choking Lilith to death.

Azrael stepped in swiftly, placing a firm hand on Aldric’s shoulder. "Aldric, remember why we’re here. We still need the witch."

Aldric’s jaw clenched, but he reluctantly let her go. Lilith stumbled back, coughing and rubbing her neck. Her laughter was mirthless, her eyes darkening with anger as she straightened herself. "You bastard," she spat, her voice dripping with venom.

She turned on her heel, heading over to a corner of the room. "This is the last time I’ll be helping you," she called back, her tone cold and final. "You better find another witch willing to do your dirty work from now on."

Aldric watched Lilith go, his body still tense with barely suppressed fury. Lilith was lucky she was still useful to him; otherwise, she’d be dead by now. His mind was a storm of emotions, but he forced himself to focus. He needed to be there for Islinda. Turning to her, he gently helped her up to her feet, his touch entirely gentle, a stark contrast to his previous rage.

Azrael watched the scene, baffled. Though he and Aldric had not been close enough to know about his intimate moments with women, he had heard tales and knew Aldric’s personality. No woman could distract or take up his time like this, however, Islinda seemed to be doing just that and more. Azrael shook his head. What love did even to the hardest of males. This was a side of Aldric he had never get used to.

A few moments later, Lilith returned, carrying a small, ornate box. She opened it to reveal an array of jewelry, each piece glinting with an otherworldly sheen.

"Choose one," she said, her voice still carrying a hint of bitterness. "The item will be used to completely bind the magic. Changing her face alone, the magic is temporary and would expire with time, but when masked with an item, as long as she wore it, it would mask her identity."

Aldric approached the box, his eyes scanning the pieces carefully. He reached out and selected a delicate necklace with a pendant shaped like a crescent moon. The silver glowed faintly, imbued with enchantments.

"What do you think of this one?" He asked Islinda for her opinion.

Islinda took it from him and examined it, she nodded, her eyes shining with excitement. "I think it’s perfect."

"Good." Aldrc looked at her with adoration in his eyes only to turn to Lilith, his expression hardening. "This one."

Lilith nodded, taking the necklace from him with a huff of annoyance. "Good for you," she said, her tone now strictly professional.

She said to Islinda, her eyes losing some of their earlier malice. "This will hurt a bit, but it’s necessary to bind the spell."

"What? You have got to be kidding me." Islinda could not believe her ears. She could still feel the residual pain from the earlier transformation she had intentionally done to her, yet, here she was, asking for another round of voodoo torture she was about to put her through.

"That’s not happening," Aldric was not in agreement either.

"I cannot do anything if that’s the case," Lilith responded, folding her arms over her chest with a stern look

A sudden darkness fell over the room, "You would -!"

"Aldric, she’s telling the truth." Azreal interrupted him.

Aldric looked at Azreal, words in his mouth but could not say it.

Lilith said to him, "You can try taking her to another witch to try bind the magic to the necklace but I must warn you, our kind has not been on good terms with yours lately. You might have to be careful. Every witch out there wants a piece of Fae blood."

Aldric’s hands were tied at this point. Even he too knew the news. There has been a recent rise in witches trying to keep up the barrier and that has build a lot of resentment amongst some witches who were determined to prove they were no inferior creatures to the Fae. They were not their slaves.

"It’s okay, Aldric." Islinda said this time, realizing that Lilith was telling the truth this time and it was not just a means to exact her revenge. Although she knew the witch would try to punish her in way or the other, if not to get done sort of twisted pleasure from her suffering.

Aldric was hesitant at first but he gave in when he realized Islanda had already steeled herself for what was to come.

He warned her, "Don’t try anything, stupid, Lilith. You wouldn’t have it easy this time."

Lilith shorted, "We have no time for long days, this process would take a longer time, at least an hour."

"What?" Both Aldric and Azrael shouted for the exact same reason. None of them wanted to spend a minute more in this place.

"You want a glamor even the strongest Fae cannot see through, it requires strong magic and concentration." She added, "And did I forget to mention that I would not be interrupted during that session, else I would have to start all over again?" frёeωebɳovel.com

"Why didn’t you mention this all this while?" Azreal asked, frustrated. He was no longer comfortable.

"I assumed Aldric knew the process, oh wait, he had not really been observant during Maxi’s session." Lilith gave theny a bored look. "Are we doing this or not."

"Lets do it." Islinda already returned to her lying position, eager to get this over with.

"At least, you’re the smart one." Lilith warned this time. "It would for a while but would subside after a while, so try not to make too much noise before your lover takes my head off."

Islinda tried to relax as Lilith began to chant, her voice rising and falling in an ancient, arcane rhythm. The pendant glowed brighter, the light enveloping Islinda.

Islinda gritted her teeth as a sharp, searing pain spread from the pendant, coursing through her body. She felt as though she were being pulled apart and reassembled, the magic binding itself to her very essence. She let out a small cry, but Aldric was there, his hand holding hers, grounding her through the ordeal.

Azrael watched silently, keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings. The room was filled with tension, the air thick with the lingering scent of magic. For a moment, everything seemed to be settling down, except for Islinda’s heavy breaths and Lilith’s soft murmurs.

Then, a knock sounded on the door, sharp and insistent, disrupting the fragile calm. The sound echoed through the room, sending a jolt of alarm through everyone present. Azrael’s instincts flared to life, a cold certainty settling in his chest.

Trouble has just arrived.