Bride To His Darkness-Chapter 281: Mind Manipulation

Marius knew that if she stayed close to the vampire, luring her towards him would be nearly impossible to accomplish. Whatever false bonds she might have forged with the vampire were taking effect, because whenever they stayed together, or whenever she thought about him, he could not maneuver his way into her head. He no longer felt like her master, and the Sierra he knew was always more than ready to fulfill his wishes– like his favorite little puppet ! He owned her.

He could bend her as he pleased, she was his loyal puppet, but gazing at her presently, as she laid unconscious on his own bed, she no longer carried the air his Sierra once possessed. Everything about her screamed for that vampire, whilst his hands balled in anger, and he was tempted to grab her neck and demand from her why she would go after another man when he was still hers to control, to tame.

He was fortunate enough that he was able to suppress what he felt in the presence of Carmela, but after her presence had been requested at the nick of time, he finally had some alone time with the woman he longed to see beside him again. It happened many years ago, after Sierra’s death, and then her soul merging with the Orb instead of returning to the afterlife, he remembered it all.

"Did the centuries distance make you forget me so easily?" He inquired as he crouched down at the edge of his bed, gazing at her face that showed no sign of her waking up anytime soon. He carried a strand of her golden locks and wrapped it around his index finger, and then he sniffed the floral scent she emitted.

"Lavender?"

His obsidian eyes darkened like a moonless night, swallowing the last glimmers of starlight that restrained his fury, cause he knew, this wasn’t her scent.

Last night, when he suddenly ran out of patience, he found himself standing beneath the ancient oaks close to the gate of the Chevalier Palace, whilst the moonlight cast an eerie glow on the clearing outside the dark forest. His human guise cloaked the demonic essence within him, a cunning smile playing on his lips as he knew it was time for his beloved to return to him.

In the stillness of the night, he whispered a subtle incantation and softly called her by the name his Sierra presently bore in her second life, a speckle of dark and purple stardust hovering ominously in front of him.

"Samantha.."

It was a mind trick designed to enthrall even the most divine beings. A subtle manipulation, seeking out the most vulnerable edges of Samantha’s consciousness. The Palace where she resided loomed in the distance, a majestic structure adorned with vines and blossoms. He could feel her presence inside, and what’s more, she was alone, with no vampires to come in the way of his spell.

Soon, he sensed a subtle shift in the air, a response to his insidious influence, and then he smiled.

"She’s coming."

The gate creaked open, and from inside emerged Samantha, whose movements were guided by unseen force. The moonlight revealed an ethereal glow around her, an aura tainted by Marius’s dark manipulation, but behind her where four bodyguards wrapped in vines, and Marius could guess that three of the guards were being suffocated by the vines that continuously squeezed the breath out of their lungs. They dragged the bodyguards on the floor, a testament to the height of Samantha’s powers, and they were hurled against a tree.

When she approached him, her eyes glowed with an unnatural brilliance. The corner of her eyes bore intricate green threads, weaving an arcane tapestry that curled into her hair like enchanted vines. It was as if Marius’s whisper had painted a mystical bearing to her powers.

Marius couldn’t help but revel in the success of his mind trick, however, Samantha appeared like a puppet dancing to his malevolent melody. The green marks that had mystically formed at the corner of her eyes had gained his attention, but taking it as a testament to her powers, he pondered less on it and simply let out his hand for the entranced woman to hold.

"Come." There was an otherworldly softness in his tone as he beckoned her over, words meant to deceive. She had stopped three feets away from him, and when her hand moved to touch his outstretched hands, she was ready to take it when her hand stopped mid-way.

It was as if something in her mind had clicked at the last minute.

A trembling gasp escaped her lips, and she hesitated, almost as if Marius’s spell was starting to fade. The arcane marks on the corner of her eyes were starting to fade as well, but before she could come to her senses, Marius moved quickly and placed his index finger on her forehead. That one harmless action had Samantha losing any form of strength she had managed to muster, but Marius held her close, saving her from slumping to the ground. freeweɓnovel-cøm

"Who.. who are you--"

"Sleep." He whispered, but Samantha’s heavy eyelids had moved to study the man who was holding her in his arms, but she was unable to keep them open for long and gave into the darkness that consumed her.

"You nearly lost her there," said a figure who was hiding in the shadows, but Marius didn’t bother to look, as he’d recognize the owner of the voice anywhere.

"Why did you help me?" He questioned the man in the shadows, "The vampire King will have your head if he gets to know that you were part of the reason his wife disappeared."

"Who will tell?" Asked the figure, almost teasingly, and then he sighed, "that is my burden to carry, not yours. I helped you, so I need you to do the same for me."

"Meet me at our venue, same time tomorrow if you want to talk." Knowing staying here any longer would be of great risk to him, he vanished with Samantha in his arms.

Looking at the three dead guards, the figure in the shadows had his eyes on the last guard that wasn’t dead. He was unconscious, but not dead.

"Another episode of suicide." The figure in the cloak smirked maliciously.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺