Tyrant's Obsession With The Heiress-Chapter 24: The Mark Comes With A Price

Lady Karina suspected she had better obey, lest she push him beyond his limits more than she already had.

The man had already shown her a generous amount of patience and, given his ghastly reputation, that was not a usual occurrence.

Rising to stand, her teary eyes focused on the back of his long, dark curly hair. And before she retreated, there was one other matter on her mind.

However, her gaze widened with surprise when the left half of Van Merikh's body erupted in a sea of flames.

She could feel the intensity of the heat all the way from where she was standing.

'He must truly be angry.' Lady Karina wondered to herself, rethinking her decision to address another matter.

The flames were wild, crackling and burning so brightly under the night sky.

Her eyes were glued to them.

Still, she dared to approach him despite the overwhelming heat.

"Sir Van Merikh," Lady Karina said with more strength than she felt, now standing dangerously close to his flames. "May I ask one more thing of you?"

Upon hearing his name from her lips, Van Merikh flicked out his left arm as if to scatter the sparks. He extinguished the fire on his body, half glancing over his shoulder but not entirely looking at her.

He didn't want to hurt her.

His strong profile was illuminated in the haunting moonlight, his jaw flexing dangerously.

"You have already demanded far more than you should have," he stated candidly, allowing the black frost mark on the right side of his neck to ignite and provide a cooling aid to the left half of his body.

Did it hurt to use his fire? Lady Karina could not help but wonder if the man was burdened by pain when using his magical abilities.

Her eyes roamed over his left arm, noticing his prominent veins were blackened for a few seconds.

And when Van Merikh sensed her prying gaze, he shifted on his feet to shield his arm from her sight.

"One more matter and I swear that I shall not pester you again," Lady Karina affirmed, taking another step forward and feeling the ground hot beneath her feet through her shoes.

Van Merikh smoothed out the crease lines from his forehead with his forefingers, inhaling a deep breath to settle the fire brewing in him.

"What is it?" He asked without turning around.

"The boy," her voice broke as she tried to control herself. "I beg that you please bury him with his father."

Van Merikh stood there, his jaw shifting and his fists clenching with restraint.

Another lie had to be told.

Lady Karina knew very well that she should perhaps flee for her life but she could not manage the feat.

She sensed that for all of his fury, he was experiencing a moment of extreme confusion.

And if he was not, then surely he would have unleashed all of his fire on her by now.

Lady Karina was wise enough to know when to capitalise on his moment of weakness; she had to make him understand.

She stepped over Sir Dane's corpse and made her way, hesitantly, to where Van Merikh stood. The man was working his fists to control whatever was whirling up inside him.

And Lady Karina's gaze trailed down his broad back, with impossibly wide shoulders and a toned waist, moving to his equally toned arms.

Deciding to gamble with her life, she reached out a small hand and laid it gently on his right fist.

His flesh was cold against her; cold and hard in comparison to her hand, which was soft and warm.

She took hold of his hand and squeezed.

Van Merikh's body stiffened, his brows drawing together tautly.

"Please, Sir Van Merikh," she pleaded, standing dangerously close to him, praying desperately that he would understand the sincerity of her plea. "The boy's name is Atticus. Please bury him with his father."

If the boy was dead at all, Van Merikh would have done so, but what started as a lie turned into a facade he needed to uphold.

"Bestow us this one mercy and I shall never beg for another merciful favour from you."

Van Merikh continued to stand stiffly like a stone sentinel.

And Lady Karina gave one last squeeze before she turned around in the direction of the keep, her exhaustion and weakness settling in her bones.

And when she had passed out of the Bailey, Van Merikh crumbled to his knees.

There was a strange throbbing at the back of his head, his mind under some influence he did not understand.

He opened his eyes wearily, gazing down at the black miasma oozing out of his left hand.

It was true that Orpheus Van Merikh was perhaps special enough to earn a second magical mark.

A mark that came with a price.

A mark that was a curse more than a means of power.

A mark that was very much a ticking time bomb.

His body tensed, sensing footsteps a few feet behind him, but he relaxed when he noticed it was his loyal second-in-command.

Lyall glanced woefully down at his liege, knowing very well of the burdens the man carried on his shoulders.

His gaze narrowed upon seeing the black miasma.

"Did the lady test your patience so much that you would unleash your flames?" Lyall questioned and Van Merikh shrugged his hand off his shoulder.

"You'd do well to mind what you say," Van Merikh warned, forcing himself to rise up again. He gritted his teeth, his forehead breaking out into a sweat.

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"You had told me to temper your anger whenever it goes out of control and provokes your fire," Lyall said defensively, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

"Perhaps I did." Van Merikh glanced up at the black blanket of stars, searching for something in the sky but not quite knowing what it was. "My time is running out."

"Aye, it is, my Lord."

Van Merikh exhaled a sharp breath, tempering his anger.

"That Phoenix beast must be found at all costs," he stated, fortifying his mind. "It is the only thing that will release me from this curse."

A/N: Hi all! Thank you for reading this far. I will be setting some milestones to achieve in exchange for bonus Chapters!

Milestone 1: 50 cumulative PARAGRAPH comments = 1 bonus Chapter

Milestone 2: Massage chair gift/Luxury car gift = 2 bonus Chapters

Milestone 3: Magic castle gift = 4 bonus Chapters + 2 regular Chapters