Page 6 of Sold to the Devil
The Dark Mage told me he will give me a task during my stay at the Academy. Perhaps if I complete it, he will spare my life?
Yes, all I have to do is prove my loyalty to him, complete the task, marry his son, give them an heir, and do everything I can to prove myself an asset to their cause. It might be the only way to survive.
CHAPTER 2
Aelys
It took me a few minutes to calm down and for the tears to stop. I get up and go to the bathroom to freshen up, cleaning the mascara off my cheeks. I hear a click and then a door creaks open. I freeze slightly, realizing that Mattheo has opened the bedroom door and is now in the room. I take a deep breath and step out of the bathroom, almost bumping into his chest. I keep my head down, my gaze fixed on our shoes, waiting for him to yell at me.
“We're leaving.Now,” he growls.
I see him turn around and I follow him silently. I didn't bring a coat with me and I really hope the weather is on my side, because I don't have time to get one. I'm sure Mattheo will get angry if I ask to go back to our room to get it. I swallow the lump in my throat and leave the Manor behind him. I assume we'll teleport since he seems to be leading us to where Father and I arrived yesterday.
My eyes don't leave the floor, my mind repeating Mattheo's words from earlier. Am I really just a womb to carry Heir Rigast in the Dark Mage's eyes?
A light grip on my left wrist pulls me from my thoughts and my eyes land on the hand holding it. The skin is pale and a single silver ring with a snake on it sits on his ring finger. It's not Mattheo's because his skin is slightly tanner. I look up and see Arthur's sweet smile.
“Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.”
“I was just lost in thought, it's okay.” I shake my head, my lips curling up a little into a slight smile.
I see Mattheo roll his eyes out of the corner of my eye. He grabs my right wrist, his grip hard, his nails digging into my skin and then the familiar crushing sensation from teleportation fills my body. I try to keep my balance once we reach our destination and fight the urge to vomit after traveling so abruptly.
Mattheo lets go of me as quickly as he grabbed me, while Arthur leaves his fingers around my wrist, his touch still soft, almost tender. His gray eyes are filled with concern. I smile, letting him know I'm okay, and he seems relieved.
“We don't have all day.” Mattheo snarls, his eyes on Arthur's hand, his gaze dark.
I fight the urge to roll my eyes, not wanting to start another argument with him. The blond lets go of me, and we start walking toward a bookstore. Mattheo walks over to the counter and gives the employee a piece of paper. I'm guessing it's a list of books needed for the school year because the man disappears for a few minutes before returning with a basket full of books. Mattheo pays, and we leave the store in heavy silence. His fists are clenched, and I wonder why he looks so angry.
Arthur and I trail behind him, leaving him to buy everything we need for our year at the Academy. Arthur also buys a few things, making conversation with me, which seems to annoy Mattheo even more. My gaze falls on the pet store and I stop in my tracks. The blond notices and turns to see what I'm looking at before smiling. He starts to open his mouth but gets interrupted by Mattheo's raspy voice.
“What the fuck are you doing?” He asks, annoyed.
“Can we go, please?” I point at the shop, ignoring his anger.
His brows furrow and his lips form a thin line as he seems to think about it. Finally, he rolls his eyes and begins to walk away.
“No.”
I frown, saddened by his refusal. I wish I had a pet. Father never agreed to adopt one, and I always thought I'd get one once I left his house. I sigh softly, biting my lower lip before following him again. I know he doesn't care about my happiness, but I hoped he'd grant my request. Even if it was just this once. I guess I was wrong.
“Well, I need to buy some food for my owl, so yes, we're going there,” Arthur says loudly so that Mattheo can hear him since he has moved away.
I look at him, my eyes widening slightly. Hasn't he noticed how angry and annoyed Mattheo is? He winks at me and I smile brightly when I realize he's just looking for an excuse to get us going into the store. I hear a huff and see Mattheo coming towards us, clearly annoyed.
“Hurry. We have everything we need, so we'll head back to the manor after. I have other things to do,” He stares at us, his eyes darkening once they're on me.
I nod quickly, afraid of angering him further. We enter the shop and I look around, amazed by all the creatures they have. I see they have snakes and a smile creeps across my face. I've always loved them. I know most people are afraid of them, but I think they're the most intriguing and beautiful creatures in existence.
My feet carry me over and I look at them, amazed by their beauty. They're mostly small snakes, except for one. It's a black-scaled python, it's truly magnificent. I read the paper on its cage and see it's a two-year-old female. This means it hasn't reached its full size and will become slightly larger than it already is. I wish I could take it home, but since Mattheo was so reluctant to come here, I know that won't happen. I sigh as I watch the magnificent snake crawl around its cage.
I hear footsteps coming towards me and I look up to see it's Mattheo. His eyes dart from me to the snake as he frowns. I turn my attention back to the snake, unsure whether to ask him or not. I bite my tongue, knowing I'll only make him angrier.
The silence between us is heavy, oppressive, as his dark gaze drifts from the snake to me again. As if he's considering adopting it. As for me, I squirm nervously under his scrutiny. I'm so anxious that I jump when Arthur suddenly appears at our side.
“Hey, I have the- Aelys? Are you okay? You look super pale!” He exclaims, a hand landing on my shoulder and his gray irises full of worry.
Mattheo looks at him, askance. I don't know why he gets so angry every time Arthur talks to me. Aren't I allowed to have friends?
