My Most Precious Human novel Chapter 69

Sariel left me by the car and started walking towards the main entrance. All kinds of emotions circled within my heart. The most vivid one was anger; it was the one I was trying to hide, yet it surfaced no matter what.

"Asshole," I muttered under my breath.

He stopped and turned around. "What did you say?" he hissed.

I glared at him. I wanted him to know that I wasn't going to submit to him, not like that. I wasn't his slave, and I wasn't going to allow him to treat me as one. The problem was, I was too weak to oppose him.

"Oops." I theatrically covered my mouth with my hand, yet my expression stayed as cold as before, "It must have been my human emotions reacting... But don't worry. I will not expect you to understand it."

A soft snort left Leo's mouth. Sariel instantly glared at him, making Leo apologetically lower his head. I kept looking Sariel in the eyes, daring him. His pupils flashed red for a second, but he instantly regained his composure.

"Stop fooling around, Lilith, and follow me," he tossed and walked towards the entrance, followed by two bodyguards.

I clenched my teeth. I felt like a child, scolded for her irrational behavior. It was yet another mental slap from him. Perhaps I acted like a rebellious teenager, but the blood boiling within me overshadowed my common sense.

Surprisingly, Leo stepped closer to me and lent me his hand to walk me through the entrance. It looked like, for the first time, he was more on my side than his master's.

"He's trying to fight against the blood bond," he whispered to my ear while we were walking.

"What?" I lowered my voice.

"The fact that he marked you messes with his head. The bond is strong because you are the only one. Right now, he tries to prove to himself that he can act against his instincts. His grumpiness will pass once he accepts that he cannot win with the bond," he explained, voicing out his words as softly as possible.

"Thank you, Leo," I said hesitantly, wondering if I wasn't talking to his secretive twin.

"Just endure it for a while." He smirked, cautiously looking around to see if we weren't already on Sariel's radar.

I smiled at him, still uncertain about his sudden change of attitude towards me. Nonetheless, I was grateful. It didn't make me any less mad at Sariel, but it made me more composed.

Sariel walked to the end of the corridor and stopped in front of a large, white door with golden ornaments. There were two guards standing by the door. Once they saw Sariel, they bowed, showing their respect. He turned around and reached out his hand towards me. He needed me, so he could start the show. I was more reluctant than ever to become part of his plan, but since I was walking inside the lions' cave, it was better to stick with the strongest lion I knew. I gave him my hand, catching up with him. He nodded at the guards, and they opened the door. We walked inside.

The place we entered was a grand hall with numerous seats placed against the wall on the right and left sides of the door. There was a huge elliptical table in the middle of that room with only a few seats prepared. I quickly figured they must have been prepared for the nobles or their representatives, while the other invited guests and personal guards could sit on the other seats outside the table. Leo and the two bodyguards took their places against the right wall, while Sariel led me towards his seat by the table. Our ceremonious walk gathered everyone's attention. A few seconds later, the hall was filled with soft muttering and looks of disdain pointed in my direction. Sariel's seat was on the right of the top seat, which remained empty.

"You will stand behind my seat," he commanded, whispering.

I knew that disobeying him at that moment equaled having a death wish. I just did as he said as he took his place at that table. He turned his head to look at me and smirked. I gazed at him, trying to stay indifferent and composed. Suddenly, he grabbed my hand and placed it on his shoulder.

"Now that's better." He softly chuckled.

I sighed, telling myself that I should remain calm. I looked around the room and saw Duke Baltasar Orseolo sitting opposite Sariel. His eyes were locked on me. His gaze was filled with contempt, just like it was during the Adragnas' trial. Unlike the scorn Orseolo had for me, the man sitting next to him sent me a flirtatious smirk. It felt uncomfortable to the point where I cringed. That only made him grin at me wider.

He was quite unlike most vampires. His complexion was swarthy. His eyes gave out a golden glow. He had long, black hair, falling farther than his shoulders. He wore an elegant, tailored suit in the color of the deep sea and a black shirt without a tie. I couldn't say that he was my type, but he looked definitely hot. Nevertheless, his staring seemed completely out of line, especially since I was standing next to Sariel, and I could bet that he had already sensed that I had been marked.

The nobles were slowly taking their places until there was only the main seat left empty. I noticed there was a door farther behind the main seat. Most of the noble members kept glancing in that direction. Suddenly, the door opened. Everyone, including Sariel, stood up and bowed down. I lowered my head as well.

"Entering in place of His Highness the King, Her Royal Highness, Princess Elora!" the announcer called out.

"Be seated." I heard a strong female voice.

I raised my eyes and saw a beautiful black-haired woman sitting in the main seat. Her eyes were blue as the ocean and surrounded by long, slightly curled lashes. Her porcelain skin was almost shining. Her pink lips were in the shape of a little heart. Princess Elora was the most mesmerizing woman I had ever seen.

As soon as she sat down, she locked her eyes on Sariel, as if she completely ignored my presence… for a few seconds. After that, she glared coldly at me, clearly showing her superiority.

"Seriously, Sariel? Bringing your pet to the gathering?" She mocked, looking me up and down.

She certainly must have been confident about her position since she didn't address him by his title. Her informal way of speaking almost sounded like she was trying to belittle the Duke.

Sariel grabbed my hand on his shoulder. "She is not a pet. She is my woman." He smirked at her.

Princess Elora's pupils instantly turned red. Her rage filled the tiniest corner of her mimic muscles, causing her to frown, indicating she was about to erupt. She wasn't the only one infuriated; the commotion among the nobles arose, yet no one dared to say their opinion for everyone to hear… No one, except Princess Elora.

"She is food," she squeaked through her teeth. "Since you marked her, she has become nothing more than the food you fuck." She hit the table with her angrily clenched fist.

Sariel chuckled coldly. He pulled my hand lower and kissed it. Then he gazed at the Princess with a sly grin on his face.

"I'm well aware that you would rather be the one I fuck, Elora. Unfortunately, my Lilith tastes better." He glanced at me and kissed my hand once more, before putting it back on his shoulder.

I could see the Princess's claws growing. Sariel humiliated her in front of all the nobles, making her ready to attack despite the place and circumstances. I flinched. She must have known that Sariel could overpower her instantly once she attacked. That was why it was obvious that I would become her target. I tensed my grip on Sariel's shoulder, letting him know that I wasn't exactly comfortable in this situation. I felt as if everyone in the room was holding their breath.

Suddenly, a peal of loud laughter spread around the hall. My eyes roamed around, looking for its source, and I saw the swarthy, black-haired noble sitting opposite to Sariel, laughing and clapping his hands.

"Bravo!" he called out, "I didn't think that noble gatherings could be this entertaining!" His lips formed a wide grin, but his eyes were cold and wicked.

He smirked at the Princess and Sariel, then looked at me while licking his lips. Sariel noticed his gaze on me and touched my hand on his shoulder as if he wanted to say that he would protect me.

"Sir Aryan Desai is in a good mood, I see…" Sariel smiled coldly. His voice presented courtesy, but his glare stated a clear warning.

The name Sariel mentioned was familiar. Leo told me about him. He was the eldest son of Count Faris Desai. Leo described him as an annoying, spoiled brat. Well, I would also add that he was a daring but intelligent player. His ostentatious laughter disarmed the tense situation between Sariel and the Princess, who was forced to hide her claws.

"I merely point out the facts, Duke Calvet." Aryan Desai smirked, "I wish to say, long live the king, but he has already lived long enough. We all know that our dearest King Mael is about to die within days now, and most of us expect Duke Calvet to marry the Princess…" he paused to look around the room.

Sariel frowned, looking at other nobles and guests nodding their heads in agreement with Aryan. The Princess straightened in her chair, proudly raising her head up and smirking coldly at Sariel.

"As I see, the Princess isn't very fond of the pretty human lady standing by your side, Duke Calvet... So, once your marriage becomes a fact, you will have to abandon Miss Lilith," Aryan continued while grinning mischievously.

Sariel clenched his fists, barely holding back his rising anger. I could feel him tense his muscles.

"When you become the King…" Aryan snickered and pointed at me, "I will take good care of her."