Garden Of Poison-Chapter 254: Soulmates

When Emily woke up from her deep slumber, her body felt weak and her eyelids heavy. Her eyelashes fluttered shut before reopening as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings. The last thing she remembered was the pain coursing through her body.

Her eyes stared at the ceiling before shifting to the bedposts, adorned with curtains resembling red silk coiled elegantly around them. Was she in Heaven? Because she doubted Hell would offer such soft bedding. Wanting to sit up, she pushed herself upright using her elbows.

"You are awake," came Raylen’s voice from one side of the room.

As Emily raised herself to a sitting position on the bed, she caught sight of Raylen setting aside the book he had been holding and rising from the armchair he had been sitting on. Her hazel brown eyes swept through the room before she asked,

"Is this your room?"

"It is. How are you feeling?" Raylen inquired, proceeding to the table and pouring a glass of water for her before bringing it to her. "Drink."

Emily accepted the glass with gratitude, savouring the water until the last drop, and then handed the empty vessel back to him. "The pain isn’t as intense as it was... last evening," she observed, her eyes briefly tracing the light filtering through the windows. Turning her attention back to Raylen, she inquired, "What happened?" Her memory of the final moments was obscured by pain and encroaching darkness.

Raylen, who had mentally rehearsed this conversation since the previous night, carefully broached the subject. "You remember the corruption afflicting your body, correct?" Seeing her nod, he continued, "I extracted the corrupted blood, but it didn’t improve your condition. Had I taken any more, you would have died. And if I left you as you were, you would have died too."

"But I’m still alive..." Emily said, looking at Raylen with curiosity.

"Which is more important," Raylen hummed. He came and sat next to her on the bed. His bright blue eyes locked onto hers, and he said, "There was only one way left, and I opted for it without hesitation or regret—marking you as my soulmate."

Silence enveloped the room, and Emily blinked at him in response. Raylen Storm was her soulmate?

If it were any other time, Emily would have argued and even considered stabbing him for taking such an action without her permission, even though she knew he couldn’t die as a result. However, as she faced the brink of death last night, she had desperately wanted to avoid dying because it felt deeply unfair that her life was being stolen in such a way.

From what Emily had heard, being marked equated to nothing less than a marriage, not through spoken vows but etched in eternity. But...

"Did it work?" Emily inquired, as there had been instances in the past where people who weren’t soulmates eventually succumbed to corruption. It was a double-edged sword.

"Do you want to see it?" Raylen questioned her back, gaining her interest, and she gave him a nod. He stood up and offered his hand for her to take. Guiding her to stand before a long oval mirror, he positioned himself behind her. "Do you see it, Princess?" he asked in a gentle tone.

As Emily’s gaze landed on the mark, she instinctively moved closer to the mirror for a better look. The reality of Raylen being her soulmate sank in even deeper. It felt as though their relationship had taken a sudden leap, bypassing stages to arrive at this unexpected point.

"It looks like bones," Emily whispered as she observed the claw-like pattern. She twisted her neck to get a better view of it.

"It is the skeletal structure of my wings," Raylen answered. Seeming almost magnetically drawn to her, he stepped even closer.

Gently, Raylen brushed a finger over the mark. It wasn’t just his touch, but the spot itself that sent a current coursing through Emily’s body, akin to tiny fireworks illuminating her from within. Most importantly, the area where the mark adorned her skin had become extremely sensitive.

Before Raylen could touch it again, Emily sidestepped away from the mirror, walking towards the wide window that stretched from the floor, arching upwards. Her cheeks flushed red, her lips parted as she felt a surge of desire in her body.

"Emily." Raylen called her by her name, which sounded unfamiliar as he very rarely used it.

"Why are you using my name?" Emily asked, slightly turning her body in his direction.

Though Raylen couldn’t see her expression, he could hear the sound of her heart beating loudly and clearly. The scent of cake filled the room, carrying a delectable allure, as if tempting him to reach out and take a bite. He felt his canine by running over it with his tongue and asking her, "Isn’t that your name?"

"It is..." Emily replied, and when she took a peek at him, she caught the Archdemon’s handsome face fixedly gazing at her.

"Then?" Raylen delved deeper into the conversation, wanting to strip her emotions so that he could see them laid bare in front of him.

Emily placed her hand on her chest, feeling her heart racing, and in a whispered tone, she inquired, "What is happening?"

"It is the forging of the bond, which is currently in progress. Since we weren’t originally soulmates, it will take some time for the full effect to manifest," Raylen explained, and after a brief pause, he added, "As hours and days pass, the bond will strengthen and eventually make it feel as if we were original soulmates." freewebnøvel.com

"What did you mean by ’full effect’?" Emily asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

"The consummation of our bond as soulmates," Raylen remarked in a calm voice, noticing the tips of Emily’s ears turning pink.

"I see..." Emily murmured. That was the obvious course of action... now that they were soulmates, she thought to herself.

Emily had heard about how couples who were soulmates craved each other’s company and that the craving only increased the more they attempted to resist it. This was also the reason why she knew Nathaniel had hastened the bonding with Layla, to avoid having to deal with the pressure.

"Princess." Raylen’s voice broke into her thoughts, the use of the familiar name delivered with a softer tone that made her turn to meet his gaze. "Rest assured, I won’t do anything that will upset you unless it becomes absolutely necessary. Besides, your body needs time to recuperate after last night."

Emily nodded, grateful for his understanding and restraint. She replied, "Thank you." She then apologised, "I interrupted the ball—"

"You didn’t," Raylen reassured her, as it had been someone else who had interrupted it. "There’s nothing for you to apologise for. We should get something for you to eat and help you regain your energy." Saying this, he walked towards the bell rope and gave it a tug.

"Where is my mother?" Emily inquired, finding it rather strange that her mother hadn’t already barged into the room.

"Viktor sent her back to Versailles last night. Safely, I might add, as I spoke to her." Raylen was internally ecstatic, even though he saw Emily frown upon hearing the news. "He’s here."

Emily’s eyes widened in surprise. "In the castle? To take you back?"

Raylen nodded, saying, "He can’t force me against my will, but I don’t trust him around you." He didn’t trust anyone around her but himself. "Considering the situation and our new dynamic, what are your thoughts about moving into this room? For safety purposes, of course," he added with a smile.