Garden Of Poison-Chapter 264: Grim as the dark cloud

Emily was taken by surprise when she felt Raylen’s cool lips touch and brush against her own. Her heart skipped a beat louder than any time before as she felt his other hand rest on the small of her back, drawing her closer to him.

It was nothing like she had ever felt before. Raylen’s teasing lips captured her own, tasting and tenderly gnawing on her bottom lip. The butterflies in her stomach flapped their wings with such intensity that the air around them seemed magical and electric. It was a sweet kiss, carefully coaxing her out of her shy shell, just as the man had been doing all these days.

Emily had secretly read about such kisses in books, but never did she imagine that those descriptions would prove to be so accurate in every detail. She felt his fingers gradually inching up, weaving through her slightly damp hair and gently cradling her head.

"...!" She let out a gasp when Raylen playfully bit her lip.

The sound seemed to entice the Archdemon, as he wickedly smiled against her delicate lips.

"Makes me want to bite you even harder," Raylen murmured with a softness that contrasted with his intentions. He wanted more of her, wanting to consume her.

Emily’s heart raced as her hand instinctively moved up to grasp the front of his shirt, with her knees beginning to grow weak beneath her. When his tongue traced the seam of her lips, she opened up to him without any resistance. Blooming for him to taste the nectar within.

And to Raylen, she tasted like the sweetest berries hanging amidst the chill of winter. His tongue was quick to seek out hers, and he heard another skip of her heartbeat. There was a subtle shyness when he probed his tongue against hers. It brought him great pleasure to know that he was her first and last, and that there would be no one else ever to come between them.

Blood rushed up Emily’s neck and to her face, as well as between her legs, intensifying the sensation that had already been ignited by their closeness and the pressure of their bodies pressing together from the front. She allowed him to take the lead, which resulted in him deepening the kiss into a much more passionate one. But as seconds passed, she grew increasingly comfortable with the action, and she leaned towards him, silently asking for more.

In tune with his soulmate, Raylen didn’t hesitate to steal every one of her breaths.

As Raylen briefly pulled away from Emily’s lips before kissing her some more, her head tilted backwards, and he gently cradled it. He observed that her partly open eyes appeared slightly unsteady, her breath uneven as her chest heaved with arousal. He used one of his hands to lovingly brush her bottom lip.

Emily’s mind was still humming with the intoxicating sensations Raylen had transferred to her, and every second of it had been delicious. As her gaze steadied, she noticed him running his tongue over his lips.

"I guess we should get you to bed now, Princess," Raylen stated, and he inquired, "Need help with dressing?" There was a subtle teasing undertone in those words of his.

Emily nibbled on the inside of her lip, the lingering sensations still coursing through her body, and she replied, "Okay."

Raylen hadn’t expected Emily to agree to his teasing words, and the subtle smile that graced his lips faded, replaced by a seriousness that came to settle in his eyes.

"Hasn’t my Princess turned brave today?" he hummed.

It wasn’t that Emily wasn’t internally flustered by her own agreement. Her acceptance had left her lips before she could fully realise it, causing her heartbeat to race even faster.

"You don’t want to?" Emily asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

A grin appeared on Raylen’s lips as he observed Emily’s reaction. "I never don’t want to, Princess. Never." Stepping away from her, he added, "Let me get your nightgown."

Emily allowed her back to lean against one of the bedposts, her gaze fixed on Raylen as he picked up her nightgown before returning to her side.

Despite the room temperature having dropped, Emily began to feel warmer than she had in the bathtub. Raylen stepped before her, and his hand reached for the knot of the towel that was tied around her chest. Her heart squeezed while her toes curled against the cold floor. In one swift tug, the towel came undone and pooled at her feet.

Unlike Emily, Raylen had no shame when it came to raking the curves and dips of her body with his eyes. The expression in his eyes hardened at the sight of her unblemished skin, which seemed to glow in the warm candlelight and the flickering fireplace. Every inch of her was beautiful, and his jaw clenched when his eyes settled on the mounds of her chest. Almost as if in response to the touch of his gaze, her tips started to harden.

Raylen’s eyes darkened to a deeper shade of blue with a hint of violet. He picked up her nightgown and instructed, "Raise your hands, sweetheart. Up."

Emily’s heart raced, not just for herself but also for him. She could hear its rapid beats echoing in her ears while her breath grew heavier. She complied, raising her hands as she watched him lift her dress above them.

"You are playing with fire," Raylen murmured, sliding the dress he had bunched up down her hands.

"I thought you wanted to take care of me," Emily responded, feeling his hands gently slide the dress down her arms. Her sleeves were the first to settle into place before the nightgown passed over her head.

"I do, in a million different ways," Raylen promised, and his hands deliberately slowed down as they reached the sides of her chest. When their eyes locked, there was a hint of a glare in his gaze as he remarked, "Who knew there was a little minx hidden in there?" He let go of her dress when it reached her waist, letting it gracefully fall to just above her ankles.

It wasn’t until Emily settled into the bed that she let out a yawn and came to realise just how tired she was. Ever since the corruption touched her body, she seemed to tire easily. She let her head rest on the pillow, and before long, Raylen joined her in the bed after changing himself into his own sleepwear.

Raylen pulled Emily’s body closer to his, holding her by her waist as they faced each other. He noticed how quickly she drifted off to sleep, her lips slightly parted as she breathed in and out peacefully. He watched her in silence, admiring her soft features that matched her gentle nature. It seemed like she wanted to tease and test him, and it brought a mischievous smile to his lips.

"You are everything I didn’t know I needed," Raylen murmured softly, careful not to wake her up.

She appeared calmer today; her dreams no longer haunting her. It was on the second night, shortly after she had arrived at Storm Castle, that he heard her fears. She had trembled, drenched in sweat, as though being pursued by some unseen terror. If he had known this was how things would end up, he would have pulled her close to him, embracing her until she calmed down.

Raylen quietly chuckled to himself, recognising that the likelihood of her screaming and kicking him out of her room back then was quite high.

Shortly after, Raylen fell asleep, and he dreamt of memories that belonged to Emily.

A young Emily sat in a corner on the wet ground, her legs bound by thick chains attached to dark walls. The little girl sobbed, shivering in the cold, as she hugged her knees close to her chest.

’Please let me see my family,’ the little girl pleaded in her small voice.

Suddenly, a hammer loudly struck a metal blade placed on the ground, silencing her voice. A tall man emerged from the other room, his face shrouded in shadow, making it difficult for the girl or anyone else to discern his features.

’You want to go home?’ the person asked, his voice raspy. "You’ve been screaming a lot, and I’ve been patient. But there’s so much noise."

’P—please—AH!!!!’ The little girl screamed in agony when the man drove an iron nail into the back of her hand.

’You should know not to scream, Emily. I told you I won’t harm you, but you keep taunting me,’ he said, clicking his tongue before pushing the nail further into her hand. ’Once you learn not to utter a word, we shall consider it.’ The voice sounded familiar, reminiscent of someone Raylen had known many years ago.

Raylen, who stood in the dream world, clenched his jaw in frustration and moved forward to stop the person from hurting Emily. However, the moment he drew closer, she vanished, and so did the man.

As Raylen woke up with the arrival of the morning, his eyes fell on Emily, who was sleeping soundly with one of her hands loosely curled against her chest. His eyes then shifted to the back of her hand, where he noticed a faint scar. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to remember whose voice it was in his dream. He knew that the answer was close.

Someone suddenly knocked on the door, and Raylen pulled himself out of the bed before making his way towards it. Upon opening the door, he found it was Westley, appearing grimmer than usual.

"What is it?" Raylen inquired.

The demon spoke softly, "Master, another woman’s body was found an hour ago next to the frozen river." By the time he finished his words, Emily had woken up and came to join them to see what was going on. "She was discovered by the women who fetch water in the morning. It is Lady Janelle."

Although Emily didn’t hear every detail, her face turned pale upon hearing the news. Janelle was gone? How was that possible, and why? she asked herself.

"Where is she now?" Raylen inquired, and Westley promptly informed him,

"I brought her to the castle and placed her in the working room, Master," but before Westley could finish speaking, Emily was already on her way there.

When she arrived at the room, her stomach sank, and she staggered back in shock. Her eyes fell on her dear friend, whose chest... had been opened up to remove her organs. No, Emily whispered in her mind. This was all a dream. It was a bad dream, a terrible nightmare, and she would soon awaken from it. But she didn’t. The horrifying reality remained.

Emily’s eyes began to brim with tears, but she blinked them back as she approached her friend, who lay there with her eyes wide open, a look of shock frozen on her face. Her clothes had been splattered with blood, as if no mercy had been shown to her.

"Jane..." Emily whispered in disbelief, her tears spilling from her eyes. "Why would he do this to her?" She knew it was the perpetrator who was after her, but Janelle had done nothing... Just yesterday, she was so happy, looking forward to her wedding.

Emily’s hand trembled as she gently placed it on the woman’s forehead, and all she sensed was darkness.

"How did she end up there?" Emily asked, her voice filled with sorrow and confusion.

"We don’t have many details, milady. But it appears Lady Janelle never returned home after she left the Ruiz’s mansion," Westley answered. Raylen moved to where Emily stood to offer her comfort. He knew that the dead woman was the only friend Emily was particularly fond of. "There’s also something else that I have come to hear, Master," Westley continued.

More bad news? Raylen asked himself.

"Layla Lynx, Archdemon Nathaniel’s soulmate, passed away from sickness yesterday."