The Devil's Cursed Witch

Once Ember finished her bath and had a meal, she thought of going back to sleep once again; after all, it was not often she gets to enjoy the comfortably large luxurious bed belonging to her mate. She had no idea what the difference was, but for some reason, it felt like she liked his bed better than her own. Though she doesn't want to admit it, his scent lingering in the air was very effective in soothing her mind, even better than any calming herbal tea.

'Sadly, they changed the bedsheets into fresh ones or else his scent would be clinging on the--no, no, no, what am I thinking? This line of thinking is dangerous!'

As she struggled with her wayward thoughts, Reya entered the King's chamber, carrying a bowl in a wooden tray, a bowl filled with a certain kind of medicine. Ember looked at it and her brows knitted as an unpleasant scent tickled her nose. She could not help but press her lips together into a thin line.

As Reya reached the side of the bed, she said, "Miss, your medicine."

Ember looked at that bowl filled to the brim with dark-colored liquid and her expression changed many times. It was as if she was going to puke just by looking at it.

"Not again," she cried out in a complaining voice.

This was the medicine made from the herbs sent by Leeora when Ember confided that she didn't wish to have a child yet. Ember had this medicine once when she mated with Draven when she was in her fertile days, and now, just after a single day of rest, she had to drink this again.

"But Miss, is this not a drink you wanted?"

Ember had an expression of incredulity, as if she could not believe Reya was seriously saying she wanted to drink this, this--ugh, she could not help but pinch her nose!

"If I drink it this time, I will surely empty my stomach out and you have to clean all the mess, Reya."

Reya felt conflicted, unable to laugh or cry, but she knew she could not laugh in this situation. She could only pity her master--Ember had no one to blame but herself. It was she who wanted to take this medicine; the price she had to pay was its terrible taste.

"Miss, if you don't want to, I can take it back. Should I?"

"No, no, give it to me quickly before I change my mind," Ember said as she lifted the bowl of medicine from the wooden tray like a criminal accepting a grave punishment.

She stared at that medicinal concoction and cursed inwardly. 'I wish him to spare me on my fertile days. This medicine is just too bad, the worst thing one can ever taste...Ugh! If only he knew how much suffering I have to go through, first being bullied by him, then enduring body aches, and now this medicine.'

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However, she could only silently shed tears.

'Sometimes I wonder which one is worse--drinking this medicine everytime we become intimate or risking having a child just so I won't ever suffer through this horrible drink anymore.'

"Miss, what's wrong?" Clio had just returned from the kitchen when she noticed the silently crying face of their master. When she looked at Reya, her cousin could only throw a  sympathetic shrug towards their master.

"This medicine tastes so bad, Clio. If I could...I will throw it away," Ember sounded like she was crying, but there were no actual tears. "It's unfair! Truly unfair! Why only I have to take it? Why can't he take it instead of me? Why do I alone have to suffer the bitterness of this medicine? Where is justice--"

At first, she was wailing like a bullied child, but somewhere in the middle of her rant, her distress turned into anger.

The sensible Clio began to appease her. "Miss, I have brought honey this time. Once you drink this medicine, you can eat this honey and you can wash away the bitterness."

Ember was upset and angry. The more she looked at that medicine, the angrier she felt. "Hmph! Who needs honey? Give that to him. I don't want it. He just leaves after doing whatever he wants to do and I am the one left to suffer. Hmph, hmph, I dare him to keep that expressionless face of his after tasting this horrible--"

Her servants had been by Ember's side long enough for them to get used to Ember's fiery temper. Both sometimes wondered if it was part of her real personality or her getting affected because of the nature of her elemental power. They knew a number of creatures who also had the fire attribute, and though many were irritable or impulsive, none of them were like their human master who would not care who she was getting angry at.

That was the King of Agartha she was badmouthing!

No one sane dared to openly get angry at their king, but his mate had no bounds to her anger. No one would believe just a while ago she and Draven were acting like a perfect loving couple. One had to remember mere minutes ago, she even thought of confessing to him that she loved him, and now, she was angrily spouting words behind his back.

In the end, all she could do was sulk.

'I don't want a child yet. I have no other choice.'

After another fierce battle between her rational mind and her emotions, she moved the bowl closer to her mouth. However, her lips were still pressed together into a thin line. Her mind was egging her to drink and be finished with it, but her body was showing immense reluctance. The bitter smell of that medicine alone was enough to make her stomach feel upset. With much effort, she pried her lips open and held her breath--

Cough! Cough!

Clio immediately got the empty bowl from her master and handed it to Reya, and she caressed the back of her master to make her feel better. "Miss, don't lean forward... You must not spill a single drop--"

Draven happened to return to his chamber after dismissing Morpheus, and the moment he appeared outside the door, he heard the latter part of his mate's complaints. He entered in time to witness Ember coughing violently with tears rolling down her reddened face.

"Your Majesty!" Clio and Reya immediately straightened up themselves and bowed to him. He gestured for both of them to leave. Clio thoughtfully left the bowl of honey on the bedside table before the two servants left.

Draven sat at the edge of the bed and Ember looked at him with her teary eyes which were caused by the intense coughing. She looked so miserable, her delicate face red all the way to her neck and collarbones.

Her mate caressed her back, his movements gentle yet firm to ease her from coughing. Afterwards, he picked up the bowl of honey to feed her a spoonful.

Ember shook her head. "It won't work. It's too bitter."

"Try it."

"Last time, it didn't work and my mouth was bitter for the entire day...Cough! You can't understand it...Someone like you who never tasted it won't understand even if I explain..."

As she let out a whimper, she turned away from him, her expression unhappy.

"Is your mouth bitter even if you wash it away with water?" he asked, calmly.

"It is. Water, honey, sweets, nothing works. Maybe cutting my tongue and throwing it away will." She leveled a glare at his impassive face. "What? Don't look at me like that. You think I'm lying?"

"I'm worried."

"But you don't have to worry. It's my tongue, mouth and stomach that are suffering, not yours. You can just keep doing what you do. You don't care that I have to suffer like this anyway."

There was no change in Draven's expression, but he held her chin in response, leaning in a way his face was merely an inch away from hers.

"What are you--"

"Going to taste your suffering."

Draven kissed her deeply, his tongue sensually exploring the insides of her mouth.

She hurriedly moved back. "Stop! My mouth is too bitter."

Draven moved to close the distance between them again. "Let me check how bitter it is." He held her chin once again and kissed her thoroughly, enough to make her dizzy.

"You...don't...have...to--"

She tried to stop him, but was it possible to stop Draven when he didn't want to stop? Instead, he further deepened the kiss, making sure his tongue tasted every bitter inch of her tongue and mouth.

In the end, Ember no longer struggled, finding that though the bitter taste in her mouth remained, the warmth of his mouth and that coarse tongue had successfully distracted her and comforted her. Whether it was due to the scent of her mate or the taste of her mate, she no longer cared as she held onto him, kissing him with the same passion as his.

After a long time, they parted away to let the human girl catch her breath. Draven looked at her flushed face, especially those luscious wet lips of hers. "Does it still feel bitter?"

She nodded as she looked back at him. "But feels better now."

"Do you want me to comfort you like this going forward?" he asked, his hand caressing her cheek gently.

Ember felt alarmed by this and said, "Instead, how about staying away from each other during my fertile days?"

"That cannot happen," he rejected her right away. "I cannot waste my time."

"Huh?" She didn't get what he meant. "Time? Why? Are you traveling outside the palace for some time?"

Draven realized what he had just said and changed his words. "I don't want to waste a single moment. If I can, I will stay with you each and every moment possible."

Ember wanted to flat out refuse his nonsense, but she found herself unable to voice it out because the moment their eyes met, she could not lie to herself and deny how much he desired for her.

"Fine!" she said as she pursed her lips. Half of her mind was not that willing, but the other half of her felt the opposite. 'If he kisses me like this everytime, then I can handle that bitter medicine for him. He better not skip on kissing me though, or else, he shouldn't blame me for getting angry at him.'

"I have to leave now. You should continue resting."

She nodded and he stood up. As she watched his retreating figure, she could not help but touch her lips.

'Strange, his brows didn't even wrinkle a bit after our kiss? My mouth still tastes horribly bitter. Do Dragons not taste bitterness? I don't think so. My mate is just too composed to react over such small things.'