SPELLBOUND

Dacria, the northernmost City of the vampire's empire was not an unknown place to Evie. A few months ago, Evie had taken a look at the map of the Northern Empire and this place named Dacria had caught her interest. It was because it's the only place in the entire empire that seemed to have nothing there, but an abandoned land covered with ice.

When Evie asked her father if anyone lived in that place, she was surprised when her father told her that it was probably the most formidable place in the whole vampire empire. He had told her then that they had no other detailed information about this place as no human had ever set foot in it. She had understood then that the reason why the estate was a blank canvas on the map was because of the lack of intelligence the humans had about it. Lucius had thought out on multiple worst-case scenarios and had considered Dacria as a place they needed to take seriously, probably more so than the vampires' imperial capital, because he had the sneaking suspicion that it would be the last area which they had to conquer in order to destroy the vampires' empire.

Hearing Gavriel mentioning Dacria as a safe haven had Evie swallowing hard. She remembered what one of the human generals had declared about the place. He had mentioned that the vampires could be hiding something in it. Something they could only call as a horrifying secret and that was why all these years, no human had ever set foot on that land. She had also heard that none of the spies who tried to infiltrate into the city of Dacria hundreds of years ago and even until now had ever returned alive.

The reminder of that thought made Evie subconsciously tense up and her heartbeat suddenly picked up. She was wondering what made him call a place no human had ever seen a safe place for her. What could it be that was hidden away there?

Gavriel seemed to have felt the slight changes in her and he halted. Carefully, he put her down and she found herself sitting on something hard. He pulled her hood up to get a clearer look at her face.

His hair was wet, and it looked as if he had just wiped his face off with the hem of his sleeve. His wavy raven hair and the velvety coat he wore provided a vivid contrast against the snow-white background, making him look unbelievably gorgeous and not unlike a divine being.

"What is it? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?" he asked, searching her face for something to give him a hint.

Evie blinked. She struggled to look away from him and looked around. "I'm fine… I'm just. I just don't understand why we're leaving, no… why do we seem to be running away from something…or someone?"

Gavriel tussled his hair as if to dry it. He then turned on that devastating smile on her. "Yes. We're

He leaned forward, narrowing the distance till their faces were only a few inches apart from each other. "My castle in the capital isn't safe for you anymore so I have to take you away."

"W-why?"

Reaching out, he held her hood as he looked in her eyes. "Be good. I'll explain everything to you once we get there, Evie." He said before pulling her hood down again to cover her head and face fully before swiftly picking her up. He then started leaping, a little slower than before. "Don't worry, Dacria is a safe place. Much safer than the capital." He added but Evie was still unconvinced.

"But… but I heard humans are not allowed there." She murmured and Gavriel halted for a moment but then leapt again.

"Yes. Humans are not welcome there." He lifted her higher until his lips seemed settle near her ear. "But you're an exception, Evie."

She jerked away, not caring that they were currently mid-air. Her eyes round and wide with questions.

"Why?" Gavriel tilted his head slightly the moment he landed on the ground. "Because you're my wife." He answered as a matter of fact before continuing leaping forward again, leaving Evie speechless.

"Hold on a little longer, I'm going speed up now. We're almost there." He pulled on her hood again and placed his large palm against the back of her head. And then, she felt like they were passing through another storm again.

By the time Gavriel stopped, Evie was shivering non-stop from the extreme cold. It appeared that this place was colder than the Dark Valley because the same thick clothes she had worn previously around her was now not quite able to shield her from the cold, apart from protecting her from the direct contact of the ice and snow around them.

"We're here." She heard him say. He had put her down, but his hand stayed firmly on her back. Evie lifted her face and what welcomed her was a gigantic fortress that seemed to be made of black stones. It was so tall and huge she could not even see the top of it.

While she was in awe at what she was looking at, a light thud coming from behind them pulled her attention. When she turned to look behind, Gavriel's men were also there.

They looked dishevelled. As if they had just returned from a bloody battle. The only thing was that they did not have any injuries on them.

Gavriel looked into their eyes in silent communication before the gate swung open for them.

The vampires who welcomed them had the same air around them as that of Samuel. They all emitted strong and scary auras which could be felt very clearly. All of them seemed to be the fortress guards. Any human trying to infiltrate this fortress would surely be cut down or crushed within seconds in the hands of these strong creatures.

It appeared that Gavriel came unannounced and that was why the vampires were slightly panicked. But Gavriel settled them down and told them there was no need to call on the authorised official to acknowledge his arrival.

"I need to bring my wife inside the castle now. Samuel, I'm leaving the rest to you." He said and with that he gathered Evie and leapt again.

It did not take long before he let her down on her feet. "Elias, tell the maids to prepare a hot bath for my wife." She heard him say and then he pulled back her hood.

Evie would have gasped in surprise at the sight of the luxurious room she was brought into, but she was too cold to pay any attention to her surroundings at the moment. As Gavriel helped her remove the heavy coats, it seemed as if some commotion was happening behind her. The maids were moving so fast, and she realized they weren't humans.

Gavriel also pulled off her gloves and held her hands between his. His large palms were warm against her cold hands.

"Let me warm your hands while you wait for your bath to be ready," his large, warm hands were rubbing against her hands, trying to create more friction. When he blew on her hands, Evie almost flinched. He looked at her through his dark and long lashes. "No?" his voice suddenly sounded deeper than usual. And Evie couldn't respond.

He blew on her hands while gazing at her, rubbing her hands at the same time with care. And she felt the ice melting.

"Everything is ready, Your Highness." A voice broke the silence and Gavriel innocently stopped, but still not letting go. He nodded at the maids and then gazed at Evie.

"Evie…" his voice was now soft. "There's no human maids here to attend to you." His gaze on her was probing, as if trying to discern what she was feeling through her facial expressions and body language.

When Evie tensed up, he seemed to have understood immediately and upon glancing at the maids, all of them left the room.

The thought that vampire maids would attend to her was… it was something Evie could not even begin to imagine yet.

"It's alright." He coaxed her. "I know you won't be comfortable with them. Don't worry, I'm here."

Evie blinked at him, feeling the tempo of her heartbeat increase. 'He couldn't mean what I think he's saying, right…?' her mind was screaming on the inside.

"Since there's no choice," he said as he started removing his coat. "I'm the only one left to assist you."