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.