Secrets in the Shadows

Chapter Six

Maev walked into her new bedroom wrapped up in a thin cloth that she had found in the bathroom. Droplets of water dripping from her hair left a trail of water behind her. It was not the best outfit to wear as the cold breeze entering through the opened windows reminder her that in this Kingdom it felt like summer during the day and winter at night. Perfect weather for those cold-blooded creatures who resides in this Kingdom. Wondering what she will wear she walked to the windows and closed them before this room turns into cold storage.

She rubbed her hands along her upper arms as though to stop the shivers as she tried to figure out what she will wear tonight. She wasn't going to touch any of Kramer's outfits that's for sure, she wanted nothing from that man even to borrow one of his shirts. Glancing towards the front door of the bedroom, she noticed that there were two black suitcases close to the door."Someone came in here whilst I was taking a bath!?", she whispered as she hurried to the door and checked if it was locked. She was relieved that the door was locked and let out a deep breath. “Maybe they were there when I walked in and I was so shaken up that I didn't notice them", Maev said in a hushed tone. In this castle the only person she could trust was herself. So most conversation she would have will be with herself probably in a whispering tone as she didn't even trust the walls in this castle.

Maev hurried towards the suitcases and opened the biggest one and she was surprised to see her things.Who brought my things here? Maev silently asked herself. She took out her nightdress and her robe. She quickly got changed, feeling glad that at least those creatures did something right by allowing her to have her things. She held up one of her dresses and took in a deep breath, it smelled exactly like her home, like a garden of beautiful wildflowers. The smell made her feel gloomy, she walked towards the king-size bed and sat down on the edge of the bed smelling the dress. Tears tickled her eyes, it is when you are far away from your home, the place where you feel safe that you realize that indeed there's no place like home. The place where you hang your heart and calls your sanctuary.

Placing the dress on the bed, she stood up wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. Glancing around the room, she needed to do something to distract herself, so finding out what was hidden behind those doors in the room could keep her mind off her home at least for a little while. She pulled opened the doors closer to the bed to find a walk-in wardrobe. A massive room filled with Kramer's outfits. All dark in colors but every outfit inside there looked very expensive. What Maev possessed in her two suitcases would only fill two drawers in that wardrobe. She gently touched one of his black coats and she was mesmerized by the texture. She had never touched such material before, so soft and smooth. She noticed that his name and a crown were skillfully embroidered on the back of the coat. It surely spelled out luxury.

Maev glanced around the wardrobe and shook her head. “ Looks like my dear husband forgot one tiny detail, to remove everything that is his inside this room he calls mine”, Maev said as a small yawn escaped her lips. Exhaustion from the dramatic day she had was starting to take a toll on her and what she craved was to curl up in that bed and get some rest. When dawn breaks she will figure out what will be her next move inside this castle. Maev sat down on the edge of the bed and grabbed her favorite brush from her suitcase and brushed her wet hair. With each stroke of the brush on her hair, her eyes automatically closed. Her thoughts went back to Kramer. She couldn't deny that her husband was truly a handsome man, the kind of handsome that could easily get into your bones. His face could easily stop you in your tracks and his eyes when they were not filled with darkness, could hypnotize you and turn you into his puppet. He was the type of man that women would kill for. He had a good physique, she had felt his hard muscles when she had pressed herself hard against him when he was kissing her like a beast. Kramer had a scar on the right side of his face and one had to be looking closely at him to notice it. Even when his eyes were as dark as the night he ignited something inside her that she had never felt before.

" Step out of it!", Maev said to herself as she started to feel this tickling sensation in between her thighs. Never had she ever felt this way about any man before. She got up from the bed and placed her brush on the bedside table. The thought of Kramer had surely wiped the sleep away from her eyes and ignited a fire inside of her.

" Why would I think of Kramer Grand like that! So he is handsome or whatever .. but I will not be one of those women who will drop my panties for him", Maev said as she walked towards the balcony and pulled opened the door. A cold breeze caressed her skin as she stepped out barefooted on the stone balcony.

Maev closed her eyes as the soft breeze caressed her face and played in her wet hair. She glanced down and noticed how the castle was beautifully decorated with large flame torches all around its premises. She scanned around the garden until her eyes laid upon two people kissing against the wall and where they were it was obvious that they were hiding from everyone else. The man had his shirt opened and he ran one of his hands up that woman's dress. His hand got lost underneath her dress which made his lover tilt her head backward and his mouth found her neck. Maev didn’t know why she was standing there looking at something that was none of her business. The man turned his face in her direction and she gasped.

" Kramer!", Maev said almost shouting as she covered her mouth with her hands. She stood there like a statue not knowing what to do, she turned to walk away but stopped when she noticed that Kramer was looking up at her with a smirk on his face.

Maev quickly removed her hands from her mouth and looked down at him and waved with a big smile trying to hide the surprised look on her face. Then she hurried inside and closed the balcony door." What an animal?! He couldn't at least wait for tomorrow!", Maev angrily said.

Well on the other hand..at least there is a woman around who would keep him busy and satisfied his needs. She must be the woman that they were referring to…Maev said to herself as she remembered what someone had said when she was walking down the aisle. Maev got in bed and pulled the cover-up to her chin. She laid down looking up at the ceiling which was beautifully engraved with some patterns that sort of reflected a story. She looked at all those engravings until her eyes could no longer remain open. The last thing she murmured before she closed her eyes was her husband's name.

Kramer ran a hand through his hair as he came out of Mara's bedroom. He slowly made his way through the garden hoping everyone would be so tired from the party and they would all be asleep. After he had seen her on the balcony looking at him he couldn't do anything with Mara. He kept thinking that she could mention what she saw to someone which will cause others to doubt their supposed marriage of solidarity. He had walked Mara to her room and had a drink with her, she had cried over the fact that he married another woman and he assured her that it was only until they found out who killed his brother and if it was Maev's father there is no way he will keep them alive. He had put her to bed after she had drunk nearly two bottles of wine and crept out hoping that no one saw him. As he reached the door to his bedroom he paused and looked at his old bedroom where his "wife" was now sleeping. He walked to the door of Maev's bedroom and reached out to touch the handle but then he stopped as he remembered that Maev is the daughter of the man who could have caused the death of his little brother. Anger filled his heart which made him hit the door with his fists and the noise echoed in the quiet hallway.

Kramer walked back and opened the door to his bedroom and walked straight into the bathroom and opened the tap. He removed the gold ring from his finger and stared at it as he rolled it back and forth between his index finger and his thumb as if he was thinking about what to do with it. He walked towards the bed and placed the ring on the bedside table, he glanced at it one last time before turning away and walked back into the bathroom. He removed his clothes, revealing his manly physique. A body that has known loads of battles and the visible scars hidden underneath tribal tattoos on his back and thighs were his evidence of the battles he had fought in. The warmth of the water warmed up his cold heart, he felt so much hatred for the White Witch kingdom that it was turning him into a cold person. He loved his brother to bits and promised to revenge his death, and he will do so!

" I will hurt Alanon’s daughter in such a way that he will have to confess the truth about Oliver’s death!", Kramer said as he closed his eyes and clenched his fists, he slapped a hand to the wall.

Maev sat up in bed breathing heavily. A loud bang on the door woke her up, it startled her and her heart was racing. She wasn't in her house nor her kingdom. She was surrounded by enemies and any of them could come here and finish her off in her sleep, even her husband! Maev grabbed her robe and put it on. She glanced around the room taking deep breaths to calm herself down. You are the daughter of Alanon Whitmore! You shouldn’t let those Vampires intimidate you!, Maev said to herself. With her newfound courage, she walked up to the doors, unlocked them, and pulled them open. Maev looked down the dark hallway and gulped. She took in a deep breath as she slowly stepped out of the room and glanced around the hallway. In a small gap through the opening of a door, she noticed the lights in the room next to hers. Maev glanced to the left and then to the right before walking towards the room. She knocked softly on the door and when she didn't hear any response or movement from inside the room she knocked again a little louder. Maev slowly pushed open the door and walked into a bedroom almost similar to the one she was occupying. The room was well lighted with bright flames from the torches along the wall, but there wasn't anyone in the bedroom. There’s no one in here, Maev silently said to herself.She turned to walk away when she felt something like a wind pulling her back into the room and the door closed behind her.Maev stumbled backwards and she fell straight into someone’s arms. She glanced up to see Kramer looking at her coldly.

" I'm sorry I was ..", Maev started to say as she pushed herself away from his arms. She looked at him and no other words could be uttered as she stared at that man with a well-defined physique standing in front of her with only a towel wrapped around his waist.