The Devil's Cursed Witch

434  Flower Gift From Morpheus

After the council meeting, Draven went to the south east wing of the palace. He wanted to check on Ember who had been still quiet and avoided stepping out of her chamber. All she did was to sit in the window of her chamber and stare at the sky as if her empty gaze was expecting someone to show up in that vast blue sky. Once in a while she would notice patrolling guards from the Divine Eagle clan flying but not even once she mistook them for Morpheus. She could easily distinguish between them and Morpheus. No one held that dignified aura like him and the way he looked with those majestic beautiful wings, no one could match it.

Draven entered the chamber and her two servants left after they bowed to the king. Draven walked towards her and stayed by the window where she was sitting. Not saying a word, he simply put his hand on her shoulder. She finally got back to her senses and looked at the man standing next to her. Draven sat next to her and looked at her unusually calm face. Though she was looking at him, in those eyes there was nothing else but a hope that he would say something that she wanted to hear. Through their bond, he could clearly feel what she was feeling.

"Cornelia is yet to come out and no one is permitted to go inside, not even other witch clan members. We simply have to wait for her to come out."

He caressed her hand, "We can expect positive news. You have to be strong."

Finally, she reacted and opened her tight fist only to reveal that whistle she was still holding in her hand, as if she let it go, she would lose it and never get it back. Draven put his palm over hers which had a whistle, "Make sure to blow it as hard as you can when I tell you to."

She nodded, "I will make him go deaf that he would hear nothing else but this whistle and stick by my side all the time. I will never let him go away."

He nodded, "Do that. If you want my help, I will help you. We might tie him here in the palace with some magical rope so he would never be free and never fly away from here."

She looked at him, "But I want to fly with him."

"Then he will only be free when you want him to take you out. Then we can tie him again. I am the king and most powerful. I can control him."

She nodded, "We have to make a magical rope then."

"I will get it."

It was childish and useless talk but it felt better, she felt better. As long as she could get him back, she wanted to hold onto hope, even if it meant having these ridiculous thoughts and this childish conversation. He wiped the tears that rolled down her eyes and hugged her. Once he felt she was calm, he spoke. "Today I have made a decision for you in the council meeting."

"What is it?" she asked as she raised her head up from burying into his chest to look up at him. He looked into those moist green eyes, "I had declared that you would never be given a title of Queen of this kingdom and you will forever live as my mate only."

She buried her face back in his chest, "You did well," and continued to hug him. Draven simply patted her back, letting her be calm in the embrace of her mate. He had to take that decision of not making her queen was to calm council members who would continue to raise issues regarding Ember's powers as they felt threatened from this human. Knowing that she won't be their queen, Draven managed to somehow divert their attention from targeting her and they could pay attention to other things. Ember was already going through a lot and he didn't wish her to face any more troubles. All she needed at this moment was peace and he was sure his mate was not greedy for any title or position or power but all she wanted was a quiet and peaceful life which he wished to give her.

"You should rest instead of continuing to sit here," he suggested, "don't tire yourself like this. When Morpheus comes back, you need to be strong enough to be able to fly with him."

Hearing it, the hope she had inside, felt stronger that Morpheus would be back. She agreed and Draven led her to bed. He continued to sit by her side till she fell asleep. Once she was asleep, Draven looked at her hand which was still holding onto that whistle even if she was in a deep sleep.

'She never let it go.'

Draven picked up that whistle from her and observed it. He had seen something even before but ignored it as at that time the situation was different and it meant Morpheus was doing it to protect her. The something which he noticed on the whistle was a tiny carved flower- a lily rose. It was a flower Divine eagle males gave to their mates or the potential female they wished to have their mate as. If the female accepted it, that means they agreed to it. But that flower also meant protection. It was like a connection a male shared with the female through that flower when they didn't have a bond established between them. If the female was in any danger, the male would sense it and come to protect her. Morpheus' intention was sure only to protect her at that time as other than Draven no one could sense if she was to be in danger. Morpheus had used his magic and converted that floor into a carving on this whistle and this item became something that would protect ember.

'She doesn't know what she has accepted from a male.'

As her mate, Draven should have been angry when another male had given such an item to his mate which clearly showed the other male's intentions but Draven was a rational person. At that time, all Draven could think about was to have more ways to protect Ember and secure her life if something had happened to him. And now he thought about it, Morpheus had prepared for his own death so it was like his last gift to Ember, the flower which he could only give to a female special to him. Draven could not get angry over it. Draven put that whistle back in her loosely clenched palm. 'This whistle belongs to her and she should be the one to decide what to do with it.'

Covering her with the quilt, Draven quietly left his mate's chamber.

A/N- If you are reading the 3rd of series "The Devil's Betrothed", then cast all your votes to the third , instead of this one. My20