The Cruel Prince

ESCAPE ATTEMPT

Ying Yue stepped out of the bath, her body drenched in water, and wetness clung to her hair. Her first instinct was to search for Banye finding him nowhere in sight. He left the house again without notice. A single black rose lay on the table and she assumed that was his way of apologizing for leaving her alone.

Her heart ached in suspicion. Wang Jian must be closing in and Banye is working hard keeping him away.

The living room loomed with silence, she picked up the rose from the table, Ying Yue had never seen a black rose before, it was so black it's almost blue. They were beautiful she thought, but a mere rose isn't going to melt her heart for him overnight.

Her eyes flicked to his bedroom, she'd been careful not to break in to his room, but she'd been living with him for a while now, and not once she's gotten a glimpse of what it looks like and what he does inside silent for hours.

Ying Yue took a few short steps until she stood right at the door, sucking in a deep breath while curling her fingers on the knob. She twisted it carefully, hoping Banye is not on the other side to greet her when she opens it.

There was a click and she pushed the door open, peering into the bedroom. She expected to see a regular bedroom - surprised to see emptiness. There's nothing in it, not a bed, not a single furniture. His bedroom was a blank slate.

She let herself in, a bewildered frown took hostage of her face, she let her self deeper to investigate when a prick of magic electrocuted her, sizzling inside every pore and seeping inside her blood. She felt it in her, Banye's magic.

She felt darkness claimed and slammed into her, yanking her into another place. Banye's bedroom was a stage, he used it to transport himself in and out of the small house.

Ying Yue popped into another bedroom, her feet touched marble flooring that shone with immaculate gleam. The veil of dark smoke sizzled revealing a bedroom fit for a king. A large bed dressed in luxurious black silk, and satin blankets. Velvet curtains framing the windows. The room was made of black marble, glimmering with gold splattered on the blackout wall, mimicking the shimmering stars of the night sky. It was beautiful, and Ying Yue admired it with a gaping mouth, but she can't stay there. She doesn't know where she is, and she needed to get out of there before something else happens and she had a bad intuition something bad is happening.

Ying Yue searched for the door, darting her gaze around until spotting one. She made a dash for it, opening it carefully to a thin sliver. A grandiose hallway - more luxurious than Wang Jian's palace.

She's inside another palace? A bigger more extravagant palace, but who's palace?

She teetered half hiding herself behind the walls and the furniture, afraid upon getting caught. Battling an army of demons is the last thing on her mind. She made a descent progress until spotted by a woman far more beautiful than any regular human. She's a demon. They stared at each other, two lethal eyes holding one another, neither one wanting to let go first.

The demon's appearance was not of a servant, she looked like she's a royal guard, a member of the elite army. For someone who's walking around freely inside the palace by herself, she must be.

Every muscle in her body tensed, gearing up for a possible confrontation.

The woman crouched, her dark demonic eyes locked firmly on Ying Yue. Ying Yue studied the female, flicking her eyes to her blade fastened to her hip. She thought of every feasible way of possessing it for herself.

"Don't even think about it." The demon smirked, patting her blade gently like it was a pet.

Ying Yue's nose crinkled, what is it about them picking up exactly what's on her mind?

Her blood boils, bouncing her eyes on every possible exit. She was going to get out of that palace no matter what, and based on the size of the palace, she knew she has her work cut out for her.

Ying Yue loosened a warning growl, while the demon snarled with a challenge.

"Come play with me human." She purred, "I've been bored and lonely for a while now."

Her twisted smile pulled to the side of her cheek, and Ying Yue scowled at how beautiful and dangerous this demon is that it made her sick.

Ying Yue lunged herself like a cat...astonished at how powerful she was inside Banye's world. Her blood heated up and she felt her skin burned, just like Banye's skin burned when he got angry. She's on the other girl so fast that she overestimated her own strength, slamming on her and hurled both of them rolling on the hallway.

"Damn, what the hell? You're strong for a human!" The demon groaned giddily, slowly getting up from the ground. She patted for her sword that's no longer on her hip. Her eyes bounced frantically searching for it.

Her surprised glare was onYing Yue, jaws dropped. She scowled heated with wrath - how she's been outwitted by the silly little human. Ying Yue worked up a smirked, picking up the sheathed blade and leaped down the confusing flights of stairs, down to the main floor, running to the massive entrance and out the massive heavy double doors.

The demon let out a howling scream and chased after her, but Ying Yue had been too fast even for a skilled demon like her.

With Banye's power is burning inside her, she flew to the field, her feet barely touching the ground, the wind parting aside as she swished her way out. She was well on her way for a clean escape when she caught a sound of distant metals clashing, causing her to stop.

She stood still listening closely, hearing the clash of metal again. Ying Yue changed her direction chasing the sound, it sounded like fighting from the distance. She rushed, her unrelenting speed faster than when she's trying to escape. She wanted to know whether Wang Jian had come found out where she is.

The sound of clashing getting louder and louder and the thick cloud swirling overhead getting darker and faster. Her heart pounded on her chest, she can feel the power, Banye's power rippling with immense thrill. She can feel the fatal hunger in him, the excitement, the game.

She was near, Ying Yue almost made it to the location when a stray rope caught her leg and whipped around her. The lasso wrapped around her and locked her in a bind. She fell helpless on the soft patch of grass, hissing, grunting and squirming, unable to break free. The more she struggled the tighter the rope became until it squeezed her cutting her blood circulation out.

Ying Yue laid panting on the ground, helpless and immobile. The last thing she saw was the towering demon as she crouched down wearing a victory smile. "Silly little thing." She purred fondly, drawing her perfect lips to her cheek. "You almost gave me a run for my money."