The Duke's Passion

Chapter 680  I feel homeless

"I also feel lost."

Lilou held her breath as she stared into those pairs of burning red. Even with the mask, she could see the condensed emotions pooling in his eyes. She bit her inner lower lip out of habit, staying quiet at the slight pang in her heart.

She felt sad for reasons she couldn't understand. Whether it was because the man's voice was depressing or she felt a little out of place, all she was certain of was this ache gripping her heart.

"Do you also feel out of place?" she blurted out, hiccuping when she realized it. But the man smiled subtly.

"No. I feel homeless," he answered under his breath. "Nameless and empty."

Lilou pressed her lips into a thin line, taking a step back to create distance between them. She cleared her throat, sneaking up a glance at him.

"That sucks," she returned, huffing as she gazed in the direction where Stefan went to. This place was a banquet of vampires and she was left undetected until now because Stefan concealed her scent. But that still meant this place was a dangerous place for her.

In her mind, she didn't want to get noticed. So, she purposely cut her conversation with this stranger. Who knew what he wanted from her?

"Are you waiting for someone?" she turned her head to the stranger once again when he raised a question.

"Yes." She nodded. "I'm waiting for my husband."

"Your husband…"

"He'll come and fetch me soon." Lilou sported a smile to hide any vestige of deception.

To repel any person who was showing interest in her, using the excuse of being married, was something she thought was effective. Vampire's love for their spouses was intense that they would literally split their hearts if their partner needed it. In other words, if she said she had a husband, this stranger would definitely know that a vampire's jealousy was something he wouldn't want.

"Your husband is here to come and fetch you," he whispered that barely reaching her ears.

"Pardon?"

Samael fluttered his eyes ever so tenderly, gazing at the love of his life. He knew she was simply being smart to repel him, but he was hurt. Not because she was thinking of another man as her husband, but the look in her eyes cut his heart like sharp daggers.

Lilou… his beloved wife, the love of his life, the mother of his children, and their home… look at him as a stranger. He knew his wife and she would usually smile if she saw him, even from a mile away. But now, even with this tiny distance, he felt like the distance between them was akin to heaven and hell.

"Your husband is —"

"Oh! There he is!" he was cut short when Lilou suddenly perked up. He slowly turned his head in the direction where she was looking and waved nervously.

"Darling~!" Lilou called louder so the stranger would leave her alone, but her brows knitted when she saw Stefan pause in his tracks. Despite the mask concealing Stefan's reaction, she was keen enough to see how his eyes slowly dilated, as if he saw a ghost.

"Le —"

"Come with me." Lilou's breath hitched when the stranger suddenly grabbed her wrist and before she could grasp the situation, he dragged her with him.

"Wait — Le—" she looked back in Stefan's direction on instinct and through the crowd, her heart sank, seeing him standing still as if he didn't see her being dragged away. Confused, Lilou kept her eyes in that direction with blank eyes until people blocked Stefan's figure.

"Wait, Lexx… why —"

Lilou was too confused at Stefan's action that she unknowingly let the stranger drag her outside the banquet hall and into the quiet and dark garden. When she felt the breeze whispering in her ears, she finally snapped out of her trance and gazed at the didn't feel any menace from him. She felt even more threatened and intimidated by prince Heliot.

man's back.

"Wait!" she yelled, tugging her hand until it came loose. "What the!"

Lilou panted for air as he held her wrist. Fortunately, the man wasn't holding her too tightly, and it only took two pulls to retrieve her hand. Her eyes sharpened, filling with disbelief as she watched the man stop in his tracks and turn around to face her.

"Are you out of your mind?!" she harrumphed, taking a step back to create distance between them. "Why are you dragging a lady without her permission, huh? Do you have a death wish?!"

His lips parted, but only a shallow breath came out. When his hand reached for her, Lilou took three hurried steps back vigilantly.

"Don't go near me!" she warned, alarmed by this man's presence, although she oddly didn't feel any menace from him. She felt even more threatened and intimidated by prince Heliot.

"Lilou." When he called her name in a low voice, her breath instantly hitched, wide-eyed. "Goodness… you make me sad."

She watched him raise his hand behind his head and slowly took off his mask. When it came off, a bewitching face instantly caught her eyes; sharp red eyes, narrow and long nose, thin upturned lips, and defined jaw.

He was beautiful — a fatal beauty.

If Stefan's face looked gentle and dignified, and Heliot looked decidedly cold and aloof, like an untouchable god, this man's beauty was dangerous. It was deadly, but the expression plastered on his face was somehow painful. If only he were sneering, she would think the devil crawled his way up to the surface to terrorize people.

But no, he wasn't. It was as though he was the devil who simply wanted to go back to where he belonged. To hell? She didn't know. But his remarks previously, "I feel homeless," were justified by the emotions in his eyes.

He wanted to go home. He was tired and on a brink of reaching his breaking point. And that… somehow created this frustrating tension in her throat.

"Who… who are you?" she asked with great difficulty, clutching her hand closer to her chest. "How did you know my name?"

"Because —"

"My lord, Prince Heliot's people are hunting you down."

Suddenly, a figure appeared to their side out of nowhere, causing Lilou to jump in surprise. When she turned her head at the unknown figure who appeared, her eyes gaze from his muddy boots up to his distinctly broad shoulder under his cloak, up to his eyes.

He was humongous.

But before Lilou could think of anything else, he heard the stranger speak. "Take her with you. I'll go see that useless Heliot first." She set her dilated eyes on the silver-haired man, only to shudder in fear when she noticed the glint in his eyes.

"I already said sorry, but he's so stubborn sometimes."