"Where are we going?" Ava frowned as she held Matthew’s hand. They had been walking deeper into the man-made forest and by now, she could barely see the pathway. It was starting to get darker as the trees had become larger and larger.
The sound of birds accompanied their boots as they continued to walk forward.
"Isn’t this the best spot to hide a body?" Matthew asked.
"Anywhere is the best spot to hide a body," Ava said. "Just cover them with a dead animal to throw off the dogs and you are good to go."
Matthew stopped walking and stared at her. In response, Ava laughed.
"What? I stumbled upon a case like that when I was still working with trillium. It was a serial rapxst who was actually a Werewolf. He loves to tear his prey into pieces and hide their bodies underneath a body of a dead animal." She quickly explained. Hearing this Matthew smiled.
"I just thought I heard something," he had a mischievous grin on his face before he continued walking, dragging her deeper into the forest.
"There is no pathway here," Ava said. frёewebηovel.cѳm
"Not many come here."
"Why?"
"It was supposed to have traps made by witches. One mistake and you would end up dead."
"Then why are we here?" Ava asked.
"I wanted to show you something."
"What is it?"
"The sunset."
"Oh..." You cannot actually see any sunset or sunrise from the palace. She wondered if this had something to do with what the old man told her about the King. "Hey, I am curious... Why does the King seem so interested in bloodlines?" she asked.
"I supposed it was because of the weaker Lycans. There was once a time when Lycans were feared but the bloodlines had become less saturated and now, some of the younger generations do not have the basic strength and abilities that a normal Lycan should have."
"But he is ignoring everything else other than bloodlines."
"Then maybe it was because he had gone senile."
"Isn’t that concerning?"
Again, Matthew stopped walking and looked back.
"The only thing that concerns me is the fact that you seemed to love putting yourself in danger when you can easily avoid them."
Ava pouted. "You are changing the topic."
"Into a relevant one. The King does not concern me at all."
"Well, he gave me creeps. Something about him is wrong."
"And again... that is not something you should be thinking when you are with me." Matthew pulled her towards him. He then put his arms around her. "I believe it would be faster if we... jumped."
"Huh?" Did she just hear him say... jumped?
Before Ava could process what was happening, her feet left the ground. She closed her eyes on instinct as she felt the cold wind against her cheek. She shivered inwardly.
Luckily, Matthew is still shirtless. As a result, she buried her face in his warmth.
**THUD**
"We’re here," despite saying this, Matthew didn’t let her go.
Ava slowly opened her eyes and let out a surprised gasp.
"A beach?"
"A lake," Matthew said.
"This— " Ava eyed the sunset on the horizon. Its orange and yellow hue painted the skies, making it look almost like they were inside a painting.
Then, her eyes focused on the water that reflected the hue of the sky.
"I never knew that there was a lake here?" Ava said. "Huh?" She turned when she noticed that Matthew was no longer standing next to her. "Matthew?"
**SPLASH**
Ava looked around. It didn’t take too long for her to see Matthew swimming in the lake. Ava spotted his pants not far away from her.
"Hey... " The man was swimming naked!
"Take off your clothes," Matthew said. "The water is perfect for a quick dip."
"I— " Ava gulped. The fact is, she had never tried to swim naked before. While she was confident in her own skin, she still saw that as an awkward thing to do.
"Come on— "
"What if someone sees us?" Of course, Ava knew that her question was nonsense. Matthew could sense other people and she could actually use her magick to seal this place. No one would see them naked.
"Are you coming? Or— "
"I thought we are going to watch the sunset?"
"We can watch it... on the lake."
"Naked?"
He laughed, his deep and seductive voice seemed to beckon her to come over and enjoy the lake with him.
"Yes, naked."
"But— "
"Was it because you wanted me to chase you and drag you in the water?"
Ava blinked. She couldn’t imagine seeing Matthew’s naked body running after her. For some reason, she felt herself blush.
What the heck?
Why was she thinking about those weird things?
"Alright," Ava said. Then she sealed the place with a magickal illusion that would hide them from anyone’s eyes.
Ava didn’t give herself the time to have second thoughts as she immediately removed the dress and jumped into the water. Ava wasn’t a good swimmer but she was still confident in her swimming skills. Surely, she wouldn’t easily drown in a lake like this... right?
Almost immediately, her expression changed.
The water was cold!
"You— " Ava started hugging her body and that was when she felt Matthew hug her from behind. "You said it would be the perfect — Damnit Matthew! It’s too cold!"
Again, he only let out a low chuckle.
"Not for long..." he whispered.
"I— "
"Shhh," he kissed the back of her neck. "Relax..."
"The lake is made of magick."
"Yes."
"This is— How?" There was ancient magick like that but those required sacrifices.
"I am no witch, babe. I wouldn’t know that."
Ava frowned. With Matthew’s large body warming her up, the coldness that she felt earlier was no longer there. However, she still couldn’t stop the coldness that seeped through her heart.
To make a large forest and a lake like this... one would need hundreds or maybe thousands of witches— witches that would then sacrifice their lives to become the fuel of this place.
Meaning, this place is like a graveyard of witches.
"What are you thinking?" he asked.
"I don’t like this place," Ava said and as expected Matthew got quiet. So, Ava continued. "The only reason why I’m here is because of you."
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