The Alpha's Temptation
Chapter 317 Highly Suspect

"You must be imagining," Taiyi growled again. She was shivering on the inside with rage, with misery and with revenge. The streak of hair gone white in his beard didn't go unnoticed. She had to stall Nerio to see his real identity because she was sure that Nerio wasn't what he looked like at the moment. "You are alone, and these are armed."

"But I possess something that promise carnage!" he replied, his lips peeling back. He had to leave this place as soon as possible. Everything was going according to his plan when the herb got over and now this bitch came in front of her. He was nervous on the inside that the Garduff army would soon close in on him for stealing the herb and also killing those guards.

"And I possess so much hatred for you that I am ready for the whole carnage!" she promised him. "Attack!" She ordered her soldiers.

As soon as the soldiers charged at him, Nerio took an explosive out and hurled it at them. The round iron ball hovered in front of them for a moment before exploding. Blood curdling screams emanated as the soldiers' bodies were ripped into pieces. Blood and flesh floated in the water. Taiyi looked at them in shock as Alrakis lunged at her and covered her with his body. His back took the brunt of the explosion and was covered in multiple bruises.

Taking advantage of the situation, Nerio dashed towards the right. All the soldiers had come to the center to be with the remaining ones.

Taiyi pushed Alrakis away from her. "Attend to him!" She shouted orders to her soldiers and dashed after Nerio. She wasn't going to leave him.

"I am fine!" Alrakis said as he too went with her, disregarding his wounds.

"Go back, Alrakis!" Taiyi snarled. "You are not well and this bastard is mine to kill."

"Even mine to kill!" Alrakis snarled back. He was back on his dolphin.

About twenty soldiers darted after their princess.

Nerio dug his hand in his saddlebag again. He took out another explosive and hurled it at them. And as soon as he tossed it, another sharp pain shot through him. More of his hair turned white and wrinkles appeared.

This time Taiyi was ready for it. The moment she saw the ball, she flung her hands forward and stopped it motion. She spun in water. Blue smoky waves emerged from her hand and she flung them at the explosive. The ball was flung back to the man who had sent it to them.

Nerio's eyes became wide. He gritted his teeth when he saw the iron ball hurling towards him. For a moment he had forgotten that Taiyi was the sea goddess. She had magic running in her veins. That was one of the reasons he wanted to marry her. Her magic could have been his. He dived deep in the water, missing the ball by a few inches which went ahead and exploded.

He had to stop his seahorse from getting inside it. His ride was getting jittery. He pulled its reins and steered it to the left to escape the last bit of explosion. He didn't have too many of these left and he had to use them wisely. He had to save his life and run from here. He dared not go towards Murel, or his secret would come out so fast. Everything that he had built over the years would come crumbling down like a palace of cards.

He waited for the soldiers to get near him. He had the explosive ready with him inside the saddlebag in his hand. As soon as they would come within twenty feet, he was going to throw it and it would bring maximum damage. So he waited for them to come near him. Taiyi was leading them all. He smirked. He was going to throw the ball at her face. He was going to take her by surprise. Let her think that his stock was over.

He navigated his seahorse through the waters. The soldiers were nearing. He took the ball out and was about to throw when all of a sudden, a sharp sizzling light traveled through water and hit his ride. The seahorse let out a shrill sound as the beam hit its tail. It toppled in the water, taking Nerio with it. Nerio lost balance and the ball in his hand rolled out and got lost in deep waters. He saw his seahorse falling down, crying in pain. When he recovered his balance, he saw that the horse's tail was ripped off.

"Bloody whore!" he yelled and then rushed away from her. Another pain shot through him. More wrinkles appeared. Taiyi and Alrakis were dangerously close. He had to keep his face away from them. And more importantly, he had to keep the soul stone hidden.

Clutching his saddlebag, he swam as fast as possible, flapping his tail with powerful strokes. He had to replace the current that would take him back. It was the same swirl that returned from the North and ran to the west. Once he would reach the shore, he was sure that he would be able to dodge Taiyi.

However, Alrakis was after him. He wanted to kill the man who had put his mate in such a ghastly situation. He kicked his dolphin and nudged it to swim fast. And the fish obeyed. It moved fast like a bolt of electricity. Within a few minutes, it was behind Nerio. However, what Alrakis saw shocked him. He opened his mind link with Taiyi and said, 'His hair is turning white!'

Taiyi wasn't surprised. 'I know. He is using some kind of dark magic to change his appearance. We have to keep him engaged till his magic wears off.'

'What do you suggest?' Alrakis asked, though he wanted to kill him right now.

'Try to snatch his saddlebag. The explosives are hidden in it. And I highly suspect that he has the herb in it.'

'What!'

'We have our culprit, Alrakis. But my theory could be wrong.'