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*****
[CHAPTER 15.1: THE SNAKE AND THE SNAKE]
"He left his mark on you."
What...?
Mihaje immediately got up of her and sat down by the bed, scoffing loud. He laughed silently, shaking his head.
If only Tayen had not left his mark, he would have claimed her as his. That despicable Tayen!
"What mark...?" Bella also got up. She touched her neck, she felt nothing.
"You should see for yourself. There is a mirror there inside that drawer." Mihaje pointed at the cupboard not far from the bed.
Bella went to get the mirror. She gasped loud when she saw what was on her neck.
A fuckin' hickey!
A fuckin' huge hickey on one side of her neck. Even Mihaje didn't realize the mark Tayen had left because it was covered by her long hair. There was a long awkward silence between them.
"I am a Blood Snake, but I cannot produce or spit venom. In my father's eyes, I was a failure and a disgrace to the Blood Snake clan and I was forced to wear a mask since I was very young because I shared the same face with Lord Tayen, so I should not taint his reputation." Mihaje suddenly spoke after being silent for a while.
He explained that Tayen and him were not pure breed Blood Snakes. Their father was venomous and their mother wasn't. They were mixed. That explains why only Tayen has that ability.
Old memories that he didn't want to remember flashed across his mind. Mihaje ran his palm across his face. He stopped talking. Bella was sure there must be more. But she didn't ask him. She came close to him and encircled her arms around his neck from behind.
"I don't feel the same way towards him. I pushed him away. I didn't realize he left a mark on my neck. I really did push him away." She explained.
Mihaje caressed her hand that was holding around his neck,
"Let us not be reckless. Lord Tayen is not what you think he is."
Bella hummed softly. Mihaje turned around to stare at her pretty face. He smiled when he realized how red her cheeks were. Her black eyes were sparkly, like thousands of stars in the night sky.
Will you be my blessing, or will you bring me calamity? A question lingered in Mihaje's mind as he stared deep into those beautiful eyes of hers.
"Can we do that again? Just that. Nothing more."
Bella chuckled when she understood what he meant. Mihaje didn't wait for her answer. He cupped her face and leaned towards her to give her a deep, hard, lip bruising kiss.
*****
"Lady Bella," one of the servants who was bringing her dress spoke, "Lord Tayen asked you to join him for mealtime later."
"I know." She answered, shortly. She was soaking herself in the bathtub and not wanting to come out. She let out a heavy sigh after the servants left.
Gaharu's face appeared in her mind. She shut her eyelids close, leaning her back against the tub.
"I missed you, Bella."
Gaharu's voice rang in her head.
"There was not a day without you appearing in my head."
His deep, low, husky voice... The adorable purring sound he made when he was sleeping... His devilish smirk... She too, there was not a day that went by without him appearing in her head.
Her mind recalled the moment when Gaharu had nonchalantly kissed her. His kiss was as light and as soft as a feather. His lips were warm and intoxicating. His domineering aura gave her zero chance to react.
Bella opened her eyes as her wet fingertips touched her lips. Why did she voluntarily kissed Mihaje? Why was being with Mihaje felt so natural and comfortable? Did she like Mihaje now? But why did she miss Gaharu so much that her chest tightened?
Was Mihaje just a substitute for Gaharu? No, she know what she felt. It was a feeling entirely different from what she felt with Gaharu.
Bella's fingers reached for the tiger claw pendant on her chest, the one that Gaharu had told her not to take off.
I missed you too, Gaharu.
*****
He ran his palm across his face. He had Satria monitor the Moro's army camps for the past two weeks.
"Strange," Satria uttered in disbelief, "They all had gone back to their main. The camps and barracks are empty."
Sora tied up his wavy blonde hair into a ponytail as he listened to Satria's statement.
"We had checked every army camps, general. There was really no one there." Satria added when Sora didn't respond.
Sora finally nodded, but he didn't say anything. He gestured to Satria and the other soldiers to leave the camp. Sora leaned slightly forward, pressing his palms against the thick wooden table they used to put battlefield maps on, he pursed his lips as his jaw clenched. He lowered his head in distress, he grunted softly.
This is so painful... The feeling of helplessness. The waiting.

Bella's face appeared in his mind and he frowned. Is she alright there? He wondered. If his chest felt so tight and painful like this, Lord Gaharu must be feeling even worse. After all, it's his female.
*****
"Lord Gaharu."
A voice interrupted his deep thoughts. Gaharu turned around to find Sora walking towards him. He bowed his head slightly when he stood before Gaharu.
"What is it, Sora?"
"No movements from the Moro troops, my lord. All their troops had returned to their main. It seems that they really hold their end of the bargain." Sora reported.
"Any news about Bella?"
"She was seen at their Great Shrine during baghacheroamni, my lord. She was fine."
Gaharu drew in a long deep breath. He gazed back into the orange sky. His heart sunken as he watched the setting sun. It had been three weeks since she was taken by Moro. He wondered if she was thinking about him just like how he was thinking about her.
If he let his emotions take the lead, he would have charged into Moro's main and brought Bella back. But he could not endanger her by doing something so reckless.
He hadn't slept well for weeks. He was in an unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, worrying about Bella. The last time he experienced such stress was eight years ago. He felt helpless. It was painful.
It reminded him of his past. And the female that he had lost.
I will not lose you again, goddess.
*****
He was beaten and whipped. He cried until his tears had dried up. His damaged skin shed and he was in so much pain. How many times had he shed skin due to his wounds, he could not remember. He grew up knowing nothing but pain and fear.
"You are not allowed to show that face of yours, brother of mine. Do not disgrace me."
"You useless scum! Why can you not be more like your brother? Why are you so useless? You are nothing but a disgrace to our clan!"
Those words repeated in his head. He was kept in the underground chamber, chained. His world was cold and dark. All he could hear was the mockery and insults from his closest family members. He was forced to do something that he's incapable of doing. It was not in his blood, they said. He was a mere breed, just like his mother.
He did not know what his sin was. Was it his disability? Or was it his face? He was tormented physically and verbally. They inflicted terrible pains on him, fed him all kinds of poisonous plants and conducted all kinds of experiment on him just to make him produce venom. Every time he was on the verge of his death, they treated him. Just so they could continue to torture him.
He spent many years underground, living his worthless life. Pain was his only friend. Sometimes they let him starve for weeks. Sometimes they gave him leftovers. Sometimes they would come and whip him until his skin was torn and bled just because they want to. Sometimes they gave him poisons just to see him suffer.
He thought he would never leave there. He thought the chains around him would accompany him to his final days. But he came one day and brought him out to the light.
"Come out, brother of mine. You should join me and fight alongside our brothers."
"Your life is mine, brother. If it were not for me, you would have long died."
"Don't you dare show that face of yours. It revolts me that you shared the same face as me."
How could he ever forget? He was nothing but a tool of his. His strength and skills exceeded him, and so he became his valuable weapon.
*****
"Did you enjoy your meal, Bella?"
Bella nodded, still munching on the meat in her mouth. She then reached for the goblet in front of her and chugged the wine.
Tayen, who had finished his dinner, placed an elbow on the table. He watched her quietly with his chin rested on his palm. She avoided his gaze, he noticed that.
"Were you there when it happened?" He suddenly asked.
Bella choked on her own saliva and coughed.
"What?"
"Were you outside my chamber when I was mating?"
Bella coughed again. He was being too straight forward.
"Why, why would you ask something like that?" She grunted. Her face turned red.
"You were, were you not? Were you listening?" His lips curved into a naughty smirk.
"I was just trying to go back to my room!" She grunted again, flustered.
Tayen chuckled at the sight of her reddened cheeks.
"I apologize. But it was fun to tease you."
"Geez..."
Tayen invited her to join him for the morning hunt tomorrow.
"Aren't you worried that I might run away?" She asked.
"I am sure you will not do something that will cause chaos to both tribes."
Bella sucked in a breath. She understood immediately that Tayen was threatening her.
*****
"What are we hunting? Manoks?" Bella asked when she was seated on the saddle of the giant komodo dragon with Tayen. She was given a Moro tribe armor, but it was big so she could only wear the chest plates without the shoulder plates. She had her long black hair tied up in a high ponytail. The leather pants she was wearing were too long, she had to fold the ankles area. The leather also smelled disgusting. It smelled of dried blood.
She glanced at the other hunters who were also riding komodo dragons and her gaze met with Mihaje's. He was behind Tayen and her, on their right side. As always, he had his mask on. His braided hair looked neat. He was wearing his dual swords sheath on his back today, looking like a handsome warrior from the medieval era. Bella smiled silently.
But Mihaje's gaze was as cold as ice.
"Yes. But the manoks here are far more dangerous than other places. They are a lot bigger, and a lot stronger." Tayen explained.
"Really? Why is that?"
"Because they eat our youngs. Manoks here are beast-eaters."
Bella shuddered. Carnivore apes? She pursed her lips tight, not wanting to ask anymore.
Tayen suddenly wrapped one arm around her slender waist, pulling her body close against his. He bent slightly to rest his chin on her shoulder and said,
"You look alluring even when wearing an armor," he said as his mouth reached for her neck, gently sucking it, "look at only me, Bella. Not at other male."
Bella drew in a shuddering breath when Tayen's long forked tongue teased her earlobe. He knew Mihaje was watching. Tayen glanced over his shoulder as his lips twisted into a smirk at Mihaje.
Mihaje clenched the leash in his hands tightly. He hissed silently, trying so hard not to show any emotions.
"Tayen... Don't you think you're being possessive? I'm not even yours." Bella snarled.
"Not yet." Tayen chuckled as he leaned to tease her neck with his tongue again.
Bella's heart pounded fast, it felt like it was going to leap out of her throat. She raised her right arm slightly to elbow him on the chest, but her arm was caught by him.
"Stop pushing me away. I can get hurt too, you know." He whispered as his cold sexy lips brushed against the inner of her ear. Bella gasped.
"Tayen...!" She cried, half whispering.
"Fine. I was only teasing." He chuckled as he loosened his arm that was around her waist and straightened his back, continued to focus on their path.
The hunting party reached their destination after some time. Tayen helped Bella down. She was being clumsy and fell into his embrace. She panicked and quickly gazed up. Tayen's blood red eyes were staring back at her. His face was so close, she could feel his breath on her face. His eyes were slightly widened but he immediately chuckled and helped her to stand on the ground.
"Is the armor too heavy for you?" He asked.
"I'll get used to it." Bella smiled back awkwardly.
As soon as Bella turned her head, the smile on Tayen's face disappeared. His face turned austere as he watched Bella walking away from him.
What was that...? His heart suddenly skipped a beat. Tayen quickly brushed the feeling aside and called out to Bella,
"You should stay close to me. It is quite dangerous for you to walk alone."
Bella hummed softly and ran back to Tayen's side.
"There!" One of the hunters shouted. He threw his spear at a manok that was hiding behind a big tree. It has reddish brown fur and it was a little smaller than the ones Bella had seen in Ra territories. The spear missed its target and the little manok shrieked. Its voice echoed throughout the woods.
"That's a small one. You said the manoks here are a lot bigger. I've seen bigger ones than that." Bella scoffed. Tayen probably said that to scare her.
"That one is just an infant," Tayen said, at the same time gesturing his hunters to get prepared, "stay close, the mother must be nearby."
All of a sudden, the loud shrieking of angry manoks pierced their ears. The forest growled as the tall tree branches around them shook fiercely.
Bella started to feel the adrenaline rush when she saw countless of reddish brown furred manoks leaping from branches to branches towards them. They were too many of them, probably hundreds. And they were the size of beastmen. Bella gasped when there were more charging towards them on the ground. She took out the dagger she kept in her boots and exhaled long and slow, calming herself down.
The manoks came nonstop, Bella felt like she was in a battlefield. The situation was completely different from the one she had encountered during the night hunt with Sora.
Tayen's hunting team was outnumbered. Mihaje had his hands full, fighting manoks. He had two swords in his hands, swinging them skillfully at the gorilla-sized manoks that were surrounding him.
Tayen was also busy fighting, but he kept his distance. He never left Bella's side. Countless dead apes lying on the ground. Yet more of them kept coming.
"Argh!" Bella let out a cry when one enormous manok jumped in front of her. She swung her dagger at it and managed to strike a cut on its arm. The wound she inflicted enraged the large animal, it shrieked loud as it charged towards Bella.
"Bella!!" Tayen spat his venom at the ape that was going to attack her. His attention was diverted and two manoks jumped towards him.
"Lord Tayen! Watch out!" One of the hunters cried.
Mihaje was fast enough to leap in front of Tayen, using himself as a shield. One of the manoks managed to sink its teeth on Mihaje's forearm, but Mihaje used his other hand to wave his sword at it and cut off the manok's head. It was a clean cut. He jabbed both his swords into the second manok that was going to strike again. Blood dripped down from his injured forearm but Mihaje continued to fight.
"Bella, are you alright?" Tayen pulled her to his side, shielding her. The spear in his hands rotated in a circular flow, killing several manoks that were surrounding them.
"I thought Moro's blades are poisonous and can paralyze with just one cut?!" She was starting to panic, the situation was getting out of hand!
"These manoks are immune to our poison." Tayen explained. Even his voice started to sound panicking.
"What the fuck?!"
One bulky sized manok jumped towards them and parried Tayen's attack, his spear was knocked off his hand. Seeing the danger, Tayen grabbed Bella's arm and pulled her into his embrace before he turned around, shielding her.
Bella's eyes widened as she watched the bulky sized manok sunk it's yellow teeth into Tayen's shoulder from behind, and bit off a chunk of his flesh.
"Tayen..." Bella's heart almost stopped when she saw the thick red blood flowing down his shoulder.
Mihaje threw one of his swords and it thrust into the bulky manok's head from the side and instantly killed it. A few drops of its blood splashed on Bella's face as she witnessed the whole incident.
"Lord Tayen...!" Mihaje ran to Tayen's side, his eyebrows were frowning. He had a worried look in his eyes, brief and just a hint, but Bella was sure of it.
Bella grunted softly as she stabilized herself to support Tayen's weight. She glanced over to Mihaje who continued to fight to protect the two of them.
"Ugh..." Tayen let out a weak groan, his already pale face appeared even paler. A vein pulsed on his forehead  and his long red hair fell to the front as his head lowered.
"Are you alright? Were you hurt?" Tayen asked as he forced out a smile.
Bella slowly shook her head.
"Lord Tayen," Mihaje killed three more manoks before he continued, "should we retreat?"
"Give me one of your swords, Mihaje." Tayen stretched out his hand. He had no intention of leaving.
Bella saw the puzzled look in Mihaje's eyes. It was brief, but she was certain that Mihaje was having a second thought. Was he worried about his brother? The brother that he showed hatred in his eyes every time he gazed at him? Mihaje tossed one of his twin swords at Tayen before he carried on his fight, saying nothing.
The twin brothers duo turned their backs facing her, they were both fighting in a circle with her standing in the middle, killing every gorilla-sized manok that dared to come close.
"It could not get any worse, now could it?" Tayen chuckled.
Bella could see that Mihaje was a lot faster and a lot stronger than Tayen. He was very skillful in combat. His movements were swift, smooth, and amazingly energetic. The injury on his forearm didn't seem to affect him at all. She had seen the battle between Zov and Ra, she had seen how Satria and Sora fight. But she had never seen such powerful fighting skills before. She had only heard that the Moro's general was unbeatable. So it's true.
Tayen, on the other hand, seemed to be running out of energy. His injury was worse and he was losing blood. The advantage he had over everyone else was his ability to spit that fatally terrifying venom of his. The venom killed several manoks in one spit. Tayen grunted loudly, thrusting the sword into the ground next to his feet, panting hard.
Mihaje was aware of Tayen's condition, he fastened his movements, as though rushing to get Tayen.
"Lord Tayen!" He called out, glancing at Tayen and Bella every few seconds.
Bella gave one manok a hard kick when she saw it aiming towards Tayen. Her skill was only good enough to protect herself during one on one battle, she knew she would only be a burden in times like this. Bella ran to get Tayen, placing one arm of his over her shoulders, she supported him to move a little closer towards Mihaje.
"Mihaje," Tayen called as he threw the sword back to Mihaje, "kill."
Mihaje nodded once after he caught the sword, and swung his twin swords in motions that Bella had only seen in historical Chinese action movies.
Bella frowned as her eyes went wide. It only took one simple command from Tayen, and Mihaje slain countless of the large apes like they were only paper dolls, with movements so swift and powerful, he looked like an ancient Chinese warrior. His twin swords skills were so out of this world. Mihaje immediately turned into a vicious killing machine when Tayen gave his order. At that moment, she knew.
Although Mihaje hated Tayen to the depth of his heart, he was entirely devoted to Tayen.
*****