"Lilly, you need to eat slowly, or you might end up choking or, at worst, have indigestion.”“Don't worry, Jess, I am perfectly fine. I just need to finish this plate, then I'm done,” I replied with my mouth full. I was so hungry that I didn't bother with the fact that what Jess said might happen.“You sure do love food.”“I know, I love it a lot.”“How on earth are you able to maintain your shape if you consume this much food in one meal?”“Well, when I was living with my foster family, my foster mum barely fed me. I always had to wait for her children to eat and leave me with the leftovers.” I grabbed a cup of water and drank it down in one go.“She starved you?”“Yes, sometimes two days or three days before I would get one square meal.”“That explains a lot.” I could hear the pity in Jess’s voice, but I wasn't angry. Normally, I hate it when people give me that pitiful look but won't even try to help.“That’s why I eat at any given chance. Who knows, I might wake up and never find
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Sarton, for the inconvenience. I had no idea that an honorable man like you had booked a room at our hotel. I apologize if our employees have caused you any discomfort.""I'm not here to listen to your apologies. I want to see the CCTV footage, or I will file a complaint by tomorrow morning.""No, it hasn't come to that. I will show you the CCTV footage from yesterday.""Then lead the way." I wasn't here to listen to anyone's heartfelt apologies. I wanted to see what happened last night; only then would my mind be at rest. It's already noon, and Alex hasn't called me yet. I wonder how things are going with Mr. Philip. He needs to get him to sign those documents, and only then can we make our first move.I followed the assistant manager of the hotel to the CCTV control room. He ordered the CCTV operators out, asking that we be alone. I stood on the other side of the room and watched him go through the files from yesterday."Can I have that?" I asked, gesturing for hi
“Are you really sure he is not going to eat out? We have been waiting for him for hours, and he is not coming back.”“You need to calm down, Lilly; even if Eric eats out, I'm still going to force all this food down his throat.”I know Jess was trying to cheer me up, but it wasn't working. I really made time to prepare all this food. I made parmesan-crusted crockpot chicken and mushrooms, creamy lemon garlic shrimp pasta, and I even made supper.I was just worried that if I went with one simple dish, he might not like what I was making, so I decided to go for different dishes.But it's already getting late, and he is not back yet. He didn't even reply to Jess’s message.“Oh my God!” Jess called out with a shocked expression on her face.“What, did Eric reply to your message?”“No, this is even better. Where the heck is your phone?”“Inside my room. What is happening?”“You are all over social media, and you are killing it.”“What?” I asked as I took Jess’s phone from her to understand
I threw my suitcase on the bed as I started getting out of my suit. I wanted to undress completely, but the pain in my lower back was increasing, feeling like I was being pierced little by little with a knife.I managed to get all my clothes off except for my pants. I dragged myself to the bathroom and hit the shower button.The cold water slightly soothed the burning sensation, but the pain persisted. I suspected it was completing the drawing, and it was excruciating.I dragged myself in front of the mirror. Just as I thought, the drawing was complete. The dragon head appeared with a ball of fire emerging from its mouth for a few seconds, then vanished.It reappeared, but this time, all the lines forming the dragon's head turned red, leaving me in intense pain.I arched my body as it felt like someone had set me on fire.**Lilly’s POV**It's been twenty minutes since he came back, and he hasn't exited his room. Jess and Alex seemed worried about him, but they weren't doing anything.
“Help him get those wet clothes off; I need to go see Lilly.” I said to Alex.“Are you planning on telling her anything?” He asked.“Not really, but I'm about to make some promises. I can't leave her thinking we don't trust her.” Alex sighed out as he gave me a little nod.“Okay.”I left the room, leaving Eric in Alex's hands. I'm sure he can handle it. I need to speak with Lilly; having her angry at me will affect me.I have successfully made a female friend since I came to the human realm, and I'm not ready to let her go. I'm also tired of being stuck in the same space with Eric and Alex.Thank God for Lilly, or I would have been bored out of my mind recently. When I got to her door, I gave it a little knock.I waited for her to open the door, but she didn't. She was avoiding me; there is no way she would be sleeping. From what I know about her, she tends to stay awake when she is bothered by something."Lilly, I know you are awake; please open the door!” I called out to her, hoping
I woke up when I heard someone's voice. Where am I? Oh God, I'm in Eric's room. How on earth did I fall asleep when the idea was to stay up all night?The voice came again; it was coming from Eric. I pushed myself off the couch on the left side of his room and rushed over to his side.He was still asleep, but a frown was on his face.“No, I didn't do it. Mum, please, you need to believe me; I didn't do it," he said as he twisted and turned. Is he having a nightmare?“I didn't kill them. Mum, I'm sorry," he said again, but this time with a painful expression on his face.Then I remembered Alex’s words to me about Eric believing that he killed his parents. I climbed up on the bed and sat beside him, not knowing what to do.I reached out and touched his face. I wasn't expecting him to wake up, but he opened his eyes and stared at me. Just like before, his crystal-green eyes were glowing.I immediately took my hand away from his face and backed away from him. Why does he look so scary whe
I was beginning to feel awkward in the position we had both maintained for about twenty minutes. We were both kneeling on the bed with our arms wrapped around each other.It was supposed to be a hug, but a few minutes later, I felt his weight on me increase. I think he fell asleep. I never knew that hugging and patting him could get this big guy to calm down.But my leg was beginning to hurt, and I couldn't maintain this position for too long."Eric, wake up and use the bed; you are so heavy," I said as I attempted to wake him up, but he pushed me back, causing me to fall, which left him on top of me.His hands were still tightly wrapped around my waist, his head resting on my shoulder. I managed to straighten my legs since I could hardly feel them anymore.How on earth should I get away from him? I tried removing his hands from my waist, but his grip was too tight. Are you kidding me? Am I really going to stay like this all night?I let out a sigh when I realized I wouldn't be gettin
“How did it go with Mr. Philip?” I asked Alex.“I wasn't able to get him to sign those files, but he wants to sell the company.”“What?”“Yep, he wants to sell the company and maybe relocate with the money; I don't know.”“Do you think he knows about our plan or maybe about Lilly’s presence in Oak City?”“I don't know, Eric; I'm as confused as you are.”Something is totally off; why would he want to sell the company all of a sudden? “This doesn't make any sense. Something is off, and I'm already having a bad feeling about it.” I said, pondering about the whole thing in my head.“Me too; we need to get that company back from him. We cannot allow him to sell it off.” Alex added.But then it crossed my mind: if Mr. Philip has the documents of that company under his name, then they must be fake. Lilly's father can never leave Mr. Philip’s name on those documents when his children own the legal rights to his properties.“I think I have an idea,” I said to Alex, who was pacing around the r
“Lily, is not going to be easy,” Jess said, but that was not what I wanted to hear.“It has never been easy, Jess, and I’m done waiting around for some miracle when we can end this. What I need right now is everyone’s support. With you, Alex, and Eric, I believe I can do it,” I said, taking her hands in mine. I needed her to see how much I wanted to get this done.“Lily, I believe you can do this, but we don’t have much time. We need to make it back to Terranovae before Eric’s second transformation. I spoke to Eric’s dragon side, and it wants us to find the heart before the second transformation, or both the dragon and Eric will be lost. If that happens, a beast shall be born. It doesn’t matter if Eric or the dragon is in control—they will both go wild because they’ve been together since birth,” Alex said, leaving Jess and me staring at him.“Okay, I’ll help you, but first, I need to heal myself. I can’t help you if I’m this weak,” Jess said, and in that moment, all I wanted was to hu
Just as I suspected, Lily was still sitting in the exact spot she had been when I left earlier. But now, she looked far worse—her face blotchy and swollen, as though she'd been crying the entire time.Eric stood silently at the doorway, his eyes fixed on her. He looked utterly heartbroken, his pain written plainly across his face as he watched Lily in her despair. She hadn’t noticed our presence yet, lost in the dark cloud of her thoughts.And then, her head lifted, her glassy eyes locking with mine for a brief moment before shifting to Eric. Recognition flared in her gaze, and in the next heartbeat, she flew into his arms.Understanding they needed this moment, I stepped out of the room, giving them the space they so desperately needed. I headed toward the sitting room in search of Jess.When I walked in, I found her curled up on the couch, her legs hugged tightly to her chest. Even in sleep, exhaustion clung to her like a heavy weight, her face taut with tension. The sight of her vu
I watched as an enraged roar tore from the dragon’s mouth, reverberating through the water like a violent storm. His massive body shifted with a rippling motion, scales shimmering ominously from his head down to his long, spiked tail. In one swift movement, he swung the deadly appendage toward me.The sharp, menacing spikes aimed my way forced me to dart aside, narrowly avoiding his weapon. He charged at me with terrifying speed as I swam deeper into the sea, frantically searching for a place to hide. My gaze landed on a large rock near the ocean floor, and I surged toward it. But before I could reach it, the dragon beat me there, cutting off my escape.His wings unfurled, creating a shadow that enveloped me, while his spiked tail lashed menacingly through the water. Those piercing green crystal eyes locked onto mine, burning with fury. The intensity of his glare was suffocating, a silent declaration of his rage. He didn’t just see me as prey—he saw me as an enemy.I had nowhere to ru
“No, no, no, we need to find him! Alex, do something!” Lily's frantic cries filled the room. Her face was a portrait of horror, her pale skin only adding to the starkness of the moment. Tears streamed down her face, and her breath came in sharp gasps, the kind that made my chest tighten with worry. I feared she might pass out if she didn't calm down.“Lily, please, look at me. I need you to calm down!” I pleaded, my voice trembling with urgency as I reached for her. But she recoiled, her body trembling violently, only intensifying my concern. I turned toward Jess, who had been standing behind me, silent and distant. The look on her face told me she was too devastated to help.Why is Eric doing this to me? Everything is spiraling, and I'm losing control. How am I supposed to handle Jess, let alone Lily?Before I could even try to speak, Jess moved toward Lily, gently approaching her before pulling her into a tight hug.“It’s okay, we’ll find him. But I need you to calm down,” Jess said
I saw the shock on Jess’s face and felt a pang of guilt for putting her on edge. I just couldn't keep it to myself any longer. I wanted to tell Eric, but I couldn’t bear the thought of him spiraling back into his self-loathing.“What? If she didn’t kill Eric’s parents, then who did?” Jess asked, her voice trembling as she tried to recover from the shock etched on her face.“I don’t know, Jess. I didn’t want to believe her when she said it, but deep down, I felt she was telling the truth. She mentioned that exposing the dragon heart to the world had attracted other creatures, but I still don’t understand why Eric’s parents were caught up in all this. They didn’t have the dragon heart—my mom did. So why didn’t they come for my parents eighteen years ago, before my aunt showed up?” My voice cracked under the weight of my thoughts, every word exposing the turmoil in my heart.“This is going to shatter Eric if he finds out,” Jess said, her voice heavy with sorrow. “We can’t tell him, Lily.
I stared down at our entwined hands resting against my waist as Eric’s steady breath fanned my neck. His body pressed close to mine, and for the first time in forever, everything felt… right. I wished, desperately, that the world could pause here, in this moment, so I could stay in his arms forever.Turning slowly, I shifted to face him, letting my gaze linger on his sleeping face. Peaceful, serene—it was such a stark contrast to the chaos we faced. I reached out hesitantly, my fingertips brushing against his cheek. My touch was light, almost reverent, as I leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.“Why are you awake?” His deep, hoarse voice startled me, his eyes fluttering open to meet mine.“I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t dreaming,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’m trying so hard to stay in this moment with you, but… I can’t stop thinking about everything—the chaos, the danger.”Eric’s brows furrowed slightly as he pulled me closer, his arms wrapping prot
Lily's POVHe dragged me to his room, shutting the door behind him with a decisive click as he locked it. Yet, I wasn’t scared. This wasn’t my first encounter with Eric’s dragon side, but the absence of his usual glowing eyes told me that Eric was more present this time—or at least a part of him was. I just couldn’t understand why his dragon side was fully using Eric’s body while keeping him locked away.Once the door was closed, it took him a moment to face me. When he finally did, his crystal-green eyes were back, their glowing light burning into mine.“What’s your deal? Were you pretending to be Eric? Jess and Alex don’t seem to know that something’s off about you.” His words dripped with amusement as he began closing the distance between us, a smirk playing on his lips. If he thought he could use that face to intimidate me, he was sorely mistaken.“You’re here, my mate,” he said, dragging the word ‘mate’ out deliberately, as though daring me to notice. His hand reached for my chee
“What? Lily, are you insane? There’s no way I’m letting you leave!” Michael’s voice cracked with panic, his wide eyes brimming with disbelief. The mention of Terranovae sent a visible wave of unease through him, making me wonder if he recognized the name.“I’m sorry, Michael, but I’m going,” I said, my tone firm despite the trembling in my chest. “Nothing you say will make me change my mind. I can’t just sit here, waiting for her to end his life. I need to warn them about what’s coming.”Michael’s jaw tightened, and the lines of his face deepened with worry. “But why, Lily? Why would you even want to go there?” His voice softened, but I could still hear the tremor of fear beneath it.“Because she threatened me, Michael.” My voice broke slightly, but I pushed on. “She used Eric’s life to lure me in, and… she said Mom and Dad might still be alive.” My words hung heavy in the air, and I watched as Michael’s expression crumbled, shock and pain etching across his face.“What?” His voice wa
I gasped, my eyes snapping open as shock coursed through me. My heart raced as I found myself back in Michael's house. The throbbing headache from the nightmare lingered, but I knew this was more than just a bad dream.It was a message.She had told me all those things for a reason—so I would go to Terranovae. But did Terranovae even exist? A world ruled by demons? What was I even saying? Could I be like them? If what that woman said was true, and Mum was a demon, then I might be one too.Panic clawed at my chest, my thoughts spiraling into chaos. Eric was in danger. Everything she said echoed in my mind, threatening to drown me. But it was her last words that haunted me the most.Could Mum and Dad truly be alive? Had they been held captive all these years?“Lily!”A gentle tap on my shoulder jolted me, and I turned sharply, my heart pounding, only to find Michael’s worried face staring back at me.“You scared me,” I muttered, my voice trembling as I struggled to steady my racing hear