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28 // Roots
Last Updated:
2023-08-25 13:08:13Related chapters
Love Bites 29 // Cast Out
Silas once said to me that he wondered if we would have met if he had not been turned into a vampire. It seemed impossible back then, I didn't believe that we would have somehow met because I believed we came from two different worlds. Today, however, I learnt that it was not true, we were not that different after all. If anything, we came from the same place and practically shared the same roots. Perhaps in a different world his father would not have been a monster, and our fathers' friendship would have led us to each other. Perhaps instead of being arranged to marry Gift, our parents would have arranged for Silas and I to get married; and since we were neighbours, who knows? Maybe we would have been best friends and childhood sweethearts. It felt like whatever happened, no matter what road life took us through, it would have still led us to where we were today, and that gave me hope. Despite everything that's happened, especially
Last Updated : 2023-08-25Love Bites 30 // Too Soon
I couldn't sleep, I kept turning and tossing, and it was as though I was sleeping on a bed made from rock. I was pacing up and down my room like a commander awaiting news from his superiors. I didn't where to touch or what to do, I couldn't even sit for longer than a minute. I felt really weird, at some point I even thought it was number two and went to the toilet several times, but nothing happened. It wasn't until 2a.m. when the first contraction hit, and I pursed my lips to prevent the scream that threatened to burst out. I recalled my wet clothes from earlier, and it finally occurred to me that my water may have broke during that prayer session. I sat at the edge of the bed, my head ringing like a church bell. "This can't be happening." I shook my head, breathing heavily. I was barely at six months, it was too early fir me to go into labour. I got up and unlocked my door for the first time since I arrived, making my way to m
Last Updated : 2023-08-25Love Bites 31 // Severed
My baby was hooked to all sorts of machines, and he looked so small and vulnerable, it made my heart bleed. I couldn’t hold him or smell him, I could only see him from afar. He was currently in the neonatal intensive care unit, and we had to wear hospital gowns, gloves, and masks in order to enter the NICU, it felt as though we were handling our child like he was some sort of a virus. I lost count to how many machines he was connected to, I desperately wanted to touch him through the holes on the incubator, and I so wished I could take his place. “I failed him.” “Don’t say that,” Silas said in a heavy voice. I shook my head. "But it's true. I should have taken better care of myself, I should have prioritised myself and my son instead of worrying over irrelevant things. I should have paid more attention to my body when he tried communicating with me.” I recalled all the times I was in pain and chose ignored it instead of calling the doctor or taking the necessary steps and res
Last Updated : 2023-08-25Love Bites 32 // At Loss
The thought of Silas and what he did made my windpipes close every time, I was struggling to understand his reckless and selfish actions. Why would he sentence himself to death without even considering our son for a second? Was the idea of spending his life with me so horrifying that he would rather choose death instead? It would have been much better if my mother was also to blame this time, but she was innocent. He did this to himself, he did this to me. Seeing that note only infuriated me, and I deleted it. I didn’t want to know whatever story he cooked up to justify his selfishness and stupidity. I exited the app and proceeded to dial my sister, hoping a conversation with her would somehow ease my nerves, but I was gutted when it sent me straight to voicemail without ringing. Perhaps it was a network problem because of load shedding, that happened more frequently these days. I thought in an attempt to reassure myself, but my
Last Updated : 2023-08-25Love Bites 33 // Chameleon
My aunt left two instructions regarding her funeral while she was still alive: mainly, for her funeral not to be prolonged, and to celebrate her life. She requested to be buried the very next day after her actual death, and for a feast to be held in celebration of her life. Perhaps for the community she spent her entire life serving, it was a merry event. But that was not the case for the rest of us, my mother masked her grief with chatter, jokes, and laughter, and slipped quite a few times and called for my aunt. She was deep in denial, and more than anything, she was drowning in guilt because she dedicated her entire life to pushing away her only sister. As for me, my entire world turned gray. The world was colourless and lifeless, everything in me had died. I was also plagued by the guilt of the way I treated her the last time I saw her. Although she had said returning to my parents was for my own sake, I couldn't help the feeling that she had abandoned me. Now that I thought
Last Updated : 2023-08-26Love Bites 34 // Prisoners
Crying in the back of an Uber was definitely not how I had envisioned the rest of my day to be. I hated Karabo for this. I hated her for questioning my love for Sy and also making me doubt my father. All my life, my father was my hero. Even though he was rarely present in our lives, the fact that he did not actively participate in my mother's shenanigans and never went out of his way to tear me down made me worship him. His silence was often comforting because I believed he remained quiet because he did not agree with what my mother was doing. The day he saved me from my mother's marriage scheme, he became someone I thought I could count on to always have my back and be there for me everyday. But the day he learnt of Silas' identity left me feeling like I did not know my father at all. When he arrested Silas, he broke my heart more than anyone has ever done. And now, he was also hurting my mother. He had not bothered to check on her after we received the news on my aunt, nor had
Last Updated : 2023-08-26Love Bites 35 // Whirlwind
Things could not be more awkward. I think we had both underestimated this moment. So much had changed in such a short span of time, leaving us both uncertain about where we stood. I felt like a complete stranger in my own aunt's home, the couch felt as though it was laden with bricks, it was so uncomfortable. My chest was so tight, I swore it was going to rupture. I tried to act normal, but I couldn't stop my sweaty fingers from gripping the edge of the couch while I continuously tapped my foot on the tiled floor. Sy joined me in the sitting room after locking the doors and sat next to me on the couch, leaving space between us. But that still did not stop me from shifting farther away from him even though there was no space on my other side. "If I knew things were going to be like this... I wish we could go back to the first day we met and just lay everything on the table." The thickness and roughness of his voice spoke to every part of me, it filled my chest with warmth, and
Last Updated : 2023-08-26Love Bites 36 // Whatever It Takes
My heart was literally beating in my throat, and my ears were as loud as a siren. “Yvonne!” My head whipped in the direction of the yard where my mother was rushing out to meet me. She was yet to realise that my father was out here. It would be difficult to convince him to leave once he noticed how jumpy we both were, if he insisted on going inside, he would become suspicious. Sy had nowhere to hide, especially in broad daylight in the buzzing township. I threw myself at him and hugged him tightly, and I was shocked at how easily my tears fell these days. “Papa!” I wailed. Warning bells went off in my head when he went stiff, and I was puzzled by how his heartbeat was faint and yet so erratic. It took a minute for him to finally wrap his arms around me, and there was hesitance in his actions. “Angel, what’s going on?” He asked, and I took this opportunity to reel him in. I pulled back and stared into his eyes in ears. “Papa, pease get me out of here! Please.” “What? What’s g
Last Updated : 2023-08-26
Latest chapter
Love Bites 46 // Eternal
Everything was perfect. The food, the decor, my traditional attire. It was everything I'd dreamed of, and more.Nonetheless, not even that could stop the nerves from gnawing at my stomach."Will you stop looking out the window, Silas already said they were on the way," Ivy scolded.I had the urge to chew at my fingernails, a habit I acquired after we were discharged from the hospital, but my sister had saved the day with these uncomfortable fake nails. "What's taking them so long? What if he changed his mind?"Karabo scoffed. "Come on, who are you fooling? We all know Sy is head over heels in love with you, and he has been dreaming of this day for months now," she said, strolling into the room with my baby cushioned on her protruding belly. "Now, sit and feed my godson, will you?" I closed the curtain with a sigh and plopped on the bed. Karabo placed a now seven months old Mpilo in my arms, and he wiggled his arms and legs when he saw me, his happy face bringing a smile t
Love Bites 45 // Now, Forever, & Always
If someone had told me this would be my life a year ago, I would have probably thought they were mocking me. I felt like I lived through a lot, experienced so much, and just felt a lot.My stay at the hospital was bittersweet, I've had some scary moments. Turns out being a mother takes a lot more than just caring a baby in your womb, these past two weeks proved that there was a lot that went into parenting. I was officially initiated into motherhood.The trauma of seeing him being rushed to the emergency room for suctioning on a few occasions because the food came out through his nose, to witnessing the mother next door devastated because her baby was rushed back to ICU and realising that I was on a thin ice. Coming to understand and interpret Mpilo’s different cries and learning how to act in every situation. Nonetheless, I learned to appreciate the good that came with the bad. My heart filled with warmth at the rate he was growing. Maggie's secret did the trick, Sy gave Mpi
Love Bites 44 // A Light Through The Tunnel
There was a certain time in my life where I feared that we would receive a call that my father was shot and killed while at work.I think then it would have been expected, it would have been easier because he was a reckless cop during the peak of his career. Death was inevitable in his field of work, if he had died on duty, his death would have been much easier to accept.But that was not the case.His death was haunting.It was so strange and funny how my father had brought death to many people as if he would live forever.He received a state funeral, a burial worthy of a president. He was seen as a state hero.Tributes were pouring in every second of the day as people continued singing him praises.The measures the vampire council was willing to take to protect their kind was beyond me. News had spread so fast about how my father had died a hero in a quest to capture the notorious Esra Yildiz and the thug in police uniform, Zamani Mamba.They pinned all the crimes
Love Bites 43 // All Or Nothing
Esra's head snapped to the side, and she pinned Zamani with crazed eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, there is no such thing!" He broke into a humourless chortle. "Do you think vampires are a thing of yesterday? There's a damn village full of them, and they have a damn council running the country from the shadows. The SASIU is only sent out for severe cases, and they only have one single goal and instruction – shoot to kill." "Is that so?" Esra challenged. "Well, I'd like to see them try." "Esra, what... we should be getting out of here, drop this entire thing!" Esra tipped her chin in defiance. "Go if you want to, I won't stop you." The vampire's hold on me had loosened, however, he made no attempt to completely let me go. More people stepped out from the shadows, cladded in black cargo pants and military boots, gray t-shirts, black bulletproof vests, masking their identitities with black balaclavas. They carried advanced specialised weapons evidently exclusive to their departments
Love Bites 42 // Echo
A silhouette crept out from the darkness of the forest; tall, lean, with a slightly bent-over posture, his steps wide and precise like a soldier on a march. I would recognise him even with my eyes closed. Cassilas Yildiz. I did not want to believe it was him, until he spoke, and his voice tickled all my senses, and not in a pleasant way. Silas did not deserve to be here, he shouldn't be here. "Esra." A sharp piercing pain struck my knee as I collided with the rocky ground beneath me as I felt all the air rush out of my lungs, a numb feeling settling in its place. "Cas, how nice of you to finally join us! My darling little brother, I would have been disappointed if you didn't come. Wouldn't you call this the perfect family reunion?" His red globes never left his mother's face, no one said anything, they both left their eyes to do the talking. I could see they were dying to embrace each other, but the situation did not allow; nonetheless, that did not stop Sy from taking anot
Love Bites 41 // Silver Linings
My hand dropped to my side as if pried off by a sudden shock of electricity, my chest heaving up and down heavily. I felt cold inside, a sense of numbness I could not decipher. No matter what excuse my mind tried to produce, there was nothing I could say to my father’s defense. Normally, I would be filled with feelings of doubt at the dubious accusations, but there was no ounce of doubt in me. The fact that he did not try to argue or defend himself told me that it was true - my father was indeed responsible for my aunt’s death. "What was it you said, again? A blood sacrifice." "Yeah, that's right!" Zamani chimed. "The blood of the person who turned you into a monster, would reverse the curse." But my aunt did not turn my father into a vampire, and I doubt she knew he was one. "But of course, he couldn't murder the son of his dearest friend. I could never understand such blind loyalty, I mean, the guy is already dead and buried." "Watch it," Esra warned coyly, silencing Zamani wi
Love Bites 40 // No Rest For The Wicked
It was sunset when we finally arrived at the village, and Papa asked Theo to pull up on the side. "We will walk from here, thank you," he said, taking out his wallet. "How much is it going to be for the trip?" Theo showed him the price on the screen, and my father gladly accepted, adding extra on top of the charged amount. "Thanks for the ride," I said to Theo before joining my dad on the side of the road, and we both watched as he drove back in the direction we came from. Papa took off his shades, his eyes following Theo's car as it vanished in the distance. "Do you think he connected the dots when he heard Esra's name on the radio?" He asked. I somehow understood where this conversation was going. "Even if he did, Papa, what can we do? Are you going to kill him too?" He responded with a roll of his eyes, but he didn't seem offended. "Let's go." He turned around, and I trailed behind him as he paved the way farther into the village. The closer we got to the homesteads, the slow
Love Bites 39 // The Devil's Trap
The tension in the room was so thick that not even a knife could cut through it.I couldn't tear my eyes away from my father, how was this the man who raised me? He looked pale, and I had no idea whether it was the shock or his natural state.My eyes moved between him and my brother, Vuyo was evidently a vampire, however, nothing about my father pointed to him being the monster everyone spoke about.At least not to the naked eye. On closer inspection, after everything I'd discovered, I came to realise that this was his mask, a facade. I don't know how he managed to deceive us all these years, but he succeeded. Judging by the horror on Vuyo's face, there was no tiptoeing around whether my father was a monster or not. He was a monster that turned his son into a vampire and held him captive for years. He was a monster that used his teenage son to lure people out so that he could feed on them. He was a monster that was willing to ruin his daughter's relationship and was prepare
Love Bites 38 // Monster
I was woken up from a peaceful sleep by a ringing phone. Still a bit disoriented, it was a while before I located the phone, and I was even more piqued at the realisation that it was Sy's phone.He was sound asleep, his clothes lost somewhere in the room as he held me in his bare chest.His ringing phone bothered me, he should not be that accessible considering the fact that he was a fugitive. I slipped out of his arms and bed and quickly put on my clothes before I grabbed both our phones and snuck out of the room.I had every reason to not answer his phone, but I couldn't ignore it, especially when Karabo's name popped on the screen. Why would she be calling him?I accepted the call, but before I could even answer, she blabbered away. "Cas, what is wrong with you? I've been calling you since last night, but you don't answer my calls. Listen, I've given you more than enough time, if you can't tell your girlfriend the truth, then she's gonna have to find out the hard way.
