Dmitri and Roseanne walk along the marketplace of Hapsberg. They are disguised as an ordinary couple who are casually strolling through. To hide her scent as a human, Roseanne is wearing a perfume which is made by Iriana. It masks her scent for a short while, for an hour or two.
She stays close to Dmitri, holding his arm.
The marketplace is crowded with people, haggling with the sellers or looking around. Small stores with thatched roofs are lined along the streets. The roads are rough and hard to walk on because of the uneven stones. A greyish cloud is looming over the town as if it will rain that night. They pass by the series of slanted houses which are emitting soft puffs of smoke from the chimneys.
The roads are a little damp due to the nearby steam from the water which engulfs the whole city at times. Roseanne
Dmitri and Roseanne are staring at the girl in wonder. They stopped at a small tea shop nearby for snacks and found a table for themselves.“She can eat a lot,” Dmitri remarks, feeling amused at the child who is on her fourth helping of Shepherd’s Pie. She single-handedly finished a three course dinner and the poor diner owner keeps on losing track of their orders. Cassandra devours all the food in front of her and is still hungry.“Can I have more pie?” she requests.“Another pir please!” Dmitri orders. The store owner groans in dismay and starts preparing another one. Roseanne slightly smiles at his generosity because if it was anyone else, Cassandra would have been beaten to death for daring to even ask for food.D
Roseanne is giddy with excitement. She takes good care of her looks, pouting a little.“I look haggard!” She bemoans. Her hair is too tangled and her skin is too pale for her liking. Thankfully, Aria had packed her a few nice things which Roseanne might need during the trip.She quickly finds a simple yellow dress and changes into it. Dabbing light powder on her face, she untangles her wild hair. Finally, she looks at herself in the mirror.“Am I looking too plain?” she sighs. Roseanne scowls as Josephine’s face comes to her mind but she has to admit, Josephine has an exotic appearance which will entice many men. She is surprised that Dmitri feels nothing for that woman and admittedly, it makes Roseanne feel good.She fixes her neckline and
Aria is in Dmitri’s study, cleaning it up. Other maids have been strictly instructed not to enter and only Aria is authorized to clean his study at a set hour. She puts away all the documents in a drawer and is about to close it when the door to the study opens and Leo enters the room.As soon as he enters, Aria becomes stiff. Leo knew that she was in the room because of her intoxicating scent but he entered it anyway. His mate is still awkward but she takes a deep breath and smiles at him.“A-are you here for work?” she asks.“Yes,” Leo replies with a small smile. Ever since her talk with Roseanne before the banquet, Aria has been taking small steps to mend her relationship with Leo. She is still not fully ready but seeing him smile makes her heart flutter like a butterfly. He is also
Elthezar is wary of the creature which is standing in front of him. Eduard has strictly ordered Elthezar to keep his mouth shut but he is scared and distrustful of the Undead who is smirking at him. Ilyich is grinning at the pathetic werewolf Duke who is fearful and foolish.“You are scared of me, Duke?” He asks in amusement. “After everything your people have done to us, we should be scared of you.”“Do not speak to me as if we are monsters!” Elthezar snarls. “You hideous creature!”They are inside the cave near the lake where Ilyich and some of his men have arrived to gather fresh prey for their army. Eduard promised them a supply of human slaves for Ilyich’s army and so far, the Emperor is keeping his promise. Elthezar is forced to give up a few of the slaves
“The Duke of Hapsberg was last seen entering his castle,” Aryan states to Dmitri. They are in the inn’s hallway where Aryan is briefing Dmitri on the latest findings. Dmitri is still, thinking about the passing minutes. It is nearly evening and time for Roseanne to depart for Sloria but he is anxious.The full moon is nearly upon him and he did not bring his potion which is going to lead to a dangerous situation.I must find a safe place to hide in, he thinks. Aryan frowns.“Is everything alright, Dmitri?” He asks. His voice brings Dmitri out of his reverie.“Huh? Yes! I am fine. What about the preparations for the Duchess’ departure?”“They are already complete.”
Cassandra is about to screen in fright but Roseanne grabs her mouth and shuts her up but the horrifying scene is too much to bear. The werewolf guards lie lifeless on the ground, their throats completely ripped off by the Undead. Its skeletal face is shining under the moonlight, the eyes dead and dull. The Undead sniffs the air and croaks.“Fo…od…”It turns towards the bushes where Roseanne and Cassandra are hiding. The child whimpers in Roseanne’s arms. She is frightened and pale. Roseanne tries to calm her but the Undead is slowly heading towards them, dragging its feet along the ground.“Hung…ry…Food…”Roseanne gulps and is ready to run with Cassandra when they hear a loud scream. The Undead turns around
“Save him!” The voice in Roseanne’s head urges her. Dmitri’s red eyes are still glaring at her, filled with hurt and anger. She is too scared to face him, ashamed of having hurt him like that.The wolf lets out a howl and jumps out of the window.“Dmitri!” Roseanne yells after him and looks down to see the wolf and the Undead engaged in a battle once again. Roseanne is in a fix. She must save him but she does not know how!“My Lady, we must escape!” Cassandra shrieks. More guards are going to arrive and they have little time. Roseanne nods and is about to turn around when something catches her eye. She frowns and picks up a book from the desk next to the window.“Mikhael Vadimovna!” She whispers. “Th
Roseanne is confused. Gaia? The Moon Goddess?“What are you talking about?” She asks. “The Moon Goddess is gone! How can-”“I do not have time to explain!” The Goddess tells her. “But I have to take over your senses for a brief time. The golden being you are seeing is my mate, Stiva. He is residing inside Dmitri, waiting for us to finally reunite someday. Until then, he will keep on killing and hunting others every full moon night.”“B-But why did he not sense you inside me?” Roseanne asks. “Why did he attack me?”“He can only sense me when you will let me take over your body,” Gaia explains. “I reside inside you because you are me and I am you. When I died, my soul reincarnated ins