i stopped when i heard a feminine voice chuckling. it took me two seconds to convince myself that this voice wasn't just my hallucination.i know he's in manhattan for a friend's office wedding for at least two days. eric still gave me a report whenever needed but he didn't tell me the wedding was being held at this hotel.the voice sounded closer. i can also hear miss morrel's voice talking. the last time i met her in person was 3 months ago, we passed each other in front of a wine boutique when i visited san francisco. of course she didn't recognize me then because i had erased her memory, she didn't even look at me.the bellboy standing in front of the restaurant gave me a questioning look but i ignored him. slowly i turned my body back to stare into the restaurant. he was just sitting at one of the tables across from me. her two amber eyes met my gaze even though she was talking to miss morrel, i don't know since when she looked at me. for a moment i couldn't take my eyes off of h
"What are you looking at?" Lana's question made me turn to her. She followed my gaze towards the door of the restaurant."It is nothing." I smiled at het.I know the possibility of meeting him in Manhattan. It's just that seeing his head on like this, even though we're quite far apart, still makes my heart beat wildly.The last time I saw him was 3 months ago in San Francisco. Of course I was very surprised because I didn't think He would come back after our last meeting one year ago at the hospital. Then I remembered that Nicholas Shaw also had acquaintances in that town.At that time I forced myself not to look at him because of my surprise. We only passed each other for a few seconds but I could feel his intense gaze on me whereas I could only see his back as he turned around.Now, seeing him again in this place in person made my throat constrict. Nicholas Shaw still looked as handsome as I could remember. He wore a blue striped suit and a white shirt. This time I couldn't take my
Lana opened her mouth to reply but no sound came out of it. "You lie to me." Greg's voice still sounded angry, but she didn't snap at him. "This time I won't let you run away again, do you understand?" the sentence sounded like a threat.Lana looked at him with a panicked look, "Let go of me.""Not this time. You and I still have unfinished business. And we'll be talking about it all night." He answered while walking towards the exit, He was still holding Lana's arm. I couldn't help but gape when I heard what he said."Hey, wait a minute ... " I called while trying to chase them both, "Mr. Shaw! What are you doing?" But Greg didn't stop at all, he didn't even look at me."Lana! What happened?" I almost catch up with them, Lana turns to me, her panicked face makes me feel angry. "Mr. Shaw!" I almost screamed in the middle of the road. But he just walked past me as if he didn't see me, they walked to the car park next to the hotel while Lana was still trying to release his grip.Half run
My heart started pounding really hard inside my chest "Mr. Shaw?" My voice trembled slightly when I called him. But no answer from him."Mr. Shaw?" I repeated frantically. My feet walked aimlessly in the darkness, bumping into something several times."Nic-Nicholas?"Something touched my shoulder suddenly making me scream as I jumped backwards, one of the heels of my shoe hit something that made me almost fall. But a pair of arms grabbed my waist and pulled me into a very familiar embrace."Sshhh ... It's me." His soothing voice rang next to my ear. My heart was still pounding hard in my chest, without realizing it my hands tightly hugged him back."I thought you were-""Sshhh." He hugged me tighter, the smell of his perfume mixed with his signature smell made me a little calmer. He is here, not that man."Forgive me." He muttered while stroking my back to calm me down. We stood in that position for a few minutes until he finally released me. I'm a little grateful that it's dark, at l
I changed into one of his shirts that were too big for me, the hem of the shirt dangling two inches above my knees. The smell of detergent and a bit of perfume still stuck to the shirt I was wearing. I left the bedside candle burning, after the attack I haven't slept with the light off again in the past year. The big and comfortable bed made my tiredness after all day appear quickly, five minutes later I was asleep.***I heard his gasping breath in the darkness, "Shut up you bastard."His masked head was inches in front of my face whispering the words again, "Silence."I wanted to scream, but my voice caught in my throat. One of his hands touched my belly which was covered with a towel. "Stop ... " my tears came out along with my sobs. "Please, stop."His cold and rough hands moved slowly up and down, I closed my eyes and then I pushed his body that was pressing on me with all my might. He suddenly wrapped his other hand around my wrists, gripping me so I wouldn't struggle. "You will
"Go?" I repeated a little in disbelief. He asked me to leave?'Or stay with me. Whatever you choose you can't do it halfway. If you decide to leave, I will make sure we never meet again. But if you decide to stay ... " his voice turned deeper, "There is no turning back." for you."You are mine."My heart pounded harder when I heard his last sentence. He sounded really serious when he said that. "What will happen if I stay?" I asked."You are mine." He repeated with a slightly cold intonation. "I will hunt that woman, and will not rest until I have killed her.""You-killed her?""I will kill all who threaten what is mine, Eleanor." he answered seriously. "And if you become mine, I will never let you go again even if you beg me." he said before walking towards the door "I'll give you a week."His voice still rings in my head even after he left the room. I understand the reason behind his cold attitude towards me. He didn't want to influence my decision, or rather ... He didn't want me t
"Are you ready?" he asked, buttoning the number two top button of his shirt. A strange feeling came over me when I saw him. Currently we are in his room, He just put on his shirt while I just put on my dress in his bathroom. We almost seemed like a normal couple, and I really liked this new feeling.I opened the bathroom door wider and stepped out. "I need your little help." I muttered as I turned my body back to him, "My hands can't reach the zipper."For three seconds that seemed very long to me there was no answer from Nicholas, until finally I heard his footsteps approaching from behind me. One of my hands tugs at my hair and tucks it over one side of my shoulder so it doesn't get in the way of the zipper.I hear the sound of his breathing from behind me, my heart beats a little faster as his hand lightly touches my skin. Then slowly, very slowly, Nicholas tugged my dress up. One of his fingers brushed against my skin the whole time he did it. My heart was pounding so uncontrollab
San Francisco has never looked this gloomy before. Or rather, my mood had never been this gloomy before. For the umpteenth time I sighed as I looked out my office window. Being an assistant manager gives me several advantages, one of which is having a private office. Even though it's very small, it's better than sharing a narrow cubicle with other employees.Today is exactly one week after I met Nicholas. Today I should give my answer. I couldn't close my eyes all night and this morning the job Mr. LeBlanc took most of my mind off Nicholas. At least tonight I should call him to tell him my answer. But until now I don't know what to tell him.I can't ask Lana for directions. Lana seemed to be in as much pain as I was, after we got back from Manhattan Lana always changed the subject if I mentioned Gregory Shaw. So far Gregory has not shown his nose again. I didn't know whether to be relieved that he wasn't in contact with Lana anymore, or angry that he made Lana sad. What is clear, this
My body shivered with desire at the sound of Nick's sharp voice. He grabbed my hair and pulled me back onto the bed, facing him again.His blue eyes gleamed with lust, but I'm sure my own eyes looked just as desperate.One of his hands gripped my shirt. "I'm sorry if I ruin your clothes, Eleanor," he murmured, his voice strained. I wanted to laugh, my husband was still apologizing in a situation like this. The ticklish feeling disappeared quickly as he pulled off my shirt, scattering it around me.He undressed me until I was left in just my bra and panties. His satisfied gaze on my body only fueled the fire within me. The air in the room felt thin. No matter how hard my lungs worked, I couldn't breathe normally.He lowered his face and kissed me passionately, while one hand slipped around to my back to unhook my bra. In an instant, my bra was thrown to the corner of the room, and his warm, large hands cupped my breasts.The sensation of his touch sent waves of pleasure throughout my b
I'm not sure how much time has passed. After our last conversation, Dostov said he would check on Lana and the others downstairs because he was afraid the blood cleansing process wasn't finished, so he asked me to wait in his apartment.Our previous conversation kept repeating in my head. But no matter how frustrated and worried I am now, in the end, Dostov's words are the ones that prevail in my mind. I can't change the future, even if I were to know it. All I can do is hope and pray that what Dostov saw won't happen in the future.Suddenly, the door to Dostov's apartment opens again. But it's Nick's face that appears behind it. I stand up to greet him, but both of us freeze upon realizing something. His previously warm gaze turns cold instantly. "Eleanor... Why do I smell Alastair's blood on you?" he asks as he takes a step closer to me.Damn, I forgot about Alastair's blood."Nick, I didn't realize the blood I drank was Alastair's," I explain, stepping back to distance myself from
They stared at each other for a few minutes, silently."Whose blood is it?" I asked, hoping to hear his answer.He grimaced again. "Nicholas will be later. But right now, there's nothing more effective than Volder Ella's blood."I couldn't help but feel familiar with that scent, my body already recognizing it without Dostov confirming it. Nicholas will definitely be furious later. "Ugh, Dostov," I grumbled, closing my eyes in frustration."Don't worry, he won't be mad at you. Plus, by tonight, Alastair's scent on you will fade away... with Nicholas." He sighed and shifted his gaze to the bookshelf in the room.I glared at him and sighed. His intention was good, to free me from the torment of blood lust as soon as possible, but I was still annoyed because he didn't warn me earlier. "Are you better now? Do you want blood again?" I replied curtly."Not blood again, just another blood. Not Alastair's blood," he mumbled, still looking slightly guilty with his college kid face. The frustrat
Carleon's anger and terror were evident as he whispered in disbelief, "No, Dostov, you promised me!" He tried to stand up, but Nick pushed him back down with his foot, causing him to fall by Dostov's feet again. "Carleon, consider this as you redeeming yourself for your sins all this time," Dostov said calmly. "Isn't now the right time to make amends for everything?" He whispered softly, looking down at the side of his foot. "Vlad will retaliate against you!" Carleon shouted in anger. Dostov stared at him expressionlessly. "Haven't you realized yet? Vlad has abandoned you. He knows about your plan to form your own clan. Isn't that why you were looking for the newborn Valkyrie? To gather power and break free from Vlad?" "No..." Carleon shook his head. "Dostov... You've set me up." His voice sounded shocked and trembling. Nick, who had been observing Carleon, now looked up in surprise at Dostov. "Nicholas, you should take him away. Gregory and Lana must be waiting," Dostov continue
I didn't have time to see what happened next because Volder pulled me and slammed me onto the carpet, causing my back to hit the floor hard. I quickly rolled to the side to avoid his black hands and long nails that were about to slash me.I stood up and approached the baby doll with one hand while Volder, the man in front of me, hissed angrily. He lunged at me, aiming for the baby doll I was holding, but once again I managed to dodge him. I couldn't see where I was going because all my focus was on Volder in front of me, but the sounds around me were chaotic."Don't you dare touch me," I hissed angrily, showing my own fangs. Volder smirked mockingly and lunged towards me. I tried to dodge him again, but one of his hands managed to grab my long hair and yank it forcefully, pulling my body towards him. I tried to fight back with one hand, but he yanked my hair down again and slammed his knee into my head with great force.He threw me to the floor again and reached for the bundle I was h
Chapter 132 It felt like a wave of icy water washed over my body as I heard Carleon's last question. Carleon. Nick and I looked at Dostov simultaneously, who still appeared calm. Dostov was the one who spread those rumors? I thought with horror, but Alice had said that Dostov wasn't the one responsible. On the other hand, Nick just observed both of them, even though he usually easily succumbed to anger when it involved our children. "This is the second time I'm warning you, Carleon. I'm not in the mood for small talk. If you can't respect my request, you should leave my territory quickly." Then Dostov turned to us, though he quickly winked one eye at me. The tension in my shoulders eased. Dostov walked back to his seat and sat down. "Ah, forgive me once again. I just wanted to see the reactions of the new members of your clan who are present here. Consider it as me helping you test their loyalty to you," Carleon continued. So his previous question was a provocation for us... "If
I could hear the pounding of my own heart. We walked side by side. Alice separated herself from us, as she was planning to enter after Dostov finished speaking. I had heard stories about Carleon from Greg and Lana, who had met him directly. As Vlad's right-hand man, he was incredibly loyal and always carried out his duties perfectly. According to Nick's stories, Vlad never intervened directly or displayed his powers openly because everything was done by Carleon and his subordinates. I had to remind myself repeatedly that we were safe and under the protection of the Dostov clan. We entered the ballroom of the headquarters accompanied by around eight members of other clans. However, Carleon's entourage had not yet appeared; it seemed they were still in the elevator as this headquarters was located on the top three floors of this hotel building. Dostov sat in his chair casually, wearing a yellow hoodie that contrasted with the black robe we were wearing. We stood around his chair sile
The day we have been waiting for has finally arrived. As planned, we all gathered at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel at ten in the morning. Dostov would receive Carleon in the same ballroom as our honorary clan acceptance ceremony yesterday.If Carleon does indeed come today, then some clan members designated by Dostov will also be present as witnesses, although we are also sure that Carleon will not come here alone.While I am nervous, there is someone much more nervous than me at the moment. Lana's face has been pale since we met this morning, and Greg hasn't let go of her embrace. I'm sure Greg's feelings right now aren't doing well either, but he hides his worries very well behind a calm and normal expression on his face.We have to separate to discuss what we need to do later. Greg, Lana, and Luke are waiting in one of the rooms directly connected to the ballroom. Meanwhile, me, Nick, Dostov, and Alice are talking in another room that is more private.Other clan members are waiting in
Chapter 129Dostov informed us to evacuate Elliot and Rosie from Manhattan as soon as possible, so today we planned to leave for San Francisco.Sebastian and Ludmila Moran... I don't remember them very well because we only met once, that too when I was still human. The only thing I remember from that night is Greg's confession that he was the one who bit me six months ago.But as far as I remember, the husband and wife seemed friendly and accepting of me back then, and most importantly, Nick trusted them.We had to hire a private jet because... of course, because of Elliot. He couldn't stop saying "yum yum" to every human he met. Even Nick noticed Elliot's strange behavior at the Waldorf Astoria hotel last night. We were also afraid that Elliot would show his little fangs to everyone if we took a regular plane.Almost a year and a half has passed since I moved to Manhattan, but San Francisco still looks the same. Strangely, I don't miss this place at all, even though I lived in this c