~ Raven's POV ~Raven felt grateful to have a friend like Katie, someone who was always there for her no matter what. She vowed to tell her everything once she figured out what was going on. Raven let out a sigh and turned to face Katie. "Do you ever feel like you're not in control of your own life?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.Katie turned to look at her, concern etched on her face. "What do you mean?" she asked."I mean, like you're not living the life you want to live. Like you're stuck in a situation that you can't escape from," Raven replied, trying to keep her voice steady.Katie sat up, facing her friend. "Is that how you feel, Raven?" she asked softly.Raven nodded, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "It's just hard, you know? Everything is so different now, and I feel like I'm losing myself," she said, her voice cracking.Katie reached out and took Raven's hand, squeezing it gently. "You're not losing yourself, Raven. You're still you, you're just… di
~ Raven's POV ~For a moment, Raven was taken aback. She didn't know who this man was, and she couldn't understand why he would suggest that she did. But even as she tried to puzzle it out, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something familiar about him, something that she couldn't quite put her finger on.She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I don't think we've met before."The man's expression didn't change, and Raven could tell that he didn't believe her. She wondered what he was trying to accomplish by playing this game with her.As she waited for his response, she found herself studying him more closely, trying to decipher the meaning behind his words. She couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as she looked into his cold, calculating eyes.Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke again. "I think you know who I am," he said in a low voice. "And I think you know why I'm here.""Nice try,"
~ Lumiére's POV ~ The garden was a serene oasis, a secluded haven within the confines of the sprawling mansion. The tranquility of the space was expected, given that it was a closed off area of the house, accessible only to a select few. The meticulous care bestowed upon the garden was evident, with every flower in full bloom, exuding fragrances that tantalized the senses.For Lumiére, the garden served as a refuge, a place where he could gather his thoughts and clear his head after the endless meetings that seemed to plague his every waking moment. The elders, he mused, were probably still in the meeting room, engaged in a heated discussion over trivial matters. He knew them well, their propensity for bickering until they exhausted themselves, only to regroup and convene once more in their respective sanctuaries.As he sat in the peaceful garden, he heard a rustling by his side, causing him to snap his head towards the source of the sound. The gardens were supposed to be vacant, cl
~ Lumiére's POV ~Once Lumiére was outside the garden, he allowed himself to become visible again as he walked down the long hallway, lost in thought.'The elders should have all gone back to their respective Sanctuaries by now,' he mused to himself, pondering on the many things he still had to accomplish.As Lumiére turned the corner, his steps faltered, and he came to an abrupt stop. He glanced up and saw the figure of an elder standing at the end of the stairs, waiting for him. Lumiére couldn't help but sigh as he realized who it was. "Probably not," he thought to himself as he descended the stairs."I would have expected you to have been long gone by now Lord Ramona," he muttered, not even bothering to hide his displeasure.Lord Ramona turned to him, his face expressionless. "I had urgent matters to discuss privately with you, so I had to wait," he said, his voice devoid of any emotion.Lumiére snorted, feeling the irritation build within him. "I guess you’re in luck today, thou
~ Lumiére's POV ~“ I see…” Lumiére chipped in.“But that isn’t what I wanted to discuss with you…” the man said.Oh!, Lumiére arched a brow at that.Lord Ramona became serious and shifted in his seat, “ There have been invasions…” the man said.Lumiére frowned, “ invasions?” he asked, confused.The man nodded, “ Yes My Lord, lately, my scouts have sighted two unknown men trying to invade the West Sanctuary… I don’t know what they had been looking for, but they fled when they were caught…” he said.Lumiére was intrigued by the news of the invasions. He furrowed his brows, trying to make sense of the situation. What could these unknown men have been looking for in the West Sanctuary? he thought.“ …and that is it?...you didn’t go after them?” he fired.The man sighed, rubbing his forehead, “We did, but lost them…”“ how is that possible… how do trained Vampire guards lose a target. How ?” “ They were fast my Lord. I saw the video footage. They were able to be captured in it because we
~ Lumiére's POV ~Arin's presence in the room was enough to make it feel smaller than it already was. His towering height and broad build made him appear like a mountain of muscle. The Sentinel uniform he was wearing only seemed to amplify his intimidating presence. Lumiére couldn't help but wonder if it was designed that way intentionally. The uniform lacked subtlety, it was meant to attract attention anywhere and instill fear, just as Arin was doing now.Arin turned sharply to Lord Ramona, “ Fucking tell me why your guards are lurking around my Sentinels, around my perimeter!” he spat at Lord Ramona.Lord Ramona was a warrior himself and was obviously not going to back down. He squared his shoulders facing Arin with the same intensity the other man had. If there was anybody who could look down on any vampire, it was Arin, His Head Sentinel. The guy had no sense of fear and respect in him.As Lord Ramona stood his ground, Arin's anger seemed to reach a boiling point. His voice rose
~ Raven's POV ~Raven's day had started off just like any other day - with nothing particularly noteworthy or exciting happening. In fact, her entire week had been quite mundane, except for the fact that her next-door neighbor's dog had given birth recently. She smiled, remembering how exciting it was. As she stepped out of her classroom, Raven waved at some of her students and made her way towards her office. However, despite the normalcy of her day, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was about to happen, that her life was about to take a sudden turn.As she walked towards her office, Raven's thoughts drifted towards the upcoming weekend. Maybe she needed to take a break from her routine and have some fun with Katie. After all, what was the point of Friday night if not to let loose and enjoy oneself? She realized that she had spent the entire week buried in schoolwork, leaving no time for herself or even to visit her grandmother.Raven's grandmother had been on her m
~ Raven's POV ~Raven looked around her office, trying to figure out what to do next. This interaction was awkward, but she couldn't help but hope that it would lead to something more.“Can I get you anything? Perhaps coffee?” Raven asked, gesturing to the counter where the coffee machine was on as she moved to take her seat behind her desk. The massive oak desk made her feel safer, grateful for the distance it provided between them. She didn't know what she was going to do if she was any closer to Lumiére.Lumiére raised up a cup of coffee, "Oh, never mind. Your assistant took care of me," he said with a small smile.Raven couldn't help but scoff, understanding why Megan's face was flushed and red when she saw her. She was probably too overwhelmed after spending time in the room with Lumiére. He had that effect on her too. "I see," she said, glancing at the half-empty cup on her desk."You do know you have some fan girls outside my office right?" Raven teased him, trying to make the
(10 months later)Phoenix watched Lumiére through the window as he gazed into the distance. He had been doing that for months, and she was starting to get worried. She missed home too, just like him. She missed uncle Ben, Jansen, Achim, Nolan, hell, even the cook, but she hadn't abandoned everything, including her duties to her kind, to run away with the man she loved.She sighed and walked out the door to meet him outside. He turned when she opened the door, "Hey, I thought you were sleeping," he said, pulling her into his arms.She rolled her eyes, "I've been awake for a while," she said, resting her head on his shoulder.He sniffed her hair and smiled, "Are you okay?" he asked.Phoenix nodded, "I am, and yes, before you ask, the baby is fine too," she said, placing his hand on her swollen belly.He sighed in relief, "I can't help it. I'm tense. The full moon should have come out five months ago, but it didn't. Not knowing why is killing me," he whispered to her.She hummed a reply
Lumiére's POVHe should have been the one groaning in pain, but it wasn't him. Instead, Heather was coughing up blood. Lumiére was confused, and when he looked down, he saw that Heather's heart was missing. What on earth was happening?Heather fell to the floor, and Lumiére saw Reagan standing behind him, holding Heather's heart in his hand. Lumiére was relieved and happy to see his cousin. He hugged Reagan tightly, feeling a sense of safety in his presence.“ What took you so long…” he mumbled.“ I’m sorry…” Reagan muttered, returning the hug.They stayed in that embrace for a while. When they finally let go, Lumiére felt tired, and he would have collapsed if Reagan hadn't supported him.He didn’t know how long they had stayed that way but when he released Reagan, he felt very tired and almost collapsed if Reagan had not been holding him.“ you need to feed…” Reagan said, lowering Lumiére down and handing the blood bag to him.He didn’t want to do this, but had no choice, so he sucke
Lumiére's POVAt first, he stumbled as he tried to stand up, but he kept going. Slowly, he made his way out of the room. The hallway was empty, which was strange, but he didn't have time to think about it. He wanted to find Phoenix.His vampire senses were weakened by the Allicin in his body, so he couldn't rely on them to find her. He chose to turn left and walked down the hall, leaning on the wall for support.As he passed by each room, he opened the doors, hoping to find Phoenix. The alarm was still blaring, and he wondered if it was a trap.He spotted Maria and another woman leaving a room, and he knew that Phoenix might be there. He waited for a moment before cautiously approaching the room.His heart filled with relief as he saw Phoenix inside, connected to tubes and wires. Seeing her hurt made him furious with those who had done this to her.Lumiére stumbled into the room, knocking some things over because he couldn't stand properly. Phoenix noticed him and smiled weakly.He ma
Lumiére's POVLumiére winced in agony as Heather injected him with another dose of Allicin. The pain was unbearable, pushing him to his limits. Most Vampires wouldn't have survived being exposed to Allicin every hour for weeks, but he was different. He was stronger, or so he believed.But as the days turned into weeks, doubts began to creep into his mind. How much longer could he endure this torture? He had lost track of time since his capture, possibly a month or more. It was all a blur.He let out a weary sigh, bracing himself for what was to come. No matter how many times he resisted, Heather refused to believe him."Where is the sword?!" Heather sneered, the frustration evident in his voice."I've already told you, I don't know," Lumiére snapped back, meeting Heather's gaze defiantly.Heather scoffed, grabbing another syringe filled with Allicin. Lumiére raised an eyebrow, surprised at the sudden escalation. Two shots in such a short span of time? This was a new tactic."I see you
Raven's POVRaven felt cold water splash on her face, waking her up with a gasp for air. The memories of her past life caused a heartache and regret that she wished she hadn't remembered them. Recovering her memories was painful, and she wasn't even fully there yet.Somehow she wished that she had not remembered this piece of her past life. She hasn’t fully recovered her memories and it already hurt this much, she thought.She knew she had tears running through her eyes, but because she was now drenched in water, it was not noticeable to the ordinary eyes, except one looked deeply.She had known Lumiére in her past life, and they were lovers. The realization that she had betrayed him felt like being stung by a thousand bees at once.Ophelia's presence was no surprise anymore. It was clear that she was working with both the witches and outlaws. Raven couldn't help but mock Ophelia's comment about beauty sleep, feeling the anger and pain in her heart.“ I think you need to redefine your
Raven's POV"Hurry up, Miére!" Raven playfully shouted, waving him over to where she was sitting on the picnic mat.His rich laughter filled the air as he ran to join her. "Seriously! I told you to let it go," she said, teasingly scolding him.He rolled his eyes, sitting down next to her on the mat. "I couldn't help it; it was beautiful… not as beautiful as you though," he added, playfully sniffing her neck.Raven chuckled and gently pushed him away, though she secretly loved his affectionate gestures. Being close to Lumiére made her heart skip a beat. She smiled at him, and he seemed to be lost in the sunset that was now painting the sky with beautiful colors.They had spent a long time out there, enjoying each other's company, and though it was time to head back home, she didn't want to leave this moment behind."You think we could build a house here to watch the sun set in the horizon?" she murmured, voicing her dream.Lumiére scoffed gently, "Oh, Phoenix, I wish we could do just t
Raven's POVOakhurst? Raven's mind was buzzing with questions. Why was Lumiére in Oakhurst? It was the same place she had been abducted by the witch. It had to be a coincidence; she couldn't fathom any other explanation. But she didn't want to reveal her own presence in Oakhurst to Lumiére. After all, it was almost an hour away from her home and university.Just as she was about to speak, the door creaked open, saving her from any potential lies. Finally, someone was coming in, and maybe they would get some answers to their bewildering situation.She wondered what the guys would be doing now that she was missing. Would they see this as a collateral loss and forget her or would they search for her.In her mind, she worried about Achim, who had been with her when she was taken, though unconscious. She hoped he would have been able to provide some valuable information to the others.With bated breath, she watched Lumiére, who seemed equally anxious, waiting for the newcomer to enter the
Lumiére's POV"Are you happy?" Raven asked, her voice soft and filled with warmth as she turned to face Lumiére. The afternoon sun painted a beautiful glow on her face, making her green eyes shine brilliantly, the brightest green eyes he had ever seen."I am," he replied with a content smile, feeling a sense of peace and joy being with her. After all that had transpired recently, knowing she was happy made him even happier."I am happy too," she said, and he could see the genuine happiness in her eyes. It warmed his heart to know that he could bring her joy."I like being with you," she added, and Lumiére couldn't help but chuckle. He felt the same way – being with her was something he cherished deeply.Raven reached for an apple from the picnic basket, taking a bite before offering it to him. He playfully teased her, "Feeding me now, are you?"She rolled her eyes playfully in response, "Well, you need someone to take care of you since you don't like eating. I guess that's my job now
Reagan's POVReagan winced as he felt a pang of pain shoot through his head. It was as if a massive weight had fallen on him, and he couldn't help but groan. Slowly, he opened his eyes and took in his surroundings.He found himself in a room, and it didn't take long for him to recognize that it was Lumiére's room in the fortress. How did he end up here? The last thing he remembered was... he stopped himself from thinking further and turned his attention to the door as it opened."Oh, you're awake now... how's your head?" Noah asked as he entered the room.Reagan furrowed his brow, trying to recall what happened. "What happened?" he inquired, attempting to sit up on the bed. Noah quickly moved to his side, helping him to sit up before settling back on a nearby chair.Noah let out a sigh. "You don't remember?" he asked.Reagan knew he wouldn't like what he was about to hear from Noah. "Lumiére knocked you out earlier and left the fortress with Arin and the others," Noah explained.Groan