~ Raven's POV ~Jansen, with a serious expression, gestured to the elevator and led her to a new destination. As they rode the elevator, Jansen remained tight-lipped, leaving her with a head full of questions. She couldn't help but wonder where they were heading, as the floor number was not displayed on the elevator. They proceeded down a quiet hallway, each step taken in complete silence. Her mind raced with inquiries, including why Jansen was being so cryptic and where they could possibly be going.Within a matter of minutes, they reached another set of doors. Jansen stepped forward and placed his hand on a security panel beside the door, and the entrance immediately opened. The level of security that they had encountered was astonishing, with numerous locked doors they had to pass through. Jansen's security clearance seemed to be endless, making her contemplate Nolan's prior statement. It made her wonder if what Nolan had said earlier was actually true. They had too many security
~ Reagan's POV~Reagan reluctantly descended the long flight of stairs that led to the grim holding cells beneath the Sanctuary. The pungent odor of death permeated the air, assaulting his senses as he made his way down. It was a place he despised, a place where despair and desperation seemed to manifest themselves in tangible form. But duty called, and Reagan knew that if he wanted to find Arin, this was the place to start.As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Reagan surveyed the dimly lit hallway. The flickering fluorescent lights did little to alleviate the eerie ambiance that clung to the concrete walls. He spotted Arin standing resolutely in front of the holding cell at the far end of the fifth corridor, his arms folded across his chest, his expression grave and imposing. Reagan approached cautiously, matching Arin's serious demeanor."Hey, you..." Reagan greeted, his voice tinged with both weariness and concern."Hey," Arin replied tersely, his eyes never leaving the scene
~ Reagan's POV~“ I was chasing a lead when I stumbled into them. It looked recent, probably happened last night. There are more too, down I trail, I couldn’t bear it so I asked the other sentinels to follow it… they reported back… more than twenty victims were found in a reservoir tank, death… “ Arin told him.“Oh my goodness… vampires did it?” he asked, his voice trembling with shock and disbelief.Arin, still visibly shaken, nodded his head slowly in confirmation. "Yes, they are bringing in the bodies as we speak," he managed to say, his words catching in his throat. The magnitude of the situation weighed heavily on him, leaving him struggling for words.Reagan, understanding the depth of Arin's distress, gazed at him with empathy, stepping closer and gently placing Arin's head on his shoulder. In moments like these, Reagan was reminded that Arin, despite his outward appearance of strength and bravery, possessed a tender heart akin to that of Lumiére. It was this shared vulnerabilit
~ Raven's POV~Raven stared at the back seat again during her class. She knew who was sitting there now, not that he was even trying to hide himself from her view. He was fully being obvious in the class. She sighed as Nolan rolled his eyes at her the second time.Ever since she left the watchtower, things had been very quiet. Too quiet to feel right. There was no news from the Night watchers. It was as if they had decided to leave her on her own. This normalcy felt abnormal now and she was bidding the time when they would come for her next, because they would always come.They wanted her to remember things and the moment she does, her life would be invaded again. She flicked her gaze to her tablet in front of her to find out where she was before she continued teaching.The students were really paying attention and she was grateful for that, if she were in their shoes, she wouldn’t listen to anything the teacher was saying. She looked at the student in front of her and For some rea
~ Raven's POV~Raven’s phone binged as she stepped out of the café that afternoon. Her secretary had texted her that the class she had that afternoon had been cancelled by the department. She didn’t know why, but for some reason, she was grateful. She wanted to just go home and rest, sleep, something she had been doing for days and can’t get enough.She took a cab back home, instead of walking and when she got home, she took a hot shower. Her phone beeped again when she was dressing up. She had been waiting for the tone since last night.Raven rushed over to her bed and grabbed her phone. It was a message from Lumiére and she didn’t hesitate to open it and read.She read it out loud after being confused by the request, “ Can I come in?”. Raven frowned, come in where?.She quickly typed a message back to him asking him where he was. Maybe it had been a mistake or his messages got mixed up, but the next message showed that it was not a mistake.“ At your door…” she read.Raven st
~ Raven's POV~Raven couldn't help but feel a bit awkward as she stared at Lumiére. She wasn't sure what to do or say next. You see, Lumiére was a really rich guy, and Raven, well, she didn't have much to offer in terms of fancy things.Trying to break the silence, Raven gathered her courage and asked, "Um, can I get you anything?" She was hoping to make him feel comfortable, you know, like a good host.To her surprise, Lumiére shook his head and replied, "No, thanks. I'm good... but if you have some water, that would be nice." Water! Raven thought to herself. She had expected him to ask for something fancy like wine or a special drink that rich people enjoy. But no, he simply wanted water. Phew, what a relief!Without wasting any time, Raven hurried out of the living room. She couldn't help but blush a little because she was secretly drooling over the sight of Lumiére sitting there. He was quite a handsome guy, and seeing him made her heart skip a beat.By the time Raven returned wi
~ Reagan's POV~There is a famous saying that goes, "Where there's smoke, there's fire." It means that if there are signs or indications that something is wrong, there is probably a bigger problem at hand. Reagan had a feeling that something was off as soon as he entered Lumiére's office. Because First, Lumiére was known for being an organized person, but his office was a complete mess. Papers were scattered everywhere, books were haphazardly stacked, and it seemed like chaos had taken over. Second, the High Lord, who usually occupied the office, was nowhere to be found, and even the secretary had no idea of his whereabouts.Reagan couldn't help but be curious. He turned to Middleton and asked, "Do you have any idea where Lumiére might be? Not even a hint?".Middleton, who had been working outside the office, shook his head in response. "No sir... I was busy with some tasks outside, and I didn't even notice when he left." He explained.Reagan was taken aback by this revelation. He r
~ Reagan's POV~Reagan found himself caught in a web of disbelief as he looked from Ervine to Lord Ramona, their solemn expressions and serious demeanor making it hard for him to take their words seriously. Lumiére had told him the name of the human he was seeing was Raven, so where had Phoenix who should be dead come out from.His initial reaction was to chuckle, unable to fathom the possibility of what they were suggesting. However, their unwavering seriousness quelled his laughter, and he took a deep breath to compose himself."Come on, give me something believable, or I'll walk away from all of this... Phoenix is dead. The clan, they killed her," Reagan muttered, his voice laced with a tinge of frustration and skepticism. He had witnessed her demise himself, and the thought of her miraculously returning from the dead seemed far-fetched, to say the least. If Phoenix were alive, she would have surely reached out to them long ago, rather than making an appearance at a charity ball.
(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