(Lumiére's POV)The Sanctuary Lords were extremely cautious and vigilant about their safety, especially when it came to stepping into unfamiliar territories.Lumiére was about to enter the Lion's den himself, so he had to make sure that he was aware of any potential danger. He was sure that his guards had already done a clean sweep of the location beforehand.Lumiére settled back into the leather seat of the SUV, feeling the vibration of the car as it moved on the road. He stared out of the window, watching as the buildings and people flew past in a blur. His mind wandered, going over the events of the previous night. The vision of Raven and the need to protect her had left him feeling restless, and he had spent most of the night when he was still conscious pacing around his room, trying to come up with a plan to ensure her safety.He let out a sigh, knowing that it was futile to worry about a human. Humans and vampires were not meant to mix, and he was well aware of the dangers tha
Raven's POVAs Raven drove towards the library, her mind was consumed with thoughts of the place. Despite the events that had unfolded earlier that day at the nursing home, she couldn't shake the feeling that the library was the one place she needed to be. It was an odd sensation, one that she couldn't quite explain, but Raven knew deep down that the library was where she would find solace and perhaps answers. She pressed down on the gas pedal, driving like a madwoman, hoping to reach her destination as soon as possible. As she raced towards the library, Raven's heart raced, and her palms became slick with sweat. She still couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching her, causing her to turn around abruptly to check her surroundings. However, nothing out of the ordinary caught her eye. Feeling slightly disoriented, Raven muttered to herself, "I'm crazy." Despite her inner turmoil, Raven pushed forward and made her way towards the parking lot of the library. She turned th
~Raven's POV~A part of Raven had always been skeptical about the existence of the supernatural, dismissing it as nothing more than a figment of someone's imagination. However, recent events had shaken her to the core, leaving her with a sense of unease that refused to go away.Despite her reservations, Raven felt a strange pull towards the paranormal books on the table. It was as if something was drawing her towards them, urging her to explore the unknown and discover the truth for herself. She couldn't help but wonder what secrets these books held, and what mysteries they could uncover.What questions they could answer.Yesterday, Raven would have agreed with Adaora, dismissing the notion of vampires and other mystical creatures as nothing more than folklore. But now, everything had changed. The events of the past few days had opened her eyes to the possibility that there was more to the world than she had ever imagined.As Raven pondered over the books on the table, her mind was ra
~ Lumiére's POV ~The car screeched to a stop and Lumiére exited, his feet carrying him towards the building as if on autopilot. He had only meant to watch her enter the library and then continue on his way, but something had compelled him to follow her.As Lumiére made his way up the stairs to the State University library, he couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt. "What are you doing Lumiére? You should be on your way to the General council meeting," he berated himself. But despite his inner turmoil, he couldn't resist the pull that had been tugging at him for weeks.He had been avoiding Raven, trying to push her out of his mind, but the more he tried to forget her, the more he found himself thinking about her. She was like a poison, intoxicating and dangerous, and he couldn't stay away.As he approached the entrance to the library, he saw her. She was walking past the shelves in the ground floor, looking as beautiful as ever. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should appr
~ Lumiére's POV ~Lumiére shook his head, his patience running thin. "I really don't care, Reagan," he said firmly, his voice laced with irritation. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, hoping that he could approach the situation rationally, "I want every single penny returned before the end of today."" You can't really expect me to refund the money. I gave it out in your name. Plus, you have your name stamped at the entrance of the library. The people's hero…" Reagan muttered.Lumiére rolled his eyes, as if he wanted that. In the next hundred years, the humans will all be dead leaving behind their children." …oh yes, I actually do expect you to refund those funds...I also don't want my name there too, so take it down." He ordered and climbed out of the opened door.He wasn't angry about the money - it wasn't even a dent in his account. What he was truly upset about was the fact that the chief librarian had probably pocketed a significant portion of that money. He w
~ Lumiére's POV ~“… my point exactly. We can’t afford to move the battle arm of the High Lord now. Not when we might be invaded by unknown forces…” the man from the West said with a smirk.He couldn't help but roll his eyes as the man from the West played the same "protect the High Lord" card that they always did. It was clear that they were more concerned about their own status and power than anything else.He rolled his eyes, catching the glare Reagan threw his way.“ The only solution is to find a wife for the High Lord. A task the East Sanctuary is failing terribly at…” Lord Brennan muttered.As Lumiére listened to the exchange between the elders, he couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration welling up inside him. He rubbed his lips with his index finger, a gesture of annoyance that he couldn't suppress. The elders should have seen it, hell noticed it but they continued. It was as if they were deliberately ignoring his wishes.Elder Wharton's comment only added fuel to the fi
~ Raven's POV ~Raven had spent the entire day jumping from one place and crises to the other, avoiding death and searching for answers to the questions that had been plaguing her. So, when she finally arrived back at her apartment, she was exhausted and completely engrossed in her thoughts. She opened the door, fully expecting to be alone, but to her surprise, Katie was there- she could hear her friend moving around the kitchen, and her apartment was filled with the sweet scent of something delicious cooking in the kitchen.Raven couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as she realized that she had completely forgotten about her plans to have dinner with Katie that evening. She made her way over to the kitchen area, dragging a stool to sit on as she greeted her friend."Hey," she said, trying to hide her embarrassment. "I kind of get the notion that you forgot about dinner," Katie replied, her tone slightly accusatory.Raven let out a sigh, giving Katie a tight-lipped smile as she apo
~ 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
(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