DAHLIA:
“I hope this room will suit you and your attendant for the meantime, Countess Abell. We will make better arrangements as soon as we can,” the dorm supervisor said as she walked us inside an available room.
I thanked her and looked around the room as Lina and our coachman proceeded to unload the luggage from our carriage.
I took a closer look at the bedroom. It was as spacious as the bedroom I shared with Tristan, but it was rather empty with only a few closet spaces, two beds, a table and chairs for studying.
Because my decision to come here has been hasty, I had forgotten to call and made formal arrangements that I’ll be moving in today with Lina. As such, the dorm supervisor, Madame Matell, was put in a tight spot.
Although I had discussed living at the dormitory with Tristan in the past, we had conceded that I take university lessons for the first semester at home. We were still newlyweds and had been inseparable, so we
DAHLIA:“W-What are you doing here?”I spun around with a wet towel in my hand. I was about to give a sponge bath to a child when a hand suddenly landed on my left arm.Surprise of all surprises: it was none other than Lady Livia Jeteris.“Hello… I thought I might see you here,” she said. There was an air of happiness in her voice when she saw me. It was probably just me who had resented seeing her.I didn’t respond to her and went back to what I was doing. I squeezed the water out of the towel and patted it on top of the head of the little vampire girl I was tending.Vampires typically had lower bother temperatures, but she was burning up with fever from a werewolf’s bite. I didn’t know vampires could also be affected by werewolves in such a manner…“It was probably because the rogues were using blessed relics… That could be the only explanation for her fever.&rdquo
DAHLIA:It did not register to me at first, but the second time someone had shouted, panic started to rise at the pit of my stomach.“Run! The village is being attacked by rogues!”I looked back at Lady Livia. There was no trace of fear on her face. I struggled internally what to do.‘We can do this, Dahlia! Don’t be nervous. You can transform already! I’ve got you,’ Eva growled inside of me…That’s right. I could transform at will now, right? I should be able to defend myself well…Ah, but I have never really engaged in combat as a wolf before… Would I be able to survive this?As if the blasted rogues could read what was on my mind, six of them appeared right in our midst.I poised myself for an attack. I didn’t know what they wanted in the first place, but I wasn’t going to let them come near us when we were so far away from others to get help.
DAHLIA:I stared in awe at Tristan’s chest. Why was my mark still there?He was still pulling my hand against his chest. I fingered the mark and scratched it. It didn’t come off. I scratched harder.“It wouldn’t come off no matter what you do,” Tristan said, his breathing becoming heavier.I pulled my hand away from his grasp, but he resisted.“Don’t push me away, Dahlia… Just stay like this for a while. Just until you recuperate please...”I wanted to laugh. I was the injured one, but my rescuer was the one pleading for me to stay.My body wanted to succumb to him. I missed Tristan’s warmth. I miss his touches, and therefore, this closeness between us was too dangerous.I reminded myself that I was trying to stay away from him and not get pulled in by his seduction again. I spoke in a firmer manner.“No. Please let me go.”His face looked li
DAHLIA:A spirit stone – one of the most powerful and precious items in the world!Since the extinction of the Shadow Rune pack, people from every clan – Werewolves, Fairies, Vampires, Dragons, Witches and Warlocks, to name a few – had all gone crazy in search of spirit stones, the runes that contain the essence of power and existence of a Shadow Rune wolf.Spirit stones are used as core ingredients for different kinds of spells, and even the mere possession of it was said to give power beyond compare to its owner.I could just imagine how Tristan and Livia, the last remaining Shadow Rune wolves, and no doubt both possessing spirit stones inside their bodies, would be in grave danger should anyone find out about their secret in Dalrus...As magic advanced, detection devices that could give away the presence of spirit stones had also been made over the years, creating a never ending quest for the remains of Shadow wolves and the ru
TRISTAN:I was right. That was the last time I would see Dahlia…Sir Casior tapped my shoulder in a sorrowful way as we walked towards the city proper of Payn.“She is your wife, I suppose? Congratulations on your wedding,” he said with an empathic smile.I know he was Livia’s friend, but possibly he was more than a friend. He was also someone who knew me as a child back when the Apricus Kingdom and the Shadow Rune Pack maintained a close friendship. Yet, I still have not gotten used to this vampire’s familiar and friendly demeanor…I really wished vampires would age a bit so that it would never get this awkward when talking to him…“It’s a long story, but we’re not together anymore,” I said.“You’ll get back together, don’t worry.”I raised my eyebrows at Sir Casior. “How did you know?” Does he have the power to tell the fu
TRISTAN:Albus and Arthur were too damn excited to come out that it was taking all of my will to keep them at bay.I only got to touch Dahlia’s fully clothed frame around her waist and leg like this, and my whole body was instantly sent into a wild frenzy of desire.She was too damn beautiful! How did I resist not seeing her for more than two weeks?...Dahlia pushed herself away from my embrace and squeezed herself to my right side. I moved involuntarily and let her seat beside me.I did not hate being near her, but I tried to sit further away since my body was getting excited just by sitting so close to her like this...She did not seem affected by my presence at all, however. She looked absent-mindedly outside the carriage window.We stayed in silence thereafter.“That spirit stone… How will you recognize it if it were your mother’s,” Dahlia suddenly asked out of the blue.I looked at her
TRISTAN:The man before us held a rune detector – a magical wand that could sense the presence of spirit stones or the presence of a Shadow Rune wolf…As such, my eyes were fixated at the other end of the wand where a circular orb was attached. Once that orb starts to glow, it will give away my identity as a Shadow wolf.Almost instantly, Dahlia grabbed me by the hair and forced my head down towards her neck.Surprisingly, Dahlia didn’t move away like what she would have normally done out of embarrassment whenever we’d get intimate. Instead, she pushed her legs even closer towards me, further revealing her white thighs from under her skirt while still fondly cradling the back of my head in her hand.“Make it quick… We’re busy.”I involuntarily inhaled Dahlia’s smell of honey, milk, and cherries. It was so intoxicating that my hands clasped her tighter even without a second thought.
TRISTAN:Because of the sudden inspection, we were given a pass to rush inside the city gates of Dalrus.I looked absentmindedly at the throngs of carriages that were still being inspected as we rode towards the capital of Apricus, the vampire kingdom.A thousand thoughts filled my mind. Why were the city guards on full alert? Why were they looking for a Shadow wolf? Somehow, I can’t help but think that all of these occurrences must be connected with the vampire invasion Samalah and I have initially plotted.I looked back at the unexpected rogue invasion in Payn two days ago and the ambush attack on me from last time as well. I was sure that those two must have been mere coincidences. Was there someone sabotaging our plans against Count Jeteris?Either way, Count Jeteris must be found guilty. Twenty years of walking free and not getting punished were enough for him. This time, he must pay for his crimes dearly...As soon as we entered