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
DAHLIA:‘Calm your heart down, and breathe in smoothly… Don’t show your excitement. Don’t give in to your feelings,’ Eva reminded me inside our shared consciousness.I was deathly nervous from the very start. Can I really do this? Can I pretend to be intimate with Tristan and not get caught up with my own act?‘Of course you can,’ Eva said confidently. ‘I’ll help you out. Don’t worry about a thing!’Indeed, I’m glad. Eva and I are polar opposites when it comes to seduction. I don’t think I can ever keep everything away from the surface while she always can… I hope we really do succeed.As Tristan informed me of the plan further, I learned that the illegal auction will last the whole night, and the final item to be showcased would most likely be the spirit stone.“I don’t have any information on how many spirit stones they are going to show in th
DAHLIA:The auction house was very close to the inn that one just needed to walk towards it. The only problem for us was of course the guards that were scattered about with their rune detectors…I sighed as I looked at myself in the mirror. I promised myself and Livia that I will make sure I’d do my best to make this mission a success. This means I had to make my scent more pronounced than Tristan’s and to do that, I had to wear a dress I would never wear ordinarily…I looked back at the red and black gown I had donned myself in. The neckline was cut at such a low angle that it’ll be too hard to move without giving away too much skin…‘You can cover it up with something else,’ Eva said, her face lighting up in excitement. She really liked showing off some skin. I just wanted to make sure Tristan and I make it out there alive…‘Ah, of course,’ I mumbled back, remembering what she
TRISTAN:I looked at Dahlia’s face, and I knew she was deathly serious. Her words kept on repeating inside my head.“You are not my mate, and after this, we’ll have to stop becoming husband and wife too…”I couldn’t restrain my feelings anymore. I grabbed her by the arm and locked her in an embrace.“Dahlia, tell me you didn’t mean that,” I grunted.“Mean what,” she replied, feigning ignorance on what I meant.My wolves were enraged. It was full of chaotic shouts inside our head, but all I could manage to whisper were my desperate pleas.“You didn’t mean it, right?... Are you really going to leave me?”“What’s the point of staying together? You are not my mate, and I am not yours…”I didn’t like the answer she gave me before, and I certainly did not like it now.Fighting the urge to cr
DAHLIA:It was a strange night…Not only was it strange because we were out on a dangerous mission. It was also strange because no matter what I do, I seemed to be drawing unwanted attention to myself.After the attendant led us into a small passage that seemed to go on forever, we were finally shown into a grand hall where a lot of people had gathered.It was a sight to see! I’ve been acquainted to creatures from other clans before, but it was the first time I had even been in such a large gathering of beast clans where there was a need for everybody to be on his or her feet.Almost as soon as we joined the gathering, several people began looking at me.Initially, I brushed it off as a form of curiosity, but by and by, their stares were becoming more and more intense, and I was feeling a bit frightened.‘I don’t have a good feeling about this, Dahlia,’ Eve said. Even my wolf was becoming increasingly aw
DAHLIA:Four male vampires surrounded me in a semi-circle. They don’t look very welcoming at all…“Thank you,” I responded in the coldest manner that I could, “but I can perfectly take care of myself.”Internally, I was shaking in fright. It was only Eva who dared to bare her fangs to these vampires that gave me the courage to speak out to them.“Are you sure, dear? I think you’ll need someone by your side at all times… It’s dangerous for a woman in your state to go around… unescorted…”My eyebrows shot up in the air. A woman in my state – what on earth does that even mean?“What do you -?” Before I could finish asking the gentleman what he had meant to tell me exactly, another man butted into our conversation.“Lady, there you are. I had been looking everywhere for you,” he said, his words directed to me.I blinked s
DAHLIA:“Alright, sir. Please lead the way,” I replied enthusiastically that Sir Casior couldn’t help but grin.I can’t explain it, but the moment the red ruby stone was shown on stage, I felt an irresistible pull towards it. Maybe if I could see it up close, I’d understand why it seemed to call me…Sir Casior led me into a small opening on the right side of the stage where two burly-looking vampires were standing guard.Once we were near enough, Sir Casior removed his mask, and without a word, the guards opened the small wooden door behind them, and we entered with ease.I frowned. It was so dark that I couldn’t see a thing. As my eyes adjusted to the dimness of the place, however, I found that the space – a storage room - was actually bigger and wider than it seemed like from the outside.“Why is it too dark in here,” I asked Sir Casior.“To prevent thieves from gett
TRISTAN:I wanted to confirm my suspicions, so I asked Dahlly if I could leave for a few minutes…Had I known that all of these things would have happened, I wouldn’t have left her all alone to fend off by herself down there!I knew I was at fault. I shouldn’t have left Dahlia that night, especially since she had been drawing eyes towards her the moment we entered Dalrus. I should have known something bad could happen to her… I should never had conceded for her to come with me to this blasted auction in the first place.As soon as I realized that somebody from the podium above was reflecting my mother’s scent and energy, I abandoned all reasons. I made the fatal mistake of asking Dahlia to wait for me for a second so that I could explore who or what that was.My mate obliged without a thought. I quickly left her side and made my way into the stairs leading to the second floor deck.“This is a restricted
DAHLIA:The glow of the red ruby was far too stronger, far too mesmerizing than my own will power. It was calling me, beckoning me, stirring the depths of my soul, and I just had to concede…Breathing shallowly, I extended my hands until my fingers touched the glass.‘Dahlly, no,’ I heard Eva shout inside our head.In an instant, I wanted to take my hands back, but it was too late! Almost immediately, a blinding light coming from the glass surrounded me.This is it! I must be dying from the curse infused on the glass!...I don’t know how long the light consumed me. I was convinced that I had died and that when I open my eyes, I would probably be in heaven… or hell since I just attempted to rob an auctioned item.However, when I opened my eyes, all I could see was the empty glass globe in my hands. The red ruby was nowhere in sight.‘Ah, what did you do, Dahlly,’ Eva shouted as we spir