KEILAH After cleaning off the dirt, I changed into a pair of clean, soft clothes, savouring the feeling of being less grimy. With my face now washed and the stinging ointment doing its work, I looked less like someone who had gone through hell and more like myself, even if bruised and battered. I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the last remnants of the strange encounter with Damien.When I walked back into the living room, I found him still sitting on the couch, his head leaning back against the wall, eyes closed. His large frame made the couch look comically small, as though it was built for a child, not a man—or rather, not a vampire—of his size. He looked... tired. Drained, almost. His skin seemed paler than usual, almost as if he hadn’t fed in a while.Do vampires even get tired? Or dehydrated?Whatever it was, I didn’t want to disturb him. I walked past quietly and headed into the kitchen. The tension in the air still lingered, but I could at least make myself useful whi
KEILAH I barely had time to think. One moment, Damien was still. The next, he was a blur of motion, his eyes wild and locked on Cora like a predator cornering its prey. Without a second thought, I moved—my body acting on pure instinct, faster than I thought possible.Before I even realised it, I had thrown myself in front of Cora, shielding her from Damien’s imminent attack. The instant I put myself between them, I felt it—sharp, excruciating pain tearing through my neck as Damien's fangs sank deep into my skin. The pain was like fire, white-hot, and searing, ripping through my nerves. I gasped, the shock of it taking the air from my lungs as I stumbled forward against him. His grip tightened, his arms suddenly around me, pulling me closer as his fangs dug deeper, the raw hunger driving him. “D-Damien!” I choked out, my voice strained and barely a whisper.For a moment, it was as though he didn’t hear me. His need, his hunger, was too strong—too primal for words to reach him. The r
DAMIEN'S POVI leaned back in the cold, stone chair of the tower, letting the silence settle around me. The air was thick with the scent of iron—blood. Lord Seth stood a few feet away, watching me closely, his sharp gaze never wavering. His presence, as always, was unsettling. He had been the one I left in charge, the one who maintained order in my absence. Yet now, he stood there, arms crossed, questions heavy in the air.“What is going on, Draven?” Seth’s voice broke through the quiet, laced with suspicion. His eyes narrowed as he studied me, then flicked to the wooden bowl of blood I held in my hands. “Who’s that girl you brought here? I smelled your venom in her. Who is she?”I didn’t answer right away, staring down into the bowl of blood. The liquid was dark, rich, and inviting. With a swift movement, I brought the bowl to my lips and drank deeply, the blood sliding down my throat in a satisfying, warm rush. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, savouring the way it still fu
DAMIEN Keilah's eyes flared with fury, her entire body trembling as she spoke through clenched teeth. "Take me back to my home, and I don't ever want to see you again—ever." Her voice was sharp, filled with a venomous edge. Before I could say anything, she turned and started walking away, her movements sharp and rigid, like every step was fueled by her anger. I reached out, catching her hand to stop her and explain myself. “Keilah, wait—”She whirled around, her hand flying, and before I could react, the sting of her slap snapped my head to the side. “Don’t you fucking touch me,” she hissed, her eyes dark with rage.I let go of her, raising my hands in surrender. “Fine,” I said, my voice calm. She then turned on her heels again. I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady. "That kiss meant nothing, if that’s what made you angry. I wasn’t trying to—” I paused, “I just wanted to see something.”She stopped in her tracks, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. Then, in a ru
KEILAH I watched as Damien stormed out, the air around him tense and charged. The other creep of a guy followed close behind, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I hated how scared I felt, how that brief moment when Damien grabbed my arm, turning on a monstrous face, still made my skin crawl. I’d stood my ground, put on a brave face—but now that he was gone, all that courage crumbled. My knees wobbled, and before I could regain my balance, they buckled, causing me to stumble and collapse onto my haunches.I tried to catch my breath, but it felt like my chest was tightening, the fear and anger all building up like a knot inside me. Garbie rushed toward me, her eyes wide with concern, and for a split second, I thought about letting her help. But the second she reached for me, I jolted back, shouting, "Get away from me!"She stepped back, startled, her eyes full of shock. "I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you—I just want to help.""Help?" I snapped, my voice trembling wi
KEILAH Her words felt like a punch to my gut. “The Underworld Kingdom?” I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper. My mind raced, trying to process what that meant. The name itself sent chills down my spine, and I had to fight the urge to shiver. “So… this means I'm in a different realm?”Garbie nodded, her eyes meeting mine. “Yes. This is where our kind resides, away from the human world. It’s safer for us here.”I looked around the room, suddenly feeling like the walls were closing in. Everything had felt strange from the beginning, but knowing I wasn’t even in the human world made it worse. “So, I’m stuck here? In the Underworld?”She hesitated before nodding slowly. “For now, yes.”My chest tightened, and I had to take a deep breath to steady myself. “And there’s no way back?”Garbie’s face softened. “It’s not that simple. The passage between the human world and the Underworld is guarded. Only those with permission from King Draven or a high-ranking vampire, which is my dad, ca
KEILAH "Are you happy now?" I muttered, my voice laced with frustration even though it was for my own good. He didn’t respond. Instead, he turned and walked a few steps away before sitting down on a wooden stool in the corner of the room. His cold, intense gaze locked onto me, and he said nothing for a long moment. The silence was suffocating. I let out a long, exasperated breath, the tension in the air unbearable. My eyes bore into him as I sat upright, still bundled under the covers, my voice laced with irritation. "Can you now tell me why you brought me here? Garbie told me there's no way back to the human world and that the only person who can take me back is—" “Me,” Damien interrupted, his voice sharp. His eyes remained fixed on mine, unwavering. “Me, and Seth.” I blinked, caught off guard by the interruption. "But—" “You can’t go back now,” he continued, his voice low but firm. “It’s too dangerous for you out there.” “Where exactly do you mean?” I shot back, narrowing m
Keilah's POVI was sprinting through a dark forest, my legs burning with every step, begging me to stop. My chest heaved painfully, each breath sharp and ragged, but I couldn’t stop—not with the terrifying noise echoing from behind. I didn’t know what I was running from, only that something—or someone—was chasing me.The trees thickened, the shadows deepened, and before I knew it, I found myself trapped in a narrow, dark room. The walls were painted in a dark, unsettling red paint. When I reached out and touched the surface, the paint oozed into warm blood and started trickling down the walls and then pooled at my feet. A scream tore from my throat as panic surged through me. I jolted awake gasping, sitting upright so fast I nearly collided with the twins’ heads hovering nearby. Squinting against the harsh sunlight flooding the room, I groaned and stumbled to the window, pulling the curtain back to shut out the merciless light.Just as I closed the curtains and flopped back onto the