Vero hoped to avoid the party tonight. But, of course, Jia didn’t let her curl up in her room and mourn Lev’s hurtful words. Jia came to her room in the afternoon after the daytime party ended and everyone went home to get ready for the evening event. When Jia saw Vero’s condition, she asked her to wait because she was going to buy something. “Take this.” Jia returned shortly after and handed Vero a bag of cold cucumber slices when Vero opened the door for her. “Thanks.” Vero accepted the plastic bag and turned to lie down on the bed. Jia walked in and closed the door behind her. “First thing first,” she said as she walked up to Vero and helped her stick the cucumber slices to her swollen and puffy eyes. “Lev is a jerk.” “Surprise, surprise,” Vero flatly replied. “Second,” Jia continued. “He may be a jerk, but he has a good heart.” “So, which side are you really on?” grumbled Vero. Her complaint soon subsided and was replaced by a sigh of relief as the coolness from the cucumber
Hanging lamps stretch over the party area, wrapped around trees and around the stage. Their light is orange, dim like candlelight. People dressed in colorful costumes, with many wearing Halloween costumes. Some are dressed as sexy bunnies, mummies, zombies, and even werewolves. “Windward.” When Vero heard Lev calling her by her last name, her heart raced, and her pulse is so strong that it makes her throat tighten. She stares at the surface of the lake for a split second. She didn’t know if her decision to obey Jia’s dress code was the right decision. It feels like she’s mocking Lev’s identity. But it’s all already happened, and Vero couldn’t run back to the dorm to change her appearance. She spun on her heel and looked at Lev. Both of her knees went weak in an instant. Since when did Lev look so handsome in her eyes? Dressed in all black like someone who is about to go to a funeral, Lev shines too bright. He’s too charming for her heart to handle. Lev grunted. “What are you?”
All the students who were tasked with organizing the game for tonight fell silent when they saw Vero bringing Lev as her partner. One of them stepped forward, looking nervous with his hands clasped in front of him. His fingers were pressing against each other and he couldn’t bring himself to look directly at Lev. He chose to speak to Vero instead.“Ar-are you... sure about your... partner?” The guy paused for a moment to glance at Lev. “Your... partner?”Vero shrugged and glanced over at Lev. “Yeah. Why?”The guy swallowed hard. “It’s okay if you want to change partners or-““She said she’s okay with me,” Lev interjected.The guy jumped at the sound of Lev’s voice, even though Lev spoke in a flat tone.“Ye-yeah, sure! Let’s play the game!” the guy exclaimed with too much enthusiasm, sounding awkward as he adjusted his glasses.The other pairs of participants kept looking at Vero and Lev and whispering to each other. Lev seemed used to their behavior and remained calm, while Vero was n
Taking a photo with your partner while kissing.That was the task written on the paper that Vero was holding. Vero jumped back as she accidentally kissed Lev’s cheek. She would have fallen if Lev hadn’t caught her.“Be careful,” Lev said while helping her stand up. His hand was still wrapped around her wrist and he didn’t try to let go.“Do you want to do it?” Vero asked, uncertain.Lev blinked once. “Sure, why not?” He sounded so confident that it made her nervous.“We’ve kissed before,” he continued. “At our first meeting. Remember?”“Do you mean at the hotel that time? The meeting that ended in disaster?”The meeting that brought her here to meet him again.“Yeah,” Lev nodded. “Just do it like we did back then.”Did Lev not feel anything toward her? Wasn’t their current situation different from back then? At that time, they were just strangers looking for pleasure, but now...“Sure,” Vero shrugged. “Let’s do it.”She didn’t want to express her thoughts and make Lev think she was li
Vero stared wide-eyed at Lev’s words. Didn’t he think that the kiss was enough for the night? Now he wanted to carry her? Was he trying to give her a heart attack? “I can still walk,” Vero declined. “And I won’t leave these shoes behind. They belong to Jia. She might scold me for it.” The fireworks display had ended, and they could hear music in the distance as the locals returned to their homes. Vero could hear their conversations in the wind. “I’ll talk to Jia about her shoes,” Lev said. “And whether you like it or not, I’m still going to carry you.” He shrugged. “You just have to choose.” Trying to match Lev’s tiresome arrogance, Vero put her hands on her hips. “Choose what?” she snapped. “Do you want to be carried in front or in the back?” His offer instantly made her embarrassed. Her lips twitched as she tried to hold back a shy smile. She shook her head firmly. “Didn’t you hear me? I don’t want to be carried.” “We can keep debating about this until everyone goes home, or y
Vero stared wide-eyed. She was so surprised that she even squeaked when she repeated what Lev had said. “Yes?” she added, her mouth feeling dry. Her eyes moved from his face to the hand holding the doorknob. She was so engrossed that she forgot to blink, and her eyes began to sting.Lev repeated, “Yes,” and then put his hands in his pockets and waited. Vero could feel his piercing gaze waiting for her to open the door.“A-are you sure?” Vero asked, stumbling over her words. This is crazy, she thought. What are they going to do inside? After they kiss, it’s not impossible that... that...Ding!The sound of the elevator startled Vero, and she jumped, releasing her hand from the doorknob. Both of them turned to look at the elevator. Vero felt relieved when she saw Jia coming out of it. Jia walked over, humming to herself. She stopped when she saw Vero and Lev. “What are you guys doing here?” she asked. &l
Hatice walked towards her. The sound of her shoe hitting the floor was so loud. She stopped in front of Vero and pushed up her sunglasses onto her head.“You,” she said, pointing her index finger. Her nails were sharp and adorned with bright red nail polish. “I want to talk to you.”Hatice is not a vampire. She doesn’t have the same elegance as Lev and Sant or the mysterious aura like Jia. She’s just a pure bitch.Although Vero’s legs began to tremble from the memories of Hatice’s treatment of her in the past, which brought up traumatic experiences, Vero steadied herself and met Hatice’s gaze with anger.She now knew she wasn’t alone in this place. Although Lev wasn’t by her side at the moment, she didn’t have to be afraid if something happened to her. Lev would definitely come looking for her.“I don’t feel the need to talk to you,” Vero replied. She sidestepped and glanced at Hatice’s shoes. No wonder their eyes were level now because her heels were so high. “Hatice.” Vero intention
The carved wooden double doors creaked as a servant pushed them open. Through the slowly widening gap, Lev could see the four members of The Elders had gathered. He was the last to arrive, and he knew one of them would surely comment on his lateness.“Lev,” greeted Lewin Fraunces, head of the Fraunces family and the oldest member of The Elders. “You’re late.”“You came too early,” Lev replied as he walked towards the only empty iron chair around a crystal-topped round table.The servant who had opened the door followed Lev and dragged the chair, allowing Lev to sit. As soon as Lev sat down, the servant left the room where The Elders began their meeting.They were in a birdcage-shaped greenhouse with a golden frame and crystal-clear glass. This place was more suitable for romantic events or stargazing at night than for old vampires who enjoyed discussing what other rules they should apply to keep Duradel humans obedient to them.“You—” Lewin’s tone rose. The wrinkles on his face were c
He was proposing.“Lev...” She was at a loss for words.The water enveloped them like a cold blanket, but all Vero could feel was the warmth in her chest. Her heart swelled with happiness as she gazed into his eyes, half-thinking that it was just another one of his prank routines.But no. The laughter that had formed on his lips earlier now shifted to seriousness. His gaze locked onto hers.“So... yes or yes?” he said softly.Her mouth cracked open. She was about to laugh, but when she saw the beautiful lips of his, she leaned closer and crushed her lips against his.Dim stars emerged as the sun slowly set. Vero’s body trembled from the cold air and the water that pierced her skin. But she didn’t want this kiss to end. She was reluctant to let go of his embrace.“You’re cold,” Lev whispered against her lips. “Let’s go up.”Vero protested as Lev ended their kiss and led her to the edge of the lake. He lifted her onto land first before climbing up.“That was a su—such an unusual proposa
Her heart spread doubt throughout her body as Lev’s fangs slowly pierced and tore through her skin. Vero wrapped her hands around his waist, her fingers digging into his back, suppressing the pain and fear.Not fear for herself, but for him.In the next moment, she could smell and feel the blood saturating her shoulder and neck. Her eyes tightly shut, forgetting even to breathe as her mind was consumed by something else.What if the drug failed? What if her blood became more toxic and killed Lev right now? What if—“Verona.”Her eyes snapped open. Lev was staring at her, no longer sucking her blood. Red stained his lips and chin, and her mouth cracked open, but no sound came out. Only a tremor remained.Slowly, Vero withdrew her hand from his back, moving it to his cheek as her worried eyes explored his face.“How?” she asked.“I—” Lev licked his lips. “I’m not sure. Can I taste it again? Just to make sure.”“Okay.”Vero wanted to embrace him, but he grabbed her hand and held onto it.
The last thing she remembered was how sadness had drained the color from Lev’s face, leaving him as pale as a winter morning in Duradel.Consciousness slowly faded away from her, and Vero knew this was the end of her life. Celsi had unintentionally, with sincere intention, plunged her into death.Or so she thought.“Verona.”She heard Lev’s voice in the distance, calling her name with hope, even a hint of force, and faintly, she felt something caressing her face.“Verona, you know I can’t go on a day without you. How dare you close your eyes and not react to my calling?”Sometimes she forgets how arrogant Lev is.Verona opened her eyes as she formed a weak smile on her lips. “What a crafty vampire you are,” she muttered under her breath.She looked into his widened eyes, catching a sliver of shock and relief in his irises. He was about to bend down and sweep her into a hug when someone shouted from the other side of the room.“Lev, what did I tell you before? No touching until I exami
Lev said he will be coming to her room tonight. So, when someone knocked on her door, Vero immediately open it with a grin split on her mouth.“Hi, Le—“ She stepped back, surprised to see Celsi standing behind the door instead of Lev.It was not that she was scared of her or anything. It was just because her appearance that made her looked like a little creepy ghost.“Celsi?” Vero crouched down so she could have a better vision of Celsi’s face. “What are you doing here? You wanna play, sweetie?”Celsi returned her smile. “Can I come inside? I want to play tea party with you.” Then she stepped aside so Vero could see the little trolley that she brought with a bunch of dolls inside.Vero stood and opened the door wide to let Celsi in. “Sure!”Celsi paused in the doorway and examined Vero’s room. “How can you live in this cramped space? It’s even smaller than my closet.”Vero’s temple twitched at hearing those words, but she could only laugh. “Not everyone has the privilege of having a p
If you knew you had forever, what would you do?For some people, they would go to various places, accumulate wealth, have fun...But there’s only one thing Vero wants if she has forever: to spend as much time as possible with Lev.“Are you sure?”Daire observed the small tube containing a black liquid that Vero handed to him. He held it up to the light and gently shook its contents. The liquid resembled black mercury, with fine particles emitting light.Vero sat in front of him, with Lev standing behind her. His hand stretched across the back of the sofa, as if protecting her from something. Although Vero couldn’t see his face now, she could sense the unease radiating from him.Although Lev didn’t immediately agree with Vero’s idea about the potion and her desire to become a vampire, he eventually relented.And here they were now, in one of the Deammone pavilions that served as a temporary residence for the Thancred family.Daire held the bottle and carefully placed it in his jacket p
Lev felt guilty for venting his frustration about The Elders to Verona. They had just met after being apart for two weeks, and he cursed himself for wasting their first meeting in so long.He acted that way for a reason. Something he couldn’t tell her because it wasn’t his nature to express his feelings to anyone.Perhaps he should start practicing that now, so their relationship could go smoothly. Besides, he had planned something for his long-term future, and Verona was a part of it.After placing a bouquet in the middle of the forest, where Henry’s body was found, Lev headed towards Dormitory B. There were no residents here for the time being, so he could come and go freely at night to visit Verona.Upon reaching her room’s door, Lev knocked and waited. No response. He knocked again. Silence followed.Lev reached into his pocket and took out his phone. He dialed Verona’s number, and the call connected on the third ring.“Where are you?” he asked, his tone slightly annoyed and impat
“What did you say?”Vero, who was previously on the phone lying down, immediately sat up in bed. Her heart pounded as she heard her father’s words. “Say it again. Does the bottle contain a liquid that can neutralize my blood?”“Yes, darling.”“But where did Elijah get it from?”Her father cleared his throat. “He stole it from Etana’s storage room after hearing about her plan to sacrifice you to the vampires. Etana had conducted some experiments to create a drug that would make human blood toxic to vampires. However, she ended up finding a substance that could neutralize the toxins in her blood.”Vero was stunned. “Why did Elijah give it to me?”“He thought that if you drank it, your blood would return to normal, and the vampires wouldn’t recognize you as a vampire hunter.” She could hear the buzz of a hairdryer in the background. It seemed like her mother had finished showering. “But looks like you don’t need it anymore. Because—well—your lover, and others... already know about you.”
Since the Thancred Residence is still under construction after it was destroyed, the meeting of The Elders was moved to Castellar’s place. And there was nothing about Castellar that Vero likes, from the house, the servants, and Castellar himself.Raphael informed Vero about some important things regarding The Elders because he thought that Vero would have a lot to do with them in the future. Well, that couldn’t be denied. Especially after all the vampires in Duradel found out that she was Lev’s lover.Vero and Lev walked side by side, following Daire Thancred as they entered Cristoval Castellar’s residence. He was the only Elder who didn’t have a family. No wife and children, and it seemed that he greatly enjoyed his solitude.Although his house wasn’t as big as Deammone’s or Thancred’s, everything here looked more expensive and luxurious. From the furniture to the decorations on the walls. There was no doubt that Cristoval was a cunning vampire who enjoyed collecting luxurious items.
The rain was pouring nonstop in the past week.Every drop of water is evidence that nature was working hard to help Duradel recover from the devastating fire three months ago.Many houses were burned to ashes, and several residents lost their lives. The once lush and green forests surrounding the city now turned into a bleak expanse of black charcoal that was distressing to behold.It was there that Lev and Raphael discovered the bodies of Henry and Etana after the fire had consumed them both for several hours.Once again, Lev had to lose a family member to the fire. And because of Etana.Raphael had told everything, the story of Henry and Etana, to Lev and Verona. Besides Raphael, no one else knew the true story between the two of them, and he swore to keep that secret until his dying day.All of that answered the big question in Vero’s mind about why Henry decided to take Etana with him to his death. Perhaps it was because Henry knew that Etana would never stop due to the pain she h