(Brielle’s POV)“You kissed me first, remember?” Gen repeated Cole’s question, laughing hard when we returned to Grandma’s house. She and Bryce told everything they had seen inside, and it didn’t surprise me when she played a video recording of their short tour in the living room.Giles glanced and scoffed at me. “You kissed him?” he asked, but his eyes were now focused on the dagger he was sharpening after not finding anything unusual from the video.“You told me to distract him,” I said, leaning on the couch and fixing my eyes on Cole’s gorgeous face on the screen as Gen replayed the video. “It’s my only way to stop him.”After seeing us last night, Giles suspected his connection to Raven, and this morning, he woke us up, plotting a scheme that I continue my act as someone who was too interested in him. He didn’t trust that I could do the task alone, so he asked Bryce and Gen to accompany me and pretend we were jogging and seeing their place.If Giles didn’t ask me to see Cole this
(Brielle’s POV)“Brielle, just tell me if you want to cover your whole body with it because hand wraps wouldn’t be enough,” Gen teased and looked briefly at me, one corner of her mouth lifted as she continued to wrap her hands with a boxing bandage.They discovered the basement training area this morning and wanted to kill time while waiting for nighttime. Still, no one wanted to be my boxing opponent; all four had excuses of wanting to mind their time training alone.Maybe the boys, even Gen, are afraid to fight with me because if I beat them, it will be difficult to accept that their ‘princess’ is as strong as any of the hunters in the group. Winning against the men would be hellish to accept, so they all had their excuses.Wrapping my hand with the elastic wrap, I was quiet and looked furious as my lips pursed, not looking at anyone. I let Gen think I was upset because the guys were ignoring me, but partly I was angry with my conversation with Grandma.She sounded like she favored
(Brielle’s POV) “Brielle,” Cole whispered my name, his hands grabbing my shoulders, but I continued to kneel before him. I swallowed hard because I had never done this in my life, but this would buy me time to come up with a way to stop his magical hands from undressing me, and I had to think fast about how to escape from his room. “Umm… Brielle,” he said, not sounding nervous, but his tone was something else I could not comprehend. I craned my neck to look at him, seeing him shaking his head at me like stopping me. Before I could tease him that he was being a coward, the door opened wide, and Cole had to place his hand on my head, tapping lightly to bend my head down. “Gosh, Cole!” growled Xian, entering the bedroom without bothering to knock. “I’ve been loo-” she stopped. Even without seeing her face, I knew her eyes were pinned on me. My hands groped the floor, pretending to look for something. “She lost her earring,” Cole said. She scoffed. “Last time, she lost her hairpin,
(Brielle’s POV)Like the way Cole held my hands, he rose to his feet in a hurry, leaving me on top of the dead vampire that attacked us and walking away. I was panting and shivering as my eyes followed his direction, and then I realized he was not running away but only hiding among the trees.“Are you okay?” Gen asked, still panting after running in my direction and helping me get up when she reached me.My legs wobbled, but I knew it wasn’t because of the surprise attack but at how I killed the vampire. No… It was not me who killed the creature, but Cole, using my dagger while holding my hands to strike it to death as if teaching me how to kill it.Giles knelt, checking on the dead creature and taking the dagger from its chest to return the weapon to me.Bryce clucked his tongue as he looked at me. “So unfortunate of him to have you as his meal tonight, huh?” he chuckled, bending his one knee to pick up the plastic container I was holding a while ago. “Looks like Barbie here did not
(Brielle’s POV)I wasn’t okay!Those were the words I wanted to scream at everyone in the room. I could hear Gen asking Aarush if we could have a copy of the files, and though he looked in doubt when Lucilla returned to the room, she only nodded.“Give them what they want,” I heard her say as she walked toward the cabinet, pulling a drawer and getting a flash drive. She looked nervous as she glanced at me before giving the small device to Aarush, then walking to the far end of the room.“Which file do you need?” He asked us, moving the mouse and looking at Gen.She moved closer and leaned her body, enticing him with her low-cut blouse while pointing her index finger from the first video we watched until the following few files, but Aarush seemed not bothered about it.He focused on copying the files to the flash drive, and when he was done, he smiled, ensuring to focus on her face as he gave the electronic device to her.Gen lifted the corners of her mouth, hiding her disappointment,
(Brielle’s POV)Grandma was sitting in her rocking chair on the porch when we returned home, but her eyes only flickered on the blood stain on my shirt, not asking anything and just pursing her lips. I stopped to kiss her on the cheeks and entered the house without telling her what had happened since she did not ask how I got the stain.She was used to it already with grandpa and daddy returning home, looking worse than my situation, but as a wife and a mother, she was not allowed to ask what happened. When I was young, Dad would scold me for constantly questioning what happened to them, and I wouldn’t say I liked it whenever they would remind me it was the rule. Couldn’t we worry about the people we love?Now that I was a huntress, I still didn’t understand it, doubting that I could hold myself from asking my future husband or children about what happened to them whenever they returned home hurt.We found Adam and Giles in the living room, getting ready to track Monty in the possible
(Brielle’s POV)When I reached the Kirkwood residence, I was surprised to see that the gate was closed. I peeked at the mansion, and as usual, there were lights on the first level of the house, assuring me there were still people inside.I held onto the metal picket fence, mounting quietly as I stepped on the middle rail and carefully lifted my leg and foot on the sharp top rail of the gate to cross on the other side. I made a graceful jump on the ground and wandered my eyes to my surrounding, checking right away where exactly the surveillance camera was.If they were watching the videos, catching me would be better.I walked to the driveway as if relaxing in the park until I reached the main door. Unlike the tall metal gate, the door was slightly ajar, and I only needed to push it wide open.“Dinner!” I heard Aarush in a loud voice coming from the kitchen.Quietly, I walked toward where he was, and just like this morning, he was busy preparing a meal but only for one. My eyes narrowe
(Cole’s POV)“Can’t you fix this?” Lucilla asked worriedly when I got home.“I can’t,” I answered truthfully, looking at Aarush and watching him editing the video. He copied them, typed codes only he could understand.“What are you doing?” Lucilla turned her head on him.“You said you can’t erase or change her memories because of blah, blah, blah…” He squinted his eyes as he typed faster, then grinned at us. “So, I’m erasing you in the video,” he said proudly.He played the clips again, and even Lucilla gasped in surprise when she saw Brielle alone in the entire video.“Can’t we think of other ways?” Lucilla insisted again. “Think, Nicholas! Your huntress is not an idiot or stupid,” she muttered worriedly.Aarush nodded. “Your future girlfriend graduated from the top of her class,” he muttered, focusing on typing again. “She will surely come here to ask you.” His forehead creased, standing up and pointing his index finger at the screen. “Showtime!”He walked toward the wall, pushing t
(Brielle’s POV)“So?” Xian blinked curiously at Bryce.I was still in shock at what Bryce did to Lucilla. Although I could not say if what I felt was jealousy, there was a prick in my heart, remembering Cole and Levana’s union and now him kissing Lucilla. I clenched my hands, hiding my worries about what she might do to him. I couldn’t shake off the disturbing thoughts that he gave her a reason to kill him.“So… What?” Bryce asked, wiping his lips on the back of his hand as if he had something awful in his mouth.“No magic?” Xian’s eyes were wide as she asked. “Spark? Or…”Bryce scoffed. “If you think I can be her life mate, you’re wasting your time. I told you I want to kill her with irritation, thinking I was -”Ichiro burst into laughter, interrupting Bryce. “Wow! I can’t believe you fell for that,” he exclaimed.“You said…” His face turned crimson as he pursed his lips tightly.“You really believe that? God, how would we know?” Xian rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Our sister’s eight
(Brielle’s POV)“I thought they could not read our minds?” Bryce asked, followed by his surprised gasp.Lucilla smirked. “Idiot! I don’t need to read her mind to know what she’s thinking.” She rolled her eyes and continued to climb the stairs.Bryce opened his mouth to retaliate, but Xian grabbed his arm, taking his attention.“I need your blood, hunter,” she smiled and blinked her eyes adorably. When he didn’t move, she sneered. “You need me to check if your blood’s healthy or…”“No need,” he sighed, frowning at the stairs. “If she can fly, why does she have to use the stairs?”I pressed my lips to suppress a smile, but when I looked at Xian and Ichiro, I was glad a laugh did not leave my mouth. They frowned, not finding his joke funny.“Not funny?” Bryce smirked.I glared at him, warning him to stop before Xian decided to get every ounce of blood from his body.““What? I can’t joke, but she’s allowed to hurt my feelings?” Bryce smirked. “Is she always like that?”Xian rolled her ey
(Brielle’s POV)“Gen, what have you done?” I murmured in horror, gasping in disbelief and standing beside Bryce.Bryce stood frozen in the doorway, his eyes widened and his mouth agape. His hands tightly gripped the knife handle, but he seemed unable to move it. He had probably tried to pull it out, but what he had witnessed inside the luxurious log house immobilized him. Like Bryce, I was in a state of shock. We both stood there for what seemed like an eternity, trying to process what had just happened.“Brielle, help me.”Immediately, I wandered my eyes around the room, looking for Kione. She was sitting in the farthest corner of the room, almost like hiding. Her body shook as she sobbed, and when our eyes met, I felt a pang of sadness in my heart. Gen was on the couch, motionless, and her left arm was hanging limply on the floor. The blood on her wrist told us what had happened before we arrived.Gen…I could not believe Gen was dead.“Oh, dear heaven! Kione, what have you done?”
(Brielle’s POV)I parted my lips, welcoming his tongue, hoping that when it touched mine, it would bring a surging reaction inside me, but nothing melted… nothing exploded. But I could say that Bryce was not only a skilled hunter but also an expert kisser.As Bryce wrapped his arms around my waist, closing the gap in our bodies, I lifted my arms, clinging like a vine to his neck, closing my eyes, and kissing him back with the hope of pushing away the pain of remembering Cole, not wanting me in his life, andHow should I define our kiss?It was sweet and…Bryce broke the kiss before I could finish describing it and eased back. His lips turned into an amused grin. He lifted his hand and grazed my cheek.“Done analyzing?” He chuckled softly.I bet my cheeks blushed because he laughed again. “I am not analyzing, Bryce,” I denied. “If it wasn’t obvious, let me tell you… I am kissing you, and I can say you’re good.”“Good?” he smirked, his eyes on my lips.I swallowed hard, looking elsewher
(Brielle’s POV)The diamond in the engagement ring on my finger sparkled when sunlight kissed the stone. I didn’t know why I still wore it when, in my heart, I knew I would not marry Bryce. After Levana left, I decided to stay and sit under the tree, looking blankly at the woods, not caring if there was a danger ahead of me.Even if the highest official of the Order of the Orion would come and threaten to kill me, I would not care. What I had seen in the cabin and what Levana had said were enough to make my body numb, and if anyone pierced a knife to my heart, the pain was too much to feel anything.“Brielle.”He seemed distant, and his worried call made me blink in confusion as I listened to the familiar voice. “Brielle,” he called again, shaking my shoulder.When I craned my neck to see who it was, I blinked again and saw Bryce standing before me. My eyes narrowed as I looked at him from head to foot. I noticed he was dressed in full gear, with all his weapons strapped to his body.
(Brielle’s POV)A cry escaped my mouth, remembering Cole, moaning Levana’s name. It shattered my heart into a million pieces, and the pain was beyond incomparable to anything painful that I could think of. I didn’t know how I managed to move, but as soon as I could, I ran away from the cabin. My eyes were blurry because of the endless tears rolling down my face, but despite that, I didn’t stop running. I didn’t care where my feet led me; I just wanted to get out of this place… of this island. Then I stopped abruptly, pressing my hands against the rough bark of the tree trunk and gasping for air, realizing one thing. I was running in a circle and never reaching the inside of the protective sphere. My body was still shaking from running and crying, and when I looked around to gather my thoughts and steady my breathing.“Damn it!” I hissed, looking up and planning to get up on the tree to see where I was exactly.Four days ago, as I set foot on this island, I admired its beauty, but n
(Brielle’s POV)Lying on the couch in the dimly lit living room, my eyes were drawn to the old grandfather clock standing in the corner. It was five minutes before one in the morning. I didn’t have to spend eternity with the Kirkwood not to know Aarush’s pattern. At this wee hour, he would go down, walk to the kitchen alone, and have his midnight snack before going to bed.Humming, Aarush’s steps creaked on the wooden floor as he walked toward the kitchen. I leaped to the ground, landing softly in front of him.“Uh-oh!” Aarush groaned and turned around, trying to escape.I lunged forward and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him towards me. Determined to keep him under control, I maneuvered his arms behind his back quickly, pinning them in place with a firm grip. I could feel the tension in Aarush’s body as he wriggled, trying to escape, so with one hand holding onto his wrist, I used my other arm and applied pressure to his neck, making sure he could not move an inch.“Not so
(Brielle’s POV)Lucilla stood before the grand, arched window wall from the living room. In her slim but long white summer dress, she could pass like a ghost as if waiting for the return of a loved one. After getting the result from the sample I gave, Xian gave me medicine that knocked me out, and when I woke up, it was past four in the afternoon. I thought Lucilla was alone, but when I climbed down the stairs and got to the living room, Gen was on the couch, brushing Kione’s hair with her fingers as her girlfriend rested on her lap. Xian and Travis were on the floor, sitting with crossed legs and heads almost sticking together while their eyes pinned on the screen of a laptop, murmuring what seemed to be a heated discussion, while Aarush and Ichiro were in the bar area, drinking beer. Not that I was worried about Bryce, but not seeing him inside made me anxious. I didn’t trust Travis, and he could have done something terrible to him. Bryce may be a skilled hunter, but Travis be
(Brielle’s POV)“How did you know?” My eyes were wide as I asked curiously.Gen pressed her lips tightly and guffawed when she could no longer hold it. “God, I can’t believe I got you,” she said, her face red from laughing. “Brielle, you graduated at the top of your class. You’re the best hunter in your batch, and yet, you’re… you’re -”“Stupid?” I continued for her. Her eyes filled with tears, and she gasped for breath until she was able to calm down. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes before turning to me.“Brielle, Levana’s family is like the Kirkwood’s protector,” she said with a look of amusement and disbelief. “Didn’t Travis tell you they’re twins, and their family has been serving the Kirkwood for a very long time? Their dad serves in their council, like your dad to the Order.”I sighed and pursed my lips, not answering her question. I knew the first one, but Travis didn’t need to tell me what they do for the Kirkwood. Levana came to rescu