(Brielle’s POV)I hit the ground gracefully but didn’t have time to admire myself because I had to run. Run? It was more like to escape… but from whom?I narrowed my eyes, listening carefully to the faint swoosh sound behind me. I gasped, wincing at the intense pain of the wound from an arrow, even though it missed my arm. I ran toward the tree and pulled the shaft from the tree’s body.The familiar design of the fletching and the silver bullet point made my heart hammer as I recognized who owned it. It used to be my grandfather’s and was given to Dad. I was twelve when my father gave me this handmade arrow as a gift.“Argh!” I hissed, tilting my head to check the wound. The slight cut caused a tingling pain and was getting worse.The noises from a distance proved to me that I was being chased. My ears twitched, recognizing their voices.“Giles!” I snarled, running again but halting abruptly and blinking when my vision blurred; the woods became foggy and fuzzy.Taking a deep breath, I
(Brielle’s POV)It was the longest two minutes of my life, Bryce and me in the corner of the room, hiding like terrified ordinary humans from a vampire’s threat. Whenever we tried to advance in Kione’s direction, attempting to snatch Gen, she would scream in a high-pitched sound, gripping her neck harder.“Don’t stop me, Brielle. That’s my sister,” Bryce gritted his teeth, grabbing my arm firmly.Only then I realized I was not hiding but blocking him from attacking Kione. I was using my body, preventing him from hurting Cole’s sister.“What’s happening here?” Xian entered the room.We hardly notice the door opening. When I glanced in her direction, she was standing in the doorway; her arms were crossed over her chest while her eyebrows were raised, watching us curiously as if there was no threat inside the room.Kione hissed angrily, but her sister ignored her. Xian picked up the white warding tray on the floor and hummed happily as she entered the room.“Oh, please, Kione, enough wit
(Brielle’s POV)“An experiment.”It was Kione who answered. She murmured her answer and straightened up, lowering her gaze. The look on her face told me she was not proud of it.“What?” Bryce gasped; horror flowed in his eyes.“Newborn vampires will always be hungry for blood and confused for a long time. Sometimes, they forget who they are,” Kione added.Blood escaped Bryce’s face, then a surge of it went to his head, making his skin red in rage. When he understood what Kione meant, he looked at Xian and glowered at her.“You made us your bait?” He growled, gripping the edge of the bar table.If the table wasn’t attached to the wall, he might have thrown it to the person sitting across from him. Kione smiled and continued to eat, ignoring Bryce.I pressed my lips together, glancing at Cole, but like Xian, he was quiet. Aarush walked toward his sister, blocking his body before Bryce could jump and strangle his sister.“Oh, please, Bryce. We were watching you. Just in case, we want you
(Brielle’s POV)“You’re making that up,” I gasped, stepping back from Bryce.My mother would interfere in my decisions; I knew that, but not as dangerous as this one. She tried to stop me, thinking I was insane for falling in love with Cole, but she would never put her line of work and status in the Order to save me.Bryce shook his head. “She did what she had to do. We knew Gertrude would need help, and she was right. Your grandmother came to me. It’s nuts, Brielle, but I had to agree with your Mom for you and my sister. If Gertrude’s here, she will tell you I’m not lying.”He lifted his hand, reaching for my hand, but he drew it back when I shook my head vehemently.“You’re lying, Bryce,” I scoffed, taking a deep breath as I glanced over my shoulder to see where to run, to hide from him.“Believe what you want to believe, Brielle. We’re both hunters, and you know it’s not easy to walk into that old building just like that.”I sniffled, my heart crying because I knew what he said was
(Brielle's POV)“Travis,” he answered. “T-R-A -”I raised my hand, stopping him.“I heard you. My hearing’s perfectly okay,” I muttered, widening my eyes, stunned at the line of blood dripping from his nose.He smirked and wagged his eyebrows. “I’m more handsome than Cole, right?”“You’re human?” I said shockingly, raising my hand and pointing my index finger at my nose.“What? What?” He asked in a panic and lifted his hand, gasping at the sight of blood. “Damn!” he muttered, craning his neck and pinching his nose.He turned around and stepped forward, walking away from me.“Wait!” I almost sprinted following him.For a human being, his pace was relatively fast. When he turned left, my forehead creased as Travis disappeared from the long hallway.I sat on the floor and leaned on the wall, not minding the cold and pouting as I pinned my eyes on the engagement ring. As I brushed Travis off my mind, I was filled with what Bryce had said about my mother. I groaned, closing my eyes in defe
(Brielle's POV)“Pregnant?” Aarush guessed.His guess alarmed and caught everyone off guard, and even I was taken aback. I had not thought of it. Besides, it was still too early to tell. I opened my mouth to deny it, but the thought of Cole hearing everything made me decide to shut it. But then, my silence sent anxiety into the room.“Are you pregnant?” Xian asked, her eyes wide as she looked at me, slowly fixing her gaze on my abdomen as if she had a built-in scanner in her eyes.“Will that solve everything if I am?” I tried hard not to laugh, imagining Cole stopping somewhere and waiting for my answer. There was an eerie silence in the well-lit hallway, and as I waited for Cole to show up, I could feel the weight of Xian’s stare on me. She was obviously shocked. Even Kione, a newborn vampire, was taken aback and looked at me as if unsure what to do with me.“No, you only complicate the situation,” Aarush broke the silence. His forehead creased, and then he shook his head. “I mean”
(Brielle’s POV)The sky was illuminated with a soft orange hue when the sleek vessel broke the surface and glided smoothly toward the dock. No one talked as we quickly made our way to the deck except for Travis, who tried to crack a joke, but no one dared to laugh.As Lucilla led us on the creaky deck, the only source of light we had was from the small beams of flashlights, casting eerie shadows across our path. I stopped, wanting to look back to see if Cole had joined us, but Kione hissed when I halted. Sighing, I stepped forward and stopped only when we reached the gravel surface of the road. Travis mentioned earlier that we were alone on the island, but something felt off as we walked into the dense woods. The sound of the insects that had been chirping incessantly faded, causing an eerie silence as if to tell us we weren’t meant to be there. I flickered my eyes on the woods, adjusting my eyes in the dark. I didn’t want to be startled by outcasts pouncing on us.“Don’t worry, Br
(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
(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