“KATE!”When Lilia tried raising her voice to get my attention, I blinked and stared at her blankly. The idea of Alucard coming back to the guild had brought memories I didn’t want to remember.Alucard was the only missing Hunter in the guild that’s why it was hard not to rule him out of the possible people who assassinated my brother. And Lilia was aware of that which explained her panic attack.I embraced her when I saw her having a hard time breathing. When we were kids, Lilia used to cry easily and was always too soft. That softness didn’t change after all the murders she had seen around her. That was also the reason why my brother fell in love with her and why I liked being with her.Then and now, Lilia was the only unchanging thing in our lives. She had not been into a lot of missions outside because she was considered as one of the weakest Hunters in the guild. She may be fragile and weak, but she was our source of strength. Being beside her had taught us gentleness. I turned h
I PICKED up my duffel bag before heading out of my room. It was past one in the morning. Half of the Hunters were in the guild which meant that there were about two hundred of them here tonight. The other half had a flight to North America yesterday to prepare in advance for the upcoming battle.The remaining half had been busy with training and were supposed to depart with me. When I met with them earlier and joined them for dinner, the seniors were appeased. Everything was going according to plan. It was past one in the morning now. The Hunters’ training ended around ten in the evening. All of them were resting in their quarters now. The only thing we needed to handle at the moment were the guards at the back gate which we will be using.Lilia secretly put a drug in the drink she offered to them a while ago. When I saw her at the backyard, she raised her thumb which meant that it was safe to go, the guards were now asleep. The surrounding was too quiet which was only natural because
MY EYES widened upon seeing how many Hunters were there. And when I looked at the side mirror, I saw more cars approaching behind me, cars that had the Hunters’ dragon logo on it.“Going somewhere, my Queen?” Gonzalo said in a loud voice when I finally stopped the car. “I didn’t believe Alucard at first. But for safety measures, we decided to do this. And boy, he was right. I ought to throw a welcome party for him to thank him for the tip. It seems that you are really abandoning your own guild, my Queen.“I am very disappointed and hurt. I don’t think we did anything to receive this rude behavior from you. Nevertheless, if you come with us, we will forgive you. And we will forget this as if nothing happened.” Gonzalo dropped his gun, reached out his hand, and smiled. “Come back, our Queen. We need you in the guild. We need you to lead us. You are alone now and you know you could never escape. Unless you wish to die, please come out of the car, raise your hands, and surrender.”And I b
(Kate)SOMEONE was watching me; I could feel it in my bones. At the same time, there was a familiar scent lingering so close to me which led me to open my eyes right away. The first thing that greeted me was the lavender-painted room and the white roses in a tall vase beside the window.When images of Lilia and the Hunter flashed through my mind, I got up and was surprised that I didn’t feel any pain in my body apart from the intense headache. But I could swear my shoulder was shot and I was trapped inside the car that was about to explode. What happened? “How am I alive? My baby-”“Let’s just say you got lucky. Your baby is safe, too. We finally met, Miss Katherine Dela Torre. Let me properly introduce myself. I am Jonathan Valencia.”I looked around and found the owner of that voice. It was coming back to me now. That was the last voice I heard before I passed out. He was wearing a black trench coat and was casually sitting in one corner while sipping coffee. He had long and straigh
I LOOKED straight into the ex-priest’s eyes. I was not blind nor was I dense. Hunters were trained to think and analyze the situation in a swift manner.“Your response just goes to show that this is more than just the oath. There is something else that you are not telling me that’s why you are so adamant about keeping me here.”“I will provide all your future needs and will ensure your safety at all costs. There is only one thing that I will ask from you in return, Miss Dela Torre.”I knew it. There was no Vampire who would lend a hand to just anyone without an exchange. There had to be something which he would benefit from this situation. It was always like this. In the end, I didn’t fully obtain freedom.I was still trapped.“Don’t beat around the bush and just say it.”“Please do not ask me further questions, especially about the oath. I will give you anything but that. I am not the right person to give you the answers. And I believe that the answers are not what you need right now
DAMON had stopped talking when he heard something. It was Katherine. It had been a couple of weeks ago since I brought her here. She seemed to be crying again in her room upstairs. The baby was getting stronger each day and it was draining all of her energy. The physical pain and the emotional trauma she had gone through were also taking a toll on both her sanity and her body.Worse, the nutrients her body was getting from the human food that she takes was barely enough for her and the baby. What the baby needed was… blood. Lots of it. Or else, this pregnancy would end up destroying her body and her mind from the pain. It would kill her. And perhaps, at the back of her mind, she knew what she needed. However, she was fighting it.I wanted to find a Mage to lift the spell from the ring to help Katherine recover but finding a Mage would take time. They were antagonistic towards the Vampires because of the Rogues. It would be hard to strike a deal with them. And in Katherine’s condition,
(Kate)THE WIND was gently playing with my hair as I gazed at the sky while standing on the edge of Rapang Cliff, it was among the many beautiful places that could only be found here in Itbayat. It was heaven on earth. The two-hour trek was worth the effort. The landscape and rock formation here was one of a kind.In the past, I could only dream of visiting places like this with Terrence and our friends. We grew up moving according to the schedule that someone else had planned for us. If we were a minute late to that schedule, there would be no meals for us, not even a drop of water. We would have to wait until the next morning to satiate our thirst and fill our rumbling stomach.That’s why we were always in a hurry. No matter what we felt, we had to keep moving. And after every mission, regardless of our bruises, we still had to prepare for another arduous training through a duel with the seniors. They would only allow us to rest and sleep for a few hours if we win. They didn’t give
BEING sad was better than being empty. I once heard Madam Dela Torre spoke those words one cold evening to the younger Hunters as she spent another night without her husband. She said that when you are sad, at least you feel something.I still think she was wrong. Wasn’t being sad just as worse? Sadness could be very suffocating. It was like there was a dagger stuck in my chest and I couldn’t pull it out. Each time I try, the dagger just goes deeper inside me.Christmas was making me remember how much I had lost over the past years and how little I had gained. It was making me remember how lucky other humans were. Only those who could afford freedom could celebrate this occasion. Now that I could somehow afford it, I had nobody to share it with.I stopped the car for a while to compose myself. After sometime, I felt guilty when I held my belly. How stupid of me. How could I forget? My daughter was with me. A faint smile curled my lips. Same time next year, she is going to be with me.
(Zachary) IT WAS almost five in the afternoon. It was time to pick up swan from her campus. I was about to call the twins who were running around the lawn when I saw how Mira swooped in and carried Alain in one hand and Algernon in another. The twins were playing with their guards who were now sweating so hard. After getting caught by their sister, the boys pouted and lowered their heads. Their playfulness had never worked on my eldest. “What time is it now?” she asked the twins. “Five,” Alain answered. “It’s still three minutes and eleven seconds before five in the afternoon,” Algernon added. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Mira asked again. The twins gasped and together, they said, “It’s time to pick up Mommy from the human realm!” “You finally remembered. Now go to your rooms and fix yourselves. Don’t come to her campus looking like that. Both of you were the ones who insisted on picking her up today and yet, you forgot?” The t
(Kate)IN THE middle of checking the photos the butler had sent regarding Algernon, I noticed Jonathan peeking at his wristwatch. There were more photos to look at. Others were about Mira. She sent the pictures herself. She was getting along really well with her friends. She had completely adapted to her hybrid life.Whenever I’m away, I can’t be at ease unless I see the reports about my children. Even with the blood link, the trauma the witches and the hunters had caused me will take a while to get rid of. And I was glad that Mira understood. She was the one who volunteered to send her daily pictures to me to keep me posted especially whenever they had school activities.But in time, I know the trauma will disappear.The other photos were regarding my husband and Alain who had caused troubles in the office. Violet sent them to me after giving me a call since she visited Damon there and brought him his blood bag. He caught the general in the l
“GREETINGS, your majesty and the prince,” everybody greeted. The women held onto the bottom of their skirts because the wind kept blowing them away.I held my little guy’s hand and put it down. The wind vanished. But when he looked up at me, he looked like he was about to cry as if I ruined his fun.“Don’t look at Daddy like that. Here. I brought your favorite toy,” I said and gave him his teddy bear. His smile came back as he grabbed the toy.The people sighed, relieved. But the aftermath of the trouble my son unconsciously caused was still palpable. I snapped my finger. In a blink of an eye, everything had turned back to normal.When we rode the elevator, Damon caught up to us. After bowing to give his greetings, he looked at me curiously.“My wife is in a meeting. I can’t leave the twins under the servants’ care. They already looked so stressed. I had to bring one of them. That’s the only way to appease my wife as well. I didn’t want her to worry all day,” I said before he could as
SEEING my wife like this reminded me of the phone call I received while I was still inspecting the border. That was around six in the evening.‘Your majesty?’ she asked in a low voice.I smiled and loosened my tie. There was something in her voice which made me feel hot even if it was windy outside. ‘Yes, swan?’‘What time are you going home tonight?’‘I’m not sure. There are still areas we haven’t visited yet. Why? Do you miss me already? What’s up with this sudden call?’ I teased.I never needed phone calls when I could always teleport whenever I miss her which happens constantly. Most of the time, I would show up in her workplace or in the twins’ room to steal a kiss from her and if I get lucky, we would do it quickly. I just could not get enough of her.I guess I never gave swan the chance to miss me that’s why after two years of our marriage, this was her first time calling me first.‘Nothing. I just called to say that… I’m not wearing any underwear tonight. And I’ve already prep
Two years later…I KNEW I would find her here. These past few months, I rarely see my wife in our chamber. She was constantly in Alain and Algernon’s room. Even if our twins had their own servants, she was still hands-on when it came to them.It was past eight in the evening. I normally come home at five in the afternoon but today, I went with the knights for the monthly inspection around the borders. Mira greeted me at the doorway a while ago and told me that she already had an early dinner with her mother. Still, I caught her stealing a blood bag in the fridge for a snack.When I heard that her mother was sleeping upstairs, I sent our eldest to bed after her snack and after monitoring her mana and her blood intake since today was Thursday and it was my turn to monitor it to keep her mana and her powers in check. The kingdom may be peaceful now and there were no more threats but after what Kate and Terrence had experienced, it would not hurt to be careful.Our children’s blood was li
(Zachary)I FINALLY get it. What they say about family, about parents. I thought I knew enough about parental love after being a father but Dayanara Gregory had shown us what a mother’s love was and why it was important.I had seen it when Swan covered for Mira after she bit her, when she looked at our daughter with wonder and affection in her eyes as she watched her play in the garden, when she brushed her hair, when she worried whether she had taken her meals or not, and when she kissed her at night as she wished her a sweet dream.Lastly, I saw it the night Swan was shackled. I saw how she strived to make sense of the situation when Mira ran to her, barefooted and with tears flowing down her cheeks. I saw how she broke her heart to appease our daughter’s heart while I stood there, unsure what word to say and what step to make, because I never understood the gravity of having a parent and losing one.All I understood was the pain of a husban
(Damon)ON the way to the castle, no music could be heard. Unlike before, there were no festivities. There were no children playing on the streets either. All the establishments were closed. The people I saw were wearing white.They hung lanterns in every house as their way of sending the queen off believing that the lanterns will light up her path towards another world.I continued to drive and stopped in front of the castle. The gates were opened for everyone who wished to visit the queen. There were more and more people coming by. I stepped out of the car and instantly heard the sound coming from the flute. It was from Jonathan who was in the garden, her highness’ favorite spot.He looked so lost as he played the flute which gave off a heart-wrenching sound. He hadn’t spoken a single word since yesterday. He hadn’t changed his clothes either. The queen’s blood on his uniform was still there. Even his hand still had her blood on
I KNOW it was wrong to feel this way because swan is still alive. She has to be alive or else, all those traveling, all those twelve duels just for one silly flower would not mean a thing, or else I would regret not being by her side for the past two days as she waited for me while enduring so much. “Swan, hang in there,” I whispered and forced a smile. “We are about to reach the top. Just take a nap for the meantime. I know you are tired. I will wake you when we get there.” It was already bright when we reached the top. I took the final step and stopped to look around us. The wind blew. My chest felt like it was being squeezed when I said, “Wake up, swan. Open your eyes, come on. We are on top of the mountain now. We fulfilled your wish. Do you see it? The scenery is as lovely as you said.” Again, there was silence. “You also said that it would feel liberating when you are one with nature like this. But swan, I don’t feel liberated at all. The beauty I
I WAS stunned. I could not move. I could not even speak.But when Kate was about to fall, my body automatically moved to catch her. The wind and the rain had stopped at once. The hunters vanished one by one as if their lives were linked with hers. Blood was still gushing from her chest when she tried to open her eyes.They were back to being blue.Jonathan pulled out the sword from her and kneeled before us.Kate proudly smiled at him and said, “T-thank you, Jonathan. You did well.” And then she turned to me. “Where have you been? I missed you, my husband.”I held her hand. “Doctor Juno is preparing the medicine. Wait a little more, swan. I will take you back home and-““No, Zach. I don’t think I could survive this anymore,” she whispered as she caressed my face. “Love, what took you so long? Where were you? I waited for you.”Tears streamed my cheeks. “I’m sorry, swan. I’m sorry for leaving your side. But why did you do that? I don’t need to live forever! What the hell am I going to