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) One year ago… “THE PASTRY CHEF had already prepared the cakes, your majesty. And just like what you ordered; I specifically instructed the servants to act as if you refused the cake in front of Miss Kate when she passed by the kitchen. She took the cakes and sent it to an orphanage and saved the mango cake for herself in her room,” the butler reported. So, my secretary liked mango cakes? I will tell the pastry chef to prepare it often. “How about the gifts?” I asked while browsing the never-ending documents on my table. “We had already laid out variety of gifts on the table for Miss Kate. We placed them in the hallway on the first floor so she could see them before she steps out of the east wing. We prepared everything: from expensive perfumes, dresses, shoes, and jewelries which we heard female humans are into these days. We also told Miss Kate to take out whatever she likes from the items because they will soon be thrown away.” I signed another paper before I replied,
Present Time“THANK YOU for doing this for your fans, Mr. Collins. I’m sure their Christmas became merry because of you.”My mind had drifted back to the present after hearing the disk jockey’s words. She got it wrong. I did not do this for other people. Who gave a damn about other humans? The worldwide advertisements, the greetings, the interviews, were all made just for one person.But I didn’t try correcting the DJ who was smiling so sweetly at me. After I shook hands with her, I left.I was near the exit when she caught onto me.“Please wait, Mr. Collins!” she said while panting as she grabbed my arm.When my jaw clenched, Emmet saw it and immediately took the woman’s hand from my arm. He put himself between us and politely said, “Mr. Collins do not like it whenever a woman suddenly grabs him like that, Ms. Gomez. My boss is a very busy man. He only indulged specific people for this. He cannot be bothered to do anything more than that. If you wish to talk to him, I suggest you set
(Zachary)“THE CITIZENS are still feeling threatened over the issue regarding the Hunters, your majesty. To restore peace and stability in the kingdom, we recommend that you get married and produce an heir as soon as possible.”I yawned. I had been wondering about the Council’s true agenda regarding this sudden meeting which interrupted my other plans. I indulged them, thinking it was something important. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I stretched my arms and rose from my seat. I cannot believe I wasted ten minutes of my life just to hear this bullshit.“I think it was all of you who feels truly threatened here, my lords. The last time I checked, the city and the people are doing perfectly okay. They are my people. I know them better than you all do and I would wager that in my own way, I interact with them more than you do. They know they are safe inside the city walls. Even if the Hunters were to miraculously rise from the ashes, our army can handle them. With or without my marr
(Jonathan)‘I WILL be honest with you, Vampire. This woman is not going to live long. No matter how strong she is, with her abilities still sealed, she would die before or after she give birth. Even if you make her drain all of your blood, it will not be enough for the baby. She would soon end up feeding on her mother’s blood and energy. It is in her nature. Katherine is a human. Carrying the child of the Vampire King is something humans could never handle.’Those were Isadora’s first observation upon seeing Katherine weeks ago. The Mage had lived up to her reputation seeing as how she was able to quickly discover who Katherine was and who was the father of her baby only by holding her hands.When His Majesty grabbed my shoulder as if he was trying to see right through me, I forced myself to remain steady. If His Majesty was betrayed, he would never forgive. That’s who he was. Even if I was away, I kept hearing news about him and the massive changes he had brought in the city. If he w
(Kate) MY HEART thrashed when I heard the sound of the windows breaking. There was someone else in this house other than me. My instinct was screaming at me to get up and check it out, but my stomach kept growling like a starved tiger. No matter what I eat and drink, I don’t feel full. I had already emptied the blood bags Jonathan had left in the fridge. It was supposed to last me for weeks, but he had only been gone for a few days and I had already drained them all. After Jonathan left, there had been a bulky man spying outside the gate late at night. Yesterday, I woke up at the sound of the front door clicking as if someone had been trying on the locks. This morning, I changed the lock and tonight seemed to be the perfect timing for the perfect crime. The neighbors went out for a trip. I saw them leave a while ago. And so, the man came back tonight and didn’t hesitate to make a sound, he went straight to the windows and smashed them. Even when I heard