(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
Seven years later…“MOMMY?”I stopped the car in front of the school gate and turned to Mira, my daughter. She was my miracle and so I named her after that although Jonathan and I often call her by her nickname.I caught her staring at the kids who were accompanied by their parents. Today was their first day of school. And just like before, it was just the two of us. Jonathan volunteered to drive us, but I refused because I didn’t want Mira to get too used with his presence during important days like this.One day, Jonathan would have a family of his own, too. He could move out of Itbayat and live somewhere far. I didn’t want to tie him with us. That was the reason why I decided to move out of his house when Mira was three. I didn’t want my daughter to keep hoping that there would be a chance for me and her Uncle Jonathan to be together. I know that behind my back, she was targeting him as her potential ‘Daddy&rs
(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