(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
IT SUDDENLY struck me. The restlessness each time Kate’s eyes would soften over a mere text message, this irritation upon the thought that she stitched tirelessly for several days just for a certain someone, these were the feelings I ignored before. It took me seven years to know what it was.All along, this ugly feeling was jealousy.The car windows were tinted and yet, the second Kate looked at our direction, the fire in my hands vanished. But my anger didn’t.Damon was still preaching when I disappeared in the backseat and showed up behind the pest. He was still holding Kate’s wrist. I grabbed his arm.“Leave,” I said as calmly as possible.The pest turned to me after I released his arm. He seemed shocked and intimidated at first, but then he raised his chin.“Whoever you are, it’s you who should leave. Don’t interrupt us. The shop is already closed for today,” he said in a dismissive tone. “Go and find another shop. Can’t you see? My girl and I are busy-““Is this squid your lover
(Zachary)KATE was flabbergasted. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened as if to say something, but then in the end, she opted to shake her head and look away. Her cheeks had turned bright red. Did she ever know how lovely she looked right now?I just wanted to devour her. All of her. I would do it right here, if possible.“Kate, look at me,” I commanded softly, something I didn’t know I was capable of.“Fine, I get it. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said that. But must you really say those words, your majes-I mean Zachary?”There. She finally said it. My name. Although she was forced to do it, it felt nice to hear my name from her. An amused smile curled my lips when she refused my order. I thought it was adorable how she kept trying to avoid my gaze. I glanced at her hands on the table. There was no ring yet.Good.I took her hand and drew rough circles on her palm. Her breathing had become uneven. Her body temperature rose. Did she feel it, too? If it was up to me, I would have tele
(Kate)FOR the second time tonight, my heart was acting up again as I stare at His Majesty’s eyes. I was seeing only my reflection there. After his Christmas greeting to a certain ‘Kate’ on the radio seven years ago, that name had become viral for months.Many people on the internet kept questioning who that lucky woman was although no one got an answer. I only accidentally heard a DJ talking about it on the radio. Zachary Collins was a name that could be heard from the women’s mouth almost everywhere. He had become every female’s embodiment of a ‘prince charming’ on a white horse especially with all the financial support he had been sending to students and athletes in different parts of the world.Never did it occur to me that I could be ‘that’ Kate. There were countless Kates in the world. And I know His Majesty. He was never the type to settle with one woman. I know his needs better than anyone else. I had witnessed it myself several times.“I want you, Kate,” he added.I shivered.
ZACHARY looked deep into my eyes. And when his gaze went to my lips, he swallowed. His breathing had become as irregular as mine. He cupped my cheeks and then he let out that sexy laugh, as his thousands of admirers put it. It was not supposed to affect me, but it did.His eyes had become softer. It was not like this was the first time I heard him laugh but for whatever reason, whatever he was doing tonight seemed brand new to me.“What’s funny?” I asked.“You. Your voice was full of conviction as you defied me and refused me, but here you are, looking at me like you want to be kissed by me.”“That’s not true.”“You have become a liar, Kate.”That’s the thing. I had always been a liar. I had been lying to him since day one. I pushed him away. “Please let me go, your majesty.”He looked into my eyes once more as if he was trying to see right through me and when he seemed to have failed, he took a rugged breath. “Only this time.”I went back to the seat and made sure to put enough dista