(Zachary)
“THE KING is quiet these days. What if he is up to something, my lord?”
“You fool. Didn’t you hear? He had the mages investigated. The mages had always disliked the vampires. We set the trap flawlessly. All the traces would lead to those bitches. Even if they are loyal to their so-called queen, one of them are still bound to slip up, especially that fat-ass Salazar who blamed and threatened us after Dayanara died. If the castle and the mages fight, the city will be divided. We will use that opportunity to turn the tables around.”
“Are you sure it would work? All the hunters cannot be trusted, lord Franco.”
“Alucard made a pact with me. His only target is that damned Kate. He would leave after he catches her. If the king loses his woman, he would certainly go berserk. He would lose his credibility. You know how foolish the public is. Just a little coaxing from us and they would hate him. This is our
(Kate)‘CONGRATULATIONS, your highness. You are now a hundred percent free from the Hunters’ grasp. All the bad blood inside your system had been cleared.’I had been away from the hunters for years and I had been living in the vampire city for months, but the only time I felt truly liberated was after hearing Juno’s announcement followed by the Mages’. That was the best way to start the year for all of us.It made me feel confident, and hopeful for the following days, months, and years to come. I feel so happy that it was almost frightening because this is the first time that I feel such beautiful and positive emotions inside me.I glanced at Zachary who was sitting beside me near the bonfire. Both of us were watching our daughter as she builds a castle of her own through the white sand.We decided to celebrate our first New Year together by the beach.Zachary was busier than ever now. Sadly, I couldn’t g
“IT WAS true, your majesty. Her highness is two weeks pregnant,” Ravena confirmed. “Congratulations!”“Does that mean I’m going to have a baby sibling?” Mira asked, her eyes were glowing.Ravena smiled. “Yes, princess.”“The baby is a full-blooded vampire, your majesty. That must be why her highness’ desire for blood had magnified.”Mira covered her mouth as if to stop herself from shouting out of sheer joy.I wanted to join her in her happiness, but I was a little lost.Ravena was smiling and was congratulating me, but I could see the agitation behind her smile. Even if Kate was pregnant, what happened back in the woods… was far from normal.I was not born yesterday. I had seen pregnant vampires many times before. The amount of blood bags Kate consumed in one day could feed a village full of vampires.When Mira headed out of the door to announce the good news to the servants, I motioned my hand. The door closed.I faced the mage. “I will only ask this once, Ravena. Is everything real
(Zachary)“YOUR Majesty, you are not supposed to see the bride tonight. Mages have a strict tradition that we ought to follow. It is bad for the groom and bride to meet the night before their wedding. The ancestors are watching. Please forgive us for blocking your path. We are only doing this for you and Her Highness’ blissful marriage,” Ravena explained while wiping the sweat off her forehead.All the Mages who were guarding Kate’s chamber were wearing thin clothes because of the hot temperature spreading not only in this area but in the entire castle. The Vampires and Mages who had water abilities were not enough to deal with the temperature.Mira, along with most of the servants, were outside the castle to cool themselves. Kate used her ability and unknowingly spread it because she was suffering from the cold.“I do respect your tradition, but I could hear her crying from here, Ravena. She needs me. She is having a difficult time at the moment. And she is all alone inside.”The Mag
(Kate)LAST NIGHT, before closing my eyes, I remember praying for warmth. I prayed for a better day. I prayed for peace of mind. I prayed for love to wash all of my worries and fears away so that when this big day comes, I would be prepared. I could welcome it with a big smile.My groom doesn’t deserve tears. Just smiles.After being emotional these past few days, a genuine smile was all I wanted to show him today.This morning, when I opened my eyes again and finally felt the warmth coming from the windows, from the sunlight, when I woke up without the heaviness in my chest, for the first time, I could say with full conviction that my prayers were answered.I wanted the baby to feel the same warmth that I’d been feeling, too.The past days was hard. I had a conception dream. That was when I first found out about the baby. And that was all I remembered because my memories were in shambles.But despite the hardship, I never
(Zachary)“AND NOW, I proudly present to you Queen Katerina Gregory Collins!” Augusto, the new minister, announced in the balcony of the castle.Today, as per tradition, we opened the gates of the castle for her crowning ceremony.My lovely bride, who was now wearing her cape and her golden crown, emerged in the balcony and the people, who came from different provinces, kneeled on the ground to show their respect.Today will be the day none of us would forget for it was the day I was able to put my ring on her finger and the crown on her head. Today was the day she became officially mine and this kingdom’s ruler.“Glory to Her Highness, the Queen!” they said altogether.Kate waved and gave them all her dazzling smile.I stood beside her. I carried Mira in one arm and held our queen’s hand on the other. The people cheered.Our eyes met.It felt so long since I had last seen the glimmer in her eyes. I pressed my forehead against hers.“Congratulations, your highness,” I whispered in her
A RUSH of fire flared throughout my body the second I saw my bride stepped out of the pool as if to welcome me. Her eyes were smiling along with her lips. This was the expression that I only get to see when she was with me.Tonight, it was just me and swan again inside the rose palace where we decided to have our honeymoon.The Hunters were making their move now. We cannot leave the city or the kingdom.‘It’s okay. I’m with you. Anywhere is a good place as long as I’m with you,’ I remember Kate saying when I first told her about it. ‘This way, we’ll also be close to where our daughter is. It’s still a win-win for me. Everything could wait. We have all the time in the world now, Zach.’If only that was true.Being an immortal, I never got to worry about living another day. Tomorrow still comes whether I liked it or not. I lived recklessly knowing that I would always have tomorrow.It was a little late when I learned how to appreciate every second. I would never have realized how valuab
A WAVE of anxiety started crawling back inside my system after throwing up black liquid in the sink when I woke up the next morning. I had seen Alucard throwing up the same thing when we were still in the camp. What’s the meaning of this?The coldness, I thought it was gone, but it came back and it was a lot worse today. I couldn’t move, it numbs my feet.“Swan? You’ve been in there for a while now. Are you okay?” Zachary asked and knocked on the door.“Yes, I’m okay,” I said, hoping he didn’t notice my voice trembling. “I’ll be out soon.”I looked at myself in the mirror and was horrified when I saw my eyes turning black. My veins in the neck and face protruded. I blinked twice thinking that it was only my imagination, but it was still the same.My eyes widened. My chest was thumping when I tried to step away from the sink, from the mirror, but because my feet were still numb,
“ZACH!” I screamed.I woke up and opened my eyes. I immediately turned to my left and saw Zach who also sat on the bed. His hair was still messy and his eyes were half-open as if he had just woken up because of me.“Swan, it’s still early. It’s just two in the morning. Let’s go back to bed.”“You’re alive, Zach. You’re okay. Thank God!” I whispered, relieved as I caressed his face. “This isn’t a dream, is it? You are really here beside me, safe and sound.”He put his hands over mine. “This is real. I’m real. Whatever dream you had about me, about us, that was not true. And it’s not going to happen. It was just a bad dream, swan.”I wished I could say the same.But a mage’s dream always meant something. That was the first thing I learned from them. Our dreams were either a warning or a glimpse of the future. Zachary must have been aware of that, but he was choosing to turn a blind-eye for my sake.When I remembered that my hands were the same hands who struck Zachary with a dagger, I s