The wind rushed past her with full force and when she thought she could no longer hold on, it stopped. She felt herself being lowered to the ground. She was in pain. Her arm felt too heavy to carry and she felt like ripping it off.Her eyes fluttered open when her back hit a tree."Aurora," his coarse hands caressed her face gently. His face loomed down on her, no longer foreign and pale like a corpse but even better, more beautiful."You're safe," she smiled weakly, reaching up for his face. Her fingers traced his features, his eyes, nose, mouth, ears, "you're safe.""I am," he murmured, pressing his forehead to hers, "did you feel my absence?""Very much, very much," she whispered, pressing her lips to his.When their lips parted, she realized that she felt no pain whatsoever. She looked quickly at her arm and slowly back at him, her eyes wide.He picked her up in his arms and began walking."Lucius would have the soldiers out to look for us.""And he'll begin with my father," she f
They walked in silence; Sebastian, Aurora and her mother. The night was far spent and their only companions were the night birds and the distant groans of the wild animals who dwelt in the dead woods."I know you have many questions, dearest Aurora…""Only I shall call her by that name," he pronounced firmly. Lydia eyes turned in his direction but she merely smiled."I guess she is no longer my little girl.""The little girl you tried to kill," Aurora blurted out with suppressed anger, "where were you all this time, mother? Why appear now?""Your father banished me if my old head remembers correctly.""Because you tried to kill me." She accused."I didn't… it was never my intention, dear… my child. I was a budding vampire, hungry for food and I didn't have the sense to fight it.""And where have you been all this time?""Hiding, of course," Lydia shot her an exasperated look, "with the entire Jaresh empire soldiers after us, blood suckers," she snorted, "I had to hide to save my own
"No, that's absurd," Aurora laughed, "so absurd. I never did those.""Yes, you did. You danced around the palace with your father's crown on your head and told everyone you were the new king. You told everyone you would be a king when you grew up."They all laughed, Aurora the loudest, Sebastian the least. Aurora watched him through the corner of her eye. He was strangely quiet and he seemed to be uneasy.She latched her hand with his under the table and he looked at her. She shot him an encouraging smile and he smiled wryly."So what plans do you have, Sebastian?"Aurora glared at her mother, "emperor Sebastian, your honor to you."Lydia rolled her eyes, stuffing her mouth with eggs."Ok," she gave in after chewing, "your honor, what plans do you have?""Getting myself rid of this sickness."Lydia raised a brow, "I'm afraid there's no way out.""That isn't possible," Aurora countered."Maybe there is," Lydia gulped down a cup of wine, "death."Sebastian fixed her with a straight look
"So where are the others hiding?" Aurora asked as they travelled the caves on the second day. The caves was the easiest route for them to travel without being seen. "Far North. Sebastian's grandfather murdered a vast number of us so we fled, far away and settled in the hills bordering Jaresh. Only the rogue vampires come in here to attack.""Vampire lord. A man, he called himself the vampire lord. He sent his followers after me and made then turn me. Who is he?""Why do you bother? You killed him.""There may be more of his followers, and they may come after me… and my wife.""His name is Rufus. He was the leader of the rogue vampires. He has an obsessive hatred for humans. He was left half dead by his half brother just before his engagement then rescued by a blood sucker who turned him.""He said he wanted to use me to conquer my empire.""Sounds like him."Sebastian was lost in thought. His father, how was he faring? He hadn't thought of him all these while. Who was managing the em
"How's this possible?" Sebastian asked Lydia, his gaze fixed on the vampire lord."He's not him, this is his twin, Linus."The big vampire's brows furrowed, "you've met my twin?""In a not so pleasant way. We're not here to cause you any harm, we simply need a place to hide."Linus let out a sarcastic laugh, "and why would the great emperor of Jerash need lowly me to offer me a place to hide?"Sebastian gazed at him until Linus' eyes expressed his shocked realization."My brother turned you?" He scoffed, "impossible. How did he get to lay his hands on you? Emperor Sebastian with a vast number of soldiers at his fingertips.""I only just got crowned, you can spare me the sarcasm."Linus' nostrils flared."Very well, you can all return to your duties," he said to his followers and they went away, one after the other, after sparing long looks at them."Follow me," he said to Sebastian."Respect," Aurora cut in, taking Sebastian's hand, "emperor Sebastian, your honor."Linus shot her an i
Aurora slowly folded the clothes in the satchel and placed them in the open wooden box. Sebastian watched her from the doorway. She backed him. Her hair was loose and her posture betrayed her sadness.She was avoiding him since dinner."What I said? Does it bother you?" He spoke up.She ignored him, picking up another tunic."I apologize."She still said nothing and he blew out a breath."I asked for you to end my life, Aurora because I detested myself, I detested what I had become and I didn't want to live a life deemed as a nuisance."She said nothing and he grew desperate."I do wish to end my life but not do badly. I am still trying to come to terms with what I've become. It's all still new to me, Aurora and I wish for you to see me in a good light."Her hands stilled and she slowly turned her head to face him. There were tears in her eyes."I understand, Sebastian but I can't help but feel bad. You don't need to worry."He took quick strides to her and sat beside her."I worry, A
Aurora suddenly stumbled and slipped from her high position up the tunnels. Sebastian was quick to catch her."Merciful Zeus, Aurora, you almost caused me an early death," he sighed, setting her on her feet."Apologies," she muttered, holding unto him. She looked up at the height she was and the long distance to the ground."You don't seem fine," he kissed her hair."I fear something bad has happened to Linus and Maximus," she muttered."How do you know that?""I do not, I… I just feel it. My heart isn't at ease."Sebastian pushed up her face and inspected it. Beads of sweat ran down her chin and her eyes were unsteady. He still didn't understand how she got her new powers of mind control. She could control anything and everything, living and non living, even causing her body to levitate."Then we must go out to look for them," he pronounced, tsking her hand and leading her back into the tunnels."But," she hesitated, "what if it is your brother?"He looked at her, "perhaps it's time
"What?" Lydia gasped, falling to her knees. Sure enough, the wound area was changing to an ugly green and spouting blabk blood.Sebastian grunted heavily, pulling himself up to a sitting position. He recognized the poison in an instant. Silphium. He had used it a lot, to poison arrows that were shot into the body of vampires. The injuries never healed and the vampires ended up dieing within a few hours.He turned his gaze to Aurora who was anxiously gauging the wound. He tried, he really tried to stay alive for her, to keep Mors' anger away but perhaps, his time was long due."Do not bother about me," he said to the frantic group, "I shall not survive another day. Go on with the mission.'Aurora met his gaze, her eyes filling with tears."Dearest Aurora," he sighed, taking her into his arms."It's not fair, it's not fair," she cried miserably. Aurelius and Luna turned away sadly, leaving the shed. Lydia followed."It's not fair," she wept, hugging him tightly."I'm sorry for the pains
The next two days, they spent letting the fire burn. No one was satiated yet, no one could stop them, no worries could bother them. On the third day, they finally stepped out to get some cool evening air and some groceries. "Everything feels different, better," she spoke as they walked into a store together, their rented car parked outside. They were in Tanzania. They rented a lone beach house which required a twenty minutes drive to get into town. It was perfect, just what they wanted. "And why is that?" He teased as they perused through shelves, hands locked. "Because we are finally finally together and my expectations of you in bed was superseded..." "Isabella!" He whisper shouted, wide eyes fixed on her. She laughed, pressing a quick kiss to his agape mouth. "What?" She asked with a smile, "do I not get to compliment my husband's bedroom skills?" He shook his head, looking around to make sure no one heard. He looked back at her, "Isabel, seriously?" "We should expect a baby
"I think you have done really well for your first week. You should be able to do things without supervision now... I guess that's the person that's been picking you up since you first arrived. Your boyfriend?"Isabel's lips twitched. "My fiancee," she answered with a smile. "Oh, wow, that's great. When's the wedding?" Isabel opened her mouth to reply just as Ezekiel rounded the car with a big smile in her direction. "What?" She heard Irene gasp but her mind was clouded with too much love for it to register. Her legs carried her across the road to him. "I love you," she mumbled as he enclosed her in a hug. "I think our engagement is making both of us jelly," he laughed, kissing her cheek, "I didn't even realize I was smiling so wide." She kissed him lightly and stepped back a little. Oh heavens, she laughed internally, remembering she abandoned her supervisor. "Irene?" She heard Ezekiel mumble. She turned around, seeing the dazed look on Irene's face. "Don't tell me..." she mu
Ezekiel whirled laughing Isabel around. She was clad in a purple graduation gown, her cap hanging loosely in her right hand."I'm dizzy," she forced out between laughs, holding unto him tightly. He set her down on her feet and kissed her loudly."How does it feel?" He asked, beaming."I don't know," she laughed, "you are rubbing your excitement all over me and I don't even know how I feel.""Exactly," Lily intervened, "you are acting like you have never experienced a convocation before. Get off her."His entire family came to celebrate her, his cousin and his beauty wife included, with their baby."She's not your girlfriend, Lily, mind your business," Ezekiel eyed her playfully.They moved off to a little spot they set out for a picnic and they spent the rest of the day being happy for her. The group stayed an extra day before leaving. It was just two of them left now.When their relationship was a year old, they sat down for a serious conversation. They rented a beach house for the w
Sebastian was just bringing the car around when Isabel and Aurora walked out of the airport."You must be Isabel," the man she recognized as Ezekiel's cousin spoke when he got to them."Yes," she replied with a warm smile, watching how he casually put an arm around Aurora's waist and kissed her hair, "it's nice to meet you."They shook hands. They definitely had good genes in their family. Ezekiel was her boyfriend, the man she loved but she couldn't confidently say he was more handsome than his cousin."Ezekiel is bringing the luggage, we can wait in the car. You don't mind, Isabel?""Of course not, he left me with the luggage in the first place," she answered with a roll of her eyes. Their little group chuckled and they moved to the car. Sebastian hovered over his fiancee as they chatted heartily about school, life, and anything else. Ezekiel arrived soon and Sebastian assisted him in getting the luggage into the trunk.Aurora and Sebastian's wedding was a week away so the atmospher
Ezekiel knew that there was a Supreme Being helping him to restrain himself because it was a miracle he didn't lose control after what she just said. Was she so oblivious that men were easily triggered sexually or was she doing it on purpose? She worked at a bar, she had to know."Your body belongs to you," he said slowly, blowing out a breath, "and to the God who made you. If we are married, you can say that but your body will belong to me and mine will belong to you only because we chose to let it be so. Do you understand?"She clicked her tongue, laying her head on his chest. "Let's get married then, you won't have any excuse to deny me what I want.""Oh heavens," he laughed in disbelief but somewhere deep within him, he began to consider it.*Weeks flew by and Isabel didn't think she had ever lived life so happily before. She woke up happy and blushing, she was much more interested in her boring classes because he always praised her when she performed well in the tutoring session
When she awoke bright early the next morning, he was still asleep and she was late for class. She stood at the entrance to his hospital room at a loss for what to do. She could rush to class and return after school to take care of him or she could stay and be with him throughout the day. She wanted to do the latter as she was the cause of his accident but on further reflection, she decided to choose the former, he'd prefer that.Ezekiel trudged into his apartment, burdened with a load of emotions. Drugs, really?"Stan found me, he sent me threat notes and has been stalking us."Was that true? He sighed, lowering himself unto a fur-covered couch. He didn't even know what to believe. What was her deal? Was it just the aftermath of the rape incident? It scared him that she would go as far as drugging him, how much damage did the incident cause her?If Stan was secretly stalking them then she wasn't safe. The police needed to be alerted and they needed to move away from town for some time
"Are you mad at me?"Isabel said nothing instead she focused on stabbing the potatoes on her plate."Have I ever refused you anything?"She blinked, thinking of an answer to his question though she didn't plan to reply, she discovered he always did what she asked and did more except for a few nos here and there but... He was always there."No," she answered curtly, guilt nagging at her. "Then you must know I have a very good reason for refusing you this one thing. Trust me, Isabel, please."She stared at her meal, fighting with her emotions. She thought of the drugged wine."Ezekiel," she began, looking up. Her eyes widened in horror seeing him bring down his glass from his lips."What?" He questioned, cleaning his mouth with a serviette.She opened her mouth and shut it. "I drugged your wine," she croaked out."What?" His eyes bulged out and he looked into his glass, "what are you talking about?"She kept silent, staring at him with wide eyes. He stared at her, his eye size matching
She was awfully alert the next day, constantly looking back and sideways, being suspicious of every male she came across, staying in open places where there were a lot of people. She didn't realize she was so on edge and tensed up until Ezekiel came to her at the cafe and she almost stabbed him with a fork.He dodged, his eyes wide. "Watsup!? Do you want to kill me!?"She sighed, her tense shoulders falling. The fork landed with a clattering sound on the table."I am sorry. I was... I thought it was someone else," she said apologetically.He raised a brow, sitting next to her, "is someone stalking you?""Don't worry about it," she sighed again and relaxed back in her seat. His presence was immensely comforting. She didn't know whether to be pleased or irritated, he was her boyfriend now."You could really have stabbed me if I didn't have quick reflexes. You wanted to harm the person. Why? What's going on?" He inquired.She kept silent. Why was she keeping it a secret?"Isabel..."She
"You're my girlfriend now," he murmured into her hair, "so you can't cheat on me ever again, you hear? You can't go kissing another man or letting another man touch you because you feel like getting down with someone. You are mine now and I'll tell you, I am very possessive and I get easily jealous."She blinked. What did she just do?"You forgot the second part," she mumbled, not sure of what she was feeling."No, it isn't enough to make me sleep with you."She groaned, surprisingly not feeling annoyed. "Why?" She whined."It only makes me want to protect you more, keep you clean and pure. I'll be your god and I'll keep you away from any filth," he replied.She fought the smile that crawled its way up her cheek. He pulled away a little and looked at her with so much tenderness, she felt she could melt from it."Do you still feel like getting down with me?" He asked, smiling.She shook her head."Good," he grinned, "I'll call your father now and tell him you're safe with me. I'll call