Prologue

~Shannon~

MASIGABONG ang naging palakpakan ng mga tao sa buong reception hall ng hotel pagkatapos ng speech ni Shannon. Hindi niya inaasahan na magiging ganoon ang reaksyong matatanggap niya.  Nang makabalik siya sa kanilang table ay tinungga niya agad ang isang baso ng wine. Nais niyang alisin ang natitirang pagkabalisa at kaba sa kanyang sistema. Ilang segundo lang ang lumpias ay ng  kislot sa kanyang sintindo. Epekto siguro ng nainom niya.

Inilibot niya ang paningin sa paligid. The blue and red beams hovered everywhere as if dancing to the soft music of the orchestra playing in the corner. Puno ang hall ng mga batikan at prominenteng pangalan sa industriya ng business. Hindi lang sa Asia , may mga nanggaling din sa Europe at US ang nandoon upang saksihan ang pinakamalaking business expo sa Asia which served as a great oppurtunity to meet potential investors, clients, and partners alike. Her grandfather was supposed to attend this event, but he is currently in Spain for a business trip. Siya ang nautusang nitong mag-represent ng kanilang kompanya which she did very well.

She heaved a deep sigh. Finally, makakahinga na rin siya ng maluwag. Paulit-ulit pa naman siyang pinaaalalahanan ng kaniyang Lolo Anton kung gaano ka importante ang nasabing expo. If she fails, siguradong madi-disappoint ito ng malaki sa kaniya na hangga't maari ay kailangan niyang iwasan. So far, hindi pa naman nangyayari ang kinatatakutan niya and her success in this event proven her worth as a Buenavista once again- kahit na bastarda siya.

" Congratulations, Miss Shannon! The people here are very impressed with your speech, your grandfather sends his regards," Jamie welcomed her with a warm hug when she returned to their seat. Ito ang secretary ng Lolo niya at sinamahan siya nito upang gabayan siya dahil ito ang una niyang pagkakataong dumalo sa ganoong kalaking even.

" Thank you, Jamie. I would not be able to do it without your help."

" Nah, wala nga akong ginawa eh. You did all the work."

Sabagay tama ito. Halos isang buwan rin niyang pinaghandaan ang event na iyon. She prepared everything from the presentation up to the actual speech.

" Kahit na. Your presence really help me pull this through so, cheers?"

They chugged their glasses and drank some more wine. She was so happy and elated that she lost track of how many glasses of wine she drank. Lalong uminit ang kanyang mukha, at unti-unting namumuo ang mga butil ng pawis sa kanyang noo sa ilalim ng maskarang suot niya.

" Will you excuse me for a second, Jamie? Restroom lang ako," aniya sa kasama.

" Yes, sure . Dito lang ako, hihintayin kita."

Muntik na siyang malaglag sa kinauupuan niya nang tangkain niyang tumindig. Thankfully, a pair of strong hands caught her before her face lands on the floor. It was a guy in plain black mask. His intense blue eyes were locked on her face habang ang kamay nito ay nakapalibot sa kanyang bewang. Napalunok siya. He seemed so handsome even if she could only see half of his face. His prominent jaw, aristocratic nose, thin lips and slick back silver hair made her gape in awe. Kitang-kita din ang ganda ng katawan nito sa suot nitong itim na tuxedo.

And his manly scent assaulted her nose in a a seductive way.

" Please, do me a favor and be mindful of yourself." His cold and stern baritone voice penetrated though her soul. He looked annoyed but still breathtakingly handsome.

Hindi alam ni Shannon kung ilang segundo o minuto sila sa ganoong posisyon pero ng bumalik siya sa huwisyo ay nakaramdam siya ng matinding hiya. She got out of the man's grasp and mentally slap herself for being careless and drooling over a stranger. Inilalayan naman siya ni Jamie upang makatayo ng diretso.

"S-sorry," she murmured. But she doubted if he could hear that because of the loud music blaring as the hall turns into a dance floor.

" I apologize for the trouble, Sir," si Jamie na ang humingi ng paumanhin para sa kanya.

"Its okay. But I highly suggest she should be in her room by now. She is getting in the way."

" I will , Sir. Again, we are very sorry for the inconvenience."

Then the man left. Shannon rolled her eyes.

"Gwapo sana kaso suplado," she muttered under her breath while making sure that the man will not hear her.

" Shannon!"

" What?" painosenteng tanong niya kay Jamie.

" Narinig ko yun. I think I should really bring you to your room." She shooked her head in disagreement.

" Come on, Jamie, don't be a spoil sport. Wala naman dito si Lolo eh. No one will ever scold you for enjoying a little. "

" Okay pero pagkatapos ng isang oras ay babalik na tayo sa hotel room at magpapahinga. Understood?"

" Aye, aye captain. I'll just head over to the restroom para magretouch. Balik lang ako."

" Gusto mo samahan na kita?"

" No, I am not that drunk . Kaya ko pa namang pumunta ng restroom ng mag-isa."

Hindi na nakipagtalo pa si Jamie at hinayaan na lang siya. Madali lang namang nahanap ni Shannon ang restroom. Mabuti na lang mag-isa lang siya doon. She quickly removed her mask and rummaged through her pouch for a tissue. She gently dabbed it all over her face. In fairness, she looked really good in a full blown make up at bagay na bagay sa hugis puso niyang mukha ang messy bun. Her dress was even more exquisite now that she is wearing it. It is a red satin dress na umaabot hanggang paa niya. Backless din ito kaya naman hindi na nakakapagtaka kung makailang beses siyang tapunan ng tingin ng mga kalalakihan doon. Ang totoo ay ito ang unang pagkakataong nagsuot siya ng ganoon. She always preferred formal, and neat clothings. Kahit na sa prom nila noong high school ay hindi ganoong ka revealing ang kanyang suot. And now that she is 22, she feels more confident than ever to wear these kinds of dresses. Saka wala ang Lolo niya, no one will nitpick her. Kung naroon ito ay siguradong kanina pa napuno ng pangaral ang tenga niya. Conservative kasi ito masyodo.

As soon as felt refresh ay ibinalik ni Shannon ang kanyang maskara. She spoke and chatted with a few people on her way back to the hall. It's always nice to have a connection, especially in the business world.

Napasinghap si Shannon ng may kung sinong kumalabit sa kanya nang makabut na siya corridor. She was about to scream but the stranger quickly put his hand over her mouth. He was thrice her size kaya naman kahit anong panlalaban niya ay hindi siya makawala sa hawak nito. She can literally hear the pounding of her heart against her ear out of fear. His smell was slighly familiar to her.

It was the guy who caught her bago pa man siya makipag lips to lips sa sahig kanina !

He pinned her to the wall while his hand remained in her mouth, blocking every sound from it. It was enough to hold her down. Hindi niya aninag ang mukha nito dahil sa suot nitong maskara pero ramdam niya ang intensidad sa kulay bughaw nitong mga mata. This time, it was more intense as it burns with lust. He slowly removed her mask- completely revealing her terrified face.

" God, you are so much beautiful in this view," he inhales her scent as he moves an inch closer to her. " Your smell is so addicting too. Damn , I want to take you somewhere and fuck you so hard."

Shannon stiffened. Her whole body was acting weirdly. She should have been terrified, and she should have pushed this stranger away, but she couldn't.

All of her will and strength have vanished now that his body was pressed against hers. Baka dahil sa nainom niyang wine kanina o di kaya sa katotohanang medyo attracted din siya sa lalaking ito. O baka naman ang titig nitong sapat na upang gawing jelly ang kanyang mga tuhod. Kung hindi lang sa suporta nito ay kanina pa siya naglupasay sa baldosa.

Nang alisin ng binata ang kamay sa kanyang bibig ay agad nitong inangkin iyon. She had lost her chance to scream anymore. He claimed her lips like a a hungry wolf. Lahat ng pagrerebelde sa lalaki sa kaniyang isip ay nawala. It was her first kiss! Ibang-iba ito kanyang nai-imagine.

It was daring and bold and sweet at the same time.

She finally let go of her sanity and let the man explore her mouth with his tongue. She could not help but moaned softly. Napakapit din siya sa balikat nito as everything is becoming fuzzy and her body slowly looses its balance. Inilalayan naman siya ng isang kamay nito and the other was tracing her curves. Tinges of electricity followed his every move.

Hindi maitago ni Shannon ang pagkadismaya nang humiwalay ito. Ngumisi sa kanya ang lalaki, na para bang nag-eenjoy sa kanyang reaksyon ng naputol ang halik. Pagkatapos, inatake niya ang leeg nito, tinataniman ng maliliit na halik ang malambot nitong balat. She closed her eyes and arch her back- begging him for more. His hand began to teased and squeezed one of her mounds.

Ngunit kaagad din siyang napadilat nang makaramdam siya ng matinding sakit sa leeg. Isang pares ng matalas na pangit ang nakabaon sa kanyang balat. Hinihigop ng estrangerong binata ang dugo niya! Impit na napatili si Shannon ngunit mabilis na tinakpan ng lalaki ang kanyang bibig gamit ang kanyang libreng kamay sa pangalawang pagkakataon. Nakapagtataka din na mas napukaw ang kanyang pagnanasa sa lalaki. Mas lalo niyang hinigpitan ang hawak sa buhok nito- hinihimok itong ipagpatuloy ang ginagawa. Hindi na niya nasundan pa ang mga sumunod na nangyari dahil nabalot ng kadiliman ang paligid.

~Evan~

EVAN has been eyeing the girl in red satin dress for some time now. Magmula ng bumaba ito sa engrandeng hagdan ng reception hall hanggang sa umalis ito papuntang banyo. Every move she make was alluring- subtly teasing him. Hindi niya alam kung bakit ganoon ang epekto sa kanya ng babae. Maraming babae din naman ang naroon- mas maganda, mas sexy kaysa dito pero may kung anong pwersa ang humahatak sa kanya dito. He could not wait to see her face under that mask, to feel her body pressed against his. Damn ! He cursed himself mentally. Bakit siya nagkakaganoon sa isang babae and worst sa isang tao?

Although most of his kind find human beings interesting, he does not want to take part in that. As much as possible siya na ang lumalayo. Katulad ngayong may ipinapakilala sa kaniya na kung sino-sinong babae ang pinsang niyang si Trevor. He just faintly smiled at them and nothing more. Hindi niya ginusto ang pumunta sa expo, his father insisted him to be his companion for the event.

The whole event bores him- except for that girl. Nang magtama ang mga mata nila kanina, he felt as if the world had shook beneath his feet. The weight of her body as he held her her sent bolts of electricity into his being. That little incident made him want to drag her out of the event and into one of his chambers where can taste every part of her. He wanted to take a sip of her sweet blood as she moan his name while he make love to her. The mere thought of those thing could drove him mad. Agad siyang kumuha ng isang baso ng wine at nilagok iyon, but the effect of that women still remains.

" Evan , why are you still alone here?" takang tanong ng pinsan niya. " Sa dinami-dami ng babaeng pinakilala ko sa iyo kanina wala ka man lang nabinggwit?"

" Watch your terms, Trevor," banta niya dito. Sometimes, Trevor can be such as asshole.

" Chill, bro. I don't want to fight with you saka nandito tayo para mag enjoy," Trevor scanned his face and finally followed where his gaze lingers .

" Ah, kaya naman pala. Iba naman pala ang gusto mo eh. Why don't you approach her?"

" Because I don't want too."

" Masyado ka namang pabebe, bro." Pinandilatan niya muli ito ng mata upang ipakita kung gaano siya sa seryosong sakalin ito ng mga oras na iyon. " Joke lang, huwag kang masyadong seryoso. I almost forgot, you don't like humans. "

Hinayaan niya lang na magdada si Trevor habang sinisimsim naman niya ang pangalawang baso ng wine. Hindi niya parin maiwala ang paningin sa babae. She seemed so delectable. Nang makita niya umalis ito ng table at iwan ang kasama ay kaagad niyang nilagok ang wine at sinundan ito. Narinig niyang tinawag siya ni Trevor pero hindi na siya nag-abala pang pansinin ito. There was some kind of gravity that pulls him towards the girl.

While she was walking back to her table, he grabbed her and pinned her against a wall in dark corner where no one could saw them. The next thing he knew, his fangs were buried beneath her soft skin. The sweetness of her blood oozed in his tongue. Napapikit siya habang nilalasahan ang dugo nito. Hindi na nakapanglaban ang babae at sa halip ay mas inaanyayahan siyang ipagpatuloy ang ginagawa which he gladly obeys. He immediately stop when he noticed that the girl was not responding. Buhay pa naman ito, he could clearly hear her pulse. Nakatulog ito sa kalasingan. He took a deep sigh, he wanted to do more. He just licked the puncture he made in her skin. Nawala ang sugat.

But something strange thing happened. It started like as a small drop tinge of red ink that gradually morphs into the shape of a moonflower. Hindi siya makapaniwala sa nakita.

Fate.

Eternal love.

His other half.

He was the non-believer of those things but now that he found her.

He does not know what to believe anymore.