Wes fell asleep in the comfort of his bed. In his dream, he was back in the place where he was born and raised. He entered the palace garden, which was different from the way it looked now, and stopped when he saw a woman playing with what appeared to be a young child, no older than three years old. He could tell that it was his mother, and the child was a younger version of him.
Around a large tree, the kid chased his mother as she ran and laughed. Wes grinned as he watched them with delight. It was only momentary, though, as the sound of laughter quickly vanished. The boy could no longer see the woman because she had gotten away from him. The kid frantically searched for his mother near the tree and in the garden before leaving the palace grounds and stepping into the forest, jumping over stones and streams of water.
Wes followed the kid and saw him run before stopping at the woman's lifeless body. The boy sobbed. There was a man comforting the child, a hooded figu
The sun shone brightly in the clear sky the next morning. It was a nice day for exploring the campus, drinking iced coffee, or going on a date, but none of those things were on Willow's to-do list. Felicity addressed her team members who were gathered in a circle inside the booth that represented her club. "Increase our visibility, get emails or phone numbers for direct marketing, but remember to get as many new students to sign up as possible." After acknowledging her with a nod, everyone scattered to take their assigned positions. The clubs were organizing events today to obtain new members. Maxon's club occupied the booth next to Felicity's, and eight other clubs in the row were positioned next to or across from one another. Willow approached several students, informed them of the club, and persuaded a few to join. It was an hour of fake smiles and the test of her people-pleasing abilities. She didn't pause until Felicity approached her.
"—and I want to know why." He stood in awe as she fixed him with an unwavering stare. Her breathing was audible. "I don't know, Willow. Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?" "Just answer the question." "I don't know. What do you want me to say? I don't know why it was you." She moved a little closer to him and said, "I need a better response. I'm not special. And yet you came into the human world, found me and followed me around, married me, and then asked me to move in with you only under the condition that nothing romantic can happen." She shook her head, "So many conflicting signals, and I want to know why." "I don't know why I did any of those things. I am not accustomed to thinking too much. I don't analyze every little detail." She squinted her eyes with suspicion. "I think you're lying. I think you know why you did those things but you don't want to admit it because you're a coward." The door op
Willow, Felicity, and Luke drove in Luke's car to the outskirts of the city, where Maxon's party was. The two-story house was packed with people and blazing with loud music when they entered. "I'm gonna get us a drink," Felicity said before disappearing. She returned with 3 cups and Willow drank the beverage without any hesitation. "I'm going to talk to some people," Felicity said before disappearing again. "I'll come with you." Luke followed her. Willow looked around at people dancing, drinking, and having a good time; all this while she felt like crumbling. She entered a space where people were playing beer pong and pool and noticed Wes holding a drink while perched on the couch. Around him sat Maxon and his group. A girl that Willow vaguely knew from college sat next to Wes, eyeing him. "Willow, I didn't know you were invited," Melissa, a member of Maxon's club, said. "But now that you're here," she said, grabbing her arm and draggi
He drew her in and locked the door. She drew in a sharp intake of breath. There was no space left between. The air around them became suddenly hot and heavy, and she could hear her heart beating in her ears. He kissed her like he hadn't kissed any other and with one hand on her waist, he maneuvered her over to the bed. She fell on it with him on top. His arms were on either side of her as he pulled away to allow her to breathe. She stared into his beautiful eyes, breathing heavily, and then his swollen lips. She tugged on his black t-shirt, and in one swift movement, he took it off, slightly ruffling his hair. "I've wanted this for so long." His voice was husky. "Me too," she whispered, placed her hand on the back of his neck, and pulled him in for another kiss. His back muscles flexed as she ran her hands down his skin. She let out a moan. She could feel his abdominal muscles on her ribs and stomach when he leaned in to kiss her neck.
Willow woke up on a chair in a cabin situated deep into the woods. To her surprise, her hands and legs weren't tied to the chair. A yellow light bulb hung from the ceiling, illuminating the space. Slade stood near the counter, his back to her. It seemed like he was stirring something on the stove. Willow slowly got up from the chair, not making a sound. The door was just seven feet away. She vigilantly side-stepped towards the exit. "You could try, but you wouldn't get too far." He turned around. "Drink?" He held a cup of steaming tea out for her. "What do you want?" "To talk." Slade moved over to the couch and took a seat. He indicated for her to take a seat as well and she unwillingly did, knowing fully well that she had no other option. "So talk," she said. "And don't beat around the bush." Slade smirked. "Very well then. I want you to give your half of the map to me." He handed her the cup of tea. Sh
Wes lifted her chin with two of his fingers and saw the red marks and bruises on her neck. "Who did this to you?" He asked sternly. "We don't have time for this, Wes!" "Who did this to you?" He voice was louder this time. "Slade." She blinked. "And he could be on his way here right now so we need to leave!" His nostrils flared with anger. "Why? Let him run over here. I will rip his head off." She held onto his arms. "And risk exposing yourself? Put everyone else in danger? There's a house full of humans who don't know anything about this world. We can't do that to them." Wes gritted his teeth. "Fine. Let me get the car keys from Luke." He went inside the house. Willow followed him but stayed on the lookout near the front door. The trees ahead were rather calm and still. It caused unsettling anxiety in her as she tapped her foot on the floor. A few minutes later Luke and Wes walked out of
Wes parked the car in front of the house. She waited for him while he picked up the map from his room. So many things were going on in her head as she anxiously bit her lip although what she could not stop thinking about was who that old woman was. Her best guess was that she was someone from her father's adoptive family. If not that, then Willow had no idea of her identity. Wes came back in a minute and they drove to the university. Hand in hand, Wes and Willow sneaked past the guard who was sleeping soundly on his chair and dreaming about a lavish home and a hot wife. They entered the library through a window that Wes unhinged. It was quiet, too quiet, and dark. Willow turned on the flashlight on her phone and they made their way to the underground level, where hundreds of books sat on the shelves. "Hold this." She handed the phone to him and walked to the center of the floor, in between the rows and columns of shelves. He wa
Wes stepped closer to Willow. "Before you say anything else," he whispered in her ear, "we have been followed. I caught Slade hiding outside the library." "Why didn't you say something before!" "I didn't want you to get distracted." "Okay, how are we going to get out of this? He's probably here to murder me." "He will do no such thing. I won't let him," Wes said. "I have a plan." She looked at him expectantly. "What is it?" "How good of an actress are you?" *** Slade positioned himself close to the window of a vacant room that overlooked the library. On a quiet Sunday morning, the campus was practically empty. After easily sneaking in, he waited in the room for seventeen minutes before he finally saw Willow and Wes exiting the library. He hid behind the wall. Slade observed Willow stop moving and keep her hands on her knees while she struggled to breathe. Wes, who was walking ahead of her, notice
Once the dust settled and the smoke vanished, Wes and Willow saw that all the vampires in the vicinity had been turned into humans. People were rejoicing as their hunger and bloodlust dissipated. They hugged each other and shared tears and smiles."I didn't mean to hurt that boy I swear," Willow heard a woman say, "I don't know what came over me."The newly turned humans were sharing stories about the horrors they had done while being consumed by bloodlust.Wes saw Luke reuniting with his family and went to talk to them, while Willow found Ava and Rus standing on the right side of the platform. Two of the priest's apprentices were carrying the body of the late king to burn on the pyre they had created in the open field where the tent was.Ava had a bright smile as she felt the sunlight on her face."You look happy," Willow remarked."I am no longer a queen. I'm finally free to do whatever I want. Of course, I'm happy. I can travel now. Live
In the city square, the witches and mages had joined hands, formed a circle, and began chanting. The humans and vampires of Hieroland protected the circle from the vampires of Vilaria. The chanting got louder with each passing second. There was a vibration in the air. One the feel the power radiating from the circle. The wind picked up and the earth started shaking.Behind the circle, the priest and Aurum engaged in a ferocious battle. Their energies clashed and it shook the ground. Everyone became a little unsteady, but the witches and mages did not let go of their hands and continued chanting.The priest stood on the platform looking down at Aurum who had fallen to the ground."Why shall I suffer at your hands?" Aurum cried, sweating profusely. He looked at Hieron. "You destroyed my life once. Wasn't that enough?""A mistake on my part," the priest calmly replied. "You did plenty wrong before you came to accompany the tribe, as I seem to remember. I am
Gemma cried when a vampire bit her wrist, though she quickly took out a knife and managed to pierce the heart of her attacker. The vampire's eyes were as wide as saucers. She struggled to grab onto Gemma but eventually fell to the ground. Gemma put pressure on the puncture wound before tying a handkerchief around it. She looked around to see one-third of the humans lying dead. A wave of anger washed over her. She was about to go on a killing spree, but Kairav stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder. "We must stick to the plan," he said. Her nostrils flared, but she nodded. The humans and people from Hieroland created a barrier between Aurum and the vampires of Vilaria. On the other end of the barrier, Willow falls unconscious. The woman who hit her raised the baseball bat to smash her skull, but before she could do that, Wes tackled her to the ground. "How dare you!" He spoke, enraged and murderous, as he punched her face.
The executioner fell to the ground, bloodying it. Everyone in the crowd turned their heads and gazed upon the perpetrator. Slade stood there with an unapologetic smug expression. Aurum smirked as he looked at Wes. "How heroic of you to come here and try to save your father." Everyone gasped again as they realized who it was that stood amongst them. Aurum didn't wait for a reply. "You have made my work easy by walking here and saved me the time to hunt you down." "And why would you hunt me down?" Wes asked. "What is my crime?" "You," Aurum's jaw ticked, "are the son of a traitor." "Is that a crime? I didn't ask to be his son." Wes looked into the crowd to see some of the heads nodding in agreement. "Yeah!" someone shouted. "He is nothing like his father." "He is the complete opposite!" Aurum's face swelled with anger. "Silence! I am the ruler of this king
Willow and Wes left the room and gathered everyone. "Why now?" Kairav asked as he walked down the hallway of the lodge with Wes, Willow, Slade, Ava, Rus, and Luke. "We know for certain where Aurum is going to be," Willow said. "And the rest of the vampires. There couldn't have been a better opportunity." "Should I remind you that we don't have the numbers," Slade exclaimed. "How are the seven of us going to beat an army of thousands?" They were out of the lodge when Willow turned to face all the others. "We have the vampires of Hieroland and the humans of the organization. But you are right. It's not enough, which is why I have a plan." *** Wes and Slade walked through the streets of the kingdom of Vilaria. The two had come through the portal into the once-human city of Syllton and had crossed the woods to enter Vilaria inconspicuously. Wes kept his head low while Slade walked ahead with his head held high since nobody would re
Wes stood outside the priest's house in the open green lands and knocked on the door. The priest let him in and asked him to take a seat on one of the chairs made from jute. "There has been something on my mind for a long time now," he said to the priest who was sitting in front of him. "Before that," the priest raised his hand, "can I offer you some tea?" Wes remembered what happened the last time he drank tea and refused the offer. "Alright, what is on your mind?" "There was something Aurum said to me before he locked me in a prison cell; something that seemed familiar. He said he was a vampire before being the kingdom's mage and a mage before being a vampire. He had been in a tribe and had been wronged by one of the members. If I remember correctly, you killed the person who was responsible for the curse and everybody else." The priest nodded in affirmative. "Aurum said that the mage who tried to kill him made him a test sub
"A human was caught near the palace," a soldier said to Aurum, who sat on the throne inside the palace of Vilaria. He was dressed in long black robes with gold embroidery and long sleeves. "He claims to know the location of the human organization and is willing to pass it on for the right price." Aurum gestured for the soldier to bring him in. A minute later, the heavy doors to the throne room opened and Dain walked in. When he saw the mage sitting on the throne, he immediately kneeled and bowed his head. Aurum looked pleased. "Rise," he said looking at the human. "What do you know? And spare no detail." Dain shared the exact location of the organization. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" Aurum asked. "I wouldn't have risked my life to come here if it wasn't for the truth." "And why are you selling your comrades?" "They are not my comrades, sir," he spat. "They are delusional people who think they can wi
The sun had risen on the horizon, illuminating the green forest. Willow and Wes walked in silence for the rest of the way until they reached the top of the hill, from where the organization building was partially visible. "Wait here," she said to him before second-guessing her decision. "No," she shook her head, "come with me." "Why don't you want to leave me here? Do you not trust me?" "No, I don't. If anyone from the organization sees you they won't hesitate to kill you, or you will kill them. Neither of the outcomes is favorable," she said monotonously. She walked down the hill and looked back to see him. "Now," she stated, "follow my exact steps. Do not stray." "Why?" He asked, but she had already started walking towards the building. "Not everybody can enter the organization." He saw her footprints and matched his steps to them. She then took him to the side of the building and looked up. "That's my
The sky above the palace of Corlyn was dark, starry, and cloudless. Ava stood by the window of the guest room that was much smaller than her room at the palace of Vilaria. The space had minimal furniture: a bed, a vanity table, a small closet, a sofa, and a coffee table.Ava twisted the fabric of the curtain between her fingers as she looked at the main gates of the palace, where guards stood in attention all night."This is exactly what I tried to escape, and this is exactly where we ended up," she sighed. "Another palace."Rus looked at her from the sofa chair, feeling sympathetic. He had been given the room beside hers, but he didn't want to leave her alone.There was a knock at the door. Ava turned around to look at Rus and then back at the door. Whoever was on the other side did not wait for a response as the door flew open."Princess!" Ava said coming to stand near Rus who was now standing out of respect too.Princess Raya hastily rush