《Letters to Romeo.》


 Chapter 1: One way to be welcomed: Punishment

    <h4>Chapter 1:One way to be weed: Punishment</h4>


    [All it took was breaking one rule that she was not supposed to]


    ¡ª


    Julie pushed the round-rimmed sses up the bridge of her nose for the fifth time out of nervousness since she had gotten inside the car. Her brown eyes noticed the trail of trees finally paused and two massive gates stopped the car from moving forward.


    "Looks like the security in here is tight. Feels like I am dropping you off to prison," her uncle Thomas Winters chuckled in humour.


    The watchman at the gates came and stood next to her uncle''s side of the car''s window. The watchman was lean and tall, with his hair on the shaggier side. He bent his upper body, cing his hand on the edge of the window.


    Upon seeing the watchman not speak right away, and instead stare at her and her uncle, Uncle Thomas said,


    "I am here to drop my niece."


    "Do you have the student ID?" asked the watchman in a gruff voice, and his eyes shifted to look at Julie. For a moment, she noticed a flicker of red in his eyes that disappeared after a second. Did his eyes change colours or was she imagining it?


    Her uncle handed the card to the watchman to inspect closely before handing it back to him.


    "Let them pass," said the watchman, and the gates automatically slid away from each other. Julie could feel the watchman''s gaze on her, and it made her slightly ufortable.


    Once the car passed, the watchman''s eyes turned red again and he ran his tongue over his sharp fangs.


    As they drove inside the Veteris premises, Julie took note of the line of the trees on both sides. There were tall buildings on both sides that looked like mansions, and at the centre, there was a bigger building that looked nothing less like a castle.


    "I still cannot believe you got admitted into this university. I heard only a few students get through," said Uncle Thomas, while tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as if he were anxious to leave her all by herself.


    When her uncle pulled the car over not too far from the main building, Julie freed herself from the seatbelt and stepped out of the car. The university felt like a whole different world away from the city because of its location, surrounded by acres ofnd that was mostly forest.


    She heard her uncle speak, "Your luggage must have already arrived here as we sent them three days ago. The rest of them are here." He pulled the luggage out from the car''s trunk, and Julie took hold of them. When her uncle closed the trunk, he turned to her, "Are you sure that you don''t want to stay home and attend the nearby colleges? I can get you a second-hand car and you canmute-"


    "You''ve already done so much for me, Uncle Thomas. I will always be thankful for it. Please don''t worry about me," Julie smiled so that her uncle wouldn''t feel troubled.


    After what happened a few months ago, Julie moved to her uncle''s home, her mother''s younger brother. He was a generous and warm person, happily married with a ten-year-old son. Thest thing she wanted to do was to disturb their family life.


    "It is the least I can do," sighed Uncle Thomas. Julie could feel her heart turn heavy, but she didn''t let it deter the smile on her lips. She didn''t want Uncle Thomas worrying about her. "Come here, give your old uncle a hug before you go."


    Julie hugged her uncle, receiving a pat, while being asked, "I read in the form that you will be allowed to visit us everyst Sunday of the month. Let me know once you settle in and also visit us. And be a good girl, and if you need anything, you know I am just a call away and if you need-"


    "Yes, Uncle Tom. I know," she smiled, and he nodded.


    She waved at her uncle once he got into his car and left. Now that she stood alone with the trolley bag in her hand, she finally took note of the people around her.


    The ce where she stood didn''t look deserted, and some of the students walked in and out of the buildings.


    She pushed her sses again as she stared at the entrance of the building. It had been only a minute since her uncle had dropped her off at the university, and she could feel the eyes of the students, who were around, watching her.


    "Deep breath," whispered Julie to herself. When she inhaled, at the same time, her nose tingled, "A-achoo!"


    The little sneeze only brought more attention to her, where the students who were outside the building turned to look at her. She quickly looked at her luggage, catching hold of the handle, she climbed up the stairs one stair at a time with another bag over her shoulder. Walking through the hallway, she caught sight of the main office and stepped inside there.


    A woman stood behind the counter, writing something in the register, and Julie said, "Hi."


    The person looked up at her, "How can I help you, dear?" asked the woman.


    "I am Julianne Winters, I recently received my admission to the university and I was looking for my schedule and details about my dorm," Julie let the office woman know in one breath without a pause.


    The woman stared at Julie before asking, "Let me take a look. Did you bring the issued card?" Pulling the card from her pocket, Julie handed the card that she had received through the mail.


    While the woman tried to print her details for her, Julie turned behind to look at the empty hallway. It seemed like the sses were going on. It was the beginning of the academic year, and she was already one week behind. The university looked much better than what she had seen on the inte.


    "Here, you go," said the woman, and Julie saw sheets of papers being ced on top of the counter. "The first one has your schedule, and the next two pages have the details of the dormitorium along with the rules. Make sure to read them."


    What a strange way to call a dormitory like that, she thought to herself.


    "Thank you," Julie offered the woman a smile for helping her. The woman frowned on hearing the trolley''s wheels make noise from the desk to the door before resuming her work.


    Stepping out of the room, Julie dragged the trolley behind her with one hand and the other holding the papers that she had collected from the office room. Looks like she hadpleted one step, and the next one was to find her dorm. But before she could take a look at the printed papers, she heard a slightmotion.


    What was that sound? Julie asked herself, and she stopped in her tracks.


    In a second, two grown-up boys stepped into the hallways but not how normal people would do. They entered with one person punching the other one.


    Her eyes went wide behind her sses when she saw them punching and pushing each other against the walls in turns. The fight didn''t look like a small one as they put all their might into it. She flinched when she heard the sound of something crack, not knowing who had broken their bone on their face.


    One of the boys had a faded mohawk blonde hair who looked nothing less than a raging bull that had been taunted. "I will fucking kill you for pulling that shit!" he growled, gritting his teeth.


    "Over your dead body, Jackson. Tell me when you are ready to die," a small chuckle escaped from the other person who replied. Julie could only see the ck leather jacket that the person wore.


    "Today is the day you go down!" said the first boy.


    The bull appeared to be in a rage and went straight at the other boy, swinging his hand right at the boy''s face. And for a moment, just for a moment, he looked triumphant before the leather boy stood straight,nding a blow at the bull boy.


    As the physical fight continued, Julie finally caught sight of the boy in a leather jacket.


    His expression was that of boredom, as if he was dealing with a child right now. The tall boy had thick ck locks of hair that covered part of his forehead and slightly high cheekbones. She noticed the two prominent cufflinks on the right lobe of his ear.


    Julie looked back and forth, wondering where the teacher was to stop the fight that had broken in the middle of nowhere.


    Some students started to pour into the corridor, watching the fight like Julie on the sides. She flinched when the dark-haired boy raised his leg, spinning it to leave a kick right across the blonde boy''s jaw. The bull fell on the floor, and the other boy hissed, feeling the cut on his lip.


    "You look better as a carpet on the ground," said the one who stood.


    Julie decided not to stay around as she had a dorm to find.


    Turning around, she started to walk away from the scene while most of the students witnessed the fight. She had taken only seven steps away from where she had been standing when she heard a whistling sound.


    Before she knew it, the papers from her hand slipped, and so did her bag along with the trolley suitcase. While the two sheets of papers fell near her, the third one slipped right below a box ced at the side. The two delinquent boys had found no better spot to continue their fight.


    It was because one of the boy''s in the fight decided to crash right at her, and Julie felt as if she was thatst pin in the bowling alley and had been bowled to stagger forward. And though she didn''t fall t on her face, her loose sses fell right on the floor. Her eyes grew wider, and she gasped in horror on hearing it crack!


    Her sses!


    Julie knew first impressions were important. If she stayed quiet now, with so many people in the hallway, they would believe that she was a pushover, and it would eventually lead to being bullied.


    She had another pair of spare sses, but this one was her favourite!


    Gritting her teeth, Julie snapped around and heard the blonde mohawk boy wince in pain . Just when he was about to take a step towards the other person, she caught hold of the back of his shirt. This caught the boy off-guard, and he lost his bnce to fall on the floor.


    A collective gasps were heard from the students as if she hadmitted a grave sin. And then, there stood the boy with the piercings, a slight snicker escaping his lips. The reaction only poured fuel on the person on the floor, and he snapped his eyes to look at her as if he was ready to stomp on her.


    When Julie had woken up this morning, she had recited to herself how great her day was going to be. How she was going to look ahead instead of looking over her shoulder at the past that she was trying to hide. She had told herself that she would smile and talk to people. She wouldn''t hide.


    And though that was what she meant, pulling a boy to have him fall on the floor was thest thing she had on her list to do today!


    The hand that had pulled him turned to a fist, and she brought it towards her chest in awkwardness. The delinquent mohawk boy pushed himself up to stand right in front of her, and suddenly she regretted her action. Compared to the boy, she was small in size, and she gulped.


    "You fucking bitch!" the boy growled, ready to pounce on her, and at the same time, one of the teachers arrived at the scene.


    "What is going on here?!" The voice boomed in the hallway, and the students who had been enjoying the fight quickly started to disperse.


    The mohawk boy was quick to drop his hand back to his side, and Julie''s eyes fell on a man, who was probably in histe thirties. The man wore a ck suit and had a chin beard. His arched eyebrows gave out a stern expression as he red in her direction, where the two boys stood near her.


    "In Ms. Dante''s office. Now," ordered the man.


    Neither the leather boy nor the mohawk boy put a word of protest, and Julie was d that she was saved. Phew! Just missed, she thought to herself before bending down and picking up her sses. She picked up the sheets that had slipped out of her hand while not realizing she had lost the third sheet.


    "Do you need a special invitation toe to the office?" the man questioned her.


    "Me?" Julie looked at the two boys, who had already started to walk. "No no, that''s a misunderstanding. I wasn''t with them in the fight. Yo-"


    "The office," said the man sternly.


    "But I didn''t-"


    "Detention for not obeying the teachers instructions," snapped the teacher, and Julie''s eyes widened. For what?! She screamed in her mind.

 Chapter 2: Strange students: Dormitorium

    <h4>Chapter 2:Strange students: Dormitorium</h4>


    When Julie was about to open her mouth to speak again, the teacher said, "It would be wise for you to follow my word unless you want to take a walk in the deeper parts of the forest."


    Julie pushed her luggage to the side and decided to pick it upter before following the other two students. She wore her sses back in their position where one of the frames had cracked.


    As she walked, she noticed how wide the corridors were, and paintings were hung on either side of the walls. The paintings were of old towns, viges that were of olden times, along with thendscapes. She saw the boys disappear behind therge ck doors, and when she came to stand right in front of the door, for a moment, she paused before pushing the door and stepping inside.


    Soon the man who ordered the three of them toe to this room arrived, and the door closed again. He walked forward, bending down to speak to person who was in the chair that was turned around.


    On the front side of the room, on the left side, stood the leather jacket boy. In the middle stood the bull who was ring at her, and she stood on the right. When the chair turned around, Julie caught sight of a woman whose blonde hair had beenbed back and let down to reach below her shoulders. She had high cheekbones and her lips unpainted.


    "Why am I not surprised to see both of you here for the second time this month. Moltenore and Jackson," the woman said with a smile on her face, looking at the two boys as if they were her two favourite students, and she was excited to see them.


    "Ms. Dante it was-" responded the boy next to Julie.


    "Silence!" The smile from Ms. Dante''s face instantly dropped, and she snapped, "Fighting in the middle of the hallway. How disgraceful. You aren''t wild animals of the jungle but senior year students of this university. Being the students who studied here for so long, I would have expected some discipline. Students can get hurt, or you might end up damaging the property belonging to the institution."


    The woman''s eyes then fell on Julie to have her stand straighter than before.


    "Did you start recruiting your juniors to get involved in the fight or are you two fighting over her?" questioned Ms. Dante.


    Julie''s face turned red at that question, and she was d she had worn her sses to cover a part of her face when it didn''t do a good job. Clearing her throat, she said, "I-I am a new student and arrived here today," she tried to exin to the headmistress. Taking a step forward, she said, "I just took my schedule and the dorm details from the office when I ended up in the middle."


    "She fucking pushed me!"


    Oh boy, thought Julie in her mind. The bull boy was more upset about him falling on the ground than being hit by the other guy.


    "Language, Jackson," warned the male teacher.


    "Pull," Julie corrected what the boy said and then turned back to Ms. Dante. "I swear I didn''t know it would make him fall. I mean I am so small, I don''t have that much strength to make him fall."


    "You pushed me!" the boy with the short mohawk haircut red at her.


    "Pathetic," said the dark-haired boy from the other side. "At least now you know how weak you are. To fall from a girl''s push."


    Why was the other person intent on pouring gasoline over the zing fire?! Julie was sure that if the headmistress was not sitting in front of them, the two boys would have broken some more bones.


    "Why don''t you meet me outside the building and I will show you who is weak," challenged the blonde boy.


    "That is enough, Jackson. I prefer no blood to be spilt in this ce. Seems like it was only a misunderstanding, Mr. Borrell," said Ms. Dante, and her hazel eyes shifted to look at Julie. Hearing this, Julie was relieved.


    "She still needs to serve detention. She failed to follow my word of instruction. Not once but twice," mentioned Mr. Borrell.


    "I was only trying to exin that I had nothing to do with the fight," Julie quickly said.


    Mr. Borrell didn''t seem satisfied with her exnation, and his eyes narrowed at her, "Are you telling me that you failed to notice that I am a teacher here? Or perhaps I look eighteen years old instead of thirty-eight?"


    Ms. Dante raised her hand so that Mr. Borrell wouldn''t continue to intimidate Julie on her first day here. "Julie Winters is it?" asked the headmistress, and Julie nodded her head.


    Julie didn''t know if she should feel privileged that the headmistress knew her name or worried that she was the only person to jointe this year. "As it is your first day, Julie, I will ask Mr. Borrell to spare you this time." The woman offered her a friendly smile, but after Julie had seen the smile fall a while ago from the woman''s face, it would be a lie if she said the smile didn''t daunt her. "You can leave."


    Julie nodded her head, whispering a thank you before turning around and dashing out of the room. Her footsteps were quick, walking towards the hallway where she had left her luggage at the side.


    Dragging the trolley suitcase behind her, Julie stepped out of the building. She noticed it wasn''t just those delinquents, but some of the students here had peculiar styles. Thest ce she had studied had strict rules where: piercing, lipstick, tattoos, and other essories warranted detention to a student.


    Looking down at the sheets in her hand, she tried to figure out theyout of the campus.


    "Fresh meat on the campus with fresh b-ow! What was that for?" Hearing the voices behind her, Julie turned to look at a girl and a boy around her age.


    "Stop being weird," said the girl, who had shoulder-length, wavy blonde hair. Her lips were painted red, and her blue eyes turned to look at Julie. "You appear to be a new student, but have already made an impression."


    It took a second for Julie to realize that the girl was speaking about the little hallway incident. Getting in the spotlight was not something she wasfortable with. Not knowing how to reply to it, she asked,


    "I was looking for the dorm. Could you be kind enough to point me in the right direction?


    "Dorm?" questioned the boy who had spiky ck hair, and his eyes fell on the trolley. "Of course." Julie noticed a piercing in his mouth, which was unusual because there was a pin on his tongue.


    "I am Julianne Winters," Julie introduced herself with a smile.


    "Olivia Trosney," said the girl with a polite smile, "This is Maximus Marudas. Let me take a look at that. The dormitorium block and room number is usually printed there."


    Julie handed the sheets, and once Olivia took a look at them, she said, "Looks like your dormitorium is next to mine. Let me show you the ce," the girl jerked her head.


    Maximus stared at Olivia for a second longer before saying, "I will see youter." He offered Julie a smile and stepped inside the building from where she had stepped out.


    Olivia led Julie towards her dormitory.


    "It''s quite unusual to have transfer students as it is almost a week since sses started. What brings you here?" questioned Olivia.


    "I moved to Woodward two months ago," replied Julie. Receiving a questioning gaze from the blue-eyed girl, she added, "My parents...they passed away and I had to move." She clutched the strap of her bag.


    "I am sorry to hear that," Olivia shared her sympathy, but Julie could sense the hollowness in the words that the girl uttered. "It must have been hard to start afresh."


    Julie smiled, "My uncle has been very supportive so it is okay. He lives two hours away from here." She tucked the piece of her hair behind her ear that hade to settle on the side of her face. "This ce looks quite isted. I noticed there was no town for at least half an hour until I reached the main entrance gates."


    Olivia''s painted lips pulled from one corner. "It is to keep the students safe. Apart from what you saw, and the thirty minutes drive you spoke of, it all belongs to Veteris. In Latin, Veteris means old, people who belonged to an old lineage, and word is that they were once the Lords of thesends."


    "Must have been a nice time," replied Julie looking at the tall trees while they walked past on the footpath. While walking next to Olivia, she felt the discreet looks some students gave them, but Olivia seemed unfazed by the attention.


    When they reached the dormitory, some of the girls stared at her. But after a few seconds, she realized they were looking at Olivia. Julie wondered what that was about.


    "Here is your room," said Olivia, and Julie walked forward to see the door that had ''100'' number nailed on it. "You should be fine from here."


    "Thank you again for showing me the way," Julie thanked the blonde girl.


    As Olivia walked away from her, apart from the other girls who were out of the rooms staring at her, even Julie noticed the wide fish stockings and the denim shorts on Olivia, which she hadn''t taken note of earlier.


    Julie pushed the door open, carrying her luggage inside with her and closed the door shut.


    As the room was located at the end of the corridor, she had two window views. Walking towards one of the windows, she looked outside at the trees. For the next two years, this would be her home. Once she wouldplete her graduation, she would leave not just this ce but also the state.


    After unrolling the mattress on the bed, the first thing Julie did was sleep. She was tired because of the ride, the first day in this ce and her life. Right now, all she wanted was a good rest, and she would think about the rest of itter.


    Laying down on the bed like a starfish, she fell asleep.


    But as Julie''s mind dipped itself in her dreand, she heard the thunderous knocking on the door.


    ''Open the damn door! Do you think you can hide there forever?'' demanded the voice, threatced in it.


    Sweat started to form on her forehead while her breathing quickened. The knock on the door continued, and she looked around the room, which didn''t have a single window to escape. She started to feel suffocated, and she moved into the corner.


    When the knocking on the door stopped, the person on the other side of the door said, ''Open the door now, Julianne.''


    Julie''s eyes snapped open, her brown eyes looking at the door of her room and her breath shallow. It was a dream, she duly assured herself. A sigh escaped from her lips before she sat up and grabbed the papers she had collected from the office room. She spotted her major subject which was biology and her minor sses in the schedule that she had selected when applying to this ce.


    Turning the page, her eyes fell on the highlighted words ''Rules''. She remotely remembered the office woman mentioning it.


    Julie read it, "Rule one. Do not step out of Veteris''s property without permission during your academic years. Rule two. Listen to the teacher''s instructions because they mean well. Rule three. The gates to the Blue block where sses are conducted will be locked after nine and unlocked after twelve," when she turned the page, it was thest one. "I can live with these three rules," she ced the papers on the empty table.

 Chapter 3: The Good, The Bad & The Evil

    <h4>Chapter 3:The Good, The Bad & The Evil</h4>


    Bringing her trolley to ce it on the bed, she started unpacking the things. This ce looked much better for a dorm than she had expected, making her wonder if every other room of this building was furnished with cupboards and drawers. Maybe they were, thought Julie to herself because this was a reputed institution. A university where thousands of applicants applied, but barely a few made it through.


    Her clothes went into the cupboards, and her books now sat on one corner of the table. She took the framed photograph from her bag, cing it on the table.


    After almost three hours, someone knocked on her room''s door. On opening it, she caught sight of a girl.


    "Uh, hi. I live next door and thought toe and greet you. I am Mnie Davis." Compared to Olivia''s loud clothing, this one looked more toned down. The girl had brown hair and a friendly smile on her lips.


    "Julianne Winters," introduced Julie.


    "Did you need any help? I finished my assignment and thought you might need some help to show you around," offered Mnie trying to be friendly. When Julie turned around, the girl said. "You are fast. When I first came here, it took me nearly a week to get my things sorted out."


    "I didn''t know what else to do. Would you like toe in?" Julie politely asked as it was rude to have the girl stand outside.


    Mnie nodded her head and stepped inside, "I never thought this room would be turned into a dorm."


    Hearing this, Julie asked, "Was this the janitor''s room?" Considering how she had arrivedte, Julie wouldn''t be surprised by it.


    Mnie shook her head, "No. The room was always kept locked. At least since I joined this ce and remember."


    "I see," replied Julie, somewhere d to have privacy. "What year are you?"


    "Junior year," on Mnie''s reply, Julie''s eyes brightened. "You too? I guess we''ll be sharing some of the sses together."


    Julie smiled, more than d to know that there would be a friendly face to look at in the ss, and she wouldn''t feel like an outcast. Her previous n of keeping a low profile had gone out of the window with a crack in her sses, and she was somewhere apprehensive on how the next few days would go.


    "This ce is really strange. I went to get my schedule and these two delinquents started to fight in the middle of the hallway. It was scary," thest words came out as a whisper as if someone would hear her.


    "I am sorry to hear that. In time you will get used to it. It is only a few of the seniors who often get into fights outside the buildings, but very rarely in front of the teachers. It even freaked me out initially. Me and my friend Conner, we try to stay away from it," said Mnie, and she then looked at the picture frame that Julie had ced on the table.


    Julie asked, "You wouldn''t mind if I borrow your notes to catch up with the lost sses, would you?"


    "Of course not, let me go and get them. I finished most of my sswork and won''t be needing them this weekend," offered Mnie and slipped out of the room to get her notes.


    Julie was grateful for Mnie''s help, and with nothing else to do, she decided to spend her time going through Mnie''s notes. After dinner at night, she had tried to call her uncle to let him know that she had settled in, but her room had the worstwork reception. It wasn''t just her room, but the entire building that had badwork coverage.


    Stepping out of the dormitory, Julie hugged herself because the temperature had dropped more than the time in the evening. Walking away from the building, she looked down at her phone while tapping it at the side.


    "Oh, God! I should have known this ce would have a badwork," muttered Julie to herself.


    Raising her phone in the air, she tried to see if she would be able to find a signal, but nothing worked. Some of the few options were to walk towards the entrance gates where the creepy watchman was, and the next being climbing a tall tree.


    Not too far away from where she was, on one of the trees, the boy whom Julie had met earlier that day outside the main building hung himself upside down on a branch.


    A grin appeared on his lips as he watched the new girl jumping up and down, "Looks like someone failed to read the rules about this ce. I don''t know what Dante was thinking by having a student join thiste, when the girl isn''t even a freshman."


    The girl continued to walk around with her hand in the air.


    "Olivia told me that they gave her the only spare room in that dormitorium," said Maximus while he watched things upside down, his body slightly swaying back and forth. He saw the girl finally give up and return to the building. "Did you go to sleep, Rome?" he asked.


    Maximus moved up to sit upright on the branch and turned to look at his friend.


    "I would be if you weren''t annoying me. Go find another tree to hang on," said the dark-haired boy.


    The grin on Maximus''s lips widened, "I would, but this one looks s-" in the next second, the dark-haired boy ced his hand on the branch where Maximus was sitting, and the branch broke. Maximusnded on the ground on his feet. "Fine fine, I am going," and he left.


    The person on the tree turned his head, looking in the direction of the girl''s dormitory.


    Back in the girl''s dormitory, Julie stared at the failed message that she had tried to send to her uncle because of thework problem, she dropped the phone next to her. Thankfully, her uncle had dropped her here today, and he would possibly guess that she was busy settling in here.


    The next day, Julie tried to catch up with the basic things regarding the sses she had missed until the time of lunch. Both she and Mnie walked to the campus''mon lunchroom. It was located on the ground floor of one of the many buildings that the Verteris owned. The floor hadrge windows and seating arrangements for students and the staff of the university.


    On her way, Julie felt the eyes of people on her, and she pushed her sses closer to her face.


    "Is it my imagination or can you also sense some of the people looking at us," whispered Julie to Mnie as they made their way to stand in one of the two queues like the rest of the people. How much of an impression had she left on everyone in the main office that people remembered her?


    "They must be curious after what happened," replied Mnie, who stood behind her. Julie had already mentioned what happened yesterday, and the girl had offered her sympathies.


    "The students here like to stare," murmured Julie, taking one step forward when the students in front of her moved forward. It wasn''t that the previous ce where she studied didn''t have students who weren''t curious, but this was a little more evident. "Even yesterday, when I entered the dormitory floor."


    "Oh, that," Mnie''s eyebrows raised, and she said, "I think most of us were surprised to see Olivia walk you to your dorm door. Everyone knows that Olivia has never made an appearance in our block. It was possibly the first time she entered our dormitory. I think that is why the girls are curious if you are somehow rted to her," exined Mnie.


    "Seems like she''s popr," Julie responded, and Mnie nodded her head.


    "Not just her, but her entire group is. Many want to associate themselves with them," replied Mnie.


    It made sense to Julie now that a nobody and a new student like her had been helped by one of the popr people of this university, thought Julie to herself.


    When the students in front of her cleared, it was finally her turn to get her meal, and if there was one thing she had to praise about, it wasn''t the ambience or the architecture or the vast grounds on which the university stood. It was the variety of food that this ce had to offer. The food in the lunchroom lived up to the reputation that this university held, and Julie approved it from the bottom of her heart.


    "Mel!" someone called from one of the tables, and Julie saw a lean boy with curly brown hair, who seemed like he had reserved seats for them.


    "I was worried we would have to wait after looking at the full table, for seats," said Mnie when they reached near the table. "Julie, this is Conner, my friend even before we entered Verteris. We have studied in the same primary school. Conner, this is Julianne, a new student who arrived only yesterday and lives next to my dorm."


    "Conner Lee," the curly boy introduced himself. "Wee to the university."


    "Julianne Winters, thank you," Julie thanked him with a smile. She took her seat along with Mnie next to her and Conner at the front.


    "I am surprised to see that the university is still epting students thiste,"mented Conner, his eyes curiously looking at Julie. "A person I knew in my town had applied here around the same time Mel and I did. Considering how the guy''s grades were better than ours, I believed that he would be epted here. But he received the rejection letter because the time had passed, even though the letter did go through."


    "Maybe they stopped epting students," said Mnie, who started to eat her noodles.


    Conner waved his spoon, "I think it was because he applied itte." He then turned to Julie and asked, "So what brings you here, Julianne? Like us, was it your dream to study in this renowned university or did you get through with a rmendation?"


    "Two months ago, I moved to my uncle''s house," she said as she had rehearsed in her mind many times, "And decided to apply here along with the rest. I just turned lucky in getting epted here," answered Julie and Conner nodded his head.


    She asked, "How long have you both been studying here?"


    "For three years. Students who belong to the elite family have been studying here for around five to six yearspared to us ordinary students, who started herete. But then that is only because most of us were not able to get admission," exined Mnie, and Julie stopped her.


    "I didn''t know the students here were divided into two groups," Julie voiced her thoughts.


    "You would be surprised with how things here are," chuckled Mnie.


    "Two would be wrong," said Conner while he picked up the Pepsi can to take a sip from it. "But we have the good, the bad, and the evil."


    "I don''t think I have ever heard this version before," said Julie, leaning slightly forward as her interest grew. "Aren''t bad and evil almost the same?"


    Mnie shook her head at Conner''s words but didn''t stop him from exining it while she continued to eat her meal.


    Conner exined, "The good students are the people here, who mind their business, and are busy studying. Well everyone study because if you don''t pass the mark then you will not be detained in the year, but told to leave this ce at the end of the year. The good students try not to get into trouble, but are often subjected to trouble. Then there is the bad, who fight and get involved in causing trouble to the good ones. Then there are the evil one''s or the bullies. They will turn your life to living Hell here and no one will know. Some evolve like pokemon, and the evolution never goes backwards."


    "Seems like I applied to a university I didn''t know well about," muttered Julie. Every school or university had those kinds, but this seemed to have two extremes of the worst, she thought to herself.


    Julie couldn''t help but smile at his words, and at the same time, as she looked around the lunchroom, she wondered which of them she had to steer clear away from.


    "Not everyone is like that, Julie," Mnie assured her. "It''s just a few of them while most of them here are good people. Don''t go scaring her off," she lightly scolded Conner.


    Julie was d to sit with them, and though she had spent only one day with Mnie and a few minutes with Conner, she could see herself spending the next two years with them. While they continued their meal together, she learned from their conversation that Conner had chosen arts as his major.


    She was on herst few bites, finishing her te clean, when she caught sight of three boys entering the lunchroom. On catching sight of the mohawk boy in the middle, her eyes went wide, and she ducked her head.


    This was evitable as it wasn''t like they attended different universities. One or the other day, they were going to cross paths, but she felt it was better to do that after a few days than now. That way, his memory about the embarrassing moment would fade, and so would his temper.


    While her head was still ducked down, Mnie noticed it and frowned, "Are you alright?"


    Julie carefully lifted her hand to look at the boy, who made his way to one of the nearest tables where they were seated. "I think so," whispered Julie, cing her spoons on the table. "What''s that guy''s name? The one with porcupine hair?"


    Both Conner and Mnie turned to look at the side where Julie had nudged her head.


    Conner started tough at the way Julie had described the person, his shoulders shaking, "That''s Mateo Jackson. Good one at that. Porcupine," he snorted.


    "Shh, you will get into trouble if he hears you," Mnie hushed Conner, who continued tough. "Julie got into trouble with him yesterday."


    "That doesn''t sound good," Conner cleared his throat. "It was onlyst week did he break one of the freshman''s fingers."


    "Thank you for the information. It is truly encouraging," said Julie, as it didn''t make her situation any better.


    Mnie said, "I don''t think he would hurt a new student. Especially a female."


    Right at that moment, Julie and the other students who were sitting near Mateo''s table heard him threaten a junior,


    "You! What do you think you are staring at?" Mateo looked extremely angry.


    "We''ll find her and bring her to you, Mat. She can''t hide forever," said one of his friends.


    Mateo smacked his hand on the table, "If it wasn''t for Borrell''s interruption I would have broken her hand," he gritted his teeth. "Julianne Winters, she better run or leave this university."


    "How bad was the fall?" Mnie asked in a whisper.


    Looks like she had hurt his pride and reputation, thought Julie to herself. "I will see youter. I am going to go andplete copying the notes." She offered them a smile, who in return gave her a look of worry mixed with pity.


    She had reced her sses with her spare ones, and right now, she was nowhere looking forward to breaking them. It wasn''t like she hadn''t stood up against people in the past, but she had learned that it was better to pick the peaceful way if something could be avoided. Thankfully Mateo''s back was facing where their table was, and she could see only part of his face. Quickly getting up from the table, she darted towards the doors of the lunchroom.


    While Julie hurried, making her way past the doors, she almost crashed into a person if she hadn''t stopped herself from moving forward. But that didn''t stop her froming to stand right in front of the dark-haired boy who had been involved in yesterday''s fight.


    Because of the sudden shock of unexpectedness, a soft gasp escaped her lips.


    But something told Julie that he had stopped walking to avoid being crashed into her.


    Unconsciously she took a step back, her neck craning to meet his ck eyes. Because of his dishevelled hair that fell on his forehead, it created a shadow on his face. Straight nose, cheekbones slightly high. Standing just a couple of breaths away, she could smell his cologne.


    Wow, that was a nice smell, thought Julie. What brand was it? Realizing him staring at her with a hint of annoyance, she quickly apologized


    "I am sorry," breathing the words.


    "No damage," he replied, and when she didn''t move, he asked, "Are you going to move now?"


    Julie quickly stepped aside, bolting from there to head towards her dorm to turn to a hermit for the next few hours.

 Chapter 4: Black cat crossing path

    <h4>Chapter 4:ck cat crossing path</h4>


    When Monday morning arrived, Julie was ready to attend her sses. Leaving the dormitory with Mnie, they made their way towards the blue block. The building was painted grey, yet it was called the Blue block, surrounded by walls with one entrance even though it was inside the campus.


    She saw students making their way towards the building, some who stood outside the building talking to their friends.


    "Is this to avoid students from skipping sses?" questioned Julie while they walked past the gates.


    Mnie, who was busy fumbling through her book looking for something, turned to Julie and said, "Just the starting three hours. As this property once belonged to the Lords, it is said that this particr building was decades ago used as headquarters for something important. It is probably why they have had another set of walls and the Veteris happened to use it. But that doesn''t stop some of the students from skipping sses."


    "I guess I now know why the students here have such high reputations in scoring high marks," murmured Julie, while they stepped inside the building.


    As expected, the architecture of the building was magnificent. Entering through the wide doors, she noticed the huge space, and the ceiling was taller than the main building. There were paintings imprinted on the walls that made this ce appear as if she was in a museum. There were two corridors on the left and right side, and at the front were the stairs that led to the above floor.


    "Our ss is at the top," informed Mnie, and Julie followed her.


    Following her new friend, Julie climbed up the stairs and walked through the corridors. On her way, she didn''t miss some of the curious eyes on her, but she behaved as if she didn''t notice them. When they stepped inside the ssroom, the teacher was already present and standing near the board.


    Mnie gave her a nod before walking towards her seat like the rest of the students making their way inside. Julie stayed back to talk to the teacher.


    It was a male teacher, his hair blonde and a smile on his lips when he looked at her, "I don''t think I saw you here inst week''s ss."


    "I am a new student. Julianne Winters," Julie pulled out the printed page that she had collected from the office to show it to him.


    The teacher took a quick look at the paper before handing it back to her. He offered her a smile and said, "I am n Torres. I am your Maths teacher. You can take the seat that is in front of Ms. Mitchell''s desk." She had picked science as her major, and the university had added Mathematics and the Englishnguage along with it to her schedule. Of course, not to forget physical education, thought Julie to herself.


    "Thank you," replied Julie, ready to leave the front of the ss. But before she could take a step forward in a hurry, Mr. Torres asked,


    "Are you not going to introduce yourself? This isn''t a history ss, but a little about yourself would be lovely," the teacher smiled. At the same time, she heard the bell ring in the building, and like a spell, everything turned quiet.


    When her eyes fell on the students who had already taken their seats, Julie inhaled, "I am Julianne Winters," she repeated herself. She turned to look at the teacher, who waited for her to speak more.


    "Aren''t you the one who pushed Jackson?" one of the boy''s at the back asked her.


    "She''s the one?" came another voice, "Dude, she''s so dead," the person chuckled.


    The chatter of murmur grew in the ss, and Julie''s face turned slightly red. "Seems like they already know you. You can go and take your seat," said Mr. Torres.


    In the same week, one day, she excused herself from the ss to visit the restroom. On her way, she walked past some of the ssrooms where the teachers had begun teaching. This left the corridors empty except for one or two students who carried books or papers.


    Entering the restroom, she was greeted by the pastel green walls with flower patterns on them, giving it a vintage appearance. The windows were small, and there were stalls opposite to where the mirrors had been fixed with five basins.


    Julie walked towards the sink, pushing the long sleeves of her sweater up, before turning the faucet and sshing water on her face. Her brown eyes looked back at her through the mirror. Pulling the tissues, she dabbed them on her face. On hearing the girl''sughtering from outside the restroom, she threw the tissue in the bin and pulled her sleeves down.


    Four girls entered the restroom,ughing about something.


    "You should have seen her face,"ughed one of the girls while walking in. "It serves her right for thinking she could go against you."


    "Serves her right for daring to look at my man. I warned her before and she dared to write him letters and send gifts," said the other one, who appeared to be the ring leader as the other three girls flocked around her. "Now she will know to leave him alone."


    "That was a good idea to write it in his name and send it to Ste. But I think he would have torn it himself if he found it," said the first girl with a grin on her face.


    "That''s right he would. He would appreciate my efforts of keeping pests away from him,"ughed the second girl.


    One of the girls nudged her head towards Julie, and Julie noticed the action from the mirror.


    Julie looked like a meek person to an outsider because of her figure and her sweet looking face. With the round-framed sses on her face and the sweater that covered her well, she appeared to be someone people could step foot on.


    "You must be new here. What is your name?" Julie was busy pulling the tissue, and the girl said, "I am talking to you, sweater girl."


    Julie turned around, her eyebrows slightly raising, "I am Julie. Who are you?" she questioned them back.


    "Me? Don''t you know you aren''t supposed to question your seniors? Looks like you lost the guideline of how to behave as a freshman here," said the girl while crossing her arms across her chest.


    Julie stared at the four girls and then asked, "What year are you?"


    "Second year," replied one of them in overconfidence.


    Hearing this, Julie smiled, and she said, "Well, I guess you are looking at the wrong person to prey on. I am a third year student. Better luck next time." She stepped forward only to have one of the girls block her way out. "We aren''t done talking?" Julie asked in an oblivious tone.


    "Even if it is true, we don''t necessarily follow the yearly order," said the ring leader. It was evident that the girl came from a wealthy family and was used to getting her way around while having three sidekicks around her. "You are obviously new, and we have been here for a longer time than you. You are the one who should be following us."


    This ce was filled with delinquents and people who liked to bully the weak, thought Julie to herself, which also happened in other ces. But this one was on extreme as if people waited in the corners, ready to pounce on the other.


    Internally she sighed.


    Did they know how awkward it was to enter a ss when the teacher was teaching with everyone''s eyes on her? She hade here to ssh some water on her face.


    "You are right," Julie agreed to the girl, who looked taken aback. "On second thought, when shall I join your group? Until now, I have never been in any group and I think it would be really cool to be part of."


    One of the girls stared at Julie as if not knowing what the girl was speaking about. Most of the freshman always turned pale in fear that fed the bully''s ego. But this one was speaking about joining them.


    "Only the elite students can join our group and we don''t allow amon student that easily into our clique," said another girl.


    Something dawned on the ring leader''s face, and she said, "Now I remember where I saw you. You are that girl who is friends with Olivia, isn''t it? I am Eleanor," Suddenly, her behaviour changed, and she offered a friendly smile to Julie, "You should have told us sooner that you are close with the famous five."


    Famous Five the book? Asked Julie in her mind.


    "You can cross the remark Nancy made just now," Eleanor smiled before proposing, "You know what? We should hang out together. For now we have sses to attend to. Sorry for troubling you."


    "No problem," said Julie, noticing how Eleanor turned sweet and waved at her. Julie quickly left the restroom.


    This ce was strange, thought Julie to herself. She had sessfully avoided the porcupine since Saturday, and her sses had been peaceful. But the same could not be said about what happened outside the ssroom and her dorm room. Knowing the porcupine''sckeys were looking for made her slightly uneasy.


    She was making her way back to her ss, walking through the corridors, when suddenly someone jumped right in front of her from the nearby ssroom''s window. She inhaled a familiar scent, something that was musky and probably outrageously expensive.


    The person crouched right in front of her, taking a few seconds as if he were tying thece of one of his boots. Because of the person''s ck hair, ck shirt, ck jeans, Julie couldn''t help butpare him to a ck cat. Maybe a leopard would be more apt, thought Julie to herself.


    When he stood up, Julie''s eyes subtly widened on seeing the person she had almost collided withst week.


    As if he remembered her, his eyes slightly narrowed, holding her gaze for two seconds.


    "Why are you skipping ss?" her curiosity blurted out of her lips.


    When the boy red at her, Julie realized they didn''t know each other to be asking him questions as if they were friends. She caught sight of the tattoos peeking out from his t-shirt and noticed his arm to be inked.


    "Get back to your ss," his voice was slightly deep, and her eyes quickly snapped back. Look who was speaking, thought Julie in her mind.


    He took one daunting step towards her, and Julie took one back. She gulped.


    "Good girls should listen to what is being said, lest you want to invite trouble."


    And he walked past her as if he hadn''t shared a single word with her. While watching him disappear, Julie wondered how he had managed not being caught by the teacher while jumping out of the window.


    Frowning at his words, she stared in the direction he left until she heard someone call her.


    "Ms. Winters." Turning around, Mr. Borrell came into her vision. "What are you doing skipping ss and standing in the corridor? Detention in the evening."

 Chapter 5: Serving detention

    <h4>Chapter 5:Serving detention</h4>


    Julie''s mouth fell open at Mr. Borrell''s words but was quick to close it before she could question why. How long had she stood here in the corridor that he had decided to hand her detention? She couldn''t help but internally curse so many people in this university, and she had to meet him.


    She had only gone to use the restroom! She screamed in her mind while offering a greeting smile at Mr. Borrell.


    Mr. Borrell''s eyes narrowed, and he said in a clipped tone, "First week of your ss, and you''re already wasting your time roaming around instead of being in the ss. I knew it the first time I saw you." Julie ced her hand on the chest and then pointed her fingers in the backside direction. "What are you doing?" he questioned unamused.


    "I can exin why I was standing here," Julie offered him a polite smile in the hope that he would listen.


    "I didn''t ask you for an exnation," snapped Mr. Borrell, "Go to the detention room in the evening and don''t think you can skip it. Get back to your ss now."


    "Yes, sir," murmured Julie, and she made her way to her ss, her back stiff, knowing Mr. Borrell had not left the corridor.


    Never would she have guessed that a simple trip to the restroom would end up in receiving detention. It was that boy''s fault! Neither he would have jumped right in front of her, nor would she have got herself in trouble, thought Julie to herself. Mr. Borrell seemed to be a person who enjoyed handing detention as if he was distributing free meals.


    Reaching the ssroom, Julie got back in her seat. The teacher was speaking about the nervous system, and when his back turned to face them, Mnie, who was sitting next to her desk, raised her eyebrows as if asking what took Julie this long. With the teacher quick to turn around, both the girls concentrated on the ss.


    By the end of the day, Mnie stared at Julie along with Conner.


    "Who gets detention in the first week?" asked Mnie. "You should have kept walking, it is much better than standing in the middle of the corridor without doing anything."


    "Mel is right. But hey, we all have spent time in the detention room. No need to be ashamed," assured Conner as if it was not a big deal.


    "I guess. I didn''t expect to receive one this soon," muttered Julie before pushing her sses up the bridge of her nose. "There was this student who was skipping ss. I should have known that I was going to get into trouble," she clutched one side of her bag. Scratching the back of her neck, Julie climbed down the stairs with the other two while taking in the details of where the detention room was. "I will see you bothter."


    "Have fun there," Conner wished, and Mnie offered her an encouraging smile.


    Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she took the left side and the first corridor. Most of the students had finished their sses, leaving the corridors and the ssrooms almost deserted.


    The students had started to leave the building, and with every passing two minutes, the ce turned quieter as if she was alone. She had never been to a ce this big before. Thest university she had studied in was much smaller. While the Veteris University was probably thirty times bigger, including the other buildings and the property around that.


    On her way, she caught sight of the walls that had carved sculptures on them. The paint on them was faded.


    "They were made in the eighteenth century," someone said behind her, and Julie turned to see a familiar face. It was Maximus Marudus, the one with the piercing in his tongue. The boy moved forward, touching the heads of the small sculptures, "I am surprised to see you here. Did you lose your way?"


    She wished, though Julie in her mind. "Detention," she replied.


    "No way. You look like Ms. Goody two-shoes," Maximusmented, turning to look at her, and his eyes brightened up. He asked, "What did you do? Refuse to answer a question in the ss?" a wide smile spread on his face.


    "I was out of the ss. Are students not allowed to go to the restrooms?" she questioned him. "It was because of an idiot."


    "Poor thing. Depends if you were still loitering and trying to skip ss in front of the teachers. They don''t take it too kindly¡­ if they find you escaping in front of them," Maximus whispered thest words as if he was telling her a secret.


    So she could skip sses in secret, just not in front of the teachers, thought Julie to herself. But then, she didn''t have ns to miss any sses. She wanted to get good grades!


    "At least thest ce was better. They used to give a chance to exin but here they wait to send you to detention. By the way, do you know where to find a goodwork reception?" Julie asked him in hope. She had carried her phone almost everywhere possible, but thework was just bad. "I have been trying to reach my uncle since the first day I got here."


    Maximus stared at her for a second longer before suggesting, "You should check with the office."


    Julie nodded her head, "Oh, okay. I will try that. Thank you."


    She was too shy to borrow someone''s phone and didn''t want to bother anyone. Somewhere in between the days that had passed, she hade to believe that her phone settings had changed, which was why she hadn''t been able to get awork.


    She saw him staring at the wall while unconsciously ying with the pin pierced in his tongue. Curious, Julie asked, "What did you do to deserve detention?"


    Maximus turned to her and smiled, "I made a girl cry."


    "Why did you hurt her?" she asked him in a whisper, her mind going on an alert.


    The boyughed, "I am sure when she cried she enjoyed it," he smirked before walking away from there as if he had finished talking to her, leaving a stunned Julie behind.


    The girl enjoyed crying?


    She knew if her mother was here now and saw some of the university students, she would tell her to stay away from them and not look in their direction. Shaking her head and gathering her thoughts, she finally entered the detention room and saw twelve students who had taken their seats. She was the thirteenth person.


    As good as it was to see many students here, only she and three students appeared normal while the rest looked like delinquents. Not wanting to judge people by their appearance, Julie held the strap of her bag tighter before sitting down.


    A woman stepped into the room, her hair tied into a bun with a pencil. She appeared to be younger than the other teachers Julie had seen here so far. The woman smacked her hands on the table and her voice loud,


    "Every day Ie here and I am not disappointed seeing the number of people who fill the seats," she looked sharply at everyone in the room. "I see some fresh faces here. Wee to the detention ss, I am Piper Martin and I will be working on fixing you in my own special way. We are going to start with the basics. Pull out your book and draw what you see on the right side. If I don''t like it I am going to make you redraw and make sure you turn into an excellent artist by the time you leave the room. This will earn you patience and a ticket to leave this room."


    One of the girls raised her hand, "My major isn''t arts and this drawing isn''t going to be of any help. I''d rather work on my assignments."


    "That is bullshit," came a boy''s response who sat in front of Julie.


    Another student stated, "I didn''t do anything and I was-"


    "Speak more and I will make you clean all the floors of this building and the next one behind this one. If you don''t want to waste my time while wasting yours, don''t get detention," the teacher gave a pointed look. Taking her seat behind the desk, she ced both her feet on the table and then pulled a book to read.


    Julie looked back and forth while staring at the teacher.


    A lot of them grumbled before they finally pulled their book out. She saw Maximus, who had already started to scribble the picture on his book. He was the first one to leave the room. A few seats turned empty in the next hour, and finally, she got out of the detention room.


    When she stepped out of the building, a sigh escaped her lips. Looking up at the sky, she noticed the sky was slowly changing from blue to orange and red. With students who had left this side of the building, Julie was surrounded by the sound of the rustling leaves and the breeze that swept across her while she closed her eyes.


    ''I cannot do this anymore! You told me she was going to be here only for a few days!''


    ''Lower your voice Sarah,'' Uncle Thomas tried to hush his wife. ''You know what happened. She needs some time to grieve over what happened. We already spoke about it. She didn''t do anything.''


    Julie had heard her aunt huff, ''Do you know how it is going to affect our son who is still small with people questioning? We can fund her college expenses and let her stay there.''


    ''I cannot do that. She''s my niece. The only person my sister left behind. Julie needs us as her family, Sarah,'' Uncle Thomas had tried to convince his wife. ''She has no one else except us.''


    ''And what about us? It isn''t like we livevishly. This cannot continue, else I will send Joel to my mother''s ce,'' Aunt Sarrah stormed out from the kitchen.


    Her uncle had caught her standing at the other side of the wall, and seeing her there he had appeared surprised. Offering her a smile, ''When did youe here? Your aunt baked fresh cookies for you. Come take a bite.''


    At that time, Julie had smiled at her uncle as if she hadn''t heard any of his or her aunt''s words, but she knew her uncle was aware that she had overheard the conversation.


    Julie had never meant to create any disturbance in Uncle Thomas'' house, and after that incident, she had tried to be more careful. But she had also decided to move out of there, applying to universities far away so that she could live in the dormitory. She didn''t me her aunt; instead, she was thankful that they had taken her in for two months.


    Coming back to the present, Julie knew she had done the right thing by moving into this ce. She put a smile on her lips. She had promised to look forward and not back. She started to walk towards her dormitory, trying to recollect the assignments she had to finish for tomorrow''s ss.


    When she reached the front side of the dormitory, she caught sight of Olivia, who stood in front of her dormitory block, but she wasn''t alone. She stood with two boys, Maximus and the boy, because of whom she had ended up in the detention room today.


    Looking at the boy in the ck T-shirt, Julie couldn''t help but send a re at him. But when his eyes snapped to look at her, she quickly looked away.


    "Julianne, how are you?" Olivia waved her hand with a polite smile. "I haven''t seen you since Saturday."


    That was because Julie was trying to keep a low profile not to get caught by the porcupine. She had been stealthily heading to her sses and her dorm, including the mealtime, to stay away from trouble.


    "Hey," Julie returned the smile. "I was busy catching up withst week''s sses. How have you been?"


    "Excellent. Looks like you are going to be making the teachers proud. Good for you," replied Olivia.


    "She already did it," Maximus nodded his head,ughing in the end. "She was in the detention room with me today. Supposedly some idiot got her into trouble. Do you feel like beating the person up?"


    Julie felt her heart drop because when her eyes moved to look at the other guy, his eyes narrowed at her.


    "No no. That idiot, I mean the person," Julie waved her hand, feeling the re turn intense from one of them, "He did mention if I stayed there I might get into trouble. I should have paid attention," she tried to salvage the situation. She already had the porcupine and his two friends on her; she didn''t want to end up on someone else''s hunt list.


    "What a kind hearted person you are. Looks like youe in the good students category,"mented Maximus.


    Julie asked, "What about you?"


    Olivia didn''t say anything, and out of the three, it seemed that Maximus liked to speak, "A little bit of everything. Or maybe the bad."


    "I see...I should get going now," she said to them and walked into her dormitory building.


    Julie was making her way towards her room when she decided to knock on Mnie''s room.


    "How was your first detention?" asked Mnie.


    "Not as bad as I thought it would be," replied Julie, stepping inside the room, and after a few seconds, she asked, "I wanted to ask you if I could borrow your phone for a minute?"


    "Phone?" asked Mnie, and Julie nodded.


    "I think I have been havingwork issues with my phone. I wanted to call my uncle to let him know I have settled in."


    "I wouldn''t mind giving it to you, but phones don''t work here," exined Mnie with a frown. "Didn''t you read it in the rules?"


    There were only three on the sheets, and none of the three spoke about the phone orwork being cut off. "I did. All the three," answered Julie.


    Mnie shook her head, "Three? There are a total of twenty-eight rules, actually twenty-nine. And the fourth rule is about not using phones, which also means nowork."


    "What?!"

 Chapter 6: Did you call me idiot?

    <h4>Chapter 6:Did you call me idiot? </h4>


    Julie stared at Mnie as if she was joking.


    But as seconds passed by with Mnie not saying anything, she realized her next-door dorm mate was serious. She tried to recollect where she had lost the third page, and after a few seconds, it finally dawned on her. She had taken three pages from the office, but she had lost one of them.


    "Hold on. Let me get you mine, the rules barely change over the years," said Mnie, looking through her books that were on her table. She returned with the sheets that contained the rules. "Here it is," she handed them to Julie.


    Julie looked down at the paper and read the rules mentioned with an apprehensive look on her face.


    1. Do not step out of Veteris'' property without permission during your academic years.


    2. Listen to the teacher''s instructions because they mean well.


    3. The gates to the Blue block where sses are conducted will be locked after nine and unlocked after twelve.


    4. No using cell phones. To strengthen the rule, jammers have been ced for students to study in peace.


    5. Students will be allowed to visit family and go out on thest Sunday of the month.


    6. Each student will be allotted a separate room in the Dormitorium. Swapping the rooms is not allowed without informing the main office.


    7. Girls and boys are not allowed to spend the night together in one dorm.


    8. Littering around in the university or being caught vandalizing the property will lead to a minus of credits in the final year score.


    9. Students are prohibited from entering the restricted areas in the forest for their safety.


    10. Every detention should be taken seriously. Students unable toplete the detention will face severe consequences.


    11. If students suffer from any injuries, they shall be brought to the university''s infirmary.


    12. Students should not roam outside the campus after eleven at night.


    13. Students are not allowed to bring food inside the ssroom. Food like chips and other snack items will be confiscated and lead to detention.


    14. All the sybus books are avable in the university library building. Losing or damaging it will bepensated by a fine of double the price of the book.


    15. No pets shall be entertained on the campus.


    16. Missing meeting assemblies will lead to detention.


    17. A monthly physical checkup will be conducted to examine the student''s health.


    18. Laptops will be allowed (withoutwork).


    And the rules went on until her eyes fell on thest rule, which was number twenty-nine and not printed like the rest of them.


    29. Listen to Roman Moltenore.


    "This one is made up," said Julie, staring at thest rule of the university. Who was even Roman Moltenore? "Look, it is even written in pencil. And no phone?" her eyes went wide.


    How was she going to contact anyone outside this ce? It wasn''t as if she knew many people outside the university apart from her uncle, but still, it gave her some sort of assurance that she had ess to the outside world. Why was this not mentioned on the website when she was applying?!


    "Are you sure these are the real rules? Because I never found any rules on the website. What if I want to do research on a subject we are studying?" asked Julie. What kind of university cut itswork off when they were living far away in the forest?


    "We have a building that is dedicated to the library. They have older books as well as thetest books. You will get everything you need there," replied Mnie. "You don''t look good, Julie. Do you want to sit?" she asked in concern.


    Julie felt like she had travelled back in time that she didn''t even live in. Nowork? No Google¡­ It was faster to find things on google than going through several pages of the books to find information.


    "I don''t know how I missed it," murmured Julie to herself. On the brighter side, she found out about this now rather thanter. Remembering thest rule, Julie asked, "Who is this Roman Moltenore?"


    "He''s a student in senior year. Someone you better steer clear from," said Mnie. "Thest rule was written by the former students who passed outst year. It is important that you abide by all the rules, especially thest one. Remember not to get involved with him, Julie. If you happen to see him, run in the opposite direction. There is a reason why it is written down here."


    "But why?" asked Julie, wanting to know the reason.


    Mnie pursed her lips before saying, "Students who have been involved with him often end up in the infirmary. Rumour is that he has a bad temper but there''s more to thisst rule. Some of the girls in this university are fanatic about him. Last year, a sophomore student was trying to get closer to him. But one of the girls pushed her from the stairs and she now has a broken wrist. Sad part is that she''s an art student. I heard it from Conner."


    It seemed like there were some crazy girls in this ce.


    "I will keep that in my mind," replied Julie. She didn''t know how the guy looked or who he was, and she hoped never to meet him, not knowing she had already met him thrice. "I think I will go to my room. Thank you for the information on the rules, Mel."


    Mnie nodded her head, "Don''t worry about it. Eventually you will get used to this ce and it wouldn''t matter much. It isn''t too bad."


    "Yeah," replied Julie, offering a small smile, and she went to her room. Walking near the table, she drank one ss of water and then drank another one before taking a seat on the edge of her bed. "You must be kidding me," thought Julie to herself.


    Having a functioning phone was essential to her. Because it was only a call away from asking anything, but now she felt even more isted than she had nned. The university had ced jammers, and like an idiot, she had been jumping and climbing to the highest parts of the building to get a signal.


    She stayed in her room for a while and then left her dorm to head towards the main building where the main office was located. Entering the room, she noticed the woman sitting on the chair while typing something on herputer. Julie wondered if there was awork in here, only that it was through cables and wires?


    "Here to change your sybus?" questioned the woman as it was the most asked question by the students. "All the sses are filled."


    "No, I am not here for that," Julie''s eyes fell on the telephone that was at the corner, "I was wondering if I could make a phone call to my family?"


    The office woman stared at Julie and said, "This is only for the staff''s use and not for the students."


    "What if I have to make an urgent call to a family member?" inquired Julie.


    "Then you should go and get permission from the headmistress Ms. Dante before you can get your hand anywhere close to the phone," replied the woman. So it was a no, thought Julie to herself. "Also, good that you came here. Your library card is here," said the woman, gliding her chair forward and pulling the drawer. She rummaged through the cards before cing the white card on the counter.


    "Thank you," said Julie, taking the card from the counter. Turning around, she left the office room. Looked like her uncle would have to wait. Surely if he called himself, the staff in the office would reply that she was doing fine, thought Julie to herself.


    Julie didn''t understand why there was so much fuss about using a phone and calling the people who stayed outside this university. The more time she spent, she couldn''t help but question the methods of why it had such rules. Something didn''t feel right.


    When she started to climb down the stairs of the building, she caught sight of a person leaning against a motorcycle. Seeing the ck leather jacket on the person didn''t take Julie much time to know who it was. What was he doing here? How strange that the university allowed tattoos, rings, makeup, but it had nowork!


    She saw smoke drifting away from him and mingling in the air. He held a lit cigarette between his teeth as he blew smoke without the need to support it in his hand.


    Her footsteps slowed down as she walked down the stairs, noticing his side profile. As if sensing her gaze, he turned his gaze to where she stood. She was caught doing nothing again. God, she had to fix this habit of not doing anything and poking her nose where it didn''t belong.


    Like a hamster on the run, she started to walk.


    And Julie froze, not knowing if this was the time where she was supposed to start running.


    She slowly turned to face him, where the cigarette had disappeared, and he blew thest of the smoke through his lips.


    His ck eyes stared at her as if he wasn''t the one who stopped her, and it was her who initiated to speak to him. He then looked down at the ground, and when Julie followed his sight, she noticed the library card she had collected two minutes ago that was lying on the ground.


    She was about to thank him when she heard him say, "You have quite some nerve to call me an idiot in front of everyone."


    Julie had just picked up her card when her fingers had turned butter for a moment because of the sudden nervousness she felt because of how he spoke to her. She slowly stood up to meet his eyes again. He seemed annoyed with her earlier choice of words.


    "It slipped from my mouth," she offered him an awkward smile. He had told her to go back, but in the end, she had been the idiot who had been sent to the detention room. "I didn''t mean it."


    "Did you now. Why does your voice sound insincere," he questioned, standing straight and taking a slow yet dangerous step towards Julie as if he owned this ce.


    "I think that''s how my voice sounds in general," replied Julie, and his eyes narrowed at her answer. She quickly closed her mouth.


    She didn''t want to get on his bad side as he appeared to be a person who could destroy someone''s life. All she wanted to do here was put her head down and study, and ending up on people''s bad books was not something she had aimed for. When he took another step forward, Julie smelt the mixture of smoke and his expensive cologne from him.


    "Do you know what happened thest time someone called me an idiot?" he questioned her.


    "You scared them to death?" blurted Julie at his words.


    "Close." He said it in a low whisper that could invoke fear, and her eyes went wide.


    Julie tried to swallow her nerves that felt like a tape being pulled out from an old cassette right now.


    Thankfully a boy came to fetch him, and without sparing another look at her, he left the ce to disappear into the nearby building.


    Reaching her dorm, Julie sighed.


    There was nothing she could do right now except following every rule implemented in the rule list. She hade here to get away from people, but never would she have thought that she would be gifted with the ultimate istion.


    With the way the officedy had spoken about taking permission from the headmistress, she doubted it was easy to get permission. She wished she knew how to contact her uncle, to at least let him know that using phones in this university was off-limits.


    During the time of having dinner, Julie arrived with Mnie and Conner earlier than they usually did. The three of them had taken a table in the corner of the lunchroom and away from the students who had slowly started to pour in.


    "I still remember freaking out for the first few hours after getting the sheet of rules in my hand," said Conner while slurping his juice from the straw. "But with Mnie here, it made it less freaky."


    "The rules are written in the circle icon of the university''s website. You must have missed it while browsing it," said Mnie to Julie, who was continuously eating, or stress-eating. She had been lucky not to grow fat in thest one week of being here.


    "I think it was just Mel who didn''t care about the nowork,"mented Conner, and Mnie shrugged her shoulders.


    Julie, who took a bite from her sandwich, remembered rule number nine and asked, "What is with the rule about the forest? Doesn''t all the property here belong to the Veteris?"


    "It does," replied Mnie. "But over the years, some parts of the forest have been dered to be dangerous because of the attacks made by the wild animals. If you step deeper into the forest, you will see the danger signs of the restricted area. I think the property blends with the other forest which doesn''t have a fence-like boundary."


    "To put it more bluntly, there have been deaths. Two or three of them every year," said Conner in a casual tone as if it wasn''t a big deal.


    Julie''s eyebrows raised, and she slowed down on her sandwich, "If it is dangerous, why didn''t the administration do something about it? Like capture those wild animals," she asked with surprise in her tone.


    "The authorities of the forest said that these wild animals have never stepped into the property of Veteris and the death happens only when someone enters into those restricted areas. It is probably the bears or tigers," exined Conner. "The headmistress, Ms. Dante has already given strict instructions to not step anywhere close to it. If people are still going to go against it, they are only being suicidal."


    "Does that mean that there''s not a student who has stepped in there ande back alive?" Julie asked curiously.


    "I don''t think so. Most of us try to avoid getting too close to it but there are always some who think they are better than the rest," said Mnie.


    Julie wondered where she ended up.


    At least the university didn''t iste the studentspletely, as they were allowed to visit their families on thest Sunday of every month. But then, at the same time, Julie was apprehensive about going and visiting her rtive''s ce. When she had packed her things and ced them in the car, she had been relieved to move out. Instead of visiting Uncle Thomas, she had nned to call him because of the awkwardness that she felt around her aunt.


    "Consider it to be like a boarding school," said Conner, raising both his hands, "Only difference being we don''t have a uniform or a code for how one''s appearance has to be."


    "I can tell," murmured Julie, and she put thest bit of her sandwich in her mouth.


    Few days passed, and on one of the nights, Julie was studying under the studymp on her table as the university''s rule twenty-one mentioned turning off the dorms'' main lights after midnight.


    In the beginning, she had panicked, but now she tried to look at the brighter side. With no distractions from the outside world, it would only help her in the long run, thought Julie, and she nodded to herself in thought.


    Julie held the pencil in her hand to mark and make important notes. She was tapping the end of her pencil when it slipped out of her hand and fell on the floor. She got down on her knees and hands, her head touching the ground while she tried to look for the pencil. Turning on the torch in her phone, she looked for the pencil when her eyes fell on one corner of the wall, which was beneath the bed.


    She noticed a faint square like indentation made on the wall.


    "What''s that?" whispered Julie. Curious, she crawled under the bed and took a closer look at it.


    She used her small nails to try to pull it and, in the end, found it was just a brick that had not been cemented with the rest of the bricks on the wall. A paper fell on the ground, and she frowned. She carefully picked it up. Forgetting she was under the bed, she tried to get up and the back of her head hit the nks of the bed that was above her.


    "Ouch!"


    She pushed the brick back in its position and crawled out from the bed, bringing the paper under the light of themp.


    The paper looked dusty and old. Almost fragile, and Julie wondered what it was doing in the wall. She carefully opened the letter to read what was written inside it,


    ''The quietness that instills fear has now turnedfortable.''


    Huh?


    Julie turned it front and back to see there was nothing else written. Such a big page, and it had only one line? She could only guess it was written years ago by the state of the letter.


    At the same time, the bulb in Julie''s mind lit up.


    Even without using the phone service, she could contact her uncle without visiting him and his family because she would send him a letter! All she had to do was to find where the mails were kept.


    Tearing a page from her book, she started to write.


    ''Dear Uncle Thomas,


    I am sorry for not being able to contact you sooner. I didn''t see some of the rules of the university while applying. Students here are not allowed to use the phone, which is why I have been unable to contact you for this long.


    I am all settled in the dormitory as well as in my sses. The teachers here are strict, and some of the students are strange. One of the teachers seems like he''s out to get me, not to mention some of them are scary, but you don''t have to worry about me.


    The sybus here is lengthier than the previous one, and it needs more attention. Time might not allow me toe and visit you, aunt and Joel. I hope you all are doing well.


    Your niece, Julie''


    The next day in the afternoon after her sses, Julie walked to the main building where the main office was located.


    "Even though the university didn''t mention anything regarding sending letters, I personally have never heard any students sending letters from here," said Mnie, who had tagged along with Julie.


    "It might be because the response takes a long time," said Julie, touching the top of the envelope, feeling the stickiness of the gum. In eagerness, she had used more gum than required.


    When they entered the office room, Julie noticed the woman behind the desk was busy answering two students'' questions. Looking around, she noticed the two stacks of letters on the side table. She ced her letter on top of the right stack of letters.


    "All done," she murmured, and the two girls left the office room.


    When the mailman arrived at the office to collect and deliver the letters, the office woman said,


    "I have separated the letters. The left side is for delivery."


    The man nodded, "I will ce these here then."


    While the mailman ced the new letters he had brought on top of the right stack, Julie''s envelope got stuck below another student''s letter.


    The next day, Julie hummed as she made her way to the dorm. She hadn''t gotten into any trouble, and she even had finished all her assignments on time. After she had sent the letter to her uncle yesterday, her mind felt lighter. After her sses, she had gone to the office to make sure the letter had been sent, and she was d to see it wasn''t there.


    Unlocking her dorm door with the key, Julie dropped her bag on the nearby chair. When her eyes fell on an envelope that sat on her bed, she frowned. That wasn''t there when she left the dorm this morning, thought Julie to herself.


    Walking towards her bed, she picked it up¡ª ''Julianne Winters''. It was for her.


    She was surprised that the delivery was quick and she tore the envelope, believing the letter was from Uncle Thomas.


    "Winters- Wait this is not from Uncle Tom," said Julie, a deep frown came to settle on her face before she continued to read,


    "Do you think that rule number four of this university has been implemented so that students could go back in time and learn how to write letters eloquently? By writing a letter to your family, you have broken the most important rule which will now lead to your expulsion from this university," her eyes went wide.


    Julie quickly read further, "If you don''t want me handing your letter to Mr. Borrell, today sharp at eight o'' clock in the night, blink the lights of your room thrice. If you inform anyone about this letter that you are holding right now, I will send your letter to him right away."


    Her shoulders slumped. How did this letter even get into her room?


    She walked near the two windows and noticed one of them was left slightly ajar.


    To make sure she was not being fooled, Julie checked with some of the dorm mates about sending letters outside the university, and she confirmed that it was indeed not allowed. Only a few seniors knew it that the letters were sent and received only by the staff.


    But what many were unaware of was that there was an exception to these rules.


    Back in her room now, Julie pushed her sses up the bridge of her nose and sighed. ring at the letter, she crumpled it while imagining it to be the person who had written this letter to her.


    If she blinked her room lights, it would be equal to making a deal with satan. But at the same time, Julie didn''t want to be expelled. She didn''t have a home to return to¡­


    She bit her lip in thought.


    When it was near eight in the night, a few meters away from the girl''s dormitories, two senior year boys stood next to two motorcycles that were parked at the side. Olivia made her way to where they were.


    "You arete,"mented Maximus, throwing the spare helmet at her, and she was quick to catch it.


    "There''s still one minute to eight o''clock. I got held up talking to a freshman. Where are the others?" asked Olivia, cing the helmet over her head and taking a seat behind Maximus.


    "They went ahead," replied Maximus and started the motorcycle. "Ready?"


    Roman, who was chewing gum while looking at one of the girl''s dormitories, said, "Yeah."


    He kickstarted the motorcycle, and they left from there.

 Chapter 7: Interrupted

    <h4>Chapter 7:Interrupted</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Brooke''s Vigil- Nathan Barr


    .


    A few days ago


    Roman Moltenore stood outside the main building with his back leaning against his motorcycle. He was here to see the headmistress, but she was busy with the forest rangers. He watched some of the students from where he stood.


    He was taking another drag from the cigarette. His eyes closed while blowing the smoke into the air when he heard footsteps that turned louder.


    When he turned his head, he saw it was the new student¡ªthe one with sses. His eyes narrowed, remembering she had called him ''idiot''.


    While he spoke to the girl, his friend Simon appeared.


    "Ms. Dante is calling."


    Roman sent a re at the girl before he walked up the stairs with Simon.


    "Who was that?" asked Simon, his eyes curiously looking at Roman.


    "Nobody," Roman curtly replied as they walked through the deserted corridors of the building. On the way, his eyes caught sight of the forest rangers who crossed their paths.


    When they reached the headmistress'' office, Ms. Dante, sitting behind the desk, looked up at the two students entering the room.


    "Why were they here?" Roman directly questioned the headmistress.


    Ms. Dante was used to Roman''s behaviour. She had known him for quite a few years now, "They found the trail of blood from the road that leads towards the deeper side of the forest. But they haven''t found a body. Do any of you have any idea on who it is?" the woman asked with a deep frown on her face.


    "It might be an animal being hunted by another one," proposed Simon, but Dante shook her head.


    "It isn''t an animal this time," replied the headmistress.


    "You should ask the other students. We aren''t reckless, Dante," answered Roman, his ck eyes looked bored. "Some of the students from our dormitorium seem to have trouble following the rules."


    On hearing this, the headmistress'' face turned hard, her jaw slightly ticked before she leaned back against her chair, "I will tell Borrell to find who it was and punish the students who cross the rules. It would be better to prevent it at an early stage than let the fools roam around and damage the reputation that has been built over the years. By the way, I called you both here because I need you to keep an eye on the new students. There''s information that there''s an unwanted guest who has been admitted this year."


    "Looks like someone is suspicious," said Roman beforeing to the subject of why he hade here to see her, "I thought room number hundred was going to stay closed."


    Simon, who stood next to Roman, looked surprised as he hadn''t heard about this, "The Dormitorium?" surprise in his voice.


    "Shift the student to another dorm," demanded Roman with a deadpan look.


    Ms. Dante stared back at Roman, "There are no vacant rooms left in that Dormitorium, and I cannot shift the student to the next Dormitorium for obvious reasons that you already are aware of."


    Hearing this, Roman''s jaw clenched. "Get her shifted to another room at the earliest, else I will find a way to vacate the dorms," he turned around and left the room.


    "Wow, he seems pissed," murmured Simon, and he turned around to see the headmistress re at him. He offered her a quick smile and said, "Have a good day, Ms. Dante."


    When Simon stepped out of the building, Roman had already where his motorcycle was, picking up the helmet to wear it over his head. Without waiting, he started his motorcycle and left.


    "What happened?"


    Simon turned and saw it was Olivia, who was carrying three books in her arms, who came from the library. "Did you know that Dante alloted the room number hundred to a new student?"


    "Yeah," Olivia replied. "He must be annoyed knowing someone else is living in his previous room. He is possessive of the things that belong to him."


    "Very," agreed Simon, "He threatened Dante. He must have left to cool his head off, unless he has decided to go and hunt," smiled the boy.


    Olivia''s lips twisted into a smile, and she said, "He isn''t as reckless as you. It is why he is Dante''s favourite student." The boy nodded his head. "It is why he enjoys getting into fights. It is much better to beat up people than kill and get into trouble."


    "True," replied Simon before informing her, "Dante said there''s a new trail of blood in the forest. They haven''t found whose it is."


    "How interesting. First two weeks of the academic year and we already have someone dead in the woods. Anyways, I have to go now andplete my assignments," stated Olivia, and they left the front of the building.


    The next evening in the boys'' dormitory, Maximus arrived at the front of Roman''s dorm and knocked on the door, which was slightly open. Pushing the door, Maximus found Roman lying on the bed with an open book that covered his face.


    "What is it?" questioned Roman without moving the book away from his face.


    "Mrs. Hill wanted me to give you your mails," informed Maximus, looking down at the envelopes that were in his hand. "She said the letters hav-"


    "Throw them in the trash," murmured Roman, least bothered to know what the letters contained.


    "All of them?" asked Maximus, looking at the names and bringing the envelopes near his nose to smell the flowery scent. Most of the letters were from girls of this university who left their letters in the main office room where the mails were ced along with some others, "Looks like the girls love to spray perfume on their letters for you. Did you read even one of them, Rome?"


    "I might end up strangling them if I ever were to read them," came the blunt response from Roman and Maximus grinned.


    "That could happen," hummed Maximus. Even though Roman had told him to throw the letters in the bin, he ced them on the table. "I will leave it in your good hands. Oh, have you decided when the Bonfire is going to be?"


    "Next Saturday," came the short answer from Roman.


    "Wonderful. I am going out now to meet this new chick from freshman year. See youter," announced Maximus, closing the door of the room, and Roman heard the click sound.


    A few seconds passed, and Roman pulled the book from his face and sat upon the edge of the bed. His eyes moved to the table where Maximus had ced the irrelevant letters that he didn''t care about.


    He picked up the letters, looking at the names on the envelopes one by one and throwing them in the dustbin without bothering to open them. While he was going through it, he came across a letter heavier than others because another envelope was stuck to it. He pulled it away and saw the letter was addressed to ''Thomas Winters'', and it was from Julianne Winters.


    His eyes subtly narrowed on reading the sender''s name.


    It seemed like the new students, who were admitted this year, had trouble understanding the rules that had been imposed. The university had the rule not to contact their family or friends during their time here. And though it was said to keep students'' focus, Roman knew exactly why the rules had been set.


    Mails from the students would never go outside the campus and could only circte inside. The staff and the mailman made sure to segregate and return them to the university if they were ever picked up. Roman turned the envelope in his hand, tearing it open and started reading what was written.


    A dry smile appeared on his lips when he saw the words ''strange students''.


    "Looks like you are in luck," he murmured to himself.


    The next day when the sses had begun, like many other times, Roman skipped his ss. He walked towards the girl''s dormitory. He knew the tricks of opening the windows and the door because it once used to be his very own room. Pulling open the window, he threw the letter of his own, where the letter warned her to not send another letter outside the university along with a little threat of his own added into it.


    Roman hadn''t forgotten about her remark, and he didn''t let things or people slip by without offering a little something in return.


    "Wee to Veteris University. Julianne Winters," and he disappeared from there.


    The same day, hours passed, and when the clock struck eight at night, Julie''s fingers pressed back and forth on the switch three times, and she sighed.


    For the next seven hours, she sat on the bed with a nket covering her with a torch in her hand while facing the window, thinking the person who had written the letter would appear in front of her. The entire time, she sat in the silence of her room and listened to the light chatter that came from outside her dormitory.


    Maybe it was just a prank, thought Julie to herself.


    "What happened to you?" asked Mnie the following day when Julie entered the ss. "You look like you''re ready to be casted in a movie as a zombie."


    "I didn''t get enough sleep," Julie took her seat behind Mnie and ced her head on the desk and yawned. She had worked hard to catch up with the first week''s sses, and she didn''t want to fall behind again by sleeping. Not to forget, a test was around the corner.


    "What kept you awake? You should have studied today instead of pulling an all nighter," Mnie raised her eyebrows. "You should probably go ssh some water on your face."


    "I am fine," murmured Julie.


    She tried to drink less water between the sses to avoid going to the restroom. Girls there often liked to huddle and gossip, and she didn''t want to run into any trouble.


    Sitting upright, Julie asked, "By the way, Mel. Does the university library have anything rted to the historical books? I mean about this ce?" she asked thest question in a low voice.


    "There are a few racks for historical books but I am unsure about what kind they have. If you want, we can check it after sses," offered Mnie and Julie gave her a bright smile.


    "Thank you, I would love it."


    "What do you want to check there?" asked Mnie, pulling her book from the bag and cing it on the table.


    "I thought to learn more about this ce as we live here. There''s barely any other activities to do here except study," which was true, thought Julie to herself. But the truth was also that she wanted to learn more about the dorm she was in now.


    As if remembering something, Mnie said, "Oh, there''s an uing bonfire. Would you like to attend it?"


    "Bonfire?" asked Julie.


    Mnie nodded her head, "As students are not allowed to step out of the university''s property, every month the seniors like to host a bonfire. All the students attend it to get to know each other, like a gathering party. Conner and I usually attend them, and it''s pretty fun. You don''t get to see a lot of students in one ce."


    How interesting, thought Julie to herself.


    "It is good that the forest is fireproof," joked Julie.


    As discussed, after they finished their sses early in the afternoon, Julie and Mnie headed to the building where the library was.


    The library was as extensive as the Blue Block, and it was called the Red Block because of its maroon walls. The building consisted of two floors with two rows, which consisted of twenty racks on each side. In the middle, desks and chairs were ced for students to sit and study with others.


    As Julie walked up the stairs with Mnie, she looked up at the ceiling made of dark brownish wood that had an arch at the centre.


    "You will find the History section from rack sixteen. I am going to get my book from the other side," informed Mnie before leaving Julie''s side.


    Reaching the history section, Julie started to read the titles of the books while trying to look for keywords like Veteris, Lords, or any other word that rted to the property.


    Julie walked from one side of the rack to the other side while looking up at the name of the books and wondering if she should climb thedder to take a look there.


    "P-please, ah!"


    Julie''s eyes widened at the sudden whisper that fell on her ears. She looked left and right, wondering from where the sound came. Did she imagine it? But then she heard it again.


    Was someone being bullied?!


    Questioning herself, Julie picked up a book and tightly held it as a weapon. She walked past the racks one by one and reached thest rack near the wall. Her eyes were quick to fall on a boy and girl who were making out in the library.


    The boy''s face was between the crook of the girl''s neck, his back against the wall, and it seemed like the girl was enjoying it. Julie noticed the boy lick his lips as he pulled away from the girl''s neck and looked in her direction. Oh, God.


    Why did she keep meeting him during the wrong times! She was sure he would think she was following him! She saw him narrow his eyes for interrupting him, and he questioned,


    "Enjoying the show or is there something you want?"


    Julie was too stunned to speak, and seeing him raise one of his eyebrows, she turned and hurriedly walked away from there.


    "Why are you running?" asked Mnie, who hade walking from the other side.


    "Ah, that. I was thinking about taking the book and reading it in the room. Let''s read together," proposed Julie.


    "We need a more homey atmosphere with snacks," Julie dragged her perplexed friend down the stairs.


    Back in thest rack of the historical section on the first floor, the girl tried to get closer to Roman, but he ced his hand on her shoulder. Looking straight in her eye, hepelled her,


    "Forget what happened. Leave."


    The girl walked away from there as if she hadn''t spent her time with him, while Roman made his way towards the railings to look down. He watched the girl who had interrupted him a while ago, walking to the librarian''s desk and then leaving the building.

 Chapter 8: Playing hunt

    <h4>Chapter 8:ying hunt</h4>


    As Julieid on her bed at night, she looked at the sky through the window next to her bed.


    When she had applied to this reputed university, she hadn''t expected to be noticed by people. After all, she was not wealthy, nor did she have family influence like many students. But for some reason, it felt like she had stepped on some weird luck, not good luck, but weird because ever since she arrived here, she had ended up in odd situations.


    Maybe it was the average life for a person who was often bullied, thought Julie to herself.


    Neither had she expected to see what she saw today in the library. She could still see the annoyance his eyes held as he questioned her. With the way he looked, the boy reeked of trouble. Getting into a fight. Skipping sses. Making out in the back of the library, not to forget he had tried to intimidate her.


    Julie prayed, hoping not to cross paths with him again, at least until he forgot about her. But her prayers didn''t go through as her letter had ended up in the very same boy''s hand, which she was unaware of.


    The following day after having lunch, when Julie returned to her dorm, she saw a letter waiting for her near the window. Gingerly, she made her way towards the window and picked it up.


    Opening the letter, she read it out,


    "I have some work for you. Go to the backside of the white block and find me there." She noticed there was something scribbled at the bottom, "Time is ticking."


    She looked back and forth, noticing there was an envelope on the ground waiting for her. Walking towards it, she picked it up and read the note,


    "Go to the y field near the goal."


    And that wasn''t thest one, she was sent to three more locations, and Julie pursed her lips, wondering if they were ying treasure hunt. The next ce she was supposed to go was the Blue Block. She entered the gates, walking towards the grassynd at the side of the building and like before, there was no one there. Instead, she found another note that said,


    ''Good work at looking at the campus. You can go back to your dorm now.''


    This person had made her walk from one ce to another for no reason!


    When she started to head towards the gate to go back to her dorm, someone shouted from outside,


    "She''s there! The girl with four eyes!"


    Four eyes? Julie''s eyes moved and found the porcupine and his two minions. Her eyes went wide, and she clutched the papers in her hand. She ran inside the building while the three boys started to move towards her.


    "Catch her!"


    "Get her quickly!" ordered the porcupine, and Julie ran as if an angry bull was chasing her. "You are going to die today!"


    "I didn''t do anything! Just let it go!" Julie shouted back at him. "You fell down by yourself!"


    "I will fucking kill you!" the porcupine snapped as if Julie''s words had added more fuel into the fire. "Stop right there!"


    All these days, she had done well in staying away from the porcupine, but he seemed angry and intent on wanting to turn her into pulp.


    Julie ran and climbed up the stairs, hoping she could find a way to get out of the building without meeting the three boys who were eager to catch her and probably drag her into a corner tomit a murder. All the sses had been dismissed, and there was no student or teacher in the building. While hunting the treasure, she had be the one to be hunted.


    "She disappeared to the right!" She heard one of the boy''s yell.


    Julie could put up a fight, but she was no superman to tackle three grown boys.


    It wasn''t just their footsteps but also hers that echoed in the corridors, making it easier for them to track her down. She would have hidden somewhere, but they were chasing her so close that it made it impossible for her to find a hiding spot. Running around for the next minute, she finally got into a ssroom and hid under the desk.


    She could still hear themotion that the porcupine and his minions were making outside.


    "Where did she go?! She was right here a moment ago," said one of them.


    "She must be hiding somewhere here. Come out from wherever you are! You cannot keep hiding from a lion," Julie heard the threat, who was probably not too far away from the rest. Lion? It seemed like someone thought too highly of themselves, thought Julie. "You think I don''t know which dorm you are in or which is your ss? Come out instead of dragging the inevitable time of your suffering. Check all the restrooms and lock it!"


    What?! No!


    "I hope you enjoy your night here. Rumour has it that there''s a ghost that haunts these corridors and ssrooms," Julie heard the porcupine''s words.


    And she heard the door of the ssroom click. The footsteps from the front of the door left.


    "You must be joking with me," whispered Julie.


    She bit the inside of her cheek. If it wasn''t the door, then it would be the window! She leaned from where she was, making sure the boys had left and made a dash towards the other side of the room. She pushed the window upwards and looked down at the height she would need to jump.


    Nope! That was too much height, and if she jumped, she would break her legs or hands.


    She waited for at least an hour before she repeatedly tried to pull and push the door in the hope that it would utch itself, but she was still stuck in the room.


    "See now this is where phonese to use," said Julie in a matter-of-fact tone.


    The sun had slowly started to set.


    With no other option, Julie decided it was time to jump from the window. She could feel her heart beating rapidly against her chest as she sat at the edge of the window before flying down and falling on the grassy ground.


    "AH!" she grimaced in pain, and for two minutes, she stayed there.


    The sky looked as if a drop of hue ink had been dropped into it, and the dark blue had started to spread out. Standing up while feeling her arm hurt, Julie began to walk back to her dorm. As exhrating as it was to jump from a window, she was no cat, and she didn''t want to do it again.


    She hoped after this, the porcupine would feel satisfied and would drop her from his list. But like many bullies, once a person''s name went into the list of targets, it forever stayed there.


    On her way, Julie couldn''t help but notice some people stop whatever they were doing to look in her way. It made her feel more clumsy, and her feet tried to move as quickly as they could. She saw some of them whispering, and it made her wonder if her hair looked like a mess. She tried to smoothen her hair with her hand.


    Reaching near the dormitory building, she saw Olivia outside the next dormitory, sitting and speaking to another girl. But their heads were quick to turn in her direction, and Julie waved her hand.


    Olivia got up from her ce, walking to where Julie was, while subtly inspecting her, "It looks like there''s a tear in one of your sleeves. Are you alright?" her blue eyes looked at Julie.


    Julie had been feeling the burn on her arm, and she noticed a patch of blood.


    "I guess. I had a fall," Julie smiled while brushing away on what happened earlier.


    Olivia offered her a small smile, "You should get it treated so that it doesn''t catch any infection. Do you need help with it? I have a first-aid box in my dorm."


    Though Julie wanted to refuse, she could use some help as she had only small bandages. "Yes. That would be very kind of you," replied Julie.


    "Come with me," Olivia invited her to her dorm. Getting inside Oliva''s room, Julie sat on the chair and the senior dabbed antiseptic on her skin. Her eyes took in the space of the room and the things that were in there. The room was spacious, just like hers.


    "You know as per the rules you are supposed to go to the infirmary," said Olivia, which Julie had forgotten. "But you don''t have to worry about it as I work as a part time assistant in the infirmary."


    "Oh, I didn''t know that," murmured Julie and said, "It looks like the administration takes good care of its students,"mented Julie.


    "The students'' healthes first and then the rest," replied Olivia in agreement.


    Julie then asked, "You have been studying here for a long time. You don''t miss your family?"


    "You get used to it. It turns out to be a norm and I am used to it here," responded Olivia, who had finished dabbing the cotton on Julie''s skin. "You must be startled with the number of rules implemented in this ce."


    "I was surprised," which was an understatement, thought Julie.


    "The university was built nearly a century ago. The family or the administrators have continued to stick to traditional methods of teaching which is why the new joiners find some rules to be bizarre," Olivia exined to her, "This ce was started by an old family. They started an education system in one of these buildings, housing twenty students in the beginning. Over the years, it expanded to have more students. Mrs. Eloise Dante, wife of Walter Veteris was the first headmistress, which waster passed on to the next person in line of the family."


    "I see," murmured Julie.


    That meant their current headmistress was from a family of old lineage, thought Julie to herself. How fascinating to think that she was living in a mansion that had been turned into a dorm.


    "This should be good," said Olivia, putting a bandage over the wound.


    "Thank you for helping me," Julie thanked.


    "You don''t have to thank me. It is what I usually do," replied Olivia and stood up with Julie. "We have a bonfire this Saturday. Are youing?"


    "Yes," Julie nodded her head, "Mnie mentioned it yesterday. My next door dorm mate."


    "I know her. I will see you there," replied Olivia, and Julie stepped out of the room and saw some of the girls in there quietly staring at her. She knew she was the girl who had ended up in the middle of the fight but wasn''t the staresting a little too long?


    When Saturday evening arrived, Julie could sense the students'' enthusiasm in the atmosphere because of the bonfire.


    Julie stood in front of the mirror,bing her brown hair before tying it in a ponytail. Applying colour to her lips, she looked at her reflection. She wore a peach coloured top that came up to her neck and paired it up with a floral skirt that reached her knees. And along with it, she wore herfortable sneakers.


    The temperature felt like it had droppedpared to thest few days, and it wasn''t even Winter.


    Before she had moved to Woodward, Julie had spent most of her time in her house and inside her room. She was that wallflower that had grown in a dark and sheltered ce, and now that she was in the light, she couldn''t help but want to spread her curious wings.


    "This should be alright, right," she asked herself, staring at her reflection for far too long and the red lipstick on her lips. Pulling out a tissue, she pressed it on her lips to reduce the intensity of the lipstick to the point where her lips almost came back to normal.


    Hearing a knock on the door, Julie opened the door and saw Mnie, who wore a loose blouse and jeans with her hair let down.


    "You ready?" chirped Mnie while eager to attend the bonfire.


    "Mm," responded Julie, a faint smile on her lips, and she stepped out of the room. She took a look at her bed and the window before locking the door.


    Julie walked with Mnie and Conner towards the bonfire that everyone looked excited to be part of. As it was her first time spending time like this, she couldn''t help but look forward to it while not knowing what awaited her. She smelt the scented perfumes and colognes worn by the students that wafted in the air, who had walked ahead of them.


    While Conner and Mnie were discussing the football match in their university, Julie''s eyes wandered around the forest where they were walking in. The trees here were denserpared to the trees near the dormitories and the other buildings. Some of the tree''s roots had surfaced up the ground as if the ground couldn''t contain it.


    "Did you have any bonfires back at your ce before you moved to Woodward, Julie?" asked Mnie and Julie, who had been listening to their conversation while looking at the forest, shook her head.


    "I don''t think we had anything like that. Not that I know of," replied Julie, her hands moved around her arms to hug herself. She was enjoying the little thrill of the cold weather that touched her skin. "Most of us did nothing but study, y handball while some liked to bully others," pursing her lips in thought.


    "It looks like every ce has some of them," responded Conner. He walked on the right while Julie was walking on the left with Mnie in the middle.


    At that thought, Julie asked, "Does everyone attend this bonfire?"


    "Are you worried that Mateo Jackson will show up?" asked Mnie.


    "After being chased around and locked in the room, I am hoping not to run into him again," confessed Julie. Her eyes fell on the two girls who walked past them while talking and giggling with each other.


    It wasn''t just Mat whom she was worried about. Somewhere she knew that the person who had her letter would be here and she didn''t know who it was! She had decided to keep her eyes wide and open.


    Conner assured her, "You shouldn''t worry about that. Most bullies don''t have time for small fry like us during the bonfires. Especially, when many others of the same kinde to attend it, they have eyes on each other unless you are their favourite person."


    "I hope not," murmured Julie under her breath.


    When they got closer to where most people had spread around, Julie and her two friends were greeted by four girls. They were the same girls whom she had met in the restroom during her first week here.


    "Julianne! What a lovely surprise to see you here," said the tall girl with long ck hair. "I wanted to invite you to the bonfire, but then I realized you must have already been invited by the popr group of our university. Isn''t that right?"


    Julie stared at the girl because she had forgotten her name and now she was trying to recollect it.


    "Eleanor," the girl reminded her with a pretentious smile and Julie smiled.


    "I was actually invited by my friend Mnie here," said Julie with a bright smile.


    "I didn''t know you were friends with the ones who belong to the lower ss,"mented another girl from the group of four.


    "I didn''t know we were living in the Victorian era where people have been divided based on their status," Julie replied with the same tone, and Eleanor smiled.


    "Oh it is. We try not to associate ourselves with the unworthy one''s. You should be wise to know whom to be around, Jules," said Eleanor while staring at Mnie and Conner up and down.


    "Hasn''t anyone told you before that it is okay if you shut up?" asked Conner.


    "Oh, look who has got a backbone. But I guess with all that bones of not eating enough, you do," Eleanor said to Conner with an air of attitude. Julie had been thinking about the possibility of meeting other people while forgetting these ghosts existed. Ghosts because they wore too much concealer around her eyes as if they would roam in the forest and haunt peopleter. "Jules-"


    "It is Julie," corrected Julie, not liking how the girl spoke to her friends. "You don''t have to worry with whom I associate myself. Thank you for your concern," she continued to hold the smile on her face.


    Eleanor stared at Julie for three long seconds and showed her perfect teeth when she smiled, "Of course, Julie. Why don''t youe and sit with us? We made sure to get one log just for us to sit near the centre ce. It will be more fun and we can speak."


    "I am fine. Thank you," answered Julie, staring back at the girl.


    "We can be the next famous five if you join us," said another girl, who stood next to Eleanor while sizing Julie''s clothes.


    "Looks like you cannote up with an original name," Mnie didn''t hold back, and Eleanor raised her hand. With the way she was dressed in her high heels, Julie could tell Eleanor came from a wealthy family, and she was someone who liked to get her way around people. How did she even walk here with those shoes?


    Eleanor said, "There''s no need for bad blood tonight. After all, it is bonfire night and I was hoping to get along with you. But it seems like you chose to stay on the other side of the river. Come on girls."

 Chapter 9: Bonfire

    <h4>Chapter 9:Bonfire</h4>


    Eleanor and her three friends turned around and walked away from where they stood to go closer to the bonfire.


    "Is she always like this?" questioned Julie. They were living in a modern era with techno-oh forget it, she thought to herself. The university weed and stuck to traditional methods implemented to keep the students in line, while some of the students had opted for the division of rich and the poor.


    "A lot of them are like that," replied Mnie with a sigh. "The first time I met her, I thought she was sweet."


    "But she''s only a sweet talker," answered Julie, and Mnie nodded her head. She had already met those kinds, and it was hard to differentiate such people''s intentions to be true or false.


    "Though Eleanor doese from a wealthy family, she joined the university in the same year with Conner and me," exined Mnie. They started to walk again, heading closer to the bonfire while also making sure to sit on the other side to avoid sitting near Eleanor''s group. "She is obsessed with the rich ss and she has been wanting to get into Olivia''s group for a long time now."


    "I think now I can connect the dots much better," replied Julie.


    Julie remembered how Eleanor had changed her tone when she had realized Olivia had spoken to her. She was trying to be friends with her because she wanted to know how she had gotten close to Olivia, when in truth, Eleanor had a misconception.


    "I don''t think she will bother me anymore after knowing I belong to the so-called lower-ss too," said Julie. But when Mnie and Conner gave her looks, she asked, "What is it?"


    "Julie," started Mnie, her voice turned low even though the surrounding was filled with chatter that blurred others conversation. "The ones who get targeted are usually the people who belong to a poor family. Even though we got through and into this ce with high marks, it doesn''t warrant protection from the bullies. The safest way is to stay away from them."


    "It looks like Julie is more popr,"mented Conner with his eyebrows raised.


    "I don''t think it is in a good way," murmured Julie as they sat down under a tree that was near to the bonfire. The little warmth that came from the bonfire felt good, and she rubbed her hands against each other.


    "Let me go and get something to eat and drink," said Conner, and he left them.


    Sitting here right now felt surreal because two months ago, Julie had never imagined being in a different ce at this time.


    Like Mnie had mentioned, there were indeed a lot of students scattered around the forest. Julie noticed some of the students were drinking alcohol or smoking. Most of them had their own group and were busyughing and talking. As she looked around, she caught sight of Olivia and Maximus, who stood not too far away from where she sat.


    Julie leaned towards Mnie and asked, "What is with the famous five?"


    Mnie, who was looking around, turned back to Julie at her question. She said,


    "They are the popr clique of this university. A total of five students who are all in their senior year. Some like to break rules and get into trouble. They are often seen making visits to the headmistress'' office with Mr. Borrell. A lot of students are wary of them, while at the same time curious to get closer to them. Supposed to be the elite of the elite in this university who don''t like to mix with others."


    Conner quickly returned with a packet of chips and three cans of cold drinks in his hands. He took a seat next to them.


    Mnie then continued, "You have already met Olivia Trosney. She''s probably the only remotely approachable person in the group apart from another one. Likely because she helps in the infirmary. The next one is Maximus Marudas."


    Maximus was grinning about something another girl said, who stood with them. "Who is that girl next to Maximus?"


    The girl wore a ck dress that stopped above her knees and her blonde hair tied into a high ponytail. She had a ck choker around her neck. "That''s Victoria Elliot and the other guy who is sitting on the log of wood with ginger hair, he is Simon Wace."


    Julie looked at the guy who looked tamer in his clothing style than the rest of his group. He wore a shirt over his round-necked T-shirt.


    "Thest person toplete the group is Roman Moltenore," Mnie whispered.


    Julie''s eyes moved from the ginger-haired boy, and it fell on the person whom she had met several times since the time she had joined Veteris university. "He is Roman? The one mentioned in rule number twenty-nine?" Julie asked in a surprised voice.


    "He''s the guy," confirmed Mnie while throwing a potato chip in her mouth.


    "He''s the leader of the group and gets into trouble the most to be followed by Maximus. I think I lost the count of times they received detention the first year I was here," Conner added his thoughts on the little gossip they were having.


    Julie knew he belonged to the same group because she had seen him with Olivia, but she didn''t know he was the same person she had been warned about.


    Roman was wearing his usual leather jacket, and his jeans ripped at his knees.


    The air around him seemed aloof, which couldpel a person to take a second look at him. One of his long legs was stretched forward, and the other ced near the log. He had his right hand ced on the surface of the wood while his head slightly tilted as he listened to one of his friends speak.


    Mnie then said, "The surprising part is that as much as some of them in their group get into trouble, they have good grades while most of us fail."


    No wonder he didn''t mind skipping sses, thought Julie to herself.


    While Julie, Mnie and Conner diverted to another topic, away from them, where one of the popr cliques were, Simon''s eyes fell on the new student.


    "Isn''t that the girl?" asked Simon while staring at Julie.


    "What girl?" asked Olivia, her eyes shifted to see where Simon was looking. Nobody in the group brought up about the new girl, who was now using the dorm, which once was Roman''s room. Because they knew it would unnecessarily blow the dim burning charcoal in Roman''s mind. "Earlier this week she was hurt. It was like a walking meal to some of them."


    "It takes time for the new students to get ustomed with the rules," said the girl named Victoria, who leaned against the tree.


    "Got into trouble?" asked Maximus with interest.


    Roman''s eyes didn''t go to watch Julie as he had noticed her before the rest of his friends did. A few days ago, after watching her step near the gates of the Blue Block, he had left amused. Even though he appeared to be least bothered with anything, his ears continued to listen to his friend''s words while he chewed gum.


    "How about we ask her to join us?" suggested Maximus. Leaning forward, he asked, "What do you think, Rome?"


    "Do whatever you want," replied Roman in a tone of indifference.


    Julie smiled about something Mnie said about Conner while enjoying her time with them near the bonfire in the forest when someone came to interrupt them with the looming shadow.


    She turned to her left and saw a pair of long legs, and when she looked up, she saw it was Maximus. What was he doing here? Julie asked herself.


    Maximus gave the three of them a bright smile before he suddenly sat down on his heels, "Good evening, what are you talking about?" he asked Julie.


    Mnie and Conner seemed as taken aback as Julie because Maximus had walked to where they were and sat in front of Julie.


    Julie replied, "We-we were talking about Mnie and Conner''s time when they were in mid school."


    "And what was that about?" asked Maximus with a bright smile on his lips, his eyes fluctuating from looking at her to her friends and then back at her as if he couldn''t wait to hear more of it.


    Mnie then cleared her throat and said, "It was the time Conner poured ink on his test papers and it soaked his written paper."


    "How exciting," responded Maximus before his amber eyes fell on Julie, and he looked straight into her eyes. "I came here to have you guys joining me and my friends."


    Conner''s eyes went wide on hearing this, "Y-your friends?" he asked in surprise.


    "Mhm," Maximus responded. The smile slowly started to feel unsettling to Julie because it was too bright. Thest time she had seen such a smile was in a movie where the guy was a killer. "I am sure we seniors would love to treat you with some refreshments while we have a chat together. Also to get to know you all."


    "We wouldn''t want to intrude on your time," said Julie because she wasn''t sure this was going to be a good idea. Mainly because their clique was a popr one, she doubted it would go well with some of the students here who wanted to get closer. She offered him a smile, but Maximus didn''t leave from there.


    "Is that a no?" he asked directly, the smile on his face lowering down as he yed with the pin in his mouth.


    Julie felt her heart slightly drop at his cold tone where his expression had made one-eighty degree. "I don''t think I used a no in my sentence," she said to him while feeling the nearby people''s eyes on her and her friends.


    "Great then, I will see you over there," said Maximus before standing up and walking to where his group was.


    "Why did you do that?!" whispered Mnie.


    "What?" asked Julie. It wasn''t like she hadn''t tried to refuse as politely as she could, but her polite words had backfired.


    "You don''t refuse the seniors, Julie," Mnie quickly filled her in. "They are so scary and unnerving like this one. All of us just go along with them and then hope to never meet again."


    "Does it ever work?" asked Julie in a low voice, standing up and slowly starting to make their way.


    "Seniors often don''t call us juniors to join them. It doesn''t happen often," replied Mnie. But Conner had other thoughts in his mind, and he said,


    "I think it is pretty cool that they have invited us. Ah, the satisfaction of seeing Eleanor burn over this, can you imagine?"ughed Conner.


    When Julie and her friends walked to where the five seniors were, she pushed her sses up her nose. Somewhere in the back of her head, she could hear the sounds of drums loudly beating. Especially with the bonfire, it felt like they would be sacrificed, either now orter.


    Her eyes met Olivia''s, and the girl smiled, "It is good to see you here attending the bonfire, Julianne. Mnie," she gave a nod.


    Mnie offered a nervous smile. "Conner Linton," Conner introduced himself.


    "It''s good to meet you Conner. You are a student from the art department, aren''t you," said someone who was sitting on a log of wood. It was the person named Simon who had spoken.


    "Yes, that''s me," Conner seemed pleased to know that a person in the group knew about him, and he wasn''t an unknown junior.


    Olivia spoke, "Let me introduce you to the others. This is Victoria, Simon, Roman and Maximus whom you have already met."


    The other girl looked unfriendly, who didn''t bother to greet but stare at them, while the senior named Simon smiled. When her eyes fell on Roman, his head tilted to the side while looking at her.


    "Let us sit down," said Olivia, and Julie sat next to her while the others followed, leaving the log behind to join them. The ce where they sat had soft grass-grown that made it easier to sit.


    Julie quietly listened to the conversion between Olivia and Conner, holding a can of soda that had been passed to her. Mnie seemed like she was frozen in the presence of the seniors. And during that time, Julie could sense Roman''s eyes on her from the opposite side, but she tried to keep her eyes fixed on the two girls talking near her.


    Suddenly, it felt like she had turned into an experimental mouse under the observation of a scientist named Roman. He could have sat at the side, but it felt like he had purposely chosen the spot to sit right in front of her.


    Her hands went to hug her again, feeling the cold air pass where they sat.


    "So, Julie, how are you finding Veteris so far?" said Simon, who sat next to Roman. He seemed pleasant in appearance with a polite smile on his lipspared to the brooding person on his left.


    "So far it seems alright. I am still learning how things work here," answered Julie while not bringing up about the porcupine or the letters or about the detention she had been trying to stay away from. "I love the food here," and this earned her a chuckle.


    "I am sure all the students appreciate the food that the university provides," chuckled Maximus and Julie noticed the subtle look Olivia gave at her friend. She wondered what that was about.


    "Cannot deny that one. They do have some quality food," agreed Conner.


    "Of course, we always aim for quality food," Maximus stressed on quality.


    "Heard about your parents, we''re sorry to hear that. Was it an ident?" asked Simon, his upper body leaned forward.


    Julie looked slightly ufortable with the question, and she nodded, "Yes. It was an ident, an unexpected one." She tried not remembering it, something she had buried along with the coffin being closed.


    "Howe you didn''t pick the other ces? They have much more liberty even if ours is reputed?" questioned Maximus, and it seemed like it had turned into a session of questions to her.


    "I guess I wanted some time away for myself and to start fresh. This ce seemed the best," she hoped the questions would drop.


    Maximus started, "Must have-"


    "Heard you had a phone problem, did you get it fixed?" asked Roman out of the blue while he continued chewing the gum, and Julie''s eyes met his eyes. He was being sarcastic¡­ Maximus must have told him because she did ask him about thework.


    "I will, when I get it back home..." answered Julie.


    "Hm. You should be careful with the rules," he warned her, his voice distinctpared to the other voices she had heard this evening. "You never know which one will get you into trouble."


    Julie gave him a nod and cleared her throat, turning away from him to ask, "Did all of you join this ce together?" trying to switch the subject from her to them.


    "I wouldn''t say we joined together, but maybe with a bit of a time gap of a few days difference. Since the beginning of the year," replied Olivia, her voice polite. She picked up a bottle of alcohol before taking a sip from it. "Do you want some?" she offered.


    "No, I am fine. Thank you," replied Julie.


    "Looks like you are that ssic good and boring girl, who likes to keep a clean image. Taking a sip won''t hurt," came the voice of another girl from the group, Victoria. Suddenly the atmosphere around them turned silent with the group''s eyes on the two girls.


    "I don''t like the taste of it and it doesn''t warrant every person who drinks it to be fun. Some are sad drunks," replied Julie with a small frown.


    Both Mnie and Conner turned alert as if they were sitting on pins and needles while the others in the group stared at the two girls.


    "You are right. You do look like you might be a sad drunk,"mented Victoria.


    "I don''t need to prove my point by drinking it," Julie replied with a smile at Victoria, who stared back at her.


    "You don''t have to mind Tori''s words, Julianne," said Simon, bringing her attention to him and for the briefest moment, her eyes shifted to Roman, who was staring at Victoria.


    With only her not drinking while even her friends had taken sips, Julie found herself to be an odd one out. "Now that we have many members here, why don''t we y a game to liven up the bonfire?" she proposed.


    "Count me in!" Maximus was the first one to agree.


    "Sure," said Simon.


    "What about others?" asked Olivia, and she turned around to get nods.


    "If it is better than the boring questions you asked, sure," remarked Roman.


    "What game are we ying?" asked Mnie, and Julie was thankful for the question. She didn''t want to do one more round of questions at her.


    "Let''s y munchies," suggested Maximus.


    "Who eats a lot?" asked Conner in doubt.


    Simon went on to exin it, "It is a game where everyone eats together one after another. Make sure to concentrate and not to touch each other. The rules are simple, to be careful." That made zero sense! Thought Julie to herself. By the looks of it, Mnie looked as confused as her, but she nodded her head like a sheep that was going to be butchered soon.


    But somewhere, Julie was d that they were going to y a game that would distract everyone from any remarks or questions to her. She hade here to have fun, and some of these people seemed nice.


    "Alright then. Time to shuffle," said Maximus with a p in excitement. "Mnie dear, why don''t you sit between me and Simon. Julianne next to Simon."


    Before Julie could protest, saying she was good where she was sitting, space was already made, and she bit the inside of her cheek before crawling to sit between the two boys. After being pointed out that she was a possible boring person, she didn''t want to prove it.


    "Tori next to me and Conner between the girls. I guess we have a perfect sequence now," stated Maximus, and he fished for something in his bag to pull out a box full of choco sticks.


    Wait a minute¡­


    Julie''s mind started to race, and she realized what game they were going to y.

 Chapter 10: Shark attack

    <h4>Chapter 10:Shark attack</h4>


    Julie awkwardly sat between the two boys, Roman on her left and Simon on her right, while feeling her hands turn sweaty even though she had been feeling cold a few minutes ago. The eight of them sat in a circle with gaps between them so that they could see each other well.


    "I forgot to tell another thing here. You are not supposed to break the stick while biting it to the finish line. That would earn you a dare. The person who meets the middle of the stick second, he or she will be asked questions," stated Simon.


    "Is it toote to back out from the game?" asked Mnie.


    "If you want to be on the receiving end of our wrath, then sure," said Simon with a peaceful look on his face, "I am joking," he added at the end of his sentence. But as someone said, every joke had a piece of truth in it, thought Julie to herself.


    While they were seated, Julie sat right opposite the girl named Victoria, and she noticed the girl''s eyes subtly narrow at her. She wondered what her problem was.


    Looking away, Julie wiped the palms of her hand off her skirt and heard Roman ask, "Scared?"


    She turned her head to meet Roman''s eyes, "Why would I be scared? It is just a game."


    "You never know when a simple game can turn dangerous," said Roman in a calm tone, while his eyeszily took in her face. "It isn''t toote to step back. I doubt a good girl like you can handle it."


    "Just because I look like a good girl doesn''t mean I am one," retorted Julie, her eyebrows knitted in a slight frown.


    A slow grin appeared on Roman''s face, "I cannot wait to see it." His eyes shifted to look at Maximus, who had opened the box of choco sticks that would be used in the game.


    Some of the nearby students stopped what they were doing to take a look at what they were doing. Some with envy and some in the curiosity of why the three students they hadn''t bothered to look at before had been invited into the elite group.


    "Let us start with Olivia and Conner," announced Maximus, and if Julie needed any more rification on what they were ying, this was it.


    One choco stick passed to the pair, and they both moved closer to hold it between their teeth.


    "Your time starts now!" said Maximus, and in less than five seconds, both Conner and Olivia met in the middle of the stick too close, which ended up in a tie. "That''s a good start there. Not bad, Conner, your next opponent, is Victoria, who I might say is bad in the game," during Maximus''mentary, the girl red at him, but that barely fazed him.


    Another stick was passed to Conner and Victoria, and this time Conner looked a little nervouspared to the time with Olivia because Victoria was ring daggers. But the stick was weak, and it broke from Conner''s end, making some of them in the group p. Even Julie smiled and saw Conner looked awkward, and he cleared his throat.


    "Alright, your dare," started Olivia with a thoughtful look and said, "I would like you to go near the bonfire and dance. Make three rounds before youe and sit back."


    Julie saw Conner stand up and make his way towards the bonfire before he started to il his hands up in the air, making peopleugh and some who looked at him as if he had lost his mind.


    "I don''t even know why we are ying such childish games. We aren''t ten to eat like this," Victoriained while rolling her eyes.


    "Don''t be a spoilsport, dear," murmured Maximus while picking up one of the sweetened sticks. "Else you will be agreeing that you are a bore," and he leaned forward while bringing the stick between them. When Victoria ced her teeth and Simon said ''start'', like a beaver, Maximus was quick to eat his side of the stick and more. The girl moved back while continuing to re at him.


    "This is a dumb game," Victoria cursed under her breath.


    "Don''t be such a sore loser, Tori," Maximus grinned and then said, "As you werete, someone here will ask-"


    "What is wrong with your mood?" Julie heard the question being shot by Simon. If looks could kill, Simon would have died by now, thought Julie to herself. But then they were friends for a long time which was why Simon seemed unaffected while waiting for her to answer. "Making the question much simpler, who here has upset your mood?"


    Victoria''s eyes fell on Julie, an unpleasant look in her eyes, "I don''t know from when we have started to invite outsiders to join us," she said without blinking her eyes while continuing to look in Julie''s direction.


    Silence fell over the girl''s words, and Julie, who had been smiling until now, her smile lowered down as she became the person to be disliked by one of the group members. It wasn''t just Julie, but even Mnie and Conner had joined them this evening, but Victoria particrly didn''t seem fond of her.


    "Since thest forty-two minutes," said Roman, who sat next to Julie. "Is there a problem, Victoria?" he asked, his expression serious with his eyes coolly looking at her and Victoria''s eyes hardened at his words.


    The other group members didn''t seem to intervene, and Victoria finally exhaled, looking away from Julie and Roman.


    "It is mine and Mnie''s turn," announced Maximus while trying to get everyone''s attention back to the game.


    When Mnie and Maximus got ready to hold the choco stick with their teeth, Julie''s hands clutched onto the sides of her skirt that was resting on the ground. She had never expected to be hated by someone this soon when she hadn''t done anything.


    Julie tried not to look at Victoria and concentrated on watching Mnie, who ate very carefully while trying not to break the stick so that she could avoid a dare, but she lost against Maximus.


    Maximus questioned Mnie, "What is your opinion about the group you are sitting with right now, minus your friends?"


    Mnie''s eyes went wide, "That it is good?"


    "More detailed," Simon took part in the question, "I am sure like many other students, you must have ced each of us in the category of the good, bad, and evil. What are your thoughts?"


    Julie could tell that Mnie wished she had stayed back in the dorm today. "That is a curious question," agreed Olivia, her eyes on Mnie.


    From what Julie noticed so far, only Conner, Mnie, and Victoria had lost the game. Victoria because she wasn''t in the mood to y. The way it looked, the chances of Julie losing on her turn seemed to be ny-four percent. She hadn''t seen either Simon or Roman y yet.


    "Tick tock tick tock. Don''t worry, we will try not to use it against you," Maximus urged her to answer.


    Even Conner, who had been smiling earlier, now looked at Mnie with a little concern in his eyes. Mnie carefully looked at everyone. "So far, I think everyone seems alright since we started to y," said Mnie, hoping she would be let off the hook. "Good, bad, bad, hard to tell, evil," she whispered as quickly as possible.


    "And from which side does it start?" asked Maximus, and Mnie raised her hand like a child towards Olivia. "It must be your attire that is confusing, Simon," he nudged his chin at his friend, and Simon smiled.


    "Guess it is time for us to share the treat now," Simon flirted, and Julie, who was not used to any boy''s advances, turned red.


    "You can eat all of it if you want," said Julie while turning to face him because she knew she would have to go through it. The game was much more fun when someone else yed, she thought in her mind. But, like her friend, Julie didn''t want a dare. Thest thing she wanted to do was dance like a cavewoman around the fire.


    "Start!" said Olivia.


    Julie tried to eat as slowly as she could so that she wouldn''t identally break the stick or touch Simon''s lips by getting too close. She had given up the game before it had even started, and Simon was the one to win the round.


    "So you have picked death," said Simon in humour, "What shall your question be?"


    "I have one," said Roman and Julie felt a slight dread fill her. "From the university rules, how many of them have you broken?" he asked her, his face serious, but his eyes held a hint of mischief in there.


    Julie was slowly convinced that this person on her left was the reincarnation of the Devil.


    She blinked at him before starting to count. She then answered, "Three."


    "My my, that''s a lot for a new joiner," murmured Olivia while some of them wondered which rules Julie broke. Julie sheepishly smiled, it wasn''t something she was aiming for, but it happened¡­


    When the next choco stick was passed, Roman took hold of it. Julie turned to face him, and he said, "That was such a poor performance. Even an ant would have eaten faster," as if he knew what she had done. "You should have backed out," he taunted her.


    "I didn''t know you were an ant expert in an ant''s habits," muttered Julie.


    "Oh, you would be surprised," replied Roman and kept the sweetened chocte stick in between his teeth. Having done this with Simon, she should have felt less daunting the second time, but instead, she felt worse.


    It was because Julie noticed a mix of re and the taunting in his stare. Mnie had advised her to run away in the other direction if Roman Moltenore appeared in front of her. His expression held a hint of arrogance and confidence that only made him look that much of a bad boy.


    Seeing him wait, Julie moved in closer while holding the stick carefully between her teeth, to not let it break right away.


    When Julie held the other end of the stick, she prepared to gobble it and move back. But when Simon said, "Ready? Start-"


    Roman was too fast to open his mouth like a shark and took a big bite from the stick that left only a small piece at Julie''s end. His face hade too close to her face with just one breath away, and her heart stopped for a moment before he pulled back and munched on what he had bitten.


    "Is that allowed?" Conner asked Olivia in a low voice.


    "Well," drawled Maximus with a thoughtful look on his face, "Julianne is still holding on to her end and the stick didn''t break. So I guess yes¡­"


    "Rome, you scared her," Simon chuckled on seeing Julie frozen.


    "She is a scaredy cat,"mented Roman, and Julie snapped at his words.


    That was not fair! She didn''t know he would eat like that!


    "I request for a rematch. I wasn''t aware of these tricks," said Julie. She was no scaredy-cat! And the more he said it, the more it irked her!


    "The game finished right when it started," said Mnie.


    "Let''s have another one. You can take my turn, Julie," said Olivia, offering her choco stick to Julie.


    "This time if you lose, you don''t get truth but a dare and you will need to do whatever I say," Roman dared her, and Julie nodded her head.


    "Deal."


    Both Julie and Roman held the opposite ends of the stick with their teeth before they started to bite one after another. Julie could feel the increase in her heartbeat, and she tried to get to the finish line as fast as she could. Coming near the middle point of the stick, Roman took thest bite with a crunch.


    "That was a tie!" announced Maximus and Julie, who had turned beet red, turned away and got back to her ce.


    "Good one both of you," praised Conner.


    To Julie''s relief, they dropped the game after that. When it was time to leave, Roman leaned near her and said, "Cannot wait to see you break all of them before the end of the year," with a small smirk on his lips. Then, he stood up from his ce and walked away from there with his friends.

 Chapter 11: Warning of the Ghost

    <h4>Chapter 11:Warning of the Ghost</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Bad guy- Billie Eilish


    .


    Julie watched Roman or Rome as his friends called him, leave the bonfire ce with his clique while she stood with Mnie and Conner. Roman''sst words to her resounded in her mind, and her lips pursed. Roman Moltenore was indeed a trouble that she would need to avoid.


    It was only a while ago, did she realize that she had been yed by having another round with him. The scent of his cologne continued to linger in the ce where he had been sitting until now, leaving a light whiff in the air.


    "It was a fun night, wasn''t it?" asked Conner with a grin as they started to make their way towards their dormitories. "Some of them were good."


    "What do you think was Victoria''s problem?" questioned Mnie with a frown.


    "I don''t know," Julie shrugged her shoulders because she had never met the girl before this evening. "Maybe she wasn''tfortable with me being there," because she did mention it.


    "It still was rude," muttered Mnie. "After all, Maximus was the one to invite us and not the other way round.


    "That''s fine," said Julie. Now that the game was over and they were away from the ce where the bonfire continued, the way Victoria had behaved with her didn''t bother her as much as it had the first time when she answered Simon''s question. "People are protective and don''t like strangers joining their said group. Though I must admit that I did enjoy watching Conner dance around the fire," and the two girlsughed remembering it.


    "Julie, you were brave to talk back to Roman. For a minute I was worried," said Mnie and Julie nodded her head.


    "Me too," said Julie while remembering the shark bite.


    When Julie reached her dorm, she closed the door and went straight toy on her bed without removing her shoes nor changing her clothes. Being around people was exhausting, and she was not used to it. In the past, she had always kept to herself and was always found sitting in the corner of the room.


    She removed the sses that she wore, stretching her hand to ce it on the nightstand while she continued toy in her bed, staring at the ceiling.


    The following day, Julie arrived at the lunchroomter than her friends. Before she could reach her friends table, Eleanor appeared in her way, walking towards her with a smaller smile than yesterday.


    "Who would have thought that you were smarter than you appear,"mented Eleanor, stopping to stand right in front of Julie and blocking her from walking forward.


    "Good afternoon to you too, Eleanor. I thought it was given that most people who wear sses are smart," responded Julie with a polite smile. "But what are you talking about?"


    Eleanor sized Julie up and down before looking up at Julie''s face, "You innocent girl. You don''t know what you did yesterday?"


    "I spoke to you?" asked Julie in humour. She was about to step aside and walk, but Eleanor raised her hand, stopping her from walking.


    Eleanor took a step closer to her, and Julie wondered if the girl had heard something called personal space, "You think your joke is funny? Right now you are the only oneughing, but beware in the end it isn''t you but others who will beughing at you. So stay away from him," warned the girl.


    "I am sorry, but I don''t think we are on the same wavelength because I am not getting you," replied Julie, and Eleanor red at her. The girl was wearing heels that made her appear taller, while Julie wore the same sneakers.


    "Let me spell it out for you then, Jules. Stay away from Rome." At Eleanor''s words, Julie wasn''t sure if she was supposed to take it as advice or a threat. "After that little stunt you pulled in the bonfire, don''t think you will be let off the hook easily."


    Julie held a thoughtful look on her face and said, "I think there has been a misinterpretation of the situation in-"


    "I thought we could be friends but then you did pick to hang out with those two unworthy people. You were only invited out of Maximus'' kindness, so don''t get it in your head," said Eleanor, offering a sudden bright smile as if she hadn''t tried to threaten Julie and walked away.


    Julie stood in her ce, realizing people were looking at her, and they didn''t hide their stares. She made her way to where Mnie and Conner were.


    "Was it about being friends again?" asked Conner when Julie sat down at the table.


    "It was about Roman," replied Julie and noticed Mnie had got her meal, "Thank you, Mel." Picking up the fork, she stabbed the green leaves of the sd before putting it in her mouth.


    "Oh, no," whispered Mnie. "What did she say?"


    "Just to watch my back and to not talk to him again," replied Julie before taking another bite from her sd.


    "Julie, you should be careful with her. Don''t take her threat lightly," said Mnie looking slightly worried. "Remember that art student whom I told you about? Eleanor was the reason why the person broke her hand. Everyone in the bonfire must have seen you sharing the chocte stick with Roman and she''s obsessed with him. Actually there are many envious girls here."


    That ghost? Asked Julie in her mind. But Eleanor didn''t look like she could harm a fly and seemed to be more of words, or maybe it was just that she didn''t know about it.


    "I will be careful," assured Julie, and she carefully looked around and saw the students had got back to doing whatever they were doing before Eleanor had stopped her. "Howe the administration here doesn''t do anything?"


    "The students who like to bully are clever enough to not leave any evidence behind for their actions," shrugged Conner. "No proof means no justice and students here are spawns of satan," he said in a low voice.


    Julie hoped that whoever that girl was, who had broken her arm, had beenpensated well without her academic year being damaged.


    After a few minutes, when Julie was half done with her meal, she caught sight of the five seniors who stepped into the lunchroom like movie stars, and most of the new students stared at them from their seats. She noticed Roman walking at the back with Maximus while the rest of the three walked in the front.


    On seeing the group, Julie turned her face away from them to avoid eye contact that could insinuate ideas from the jealous girls at the bonfire. The five popr seniors took a seat at the other side of the lunchroom.


    Julie picked up the fries from Mnie''s te and stuffed them into her mouth.


    "By the way, Julie, are you going to visit your uncle next Sunday?" asked Mnie.


    "I haven''t nned it yet. How about you both?" Julie returned the question.


    "We are going to visit our family. The university has a bus that leaves from here to go to the town," Mnie let her know, and Julie nodded, picking up the water bottle and taking a sip from it.


    "I will keep that in mind," Julie smiled while internally realizing that she would be spending her Sunday all by herself. Which was alright, she thought in her mind. She liked to spend some solitary time by herself.


    It was good to have a ce to return to, but it was as if the doors were not locked in Julie''s case, but they were non-existent. She wondered what her mother would have said if she was here today.


    "If you want you can alwayse with me," offered Mnie as she sensed something not to be okay with her, but Julie was thankful that Mnie didn''t question her. "I am sure my parents would be happy to have you over at my ce. They would also appreciate having a new face and not just Conner."


    "I wonder that too," agreed Conner, and he asked Julie, "Do you miss your friends where you used to live before?"


    Before Julie could answer Conner''s question, amotion broke in the lunchroom. Hearing the table and chairs screech, everyone''s head turned to look at what exactly was going on. When Julie stood up like some of them, she caught sight of Roman, who was involved in a fight with another guy.


    "It is going to be messier," said Conner. Whoever the other guy was, he seemed like he wanted to run away, but Roman got hold of the back of the guy''s shirt.


    "What do you mean?" asked Julie. It had been only a few minutes since the group had appeared in the lunchroom. What happened?


    Conner whispered, "If it is inside the buildings where the teachers are present, the fights are usually more contained, but away from the faculty''s eyes usually ends up in one person visiting the infirmary."


    Julie noticed the students move away from where the fight was taking ce. The other friends of the group did nothing to stop Roman and stood there watching. She flinched when Roman pulled his hand behind before it hit straight into the boy''s face, and the boy fell on the lunchroom floor.


    A few hours ago...


    In the boy''s dormitory, in one of the dorms that had a door with the darkest wood, Roman''s inked hand reached for the white T-shirt that he had earlier ced on the bed. He wore it and picked his jacket without putting his hands into the sleeves while letting it rest on his shoulders. Walking to stand in front of the mirror as he chewed gum, he brought the chain around his neck to rest on top of his shirt.


    Stepping out of the room, Roman ran his fingers through his thick locks of hair and closed the door behind him. Taking two steps closer to the long window, which was at the end of the corridor, he looked at the students who walked past the building.


    "I am envying that spotless white shirt now," came Maximus'' voice from the left side. Roman''s head turned in the direction of the voice and footsteps, seeing his two friends walking towards him while he leaned against the wall. "What will you do if someone drops something on it?"


    "You can try if you want to know," replied Roman, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth, yawning.


    "I am fine," replied Roman before pushing himself away from the wall.


    Most of the boys on the floor had already left the building to either study in the library or elsewhere or have lunch or involve themselves in extracurricr activities. The three boys left the corridor, making their way outside the building.


    "By the way, did you hear thetest gossip going around since yesterday in the university? There have been people questioning if we are looking to expand our group. Not to mention they are wondering who the new girl is," chimed Maximus with a mischievous smile.


    Simon''s gaze shifted to Maximus, and he said, "You put her on the map."


    "I did?" asked Maximus in an oblivious tone and then said, "Dante told us that we should find this student who isn''t here to study but to cause a mess. Wasn''t that the intention?"


    Roman responded, "We cannot be sure that it is someone who was admitted this year. If the n about exposing us was set in motion months or years ago, whoever it is, that person would have joinedst year, or a year before that. And speaking about the girl, scratch her name from the list."


    "Hm?" Maximus'' eyebrows raised.


    "It seemed likest night she caught your interest," stated Simon, his eyes holding a look of curiosity in them. "Have you decided on her to be your next treat?"


    "Who knows," replied Roman with a chuckle.


    When they reached the building of lunchroom, Olivia and Victoria had already arrived, and together they stepped inside therge building. Stepping inside, they walked towards the empty table, taking a seat.


    "How was your night in the dormitory? Tori looks upset about yesterday," said Simon when Victoria and Maximus left the table to go to the counter.


    Olivia''s eyes shifted from Simon to look at Roman, who stared at her before looking back at Simon, "She isn''t particrly fond of the kind Maximus invited."


    "For a person who depends on that kind for survival, I am surprised," replied Roman. He pulled out the can from his jacket, hooking his finger in the ring and tearing the strip. Though the can had beenbelled with a soft drinks name, inside it was human blood.


    "Didn''t Dante tell us not to carry blood in the crowded area?" whispered Olivia, noticing her friend''s lips getting a hint of colour before he licked it away.


    "And since when did you listen to everything she says?" questioned Roman, unbothered by Olivia''s frown. "I have never dropped anything. Rx."


    "She''s the headmistress of this ce," stated Olivia.


    One table away from them sat another group where one of the boys overheard what Roman said, and hemented, "Looks like someone is going to be expelled today. Let me inform the headmistress about what you are doing. This should be enough reason to earn a higher punishment."


    Roman barely seemed fazed by those words, and he continued to enjoy the contents inside the can.


    Once he emptied the entire can, he ced it on the table without letting it go and turned his head to look in the direction where the person hadmented. At the table sat people he didn''t get along with, people who believed they were better than him. But Roman believed the other way round.


    "Is that all yourpdog can do, Griffin. Bark for you?" asked Roman. The bubble gum he had been chewing had turned red because of mixing with blood. He looked directly at the next person and not the one who wanted to tattle-tale.


    "He was only stating the rules that you are breaking. I don''t think he did anything wrong with that," stated Griffin.


    But the first person who had spoken earlier seemed offended because Roman had associated the person with the word ''bark'', and he got up from his seat, walking to their table. "Fucker, whom did you refer to as bark?!" he demanded in a low voice and his hands clenched.


    "You," Roman didn''t bother to beat around the bush and stared at the person. The person seemed like he was a freshman and had been recruited by Griffin. "Go back to your seat if you aren''t looking for trouble."


    "What''s going on?" asked Maximus, who had returned with food in his hand. He ced it on the table, watching the stranger at their table.


    The next second, the freshman banged his hand on the table, and the te shook with the drop of ketchup that fell on Roman''s white shirt. The guy leaned forward and said, "I have heard a lot about you, you are a half and you think you own this ce. Let me-"


    Roman grabbed the boy''s shirt at the front and punched his face. The guy staggered back. He got up from his seat as the person came to return the punch, but Roman only twisted his hand from the front and used his head to smack the person''s head.


    "Should we stop?" asked Simon in a whisper.


    "Thest time you went to stop you ended up fighting too," muttered Olivia.


    The person was no match to Roman''s strength because, after the sixth punch, the boy fell like a dead log on the floor, but unfortunately, still breathing.


    Roman''s knuckles had blood, and now there were more spots on his white shirt because of bloodstains. Tilting his head, he got down to sit on his heels, and by then, many students had scattered away while some stood up from their seats.


    "Next time, arrange your thoughts before crossing me, before I decide to permanently rearrange the bones in your body," advised Roman, and he stood up. He was ready to sit back at the table when one of the faculty members arrived at the lunchroom.


    "In the headmistress'' office now, Moltenore and Griffin," ordered the female teacher.


    "The fuck? I wasn''t even part of it! It was Ricky," said Griffin, receiving the teacher''s re.


    "Bring him along with you. Now," she emphasized the word ''now'', and she turned around, leaving the ce.


    "Looks like a detention is on your way," sang Maximus.


    Roman didn''t bother to pick up the person lying on the floor, and instead, he started to walk. On his way towards the lunchroom''s entrance, his eyes met the eyes of Julie, and he disappeared behind the door.


    When they reached the headmistress'' office, as expected, the woman sitting behind the table didn''t seem one bit pleased with the students who had appeared in the room. "What was it this time?" she asked as if her patience had worn thin.


    "Roman started beating the freshman for no reason," Griffin exined to Ms. Dante.


    "Why don''t you ask the injured boy," suggested Roman calmly.


    "You sent him to the infirmary and he''s lost consciousness," Ms. Dante red at the two people who stood in front of her. "All year I see the same people and most of the time it is you, Roman."


    "I cannot help it if people see me as a benchmark when ites to poprity and strength. Don''t me it on me," deadpanned Roman as if it wasn''t his fault.


    Hearing this, Griffin snorted, "You think you are stronger than all of us? You are weaker than us."


    "Is that what you tell yourself when you go to sleep?" asked Roman, running his tongue over his even teeth.


    "Why don''t we fight right now and decide that?" Griffin turned to face him.


    Ms. Dante''s hands shot straight on her table, and she red, "Behave both of you. Tell me which one started it so that I know which one to punish more."


    "Roman. I was sitting at the table eating my sandwich when the fight started," exined Griffin. "He even brought a can of blood in the lunchroom."


    "Where''s the proof?" Roman raised his eyebrows and offered him a smile. When the headmistress turned to look at Roman, he said, "Do you see this," he pointed his finger to the front of his shirt, where there were red spots. "Being the good senior I am, I told him to leave and not cause trouble. But the boy went ahead and smudged my shirt."


    "Both of you will clean the entire Blue block today. Every single room. One more toe out of the line and I will have you locked up in the dungeon for a week," she said in a stern voice before Griffin could try to protest another word about it. "You can both leave now."

 Chapter 12: Invitation in the dark

    <h4>Chapter 12:Invitation in the dark</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Let my home be my gallows- Hans Zimmer


    .


    After the boys who were involved in the fight left, the lunchroom returned to its peaceful state. Julie had not missed the way Roman had made eye contact with her, and when her eyes moved, she noticed even Eleanor didn''t miss it because the next moment, she red at her. Something told her that she would need to be careful from now on while visiting restrooms or alone.


    "What do you think triggered the fight?" asked Conner while looking over his shoulder at the ce where the fight had taken ce.


    "Who knows," replied Mnie in a nonchnt tone and getting back to finishing her meal. Julie realized that Mnie ate slowly. "They are always getting into fights for God knows what reasons. And once the fight is over one person goes to the infirmary and the other goes to detention. It is a never ending process."


    "Maybe there was a reason. There cannot be smoke without fire," said Julie, and Conner nodded his head.


    "We should have gotten the table there," said Conner as if he missed an important gossip.


    "Anywhere near the fight will only end up with something or someone getting broken," stated Mnie.


    Julie wondered what had ticked Roman off to end up beating a guy today. While the injured boy had been carried out of here, she had noticed his bloody face that left a chill down her spine.


    If something like this happened in thest ce she studied, they would have been expelled after one warning. But then, this ce was like a delinquent university except for a few students.


    Julie said, "I am going to the library. I need to make notes for the anatomy ss as Mr. Jackman said he has a test prepared for theing week."


    "I wille with you. I need to get the notes prepared too and maybe we can swapter?" suggested Mnie, and Julie nodded her head.


    "Yeah, that would be great. It will save our time," replied Julie.


    As the trio left, Eleanor and her friends stared at the new student from where they sat while pinning Julie to be a threat.


    Reaching the library, Julie went on her way to find the book in the racks. Pulling out the book, she got back to where Mnie was sitting. Two hours passed where Julie continued to make notes as she read the textbook.


    When she looked up to ask Mnie something, she noticed her friend wasn''t sitting there anymore. Her eyes looked around, and she noticed there was not a single soul in here. The books on the table had disappeared, and the sound of the pages being flipped had disappeared.


    "Mnie?" Julie called her friend''s name, but she received no response.


    The lights that had been lit in the library dimed in and out, making her stand up from her seat.


    The racks that stood on either side vanished as if they weren''t here at all, and when she called her friend''s name again, her voice only echoed. Suddenly, she heard the doors behind her open and in came some men dressed in ck robes with their faces covered and carrying torches of fire. Behind them, one person carried someone in his arms, who looked unconscious.


    The man walked forward and ced the unconscious person on the ground.


    ''Get me the knife,'' one person demanded, and Julie''s eyes went wide. Were they nning to kill the person on the ground?! Soon she started to hear whispers of incantation-


    "Julie? Wake up."


    Julie''s eyes snapped open on hearing Mnie''s voice, and she woke up from her dream. A little disoriented, she sat straight in the chair. Looking around, she saw some students sitting there and studying.


    "I fell asleep," said Julie and made her hair proper.


    "You did. You were sleeping so soundly that I didn''t have the heart to wake you up," said Mnie scrunching her nose. Julie couldn''t believe that she had fallen asleep and looked at her watch on her wrist. It was nearly two in the afternoon. Her friend informed her, "I am going to head to the dorm."


    "I will finish this and meet you at the dorms," said Julie, not wanting to keep her friend waiting. Mnie nodded, picking up her books and leaving Julie toplete her notes.


    The dream that Julie dreamt a few minutes ago evaporated while she tried to work on the rest of her notes that she would need. An hour passed before she was done, and she returned the book. It was afternoon, and the sky was covered in clouds that turned the weather gloomy and cold as if it would rain.


    While passing the Blue Block, Julie caught sight of Roman, who leisurely sat at the stairs with one hand holding the cigarette and the other rested behind him. As it was Sunday, the building was empty with no students or teachers in there.


    "What do you think you are doing, Roman? Dante asked us to clean and I am doing the damn work all by myself," said another guy who came outside from the building with a mop in his hand.


    "I am taking a break," replied Roman in a calm voice. He blew the smoke into the air. With the number of times Julie had caught him smoking, she could only believe that he would die because of lung failure.


    Julie was still walking as she had to walk past the Blue Block, hearing them speak.


    Griffin looked bbergasted by Roman''s words, "Break? You didn''t even touch the mop yet. Looks like you prefer to stay in the dungeon."


    Overhearing them, Julie asked, dungeon?


    "Go ahead," said Roman, a smile on his lips. Julie realized they were being punished for causing amotion in the lunchroom. Deciding not to get involved in it, she quickly walked away from there. Right now, she had enough on her te, and she didn''t want to be where trouble was breathing.


    Roman and Griffin''s eyes were quick to fall on the student who was walking away from the outer side of the building, and Roman grinned, "Looks like it will be you and not me spending your time in the dungeon if she caught what you said."


    At night, when Julie was in her dorm, someone knocked on her door. When she opened it, she saw a girl standing there, whom she didn''t know.


    "This is for you," said the girl, handing the envelope to her.


    "Wait!" Julie stopped the girl. "Who gave this to you?"


    "I don''t know. I was only asked to deliver it to you," replied the girl, leaving the front of her room.


    She took a peek at the corridor and saw some of the girls in their own world, who were talking andughing. Closing the door shut with one hand and in another holding the letter, Julie looked at the window left open by her. How unlike her letter-giver, giving it to someone and then give it to her, she thought to herself.


    Opening it, she read it to herself, "If you don''t want your secrets to be known about the rules you have broken,e to the forest where the bonfire took ce yesterday. I will be waiting for you."


    It was ten in the night, and this person wanted her to step foot outside the dorm? And in the forest?


    Julie pursed her lips with a small frown, wondering what more this person knew about her apart from her breaking the rule by sending the letter to her uncle. She didn''t want to go, but this mystery bully had decided to show him or herself to her. If she went, she would know who it is and settle this matter once and for all.


    Wearing her sweater and grabbing the shlight, she made her way out of the dorm. As easy as it had seemed when she had walked with Mnie and Conner, Julie realized the path in the forest was confusing, and it took her some time to reach the ce where the fire had been lit yesterday.


    She noticed someone standing there, a girl. When the person turned, Julie''s eyebrows raised.


    "Eleanor?" questioned Julie with her eyebrows knitting together.


    "Surprised to see me?" asked Eleanor with a smile.


    "More than anything. Were you the one who sent me the letter?" asked Julie, her eyes looking around to see no one but them in here.


    "Of course it was me, who else do you think it would be? Roman? Because you think you shared two choco sticks and now you are a thing in your head?" Eleanor scoffed at the thought of it. "You small town girls like to dream big. Did you think I gave you an empty threat this morning?"


    "Give the letter back to me," demanded Julie.


    "Back?" questioned Eleanor, "I already gave you the letter which is why you are here, you ditz. As we don''t have a phone, letters are the best way tomunicate."


    While Eleanor was looking down at Julie, Julie tried to add up to the girl''s words wondering if this was a mistake. It was possible that Eleanor was not the one who had the letter that she had written to her uncle, and it was someone else.


    Julie sighed. She hade here for no reason. She turned around, ready to leave when she heard Eleanor speak,


    "Where do you think you are going?" At the same time, three girls stepped out from behind the trees. "I didn''t tell you to leave and we aren''t done speaking to you."


    "You can speak to me tomorrow. I can make time for you all depending on how important the matter is," said Julie to the girls. "Haven''t you heard what happens when you enter the woods at this hour of the night? Someone gets killed," she said with a straight face.


    "We have been in this ce longer than you, Julianne. To learn to not to be scared about such stupid things. We aren''t even in the danger zone," replied Eleanor and then smiled, "If it is anyone who is going to die, then it is you."


    "Looks like all of you are aiming to end up in jail rather than graduating from here," remarked Julie while looking at the three girls who held a baseball bat in their hands.


    Eleanorughed at Julie''s words, "Don''t worry, I didn''t mean it in a literal sense, but you sure as hell will regret getting any close to Roman when we are done with you here."


    Julie didn''t want to break any part of her bone, and she took a step away from the three girls and near a tree. She clutched onto the shlight in her hand. She said,


    "I have no interest in him. You can keep him all to yourself. What happened yesterday was just a simple game and nothing more than that. You know how the seniors are," she tried to convince them.


    "Break her legs so that she cannot use them," ordered Eleanor in a calm voice. Soon one of the girls swung the bat at Julie, but in time Julie stepped away from her ce, and the bat hit the tree. Dried leaves fell on the ground.


    These psychos!


    Hearing the sound of the metal bat hit the tree in force, Julie''s eyes went wide. Her friends were not joking when they said some of the girls were crazy. These girls needed therapy! Even though she hade to notice that things in this ce were extreme, being beaten by a baseball bat was something she had never considered.


    They were four girls with metal bat in their hands, and she was alone with just a shlight in her hand. That was right, realized Julie. When one of the girls came closer to her, ready to swing her hands, Julie pressed on the switch of her shlight, and the white light fell right on the girl''s faces, momentarily blinding them.


    Quickly Julie started to run, and the girls chased her further into the forest. Thankfully the other girls were much slower than her, and it made it easier for her to dodge the baseball bat from breaking or damaging any part of her body.


    "Why are you running slow! Don''t let her escape!" Eleanor ordered her friends from behind. The ring leader was much slower than the other girls, and Julie shook her head.


    "Why don''t we all take a moment and sort this out. I doubt you want to end up in prison," shouted Julie, her shoes lifting the dried leaves for a second because of the speed she ran in before they fell back lifeless on the ground.


    "Do you mean to say who will end up in the hospital? When we are done with you, you won''t be studying here anymore," Eleanor shouted back while pursuing the rest of them.


    "I don''t want any bad blood, so let''s just drop this!" yelled Julie. As she continued to run, she raised her hand and tried to read the time on her watch. It was forty past ten, and there was only twenty more minutes left before she would break one of the rules. She didn''t want to break any more rules than she already had. "You were only bluffing! You know nothing!"


    "Of course, I do," replied Eleanor, and suddenly one of the girls caught up to her. Julie had no clue where she was running anymore, and she took a quick left. "You think people are deaf that they didn''t listen to what you were speaking to Roman?"


    "I thought people had their own business," muttered Julie under her breath.


    Which was the way to get out of here?!


    "Everyone heard you challenging Rome. You crossed your line there," stated Eleanor.


    Julie felt a drop of water fall on her forehead, and within the next few seconds, the rain started to pour down from the sky. While the girls had been chasing her, none of them noticed that they had stepped into the deeper parts of the forest, missing the danger signs that had been nailed on the trees. The rain blurred any and every sound in the vicinity, and she couldn''t hear the girls'' footsteps chasing her anymore. Did the girls leave?


    She felt breathless because of the non running, and now that it was raining and water blurred half of the vision, Julie stopped for a moment to see where she was.


    When she turned around, right in time, she caught sight of one more girl who had not given up on chasing her hunt. Julie staggered back, bringing her shlight forward, but that only broke when it came in contact with the bat.


    "Finally, you have nowhere to go," came Eleanor''s voice from behind her.


    "Don''t you think this is foul y? Four against one person and not to mention the choice of weapon," said Julie, huffing for air and noticing the other girl''s huffing too.


    "Haven''t you heard everything is fair in love and war, Jules," said Eleanor, crossing her arms against her chest.


    Eleanor got hold of one of the bats and advised, "Close your eyes, it will hurt less." But before anything could happen, they heard a scream in the forest, which gained everyone''s attention. "What was that?" Eleanor snapped her head, looking behind her.


    Another bone-chilling scream was heard, and the girls suddenly became worried. Julie looked around, counting the number of girls in here. There were four girls and then her, everyone was here. So who screamed?


    Julie walked near a tree, staring at it, which had the warning sign nailed on the tree''s bark. "I think we are in the restricted area of the forest," she said, gulping down as thunderstruck up in the sky and lights shed.


    Having already heard two screams that possibly came from a female, Julie and the other girls quickly started to run with no actual direction, not realizing they were getting into the deeper side of the forest. It was past eleven in the night, and Julie had sessfully broken another rule from the list, passed the dull thought.


    "Didn''t you say, you were well aware of the paths in the forest," demanded Julie when she caught up to the girl.


    "I have never strolled this far. Do you think I like to take a walk in here?" Eleanor retorted as if this wasn''t her fault.


    As expected, Eleanor was all words, except with the bats. Julie ran further beforeing to a halt. She looked around, not knowing which direction would lead them back to the dormitories.


    They didn''t know in which direction the scream came from because the voice had echoed. One of the girls said, "It must be the wild animals in here. It must have attacked someone!"


    That was a possible answer, thought Julie to herself. She blindly walked forward. The more she walked, she noticed something on the ground. Stones ced upright. It was an old graveyard¡­


    Did this graveyard belong to those lords who once lived on this property? From where she stood, the tombstones looked old and greenish moss covering some parts of it. Realizing this was the wrong path, Julie turned around, walked to where the rest of the girls stood.


    Her heart was quick to drop from her chest on seeing the watchman of the university, who stood with Mr. Borrell and another teacher.


    "What do you think you are doing here?" Mr. Borrell red at Eleanor, who looked down at the ground.


    "W-we got lost, Mr. Borrell," replied one of the girls. "We were walking in the forest and then couldn''t get back."


    Mr. Borrell looked more than angry at them, and when his eyes fell on Julie, it narrowed. "Back to getting into trouble. All of you will serve detention tomorrow. Failing to follow the rules and wandering in the night."


    "What was that scream? We heard someone scream," asked Eleanor and the other teacher who was with Mr. Borrell said.


    "It was possibly an animal''s cry," replied the man with blonde hair with a smile on his lips. "We don''t know what strange creatures live in these woods." That was not true, thought Julie to herself. What were the two teachers even doing here? She knew even if she said anything in her defence, she would only be receiving one more detention, and she didn''t want the buy one get one free offer.


    "But Mr. Evans-" Eleanor began to say something, but Mr. Evans came and stood in front of her.


    The man ced his hand on her shoulder and looked straight into Eleanor''s eyes, and said, "You did not hear or see anything in here. But you did break the rules that we ced and for that, make sure you go to the detention room tomorrow."


    Mr. Evans walked to the other girls, repeating the same things that he had told Eleanor. He then came to stand in front of Julie. She knew the girls were dumb, but she doubted they were dumb enough not to understand the first time he said it because he repeated the same things. His light brown eyes stared into her eyes, and he said,


    "Forget everything that you saw or heard in here. Now you will go to your room without discussing a word with anyone and visit the detention room for lurking outside past eleven in the night."


    Julie didn''t know why, but she felt a chill run down her spine when he looked right into her eyes. Mr. Evans then stepped back from them and offered, "Why don''t I lead you youngdies back to your dorm? Come on now."


    The rain had stopped, and on their way back, the girls didn''t speak to each other as instructed by Mr. Evans. Now only if the girls had listened to her just like they listened to Mr. Evans, there would have been no problem. She couldn''t believe she had gained another detention.


    Stepping away from the thicker grown trees, Julie was finally able to see the buildings. While looking at the trees as they walked in the quiet night, her eyes fell on someone who stood on a branch of the tree.


    It was Roman. Howe people like him didn''t get detention? Their eyes met for the briefest moment before she looked ahead as if she didn''t see him.


    "Now get back to bed and don''t break any more rules," smiled Mr. Evans when they reached the front of the dormitory, and the girls went in.


    Julie got inside her dorm, locking the door behind her and drawing the curtains. Her clothes were drenched in rain, and she changed herself into fresh clothes. Mr. Evans had told them to forget everything. Did he mean not to speak about it to anyone? And who screamed?

 Chapter 13: Need to speak

    <h4>Chapter 13:Need to speak </h4>


    As the birds chirped outside her room, Julie turned in her bed, facing the window where the rays of sunlight peeked from the cracks of the two curtains.


    Sitting up on her bed, she noticed the curtains waver because of the wind passing inside through the gap of the window. Like many other nights, Julie had not kept the windows open. But when she pushed the curtain aside, she saw the window was left ajar. At the side was a white envelope that sat against the blurry window.


    It was addressed as¡ª''To the troublemaker.''


    Julie wondered if this was a new sender, but at the same time, only one person had been sending her letters without any middleman.


    On second thought, it wasn''t her but this person who had put her in troublest night because of the letter. One letter and it had ended up with her getting another detention, thought Julie to herself. She wondered what this person had to say and she pulled out the letter from the envelope before reading it.


    Leave your answer next to the window. And don''t bother by turning yourself into a watchman to see who I am.''


    Julie turned worried by thinking who could open the lock of her window and ce the letter. From being a university for delinquents, she also believed that some of the students here had insane minds. One had opened her window, and some others had been eager to beat her up with a baseball bat. Stuck up arrogant students was something she understood because some people who belonged to wealthy families believed they were entitled to everything.


    But this wasn''t normal.


    The envelope was ced here when she was sleeping. And right now, it felt like a movie where a serial killer was watching her closely. She wondered what to do.


    Without bothering to write back to the letter, Julie locked the window before getting ready and leaving her dorm. She made her way to the main office building. Entering the office, Julie walked to where the woman sat behind the counter.


    "Hi, good morning, Mrs. Hill," Julie greeted the woman. "I had a favour to ask from you."


    "If this is about the phone call, I have already told you that this is for office use only," replied the woman, giving her a pointed look.


    "No, it isn''t about that," replied Julie. Somewhere she did hope that Mrs. Hill could allow her to use the telephone. Coming back to the reason why she was here, she said, "I wanted to check with you if there are any other spare rooms in the dormitory that I could switch to."


    "No," responded Mrs. Hills. That was quick, thought Julie to herself, but she didn''t give up.


    "I don''t mind moving to next dormitorium building either or if someone wants to swap-"


    "You cannot do that, dear. First of all, that was thest avable room in the entire girls dormitorium. Secondly, the room has been allotted in your name for weeks now and even if I do send it for approval it will take more than two months of time," exined Mrs. Hill.


    "Months?" asked Julie. That was too long. She was hoping to change her room by this week, or even next would have been great.


    "That''s right. There are a lot of procedures to be done before we allot rooms to the students. You should go and attend your sses now, lest you want to miss them," said the woman behind the counter, and she went back to drinking her strawberry milkshake.


    Julie sighed, unhappy with the response she got. She only wanted a room with better locks on the windows. Turning around, she stepped out of the room, making her way towards the Blue block.


    While she walked towards the gates, she met Eleanor, who stepped in front of her with a re.


    "I wasn''t expecting to see you this soon, Eleanor," Julie dully greeted. Before she could get away from there, the other three girls appeared. "And hello to you too."


    "Where are they?" demanded Eleanor.


    "What?" asked Julie, confused, not knowing what exactly Eleanor was asking about.


    "Our baseball bats. Give it back to us," demanded Eleanor while cing one hand over her waist.


    Julie stared at the girls, wondering if they were seriously asking her about the weapon that they tried to use on her. She said, "I have no interest in collecting souvenirs like those. You were the ones holding them. Chasing me with it and not me. Who knows you must have dropped them and for the record, you owe me a shlight."


    Eleanor huffed, "Do you think we are going to fall for it? We were talking in the forest yesterday and we didn''t chase you. When we reached our dorms, we didn''t have them."


    What was this psycho ghost talking about? She and her friends were chasing her all around the forest, driving them to the restricted area of the forest.


    "I don''t have your bats. Now," Julie took a step back and said, "I don''t know about you girls but I have sses to attend." She walked past the girls and walked through the open gates.


    Julie speedily walked so that the girls wouldn''t catch up to her while also noticing some of the girls look at her. Having so many eyes on her made her feel squeamish and clumsy. But as she continued to walk up the stairs, she caught sight of Roman at the above floor, leaning towards the railings with his back bent forward, watching her.


    As usual, he was chewing gum, and Julie found it strange how the teachers didn''t give him detention every day, or maybe he did attend the detention room daily for breaking at least one rule. Not to forget, she had seen him with his motorcycle at the front of the main office.


    He stared at her, and Julie stared right back at him, her eyes curious while wondering what he was doing standing on a tree. She continued to climb up the stairs, not realizing someone else was descending the stairs, and she crashed right into someone.


    The corner of Roman''s lips pulled up, and he heard one of his friends call his name.


    Julie quickly apologized to the person she had collided into. It was a boy, and by the looks of it, she guessed she had run into another senior. He had sandy blonde hair, and he wore sses.


    "I am so sorry," she apologized and quickly climbed the remaining stairs. She quickly took a look at the railings where Roman was earlier standing, but he had disappeared.


    When she reached her ssroom, she caught sight of Mnie and walked to her seat.


    "I got your note at my door. Where did you go?" questioned Mnie.


    "I went to visit the main office. Also, I won''t be able to join you in the library in the evening. I have a detention to serve," whispered Julie, cing her bag down and next to her desk.


    "Huh? When did you get detention?"


    "Last night with Eleanor," replied Julie, wanting to scratch that girl''s and her friend''s face. "Is there any counsellor here with whom I can speak?"


    "There is one, in the left wing. Did the girls threaten you? You should have woken me up," asked her friend in concern, and Julie offered her a smile. Mnie was a sweet girl, and from what she knew, in the entire time of Mnie''s time in here, she hadnded in the detention room only twice, while here she was, breaking the rules one after another.


    Julie was going to tell Mnie about what happenedst night, but she didn''t forget how one of the teachers had told them not to speak about what happened in the forest. If she told anything to Mnie, she would be breaking rule number two again.


    "No, not much. We just ran a lot," said Julie, which was true. She was used to running, so much that she didn''t know it woulde in handy yesterday. "But I did break my shlight. When I go out thising Sunday, I will need to buy a new one. By the way...is baseball one of the sports here?" she asked Mnie.


    Mnie shook her head before answering, "Not at all. We have football and basketball, but no baseball. Why?"


    "I was just curious," replied Julie, while wondering why Eleanor had demanded from her to return the bats that she didn''t have. The level of bullying went too much in here. She decided to talk about it with the university counsellor.


    Before the time of detention, Julie decided to make a short stop at the counsellor''s office. But when she saw the door open, out stepped one student and with the student stepped out the counsellor. Julie''s eyes went wide, and she quickly turned and started to walk away from there.


    The counsellor was the same person who had told her and the other girls to not speak about their time in the forest.

 Chapter 14: Paper ball

    <h4>Chapter 14:Paper ball</h4>


    Gingerly, Julie stepped inside the detention room.


    This was thest ce she wanted to be at, and this time she had herself to me for what happened yesterday. She should have known that the person who had her uncle''s letter would not have sent the letter through one of the girls.


    Julie had fallen right into Eleanor''s trap, and she clenched her teeth on seeing Eleanor and her friends, who had already arrived in the room. As if the girl''spany wasn''t enough, today, two more people were present in the room. One was the porcupine with his twockeys, and the other one was Roman, who sat at the far back corner of the room.


    Her eyes quickly searched for an empty seat so that she could upy it. But thanks to her trip near the counsellor''s room, there were only two left.


    One was right in front of Roman, and the other one was next to Mateo''s seat. It seemed that Satan had personally decided to put her in this situation. Sitting next to the porcupine was something she would never do, considering what happened thest time they had met. Like many other times, she had avoided getting in his direct line of vision, but here she was today.


    The detention teacher arrived in the room, throwing a big book on the table that quietened the students'' chatter.


    Seeing Julie still standing, Ms. Martin questioned her, "Have you decided to stand here for the rest of the time? Take your seat."


    Julie started to walk, her feet feeling as if she was walking in water, and she pulled the chair in front of Roman''s desk. On her way, she didn''t make eye contact with him, and she sat down.


    "Let me take a look at the faces that we have in here. Well, well. Looks like we have our usual regrs who like to break rules," Ms. Martin sarcastically praised them. "Roman, Mateo, Justin, Tucker, Eleanor, and Wren, how lovely to see you. I thought some of you fixed your ways, but it seems like it is hard to straighten the curled tail," this earned snickers from some of the students, and Ms. Martin sent a re.


    "I would like to see how many of you would like to snicker once you are done with today''s detention," warned the teacher, and her eyes fell on Julie. "What are you doing here? Have you decided to be a regr like the rest? Anyways," said the woman without letting Julie speak.


    Julie wanted to say something, but she was already here, and there was no point discussing it. The sooner she would finish serving detention, the sooner she would be out of here.


    Ms. Martin said, "I want you to write an essay of a thousand words about this university. Be creative and learn how to write. I will count every word before letting you out of this ce. Your time starts now until you are done."


    Like the good girl Julie was, she pulled out her notebook and pen, and she started to write the essay. She decided to write about the buildings while trying not toin about the university''s bizarre rules or what she heardst night.


    Today''s students were primarily delinquent ones, and they didn''t bother to pull out their books until minutes passed. When she was done writing one page, she looked to her side and noticed Eleanor, who looked like she was ready to break her pen into two pieces because of mere jealousy. Now that Julie thought about it, she realized Eleanor had not dared to take the seat that she had upied.


    When Julie was done writing her second page, she looked at the room. Daring herself, she turned to look back at her considering how quiet it was. As expected, Roman hadn''t bothered to open his book. Instead, he had ced one side of his head on the desk, and his eyes were closed to face away from the students and towards the wall.


    Julie wondered what Roman was doingst night in the forest. She wondered if he had heard someone scream in the forest too, but as much as she wanted to ask him, until now, they had never had an actual conversation. His demeanour was enough to let one know that he didn''t want to be bothered.


    Turning to sit on the side of her chair, she raised her hand with her pen and poked his arm.


    Roman slightly raised his head, his eyes holding a sliver of annoyance in them. "What?" he asked her, his voice husky.


    "Sorry for waking you up, but there is something that I want to ask you," whispered Julie, while having her chair slightly lean back as she sat on the side. "What were you doingst night in the forest?" she asked him in a low voice, staring into his dark ck eyes that reflected her.


    "I don''t know what you are talking about," replied Roman andid his head back on the desk.


    Julie frowned. She didn''t want others to hear her, and her chair leaned back a little more this time.


    "I saw you standing on the branch of the tree. Is that why you are here?" inquired Julie.


    "Aren''t you nosey," murmured Roman, and Julie pursed her lips.


    She was asking him because she wanted to know if he had heard somebody scream in the forest. "You see," whispered Julie, "Some of your beloved fans lost their not so precious things in the forest and this morning they were demanding me about it."


    "People lose a lot of things in the forest. Sometimes even a person gets lost. Don''t bother," his eyes were closed and his words nonchnt.


    Julie wondered if he was in the mood to joke with her. She wanted to discuss what happened without being the first one to mention it. That way, she wouldn''t be necessarily breaking any rules set by the university.


    "You are here because you were outside the dorm past eleven, aren''t you?" Julie asked in a polite tone. She was sure he was a person who broke more than one rule in a day.


    While Julie was waiting to get an answer, her chair had leaned a little too much, and it was ready to crash against Roman''s desk. But Roman was quick enough to stop the chair from falling further back by cing his foot against her chair. The sudden jerk of the chair had made her heart topple.


    Roman raised his head, looking straight into her eyes, and he asked, "Don''t you have an essay to finish?"


    "I do," Julie solemnly replied.


    "Good," and he suddenly pushed her chair back to its original state where the chair was no longer leaning towards his desk.


    Him letting go of the chair gave a quick jolt to her. She should have expected this response as she had invaded his space.


    Turning back to her book, Julie wondered if Roman had or had not heard the scream. The scream had been nothing less than a horror movie in the night. The only difference being she was not a viewer but one of the possible could-be victims. Thinking about it, she realized that she had seen him near the outer edge of the forest, which was far away from the restricted area of the forest.


    Julie had been desperate to get an answer, which was why she had taken the initiative to talk to Roman. When she had earlier leaned backwards, she had smelt his cologne. It seemed like it was turning into a habit of hers, thought Julie to herself.


    While she finished writing the third page about the library, a crumpled paper came flying and hit her hand. Who was this imbecile trying to disturb her? Her eyes looked around and found Eleanor staring at her and then looking down at the paper near her chair.


    Staring at the girl for two seconds, Julie leaned forward to pick up the crumpled paper, and she opened it to see what it was.


    ''Liar. You are trying to get closer to him.''


    Julie rolled her eyes. Seriously this girl, she thought in her mind. cing the paper on the side, she continued writing her essay while some students continued to waste their time. Soon came another crumpled paper that hit her head.


    ''You are dead meat.''


    Julie quickly crumpled the paper, and to Eleanor''s shock, she threw it back at the girl''s head.


    Internally, Julie grinned on seeing Eleanor''s expression when the crumpled paper hit the girl''s face. It served her right, for behaving like a child and throwing paper at her. She turned back to her book to finish her essay.


    Eleanor, who was not used to being retaliated by people, got up with the chair screeching against the floor, making some students flinch.


    But before she could walk over where Julie was, Ms. Martin appeared back in the room and noticed her, "Looks like you have finished your essay, Eleanor. Bring it to me."


    Eleanor''s face scrunched, and she replied, "I am not done writing it," she lied as she hadn''t written a single word yet.


    Ms. Martin stared at the girl, one of her eyebrows raised, and she asked, "What are you doing standing up then?" Eleanor straightened her skirt and sat back in her seat. "Hurry now."


    Being the obedient student she was, Julie was the first one to finish her essay, and she went to Ms. Martin handed it over while she hung her bag on one side of her shoulders. The woman read what she had written and handed it back to her before waving her hand for Julie to leave.


    Before stepping out of the room, Julie''s eyes fell on Roman, who had gone back to sleep with his head on the desk without bothering to write a word. Tearing her eyes away from him, she walked away from there.


    She was happily able to walk back to her room at the thought that all the troublesome students were present in one room under the teacher''s eyes.


    "I was worried thinking something might happen in detention today, but you look happy," remarked Mnie, who was sitting outside the Dormitorium stairs, waiting for Julie.


    "Strangely I do feel happy," replied Julie.


    Mnie looked at her curiously before wondering, "Did you meet the counsellor? Did he help?" Julie shook her head. She took a seat next to Mnie on one of the stairs, feeling the light breeze around them.


    "No, I decided to meet him some other time. It can wait," replied Julie, while remembering the teacher, who was the university''s counsellor. "Mr. Evans is a good looking man. He even looks young."


    "He does and he''s also very kind. He is Veteris'' former student," exined Mnie.


    "From what I have heard, two years ago he was engaged to a person but unfortunately, she passed away in an ident. It''s really sad to see that the kind souls are the ones that go through pain. Julie¡­"


    "Hm?" Julie turned to look at Mnie.


    "I know there are some things that you might be ufortable sharing with anyone, but Mr. Evans is one of the kindest teachers in this university. If you ever need someone to listen to your worries, without a doubt I am here, and the next person might be him," Mnie said with concern.


    Julie nodded her head. A bright smile appeared on her lips. She wondered if the number of detentions she had received until now had put more stress on Mnie than her, "Thank you, Mel."


    She was d to have known Mnie since her first day in the university. She was a person who respected a person''s private matters without crossing the line, and it was something Julie appreciated. "Did you hear anytest news about yesterday?" she asked casually.


    Mnie''s eyebrows knit together, "Nothing that reached my ears. In fact, yesterday was a peaceful day."


    "Nothing about any girl who ended up in the infirmary?" asked Julie.


    "I wouldn''t know about that. People get cuts and little bruises all the time. I don''t think it is a topic people discuss," replied Mnie.


    Entering her dorm, Julie told herself that maybe it was better to make small goals than the big ones where she wanted to spend her time here in peace. Maybe she should start by avoiding getting into detention for the remaining days of this week. It wasn''t that difficult, was it?


    cing her bag on the table, she drank a ss of water while her eyes fell on the photograph that sat on the same table. Picking it up, she climbed on her bed, leaning against the wall while staring at it.


    In the photograph, Julie had a wide smile on her lips, and she had her hands around Jimmy, hugging him. She and Jimmy had grown up together, and she had good memories with him. Her parents had an issue with Jimmy being around her, her father especially, but she spent time with him anyway.


    It was hard to believe that he wasn''t there anymore.


    "You were a good boy, Jimmy," said Julie looking at the picture of her and her golden retriever.


    When she closed her eyes for a moment, she saw the blood and her eyes opened again.


    Until now, the information she had been giving about herself to others was only partly true, while the other half was a fabricated lie. It was true that her mother was dead, but her father was still alive and in prison. People here weren''t aware of it, and she preferred to keep it that way.


    Hours passed, where Julie was still studying the textbook in her hand when she dropped her pen at the centre of the book. Her eyes shifted to look at the letter that was sitting right next to her.


    There was nowork, the teachers were strict, but Julie wanted to know who had screamed in the forest.


    Bringing her notebook forward, Julie picked up the pen she had dropped and wrote,


    ''To the Letter Thief. Who are you?''


    Tearing the page, she neatly folded it and ced it near the window. Every two minutes, Julie looked at the window, waiting for a hand to appear and stealthily take the note, but after an hour, her eyes started to close.


    As Julie entered her dreand, she found herself back in the forest, and this time all alone. It was dark, and there was no moonlight to guide her. Lost, she continued to walk until she came to stand in front of the many tombstones.


    When the sky turned bright and the sun rose, the rm rang, and Julie woke up with a yawn. Looking at the window with one eye, she noticed the letter was in the same ce where she had leftst night. After an hour, when she was wearing her shoes, she had second thoughts about leaving a note to the person who had made her walk around the campus.


    Picking up, she was ready to throw the note in the dustbin when she noticed different handwriting. She opened it and read,


    ''Answer the question -_-''


    "How demanding," muttered Julie under her breath. She admired the thought putting in the expression after the sentence. The question? Ah, the person did have a question for herst time. Bringing her pen, she wrote below it, in the same note¡ª


    ''I received a letter that told me toe to the forest. I thought it was you.''


    Even if the person tried to bully her by saving these notes, there would be that person''s handwriting. cing the folded paper on her window, Julie picked up her bag and left her dorm to attend her sses. By the time she had returned to her dorm after sses, there was a fresh-looking letter waiting for her.


    ''How eager. What is the next rule you have decided to break?''


    Julie could feel the smugness dripping in the first sentence of the note. She wrote back to the person¡ª ''None. Who are you and when are you going to return my letter back to me?''


    She wanted her letter back, and once she would get hold of it, she would burn it up in mes to wipe out any traces of her having broken rule number four!


    Hearing a knock on her door, Julie quickly ced the note near the windowpane and opened the door. Mnie stood outside, holding a water bottle in her hand.


    "Hurry! Else we''ll end up missing the middle rows!" said Mnie in excitement. "The game is going to start in thirty-five minutes." The management had decided to conduct a football match between the two male teams of the university in the middle of the week and their friend Conner had been recruited to y.


    "Middle?" asked Julie, picking up the scarf and wrapping it around her neck.


    "Yes, because the front seats must be already upied since our sses got over nearly an hour ago," exined Mnie as Julie stepped out of the dorm and locked it.


    The dormitorium appeared deserted as most girls were either at the bleachers or headed near the field. While Julie and Mnie walked in the corridor, she caught sight of a vehicle that stood in front of the building.


    "Are they getting new things fixed in the dorms?" questioned Mnie, while not paying much attention to it as she looked ahead.


    Julie noticed luggage ced in the back of the vehicle, "Is there a new student admitted into the university?" That mean there was a spare room in the building now, thought Julie to herself.


    "That''s highly unlikely because we are already ahead in the subjects. I doubt the management would be taking in any students until next year," replied Mnie.


    Mnie was right. Possibly it wasn''t a new admission, thought Julie to herself. Maybe a student''s things were being cleared, which usually happened when a student didn''t or couldn''t continue studying.

 Chapter 15: Hawks vs Ravens

    <h4>Chapter 15:Hawks vs Ravens</h4>


    Add the book- ''Behind the sses'' to get author updates on books.


    .


    As Mnie mentioned when they were leaving the dormitory, the front rows at the bleachers were filled. Even some of the teachers hade to take a look at the game that would start in fifteen minutes. Julie heaved for air as Mnie had made her run halfway so that they wouldn''t bete. With the sky slowly turning dark, the floodlights were on, allowing the spectators to view the mowed field.


    The students were loud, creating a buzz. Julie, who was searching for empty seats, pulled Mnie, "Look there! There are three seats," and she dragged her friend along with her.


    "God bless your sses with more spray to clean it," replied Mnie.


    They made their way from the front and climbed up the stairs, squeezing through the students before they reached and sat down. Though they weren''t the centre seats, they would still see the yers on the field.


    "I never knew that Conner was interested in ying football," remarked Julie, her eyes watching at the swarm of students around them.


    "I am surprised they are even letting him y. I am worried that he will end up in the infirmary before the first half of the game," muttered Mnie because Conner was lean in the physique. He had been rejected thest two years when he had applied to be part of it.


    "Maybe he is stronger than he looks," replied Julie, giving their friend the benefit of the doubt.


    Mnie crossed eight of her fingers in Conner''s support and said, "Let''s hope for the best."


    Julie looked at the space after the front row of the bleachers, where two cheerleaders were cheering for the respective teams. One set of girls was dressed in blue, and the other girls were dressed in red. "Which team is Conner in again?" she asked.


    "Ravens. They are the ones with blue uniforms. Red are the Hawks," exined Mnie.


    As her eyes continued looking at the girls cheering, Julie''s eyes fell on Eleanor, who was part of the cheering team. She wore the red uniform, swinging her hands back and forth with a smile on her lips. Even though Eleanor had been slow when it came to running, Julie had to apud the girl for being able to stretch her body. And it took her only a few minutes before she understood what Eleanor was doing in the cheer squad.


    Roman stepped on the field from the right side with the rest of the team. She also caught sight of Simon in the same team.


    When her eyes shifted away from Roman to look at the Raven''s, she spotted their friend who looked like a shirt that had been hung on a shoulder. In the back of her mind, Mnie''s earlier words made her worry.


    "Oh no," Julie heard Mnie utter. Conner had been paired with porcupine and some others, who had a bad reputation.


    "I am conflicted," muttered Julie. Of course, she would support Conner and him alone, she thought to herself. "Looks like Conner is ying the first half."


    "Your friend is ying?"


    Julie''s eyebrows drew in together when she heard someone speak. Turning her head, she saw a guy who had upied the empty seat that was on her right. His face seemed familiar, as if she had met him before, but she couldn''t remember where.


    He had a round face, and his dark brown eyes looked at her now through his sses.


    "Yeah, he is," replied Julie.


    "I am sorry I couldn''t help but overhear the worry for your friend. My name is Dennis Mcoy," he introduced himself.


    "Julianne," replied Julie, and when his eyes shifted to look at Mnie, Mel said, "Mnie."


    "Is it that scrawny looking boy from the Raven''s?" Dennis questioned, and Julie felt an immediate distaste towards the person. She didn''t know if it was because he had decided to question by involving himself as if they were friends or if it was because he had called Conner scrawny.


    "It is him," replied Julie, turning her head to the front while trying not to make another eye contact with the person who sat on her immediate right.


    "This year''s matches are going to be tough. It looks like they have selected the best one''s on both the teams apart from the new ones," Dennis tried to rekindle the conversation with Julie, while Mnie didn''t hear Dennis speaking because of the noise that surrounded them. "You must be supporting your friend''s group."


    "Isn''t it natural," asked Julie.


    "It is. It is the obvious thing to do. As your friend needs more support, I would like to join in to cheer him," said Dennis with a smile. On a second look, Julie realized he, too had a lean figure. The only difference was that he was taller than Conner.


    "You don''t have to do that. Mnie and I are sufficient. I am sure you have your own yer you want to support," said Julie, wanting to draw the line so that he wouldn''t try to get too friendly with them. Dennis offered her a smile.


    It took her a while before Julie remembered where she had seen him. He was the same person she had crashed into a few days ago while climbing up the stairs!


    Mnie leaned towards Julie''s side and whispered, "I think he is hitting on you."


    Trying to ignore the guy, Julie saw both the team yers walk to the centre ce of the field with the referee who was iterating the rules.


    She noticed how some of the well-built guys took a seat on the bench while letting the students from the freshman year y. Soon the referee blew the whistle and the game started with the ball being passed from one person to another, and within two minutes, the Ravens scored a goal.


    Some parts of the crowd cheered, while some booed at the teams. The next goal was scored by the Hawks. After the first half-time of the game, some of the yers switched. Two minutes passed at the beginning of the second half when the opponent team member''s leg tackled Conner and he rolled on the ground, not getting up.


    Holding her friend''s hand, Julie said, "We should go see how Conner is doing." It was also a good opportunity to get away from Dennis.


    "You are right. They take the injured yers from the locker room before going to the infirmary," agreed Mnie and picked up the bottle she had carried with her. Right on time, even Dennis turned his body, ready to go with them.


    To stop him from following her, she quickly turned to him and said, "Enjoy the match. We''ll be going now," she offered a quick smile at him before climbing down the stairs. The game continued with the yer being reced as she walked away from the football field.


    Instead of going and waiting in the infirmary, both the girls reached the front of the boy''s locker room. "Is this a good idea?" asked Julie in a doubtful voice.


    "It is fine," Mnie waved her hand as if she had done this before. She leaned to take a look inside. "Hm, looks like there''s no one here."


    Julie looked back and forth, noticing the ce was deserted, and the only sound came from the crowd at the bleachers. She said, "We should go to the infirmary, Mel. I mea-"


    "Look what the cat dragged in," said someone from behind her. Julie quickly turned, and her eyes fell on the porcupine. "I was wondering when I would find you by yourself. Thest time at the detention had been hard to get you alone. I even got an empty chair for you toe and sit next to me. I had some things to discuss with you," said Mateo with a smirk on his face.


    "How thoughtful of you, you didn''t have to do that," Julie offered him a polite smile while feeling her palms turn slightly sweaty. "I am a mere person, who doesn''t mind sitting in any seat. I don''t need special treatment."


    Almost all the students and the teachers weren''t here, but at the bleachers, leaving the ce here with only Mnie, her, the porcupine and his two friends. She wondered if there was any chance for the game to finish right now.


    "We''ll take our leave then, good game," praised Julie, sending them her false support and ready to leave. But Mateo blocked her way.


    "You don''t leave until I decide it is time for you to leave," stated Mateo. A grin appeared on his lips, and he said, "Thest time you escaped, but don''t think I forgot what you did."


    Oh, so they were back at it again, thought Julie to herself.


    Julie replied, "I am not much of a violence person. Let me apologize to you if it makes you feel better. Maybe a written apology?" She suggested the porcupine. "No?"


    "This time I have something better on my mind. For both you and your little friend," taunted Mateo, his eyes shifting to Mnie and then back to Julie. He then ran his tongue over his lips, and Julie clenched her fists.


    Was he suggesting to have sex with him?! Maybe she was smaller than the porcupine in size, but she would make sure to punch his face if he tried it.


    Mnie, who had earlier told Julie that it was fine toe here, now looked pale and regretful. "I am going to scream for help!" She tried to threaten them, but at her words, the three guys who were in the corridorughed as if she had told a joke.


    "Do it by all means. But no one is going to hear you no matter how much you scream. The game isn''t over and we have plenty of time," Mateo took a step towards Julie.


    He was right. With the number of people who were screaming and shouting outside, none of them wouldn''t be able to hear them, thought Julie to herself. Did the locker room have a lock on its door? She questioned herself. Her eyes quickly moved to where Mnie stood. Wait, where was the door?!


    And on the contrary to what Mnie had said earlier about the locker room being empty, out of it stepped the antagonist of the porcupine''s life.


    Julie''s eyes fell on Roman, who was still in the Hawks uniform, and he stepped out of the locker room.


    "Thought I heard something squeak out here,"mented Roman, his eyes falling on Mateo, and he asked, "Was that you, Jackson?"


    The porcupine''s eyes narrowed, and he taunted back, "And what are you little fucker doing here? Did the coach kick you out of the team for not scoring a decent point? Isn''t that pathetic?"


    Roman let his body lean to the side and questioned, "You know what is pathetic? To fall on the floor by a girl smaller than you in size. Isn''t that right, Winters?"


    Julie''s eyes widened at being dragged into the conversation, and she didn''t know why Roman was trying to stir more trouble for her. If he hadn''t snickered andmented anything thest time, Mateo Jackson would not have been wanting to hunt her.


    When her eyes fell on the porcupine, his eyes narrowed, and Julie cleared her throat, "We just came here to find our friend Conner. We aren''t looking for any trouble," she said to the boys who were there.


    "I find it hard to believe," murmured Roman, without moving from his ce. After the first half of the game, he had decided to get back to the locker room, but he hadn''t expected to have visitors this early. "Your friend isn''t here. Infirmary," he replied in a nonchnt tone to the girl with the sses.


    "Thank you," said Julie, noticing Roman quietly watching her.


    "Back off, Moltenore. They are our prey. Find someone else to prey on," porcupine warned with a re at Roman.


    "You can prey on the chicken in the lunchroom," retorted Julie while keeping her ground.


    One of the porcupine''sckeys said, "We prefer alive ones that are fresh to taste," and the words were enough to make Julie''s skin crawl. When the boy started to walk towards her, Julie tightened her fists. But before he could get close to her breathing space, it wasn''t hers but Roman''s fist that came to knock the boy away from her.


    It had happened so quickly that Julie had missed Romaning near where she stood and hitting the boy''s face because right now, the boy had both his hands covering his nose as it bled.


    "What the fuck was that for?!" asked the boy whose hands weren''t enough to contain the blood.


    Both Julie and Mnie''s eyes went wide on seeing that much amount of blood. Sure she had hoped for Roman to help them, considering how she had noted that he and Porcupine had a brawl on her first day in the university. But seeing the blood drip from one of the boy''s hands, she was worried.


    Roman stretched the fingers of his hands that he had used to punch.


    "That was a knock of sense. The next one will be an in-depth knowledge if you would like to indulge yourself in," responded Roman,ing to stand face to face with the three boys.


    Mateo looked furious, and he took an angry step forward. He said, "You have no im on them. So get back to whatever you were doing while we can continue."


    "I will see how you can stop me," growled Mateo, and he stomped towards Julie, who stood behind Roman. "You have been acting too cocky," and he raised his hand to punch Roman, but the dark-haired boy effortlessly moved to the side before bringing his own hand from below to hit the other boy''s chin.


    Roman didn''t stop there, and he used all the space around them while pushing the porcupine to move away from the original position. When the otherckey of the porcupine appeared from behind to catch hold so that their leader could punch, Roman used his legs to kick right into Mateo''s face before elbowing and throwing the other boy, who was behind him, against the wall.


    "Don''t tell me that is all you had with the amount of barking you did,"mented Roman that infuriated the other three boys.


    Julie could see that Roman was enjoying this more than he was supposed to, as if he had been waiting to get into a fight.


    The one with the bleeding nose continued to hold his hands near his nose without moving, while the other two stood up, ready to dive back into the fight. Mateo returned to his bull form, his eyes turning into a rageful look and locking Roman as his target. Mateo came running, but within one second, he was on the floor groaning in pain because Roman had broken one more nose.


    Julie flinched on hearing the crack sound and saw blood started to rush down from his nose, simr to the first guy.


    "I will kill you for this, Moltenore," the porcupine growled.


    Roman red back and said, "Now run before I damage more than just your nose."


    Julie watched Mateo, who looked as if he wanted to continue to fight. But after ying on the field, he had drained most of his energy. The other two boys pulled him away from the corridor, and she heard the retreating footsteps, which was reced by the noise of the crowd from outside.


    She felt Mnie pull her sleeve, jerking her head to indicate that it was time for them to leave too so that they wouldn''t be questioned.


    "Thank you," came the quick squeak from Julie, ready to escape from there, and they started to walk.


    "Where do you think you are going?" demanded Roman that had both the girls stop in their tracks.


    Both the girls turned around, and Roman locked his eyes with Julie''s. He raised his hand before he curled two of his fingers in a e here'' motion to her with a serious expression in those ck eyes of his.


    As grateful as she was, every time she saw Roman fighting ruthlessly, it only made her that much wary of his presence. Julie softly gulped and walked to stand two steps away from him.


    "Did you want something?" Julie asked him and noticed his usual cologne was mixed with sweat and maybe blood.


    "Yes," replied Roman. The space between them diminished when Roman took a step forward, making her heart skip a beat, "Who told you could leave?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as he questioned her.


    Mateo and hisckeys had left them for now, and she had thanked Roman for chasing them away. What else was left to do here? asked Julie to herself. She took a subtle step backwards so that she wouldn''t have to crane her neck to see him.


    "I got into the fight thanks to you. Agree?" Roman questioned Julie, one of his eyebrows raised to intimidate her.


    "Yes, we are very thankful about it-"


    "Good. You see those spots on the floor?" he asked, and Julie looked down at the floor. There were blood drops from the broken noses. "You will find the mop and bucket in the locker room. Clean it before you leave here. Thest thing I need is people questioning what happened," and he got inside the locker room.


    "Julie!" whispered Mnie,ing to her side. "The game will get over soon. Let''s do this quickly."


    Were they really going to mop the floor right now? And yes, they did after five minutes, quickly moving back and forth outside the locker room because Roman did shoo the porcupine away.

 Chapter 16: Infirmary

    <h4>Chapter 16:Infirmary</h4>


    Julie moved the mop up and down in the bucket of water. Wringing it, she walked to the ce where spots of blood had dropped. Once they were done cleaning the floor, they threw the water and put the mop back in its closet. While they were in the locker room, Roman hadn''t bothered to speak to them again.


    When it was time to leave, Mnie caught hold of Julie''s hand and started to walk away from the room. Julie''s eyes fell on Roman, who stood in front of his locker, pulling out his things before they left to meet Conner, who was lying in one of the beds of the infirmary.


    Reaching the infirmary, Julie noticed all the beds had been upied by both the team''s yers after being injured in the game.


    "Julianne," Olivia greeted her, "I was expecting you to visit the infirmary. Your friend is on the third bed on the right side from the back."


    "Thank you, Olivia," Julie appreciated it, and they walked to where Conner was lying on the bed. "Are you alright, Conner?"


    "I think I sprained or broke my leg," answered Conner. "Did you two watch the whole match?"


    "No, we didn''t stay back, but we did see you y. We wanted to make sure you were doing fine," replied Julie before asking, "How do you feel?"


    "For a moment I felt like my life shed in front of my eyes before I hit the ground," Conner scratched the back of his neck. "But I am doing alright. Nothing that can''t be fixed."


    "I am d to hear that," Julie looked relieved.


    Mnie patted Conner''s shoulder and said, "It was good to see you stick in the first half of the game." This brought a grin to Conner''s lips.


    Julie''s eyes then fell onto the IV that had been injected into Conner. It wasn''t just him but also the other yers who had been injected. They were giving glucose to replenish the energy in the students body. The IV set-up was fixed to another monitor to check the heart rate. How strange, thought Julie to herself. Maybe that was what all wealthy university'' infirmary did.


    "I didn''t know you were ying in Mateo''s team," said Mnie. "We were worried for you. And then worried for ourselves."


    "Why? What happened?" questioned Conner, and Mnie exined the things that happened with them before they came here. "I don''t think I remember what happened until I was half way here in the infirmary."


    "How long are you expected to stay here?" asked Julie, her eyes returning to meet Conner''s eyes.


    "Just until tomorrow morning and then we are free to go, except for the injured ones," said Conner, looking at the two boys who looked like they had broken their noses in the field. Thinking about broken noses, Julie thought, didn''t Porcupine and his friends need some medical help? Maybeing here would only get them into more trouble.


    They sat there talking to him until it was the end of visiting hours and time to leave. The doctor said, "All visitors are supposed to leave so that the patients in here can have some rest."


    "We''ll see you tomorrow, Conner," said Julie offering a smile, and Mnie waved her hand.


    "Get a lot of rest," said Mnie, wishing her friend to feel better, and Conner nodded his head. The visitors started to leave the infirmary, and as Julie got nearer to the exit, she saw Olivia, who was talking to the doctor, her face serious and her lips slightly moving.


    Stepping outside the room and walking away from the infirmary, on their way, Mnie said, "It was quite an evening, wasn''t it. I was worried that Roman was going to make us do something far worse. I mean, there was this rumour once that he hit a female freshman."


    "Why?" asked Julie, her eyebrows furrowing in question, but Mnie shrugged her shoulders.


    "I have no clue. She probably pissed him off about something," replied Mnie in a low voice so that no one would hear what she was saying. "You never know how his mood is. One minute he is calm, the other minute he''s in some fight. It is why the rule about him is hard coded by the other seniors."


    On their way out of the infirmary, Julie saw the university counselloring from the opposite direction. He walked past them ignoring her as if he hadn''t met her in the forest, and he disappeared into the building.


    Reaching the dorm, Julie saw a new letter waiting for her near the window. Walking towards it, she picked it up and read¡ª


    ''The unexpected penpal. I haveminated your letter so that I can distribute it if you try to cross me. I didn''t see you at the bleachers during the second half of the game. Not interested in the game?''


    The person saw her at the game? Of course, thought Julie to herself. All the students hade to watch the match. Not to mention,pared to the others, she and Mnie had made their appearanceter.


    It seemed like she wouldn''t be getting her letter back any time soon.


    Pulling out her notebook, she wrote¡ª


    ''My friend Conner was injured and I wanted to get away from someone, who was sitting next to me during the game. Where were you sitting?''


    After putting a question mark, Julie wondered if the person''s answer would make any difference. She had no idea who it could be. She then decided to add another question ''Do you live in my dormitory?'' A girl might have been pranking her because who else would be able to move back and forth outside her dorm window.


    Julie changed into her nightdress and she got into the bed.


    In the meantime, away from the dormitories and in the infirmary, Mr. Evans stood in the corridor looking at his watch. It was past midnight and the students had gone to sleep, which included the students who were in the infirmary.


    The university doctor stepped out of the room. She noticed him standing there on guard.


    "How are they?" questioned Mr. Evans, his eyes cold with a faint smile on his lips that was enough for any human to have an unsettling feeling.


    "Sleeping," answered the doctor, and she heard footsteps approaching from the entrance of the corridor . "The students were very happy to be taking part in today''s game even though some have broken bones or sprains."


    "Of course, they are, Isolde. It is a win win for everyone," replied Mr. Evans. "The young ones want to y and we let them, while having our kind take a backseat. In some way, we promote equal diversity. Don''t you agree?"


    They heard footstepsing from the entrance and noticed it was the headmistress, and the assistant teacher, who had arrived. The headmistress walked straight towards the door of the room, stepping inside where the students were sleeping, and she stared at them.


    The previous IV that had been injected into the students to feed them glucose was now drawing out blood from them. A little amount from each of them, while monitoring their health to make sure they wouldn''t take more blood than necessary. The glucose that had been injected earlier, had been mixed with something else to make sure the humans here wouldn''t wake up startled.


    Closing the door shut, Dante questioned, "Where is Roman and Mateo?"


    "Probably in their dorms or outside unless you asked them to meet you in here," hummed Mr. Evans, his eyes leisurely moving to look at the end of the corridor that offered nothing but silence.


    A few secondster, Roman appeared, and so did Mateo, offering a small bow. On looking at Mateo''s injured face that was still in the process of healing, a frown appeared on Dante''s face.


    "What happened to your face?" questioned the headmistress.


    Mateo had a controlled scowl on his face while he stood in front of the headmistress of Veteris, "It was his doing. He got into a fight with me for no reason!" he gritted his teeth.


    The headmistress'' eyes shifted to look at Roman, and to Mateo''s words, Roman said, "That''s a little misleading. He was trying to stir trouble by trying to drink blood when we were already harvesting blood."


    "The only blood spilt was mine-"


    Hearing this, the woman''s eyes narrowed, and she red at Mateo, and he looked down. Her hand was quick to catch hold of his neck, pushing him against the wall as she asked, "Did you forget the protocol, Jackson?"


    Mateo struggled to get away from the hold that was too strong and Dante released him after a few seconds.


    "I didn''t draw a single drop of blood," coughed Mateo and touched his neck, "It was Moltenore who stepped in and created trouble!"


    Before Dante could get to Roman, he said, "I was merely following the rules." Mr. Evans, who stood there, raised his eyebrows as if to question since when Roman had started to follow the rules, knowing well the number of rules he broke in a day.


    Dante red at them, before saying, "Choose better team members. Especially you, Mateo. You picked humans who need blood rather than being able to be draw out from them. Fix it by tomorrow evening, else I will have someone else to do your job."


    "I am going to go and take a look at the bottles. It is nearly time to switch back the infusion," said the doctor named Isolde, turning her back and walking into the room.


    Mateo turned to Roman and snarled, "Fucker, don''t think I will let you off the hook that easily," not bothering to hide his feelings in front of the university counsellor who was still there.


    Roman stepped away from them as if he didn''t hear Mateo. His footsteps took him to stand near the door, behind which the infirmary doctor had disappeared. He watched the students, who were now fast asleep.


    Mateo brought his hand to rub his neck, feeling the burn of his skin on either side that was caused by Ms. Dante''s nail when she had grabbed his neck. His eyes snapped at where Roman stood, ring at him in distaste and rage.


    "What were you thinking by trying to draw blood from a human today, Mateo," questioned Mr. Evans, who hadn''t left the ce and leaned against the wall with a peaceful expression on his face.


    "I didn''t do anything to her," Mateo rolled his eyes, tired of the false usation. Though he did wish to mince the girl for the trouble she caused and for denting his reputation.


    "I know both of you, so there''s no need to be shy about it," replied Mr. Evans, his eyes shifted from Mateo to look at Roman. "You know the rules of not touching humans during the time of harvest while the rest of the time is a free game unless you aren''t able topel. Tonight is for the elders and not for us," he offered them a polite smile.


    "Having fun with one girl wouldn''t change anything tonight. She wouldn''t have even remembered and I wanted to teach her a lesson," Mateo retorted with a huff.


    "Pathetic little loser," murmured Roman under his breath, but the other two who were in the corridor heard it clearly.


    Mateo took one step towards Roman to repay the insult, but Mr. Evans ced his hand on his shoulder. "No fighting in the infirmary and not in front of me. It wouldn''t look good if a teacher like myself didn''t try to maintain decorum." Mateo pulled his shoulder away from the counsellor''s hold. He walked away from the corridor and out of the infirmary.


    "You did too much damage to his face, Rome. More than usual. Taking out the game spirit on him because you didn''t get to finish the match?" questioned Mr. Evans, watching Roman''s back.


    "Isn''t that the normal amount?" came the nonchnt words from Roman while he continued to stare inside the room. Doctor Isolde had brought out the metal box and had started to ce the bottles of blood in it one by one.


    A chuckle escaped from Mr. Evans'' lips as if he were amused by something, "How long do you think I have been here, not to know what an average and the next level after that when ites to you?"


    "Not much," said Roman, turning back to meet the man''s eyes. "But enough to know when you start to pry," one side of his lips curled.


    "You should be careful with how much amount of damage you cause. You never know when you are walking on thin ice and when it breaks," advised Mr. Evans with a smile.


    "Well noted, Counsellor," responded Roman, and he made his way out of there without sharing another word.


    With the hour of midnight, the students were sleeping in their dormitories while a few of them, who were older, patrolled the grounds to make sure the students didn''t break the rules set in here. On his way, Roman was stopped by a young woman.


    "Where do you think you are walking at this hour of the night, Roman? Waiting for me to send you to detention?" she asked him.


    "Summoned by the headmistress," responded Roman.


    "Thest time you said that, you made a fool of myself and Mr. Borrell had punished me for not being meticulous," she said to him, her eyes checking him out. "Are you lying to me again?"


    Roman stopped walking and said, "I don''t know. Why don''t you verify it with Ms. Dante?" He offered her a slight smile and walked past her.


    On his way to the Dormitorium, he dropped by outside another building. The lights around it had already been switched off, which made it easier to walk without being spotted, and he came to the window, noticing the letter that had been ced for him.


    When he went to pick it up, he noticed the girl, who had turned her face to face the window while she was sound asleep. This one seemed to like getting into trouble more often than others, thought Roman to himself.


    She had braided her brown hair, and her head rested on the pillow as she softly breathed. His ck eyes took in the side profile of the girl. Her face was bare without the sses hiding her. Her eyshes were long, and her figure petite, which was now half-covered with the nket.


    Taking the letter, he closed the window and disappeared from there.


    When Roman reached near his dorm, he caught sight of Maximus and Simon, who hadn''t slept yet.


    "How did it go?" questioned Simon when Roman entered the corridor.


    "Boring as usual, but sessful," replied Roman, walking to where they were and noticing the full moon through the window.


    "I cannot believe we cannot draw out blood at this time. It isn''t as if we are getting in anyone''s way because the elders aren''t here," muttered Maximus under his breath.


    "What happened to canned blood?" questioned Roman, and Maximus smiled.


    "All finished. The cans can''tpare to the fresh and warm blood directly from the body. You should know that better than anyone," stated Maximus, putting his hands in his pockets. "I am surprised to see that you break every rule except for this one during the Harvest."


    Simon''s eyes fell on Roman''s hand, first noticing a letter and then at the bandages wrapped around his knuckles. He said, "I didn''t know you hurt your hand in the game," and his eyes moved back to look at Roman''s eyes.


    "It wasn''t from the game," replied Roman, but he didn''t give anything more to the curious eyes that looked at him in question.


    Maximus asked, "And Dante didn''t say anything? She must have been in quite a hurry if she didn''t give you an earful," his tongue peeked out while the pin in it touched his teeth.


    "Every month of this time is busy and important. People need a distraction to get out of our way, but I wonder when we''ll get to y than behave as if we are ying with children on their levels,"mented Simon, a frowning to fall on his face. They had to hold back their strengths. For the freshmans'' of their kind, it was a test to not act on their instincts but adapt.


    "Dante said we could have it next month. A proper match," said Roman, a smileing to form on his lips. It had been a while since they had yed only with their kind with the same strength.


    After a while, Roman stepped inside his dorm, shutting the door close with his leg. Walking to the mini-fridge that was ced in the closet, he took out a can, pulling its lid open before sipping blood from it.


    Lying on the bed, he brought the letter forward and read the short letter.


    "Looks like you are popr, troublemaker," murmured Roman, while his eyes subtly narrowed in wonderment of whom she wanted to get away. Jackson? But he was on the field and had shown up near the locker roomter.


    A sliver of annoyance crossed his features, remembering what happened before he had broken their noses.


    Julianne Winters was his prey. If there was one thing Roman Moltenore didn''t like, it was sharing something that he had his eyes on with others.

 Chapter 17: In the corridor

    <h4>Chapter 17:In the corridor</h4>


    When Julie woke up in the morning, her hand reached out for the note near the window, and as expected, there was a new note waiting for her to read. Still in the bed, she turned her body to the side and opened the letter.


    ''Pity that you didn''t see me, while I was right in front of you. What''s the rush of wanting to know who I am? There are still two years before you graduate from here. I have a task for you to do,'' reading the word task had Julie sink into her bed. ''Get detention today.''


    "That is not a task!" There was no way she was going to get into detention for no reason. Here she was trying to stay away from the detention room, and this letter thief wanted her to get into trouble? "Not happening."


    Julie rolled out of bed, picking up her kit, towel and bathrobe. She walked to themon bathing room, where there were already other girls from the dormitorium, and she made her way to where Mnie stood. The basins and the mirrors were built in the centre of the bathroom.


    The girls were busy discussingst evening''s game.


    "Did you see the new freshman? Brody was it from Ravens? He was cute." said someone in the room. "It is a surprise that the Hawks lost."


    "The Ravens won mostly because Roman didn''t y the second half of the game. He was helping the injured yers and let other yers y," said one of the girls as they got ready.


    "I tried finding him in the infirmary but he wasn''t there. I wonder where he went after ying," Julie heard another girl speak. "I cannot believe he won''t be here next year."


    Speaking about boys and the trouble that came with it was something that Julie had gotten used to hearing while she was in themon bathroom.


    "Did you know that one of the girls in his group is his girlfriend?" whispered one of the girls, whom Julie couldn''t see while she had started to brush her teeth.


    "That''s utter rubbish you have heard. Where did you even get such bullshit?" Eleanor had stepped out from one of the shower stalls, wearing her white bathrobe. She looked annoyed by the information that had been passed, "Roman Moltenore is as single as hell without good souls. Many girls have tried, but he cannot be touched."


    Especially to you psycho, thought Julie in her mind, while she continued to brush.


    Though Eleanor and her friends behaved as if they hadn''t tried to beat her up, it didn''t mean Julie had forgotten the terror-filled night.


    "The two girls are nothing but friends. Now go back to whatever you were doing," Eleanor waved her hand as if the other girls were birds, shooing them away. Some of the freshmen who were gossiping earlier quickly left the room. Julie was rinsing her mouth when she felt the ghost loom from behind her. "Where are our baseball bats, Julianne? I thought I was quite clear when I said I want them back. I am talking to you, you little twig."


    Julie spat the water before turning to look at Eleanor, "Your bats?"


    "Yes, the ones you decided to steal when we were in the forest and are now hiding them somewhere," Eleanor crossed her hands while trying to intimidate Julie the same way she did with the other girls.


    "They flew away," replied Julie, and Eleanor looked confused. Julie should have known that the joke was too good to be wasted on this one.


    "You think you are too smart and above us because you are friends with the popr group," said Eleanor, stepping closer to her. "Let me tell you, you are just trying your luck. You are nothing. I have seen your grades and they are just average. You even look average with average clothes."


    "Do you like to stalk everyone or is it just me?" questioned Julie, while some of the girls snickered hearing her words.


    Eleanor''s cheeks turned red, and she said, "Just you. Because I know you are not what you appear to be and I will show it to everyone. Especially the ones you are trying to kiss up to. This in Mary Jane look that you carry with you, it can''t fool me."


    Turning around, Eleanor left as she would bete in getting to the sses, and she would deal with this little ratter. Mnie, who was behind Julie, asked, "Why does she keep asking about baseball bats from you?"


    "Who knows," muttered Julie.


    "You should be careful, Julie. Don''t make too many enemies here. It will be hard to do anything in peace in this ce," whispered Mnie to her so that the other girls who were friends with Eleanor wouldn''t pass the same words to Eleanor. "You don''t know what they are capable of."


    She did thought Julie in her mind. After being chased around by Eleanor and her friends that day, she was aware of how worse things could turn. It wasn''t her but trouble that came looking for her!


    During the break time between her sses, Julie decided to refill her water bottle. While on her way, she saw Roman, who was walking from the opposite direction. He looked annoyed about something. When their eyes met from afar, she looked away and also turned on her heel to walk in the direction she hade.


    She had decided it was time to follow every rule on the rule page, including Roman Moltenore. As Mnie had suggested, she walked in the other direction.


    If there was one thing she was scared about, it was male hitting females. She didn''t know how far the rumour about Roman was true, but it wasn''t too bad to take precaution, thought Julie to herself.


    Having spent quite a few weeks here, she knew there were two stairways and where to get water if not on this floor. Walking quickly so that she wouldn''t miss her ss and be spotted by a teacher strolling in the corridors, she went to the floor below.


    Julie was humming something under her breath as the water filled, when someone asked her, "What are you singing?" The sudden voice startled her, and she turned. It was the person from the bleachers. Dennis.


    "What are you doing here?" asked Julie, a little on guard.


    Dennis turned to look at the corridor, pointing at one of the sses, "That is my ss there. What are you doing here? I didn''t know your ss was on this floor."


    "Oh no, I came here to refill my bottle¡­ which I am done and should go now," replied Julie, offering an awkward smile.


    Before she could leave, he said, "You didn''t tell me which song you were humming. It sounded familiar."


    "I don''t think you have heard it," said Julie before giving the song name away, "It is ''Foolish once again''."


    "How interesting," said Dennis, offering her a smile. Now that they stood in a bright ce where it wasn''t dark, Dennis looked less suspicious than he had appearedst evening. "How is your friend? Is he doing better?"


    "Yes," answered Julie, looking at the corridor where some of the students stood outside their ssroom, talking. Her eyes fell back on Dennis. "He took a leave today from attending the sses to feel better. He''s doing better."


    Dennis nodded his head, "That is good to hear."


    "You are in senior year?" asked Julie, and he hummed.


    "I am. Thest year here and so many things to finish before the academic yearpletes. My major is science. How about you?" he inquired.


    "Same. I guess I can ask you if I have any doubts," joked Julie.


    "I would be more than happy to offer my assistance. Any time," said Dennis. Then he said, "I should get back to my ss. It was nice talking to you." Maybe yesterday she had jumped into conclusion too fast about him, and he was only being nice at the bleachers, she thought to herself.


    While she stood there watching Dennis walk away, at the same time, she heard the noise made by the water can to let the water pour into its lower base. It made her jump, and she hit her back against something or, to be specific, someone.


    She looked to her side, looking up to meet Roman''s eyes. He said in a low voice, "Crashing into people must be your favourite thing to do."


    She had walked all the way to the floor below only to meet him again. She took two steps forward before turning around.


    "I didn''t know you were standing behind," replied Julie. When did he evene here? "You should have stepped back."


    Roman was chewing gum, and Julie wondered if his jaws didn''t hurt as she always caught him chewing. Maybe in his past life, he was a cow, and at that thought, a smile appeared and disappeared quickly on seeing the unamused person who stood in front of her.


    He took one step forward, and that was enough to close the distance. His eyes narrowed, "Care to share the joke that passed your mind?"


    "What made you smile then?" Julie noticed there was a sliver of re in his eyes, the opposite of Dennis, who had tried to be nice to her.


    Forget being a cow. Cows were nice. This one looked like a predator that was waiting to rip a person''s head! Julie took a deep breath before she answered,


    "Sometimes I smile for no reason at any ce," offering him a small smile, but it didn''t seem like he bought it.


    "Do you know what they call people who smile a lot for no reason?" questioned Roman.


    "Happy people?" asked Julie, and she saw his lips twitch at her answer.


    When her eyes momentarily moved to look at the corridor, she noticed the students had gone back into their ssroom, and the realization hit her. She had stood here for far too long, and the sses had already started.


    She quickly left Roman''s side and started to walk to make her way towards the stairs. But seeing Mr. Borrell standing at the top of the staircase scolding another student for not being in the ssroom, Julie wanted to smack her head against the wall. The teacher was like a fisherman who liked to catch students and throw them in the detention room.


    Turning around, Julie walked past Roman, who was filling the ss with water and taking his own time to drink it. She would use the same way she hade down here earlier, but when she ced one foot on the stair, she heard the headmistress'' voice''s from above, and she was speaking to another teacher.


    It seemed like she would be spending her time in the detention room today.


    When she looked at Roman, he continued to drink the water unbothered. It looked as if he wouldn''t bother even if someone told him now that this ce was going to blow up.


    On the left corridor stairs stood Ms. Dante, and the stairs in the middle of the corridor stood Mr. Borrell, and Julie didn''t want to run into either of them. Seeing Roman still in the same ce, she walked to him and politely asked him,


    "Are you attending the ss now?" Maybe he knew a way to walk to the above floor without getting caught.


    "Why?" he asked. cing the ss next to the filter, he started to walk.


    "I thought I woulde with you, so that I can get back to my ss," replied Julie with a smile, following him in the empty corridor. She had seen him skipping sses more than once without getting into trouble, and right now, she needed that skill. She turned back to make sure Mr. Borrell or Ms. Dante hadn''t stepped into the floor they were in.


    Roman''s eyes moved to the corner to look at her, "What makes you think I am going to attend the ss? Hurry back to your ss instead of following me."


    "I would if the teachers weren''t there. I don''t want to get another detention, which is why I am here to ask for your help. Please," pleaded Julie and Roman, who walked to the end of the corridor and near one of the windows.


    "By now getting into detention should be normal. Spending a few hours shouldn''t be that hard. On the bright side, it will make you more alert," Roman''s words were nonchnt. He pushed the windowpane upwards while looking outside as if to make sure no one was there.


    "What are you doing?" asked Julie, her mouth slightly agape.


    "nning to jump from here," Roman offered her a charming smile as if it was the most obvious thing to do. "Feel free to do it when you are ready."


    When Roman ced one foot on the window sill, his one hand held the side of the window, ready to jump. Julie''s hand reached out for his back, and she caught hold of his leather jacket to stop him, and he turned around, with a hint of re, "What is it?"


    "Won''t Mr. Evansin to the headmistress if he sees you?" asked Julie, her eyes shifting to look outside, and Roman turned to see the blonde man whom he had missed because the tree hid him behind it. The counsellor sat with a book in his hand on the bench.


    Both Roman and Julie heard the sounds of the footsteps on the stairs that echoed in the corridor.


    "Fuck," Roman cursed under his breath, his eyes darting at the window and then the corridor.


    With every footstep that they heard, Julie could already imagine Mr. Borrell''s sour looking face, staring at her in disapproval as if wondering why they even gave her an admission here. She doubted any other student admitted this year visited the detention room as much as she had. While she stood there anticipating being caught, Roman suddenly caught hold of her wrist and pulled her to walk with him.


    "Wait, where are we going?!" Julie whispered in rm because they were walking towards the centre staircase.


    Julie could feel her heart drumming in her ears, and she didn''t know what Roman was thinking. Before they reached near the stairs, his other hand reached for a small door on their right that she hadn''t noticed before. He stepped inside, pulling her with him before he closed the door as quietly as possible.


    The room would have been dark if it weren''t for the thin rectangr gap in the door that allowed the outside light into the room. The room was small, like a storage room. Julie heard herboured breath, which she tried to calm down, her hands turning to fists. She could hear Mr. Borrell''s voice much clearer from where she stood.


    Before she opened her mouth to question, Roman brought his hand forward, cing it on his lips so that she wouldn''t utter a single word.


    Julie saw him turn his head to look at the little gaps while trying to listen to what the teachers were speaking about. With the small space, they stood close in front of each other.


    "This isn''t a good idea," whispered Julie as quietly as possible.


    "You shouldn''t have followed me and instead chosen detention," said Roman, his whisper turned husky, and he turned his head to look at her.


    "What if we get caught?" asked Julie in worry. She wasn''t here alone but with a boy. A boy whose admirers were bloodthirsty girls, who would chew her out if they found that she was with him like this.


    "We won''t if you stop talking," he sent a small re so that she would stay quiet. Though Roman had mentioned in the letter for her to get into detention, he didn''t have any such ns to get one for himself. For some odd reason, it felt good to see the good girl break rules. He could tell she was trying hard not to break them.


    Roman used his hearing ability, listening to what Mr. Borrell was speaking to another teacher; neither of them had a good hearing ability. With the voicesing from other sses from the teachers and students, the rapid heartbeat of the girl would be camouged, avoiding being caught.


    "You owe me for this," stated Roman, his gaze intense.


    "I saved you from getting caught. Isn''t it the other way around?" asked Julie, her heart continuing to race. With the already small space, Roman stepped closer to her to threaten her and Julie''s back moved closer to the wall.


    "Do you think I am a person who gets caught easily?" questioned Roman, his voice extremely low, and she smelt his minty breath.


    He was too close!


    "No," whispered Julie.


    How long would the teachers continue to stand here? Didn''t they have somewhere else to go? She hoped not to be caught as it would not only be embarrassing, but she would be signing her death warrant in Veteris university.


    Thankfully, Roman moved backwards, which wasn''t much considering how they were standing. They heard footsteps approaching closer to where they were, and Julie turned pale.


    "I thought the instructions were clear about keeping records of the students who attend which sses and the ones they skip," said Mr. Borrell.


    "Everything has been recorded in the book from the start of this year, Mr. Borrell. Only thest period hasn''t been recorded," answered the other teacher. "I had to ask. Should I mark Stacy Hopkin as transferred?"


    "Yes, she doesn''t study here anymore. Get it done. I need to know who is in and outside the sses. The same will be reported back to the parents," came the voice of Mr. Borrell. The teachers moved to stand almost near the front of the door Julie and Roman were standing.


    While Julie continued to panic, Roman stood there rxed. Instead of staying quiet, he decided to make a bubble out of the gum he was chewing. Oh God, he was going to sacrifice her today to Mr. Borrell! Roman blew out the gum, the bubble growing bigger with every second.


    It was like a ticking bomb that was going to burst any second. Just when Julie thought it had reached its limit, Roman brought the bubble back into his mouth, chewing it with a small smirk on his face.


    Roman, who was waiting to step out of the room, didn''t find anything else to pass his time and had decided to test the girl.


    A soft sigh escaped Julie''s lips. Maybe getting into detention wasn''t too badpared to spending time like this with this person.


    Thankfully, when the teachers who were standing nearby left the corridor, Roman was the one to open the door and stepped out from it. Julie quickly followed him, more than happy to be out of the closed space that had increased her anxiousness.


    When she closed the door and turned back, Roman had disappeared.

 Chapter 18: Boys Dormitorium

    <h4>Chapter 18:Boys Dormitorium</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Crime Scene- Nathan Barr


    .


    Julie didn''t stay there for another second to get detention that she had tried to avoid. She quickly climbed up the stairs, but she didn''t go to her ssroom. There was still a lot of time left for the current period to get over, and entering now would only raise questions.


    She stepped into the empty washroom, closing the door while hoping no one woulde. Her hands were still in fists tightly clenched. She walked to stand in front of the mirror. When Julie opened her palms, she saw the deep marks left because she had dug her fingernails to distract herself.


    Her hand turned the faucet, letting the water fall on her palms.


    Julie wasn''tfortable with closed spaces, at least not since middle school. It spiked her heart rate, bringing back the memories she had tried to leave behind when she had moved to Woodward. But having Roman in there today did feel better, knowing she wasn''t alone. She leaned forward, gathering the cold water in her hand and sshed it over her face while hearing the voices in her head.


    ''Open the damn door! Do you think you can hide there forever?'' demanded one of the girls, banging on the janitor''s door where Julie had locked herself in. ''Did you think we would let you go after youined?''


    ''She''s locked the door from the inside,'' Julie heard another girl''s words as the door shook.


    ''Open the door now, Julianne,'' said the girl who enjoyed bullying her, ''You little bitch, get out of there right now or I will make you regret it.''


    After two minutes, they stopped banging the door, and Julie heard nothing but silence. To ensure they wouldn''t be waiting for her, she didn''t open the door for the next few minutes as she knew how persistent the girls could be.


    But by the time Julie had tried to open the door, the room was locked from outside. As the sses were over, all the students and teachers had already left the building. The small room was dark because of no windows, and there was no switch to turn on the light.


    She had banged on the door, shouting for someone to open it while feeling breathless. It was only after two hours did the watchman find her and let her out. Things in the past had not been easy, but two months ago, she snapped, and now she didn''t want to go back to it.


    Back in the restroom, Julie continued to ssh cold water on her face a few more times before she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled through her lips. She wiped her face with the paper towels and threw them in the dustbin.


    She waited until she heard the bell ring.


    When the bell finally rang, she made her way towards the ss. She caught up with Mnie, who was carrying both their bags on her shoulders. A frown appeared on Julie''s face, and she asked, "What about thest ss?"


    "Mrs. Thornton is on leave and they dismissed the ss. Where were you?" asked Mnie, knitting her eyebrows together in concern.


    "I got caught up in some situation and it took me a while to get back," replied Julie, taking hold of her bag from her friend and putting it around her shoulders.


    When they walked out of the building, Mnie informed her, "You missed the attendance. They usually mail the report directly to the families, letting them know the attendance and grade progress of the students which includes details of detention."


    "How wonderful," responded Julie. The address she had mentioned was her uncle''s house. Only after visiting them she would find out their reaction to the number of times she served detention in the first month here.


    "I was thinking about going and meeting Conner. Do you want toe?"


    Julie, who was walking next to Mnie, asked, "Do they allow girls to step inside the boy''s Dormitorium?" and for that, Mnie nodded her head.


    "Girls and boys are allowed to enter both of the Dormitorium, but only during day time," exined Mnie. "By the way, I heard something when you weren''t in the ss. One of the girls from our Dormitorium was found dead in the forest. Her name was Stacy Hopkins, who was in her Sophomore year. They didn''t give enough details, but I think it is another animal attack."


    "That is why they were loading her things in the truck yesterday," murmured Julie. It must have been the same person who had screamed in the forest.


    The other teacher with Mr. Borrells had mentioned her name, thought Julie to herself. But if she was dead, why was she recorded as ''transferred''?


    "Mel, do you ever feel something odd in this ce?" asked Julie and Mnie''s head tilted to the side.


    "What do you mean?" questioned Mnie.


    "I don''t know. It is hard to exin," replied Julie, shrugging her shoulders as they continued to walk, heading towards the boys'' Dormitorium. "I mean, every year, students die in the forest, don''t they? Yet they haven''t taken any action apart from putting up signs in the forest. Not to mention some of the rules are strange."


    "Most of the ces have strange rules. Maybe they don''t want to restrict the movements of the animals, thinking we are encroaching their space," replied Mnie, but Julie didn''t buy it. There was an unsettling feeling which was hard to get rid of.


    Before applying to this ce, she had looked into Veteris University, and everything about it was a clean te with no mention of any deaths.


    When they reached the boy''s Dormitorium, Julie noticed how the architecture of this ce had barely been modifiedpared to the girl''s Dormitorium. The ceiling was high, and the walls were made of dark wood. It was a three floors Dormitorium which now was upied by the students. She caught sight of some of the boys at the entrance, who didn''t try to hide them, checking out both the girls.


    "Mel?" whispered Julie. "Thest time you said it was okay, we met Porcupine," she reminded her friend.


    Mnie pulled Julie inside, walking up the first floor, "I have been here before. Which is why it is okay," she whispered to her. "Conner is here."


    Their friend, who was injured and recuperating, added Julie in her mind. As they continued to climb the stairs, her eyes looked down.


    They finally reached Conner''s room, who seemed a little pale, "Did you fall sick?" asked Mnie when they entered the room.


    "You look sick," stated Julie.


    "My muscles feel sore as if my body has been crushed," confessed Conner, taking a seat on the edge of his head. "But I have been feeling better since morning. The warden brought us food to our dorms."


    "The boys who took part in yesterday''s game. Also bad news is that I am no longer ying for the team," sighed Conner. "I knew it was going to happen one day, but I didn''t know it would happen within a day."


    "We are sorry to hear that Conner," Julie offered words offort, and the boy nodded his head.


    "We are," Mnie added, and she asked, "Is there anything we can help you with to feel better?"


    "Thanks both of you, but I am okay. At least I know how it feels to y in the team," Conner put a smile on his face. Julie noticed how he looked weak and tired. Was itmon for a person who yed on the field to look like this?


    "You need to eat more, Conner. You look like you are going to disappear," joked Julie, and Conner grinned.


    "You know whom I am going to haunt if I return as a ghost?" Conner asked her.


    "Mr. Borrell?" Julie asked to hear both of themugh.


    "That is who you would haunt. I would haunt Griffin or Moses," whispered Conner to them.


    Julie had never heard of them before, and she asked, "Who are they?"


    "Griffin is one of the seniors and Moses is the creepy guardsman you might have met at the main entrance gates," exined Mnie, who had taken a seat near the window.


    "I am d to know that I wasn''t the only one who found him that way," replied Julie, remembering the person the first day she hade here with her uncle.


    Conner moved to lean against the wall, on the bed, said, "He''s one of the people who looks for students who are roaming and trust me when I say this, he is hard to hoodwink. In my freshman year, I ended up in detention because I was dared to jump over the walls. It was Griffin''s idea."


    After spending an hour there, Julie and Mnie had decided to leave. On their way, they met Maximus, who was with Simon.


    "Hello there. I didn''t expect to run into you here," said Maximus with a curious look in his eyes. "What are you doing here?"


    "They must havee to visit their friend," stated Simon, his eyes looking at both the girls.


    "We did," replied Julie, and her eyes carefully looked behind them.


    "Looking for someone?" asked Simon with a smile without bringing up the name, and Julie''s eyes quickly moved back to look at him.


    "No," Julie quickly replied, but Simon''s smile didn''t drop from his face.


    "How about you twoe and join us? We haven''t found the time to spend with our beloved juniors since the bonfire time. It was a fun day, wasn''t it?" asked Maximus while suggesting his idea.


    "We have assignments toplete," lied Julie and Mnie nodded her head vigorously.


    "We do," replied Mnie.


    "Maybe some other time," proposed Julie, but Maximus was pushy, something she had noticed even during the day of the bonfire.


    "We have assignments to do too. Maybe it will be more fun to do it together, won''t it?" Maximus turned to ask Simon if it was alright.


    Simon replied, "Of course. It will be lovely to have somepany today. But I have to remind you beforehand, you cannot stay over," and a soft chuckle escaped from the red-headed boy after cracking a joke.


    "Let us show you the way to the room," said Maximus, walking towards the stairs. "Mnie, wasn''t it?" He conversed with her as they climbed up the stairs.


    "Mdy," Simon called, and Julie''s eyes snapped to look at him, and she followed.


    Looking around, Julie said, "This ce hasn''t been reconstructed much like the other buildings."


    "What makes you say that?" questioned Simon.


    "I had seen the original designs of the mansions of this ce in the historical books. It is almost the same with only a few things changed," she answered him.


    Simon looked at her and said, "Looks like you would fare well if you decide to study architecture."


    "What about Olivia and Victoria? They don''t study with you?" asked Julie to Simon, and the boy smiled.


    "Very rarely. And I doubt Victoria would be happy if she found out that you were here," answered Simon when they reached the top of the stairs.


    Julie pursed her lips remembering Victoria''s displeasure towards her, and she decided not toment. Simon and Maximus belonged to the popr clique of this ce, and she was trying to stay away from any limelight falling on her. But every time she tried to swim away, it felt as if the sea was pushing her towards the whirlpool.


    Maybe if she didn''t resist, it would be over soon, thought Julie in her mind.


    Though Julie didn''t question, Simon could tell that the girl was curious, and as they walked in the corridor, he said,


    "You see, all of us grew up together and maybe a little closer than normal and because of this we are very picky when ites to who we want to talk and mingle. Victoria has been in love with Rome for a very long time and she just happened to open her ws when you were near."


    Julie frowned on hearing this, "She needs a nail cutter. She doesn''t have to feel threatened by me. I have no interest in him and neither does he."


    "Mm," responded Simon with a faint smile. "I will make sure to deliver your message." But he didn''t tell whom the message would be delivered and when.


    Simon had known his friends for far too long. He went along with Maximus'' suggestion to invite the humans because he was curious. Curious because Roman had not objected to the idea of the strangers joining them in their bonfire night.


    On the other hand, what Julie didn''t understand was why girls didn''t confess their feelings and get it over with? Victoria hadn''t done anything to her, but Eleanor, on the other hand, neither did she confess her feelings nor let others live in peace. Forget about Mr. Borrell; she would haunt Eleanor if she were toe back as a ghost, thought Julie to herself.


    They walked to the end of the corridor.


    "Let me see if he''s in there. Rome?" Maximus knocked on the opposite door Simon stood.


    Julie turned to face the other door, waiting for Simon to unlock the door. She had spent enough time with Roman today, and she didn''t want to spend any more time with him.


    Thankfully Simon opened the door on time, and Julie stepped inside with Mnie. She heard the other door open, hearing Roman ask, "What?"


    "We were nning to study together andplete our assignments. Do you want to join us?" asked Maximus.


    "Since when did you and Simon start doing that?" deadpanned Roman in the corridor. "I have other things to do," and the door shut with a sound.

 Chapter 19: Vampires Class

    <h4>Chapter 19:Vampires'' ss</h4>


    A few hours ago...


    Though the subjects offered by Veteris for humans and vampires weren''t different, certain sses were held only for the vampires, subjects that the humans were unaware of. Right now, Mr. Stwarski was teaching the ss.


    "It is very important that you learn to control and hide your identity away from the humans. Never let them know who you are and if they do,pel them," Mr. Stwarski''s feeble voice reminded Roman of a nt that was under the sunlight for far too long and was on the verge of dying. He was one of the oldest teachers of this university. "Humans can never know about us. This is your final year and once you graduate, you will be stepping into the outer world¡­" his voice drifted.


    "Mr. Moltenore?" Mr. Stwarski called Roman, and Roman lifted his head from his notebook. "Have you been listening to what I have been saying?"


    Because of his good hearing ability, even if he put cotton in his ear, he would be able to hear the man, thought Roman in his mind.


    "To depend on the fellow kind who work in the hospitals rarely for blood bag, and not to drain the human''s blood to avoid raising suspicion," he repeated the words in the same dull tone that Mr. Stwarski used.


    "He will be the first one to drain the blood," snickered one of the students, who was sitting at the front of the ss. "The kind he is, you should lock him up in the dungeon."


    Roman''s eyes shifted from the teacher to look at the boy, whose name he hadn''t bothered to register even after years.


    He leaned forward, cing his hands on the desk. He said, "You are right. You will probably be the first one whose blood I will be draining out."


    The boy huffed, "You cannot kill me," even though he acted brave, he looked slightly nervous.


    Roman smirked, "Meet me outside the ss and maybe we can check if I can put you in the grave."


    "Young vampires are always so brave," said the old teacher.


    Another student asked, "Has there ever been a person who couldn''t bepelled?"


    "Humans have fragile minds. Topel is an ability a vampire needs to develop and it isn''t something we possess. There''s no person who is immune topulsion and if they are, your ability is weak," exined Mr. Stwarski, looking at the students.


    "And what if it doesn''t work?" came another question.


    Mr. Stwarski stared at the person before a faint smile appeared, "We kill the human, but only after proper proof is provided to the Elders. The vampires have hidden for years and it won''t bepromised."


    Before the teacher could say anything more, the bell rang to dismiss the current ss. The teacher left, and so did some of the students for a break. Roman decided to take a walk in the corridor. Ignoring some of them, he caught sight of the girl. She held a bottle in her hand while looking around. The moment her eyes met his, her eyes widened, and she quickly turned around and hurriedly walked in the other direction.


    His eyes narrowed at her action, and his head tilted to the side.


    Julianne Winters had failed to respond to his letter. Most of the girls in the university couldn''t wait to send him letters, but this one had straight-up ignored it.


    Now in his dorm, Romanid on his bed with his legs stretched, and he had ced his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling and remembering what happened.


    His lips twisted in faint amusement, remembering how she had asked him for his help to save her from not getting into detention. It was what people meant when they said, jumping from the pan into the fire, but then it had put him in a fix. In the small room, he had seen her anxious eyes staring at the door.


    Roman had smelt the faint scent of blood, and he couldn''t help but wonder if she had bit her inner cheek out of nervousness.


    As much as he would have loved to see the good girl break more rules, he had decided to leave the frightened little thing for the day. He had a whole year to feed his amusement.


    Getting up from the bed, Roman walked towards the closet and opened the mini-fridge and saw it was empty. His jaw clenched before he ran his tongue over his fang that started to reveal itself. Compared to the others of his kind, his thirst was higher, and it had often made him wonder if it was because he wasn''t like them.


    He was wearing his shoes, ready to leave the room, when he heard footsteps from outside his room. Not a secondter, he heard Maximus'' voice,


    "Let me see if he''s in there. Rome?" and there was a knock.


    He heard light footsteps in the opposite room, and he wondered if his friends had brought girls to their dorms. Maximus asked, "We were nning to study together andplete our assignments. Do you want to join us?"


    Roman stared at Maximus as if he was serious, "Since when did you and Simon start doing that? I have other things to do."


    Right now, he needed blood as he was out of it. The more minutes would pass, the more his thirst would increase, and he would want to sink his fangs.


    Roman pulled his door to close it while standing outside his room, and he turned the key to lock it. When he turned, he noticed his friend was still standing with a smile on his face.


    "Is there something that you wanted?" he asked Maximus.


    "Won''t youe inside and see our guests? I handpicked a person to see if I can drink in the future," hummed Maximus.


    "I am not interested in who you drink or fuck with," responded Roman with a pointed look. Nheless, he made his way to the entrance of the opposite room.


    His eyes first fell on Simon, and then on the person he was sitting next to.


    When Julie had heard the sound of the door closing, she had believed that Roman had closed the door for good to stay inside his dorm. But she hadn''t expected him to have closed the door from the outside. The memory of having spent minutes with him in the closed space was fresh.


    "What are they doing here?" questioned Roman, with a hint of foreignness in his voice as if the two girls weren''t weed in here.


    Simon, who sat next to Julie, smiled, "Maximus thought it would be fun to finish assignments together. Combined study has always been productive."


    Roman''s eyes left Julie''s face who looked like a rabbit being caught by a fox, and then he looked at Simon.


    The girls who were often invited to the dorms were the ones whom they could fuck or suck blood on as a snack before sending them away after beingpelled. Right now, he wasn''t fond of the thought that the girl he had decided to pick on had been picked by one of his friends.


    Noticing the look of annoyance that often came to pass in Roman''s eyes, Julie was sure he wanted them out of here as quickly as possible. This was an opportune time!


    "We will leave," said Julie, ready to pick up the bag and leave the boy''s Dormitorium with Mnie. But Roman raised his hand and moved his two fingers as if telling her to sit down.


    "You can start doing your assignments. I will be back in five," stated Roman, walking out of the dorm to go somewhere.


    A few minutester, Julie sat not too far from Simon and Mnie, and on her opposite side sat Maximus. Everyone seemed to be scribbling something in their book, working on assignments or making notes. But then there was Roman Moltenore, who didn''t sit on the ground like the rest. He sat on the bed, his long legs stretched and crossed while he leaned his back against the wall with a book in his hand.


    Halfway through, Julie felt his gaze on her, but she didn''t look at him right away.


    When she did look at him, he was reading his book in concentration, and it made her wonder if her antenna of instinct had stopped working. . .


    Seeing Julie, who had stopped making her notes and staring at the ground, Simon asked her, "Did you get stuck somewhere?"


    Julie shook her head and received a smile from him. She wrote down something in her book before whispering to Mnie,


    "Mel, did we finish until this?"


    Mnie took a peek at Julie''s writing, ''When do you think it is safe to leave?''


    Her friend answered, "No, we haven''t," and she pursed her lips. "Let me see where it was," and she turned a few pages and wrote something down. "Here."


    Julie read, ''Let''s leave from here in an hour.''


    Julie flipped the pages as she didn''t want the seniors to find what was written if they decided to look at it. Deciding to concentrate on reading the textbook in front of her, she started to scribble softly on the book as she wrote.


    Simon, who was next to her, took a look and said, "I remember this one," he then added, "You have pretty handwriting, Julie."


    "Ah, thank you," responded Julie looking at her cursive handwriting and both she and Simon smiled. When her eyes met Roman''s, looking at her, she cleared her throat and looked back at her book.


    "Are you nervous?" questioned Simon, and everyone''s eyes fell on him, wondering what he was talking about.


    "Nervous?" asked Julie.


    The red-headed senior said, "Yes. You are going to visit your home this Sunday, aren''t you? With the mails sent regarding your reports for the month, you must be anxious."


    "I am," Julie nodded her head. But more than nervous about her detention and grades, she wasn''t sure how her aunt would receive her. "How about you, are you all going to visit your families too?" she questioned them, her eyes falling on the three boys and thest one being Roman.


    "This is home," replied Roman, holding her gaze for the longest until she looked away. She wondered if he didn''t get along with his family, which was why he preferred to stay at the university here.


    "True," Maximus nodded his head nonchntly as he continued to scribble something in his book. "Everyone is here."


    Simon smiled before saying, "I am going to visit them."


    Julie nodded her head, but before she looked back at her book, she noticed the re Roman sent to Simon. What was that about?


    Somewhere in between, Maximus had decided to go and get some snacks from the lunchroom for them to eat. Mnie had decided to get her doubt cleared by Simon, who seemed kind enough to exin it to her.


    In the meantime, Julie was lost in her thoughts, while she was staring at one of the pages when she heard Roman''s voice next to the shell of her ear,


    "You seem to be struggling with this page."

 Chapter 20: Weekend visit to the family

    <h4>Chapter 20:Weekend visit to the family</h4>


    The sudden words from Roman had Julie''s heart almost slip out of her chest. She hadn''t noticed him get up from the bed and stand behind her. Turning her head, she saw him looking at the notes she had made.


    Roman said, "You have applied the wrong form," and he turned his gaze to meet her eyes. He had been reading when he noticed the sound of Julie''s pencil had stopped making noise against the paper.


    He now crouched behind her, staring at her handwriting. "It is messy," he said, chewing the gum while not exining what to her.


    Julie looked back at her notes, a frown forming on her forehead, "I thought this was the one we make use of," she murmured, flipping her pages again. "Which one do you make use of then?"


    Roman raised his hand forward, and Julie wondered if he was asking for the pencil or the book, "Money."


    "Huh?" Julie responded, confused.


    "I don''t give people free lessons. As told by someone, it is always good to make money at what you are good at," said Roman in a serious tone.


    Julie blinked at him if he was for real, "Who said that?"


    "Me."


    Roman bit into the gum before his eyes fell on Simon, "I thought you are busy with other subjects. I didn''t know you have free time on your hands."


    Simon slowly turned his head around, "I forgot that I had to make presentation slides for next week. My apologies, Julie. It looks like I won''t be free this week."


    That was a lie! Thought Julie to herself. Simon was the one who had offered to clear their doubts, and now he was going back on his word after Roman asked him.


    She felt Roman look back at her while Simon went back to continue to help her friend. She turned back to look at Roman and said, "I will figure it out, but thank you for pointing out the error."


    "It is a pity how people waste their time when things can be solved," stated Roman, looking right into her brown eyes.


    "You don''t look poor. Why do you need more money?" whispered Julie to him and Simon on the other side coughed.


    When Roman''s upper body leaned towards her, Julie leaned back. Maybe to him, with his reputation of being with many girlsing too close to her was nothing, but she was a girl who was new to such things.


    The distance that Julie tried to create quickly vanished as Roman leaned closer and said, "It is so that I can pay people." He was only a student. Whom did he have to pay? Julie asked in her mind. To the other students whom he liked to bully? "Do you know what I pay them for?"


    Julie shook her head, "I think I will pass."


    "It is to have them dig up the ground, and bury the people who get on my nerves," said Roman, and for a second, Julie was terrified. She then heard him chuckle darkly at his joke. He got up from where he had been sitting on his heels and walked to pick up the book he had been reading and ced it back on the table.


    Julie got back to her original position and looked at the form that she had applied. After helping her friend, Simon stood up and walked to where Roman was. She picked her book and scooted to where Mnie was to fix the mistake.


    At the same time, Roman had his back leaned against the table while drinking the cold drink he had opened a few seconds ago.


    "You must have a death wish,"mented Roman, his voice low only for Simon to hear.


    "Why? Did I do something?" asked Simon, his expression perplexed, but Roman saw right through it. "And it was you and Maximus who told her your home was here, not I."


    Roman rolled his eyes, "It was you who brought the question up. You should already know. Asking a question equals to being asked the same."


    Simon nodded and then said, "Earlier you didn''t return to the ssroom, Rome. Did Dante call you?"


    "I came back to the dorm to sleep," replied Roman. He could hear Julie getting her doubt cleared.


    "Interesting, isn''t she?" questioned Simon, noticing Roman''s line of sight. "Maximus said she might taste sweet."


    "Did the other girls run out of blood?" came the nonchnt words from Roman.


    "Probably not, else there would have been more spare rooms in the Dormitorium," replied Simon. "Did you hear anything more about the body?"


    A grim expression appeared on Roman''s face, and he said, "The attack wasn''t from a vampire. But it was only made to look like the death was caused by a vampire."


    "Looks like this Sunday our hands are full," sighed Simon as if he wasn''t looking forward to it. Seeing the girls starting to pack, Simon walked forward while Roman stood at the table watching Julie. "You are leaving?"


    Julie and Mnie had found the right time to leave. Julie replied, "We finished our assignments and will do the rest of it in the dorm. Thank you for having us here."


    "No problem," Simon offered them a smile, "We should do this often. It is always fun that way."


    Julie didn''t agree or disagree with his words, leaving her answer in suspense.


    "Thank you for your help," Mnie thanked Simon, and he smiled.


    Ready to leave, they started to head towards the door when Maximus returned withpany. Olivia and Victoria were here. Olivia looked briefly surprised before giving a nod to both the girls. But Victoria stared at Julie harshly, her eyes quietly throwing daggers at Julie right now.


    "I can now tell why Maximus picked snacks that we usually don''t have," said Olivia. "You must havee to meet Conner?"


    "Yes, we did," Julie nodded her head. She then said, "I wanted to ask you about him. He looks really pale and sick than how he was yesterday, is it normal?" in concern.


    Olivia nodded her head, "The game usually tires the new yers and it takes a day or two more time before they feel better. There''s nothing to worry about," she assured Julie.


    "Okay," replied Julie.


    "Are you both leaving?" asked Maximus, and this time, Mnie nodded her head.


    "Thank you for having us here," said Mnie and Julie awkwardly said bye before leaving the room.


    Once the two human girls left the room and the corridor, Olivia''s eyes fell on the books that were on the ground.


    "How did they taste?" asked Victoria, picking up one of the cold drinks that Maximus had brought.


    "We didn''t get to sink our teeth. We were studying," replied Simon, walking to the bed and plopping himself on it.


    "It is better if you don''t unless you want to spoil your taste buds. We have been picking up the high-end students," said Victoria, and her eyes fell on Roman, who was staring at the door through which the girl had left. "Isn''t that right, Rome?"


    "I have never cared about taste. I am good if I drink directly from the body," expressed Maximus.


    Roman''s eyes moved to look at Maximus, and he said, "Victoria is right. Find someone else to prey on." Right now, he didn''t want anyone sinking their fangs in the girl. Earlier, when he hade behind Julie to take a look at why she had paused, his sudden words had her heart pumping and rushing her warm blood up to her face.


    He didn''t want anyone putting his paws on his amusement.


    Away from the boy''s Dormitorium, Julie had reached her dorm. She dropped her bag on the ground, removing her shoes and getting on the bed toy down on her stomach. She didn''t know she could be this tired by spending time with the seniors. Thankfully it was the boys Dormitorium and not the girls to spy on them.


    She closed her eyes and fell asleep for a few minutes before she woke up. Just one more day and then it was two days'' holiday with no sses, thought Julie to herself.


    Remembering the letter that was next to her window, she sat up and picked it. Opening it, she read¡ª Time to say goodbye to the dorm and the university.


    Julie''s eyes widened, and she wondered if the person had already gone to speak to Mr. Borrell to hand over her letter. Until now, she couldn''t make out how the note got picked and dropped. She had tried to stay awake before, but in the end, she had only fallen asleep. She had ignored writing back immediately, and this person had already decided to mention her rule-breaking. Hoping the person was only testing her, she quickly took to writing back.


    ''Pardon me. I forgot to read the note and thought to read itter once I was back. Please do not give my letter to Mr. Borrell >.<''


    By the next morning, she received a fresh note from the letter thief¡ª ''-_- Deciding to conveniently ignore the letter, you aren''t pardoned. For that you shall be punished. Next month, there''s an uing Halloween, get lots of bandages to be an Egyptian mummy.''


    Julie stared hard at the paper and wrote back¡ª''And you won''t give my letter to Mr. Borrell?''


    She added another line stating she was going to visit her uncle and aunt. She didn''t want the letter thief to throw another threat for not replying just because she wasn''t here.


    By evening, she had received the response and a question that she hadn''t expected¡ª''Yes. It looked like you didn''t want to visit them. Why?''


    Why Julie repeated the question.


    Taking her pen, she replied, pausing many times before continuing¡ª'' Things are a little awkward and ufortable at my uncle''s house. The rtionship is a little strained, not that they aren''t good people. I don''t want my uncle to worry and thought it would be a good idea to show my face to him because I wasn''t able to contact him through phone.''


    The person responded with¡ª''Beating around the bush. The question is why.''


    Her response to it was¡ª''Why are you the only one asking questions? Who are you? Do you live in the same Dormitorium as me?''


    When Saturday morning arrived, Julie packed some of her clothes in her backpack, ready to leave on the bus. Today was the day her phone would finally revive with an inte connection! Before leaving, she picked up the new note that was left for her.


    There was the expression of annoyance drawn before the sentence she read¡ª ''The negotiator doesn''t get to question when the abductor is holding the victim hostage. Anyways, to answer one of your questions. I have lived in your Dormitorium. When are youing back so that we can decide which next rule you are going to break?''


    Julie wanted to write ''Never'', but then that would be a in lie. Instead, she wrote¡ª''Probably by Sunday evening. Are you going to visit your family?''


    She asked out of curiosity. Folding the note, she ced it near the window. Stepping out of the room and locking it to head towards the bus that was waiting for students who were going to visit their families or going outside the property of Veteris.


    Most of the students had filled the front buses. Getting on thest bus Julie and her friends walked past some of the filled seats, Julie sat at the window seat, and Mnie sat next to her.


    The buses started to move forward one after another in order, passing through the university''s main gates. Julie pushed open the window, feeling the wind rushing inside and falling on her face, which felt cold because of the trees surrounding both sides of the road. Mnie had closed her eyes as if she was trying to catch up on sleep. Julie took her earphones, pushing them into her ears. She yed a song while watching the trees move past her.


    After a minute or two, while she was still listening to the first song, she saw motorcycles riding near her bus. Catching the red hair, Julie realized it was Simon and Victoria sitting behind him. The next one to pass was Maximus, who had Olivia sitting behind, and finally came one more motorcycle. It was Roman, and like others, he didn''t wear his helmet over his head.


    Julie didn''t know if it was the effect of the music or if it was Roman riding the bike next to the bus that had her eyes focus more on him. His dark locks of hair ruffled because of the wind. He didn''t wear his jacket, revealing the tattoo inked on one of his hands. He wore ck hand gloves. And for that moment, she noticed how he looked less intimidating and more attractive.


    In the next second, Roman had elerated for the motorbike to speed up and leave the buses far behind.

 Chapter 21: Scar of the dark night

    <h4>Chapter 21:Scar of the dark night</h4>


    Julie stood in front of her uncle''s house. It had been more than a minute since the taxi had dropped her, but she was nervous. It was just two days. Actually, it would be less than forty hours, she assured herself, telling the ufortable would be over quickly. Taking a deep breath, she made her way towards the house and knocked on the door.


    "Who is it?" Julie heard Aunt Sarah''s voice.


    "It is Julianne," responded Julie, and when the door opened, she put a smile on her face. "Good morning, Auntie."


    Her aunt had a square-shaped face with short blonde wavy hair, and she was as tall as her. On seeing her stand at the door, the woman shed a smile at her.


    "I didn''t know you wereing today. Come in," said Aunt Sarah, stepping aside for Julie to get in.


    "I am sorry I wasn''t able to inform you beforehand. I forgot when I sat in the bus and the university-"


    "That''s no problem," said Aunt Sarah. It was less than one minute, and Julie already wanted to go back to Veteris. Two months ago, when she hade to stay here, she knew her aunt wasn''t happy about hering to stay with them, but she didn''t know how much her aunt wanted her out until she heard her speaking to her uncle. While they walked inside the house, a boy of ten years appeared in front of her.


    "Julie!" It was her cousin Joel. The boy was quick toe forward and put his arms around her to hug her.


    "Hey, Joe," Julie hugged the boy back, who was shorter than her in height. "How are you doing?"


    "I am good. Thest time, you left without saying bye to me," Joel looked unhappy about it, and she smiled.


    Patting his head, Julie said, "I am sorry about that. This time I will be sure to tell you."


    "Julianne," intervened Aunt Sarah so that her son wouldn''t continue with the subject, "You can keep your things in the upper room. Your uncle is in the garage. Joel, go back andplete your homework."


    "But Julie is here-"


    "She''s not going anywhere until tomorrow. Go finish it now," Aunt Sarah used a strict voice at her son.


    Julie saw her cousin puff up both his cheeks while her aunt followed him. Instead of keeping her things in the room, she made her way towards the garage and caught sight of her uncle, who was in front of the car''s bo and was working on something.


    "It is so good to see you. Is it Sunday today? I thought toe and pick you up," said her uncle with a smile on seeing her step into the garage.


    "I tried to call you but the phone never got connected. Iter found out that there are rules and restrictions, did you know that before?" asked Uncle Thomas, walking to the side and picking up the dark coloured cloth. He used it to wipe his hands.


    Julie shook her head, "I must have missed it when I was reading about the university," she replied, and he gave her an understanding nod.


    "It got me really worried and I thought toe and meet you there, but after I found out that they use jammers so that the students can concentrate I felt more at ease. I mean the walls that are high, it made me worry. How are you doing, Julie? Are the students good there? How are your grades?" questioned Uncle Thomas in worry.


    This made Julieugh, and she said, "I have been doing well, Uncle Thomas." Not wanting him to worry about other things, she said, "Everything is fine there."


    "That''s good to hear. Come let''s get inside. Your aunt is preparing some chicken zed dish for lunch. I don''t know what it is, but it sounded delicious when she said it," said her uncle with a smile. "Did you eat anything before leaving?"


    "I did," answered Julie. "I will rest a bit in the room if it is okay."


    "Of course. Go ahead and let me know if you need anything," said her uncle, a kind smile on his lips.


    Julie went back inside, climbing up the stairs, and she entered the room. Putting her backpack on the side, she walked near the window and saw a few people walking up and down the street. She wondered when the mailman would arrive.


    One of the reasons why she had decided toe here was to steal the mail report that had been sent from Veteris. God only knew what details it contained. As hical as her n was, she didn''t want her uncle worrying after seeing the number of detention she had gotten into. She also realized she was walking in the footsteps of her letter stealer.


    Now that she was here, she would download all the songs that she needed! Her ck and white life would fill itself with colour!


    She slept for an hour before waking up and getting down the stairs.


    "Good, you are here. Lunch is almost ready," announced Aunt Sarah.


    "Do you need any help?" offered Julie, walking towards the open kitchen.


    "It is fine. You can take a seat next to Joel," said her aunt, walking around and cing the bowls on the table.


    When Julie was in Veteris, she had forgotten things about the outside world. She watched her uncle enter the room and take a seat at the dining table. While her aunt finished cing the dishes that she had prepared, her uncle had a puzzled look, and he turned to his wife.


    "Where is the chicken that you were speaking about?" he questioned her.


    Aunt Sarah said, "I realized it needs more time to marinate. We can have it at dinner," she said with a smile on her lips, and she sat down with them to eat.


    Julie behaved as if she didn''t know what just happened. She started to eat andplimented her aunt, "The peas are really good, Aunt Sarah."


    Her aunt looked taken aback, and she offered a smile. Joel made noise as if he wasn''t happy with the meal and Julie noticed her aunt send him a re.


    "So, Julianne. How is your new university? Anyints that we need to prepare ourselves for?" asked her aunt.


    "Sarah," Julie heard her uncle interrupt.


    "What? I was only asking a simple question," said Aunt Sarah, looking at her husband and then back at Julie.


    "It is fine, I don''t mind," replied Julie. She then said, "The university is great. Uncle must have told you, it is huge and everything there is very resourceful. The teachers are very good at teaching," and throwing people into detention, came the unsaid words in Julie''s mind. "I have already made two friends and they are very kind. One person lives right next to my dorm in the Dormitorium."


    "Dormitorium?" asked Uncle Thomas in surprise.


    "Ah, that''s the dormitory. They call it Dormitorium there," exined Julie, and he raised his eyebrows before giving her a nod.


    "I see," murmured her uncle, and she smiled. "It is good to hear that you have already settled in there."


    "Make sure to get good grades. And if possible stay away from trouble," warned her aunt as she took a bite from the sd. "I came to hear that all wealthy family''s childrene to study there. So be careful with whom you mingle. There are so many students who are spoiled and then the others get spoiled. Being your uncle and aunt, it is our duty to warn you. Don''t spend your time with people who waste time, especially the rebellious children."


    "Julie knows that. She''s a smart girl," said Uncle Thomas and Julie smiled at him while chewing on her food.


    Trouble and Julie were in a close rtionship with each other. Even though she wanted to break up with it, it always came back to her.


    Hours passed with Julie, who spent her time helping her uncle in the garage. When it was time for dinner, her aunt hadn''t pulled out the chicken from the freezer. And neither she nor her uncle reminded her. She was sure her uncle was feeling embarrassed by her aunt''s action by thinking why he even told Julie. But Julie kept a bright smile when her uncle looked at her so that he wouldn''t worry what she was thinking.


    After going back to the room, Julie closed the room and made sure even her windows were closed. It wasn''t because she worried about her letter thief, but she was worried about other things. Sheid her back on the surface of the bed. She could hear the faint sounds of the moving vehicle on the road. She stared at the ceiling, remembering that dreadful night as her eyes slowly closed.


    It was a night much darker than this one.


    It was around two months ago when she was living with her parents, and she was in her room watching a movie when she heard some noise outside her room. Not knowing what it was, she had stepped out of her room and called her mother, "Mom?"


    Her father used toe hometer because of his work. It was why it was usually Julie and her mother at this hour. She had gone to her mother''s room, looking for her but had found the bed empty and the nket pushed to the side.


    Walking barefoot through the corridor, Julie hade to the kitchen room to see her father there. A gasp escaped her lips.


    "You scared me, father!" eximed Julie, a smile on her lips and looked relieved.


    "Why are you still awake, Julie?" her father asked her with a severe look in his eyes.


    "Tomorrow is a holiday and I thought I would watch a movie before I go to bed. Did you eat? Where is mom?" asked Julie, leaning to the side to see if her mother was in the hall.


    "She got a call for the night shift," replied her father, and he offered her a smile. When she went to turn on the light in the kitchen, her father said, "Don''t worry about me. You should go to sleep."


    "You sure?" asked Julie, taking a step forward, "I can fix something qui-" and that was when she felt something wet and slightly warm touch her feet.


    When she looked down, it looked dark red, and she took a nervous step forward and saw a hand on the ground.


    Her lips trembled when she saw her mother lying cold on the ground, unmoving with her eyes open and a big hole on her forehead.


    "W-what happened to mom?" whispered Julie, her eyes falling on her father, who held a gun in his hand.


    "Nothing happened to her. Come here, Julie, I can exin to you," said her father in a calm voice that only scared her.


    "What did you do to her?" her voice trembled, and so did her heart, and she noticed her father raising his hand that held the gun.


    Julie had bolted from there as fast as she could towards her room. She heard another shot that came right behind her, and she locked her room''s door. Her feet had left a trail of blood on the floor that had made it easy for her father to follow her. Her mind had turned numb in shock and panic, tears rolling down on her cheek.


    "Julie!" her father banged on the room''s door. "I will exin everything to you. Julie!" his usual gentle voice turned rough.


    "Julie!" Her eyes opened, and she saw Joel standing next to her bed. The dark atmosphere had turned bright, and it was morning. "You sleep a lot. I was hoping we could y frisbee. Come on!" he said in an excited tone.


    It took her a while toe out of what happened in her dream.


    "I sleep less. Give me ten minutes, Joe," murmured Julie, closing her eyes, she tried to get back to the present. Her cousin walked near the window, staring at some of the children ying with a ball and washing their cars.


    "Some of them are washing cars. Did you know there are people who make lots of money by washing cars?" asked Joel, and Julie hummed in response. "Look there''s the mail truck." Hearing the word ''mail'', her eyes opened wide, and she sat up on the bed.


    "What did you say?" asked Julie, quickly getting up and walking towards the window. It was indeed the mail truck. She quickly tied her hair and said, "Alright, let us go."


    Her cousin threw his hands up in the air and ran out of the room. Julie was quick on her feet, making her way down the stairs and towards the door. Joel was wearing his shoes when Julie walked past and out of the house. The mailman was about to ring the bell, but he stopped on seeing her.


    "Winters'' residence?" he asked her.


    "Yes," answered Julie.


    The man handed her the mails and then said, "Sign here please," he pointed to the box on his notepad for her to sign. Julie signed her name and gave it back to him.


    "Thank you," said Julie. When the mailman turned his back, she quickly went through the mail and found the envelope that was from Veteris. There you are! She folded the one she had wanted, putting it in her pocket while cing the rest of the mail on the table. Taking a deep breath, she finally was able to smile.


    She said, "Finally no worries."


    As Julie walked to the backyard with her cousin, the memory of her mother on the kitchen''s floor was something hard to erase.


    Her family had been normal. Loving parents, where both of them worked, and they loved each other. Before that awful night, there were many memories Julie had treasured with them. She didn''t know what happened to her father. The police hade home to arrest her father, guilty for her mother''s death, and they had put him in prison.


    When the reason for why it happened was asked, her father said he felt like killing her.


    Like many other things, Julie had changed herst name to her mother''s family name. Winters. Sharing the samest name as Uncle Thomas and his family.


    When it was near to evening, she had packed her backpack and was ready to go back to the bus point where the Veteris'' buses would pick up the students. Her bag was filled with bandages, and some more carried in another bag.


    "I can drop you there," said Uncle Thomas while Julie waited for the taxi that she had already booked.


    "It is fine," Julie smiled at him. Her aunt and her cousin had told her bye when she was stepping out of the house. "Uncle Tom," she began.


    "Hm?" he responded attentively. "Is something the matter?"


    "The subjects and the sybus this year at Veteris'' is a little hardpared to what I have been studying. I will need to spend more time studying. Please don''t be upset with me if I am unable to visit you," said Julie, it was another reason why she was here. With no source ofmunication, she wouldn''t be able to convey her message to him.


    Julie had sensed the aloofness from her aunt, and it was ufortable and awkward. It was possible that her uncle was feeling more awkward than her because one side was his orphan niece, and on the other side, it was his wife.


    Uncle Thomas nodded his head, "I understand that," he offered her a smile. "But if you need anything, don''t forget I am right here."


    Julie smiled, and when her lips parted, she asked in a low voice, "Have you heard anything of him?"


    "He''s in prison. He can''t hurt you," Uncle Thomas promised her, his lips setting in a thin line remembering the man who had killed his sister.


    She saw the taxi arrive and stop in front of the house, and before getting inside, she hugged her uncle, "Thank you, Uncle Tom."


    Getting inside the taxi, she waved at him with a smile and headed to the bus point. The Veteris had two different timings for students convenience, and she had picked the earlier one.


    By the time she reached Veteris and got to her dorm, it was seven. Her heart felt lighter, and she let out a tired sigh. The dorm was the same as she had left except for one item. The letter that was waiting for her near the window.


    Picking it up, she opened the fold and read¡ª''Don''t have them,'' and below it was another line, ''Did you get the bandages for Halloween?''

 Chapter 22: Interrupted in lunchroom

    <h4>Chapter 22:Interrupted in lunchroom</h4>


    Julie stared at the letter, biting the inside of her cheek in thought. Even though she had brought the bandages in a bag, she didn''t have any intention to wrap herself to look like a mummy. If her letter bully thought that she would listen to every word that was being ordered to her, the person was sorely mistaken.


    So far, the letter thief hadn''t done anything to harm her and had only made her do bizarre things.


    ''Don''t have them.''


    How strange, thought Julie to herself. She didn''t have her family with her either. Picking up the notebook from the table, she wrote down a new note instead of writing in the same letter that she had received¡ª''Yes, I brought them with me. Why do you want me to turn into a mummy? What are you going to be during Halloween?''


    With that, Julie ced the letter at her window and stepped out of her dorm to check if Mnie had returned. But when she knocked on the door, she received no answer and guessed her friends would return on the second bus, unlike her.


    She headed towards the building where the lunchroom was. Stepping in, she noticed the ce wasn''t as crowded as it usually was. Walking towards the counter, she ordered her meal. Collecting it, she walked towards the far end of the lunchroom so that no one would notice her.


    "Julianne?"


    Julie turned to meet one of the few seniors whom she knew in this university. "Dennis, hey," she offered him a polite smile.


    Dennis was carrying his meal in his hand, and he returned her smile with his own. He looked around her and asked, "You are eating alone? I didn''t know you stayed back over the weekend. If I knew it, I would have joined you for the meals."


    "I returned in the first bus," replied Julie, and he nodded in realization. Seeing him continue to stand, she asked, "Do you want to sit?" It was rude to have someone standing at the table while she was sitting.


    Dennis smiled, and he sat opposite to her. Julie noticed his meal that consisted of breast chicken, steamed vegetables and other healthy things. "Are you nning to join the football team?" questioned Julie, and he stared at her as he didn''t understand what she meant. "Your meal looks like a lot of protein and everything a person needs to maintain good health."


    Hearing this Dennisughed, and asked, "Are you telling, you aren''t trying to have good health?"


    Julie grinned at his question, replying, "I eat what makes me happy. I mean whatever I want without restricting myself."


    "That must be really nice. I wish I had such privilege," Dennis responded to her, and he started to cut the chicken into thin slices before putting it in his mouth. "I grew up in a strict family, who follow rules."


    "Even on food?" asked Julie, dipping one end of her potato fries in the ketchup and then throwing it in her mouth.


    "Even on food," affirmed Dennis.


    "How sad," muttered Julie under her breath, and when Dennis looked at her, she shook her head. Remembering what he said earlier, she asked, "You didn''t go to visit your family?"


    "I had a lot of assignments that needed to bepleted. Still in the process of finishing them. Being in senior year is tough with the amount of work the teachers give," answered Dennis, pushing his sses upwards with the back of his finger. "What''s the prescription of your sses?" he asked, shifting the subject.


    Julie touched her sses as if to make sure it was still there on her face, and she answered, "It is minus two something. I haven''t gotten them checked since one year."


    Dennis nodded his head and said, "They look pretty on you."


    Julie cleared her throat.


    She had never been good at takingpliments about her appearance because, in the past, she had never been a person to receive it. She said, "I got them specifically made. It has this anti-re. What about you?"


    "I have the same as you," responded Dennis. The shape of his ss frame was a typical rectangr. "Did your family miss you?"


    Julie only nodded her head without uttering anything and smiled. Her aunt had missed her to the point that she had decided to catch the first bus. "How long have you been studying here? You seem to be someone who gets the highest grades."


    Dennis chuckled at her words, "Is it because of the sses? Then I might say the same to you. I havepleted three years since I joined to study here in Veteris, this year being the fourth one. And no I am not. There''s another student in the year whom I am trying to beat with better scores, but I always end up in second ce."


    "I am sure with hard work you will be able to clinch the first spot," Julie motivated Dennis. "I am still learning my subjects. It was onlyst week I applied the wrong form andponent." She didn''t forgetst week when Roman had pointed out she had made a mistake. How embarrassing, thought Julie to herself. He could have told her what her mistake was, but instead, he had asked her for money as a fee.


    "That would be really helpful. Thank you," thanked Julie.


    While they continued to talk about the subjects, Julie noticed how Dennis'' eyes moved to look at the entrance. She turned her head, following his sight when she caught sight of the Devil she had remembered a few moments ago. Roman entered the lunchroom apanied by Maximus next to him, walking across the floor as they headed towards the counter that sold the meals and snacks.


    Julie turned her back to the way she had earlier been sitting.


    Dennis then said, "The group is a little too shy and loud. The other students named them as the famous five," he shook his head as if he disapproved of the clique. "It is just hard to believe that someone that rebellious tops the year every time. Roman Moltenore I mean."


    "He''s the person?" Julie''s eyebrows drew near each other.


    Dennis gave a small nod before going back to have his food.


    She remotely remembered Conner mentioning the group having good grades, but she didn''t know Roman was a brilliant student.


    While Dennis engaged Julie in another conversation, Roman and Maximus stood facing the counter while waiting to get their snacks packed, explicitly made for vampires.


    "Cookie chips, the c, the sticks. A lot of them," Maximus said to the person at the counter. Turning to Roman, he asked, "Why did Dante have to allow two days of holidays? The ce is so empty and hard to feed on the good ones with most of them who have gone home."


    "She was hoping to catch the imposter in here, but there has been no suspicious activity," responded Roman, who had a broken toothpick in his mouth. "Two days is long," he murmured. The one amusement he had caught had gone home, and there was no one else to pass his time because the rest of them were boring.


    "We have always verified the students who enter Veteris, isn''t it? There''s a thin chance of-" Maximus raised his hand while bringing two of his fingers close as he turned, and his eyes fell on the girl sitting in one corner of the lunchroom. "Julianne?"


    Hearing the name, Roman turned his head and caught sight of her.


    He noticed Julie sitting with a male student, the same person he had seen her talking tost week before they were stuck in the small room. She sat at the table, listening to what the guy was speaking and asionally replying.


    She hadn''t bothered to tie her brown hair, and it was let down that stopped right above her waist. She was wearing jeans and a blouse that was covered by a sweater. He bit into the stick between his teeth as he stared at her. It seemed like she loved her sweaters a little too much, thought Roman.


    Girls usually liked to dress modestly because they were shy or because of the cold weather. But Roman got the feeling that Julie didn''t fit in any of the two categories.


    "I didn''t know she was friends with Dennis Mcoy," hummed Maximus. "Looks like her friends aren''t there and he''s giving herpany."


    "Someone I should know of?" questioned Roman, leaning against the counter and cing both his elbows to rest behind him. At the same time, he remembered one of the letters where Julie mentioned a person she had tried to get away from during the football match. Was this the one?


    His head tilted to the side, and he gauged the boy, who looked like an average friendly nerd.


    "Dennis Mcoy is in the same year as us. He tops second and I know this because Olivia has been pissed because she lost her second position after he got admitted here. I didn''t care to know the rest of it. Teacher''s favourite unlike you because he always has full attendance and participates in other ss activities," Maximus shrugged his shoulders.


    A grin cracked on Roman''s lips, and he said, "Remarkable isn''t it. To top our year even after missing half of the sses."


    Roman shifted the stick in his mouth as he stared at the two of them. He concentrated on what the two of them were speaking.


    "I usually make a timetable and it helps me track time. This must be the first week I ended upgging in my assignments else I am usually on time," said Dennis while finishing his meal. "You know what, I was looking for someone with whom I could study in the library. The other students have their own study group, which I didn''t join before but I think it would be great if you join me."


    Julie was slightly taken aback by the offer, and she said, "I am sorry, but I study with my friend."


    "Oh, is that so," Dennis politely eximed, and she gave him a nod. "Maybe you can ask her to join too. I wouldn''t mind."


    Before Julie could refuse the idea, someone else did it for her.


    "She''s with me."


    Both Julie and Dennis turned to their side and saw Roman, who hade and stood next to their table. He ced both his hands on the table with a light thump that got Julie''s eyes on them.


    Wait, what did he say? Asked Julie in her mind, and she looked up to meet Roman''s eyes. Hepletely ignored Dennis and said,


    "I thought we had already nned to study together to make sure you don''t write wrong answers likest time."


    "No?" said Julie with a confused look on her face. Did he hit his head, or did she lose her memory? "I told youst time, I am not going to-"


    "I will see you in the library tomorrow after the sses. Unless you or I end up in detention," the corner of his lips pulled up.


    Dennis wasn''t happy with the sudden interruption, and he said to Roman, "I don''t think Julianne wants to study with you. Leave her alone, Moltenore."


    Roman''s eyes shifted from Julie to look at the boy with whom she was sitting. With a casual attitude, he asked, "Do I know you?"

 Chapter 23: Your dorm or mine

    <h4>Chapter 23:Your dorm or mine</h4>


    The boy with sandy blonde hair stared at Roman with his mouth slightly agape over what Roman uttered a few seconds ago. Julie didn''t get to see Dennis'' baffled expression because of Roman, who held her gaze, and it made it hard to look away from him.


    Julie couldn''t make out if Roman was ying around or was being serious right now.


    "I-I," Dennis tried topose his expression while a clear hint of irritation appeared in his eyes. He cleared his throat and said, "I am Dennis Mcoy. You must have heard of my name, the one who has been in second ce since thest three years."


    Even though Dennis was not first, it was quite impressive to Julie, knowing she was around two senior students who scored the highest. While here she was, struggling and trying to make sure to get decent grades. Though it wasn''t her fault that Veteris had such intensive studying and tests. She had got through the admission, and now it was time for her to maintain it until she was here.


    Roman finally pulled himself back, taking his hands away from the table and turning to look at Dennis.


    Dennis didn''t hold back in being polite this time and replied, "I have heard a lot about you, of how you look down at the students."


    Roman bit into the stick while staring at Dennis with an aloof expression on his face. Though Maximus had told him this boy''s name before he came here, he hadn''t bothered to respond to it. But it was true. He didn''t know this boy''s existence until now. Looked like someone was trying to be brave in front of the girl. He remarked,


    "Then you must have also heard of how I don''t like being interrupted when I am speaking to someone," there was a hint of threat in the way Roman looked at the person. "Also, it''s hard not to look down when everyone is at the bottom. Maybe if they were at the top it would make it easier..." one corner of his lips pulled up.


    "I will get better grades than anyone has ever seen," promised Dennis, taking up the challenge.


    Roman didn''t respond to Dennis, and he turned his gaze back at Julie, staring at her. What was she doing with this one?


    "Don''t forget tomorrow. I will see you in the library at six in the evening," decided Roman and Julie''s eyes widened.


    "I can''t," blurted Julie. Thest thing she wanted to do was spend her time with him and bring more attention to her life.


    When his eyes narrowed with an unpleasant look, she felt her heart slip. It seems like he wasn''t used to being refused, thought Julie to herself.


    "Can''t or won''t?" demanded Roman, his demeanour turning intimidating.


    Though she tried to keep a calm expression on her face, Julie turned nervous, and she tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. Roman''s eyes caught the little movement before they went back to look at her brown doe-like eyes.


    "Didn''t you say you don''t do things for free? I think you should stick to it. I am a little short of money this month because I had to-"


    Suddenly every person who was nearby heard a screech that made them wince. Roman had grabbed the nearest chair and brought it next to Julie, and he sat down.


    "I didn''t ask for an exnation. Can''t or won''t," questioned Roman, sitting too close, and Julie wanted to push her chair away from him.


    Because of the shrill sound, the few people who were in the lunchroom turned to look in the direction where she was sitting with the two seniors. Oh God, thought Julie to herself.


    Julie stared at Roman, her lips set in a thin line. She then asked, "What if I said won''t?"


    Roman, who had been biting the stick, brought it to his teeth. Bringing his hand up, he pulled it away from his mouth. He sat in the chair as if he owned the ce and said, "Why do you want to settle for something so low, when you can have the best tutor? You don''t have to worry about the fees, I have other ways of having you cover the cost."


    "Sitting with you is going to cause me a lot more trouble than worrying about my low grades," blurted Julie. She saw the faint arrogant smile that appeared on his face.


    Rumours in this university spread worse than a wildfire where girls and boys indulged in gossip. She was already in people''s ''beat with a baseball bat list''. She didn''t want to ascend to a higher rank on the list.


    "Stop scaring her. Can''t you see that she doesn''t want to study with a person like you?" said Dennis to Roman. "Leave her alone. Your help isn''t needed here."


    "Nobody is talking to you, number two," deadpanned Roman. "Unless she can''t speak for herself, which I believe she can?" He raised one of his eyebrows, and this got Dennis to close his mouth.


    "You are overthinking. If you don''t want to study in the library, I wille to the dorm," he offered to her, and a chuckle escaped Julie''s lips.


    "I will be barbecued the same night," responded Julie, already feeling the tension rise in her body.


    "Fine. Come to my dorm. No one everes there, unless I invite them so it will be just the two of us," Julie wasn''t sure if it was the way he said it or her brain had stopped working, but the way it reached her ears, there was something very dark and tempting about it. "I am offering to be a nice and helpful senior here," he tilted his head to the side.


    "I will think about it," replied Julie, trying to buy time to stall for now. He was being extremely nice, and she wondered why. Was there some sort of motive behind his action?


    "Cool. I will take the answerter then," said Roman, getting up from the chair he had been sitting on.


    As Roman turned and started to walk back to where Maximus was, Julie saw Maximus wave his hand at her in greeting. Awkwardly, Julie raised her hand before dropping it to her side. Turning, she ate thest two pieces of her cold fries.


    "Is he bullying you, Julianne?" asked Dennis, a frown on his forehead as he looked at her and his eyes shifting back to look at Roman, who was leaving the lunchroom. "You don''t have to listen to him. We can report this to Ms. Dante."


    Julie waved her hands as if it was not a big deal, and she said, "He''s only offered to help me with the studies."


    "Yes, but he could have done it more politely. It looked like he was forcing you toe join the study group, which I doubt will be group study," said Dennis, not liking the idea of it. "You cane and study with me if you want. I am usually studying in the library and he can''t disturb you."


    "I will keep that in mind. I should get going now, thank you for keeping mepany," she offered him a smile.


    Dennis returned the smile, "Would you like me to walk you back to your Dormitorium?"


    "I will be fine. But thank you," replied Julie. Dennis was a little too friendly, something she was not used to, but she appreciated his thought.


    "I will see you tomorrow then," said Dennis.


    Julie gave him a nod and started to walk towards the open doors of the lunchroom. The sky had already turned dark, bringing in the night along with the chilly weather around the property of Veteris. On her way, she thought back to her time at her uncle''s house. Yesterday when she had visited them, downloading songs was not all that she did with the inte.


    She had tried to find the person named Stacy Hopkins on social media, trying to track the person to know what had happened to the girl. Last week, she had dropped by the main office to check if she would be able to ask about the free dorm.


    ''I told you there''s no spare dorms and it takes months to process it,'' thedy at the office told Julie.


    She had then checked Veteris website, and funnily it just didn''t load as if the website had a bad server issue. She hadn''t heard anyone miss Stacy Hopkins in the dorms or the bathing room as if she were a loner and didn''t have friends.


    Reaching the dorm, Julie unlocked the door and closed it after entering. It seemed like she would be meeting Mnie tomorrow morning. Travelling to visit her uncle and aunt had been tiresome. Walking towards the window, she picked up the note, wondering if she should add more questions. She noticed a new one had reced the note.


    "So fast," murmured Julie under breath.


    She read what was in there¡ªA psycho killer who kills dumb people. Obedient, I like it. How was your little trip? Anything exciting.


    "Creeping to someone''s window is already crazy enough. How much more crazy do you want to be?" asked Julie while staring at the letter. "I am not able to decide which one of the bullies is worse."


    The way she had written the letter to her uncle, which the letter thief had, the person might have already guessed the dynamics of her and her rtives, thought Julie in her mind.


    When the night pulled itself further into midnight, the students who had gone to visit their families had returned to their dorms and were sleeping. Roman sat on one of the branches of the trees with one leg hanging, and the other leg pulled up.


    He held a white sheet of paper in his hand, which he had already read.


    ''It was alright. I met my uncle and aunt, my cousin too. I told him I wouldn''t be able to visit him anytime soon. I think he knows why I said it, and somewhere I feel guilty. But I think it is for the best. Do you ever wish that you could turn back time? For example, I would not have sent the letter to Uncle Thomas.


    I have never met a person who likes to bully a person through letters.''


    His lips twisted with one corner of his lips pulling up, and he murmured to himself, "Turn back time, huh," while looking ahead of him, staring at the sky.


    His ears picked up the sound of footsteps, and he caught sight of a boy in his Sophomore year, walking alone near the beginning area of the restricted forest.


    Looked like dinner was here, thought Roman in his mind.

 Chapter 24: Behind the book racks

    <h4>Chapter 24:Behind the book racks</h4>


    The next morning, Julie had woken up with one question on her mind. How was she going to deal with Roman Moltenore''s option of where she would study with him? She had woken up thirty minutes earlier than her usual time while trying toe up with alternatives, and so far, she came up with three of them.


    One, by telling him that she was sick and was sleeping in her room. Two, getting into detention would avoid spending time with him. This way, he would even forget her existence, thought Julie to herself. The third option was studying with him. But the third option wasn''t easy.


    It wasn''t like the second one didn''t. One detention would end up straight in the student''s report that would be sent to her uncle''s house.


    There was another option, an option that could be dangerous. Getting Roman in detention, this way he would be upied. But knowing her luck, the possibility of him escaping out of it was higher and her getting into the detention room more.


    Turning to her left, she picked up the note to read what the letter thief had to say today. Julie often slept past eleven in the night, which was why she wondered if the letter thief received detention every day for staying outside the dorms after the time mentioned in the rules.


    "This means we must have spent at least one detention together," said Julie. Opening the letter, she read¡ª


    ''I haven''t even started bullying you and you want to turn back time? What a dreamer. Don''t worry though, people like me exist to burst that bubble. I have a fresh task for you. Make sure to not step into the detention room today. I have other ns for you after that. You know what will happen if you don''t follow.''


    "Of course, I am not getting into detention. You don''t have to tell me that," muttered Julie, softly rolling her eyes. If there was one thing she had picked upon, it seemed like her letter thief was a male student. "One day you tell me to get detention and then you tell me not to."


    In the next paragraph, the person had written¡ª ''What''s the deal with you and your aunt? Did something happen?''


    Picking up the pen from her table, Julie wrote back to the person¡ª ''I know that you are the letter-napper of my envelope, but I am not going to answer your questions. Those things are personal. Do you get detention everyday? Have we sat in the detention room at the same time?''


    Since her mother''s death, Julie didn''t want to speak anything about her family with anyone as it was a touchy subject. Thankfully she had no friends in thest ce she studied, and it saved her breath. Not that she could make any friends there because the bullying there had never been easy.


    When Julie finished her shower and was getting ready, the note she had kept at the window had been left untouched. Stepping out of the dorm, she and Mnie started to make their way to their ss. Julie heard Mnie speak about what she did over the weekend, and when asked about hers, she exined everything that happenedst evening.


    "Wow, he did that?" Mnie looked surprised. "I don''t think he''s ever offered to teach anyone before."


    "Me neither," replied Julie. "It was too sudden and unexpected. I am hoping no one has heard about it."


    "Well, considering Eleanor and her girls aren''t harassing you right now, you are good," Mnie ced her hand on Julie''s shoulder, offering her an encouraging smile. She then asked, "Have you decided where to study?"


    Julie nervouslyughed, "I don''t want to. I tried to speak to him yesterday, but it didn''t work." Every time she remembered it, she heard the harsh screeching of the chair in her mind.


    "Maybe you will learn something useful from him. I mean he is the topper in his year and your grades will improve for the better?" said Mnie, who looked doubtful of what she uttered.


    "Maybe. I will try to talk to him one more time," said Julie in a low voice, and Mnie shook her head.


    "Good luck with that," responded Mnie.


    But as the needle moved towards six o''clock, Julie could feel her heart pounding in her chest as if it was ready to leap out and make a run. She had stayed back in her ssroom by herself, working on her assignments, hoping Roman would believe that she was busy with sswork!


    When Julie was done packing her bag, she quickly ran to the window, putting her head out and looked below to make sure Roman was nowhere around. On seeing him not there, a wide smile appeared on her lips. It seemed like it was finally safe for her to leave the building. Leaving her ssroom, she started to make her way down the flight of stairs, and she turned around to climb down the next set of stairs when she caught sight of the Devil guarding thest steps of the stairs.


    Roman was sitting on the stairs with one of his long legs stretched out while he read a book that was in his hand. She quickly turned, ready to climb the stairs when she heard him ask,


    "Where do you think you are going?"


    Julie scrunched her nose, pursing her lips and turning back. She saw Roman watching her over one of his shoulders. She answered, "I think I left something in the ssroom. I will be back in a bit-"


    "That won''t be needed," replied Roman, closing the book that was in his hand. He pushed himself to stand up and turn in her direction. "Your textbook is more than enough. You are fifteen minuteste. How are you going topensate for it?"


    Roman stared at Julie, raising his hand to move his finger for her toe over. "Come here," he said, ignoring her words.


    She should have been more careful while climbing down the stairs instead of thumping her foot like a giant. Walking down now, she stopped walking when they were of the same height. It felt good not to have to crane her neck.


    Clearing her throat, she said, "I really don''t need a tutor, and I will be fine by myself. You don''t have to-"


    "Let us go to the library," announced Roman as if he hadn''t heard a single word that hade out from her lips.


    "No!" came Julie''s high pitched voice. "I don''t want to go to the library."


    "What are you scared about?" Roman raised his eyebrows, an unamused expression on his face.


    "There are girls who will chase me around the forest just because they think I am trying to get close to you. Do you see that? People are going to talk and that-"


    Roman interrupted with, "They are silly girls who only speak."


    "No, they are crazy with a probable obsessive trait," Julie replied with a serious face.


    "How about if we study in the ssroom?" she tried to haggle.


    "Do you have your textbook with you?" questioned Roman, and Julie realized she didn''t. She didn''t have any ns to study with him, and she had hoped to get out of the situation. "Don''t tell me you are nning to use my year''s textbooks," he said sarcastically. "Come on," he jerked his head and started to walk towards the entrance of the building.


    Julie quickly climbed down thest flight of stairs to catch up to him. "I will go and get the book from my dorm," she said, trying to keep up with his feet, but Roman replied,


    "Too far. The library is closer and you have already wasted a lot of my time."


    When they walked through the gates, her eyes looked around to make sure no one was seeing them. But to her dismay, everyone around noticed them. Only if she could turn invisible now, thought Julie in her mind. When they reached near the library, Roman said,


    "Go get the textbook and meet me at the back side of the first floor."


    Roman went ahead, walking through the library entrance while leaving Julie standing there for several seconds. Was this him trying not to be seen with her in the library? Taking a deep breath, she made her way towards the doors of the library. She internally prayed before taking a step inside the library.


    While walking towards the racks that contained textbooks belonging to her year, Julie''s eyes moved towards the stairs, and she noticed Roman climbing the stairs. His eyes briefly met hers before he reached the top of the stairs, and he disappeared.


    Pulling the textbook that she hade here for, she turned and gingerly started to make her way to where Roman was. The students who studied often preferred to sit on the ground floor of the library. It was only the students who wanted to do scandalous things like to go to thest section. Julie had already witnessed it when Roman was making out with another girl.


    Having mixed feelings about the current n, Julie quickly walked up the stairs and the long path next to the many racks. When she came to where Roman had told her to, she saw him sitting on the bench in front of a movable table, which could be pushed back to the walls.


    "What now?" demanded Roman, watching Julie, who hadn''t taken a seat.


    "You said something about other payments...you don''t have that in your mind, do you?" asked Julie, her voice holding a sliver of wariness in it.


    Roman''s lips twitched, "I have a lot of things on my mind. But what do you think I have on my mind? Please enlighten me," he leaned back, watching her.


    Julie pursed her lips before she said, "What you were doing the first time I met you here. Making out..."


    "I have no such ns," Roman brought his hand forward, pointing towards the empty seat in front of him. "Sit." cing the book on the surface of the table, Julie sat in front of him. "Seeing the mistakes you made, it would be better if we brush up on your basics first."


    "Okay," replied Julie, obediently flipping through the pages. It wasn''t every day she was offered to be taught by one of the brightest students.


    While she was trying to get to the right page, Roman questioned her, "The person who was sitting with you yesterday. Is he your friend?"


    Startled by the question, Julie raised her head, "Dennis? We just started speaking recently, why?"


    "Was merely curious," replied Roman in a nonchnt tone.

 Chapter 25: Play by the rules of bully

    <h4>Chapter 25:y by the rules of bully</h4>


    Julie saw Roman staring at her notebook, where she had written down the answer for theponents he had given her to solve. The junior year had a Rubix subject, simr to Mathematics, but only that this subject contained purely equations and chemicalpounds.


    Roman, who had been ying with a toothpick earlier, now held it in between his teeth.


    "Were you sleeping in the ss when the teacher was teaching this?" Deadpanned Roman, looking up from the book to look at her.


    Julie was decent with the other subjects, and it was just this subject that she found it hard to remember. And another reason was that the day the first ss of Rubix was taught, it was the same day she had been caught by Mr. Borrell''s in the corridor.


    "I am sure it isn''t all wrong," replied Julie, taking the book from the table when he had dropped it with a grim expression on his handsome face.


    "You are right," replied Roman, bncing the toothpick as he spoke. "Your equation is right, but theponent is wrong. It is equal to giving an alcohol bottle instead of a glucose bottle. Turn to page twenty two."


    Julie scratched her neck while feeling slightly stressed in his presence, "Now I remember it." Of course, it was there in the back of her mind. But with him ring at her while trying to solve it, it was just too hard to concentrate on her book.


    "Let me show you how to solve it without the given method," said Roman, pulling her notebook back to him. He switched the pencil from his left to right, which he had picked out of habit with his left hand. And when he started to write, Julie couldn''t help but stare at the messy handwriting.


    "Can you see this? You put the symbol before you start adding the elements," said Roman as he continued to scribble on her notebook.


    She noticed his long fingers that held the pencil, his hand movements quick. For a fleeting second, she looked at the shadow that was created on his face. His hair hade to fall over his forehead, which was left dishevelled. At first, Julie had thought that he would try to bully her, but instead, he was seriously teaching her. Once he was done, he turned the book around for her to see.


    "Rubix is like a secret house. You can either follow the path like the rest of them, or make your own way," he said, looking up to meet her eyes.


    "This looks really easy," muttered Julie, going through the lines that Roman had written.


    "I know. This is why you should learn from the best rather than learn from a second or other lower positioned person in rank," replied Roman, and Julie pressed her lips together. It seemed like he thought very highly of himself, but at the same time, he did have high gradespared to the rest. "Stop thinking about my possible narcissistic personality and start working on the next page," hemented with narrowed eyes, but Julie''s eyes widened.


    Julie opened her mouth to deny and hide what she thought, but Roman stopped her by saying, "Don''t bother."


    While Julie moved her page, her eyes slowly looked at him in suspicion. It seemed like she had turned to an open book while surrounded by books for him to read her.


    When she started to study again, she noticed Roman had leaned back with his head thrown back, waiting for her to finish solving the page. He had removed his leather jacket and had ced it behind him. His right hand had tattoos that disappeared behind the half sleeve of his t-shirt. There were creepers with scarce leaves on it, writings, an eagle with its wings spread. His fingers had letters on them.


    Julie wondered how epic it would be if her aunt Sarah met Roman Moltenore.


    More than scoring, Julie was excited to learn the tricks of the subject, and she nodded her head, even though a day ago she had been worried. No one had caught sight of her in here with him, and it seemed that this spot was the safest one. For now, at least.


    "Thank you," thanked Julie, and when he didn''t say anything, she picked up her bag and started to walk away from there.


    Making her way down the stairs, Julie ced the textbook back in the rack that she had pulled out earlier. But before she stepped out of the library, she looked up where Roman was standing. He stood with his back leaning against the rails, and at the same time, a girl arrived in front of him.


    This one seemed like a different girl than thest one she had seen, thought Julie to herself. Not wanting to be nosy, she turned her eyes away and stepped out of the library. At the gates, she met Dennis, who was carrying books in his arms.


    "I forgot we were going to meet at the library today," said Dennis before she could say anything. Julie didn''t remember nning her study time with him, and noticing the perplexed expression on her face, he said, "Just so that Moltenore wouldn''t bully you."


    Julie decided not to speak about it as students were walking by, and she said, "It is alright. I studied by myself."


    Dennis nodded his head, pushing his sses up his nose, and he smiled, "I was caught up with other things and I couldn''t get here quickly. If you haven''t finished, you can join me," he offered.


    "I will pass for the day," replied Julie with a smile. Right now, she wanted to eat. "But I hope you will have a good time studying."


    "I will," Dennis agreed and then said, "Maybe another day to study together then."


    "Yeah, sure," replied Julie. "I should get going now."


    "I will see you around then," said Dennis and Julie walked back to her Dormitorium.


    When she entered the Dormitorium, she was unexpectedly pushed by someone against the wall, and she was soon surrounded by four girls, one of them being Eleanor.


    "Have anything to confess, Julianne?" demanded Eleanor. She looked at Julie with anger.


    "I am too tired and want to sleep, Eleanor," Julie tried to step away from there, but one of the girls pushed her back towards the wall.


    "A little birdie told me that she saw you walking next to Rome. What part of staying away from him is so hard for you to get through your tiny brain?" asked Eleanor.


    "Roman? I didn''t even see him today. Who is that little birdie with lies?" Julie questioned Eleanor, and she saw the girl narrow her eyes. If it was possible, she would throw stones at that stupid bird, thought Julie in her mind.


    "I saw you walking with him," said one of the girls with an usatory look. You damn bird cursed Julie in her mind.


    "Funny, that I didn''t see him. It must be because I didn''t wear my sses. Now why would he even walk with me or I with him?" asked Julie, acting oblivious. For girls who were younger than her, they sure liked to behave like the Queen of Veteris. "You are a beautiful girl, Eleanor. You will look perfect next to Roman. Why don''t you go and speak to him? Why even waste your time on a person like me?"


    Eleanor was taken aback by Julie''s suddenpliments and the hope of her having the future next to Roman. It took her another second before she narrowed her eyes at Julie.


    "You are right. I am the perfect person for him, but don''t think I don''t know when I see a threat," she said in a low voice. "How about we meet each other in the forest at night?" she proposed.


    Julie smiled, a dry chuckle escaping from her lips, and she said, "I think I will stay in my dorm. I haven''t forgotten thest time when we spent time together in the forest."


    Eleanor smiled back, "Have we started toe in your dreams? We barely spent time, Julianne." These girls with short memory problems thought Julie to herself. Eleanor must be stupid to think she would fall again for the same trick.


    When the girl came to ce her hand on Julie''s shoulder, Julie moved to the side and slipped out of the circle. She said, "If you need some help in writing a love letter I will help you with it. So that you can move forward from these feelings you have for him, instead of being shy."


    Eleanor turned red out of embarrassment, "I know how to write letters."


    "Great, don''t hesitate to let me know if you need any help. I am very good at proofreading. You know my dorm," said Julie and quickly walked to her dorm. Closing the door, she muttered, "Please write the letter soon and send it to him!"


    A sigh escaped Julie''s lips, and she walked towards the drawer before pulling out a pack of potato chips. Tearing it, she sat on her bed. Her hand reached out for the letter next to the window, which was turning into a habit, and she opened it.


    ''Aren''t you being brave -_- Yes, we have spent the detention together. As you didn''t answer my questions and for the bravery you have shown, let us see how you handle things, troublemaker.''


    "The lies and threats you make," Julie shook her head, dismissing his words to be nothing but empty threats.


    She ced the letter on the bed and went to change her clothes.


    But when she was done, a paper slid inside her room from the bottom of her door, and she wondered what it was about. Picking it up, she walked towards the door and opened it. She noticed some of the girls who had stepped outside their dorm while having simr paper in their hands.


    When she read the printed page, her eyes went wide¡ª


    ''SOMEONE IN THIS DORMITORIUM HAS BROKEN THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF VETERIS. AND THE PERSON IS GOING TO GET EXPELLED SOON.''

 Chapter 26: Is the secret out?

    <h4>Chapter 26:Is the secret out?</h4>


    Julie felt her blood drain from her face, turning her pale and almost like a ghost. She was sure her soul was soon going to leave her body. She gritted her teeth, hoping the other girls of the Dormitorium didn''t receive the same page as hers.


    "Expulsion?" asked one of the girls who was in the corridor.


    Another girl who was a freshman said, "I thought breaking rules only sent you to detention."


    "Maybe it was one of the golden rules of Veteris. Rule number twenty-eight says students are not supposed to try pranking the teachers and not get into their rooms," said another girl.


    "Who do you think broke the rule?" whispers started to fill in, and by then, even Mnie had stepped out of her dorm with the printed page in her hand. She looked at Julie, who looked as if she wanted to stab someone right now.


    Mnie slowly walked to where Julie stood and asked, "Did someone find out about you sending the letter?"


    "I know who it is," replied Julie, a sigh escaping her lips. "I think I should start packing my bags," she said in a dull tone.


    "Maybe it is just a prank to scare you, who is it?" Mnie whispered so that the other girls wouldn''t find out.


    "Someone who wants to make sure I know the difference between a bully and the one being bullied," muttered Julie under her breath.


    How could her letter-napper threaten her like this?! When he had written about ''handle things'', this was thest thing that had crossed her mind. This was a deadly prank!


    Julie scrunched her nose, pushing her sses, and she said, "It must have been a girl who pushed these pages into our rooms. Who do you think it is?" She looked at the girls who were discussing who the girl was, who would be expelled.


    "Who?" asked one of the girls who stood not too far away from them. "It must be one of the freshmen who failed to memorize and follow basic rules. Must be a fucking idiot to have broken a crucial rule," said the girl in a careless attitude.


    Julie and Mnie nodded their heads before Julie asked the girl, "Do you think it is just to create some drama?"


    "Printing so many sheets and distributing it to everyone? I would say the girl must have done something and someone has found out about the rule breaking," replied the girl. She stepped inside her room and closed the door.


    "That''s right!" whispered Julie. "The printing machine is in the teachers staffroom and the main office, isn''t it? Maybe Mrs. Hill knows who took so many copies!"


    "You are right," replied Mnie in agreement, wanting to help Julie to find out who was trying to out her friend. "Let me get my dorm''s key," she informed her.


    Julie locked her dorm, leaving the letter as it was on the bed along with the printed page. As they left the Dormitorium, she heard murmurs about the recent stir of conversation in the corridors. Heading towards the main building, they stepped into the office, and she caught sight of Mrs. Hill reading something.


    "Mrs. Hill," Julie addressed the woman who was in charge of the office room, and the woman looked up at her with a not so happy look on her face. "I am sorry for disturbing your reading time, but there is something that I wanted to ask you about."


    Mrs. Hill frowned, "Dorm again?"


    "No no! It is about the printing machine in here," said Julie, her eyes shifting from the woman to look at the printer that was ced next to theputer.


    "What about it?" asked the woman.


    "Did anyonee here today to print many pages? A student I mean," Julie looked at the woman, waiting for the answer she was looking for.


    "There are many students whoe here to get their files printed," answered Mrs. Hill, "But we have a limit. Students are not allowed to print more than fifteen pages in a day."


    Mnie whispered to Julie, "Maybe the person got them printed every day so that there were enough of them before sending it to us."


    "What are you looking for?" asked Mrs. Hill, giving a suspicious look at both the girls. Julie was about to question more when Mr. Borrell appeared in the room.


    "Did youplete the entry in the register that was sent here earlier?" questioned Mr. Borrell to the woman behind the counter.


    "Yes, Mr. Borrell. Let me hand you back the register," she said, turning her back to open the drawer.


    Julie felt the teacher''s gaze on her as if he was wondering what she was doing here, and Mnie tried to stand behind her to cover herself. "Thank you," she muttered to the woman and offered a slight bow to Mr. Borrell before both the girls left the main office room.


    Away from the main building and not too far away from the girls'' Dormitorium, Roman lit his cigarette with the silver lighter, letting the tip of it burn. He was sitting on one of the benches, flicking the lighter to close and put it in his pocket. He took a long puff before blowing the smoke into the air through his mouth.


    He watched one of the girls from the all human girls'' Dormitorium walk to where he was sitting. Once she came to stand in front of him, she informed him, "I did what you asked me to do. Nobody suspected it."


    "Good," replied Roman, the corner of his lips already pulling up, and he called the girl toe near. When she leaned towards him with a blush on her face, the pupil of his eyes widened, and hepelled her, "Forget we had any conversation about this or you came to meet me now. You can leave," he dismissed her.


    He saw Julie walking with her friend next to her. It seemed like she had gone to the main office to check with Mrs. Hill. Smart, but she wouldn''t find anything in there.


    Roman usually didn''t bully someone without any reason, but if he did, he was always on the top of the categories that Veteris students had drawn out. The wickedness that awakened once in a while. Of course, he didn''t have any n to expel the girl. After a long time, his interest had caught something in this mundane life of the vampires lived in.


    "Thest time I saw that expression on you, the person had a miserable time in here," came the voice of Simon behind him.


    Simon walked to where Roman was sitting, and he sat next to him. Roman let his head fall back and blew the smoke, watching it disperse.


    "Did he?" hummed Roman.


    "Mm," responded Simon, turning his head to the side, looking at Roman watch the stars above them. "Some interesting news reached my ear this evening."


    "Of course," remarked Roman, bringing his head back to see Julie entering the Dormitorium.


    Seeing theck of response, Simon didn''t question more on it, knowing how private Roman was. If it was possible, his eyebrows would have reached his hairline after hearing from Maximus that Roman had decided to tutor the human. It was because Roman helping anyone in Veteris was thest thing that had happened until now.


    "Speaking of what I heard, news reached my ears that Dante is nning to bring the elders here in the next three months. Personally, I am not looking forward to it,"mented Simon, running his hand through his ginger hair.


    Hearing this, Roman took another puff, "Isn''t that early?"


    "Compared to the earlier date it is, but who knows what Dante and the others have on their mind," replied Simon. "I was hoping to not meet any of them."


    "They are going to be here someday. Now orter. And like it or not, we will be meeting them," remarked Roman, dropping the cigarette that was almost going to burn out. He stepped on it with his boot, extinguishing it. "Things will change once they are here," he murmured under his breath.


    Back in the girl''s Dormitorium, Julie, who had returned from the main office, sat on her bed with her shoulders drooped. She stared at the wall in front of her before snapping and picking up her notebook. While moving back to lean against the wall, she noticed another letter waiting for her at the window.


    She was away from her room for less than thirty minutes, and already a new letter was waiting for her?


    ''Rx.''


    Julie pulled out her pen and wrote back¡ª ''I think I am convinced that a lot of students in Veteris need to visit the counsellor''s office to check if they are alright! If not soon I will be the one visiting the counsellor!''


    She added a few more exmation marks to describe her emotions.


    ''What will I do if someone figures out that I was the one who broke the rule? Why are you bullying me >.< ? I haven''t even done anything to you¡­ You want answers, but you will use that to broadcast it to everyone >.>''


    After reading what she wrote, she quickly pulled out another page to rewrite it, but this time without any exmation mark. Who knew if he would do something more than print pages if she crossed him! Julie didn''t want to test her luck.


    Folding the letter, she ced it next to her window with a sigh and went back to lying on her back on the bed.


    An hour passed when Julie heard sharp knocks on her door. She wondered who it was because Mnie knocked much softly. Did someone find out? Were people here to help her in packing or throw her things out of the dorm?


    Biting her lip in worry, Julie opened the door only to find Eleanor standing there with one of her friends.


    Eleanor red at her, and Julie tried to think of a way to save her when the girl said, "Didn''t you say you would love to help me?"


    Suddenly relief passed through Julie''s body and she offered, "Let me bring my book and pen-"


    "That won''t be needed. I have already written what I want to convey my feelings to Rome. And proofread it, so you don''t have to read what I have written," said Eleanor with an arrogant tone.


    "Okay?" Julie asked because she didn''t know what else Eleanor wanted help with. She pulled her door and closed it so that they wouldn''t take a peek inside her room.


    "You see, I don''t want to ce my letter with the pile of other girls'' letters as it will only end up lost and unread. I want to stand out, so I even got a red envelope," said Eleanor with a smile, raising her hand to show it to Julie.


    "Did youe here to get my approval for the colour?" asked Julie in a doubtful tone, and Eleanor''s expression turned back to a re.


    "I have a deal to offer to you," responded Eleanor.


    Warily, Julie asked, "What for?"


    "I will let you off the hook if you do this errand. Me and my girls will not trouble you again," said Eleanor, looking at her red envelope in her hand. "ce this letter on Rome''s bed in his room."


    "That is a good joke, but no thank you," replied Julie. She turned around, ready to open the door, when Eleanor pushed her body into the door, twisting her arm behind her. Damnit! Julie cursed internally as Eleanor had caught her off guard.


    "I was being nice to you, Julianne. You were the one who gave me the idea and offered your help. Don''t step back on your words now," warned Eleanor. She whispered, "I don''t know if you know it, but I am far more capable than the damage you think I can do to you."


    "It wasn''t my idea for you to have a crush on him-ouch!" Julie''s face twisted in pain, and she tried not to move. "Doesn''t it make a better impact if you give it yourself than make me do it?"


    Eleanor said, "You don''t have to show your face to him. I know Rome isn''t in his room right now, so you can use his room''s window to get in. Just keep the letter and get out from there," she finally let go of Julie''s arm. "Simple, isn''t it? Now go." She offered a bright smile.


    When Julie left, Eleanor''s friend turned to her and asked, "Why did you ask her to deliver it?"


    "Did you not hear what I just said? Also, if she gets caught, Rome is going to be so pissed that he will fuck her up. He doesn''t like anyone entering his room and this will serve her right," replied Eleanor with a smirk.


    Julie walked in the cold night, holding the red envelope in her hand. She turned around to see her Dormitorium and caught sight of the two girls standing there at the entrance watching her.


    "I hope you hold on to your word," muttered Julie under her breath while making her way towards the boy''s Dormitorium.


    She wanted to get over with this so that Eleanor would stop bugging her like a fly now and then. The sooner Roman would read Eleanor''s letter, the sooner the girl would get her answer. Once she was away from the two girls'' sight, Julie wondered what Eleanor might have written in the letter. Making her specifically hand it to the senior, she couldn''t help but feel suspicious about this now.


    "I apologize beforehand, but this is only to make sure you aren''t going to put me in any more trouble," whispered Julie to no one in particr. She brought the envelope in front of her and opened it.


    Funnily, she hadn''t written or delivered these many letters in her life until now, thought Julie in her mind.


    ''Dear Rome, since the first time you saved me from the bullies when I joined this ce, I haven''t been able to get you out of my head. I have been trying to eat the same food that you eat in the lunchroom, but some of the items are always out of stock. I have already imagined how our lives might look in the future together and it looks wonderful. If you give me the chance, I would like to be your girlfriend. I love you with all my heart.''


    Eleanor was bullied at the time when she had just joined? And Roman had saved her? And the bullied turned to bully?


    The next page continued with Eleanor professing her love for Roman. Julie folded the letter and put it back in the red envelope. It looked like it was just a love letter and nothing more than that, she said in her mind.


    She had decided to walk into the boy''s Dormitorium and then decently knock on the door so that she could hand it to Roman. But when she reached the front of the building, she noticed some of the boys sitting on the entrance stairs. Out of the lot, one of them was Mateo.


    Julie, who was walking straight, took a sharp turn to her left, looking the other way. Wanting to avoid the porcupine and save her time, she walked around the building and found the narrow stairs. Climbing up, she finally came and stood in front of Roman''s room''s window.


    But the height of the window was high, to just take a quick peek and throw the letter on his bed. Looking at the wall, she noticed a brick sticking out. Holding the letter between her teeth, she stepped on the brick and put both her hands on the window sill before lifting herself. Like a cat trying to w its way in, she tried to open the window. But to her relief, the window was left unlocked.


    When she heard the boys'' voices, she looked down and noticed two boys climbing up the stairs. In a panic, Julie managed through the window. She fell on the bed before rolling to fall on the floor. The voices from outside the window increased.


    "Do you think we''ll get caught if we smoke in here?" asked one of the boys.


    "No onees here. We can hang out here until the time of curfew and then get back to our dorms," replied another person and there went her exit.


    Now that she was here and with Roman not in the room, it was time to ce the envelope on the bed and walk through the door as if she hade to meet Conner!


    Getting up from the cold floor, Julie turned to the bed and ced Eleanor''s deration of love letter on the bed. And while doing that, she straightened the bed sheet to not leave evidence behind that someone had broken into this room. Before she could make her way towards the door, the door opened and there stood the owner of the room.


    "What are you doing here?" Roman''s eyes narrowed at her.


    Julie, who was frozen, her hand slowly moved to make the bed sheet proper, and she said, "Tidying things¡­" And she stood straight.


    When Roman had opened his dorm door, he hadn''t expected to find Julie leaning over his bed with both her hands on it. As confusing as the situation was, his eyes were quick to fall on her letter that he had picked up earlier. He hadn''t folded and put it away in his closet, which was now lying on the desk, which wasn''t far away from her.


    Did she find out it was him ande here to take a look? Asked Roman in his mind.


    On the other hand, Julie was worried if he would get the wrong idea of why she was here. It was better toe clean, she said in her mind. She turned her head to point at Eleanor''s letter, but Roman swiftly closed the door and caught her wrist.


    Soon enough, Julie''s back hit the wall, and Roman hovered right in front of her, hiding the letter with her handwriting from her sight if she hadn''t seen it yet. When he had pulled her towards him, her sses had slipped from her face. He caught it in one of his hands, while the other hadn''t let go of her wrist.


    A small gasp had escaped from her lips because of the sudden movements, and she stared at Roman, who stood close even though the room had more than enough space.


    "Did you start to miss our study session, that you decided toe here?" Roman asked her dauntingly, trying to find what she was doing in his room.


    "I came to deliver a letter to you," replied Julie, while hearing her heart drumming in her ears. Roman''s jaw clenched. It seemed like she had found out the secret. But then he heard, "Eleanor wanted to pass her letter to you."


    Roman stared at Julie, closely watching her expression. She looked at him right in the eye, her brown eyes staring back with a little amount of anxiousness in them.


    "Since when did you start a part-time job of delivering things around the Dormitorium?" questioned Roman, his intense gaze not leaving her.


    Julie wondered if he was angry at her because he hadn''t stepped back, and the unnerving interrogation had only started. She parted her lips to answer,


    "It is because of you. Someone from her group saw us walking together when we were on our way to the library and they cornered me. Eleanor keeps going on and on how I should stay away from you when there''s nothing going on, so she finally decided to confess her feelings through-"


    "She said that?" asked Roman, his head tilting to the side.


    "What?" asked Julie, who had lost the train of her thoughts.


    "I didn''t peg you to be someone who could be easily threatened by someone," responded Roman, and his thumb unconsciously moved against her wrist. When he noticed her eyes widen, he suddenly let go of her hand as if he had touched a burning iron. Stepping away from her, he turned around to walk towards the desk, picked up the letter on the desk, and slipped it into his pocket.


    Julie cleared her throat and said, "I am not, but when you have already experienced what the person can do, it is hard to ignore. Thest time she invited me to the forest, I was chased by her and her friends with baseball bats and I missed being beaten by it," she said in one breath, watching his back. "Thank you for teaching me today b-"


    "It is gettingte," Roman interrupted her, a serious look on his face, "Get back to your dorm unless you want to break two rules in one night. And don''t step into my room again."


    Roman looked at the window and saw it was left open, and his eyes shifted to Julie. She looked taken aback and sheepishly asked, "You are not angry at me?"


    "Do you want me to be?" He raised his eyebrow, and she shook her head. It wasn''t like he hadn''t entered a room to leave in the past, and he internally sighed. Walking to his bed, he picked up the red envelope and opened it to read.


    Julie was relieved that Roman wasn''t breathing fire on her. Seeing him read the letter, she was happy that she had finished the job for what she hade here for. Looking at the watch, she realized there was less than half an hour before she would break the rule, as Roman said.


    But she could still hear the voices of the boys from one floor below, who were sitting on the outside stairs she hade from. She wasn''t sure about the main entrance of the boy''s Dormitorium. She cleared her throat to gain Roman''s attention, receiving a hard stare.


    "Don''t tell me you have nned to sleep here tonight," deadpanned Roman on seeing Julie not move from her spot.


    Julie awkwardly smiled and said, "Can I make a request? Can you walk with me until the entrance of this Dormitorium? Please," she added.


    Roman didn''t reply to her, but when he made his way to the door opening it, Julie mistook it to be him telling her to get out of his hair. Well, it was worth a shot, she thought in her mind and dragged her feet outside the room.


    But when she stepped outside, he stepped out too, closing the door behind him with a click sound.


    On the way, she noticed some of the boys out in the corridor and the hall. Seeing her walk next to Roman, they looked at her, wondering if she was the new snack and if her blood tasted good.


    "Eyes forward," she heard Roman say to her so that she wouldn''t crash into him. But when they reached the entrance of the boy''s Dormitorium, he didn''t stop walking, and to Julie, it seemed like he had mistaken her words.


    "I will be fine from here," Julie let him know.


    "I have some work nearby," responded Roman, making sure that she wouldn''t get into any more trouble.


    While walking, Julie noticed the campus looked deserted as most students had returned to their respective dorms. Reaching the girl''s Dormitorium and in the hall, Roman jerked his head towards the corridor, and Julie walked away from there, making her way to her dorm and getting inside.


    Once Julie had disappeared behind her dorm door, Roman, who stood alone, raised his hand to stare at it before dropping it to his side.


    Roman''s eyes narrowed, remembering something Julie had said earlier in his room, and he looked at the stairs. He didn''t like the thought of someone trying to bully her, and he climbed the stairs.

 Chapter 27: Halloween costumes

    <h4>Chapter 27:Halloween costumes</h4>


    Stepping into her room, Julie closed the door and leaned her back against it. A soft sigh escaped her lips.


    Back then, when the door of Roman''s room had opened, it had turned her pale. He had even gone to the extent of pushing her against the wall, and it had frightened her. But she hadn''t expected Roman actually to walk her until her Dormitorium, and now that he did, she wondered what had changed his mind.


    "Everything is okay," whispered Julie to herself.


    She had escaped Roman Moltenore''s wrath and had delivered Eleanor''s letter. Pushing herself, she walked to her bed and sat down. Picking up the letter ced at the window, she noticed her letter had not been picked. Putting it back at its ce, sheid on her side with her back facing the window.


    She remembered the little brush of Roman''s finger on her wrist, and it had created a jolt in her body. She quickly shook her head.


    A few minutes passed, and Julie heard a rustle behind her, along with the night wind that passed through the window.


    She quickly sat up and noticed the letter had changed its original position. She quickly pushed open her window and put her head outside to catch sight of the bully, but all she saw was darkness. No one was outside. As tempted as she was to catch the person, she looked at the time and noticed it was thirty past eleven.


    "Rule breaker," muttered Julie under her breath and took hold of the letter that was left for her. She opened it to read¡ª


    ''I have a deal for you.''


    What was with everyone trying to strike up a deal with her? Asked Julie to herself before continuing to read.


    ''If you answer my questions, I will answer certain questions of yours. Your letter will be delivered back to you when I receive all your answers to my questions. PS: But the mummy costume for Halloween stays.''


    Julie stared at the letter with suspicion in her eyes. Did the person mean he would give the letter back to her? Taking her book she started to pen down a reply to the person¡ª


    ''Do you really mean it when you say you will return it back to me? What if you decide to make copies of it and then give me the original one?'' Taking a pause, Julie continued to write, ''And what questions do you want to ask me? You won''t bully me anymore?''


    Considering how he had written that she could ask him a question, she decided to test her luck and added, ''What is your name?''


    The next day Julie woke up, her reply was waiting for her, and somewhere she was eager to discover who this unknown person was, who had her letter. Unfolding the letter, the first thing she was greeted with was the expression of annoyance.


    ''-_- Good try, but no. You wasted your chance on asking a better question, so my turn. Let us start with simple questions. Why do you wear your sses?''


    Reading thest line, Julie''s eyes widened. The way he had framed the question, it was obvious that he knew the truth. After gathering her thoughts, she replied to his question¡ª


    ''It makes me feel safe and covers my face. Like I am being protected by it. How did you know that I don''t have an eye sight problem?''


    She received her reply in the afternoon when she had gone to the dorm during the lunch hour. As slow as themunication was between her and the letter thief, somewhere it had turned to be the highlight of her days in Veteris.


    The thief''s note read¡ª''I saw you once walking without the sses and happened to guess it. It looks like the mummy''s attire for Halloween is quite right for you. Might as well start practising using it as you love to hide. Did you know that the more you hide, the more a person gets curious? When did you start wearing the sses?''


    Julie stared at the words. He was so curious about her sses, did he want to buy one like hers? She wrote back to him¡ª


    ''I can tell the same about you hiding your identity. I started wearing them more than a year ago. Are you going to buy sses that you are interested in them?'' At least this way, she would know to minus the people wearing sses not to be the letter thief.


    Leaving the letter near the window, Julie locked her dorm before heading back to the ss with Mnie. They still had two more sses to attend, one being physical education to keep the students healthy and fit. On their way, Julie caught sight of Eleanor, who stood with her friends huddled around her at the side of the stairs.


    Though Julie had delivered the letterst night, she was d that Eleanor had note knocking on her door to ask if she had sessfully delivered the letter.


    When they walked closer to the stairs, Julie saw something she would have never expected to see. Eleanor held a handkerchief in her hand. Her nose had turned red and her eyes puffy as if she had been crying the whole night.


    "What happened to her?" Mnie whispered to her.


    "I don''t know," replied Julie.


    Julie then heard one of Eleanor''s friends say to her, "You don''t have to be hurt over it. He probably was in a bad mood and didn''t mean it," and she rubbed her back as if to console her.


    "That''s true, Eleanor. He would have never hurt you, you are an angel," said another girl. Hearing this, Julie suddenly felt her throat itch, wanting to clear it.


    Eleanor looked as if she was in shock and she said, "Last night, when I opened the door I was happy to see him there. So handsome, I thought I was dreaming, and he had my letter in his hand. But then," she paused so that she wouldn''t cry, "He tore my letter into small pieces. So small that I cannot even use a tape to fix my first love letter. He looked so mad at me, and I was so scared."


    Roman had entered the Dormitorium with herst night, and he had said he had work. Was this the work? Asked Julie, not knowing he would go to Eleanor and give his response to her personally.


    "Why don''t you go and talk to him now? He must be near his ssroom-"


    "No!" Eleanor looked as if she was scared. "I don''t want to test him. He told me if I don''t stop stalking him, he will make me regret it. That I don''t deserve him and that my letter sucked."


    Her friends looked at each other awkwardly while Eleanor tried to cope with Roman''s words.


    "He must have mistook someone else''s letter to be yours. Did that Mary Jane really give him your letter? Maybe she switched the letter," suggested one of them.


    Julie internally rolled her eyes. She didn''t have that much free time to do something like that. Maybe if she switched, Eleanor might not have been scolded for her bad letter.


    "No, it was my letter didn''t," Eleanor shook her head.


    "But she-"


    "I don''t want to talk about her!" Eleanor red at her friend, who immediately closed her mouth.


    Julie and Mnie didn''t stay there and continued to climb the stairs before disappearing from their sight.


    Mnie said, "She looked upset. Roman must have scared her."


    With the way Eleanor looked heartbroken, Julie wondered what exactly Roman said to her, not to mention, the girl didn''t even want to me her for it. On reaching the floor where their ss was, Julie turned her head, her brown eyes looking at the ssroom that wasn''t hers.


    Julie caught sight of Roman standing outside his ssroom with Simon in front of him. He leaned against the wall, his head tilted as he listened to Simon speak with an aloof expression on his face. She noticed a crooked smile on his face, before replying to his friend.


    When Julie had almost reached her ssroom, Roman''s eyes shifted to look at the corridor, and he noticed her disappear into her ssroom. Simon followed Roman''s line of sight, wondering what or who he was looking at. He said,


    "What do you think is better, Rome? Joker or a pirate?"


    "Does it make a difference?" remarked Roman, turning back to look at Simon. "If you want people running away from you, then joker. If you don''t, probably pirate."


    "Joker it is then. Sinking teeth in terrified people''s neck can be done only during Halloween in this ce," a chuckle escaped Simon''s lips. "It is true. Max is working on convincing Olivia to be Sally so that he can be Jack from that Tim Burton thing. Knowing how he gets under a person''s skin, so I think it is already fixed. Tori I don''t know. Have you decided what you are picking for a costume?"


    Roman had a thoughtful expression on his face and the corner of his lips pulled up. He said, "An archaeologist."


    "How boring," muttered Simon.


    It was the time of the evening, and the sky had started to change its colour. Three motorcycles rode towards the main gates of Veteris University. Seeing who it was, the watchman pulled open the gate for them to pass, and soon the five students left the campus.


    They travelled away from Veteris and heading towards the mountain area, where they could spend their time hunting and doing what they wanted in leisure from the humans'' eyes.


    "For the hundredth time no," Olivia red at Maximus, who was trying to persuade her to pair up with him for Halloween. "Why don''t you choose one of your ythings?"


    "But they wouldn''t know how to be a grim woman-Ouch!" Maximus yelped when she hit the back of his head. "What? What did I do?"


    "Maybe it is what you didn''t do," murmured Simon, and Maximus turned to give him a look.


    "But I am asking Sally-I mean Olivia to be my partner," said Maximus, turning back to look at Olivia with a dashing smile.


    Roman had taken a seat on one of the branches of the tree, watching the sun subtly moving towards the horizon. Years had passed, but the feeling that this ce gave was still the same. The tree was located at the outer edge where his friends were sitting on the rocks and near the cliff. He could see them bickering with each other.


    He had removed his leather jacket, sitting there wearing a ck T-shirt and his ripped jeans. The two in rings hung in his chain, the metal reflecting light. Pulling out the letter from his jeans pocket, he unfolded and read with a steady gaze.


    He knew she was hiding. With sses that she didn''t need and the sweater that she religiously wore that were of different colours, it was something that he associated herself with. Reading thest line, he rolled his eyes.


    "Why would I need sses for," he muttered under his breath.


    To Roman, Julianne Winters was his prey, and he didn''t want her to be someone else''. As much as he wanted to see her break the rules, he had decided to pause it after what happenedst evening. He was territorial about his things and space, preferring no one to step into it.


    There were scars on her wrists. He couldn''t help but wonder if it was inflicted by herself or someone else.


    When he had pushed her against the wall, he noticed the innocence mixed with anxiousness in her eyes. Her heart beating loud and clear for him to listen to. And he meant it when he had written to her that the mummy attire suited her as she was fond of covering herself.


    Pulling out the pen and pulling out the cap with his teeth, he wrote the reply back to her on the same letter with his left hand¡ª


    ''Why do I need sses for when I can just steal them from you? After all, neither of us are short or farsighted. What happened a year ago?


    Also, word has been spreading that you went to one of the boy''s dorms to hand your love letter. Too in love with the person that you felt the need to break in? Would have never thought you to be this daring.''


    A small smirk appeared on Roman''s lips as he finished writing it.


    Away from him, Olivia turned to look at where Roman was sitting. Looking at the paper in his hand, she asked Simon, "Do you have tests?"


    Simon turned his head to look at Roman, "None that I am aware of. Maybe he finally decided to follow Mr. Evans'' suggestion of writing down his thoughts and making a journal to handle that temper."


    "On paper?" Olivia raised her eyebrows, and Simon nodded his head.


    "Carrying pages is easier than carrying books," Simon shrugged his shoulders as if he didn''t know what else it could be.


    "Rome would never write a journal,"mented Victoria, who was sitting on a rock. After a few seconds, she asked, "Is it true that he''s tutoring her?"


    "Whom?" asked Simon with an oblivious look on his face.


    "The human," replied Victoria, and at the same time, Roman jumped down from the tree andnded on the ground, dust lifting up and around his boots.


    "I am right here. If you have something to ask, it would be better to ask me directly, Victoria," stated Roman, walking to where everyone was. He had hung his jacket over one of his shoulders.


    Simon didn''t reply to Victoria''s question as Roman was here, and he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Though blood was something that the vampires survived on, some things curbed the thirst, like smoking or consuming alcohol.


    "Okay," replied Victoria, and she asked, "Is it true that you are teaching the human girl? I am sure she has teachers and her friends for that."


    "She isn''t your concern. And neither is whom I teach," Roman''s words were blunt.


    The long-haired blonde girl pursed her lips, her eyebrows drawing in close, "During Sophomore year, I asked you for your help and you refused saying you don''t tutor anyone."


    Roman calmly looked at her, "You are a smart student, Victoria. I don''t think you need help from me and can figure out things on your own," he raised one of his eyebrows. "Unless you are telling me that you are finding it hard even though you have spent more years than the human who joined this year?"


    "I never said that," responded Victoria.


    "Good," and Roman walked to where Simon was, picking up one of the cigarettes from the pack.


    When he ced the cigarette between his lips, he heard Olivia speak, "Did you know that a few days ago Evans caught her and some of the girls in the forest? One of them being Eleanor, the one whom you went to speak to. Since when did you start tearing letters in front of girls instead of throwing them in the trash?"


    "It was an eyesore. I thought it would deliver the message quicker to the others too," Roman lit the cigarette with the lighter while using one of his hands to shield the me from the wind.


    "What were they doing in the forest?" asked Maximus, his interest piquing.


    Taking a drag, Roman blew the smoke into the air and said, "Who knows. I only saw him walking her and the girls to the dorm near the edge of the forest. It was the same night when they found Stacey Hopkins'' body."


    "Sometimes I feel Evans is the one who kills people and brings them back to the private infirmary," Maximus casually said, and Olivia''s lips twitched.


    "You should say that in front of him. I am sure he would be very delighted to hear it,"mented Olivia, getting up from her seat and dusting her back.


    "If I don''t want to survive the remaining days in Veteris, sure. Looks like it is finally time to hunt," said Maximus, cracking his fingers and stretching his body. "Do you remember the first time we came to hunt here?"


    Roman turned to look at the forest that looked dark with the crickets chirping in the trees and the bushes. He responded, "I don''t think anyone can ever forget it."


    "I don''t think it is anyone''s fondest memory," muttered Victoria,ing to stand next to Olivia.


    When one of their watches beeped, the ones who had been sitting stood up and stepped into the forest, starting their hunt.


    After returning to Veteris, the five went to their dorms while Roman made his way to drop the letter. He looked behind him, making sure no one was following him, licking the corner of his lips that had traces of blood as he walked towards his former room.


    He noticed the studymp still burning in the corner of the room, and Julie was sitting at her desk, studying. Looking at the time, he saw it was past twelve.


    A few minutester, Julie yawned and decided to call it a night. Closing the books and turning off the studymp, she climbed on her bed and noticed the window ajar.


    "How do you do that?" whispered Julie, locking the window again and picking up the new envelope. After reading it, she closed her eyes. Did everyone know that she had broken into Roman''s room?! How embarrassing. God only knew why Eleanor had note banging on her door.


    Julie replied to the letter¡ª


    ''It wasn''t my confession letter! I was only delivering another person''s letter to him and I am not in love with him! How do you open my window every time? You must be a robber to be able to open my window that I lock with so much ease. This time it is my turn to ask, I didn''t ask youst time either. Two questions.''


    Julie paused for a moment, trying to make her questions worthwhile so that it wouldn''t be skipped. There was something she wanted to confirm, and after some thought, she wrote down¡ª


    ''You are a boy, aren''t you? Why are you always outside the Dormitorium past the curfew time?''


    The following day, Julie received her answers¡ª


    ''Your guess is correct, Troublemaker. For the second question of yours, it is because I can. Impressed with my skills? If I am robber, you should be careful of your things, you never know what I might steal one day. I have climbed in and out of the dorm that you are living in countless times in the past. Which is why I know exactly how to open the window without making a sound.''


    But Mnie had told her that this room had been locked since she had joined Veteris.


    Pulling her nket close, Julie brought her book and ced the letter on herp. As he hadn''t asked her anything, she asked¡ª


    ''What did you mean by climbing in and out of this room? Was this your secret hideout, because my source said that this dorm has been locked for quite some time now. By the way, do you know the history of these Dormitoriums?''


    Would the letter thief know about it? Julie asked herself. It was something she had been curious about since she had discovered a note in the walls of this room.

 Chapter 28: Dark Humour

    <h4>Chapter 28:Dark Humour</h4>


    Before heading to the library, Julie went to her dorm and picked up the letter that the letter thief had left her¡ª


    ''Ah ah ah. Not so fast, troublemaker. The rules are mine and you seem to have forgotten to reply back to one of my questions. Here''s a little motivation, I have the answers to your questions, but don''t think I will be giving it to you that easily. Haven''t you heard the give and take policy of the bully? You answer my question without a single word of lie and then I will give you your answers.''


    Julie bit her bottom lip. She should have known that he wouldn''t reply to her that easily.


    Looking at the watch, she noticed the time was ticking and realized she waste. Locking the door, she half ran, and half walked to the library. This morning when she had woken up, she had forgotten about Roman tutoring her today, and it was only a couple of minutes ago did she remember it. On her way, she met Dennis, who waved at one of his ssmates, and when he turned around, he caught sight of her.


    "Are you visiting the library?" asked Dennis, his eyes falling on her bag.


    "Yes," Julie said breathlessly, and he smiled at her.


    "I am d to hear that. I am on my way to go there too," stated Dennis, and he started to walk next to her. "Is the textbook you borrowed due in a few minutes?"


    "Huh?" she asked, confused.


    "Because it looks like you just ran," Dennis looked in the direction Julie hade before turning back to look at her.


    "Oh, no," Julie smiled, linking her thumbs into the sides of her bag on the front. "I have a study session with someone."


    They had reached the front of the library entrance, and Dennis asked, "Is it with Moltenore?" his expression turned serious as if he didn''t like her mingling with Roman.


    Right on time, Roman appeared in front of the entrance from the opposite direction. He looked at Julie and then at Dennis, who stood next to her.


    Dennis stared at Roman with distaste in his mouth. He hadn''t forgotten the way three days ago Roman had disregarded his very existence in the lunchroom. He said, "It must be bad luck calling people''s names who are delinquents."


    Roman, who was leisurely chewing the gum, said, "You know what they say. Speak of the devil''s name and he doth appear." His eyes fell on Julie, and he said, "Get your textbook. Didn''t I tell you to not make me wait or did you decide to forget?"


    Before Julie took a step forward, Dennis raised his hand and Roman''s eyes subtly narrowed at the little action while still keeping a calm face. Julie was surprised, and she looked at Dennis, who said,


    "Stop trying to threaten her to get your way."


    "It is fine, Dennis," Julie assured him, and Dennis lowered his hand with a slight frown.


    Roman then said, "She doesn''t have any problem, so why are you meddling in it? Instead of offering help, maybe you should help yourself in getting higher grades than me," he raised his eyebrow. "Don''t do what you did now ever again. I cannot assure you if your sses will stay intact," and he stepped inside the library.


    A little awkward, Julie said, "You don''t have to worry about me, Dennis. He only means to help me with the subject."


    Dennis pursed his lips and then said, "Let me know if you need my help. I will be here." Julie nodded her head and stepped into the building, walking forward to pick up the textbook. Dennis, who stood there, muttered under his breath, "I thought today we would be studying together."


    Picking up the textbook, Julie made her way up the stairs, passing the racks on her right before seeing Roman, who was already sitting there with his legs crossed. When she entered his vision, she sensed him ring at her.


    "You look angry," Julie stated the obvious.


    This only poured oil into little me to burn more. While Roman uncrossed his legs to ce them t on the ground, his knee hit the table, and for a second, it made Julie''s heart slip from her chest.


    "Aren''t you smart," remarked Roman and Julie''s lips twitched while she tried not to smile. "Why do you think I am angry?"


    "It is kinda hard to say¡­" her words trailed at the end, and his eyes narrowed.


    Roman snatched her notebook from the table, writing something on it before handing it back to her. He then said, "Let us see if you can solve what we discussed two days ago. You have five minutes."


    Somewhere in the back of her mind, Julie knew Roman was going to pull something from his leather jacket, and he had pulled out an equation that was nothing like they had solved. He must have been mad because she waste.


    When five minutes passed, Julie was only half done solving it, and Romanmented, "Too slow."


    "But half of it is right, right?" asked Julie, her eyes lighting up, and Roman saw the excitement in it.


    "They are. Don''t look too happy about it. There''s no point in solving only half and not finishing it. You get no points for it," said Roman before he started tutoring her, and Julie internally smiled.


    After teaching her, Roman had given Julie to solve the problems that were harder than what the textbooks had. In the meantime, he had picked up a book for himself to read.


    "Did you finish solving or are you looking for answers on my face?" questioned Roman without looking up from his book.


    "I wanted to ask you something about the thing that happened the day before yesterday," said Julie.


    "What about it?" she heard Roman''s nonchnt words from him. His eyes looked up at her.


    "Did you, maybe tell Eleanor something when you went to meet her? Something about me?" she asked him. He rxed the wrist that was holding the book, and he leaned forward.


    "Why would I talk about you with her?" he questioned her, tilting his head to the side.


    It was because Eleanor had note with her baseball bat along with her friends to hunt her down. It had Julie wonder if he had anything to do with it. His eyes looked back at her with an unfazed expression.


    "It was because I was the one to deliver her letter to you," said Julie.


    "Not enough that I would bring up your name," replied Roman unconcerned.


    So she had guessed wrong, and Eleanor had decided to keep up her end of the deal? But Roman was right, why would he bring her up in the conversation when he was tearing Eleanor''s letter, thought Julie in her mind.


    "Now that you have brought the matter up, how many other dorms'' have you broken into?" questioned Roman, biting into his gum.


    "It was just yours. Why would I go breaking into other dorms?" asked Julie, looking down at her book when she remembered the push and the brush of his finger on her wrist.


    "I don''t know, you tell me. Instead of knocking on the door, you decided to break into someone''s room. The number of whispers that have gone around," Roman clicked his tongue while shaking his head with disappointment.


    Julie''s face turned red, and she whispered, "You are the one who has been telling everyone about it!"


    "I? Why would I ever spread anything like that. I have other better things to do than mention about you to people. Maybe you should ask your dear friend Eleanor, after all, you did break into my room upon her word. And which idiot even agrees to something like that?" his eyes subtly narrowing at her.


    "You are calling me an idiot because I called you one before," muttered Julie and Roman stared at her. "I know it wasn''t a good idea¡­"


    "What if it was some other guy, who decided to tie you in the room and killed you? No one would ever know," deadpanned Roman.


    "Isn''t that a little stretch?" asked Julie, her eyebrows furrowing, but Roman''s expression didn''t change.


    "You never know who is a murderer, Winters," he said in a serious tone that somewhere made her worry now. "This is why you should talk to selected people and not the second. It will reduce your IQ."


    Julie pursed her lips at the shade Roman threw at Dennis, and she said, "That''s like you telling¡­ your IQ will reduce with me," because she was nowhere in the top thirty or forty of her year, and Roman looked as if he had the highest.


    "It is good that you are aware of it," responded Roman. "Now get back to working on the problems."


    Julie held her stare for a few more seconds before tearing away her eyes to look back at her books.


    A minuteter, Roman raised his gaze from his book, and his eyes fell on the girl, who sat in front of him. Like the good girl she was, she diligently studied in front of him. He noticed she had twisted the sides of her hair and tied it in a medium ponytail. He noted that her sses hid her dainty face.


    Though Julie might have considered Roman''s words to be dark humour, it wasn''t far away from the truth. A human entering a possible vampire''s dorm at night, would be nothing less than a midnight snack.


    When Julie''s study session came to an end, Roman stood up along with her. Julie noticed he had decided not to stay back likest time and started to walk away without waiting for her. He walked to the nearby racks and ced the book back in its ce.


    Julie''s footsteps were much slower, and she watched Roman standing in front of the rack. He was tall enough to reach the top books of the racks without the need for adder. Walking past the rack, she left the library.


    Once she was in the room, Julie stared at the letter that she had received from the letter thief. Staring at the words written there. She hadn''t answered two of his earlier questions, but she decided to answer thetest one.


    What he had asked was something that she had never discussed with anyone before.


    Gripping the pen in her hand and a fresh page in front of her, Julie took a deep breath before she started to write¡ª


    ''Alright. What happened a year ago¡­''

 Chapter 29: Burning flame

    <h4>Chapter 29:Burning me</h4>


    Julie had written only one line when she decided to strike it out. Using a new page, she wrote¡ª


    ''How can I trust you, when I know nothing about you. If you will keep it to yourself as a secret or if you will tell it to the other students for your own advantage? I don''t know anything about you, and you still hold the leverage by keeping my letter in your possession.''


    As easy as it was to share the story with a stranger, at the same time, she didn''t know much about the letter thief. There was the worry where it might be shared.


    When she received the response, the letter read¡ª


    ''Good to know that you aren''t dumb like other students in Veteris. Your concern is fair and in light of it, I am returning half a page of the letter that has been in my possession until now. Along with it, here is my response to one of your questions. The dorm that you live in, I have lived there.''


    "It used to be a boy''s Dormitorium before?" Julie asked herself and noticed the torn letter that was left along with the letter.


    Picking it up, she noticed her handwriting in there, and it was indeed her letter that she had hoped to reach Uncle Thomas, or it would be more right to say it was the lower half of her letter. How cunning, thought Julie in her mind. All the important information was in the first half!


    But at the same time, she was more than intrigued by the thought of this person who said he lived in this very room that she now upied. Weighing the matter, she finally decided to pen down what he wanted to know¡ª


    ''If you would have met me a year ago, you would have found a different me. I used to speak less and not as much as I do now. Like many other ces, the students there were of different kinds. Some nice, a lot of them worse. I used to have good grades, some decent friends, at least that is what I thought until they turned their backs. I don''t know what triggered it, but soon I turned into one of their favourite targets to be bullied.


    If I think about it, Eleanor, the girl who lives in my Dormitorium, is nothingpared to those students. Or maybe it is because I didn''t let Eleanor take a hit at me.


    It first started with girlsparing with each other, and then friends secretlyparing with the other person until it turned into a rivalry. My friend Natalie one day turned popr, and she soon cut ties with me before turning some of our lives into Hell. I never knew she could turn into apletely different person¡­''


    Julie looked up from her book, staring at the wall in front of her while remembering how she felt turned into her once friend''s target.


    It was one of those days after the ss was over where Julie ced her books in her locker. Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone pushed her head right against the next locker. Flinching in pain, she had turned and saw Natalie standing in front of her, looking at her with rage-filled eyes.


    "What are you talking about?" asked Julie, confused. She touched her forehead with her fingers and noticed spots of blood.


    "Korbyn said he won''t go out with me, because he has ns with you. Since when did you start talking to him?"


    "Korbyn? I don''t even know him, Natalie. It is a misunderstanding," Julie closed her locker. She wanted to get back home and wasn''t looking forward to fighting. She started to walk away from there, but someone tripped her, making her fall to the ground.


    "What is wrong with you?" Julie had never raised her voice before that. She stood up while Natalie''s friendsughed at her. Natalie, who was used to Julie''s demure nature, had not expected her to talk back.


    "You. You are the eyesore of this ce and the more I see you, the more I hate you," said Natalie. She looked at her friends and said, "Drag her to the projector''s room."


    Before Julie could escape, something hard hit her head, knocking her unconscious for a few minutes. When she regained consciousness, she found her hands bound to the chair and in a dark room with just the projector running.


    Natalie walked to stand in front of her vision with a rxed expression on her face.


    It was the first time Julie realized how messed up her friend had turned over a couple of months. Opening her mouth, she screamed to get the attention of the students or teachers.


    Quickly one of the girls pushed a cloth into her mouth, and another tied a handkerchief around her mouth before tying it behind her head. To Julie''s luck, someone had heard her scream and knocked on the door.


    "What is going on in there?" came a male''s voice from outside the room.


    Natalie red at Julie and said, "Let me talk to him." She walked towards the door, opening it. Julie felt her heart beating loudly and tried to make noise.


    "What is going on here? This is no ce to be practicing for ys and making noise," said the teacher.


    "We apologize, Mr. Seymour. We didn''t find any other empty rooms. Please let us use this room for a while and we will be sure to be good," Natalie smiled brightly at the teacher who stood outside the room.


    "Okay," agreed the teacher and walked away from there. Julie''s eyes widened, not knowing why the teacher had left without questioning or entering the room to see what was going on.


    "Always trying to be the smartest person in the room, aren''t you, Jules?" questioned Natalie, walking back to the backside of the room where Julie was. Julie red. "Even when we were small you were like this, behaving you were better than me. Trying to make it look like you were prettier than me, but you know what the truth is? You are nothing but weak. Look at you now."


    Julie tried to relieve her hands from the ropes, but they were rightly tied to the armrest. She didn''t understand how one knock on her head could turn her unconscious.


    Natalie then smiled and said, "You are right. Korbyn didn''t say anything and I just made that up. If you didn''t bring your ugly face in front of me, I would have not done anything to you. Unbind her left hand," she said to one of herpanions. "You should have listened to me. I will give you a gift today, Jules." Turning to the other girls, she asked, "Did you get the de?"


    Julie''s eyes widened, and she shook her head while making incoherent voices.


    "It won''t hurt much and I will be careful to not cut too deep," promised Natalie with a continued smile on her face. It was like the person Julie once knew as her friend was long gone, and now all Natalie wanted to do was hurt her.


    Coming back to the present, in her dorm, Julie, who sat on her bed writing the details, continued¡ª


    ''I didn''t bleed too much, but I do remember the pain when Natalie ran the sharp de over my wrist. My mouth muffled, and she stood there smiling at me. I passed out, and when I woke up, I was alone in the room. That week, my parents had gone to visit my rtive''s house, and by the time they returned home, the little mark on my head had healed, and I hid my scar from their sight.


    It wasn''t like I hadn''t tried to speak about it to the teachers, but that only put me into further trouble. I would suddenly be pushed into small spaced rooms and locked by students who didn''t even know me, people I didn''t speak to. Thrown things at, made to trip. They listened and did what Natalie said, and it was like the whole ce had turned against me. She didn''t pull another stunt like that again because I tried to be more careful after that incident.


    It was when I decided to wear sses hoping it would change the way others looked at me. It helped very little, but sometimes even little is enough to be able to breathe.


    That''s all. Now it is your turn to answer my questions.''


    And Julie added a period at the end of her sentence. Now that she had written it down, it felt like some of the demons had escaped from her mind.


    Getting out of her bed, she started to get ready for her sses.


    When Julie was walking with Mnie outside the building in the afternoon, she noticed Roman looking at her from where he stood. Even though their eyes met, he didn''t look away. It was strange how he seemed more familiar when teaching her while he looked aloof right now. When Mnie asked her something, she finally looked away from him.


    Simon, who was usually with Roman, noticed him staring at the human girl.


    "You are going to scare her, if you keep looking at her like that," remarked Simon, looking back at Roman, who hadn''t bothered to shift his gaze even after being pointed.


    Roman yed with the broken toothpick in his mouth and said, "How fast are the rogues multiplying?"


    Simon gave a thoughtful look before answering, "Not much in recent years. Most of them have been eliminated so that they don''t cause any threat in exposing us." He then asked, "You seem to have been spending quite some time with her."


    Roman pulled out the recent letter he had received from Julie, and he turned it into a thin roll, "Have I?" It was because so far, they had spent time in the library only twice. "I don''t think it registered."


    "You never had a pupil before, and it has made some of them curious. Not that you don''t lend a hand, but because you don''t like involving yourself in other''s matters,'''' hummed Simon, a mischievous smile on his lips.


    Pulling out the lighter from his pocket, Roman lit up the letter that he had rolled that started to end from one end to the other. He watched the secret that was written to him catch me, removing the evidence.


    "I thought you already analyzed it," Roman''s gaze turned to look at Simon with azy expression on his face.


    "Mm," Simon nodded his head, "Sometimes burning curiosity can engulf someone. Careful, Rome." When Roman started to walk, he looked perplexed and asked, "Where are you going?"


    "To see Dante," replied Roman.


    He walked towards the main office where the headmistress'' office was located.


    Reaching the front of the room, Roman pushed it open and saw Dante sitting behind the desk.


    "What brings you here, Rome?" questioned Ms. Dante, her eyes curiously looking at him.


    "When was thest time the filtering was done?" Roman questioned her, and he came to stand right in front of her desk.


    Filtering was the one way to wipe out the vampires who weren''t in the records and did things that didn''t follow the ethical code. Rogue vampires were often the ones who were created to cause destruction.


    "Probably five years ago," replied Ms. Dante. "Did you find something?"


    "There''s a rogue who has possibly turned one of the humans into a vampire. A student," responded Roman, and Ms. Dante''s eyes narrowed at this information.


    The woman then said, "I cannot let any of you go after the rogue because of the protocols, not to mention the arrival of the Elders here and I would prefer all of you unharmed. If you know where this person might be, ry the information to Enoch and he will take care of it."


    "I heard about it," said Roman, his gaze turning dark over the mention of the Elders while his face looked calm.


    Dante nodded her head. She said, "The blood transfusion process was quicker than we first assumed it to be and it is only a matter of time until itpletes. Also, I am d to hear that you haven''t bothered Mrs. Hill to switch the human from your room to the one that turned recently empty," she looked impressed with him.


    The corner of Roman''s lips pulled up, "What can I say. I didn''t want to waste my time on unnecessary things and decided to put my time to better use."


    "Donovan will be proud when he meets you," stated Ms. Dante, mentioning one of the Elders'' names. She picked up the ss of water that was on the table and took a sip. She said, "Thankfully, there have been no other deaths after thest one. One of the girl''s rtives hade here, and Evans got everything covered. Every death causes heavy damage, which is a ripple outside Veteris."


    Away from the headmistress'' room, Julie and Mnie walked around and outside their Dormitorium. Julie walked to the window of her dorm. She pressed the window, trying to open it.


    "What are you doing?" questioned Mnie, wondering what Julie was up to.


    "I was wondering if there was a way to open the window," murmured Julie, trying every angle but the window stayed locked.


    Usually, by this hour, she often received a response from her letter thief, but today it seemed like he was runningte. Or maybe it was because she stood right outside her dorm''s window.

 Chapter 30 - Gravitating Around Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 30 - Gravitating Around Trouble</h4>


    Hours passed, and in the evening, when Julie returned to her dorm, she noticed the space next to the window. It felt strange to return to the room and find no response to her letter from the letter thief.


    Was he not able to unlock the window anymore?


    She wondered whether he read it or if he had decided to not write to her anymore after hearing her story.


    During dinner, Julie went to the lunchroom with her friends. While standing in the queue and waiting for their turn, Conner noticed a few people looking in their way, and he whispered, "Is there something we did that we don''t know about?"


    "Why, what happened?" asked Julie, and their eyes moved to notice some who looked at them before they looked away.


    Mnie said, "It must be because you have been singing too loudly," and Conner gave her a stare.


    "With the number of people who are in here and talking, there is no way my song would bother them," said Conner, and he continued, "I think they were looking at you, Julie. There have been whispers about you in the boy''s Dormitorium in a hush manner. Especially with Roman," when the line where they were standing moved, they took one step forward.


    "I thought girls oftene and go there. Is it that surprising?" she asked Conner, and he shook his head.


    "It isn''t, but I think he has often been seen with¡­ certain types of girls," said Conner.


    Julie could tell that Conner was careful with his words, and she asked, "You mean someone who isn''t wearing a sweater and sses like me?" She had seen the girls Roman had met behind the racks of the library, and they were beautiful.


    Mnie, who was staring at Julie''s face, stopped her, "I think you are prettier."


    "Only a true friend will say that. Thank you, Mel and you are beautiful and if I may add kind," said Julie, and she pushed her sses up on her nose.


    "No, I am serious. Even with the sses, you still look good," stated Mnie, and Julie nodded her head with a smile so that Mnie would not continue.


    "So you both never went out with each other?" Julie switched the subject, and Mnie vigorously shook her head.


    "Thank God, I have nothing in my mouth," Connerughed at Julie''s question. "I guess it never crossed our minds. She''s like family."


    "It would be super awkward to think about him like that," replied Mnie, shivering at the thought.


    While waiting in the queue, Julie''s eyes leisurely moved to look at the people sitting at the tables and having their dinner. She wondered if her letter thief was somewhere in here. She caught sight of Roman and his friends at the table, sitting and having their meal. When she continued to look around, her eyes met a boy''s eyes who called her with his hand, the table not too far.


    The boy''s face seemed familiar. He had a thick chain around his neck, and he waved his hand.


    "Is that person waving at me, or do I need to get brand new sses?" Julie questioned her friends, who stopped speaking and turned to see who she was speaking about.


    She realized he was the same person who had been sent to the headmistress'' room after Roman had gotten into a fight. He had a sneer on his face and looked like another arrogant brat like Mateo, she thought in her mind.


    "That''s Griffin. Why is he even calling you?" asked Conner. The boy named Griffin even pointed at Mnie, indicating to them toe over where he was. "He''s another piece of bad news."


    "What if we don''t want to go there?" Julie quickly looked away from Griffin.


    Conner and Mnie were quick to look at the line they stood in, whispering to each other. "I think he''s still looking here," said Mnie in a low voice while making it look like they were busy with their things.


    "Shh," Conner hushed her. "He lives on the same floor as me and it is going to be troublesome if he identifies meter."


    "Sometimes I feel this is a ce for only delinquents then I realize you guys are here," Julie whispered back, and Mnie smiled at her words.


    When it was her turn, Julie bought her meal and turned around with the te when Griffin came to stand in front of her. "Good evening, I waved at you," said the boy, who was taller than her.


    "Is that so?" Julie put on a polite smile on her face and noticed Conner looking slightly nervous. "I think it is time to change my sses," she replied.


    "I am Holden Griffin. It is nice to meet you, Julianne Winters," Griffin offered her his hand to shake, but Julie didn''t let go of her te and held it tight with both her hands.


    "I have weak wrists," she replied but offered him a small nod. Griffin smiled and brought his hand back to his side while his lips twisted.


    He nodded his head and then looked at Mnie and greeted her, "Hello there." When his eyes fell on Conner, he used it to pat on Conner''s back, who turned tense. "Conner, it seems like we have never had meals together."


    "I barely eat anything," chuckled Conner, the smile faltering on his lips.


    Julie asked, "Was there something you needed?"


    "Actually, yes," answered Griffin, and he turned behind to look at the table he had been sitting at. "I am inviting the three of you to have dinner."


    Julie felt his gaze back on her. She replied, "Maybe next time. We have already bought what we wanted for you to treat us. Thank you for your kind thought," and this time, it wasn''t just Conner whose smile faltered.


    Mnie tugged Julie''s sleeve to start walking, and the three of them walked away and towards the table that they had saved for them. Griffin''s jaws clenched. He was a vampire, who had heard their conversation and right now, he noticed some of the juniors who were of his kind, had overheard their conversation.


    In the lunchroom, where the students were either carrying their empty or filled trays, Griffin started to walk in Julie''s direction, moving like a snake. But apart from him, there was someone else in the lunchroom who had been quietly eavesdropping at the exchange of conversation.


    Few steps away, one of the fellow students carried his meal-filled tray. He walked in the opposite direction of Griffin when someone decided to stick the leg out and push when the boy walked past the table.


    The boy with the tray lost his bnce, and his tray flew with the food and fell right in front of Griffin and spilling on him.


    Retracting his leg back, Roman swiped his finger on the ketchup and licked it clean, unbothered about the brawl that was going to break between the other two guys. Not that he cared, because he had scores to settle with the boy who had tripped.


    Pushing his chair, he said to his friends with a passive look on his face, "I will be outside."


    Julie had only taken her seat when she noticed Griffin catch hold of the boy''s cor and shook him back and forth before raising the boy above the ground and dropping him after a punch.


    "And that is why we are careful," whispered Conner even though Griffin wouldn''t be able to hear them from where they sat.


    "Well noted," replied Julie.


    Julie decided to drop the idea of looking for the letter thief as it might only invite her more troubles, where she would be outshining the name he had given her as ''Troublemaker''.


    Returning to her dorm, she caught sight of the letter waiting for her, sitting undisturbed. Locking her door from inside, she removed her shoes and climbed on her bed to reach for the folded note.


    Leaning back against the wall, she unfolded it and read¡ª


    ''I am sorry to hear that the unwitted people tried to harm and make your life miserable. Some people thrive on people''s fears to make them feel important. It is a childish thought, very simr to when a student wishes for the other person to score fewer grades instead of improving themselves.


    If the wound has left scars, don''t cover it and let it heal when you arefortable with it. There''s nothing to be ashamed of. About what you said, about the wallflower, I think you are doing pretty good. Of course, apart from gravitating around trouble, I am not sure if you are following it or the other way around.''


    Julie paused to say, "I wish I could say it was wrong, but¡­" speaking about her gravitating around trouble.


    She was d that he had acknowledged what she had written, instead of teasing or calling her names like her ex-friend had done, on how weak and pitiful she was. She then continued to read what he had written¡ª


    ''I am sure if the people who hurt you were to know where you study right now, they would burn much better here than in Hell. But it would be wise not to see them again, some people don''t change. Was she always like this? The girl who tried to inflict pain on you?


    I will give you an insider''s known information. Some of the people here are simr to the ones you have alreadye across. Some worse.''


    Julie reread the words from the beginning to the end. Bringing her book and wrote back to him¡ª


    ''I have sensed that, which is why I said some students need to visit the counsellor''s office.


    Natalie wasn''t like this before. She was kinder. She was alright, but after school break, she changed into a different person. I don''t know if it was because of how she wore her clothes or if it was her hairstyle that made her feel that way.


    About what you said in thest line¡­ Where do you stand? Definitely not good because even though you are willing to give my uncle''s letter back to me, you tried to threaten me with it. Is it bad or evil?''


    Back then, though Julie had been demure, she had tried to stand against Natalie. It was also the reason that had irked Natalie to go far as to scar her wrist. When some boys and girls listened to the bully, cornering Julie at every possibility, fighting back wasn''t exactly on the cards. In the end, even the few people who used to speak to her had stopped speaking.


    Tearing the page from the book, she folded it thrice before cing it next to the window. Lying on the bed, Julie stared at the ceiling of the dorm. How strange to think that the letter thief of hers might have stared at the same ceiling.


    .


    Add the book ''Behind the sses'' as that is where I will be making announcements. It also exins basic questions about the books and W e b n o v e l by ash_knight17

 Chapter 31 - Hungry Vampire

    <h4>Chapter 31 - Hungry Vampire</h4>


    As the sun rose up in the sky, Julie woke up feeling less burdened by the emotions that she had locked for many months, a few of them had been set free.


    She didn''t know why she had never tried discussing what had happened in school with her parents. Was it because they were always busy?


    Already facing the window, her hand reached out for the letter, and she brought it in front of her face. Opening it, she wondered what the letter thief had to say.


    The letter started with¡ª


    ''Have you already taken a guess of which category I fall into and are you confirming it? It purely depends on the situation. People disy different characteristics depending on what and whom they are around. But if you are going to ask me on a general scale, you are right. I am far from being good and if we were to meet, you would possibly call me notorious.''


    "I don''t have to meet you to know that. I already do," murmured Julie under her breath and continued to read his letter.


    ''Let me tell you a story, a story that is meant to be kept as a secret to yourself and maybe, if possible, leave no evidence so that it never reaches the hands that aren''t yours.


    Once upon a time, there was a Lord, and he had a virtuous man with a family. A wife of the same status and a young son of seventeen years old would take his father''s title in theing years. Everything was perfect in their lives. Until one day, when the Lord was travelling towns, his eyes fell on a lowly maid who worked at an inn.


    ording to people, she was a beauty to behold. Hair as dark as the raven, eyes that mirrored a person''s reflection, holding a gentle soul. But she was poor and a mere servant. They fell in love, while the maid was unaware that the Lord already had a family waiting back for him at his home.


    When the woman found out about it, she was heartbroken, and upset, she refused to reach out to the Lord when she found that she was pregnant with his child. Stubborn, she tried to raise their son by herself, but one day she fell sick and passed away.


    When the Lord found out about this, he was upset with himself for not reaching out to the woman, not knowing he had fathered another son. By this time, the boy was already six. Not wanting to leave the boy as an orphan, the Lord decided to bring him to live with him.


    Though the Lord was happy to have another son in the family, his wife and his first son weren''t happy about it. They despised the young boy''s very existence because he was the living proof that the Lord had an affair outside his marriage and had damaged the family''s reputation.


    The wife of the Lord turned upset with her husband for not only having an affair but for his audacity of bringing his illegitimate son to the house and trying to think she would let the boy live with the rest of them. After a lot of discussions, the wife finally agreed to her husband''s request on the condition that the boy would never be taken outside to attend gatherings. That he would live under the same roof, and he would be deprived of the privileges that their legitimate son had, and would be treated as a servant that she would never ept him as her own.


    With this, the boy finally came to live with them, and he was given the most isted room to stay in. The dorm where you are living in right now, years ago it once belonged to that boy.


    The story is unknown and as good as lost, which was once told in whispers of secrets. That is the history of the dorm that you are living in. A few yearster, the manor was turned to the boys Dormitorium and then to the girls Dormitorium, where the room probably remained closed after I used it. Why are you curious about it?''


    Once Julie finished reading, she looked up from the letter, feeling a certain heaviness in her chest. What started as a love story had ended on a sad note.


    Remembering the words written in there, Julie wrote back to the letter thief¡ª


    ''I never knew the story about it¡­ It must have been difficult for the boy to live here. I heard that the buildings here in Veteris were once manors that belonged to the Lords and other high profile members who lived here. I tried looking for more historical information about the manors and the Lords, but I found nothing in the library and couldn''t help but wonder about it. Also, k when I started to live in the dorm, I found a note on the walls, making me wonder why someone would write and ce it there.


    I didn''t know that in the past, this was previously used as the boys'' Dormitorium and that you used to stay here as its previous owner.


    How did you find out about this information if it is secretive?''


    Julie read the story one more time, feeling pity for the young boy and wondering what happened to himter. To be neglected and with no love and care was terrible. Julie sighed at that thought. Even though her family''s happiness had ended quite soon, when her mother was still alive, her parents had loved her until her father had decided to kill her mother for a reason she had no idea about.


    She wondered if the letter thief had ever found out about the note behind the loose brick in the wall, when he used to upy it. But then the brick was below the bed, and no one could find it unless they went close to it.


    "Never reaches the hands of another," murmured Julie. Getting out of her bed, she went to the drawer and took hold of the scissors. She started to cut his letter into tiny little pieces so that no one would ever be able to mend it.


    During the time of noon, Julie sat in the ssroom, studying like the rest of the students under the keen eye of Mrs. Gardiner, who was a woman in her fifties and sat behind the desk grading papers.


    After solving the questionnaire, Julie raised her head to have a look around the ss where some of the students were passing notes to each other, whispering to each other or drawing in their books to pass their time. From the window that faced the corridor, she noticed Roman walking in the corridor, walking past from one end to another, like the privileged student he was because he couldn''t sit in the ss.


    She wondered if he was skipping sses again. When did he even study with him roaming around and even taking time to teach her?


    When she returned to her dorm, a new letter was waiting for her¡ª


    ''Apologies beforehand, but I am stealing that little note that you found.''


    Note? Asked Julie to herself before her eyes turned wide. She quickly opened the drawer and saw that the letter thief had stolen the note that she had found on the wall. She continued to read his letter,


    ''I forgot about that note, but now that you reminded me I decided to take it. I had once found a book in the library about the Lords and their families. When I came back to read it, I was told by the librarian that Veteris was keeping out such information. The authorities of Veteris don''t like to leak the information about the previous families to the public who owned thesends.''


    Julie pursed her lips, a frown appearing on her lips, and she replied¡ª


    ''This is why you are a thief! Stealing things without warning. Why is Veteris so private about the families? You know¡­ The more I stay here, the more shady this ce turns out to be. Like something is going on but we aren''t aware of it.''


    Reaching the library on time, Julie picked up the textbook and sat down on the chair in their usual spot. She looked back now to see if Roman had arrived, but this time he waste. She wondered what was keeping him away from their study sessions.


    Thirty minutes passed, and Julie wondered if Roman had decided to skip today. He could have at least told her so that she didn''t have toe here, thought Julie in her mind. Seeing another minute pass, she moved to the railings, leaning forward to look at the ground floor where the students were seated at the tables.


    Even though people didn''t speak loudly and a lot, a faint murmur filled the library. Turning back, she decided to pack her things and leave for the day, when Roman decided to show up.


    "You arete," pointed Julie, watching him.


    "I know. Sit down," came the words from Roman''s lips.


    His hair was messier than usual, as if he had run his fingers through it several times before showing up here. His eyes were slightly unsteady and wild that didn''t meet hers as he came around and took a seat on the opposite side, waiting for her to sit.


    Julie stared at Roman, wondering what was up with him, and she said, "Thest time I waste, you were angry at me and made me solve problems."


    His eyes met hers, darker than usual. "Do you want me to solve problems?" he deadpanned,


    That wasn''t what she meant!


    Clearing her throat, Julie said, "Why were youte?" He didn''t even apologize!


    "I was preparing for our ss today," Roman''s words were as dead as the look he passed her. His long leg pushed the chair back as if telling her to take a seat.


    Julie finally sat down as they had already lost enough time, and it didn''t seem like Roman would reply to her answer. Pulling out the book from her bag, which she had ced inside, she turned the pages. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a doubt appeared in her mind. Did she do something? But then, they hadn''t even crossed paths today for him to be angry or annoyed at her.


    While flipping her pages, Julie received a paper cut, and she saw a faint red line.


    Ignoring it, she turned her pages. While Roman, who sat in front of her, his eyes turned darker than before, and felt his fangs elongate as he was thirsty.


    Few hours back, in the same evening in the boys'' Dormitorium, in his dorm, Roman stared at the small piece of paper that he had written when he was still human. Truth to be said, he didn''t care much about it. The troublemaker seemed to have missed matching the handwriting from the note with the letters he had sent her.


    At that thought, a grin appeared on his lips as he chewed the gum.


    Pulling the lighter from his pocket, he flicked it for the me to appear and lit up the end of the note that caught fire to reduce it into nothing but ashes. Getting to the mini-fridge, Roman pulled it open, and he noticed it was empty.


    "Fuck," cursed Roman under his breath and he closed the door.


    He had emptied all the cansst night and had forgotten to restock them for various reasons, one being he was barely in his room. His eyes turned to look at the clock on the wall, and he noticed there were ten minutes more before the clock would strike six.


    Stepping outside his room, he knocked on the door in front of his room that belonged to Maximus. When his friend opened the door, Maximus had a curious expression on his face.


    "Hm? Don''t you have a study session to attend?" asked Maximus, watching Roman enter the room and make his way to where the fridge was located.


    "I do. I came here to have some blood because I finished mine," replied Roman. He opened the fridge to be greeted with nothing but emptiness. "You must be kidding."


    "Sucks to have friends who are vampires, doesn''t it?"mented Maximus. He turned to look at the table and said, "That was thest can that I finished a couple of minutes ago."


    Roman ran his hand through the thick locks of his hair.


    Maximus said, "Dante is not going to be happy if she finds out that all your sessions with Evans turned to an utter waste. All into the dustbin." The two things that Roman had been trying to manage since he had turned into a vampire was¡ª his thirst for blood and his temper.


    "Do we ever listen to what Evan says? Considering he is the supposedly unbiased counsellor which is ironic because he is a vampire whopels people," questioned Roman and walked towards the door.


    "I can tell you are in quite a mood," smiled Maximus, the corners of his lips pulling high. "You should probably go and find someone to sink your teeth into."


    Roman walked to the table, tearing a small piece of the page, to throw away the gum he had been chewing. He left the floor and the boys'' Dormitorium and made his way towards the lunchroom, where they mostly had the supplies for vampires. His hand pushed the lunchroom''s door, and he made his way towards the counter.


    Cutting into the line, he said to the person who stood behind the counter, "Two cans of coke."


    "We are out stock. We''ll be restocking it tomorrow morning," replied the man who had a white cap on his head.


    Roman''s eyes narrowed, "Are you sure there''s not even one left?"


    The man shook his head, "One of the students came by and took all of them for celebration I think. We have the cookie crumbles if you would like to buy them?"


    The other two male students who stood near the counter were in their freshmen year. They couldn''t help but wonder why the soft drinks were in demand here. It wasn''t like it was an elixir, passed the thought in one of the persons'' mind. But what they didn''t know was that for the vampires who studied and taught in this university, those special cans were filled with blood in it, something that kept the vampires functioning.


    Roman''s jaws clenched because he could feel his thirst that was slowly picking its pace. He said, "I am looking for something to drink, not to eat."


    When he left the front of the counter, the two freshmen who stood for their turn asked the man behind the counter, "Can we have those cookie crumble things?"


    "It is only for the seniors," the man offered them a polite smile and asked them, "Let me take your orders now."


    Roman stepped out of the lunchroom in an irritated mood. His eyes looked around the ce, trying to find a person from whom he had drank blood in the past. He had specific times for the people when it came to drinking their blood so that their body wouldn''t suffer blood loss and there was sufficient time for new blood to be produced in the body.


    But the thing was if he wasn''t wrong, his walking and breathing blood suppliers had all reached their limit. He had been enjoying his blood intake a little more than he was supposed to.


    By the time Roman entered the library building, his mood had turned from bad to worse and students, who caught sight of him were quick to steer clear from him. He could feel his fangs ache as if wanting to sink into someone''s flesh to draw the fresh and warm blood to drink.


    Making his way up the stairs of the library built next to the wall, hisced boots stepped on the first floor of the building. He walked past the book racks that were on his right. As he continued to walk through the sections of the library, the number of people present reduced respectively.


    He hoped to control his thirst for the next two hours, which would be testing his limit today.


    When Roman reached thest rack on the left side of the floor, he noticed Julie had packed her bag, and she turned around as if she was leaving.


    He walked to the desk and sat in front of it. She asked him, "Why are youte?"


    "I was preparing for our ss today," came his immediate response, while both of them knew that it was a in white lie. He noticed Julie hadn''t taken a seat yet and was still standing with her bag hanging over her shoulder.


    The chair that she had earlier pushed in, he pushed it back with his leg so that she would take her seat.


    After a few seconds, she finally sat down without pressing him for an answer and started to pull out her notebook and pens. In the meantime, Roman tried to stayposed, his face expressionless while his eyes watched the girl who sat in front of him.


    Roman thought to himself, he had been a vampire for quite some time, and it was time to control his instincts. With no blood to trigger him-


    His thoughts were quick to interrupt when he heard Julie''s sudden intake of breath, and his eyes fell on the paper cut on her finger. His jaws clenched, seeing the finger of the troublemaker who was sitting in front of him. The faint smell of blood drifted towards him, and it made his sensese alive as if it was provoking his predatory skills to hunt and quench his thirst.


    On the other hand, Julie ced her hand on the textbook and looked up at Roman to find him staring at her.


    "I opened the page," she let him know, unknown by the fact that she had tried to tempt the devil to take her as a sacrifice. "Are you alright?" Julie asked him, concerned because he seemed distracted, even though he was looking right at her.


    "Why wouldn''t I be?" questioned Roman, and the way he was looking at her right now felt daunting.


    "It is the look on your face," Julie started to exin, and his eyes immediately narrowed. "I mean it looks like you have something on your mind. We can reschedule the session tomorrow, if you are busy."


    "If I was busy, I wouldn''t be here. Don''t fret," Roman pulled her textbook towards him.


    For the next one hour, Roman taught Julie. While he was teaching her to have a better look at the notebook in which he was writing, Julie had leaned forward.


    And even though it was only an innocent action, Roman pushed the notebook forward so that she wouldn''t lean in. When Julie''s eyes were fixed on the book, listening to him, his eyes fell on her slender and smooth neck that looked more than tempting.

 Chapter 32 - Bad For Health

    <h4>Chapter 32 - Bad For Health</h4>


    Even though Roman waste for their study session, he was on point when it came to teaching her, and there was nothing that she couldin about. After all, he was taking his time to improve her grades in the subject of Rubix. Noticing Roman had stopped teaching, Julie''s eyes looked up and saw that he was already looking at her.


    In the quiet side of the library and behind the rack, it was just the two of them.


    Realizing how close his handsome face was to hers, Julie slowly slid back to her seat and cleared her throat.


    "I will go and get the reference book," informed Julie. Standing up from her chair, she walked away from there.


    When she came to stand in front of one section of books, Julie turned back to make sure he hadn''t followed her. Right now, something seemed very off about Roman, and it was because he kept staring at her even after she caught him. The first thought of hers had been if someone had pissed him off on his way here to the library. He usually looked intimidating, but today there was a wilderness in his eyes, and his voice held a slight rasp to it.


    Was he on something funny? Julie asked herself. Considering the bad boy reputation Roman Moltenore carried with him like a piece of essory on him, it was possible.


    Their faces had been too close, and it had startled her. Closing her eyes, she let out a sigh.


    "Since when did books rted to history turn into a reference book for Rubix?" came Roman''s voice right behind her.


    Julie''s eyes flew open, and she saw Roman''s hand that came to ce on the rack for support near her.


    When Roman leaned forward, he said next to her ear, "You didn''t answer my question, Julianne."


    Julie tried to gather her thoughts because he stood too close, "I thought I would clear my doubts in history."


    "Books that have nothing to do with your studies? How interesting," came the sarcastic words from Roman. "Why did you run away?"


    Roman was trying to control his urge to drink blood, but this troublemaker was intent on trying to get him to smell blood and trying to run away from him, which only made him want to hunt her down. He could hear her pulse.


    Julie looked away from him because right now, his eyes were too intense for her to handle. She said,


    "I know it has been three sses since you started to help me, but I don''t think I am ready for that kind of payment that you are looking for," her words were nothing less than a train that came in a rush, but Roman heard every syble that left her lips.


    Roman''s head tilted to the side, and for a few seconds, he stared at her. When he leaned forward to have his lips next to her ear, he asked her, "Do you know what I am looking for?"


    Feeling his breath on the shell of her ear, blood rushed up to her neck, and she quickly said, "For someone?"


    "Yes," replied Roman, sensing the blood that was right in front of him. Right now, his eyes had turned from ck to red, and his fangs elongated that Julie couldn''t see. He clenched his teeth, trying to refrain himself from turning this one as his meal. He finally said, "What I am looking for is you to finish the homework that I gave you, unless you want me to pull you another page to work on."


    Roman finally pulled away from her and ced his foot on the bench as if to tie hisce, and Julie quickly bolted back to her seat before he woulde to tell or do more than what he had said.


    When Julie was out of his sight, Roman stood straight where neither his fangs nor his eyes had returned to their usual self. He ran his tongue over the tip of one of his fangs before bringing his hand up and bit into the palm to draw his blood. This would suffice for a while, he thought and returned to where Julie was sitting.


    Hearing the sound of his boots, Julie didn''t raise her head and continued to work on solving the problems. She didn''t know if he was only trying to scare her, but somewhere it worked. Until now, she had never received male attention like what Roman did because the most that happened was her getting bullied.


    The bad boy was bad for her health, she thought in her mind.


    "You added the wrong variant in there,"mented Roman before taking his seat. He then asked, "Did that startle you?" he questioned.


    "The variant?" asked Julie, and she noticed him subtly narrowing his eyes. She answered again, "A little."


    "Don''t worry, I have no ns of taking my payment like that," said Roman, crossing one leg over the other.


    Then what was that little preview?! The feeling of his breath against her ear brought goosebumps over her skin, and though her sweater covered her hands, it wasn''t enough to cover her neck and face.


    "You look like you were bit by an insect," pointed Roman, not bothering to make it look like he hadn''t noticed it.


    "And whose fault is that," muttered Julie under her breath without lifting her head.


    "Yours. Easily flustered," Roman med it on her. Julie wondered if this was how he seduced the girls. Taunting words with sarcasm in them and whispering into their ears like a Devil. Not that she had been seduced, but his actions had struck one of the nerves in her body.


    Julie''s eyes fell on Roman''s hand that was tied in a white handkerchief. It wasn''t there earlier when he was teaching. Her eyes looked up to see him.


    "Did something happen to your hand?" Julie asked him.


    "Always with the questions. Why do you care?" Roman questioned her back, raising his eyebrow at her.


    "Because we are study friends?" she asked in a little doubt.


    "I already have four of them and don''t need more to handle," came the blunt words from him. This rude boy¡­ but then she and he weren''t friends. "You are my apprentice."


    "..."


    "Disappointed? If you want to be my friend, you will have to break at least twenty rules. How many have you broken so far?" he questioned, and Julie turned proud.


    "I haven''t broken them since a very long time-"


    "Jinx," a small chuckle escaped Roman''s lips. There was a boyish charm on his face the way he looked for that spare seconds before his gaze turned serious. "Don''t stare too hard or you will fall in love with me."


    Julie shook her head, "You think too highly of yourself. If it makes you feel better, you aren''t my type."


    The corner of Roman''s lips pulled further up, and he asked, "Let me guess. Someone who doesn''t like to break any rules, doesn''t wear clothes that are ripped or has any piercings or tattoos and doesn''t know how to fluster you."


    "That doesn''t even have a logic," said Julie, a smileing to form on her lips.


    "Why not?" challenged Roman. He said, "People who follow rules are often the ones who are scared to break them. They prefer to run in the same cycle of monotonous things. Every day is the same. It is fine, some people like boring things."


    "You don''t know that," retorted Julie. This was the second time someone was calling her boring from the same clique of the circle. "Everyone has their own definition of what is exciting and not exciting."


    "That''s like eating one dessert and iming it to be the best, when you haven''t even tasted the others," and this time when Roman said it, Julie wasn''t sure if they were still discussing the same subject. "Come to the dark side, Winters. Let me see you break a rule."


    It was as if the spider had lured her into its web. But it was time to leave the web as soon as she could!


    "I think you break for most of us¡­bined together," replied Julie, their eyes staying on each other for a few seconds. Then they both heard the sound of the footsteps that got louder as it approached where they were sitting. Maximus appeared with Simon next to him, carrying a bag in their hands.


    "Hello, Julie," Simon greeted her with a smile on his lips, and she raised her hand to wave.


    Julie asked them, "Did youe here to study too?"


    "We had books to return and thought of paying a visit," replied Simon, and he took a can from the bag and asked her, "Would you like to drink a c?"


    "I am fine, thank you," answered Julie with a smile.


    "You sure? They are extremely tasty-"


    "She told she''s fine," stated Roman, the re appearing in his eyes which simmered down.


    Getting up from his chair, Roman took hold of the can and pulled back the ring before gulping the entire thing in one go. He then took another one, making Julie wonder if he was only thirsty or if the cold drink was as good as Simon had said. Her eyes fell on Roman''s inked hand that held the can, watching every gulp slid down his throat.


    Maximus came to sit in Roman''s seat, staring at the book and hummed. "You are studying Rubix. Is this your handwriting?" Maximus asked curiously, looking at it.


    At the same time, Roman, who had finished the second can of blood, crushed it with a sound that everyone heard. He looked at Julie and said, "That''s enough study time in here for today. You can leave."

 Chapter 33 - I Am Only Cleaning

    <h4>Chapter 33 - I Am Only Cleaning</h4>


    One minute Roman was trying to sway her into breaking the rules, and the next moment. He was trying to shoo her away from here. Only a few minutes ago, near one of the racks, he had stepped too close to her breathing space, and now he had turned distant, and it made her wonder what that was about.


    Julie packed up all her things and ced her bag over her shoulder.


    "Too bad that we didn''te sooner,"mented Maximus, watching the human ready to leave.


    "See youter," Simon brought his hand up to wave at her, a friendly smile on his lips.


    Giving them a nod, Julie turned to look at Roman and noticed that he had picked the third can, to drink. He finally had slowed down from gulping them down to taking just sips, and their eyes met.


    "I will be going," said Julie, and she started to walk away from there.


    "Did we interrupt the study session?" Maximus asked with a questionable look in his eyes. He picked up one of the cans to drink the blood from it. "And, you offered her the can of blood. What if she had epted to have the drink? She''s not a vampire, Simon. A human," he reminded his friend.


    "She seems a little shy to take things from us. Even if she found out, all we need to do ispel her to forget about it. It isn''t something we haven''t done before," responded Simon, before sitting down in the seat where Julie had been sitting earlier. He picked up a can from the bag, watching it closely.


    Roman walked towards the railings, cing both his forearms to rest on the edge, and he leaned forward. He looked at the students, who were studying below before his eyes moved to the right, and he watched Julie climbing down the stairs.


    Simon looked at Roman and said, "Maximus said you were looking for blood as you were out of it and we decided toe here."


    "Good that you did. I would have turned someone into a meal tonight," responded Roman to his friend''s words.


    "Hm? You didn''t bite her?" Maximus asked, perplexed, "How have you been surviving since thest two hours?"


    Roman didn''t answer this question, and he brought the can up to his lips, taking a sip from it while keeping his eyes on the girl who walked from the right side to the left. She walked towards the racks to ce back the textbook from where she had picked up earlier. But before leaving, as if sensing his gaze from that distance, she turned and looked up at where he was.


    From where he stood, Roman could see the look of slight confusion and curiosity in her eyes. For the fleeting time, things around them fading away as if it was just them in here,


    "I am saving her forter," remarked Roman to his friend''s inquiring mind.


    He saw Julie look away, and she walked towards the library''s exit, stepping out of the building. He then turned around, letting his back leaning against the railings with a crooked smile on his lips.


    "You bit into your hand, didn''t you?" Simon was somewhere worried, noticing the handkerchief that was wrapped around Roman''s hand.


    Thest time when Roman had done something like this was the time when they had turned into vampires. Refusing to harm the humans by having his fangs sunken into their neck, but his resistance hadsted less than two hours before the vampire instincts took over him, and he drained blood from two humans.


    Maximus whistled, finally catching the drift of what was going on, "Looks like you are catching something, Rome." And this received a re from Roman. Maximus shifted the subject quickly with a smile, "Why did you write using shabby writing in front of her."


    "So that she doesn''t find out about something," stated Roman, running his tongue over his lips to remove the traces of blood from the corner of his mouth. "Thanks for these," he said, raising his can.


    Though he had tried to keep his mind upied by teasing and poking the human somewhere, he had doubted that he wouldn''tst long.


    He remembered the pulse and her blood rushing underneath her skin as if inviting him to sink his fangs into her neck. But it was her eyes that were the most distracting ones. Unknowing of the danger that was creeping up near her, she looked right back at him, unlike others, whose eyes often wandered around him out of fear or because of their coy acts.


    Both Simon and Maximus had no idea of the exchange of the letters between him and Julie, and Roman preferred to keep it that way. It was a secret which even the girl didn''t know about and only he was aware of it.


    Roman then asked, "Which bloodsucker decided to grab the entire stock of cans leaving nothing in the lunchroom."


    "That would be Griffin," answered Simon, rotating the can as if he were holding a ss of wine and swirling the blood inside it. "He threw a party for the juniors who joined Jackson''s football team. Since Dante has given her approval to have a football match just between us night creatures, with the uing football match, he has started to form a team to y. They want to make sure everyone are ready who are from the freshman year."


    "He must be scared to be preparing for it this soon when there''s still time,"mented Roman, and Maximusughed.


    "He is. He is hoping to win the game, probably to show off to the Elders when they arrive," said Maximus, letting the pin in his tongue touch his teeth.


    "I would like to see how that goes," remarked Roman, already knowing how insignificant a football match was to the elders, but at the same time, one could never tell.


    Back In the girls'' Dormitorium, Julie had reached her dorm, and she picked up her bottle of water, drinking it continuously until half of the water was over. cing it on the table with a thud, she let out a loud sigh. She couldn''t get over the image and the feeling out of her head when Roman had her back against the library rack.


    "And I am not boring, you are just far too dangerous for a person," muttered Julie under her breath.


    She remembered him mentioning how he didn''t have any such intention towards her. Walking towards the mirror, Julie stared at her reflection.


    "It must be the sses," murmured Julie to herself. She removed the sses from her face, and her hand reached out for the hairband that tied her hair. When she pulled it out, her brown hair spread out and fell on her back.


    To wash away the thoughts that had started to infect her mind, Julie decided to watch a movie she had saved on herptop. Whileing to a particr scene where the male kissed the girl, at the end of the scene, she rewinded it to watch it all over again, having a goofy smile on her lips.


    Somewhere in the midnight, Julie was only half asleep when she heard the rustle of the paper, and she turned around, realizing the letter thief had been here only a second ago. Grabbing the letter from the side of the window, she quickly got out of her bed and pulled open the door. She stepped outside the Dormitorium.


    Her eyes looked back and forth, trying to find the boy who had been replying to her letters. Walking towards her side of the window, Julie let out a sigh. So close! Thought Julie to herself. How fast did he leave? She asked herself.


    "Ms. Winters," came the voice from behind her. Shoot said Julie in her mind. In her attempt to catch the letter thief, she had forgotten about the curfew time. She turned around and met the shady counsellor''s eyes, who smiled at her. "What are you doing outside your dorm at two in the night?"


    Seriously¡­ he saw her, but not the letter thief?


    "Trying to get detention?" questioned Mr. Evans with his calm and unnerving smile, "Take it to be noted."


    Julie shook her head quickly, "I just came to look¡­ "


    "At what?" asked Mr. Evans, noticing the wary expression on her face. He stepped towards her. His eyes then fell on the letter that she held in her hand. "Was that what you came to look for?" He had a curious look on his face.


    The counsellor looked like a nosey man and was ready to ask her what the letter was about. Her face turned pale because of her current situation, and she shivered as she was surrounded by the cold atmosphere around them.


    "This?" said Julie before shaking her head, "This is for cleaning the window." She raised her hand and started to clean the outer side of her dorm''s window with the letter that she had in her hand.


    As much as she had wanted to catch the person who had first bullied her and was now answering her questions, she didn''t want neither him nor her getting caught.


    "The window pane had turned very foggy and I couldn''t see outside. I thought I would just clean it," replied Julie.


    Mr. Evans stared at her, giving her a look that looked as if to question if she thought him to be a fool.


    Before Julie was caught by Mr. Evans several minutes ago, Roman was on the deeper side of the forest with a human student.


    His fangs had sunk deep into the girl''s neck as he sucked the blood out, and the more he drew out the blood, the darker his red eyes turned. He heard the pulse of the person as he continued to drink from the person. When the pulse started to slow down, he pulled away from her neck. Running his tongue over his lips, he heard Maximus say,


    "Don''t kill her, Rome," a chuckle escaped from his friend, who was enjoying hanging upside down on the branch of a tree.


    Roman looked at the girl''s eyes to check if she would be able to walk back to her Dormitorium without fainting on her way back. After starving for a few hours and now having fresh blood that wasn''t canned, he was high on it, relishing the taste in his mouth.


    But while checking the girl''s condition, another girl''s face appeared in his eyes, and for a moment, he stayed still. He wondered if it was because he had tried not to take a bite from her, which was why his senses were tempting him to go back and quench his thirst from her, like a dessert after his main course meal.


    Getting back to the present, he ordered the girl who was standing in front of him, "Tomorrow you are going to feel very sick. It would be best if you sleep in your dorm the entire day." He brought his thumb to wipe the little spot of blood that was on her neck.


    Maximus pushed himself up to sit upright on the branch, and he then jumped down on the ground.


    "I like it when you make deals, Rome. You just know what makes one happy,"mented Maximus, who had a grin on his face as they started towards the Dormitorium along with the girl.


    With most of Roman''s prey whose blood had been drawn out, Maximus had lent one of his prey for him to feed on. In return, Roman had offered to persuade Olivia to y as Maximus'' costume partner for Halloween.


    "It wasn''t that hard,"mented Roman, walking past the trees of the forest while keeping an eye around where they were.


    "What can I say, I am a simple minded vampire," chimed Maximus.


    When they reached the edge of the forest, they made their way towards the entrance of the Dormitorium to send the human inside so that she wouldn''t end up being someone else''s prey and dead as it would only cause them unneeded trouble and lecture from Dante.


    While Maximus was making sure to see that the girl entered her dorm, Roman took the diverted attention of his friend to go and ce his reply next to Julie''s window. But hearing the change in her heartbeat, he quickly retrieved his hand and stepped away from there.


    Both Roman and Maximus were quick to leave the front of the girl''s Dormitorium, but before he could get too far, he noticed her getting caught in the vampire counsellor''s hands.


    Idiot scolded Roman in his mind.


    It looked like Julie hadn''t given up on finding out who the letter thief was, which was precisely how she had gotten into trouble with Mr. Evans, who had decided to make rounds today.


    "Isn''t that Julianne with Evans?" questioned Maximus, his head tilting to the side and watching them from afar.


    Unlike what Roman was used to seeing, Julie was now in her pajamas¡ªin shorts and a half-sleeved shirt. When his eyes focussed on her blue clothes, he noticed the fish print. Her hair was messy, and she looked different than usual without any sses on her face, and her feet were bare.


    "Did someone steal your snack while you were snacking?"


    "No one can steal my snack but myself," replied Roman, while trying to hear what they were talking.


    His eyes fell on the white paper that Julie held in her hand, his letter. The next moment, she used the letter he had written to clean the window, and seeing this, his eyes narrowed.


    This little troublemaker. This was going to earn her breaking a rule, and he would personally pick the rule to break.


    On the other side, Julie felt her feet turn cold with the way Mr. Evans stared at her. Even though it was written on his face that he had caught her lie, he offered a smile.


    "Ms. Winters, is there something that you remember?" Mr. Evans asked her.


    Julie now wished that she had told him that she was sleepwalking and didn''t know how she had ended up here. Though exining the part of the letter in her hand would have been hard.


    "Remember?" she asked him, feigning ignorance while knowing exactly what he was speaking about. "The detention you mean? I apologize for stepping out at this hour-"


    "Not that," Mr. Evans cut in, his eyes unblinkingly looking at her. "You appear to be a little tense. Do you remember what happened that night in the forest, Ms. Winters? Something that you might have heard? You can tell me."


    The weather turned chilly, and Julie stared at the man, "I don''t think I know what you are speaking about." She tried to rx her body and not let her heart jump and skip in fear. Back then, he told them not to mention it to anyone, so she wasn''t going to mention it.


    Julie wondered if Mr. Evans was asking what she was thinking about right now. He was asking about the girl''s scream in the forest that night. Mr. Evans stepped towards her, staring down at her that made her worry now.


    At the same time, she noticed someonee into her vision, not too far from where they stood. Roman, her mind whispered his name. What was he doing here?


    Now that Roman was here, Julie suddenly realized that she was in her pajamas. Her hands were quick to hide behind her.


    Noticing Julie looking behind him, Mr. Evans turned around, and his eyes fell on Roman. "What a pleasant surprise that I have caught you for detention. Looks like everyone tonight is breaking rules."


    Julie stared at Roman, while he didn''t care to look at her even for a second. If it weren''t for the study sessions, he was usually distant and didn''t like mingling with others except for his group¡ªsomeone who didn''t want to be bothered by anyone.


    "I came here to inform you about something I heard in the¡­ back," Roman''s words were careful as if he was telling a secret and the counsellor''s eyes subtly narrowed.


    "How is it that I didn''t hear anything?" Mr. Evans raised his eyebrows, giving a questioning look.


    Roman casually shrugged his shoulders as if he had no idea. He said in a dull tone, "I thought to let you know, but if you are busy, I will let-"


    Mr. Evans raised his hand, "I will go take a look. But you both are out of bed, detention tomorrow after ss," and he turned to look at Julie. She noticed the look of suspicion in the counsellor''s eyes, but he said to her, "Get back inside now."

 Chapter 34 - New Form Of Detention

    34 New form of detention


    Entering her dorm, Julie went near her window to take a careful peek to see if Roman and Mr. Evans were still standing outside. Roman was saying something to the counsellor, his face was serious, and she noticed the atmosphere around them was tense. Her mind pondered over what Roman said earlier to Mr. Evans, wondering if, like her, he had heard someone scream in the forest tonight.


    After a minute, both of them walked away from there, and Julie slowly closed the window and locked it.


    Taking a seat on her bed, she looked at the letter that had turned dirty because she had cleaned the window. Dusting it with her hand, she opened the letter¡ª


    ''A few years ago, Veteris was not just a family name which this ce was named after. It used to be a secret society, which is why no one will be able to get their hands on the past history of this ce. Take my advice and don''t look for it, Troublemaker. There is a reason why a secret is called a secret. You are here to study, so it is better to stick your nose between the pages of the books than in unnecessary things.''


    Julie stared at the letter, wondering why it was so.


    Maybe he was right, thought Julie. It wasn''t like she was on any mission, and if there was any, it was to graduate from here. With the number of students who walked on the campus like delinquents, she wondered if Veteris were connected with a gang. Mafia? she questioned in her mind.


    She wondered if they produced drugs and sold them outside. With this ce being isted, it was possible. It could even exin the scream and quick disappearance of Stacy Hopkins. Rich students whose parents were part of some gangs.


    A yawn escaped her mouth, and she was about to ce the letter on the table when she stopped midway. With the way Mr. Evans was eyeing the letter, it was possible he would question it. She tore the page into tiny pieces so that even if someone tried to join them together, it would take time to do it, and no one had such patience. Once she was done with it, Julie climbed into her bed and pulled her nket to get some sleep.


    The next day, in the evening, Julie was doleful as she made her way towards the detention room. Since thest few days, she had been so good. How did this happen? She wasn''t sad because she was going to attend detention, but because she would have to go and revisit her uncle and aunt. After all, her detention would slip into her progress report.


    When she entered the detention room, Julie noticed Ms Piper was already present in the room. The woman sat with her legs crossed and on top of the table.


    Definitely mafia, Julie said in her mind.


    Knowing Roman also would be spending his time in detention, her brown eyes searched for him. But he wasn''t in the room. Looking at the empty seats, she decided to take a seat where there were three empty seats. Students entered the room, and the empty seats next to her filled, and she was surrounded by people she had never seen or met before.


    Roman was thest person to enter the room, and without sparing a look at anyone, he made his way to the backside of the room, towards thest empty seat to sit down. Julie''s eyes followed him, and once he sat down, she looked in front of her because the person who sat behind her stared at her.


    Ms. Piper Martin said, "It looks like we have some new ones. This is very good," she pped her hands as if she were excited. She walked behind her desk, bending down to pull out a stack from the drawer that looked like a booklet of something. "You know what this is?"


    "Papers you need to grade?"mented the person who sat behind Julie, and some of the students snickered over hisment.


    Ms. Piper ced her hand on top of the stack, and she smiled, "Very funny. That will be something I will make you do, boy. Looks like you are a recent addition to the detention room. Excellent. You all will be taking part in this theme y."


    The students in the room were quick to break into a protest of refusal.


    "That''s not the best part," said Ms. Piper. She had a smile on her lips, and she said, "I spoke to the headmistress and she has decided to allow and give me responsibility in turning you all into being better individuals. Every Thursday and Friday at five in the evening. Students who are unwilling will be demoted one year. Isn''t that wonderful?"


    "That''s bullshit! For just one y we are going to repeat the year?" asked one of the students.


    "I don''t have time to spend on such useless yst! I have football practice to attend to," said another student.


    "I have a project toplete, Ms. Piper," said the girl who sat in the front, who seemed like she had ended up in the detention room because of her pure bad luck. Julie could rte to the girl.


    Ms. Piper split the stack into three sets, giving each of the rows one set before waving her hand at the students at the front as if telling them to circte it to the other students.


    "If you don''t know how to act, this is a good opportunity to practice it," Ms. Piper seemed like she was enjoying this way too much than she was supposed to by hearing the students whine and groan.


    The woman said, "You can inform your friends about it. Just so they know that I am recruiting students to take part in the other ys that I have on my mind."


    When Julie received the script, she read the name on it ''Wind of little towns''. She turned around to hand over the two extra''s she had received to the person behind her. But when she went to pass it, the boy intentionally touched her hand. She quickly pulled back her hand and turned back in her seat.


    "How do we know what role we are ying?" asked one of the students in arrogance.


    "I will decide that. Now get to reading the script so that you know the character when you get to y," said Ms. Piper, walking back to her seat and sat down behind her desk. "I am sure once we start practicing, you will appreciate following the rules and don''t think I won''t add you in the other ys. Go on now." Letting her back lean, the woman ced a book on her face as if she was going to sleep.


    Julie pulled her chair forward and closer to her desk so that there was a good distance between her and the boy who sat behind her.


    Turning the page of the script that had more than fifty pages in it, she wondered if she would be able to memorize even half a page in it. In the past, she had stuck to low profile activities. Even if she was near the stage, which was rare, it was only to help others. There had always been better students to y the parts of the characters and she had never tried for it. The y was about forbidden love, where a man was in love with a married woman. At the end of the book, the writer''s name was Ms. Piper Martin.


    Somewhere in the middle of her reading, Julie turned to look in Roman''s direction. He had crossed his long legs that were stretched forward, and one of his hands supported the side of his head as he read the manuscript to kill his boredom.


    Suddenly she felt her chair jerk forward, and her eyebrows furrowed. She heard the person behind her whisper,


    "What''s your name?" Julie decided not to answer and looked at the pages in her hands. "You kept turning behind, are you interested in me? I am Caleb."


    I wasn''t looking at you, said Julie in her mind.


    The boy pushed her chair forward again to gain her attention. He whispered, "Are you ying hard to get?"


    Julie turned, annoyed. She turned around and said, "I get your legs are long, now stop kicking my chair else I will report it to Ms. Piper, who will turn you into a tree."


    Caleb had arrogance written all over his face. Though he didn''t have any piercings or tattoos, Julie identified the boy as self-entitled, who came from a wealthy family. "Haven''t you ever heard that it isn''t good to speak back? Especially to people whoe to the detention room. Nothing good everes from it."


    Before Julie could reply to it, one of the students came to stand next to her. Looking up at the person, she noticed the person carrying his bag with him. The boy standing spoke to her in a quiet voice,


    "I would like to switch seats with you. Please," he looked slightly distressed as if his life depended on sitting in the chair which she was sitting in.


    Looking behind him, Julie noticed the empty seat that was right in front of Roman. His eyes were fixed on the manuscript.


    Taking the opportunity, Julie picked up her bag and walked to sit down in the empty chair. This felt much better, she thought in her mind. She turned back to look at Roman, who hadn''t bothered to look up, she whispered,


    "Thank you."


    "What for?" questioned Roman in a nonchnt tone.


    "For switching my seats," replied Julie, her eyes catching sight of him turning the page.


    "You don''t have to thank me for that," responded Roman, and he finally looked up to meet her brown eyes.


    Turning back to the front, Julie ced the booklet of the y on top of the desk. Her eyes moved to the corner where she had been sitting earlier and saw the boy named Caleb was now annoying another person.


    After two minutes, Julie turned back and said, "I wanted to ask you something aboutst night." Hearing the word st night'', Roman''s ears perked up, and he raised his eyebrows as if to ask what. She whispered, "Did you hear something in the forest? You said to Mr. Evans about it."


    He stared at her.


    "I thought I heard something. But it was just the wind," said Roman before asking her, "Why?"


    Julie pursed her lips and asked, "Can you keep a secret?" She had noticed the hostile air between him and the counsellor, and she felt maybe she could ask him.


    "No," deadpanned Roman and Julie''s shoulder slouched. He rolled his eyes and said, "Tell me outside the detention room."


    After all the students had left the room, Julie stepped out and waited for Roman outside the building. He stepped out, wearing ck gloves on his hands as he walked. Previously, she had noticed him on a bike, and she wondered how he was allowed to leave the grounds of Veteris.


    The breeze gently ruffled his inky ck hair.


    "What did you want to ask?" questioned Roman, looking around them before his eyes fell on her.


    With no one around, Julie said, "A few days ago when I was in the forest¡­ I heard someone''s scream and then the things of a girl staying in my Dormitorium were cleared out. I was wondering if something simr to it happened yesterday."


    Roman remembered Borrell had mentioned to Dante that the female students had beenpelled by Evans to forget what they had heard in the forest. Did Evans notpel Julie? Unless he hadpelled her, but it didn''t work¡­


    Roman''s eyes subtly narrowed with a look of curiosity in them. He said, "As I said, it was just the wind."


    B¨¬nhlu?n


    459


    Xem t?t c?


    Roman, Roman, Roman~ I liked how you subtly saved Julie from that annoying Caleb. Aren¡¯t you so caring?~ Julie knew you did it for her too. ??


    Anywayyy~ is Roman finally putting the pieces together? Will he try topell Julie on his own to confirm his suspicions? ?? Julie seems like she¡¯s trusting Roman more. Aaand to top it off, she¡¯s always looking for him now. Awesome awesome~ ??????[imgs]


    aw my heart is melting at how caring Roman is he saved Julie from annoying Caleb now I''m sure he will protect her from Evans now that it seems like he finally knows that she''s hard to getpelled; he knows if someone finds about it she will be in big trouble as they will probably try to get rid of her...but what if Rome turns her into a Vamp too??? wouldn''t that be awesome??? oh gosh!!![imgs]

 Chapter 35 - Girl Who Cant Be Compelled

    <h4>Chapter 35 - Girl Who Can''t Be Compelled</h4>


    Julie found Roman staring at her, and she cleared her throat and said, "I should get going. Thank you for answering my question and helping me back in there."


    She turned around, ready to leave, when Roman stopped her.


    "Wait." Turning back, she looked back at him. He questioned, "Did you ever speak to Mr. Evans before yesterday?"


    "The night I heard the scream, he was there with Mr. Borrell in the forest. He told us girls to not speak about it to anyone. Yesterday you mentioned something and I wondered if it was the same¡­" her words trailed when Roman continued to stare right into her eyes, and somewhere she turned conscious. When the evening wind increased, the side fringes of her hair came to hover in front of her eyes, and she brought her hand up to tuck it behind her ear.


    "Did you tell it to anyone else?" questioned Roman, and Julie shook her head. "The counsellor told you not to speak about it to anyone, yet you have told it to me. Do you know the repercussions that cane if he finds out that you spoke to another soul who wasn''t there in the forest that night?"


    Julie gave him an awkward smile, "I was just confirming."


    Roman looked around them and then turned back to look at her as if she had turned into an experimental mouse, "Let''s try something. What is your wild sex fantasy, Winters?"


    Instead of answering him, Julie''s face turned bright red over the question.


    "W-what kind of question is that?" responded Julie, looking at him in disbelief.


    His head tilted to the side, and he chewed the gum that was in his mouth, "You don''t like it? I thought it was a decent question. How about this, what were you doingst night outside your dorm?"


    Roman watched her with his keen eyes. He had tried topel her, but hispulsion did not affect her so far as if there was a wall between them. It was because, for a vampire who knew topel the humans, the task was easy as to breathe. But the humans couldn''t bepelled if they had silver water in their bodies. He doubted Julie had taken a sip of the silver water.


    He noticed Julie''s cheek had turned bright red at his first question, just like an inexperienced girl who hadn''t been touched or kissed before. She pursed her lips, staring back at him with the same fervour.


    "I came out to take fresh air," Julie replied softly while hoping it was believable, while not knowing that she was standing in front of her letter thief.


    Julie looked towards the gates of the blue block, her cheeks still warm over this notorious boy''s question. Did he have no shame asking her such a private question?!


    "I understand now," hummed Roman, and Julie turned back to meet his eyes that looked at her with a rxed expression in them. "My apologies, I forgot you don''t associate yourself with such a type and rather prefer the boring."


    "I feel like you aren''t going to let that go," retorted Julie, pursing her lips.


    "Of course," there was a hint of a smirk on his lips, and it only made her want to bring it down. His expression finally turned serious, and he said, "Don''t discuss what you told me with the next walking person. And stay away from Evans."


    "You feel the strange vibes from him too?" asked Julie, her eyebrows knitting together. "Do you know something?" her eyes searched for an answer from Roman, which he didn''t give her.


    Roman was surprised that Veteris had unknowingly epted a student who couldn''t bepelled.


    The rules set by the vampires were absolute, and it was set so that no harm woulde to ur on the existence of the night creatures. Keeping their presence a secret from the humans was the most important thing for them. And now that Roman knew Julie couldn''t bepelled, he knew both Veteris and her were not safe for each other for different reasons. If the other vampires found the truth, they would kill her.


    "He is more than weird, and it never hurts to be careful, does it?" he questioned back at her.


    Julie wondered what Roman meant because it seemed like there was more than what met a person''s eyes.


    Carefully, she asked him, "Is this ce linked with the drug mafia?"


    Roman brought his hand in front of her face so quickly that she was sure he was going to punch her, and she closed her eyes. But when she didn''t feel the hit even after a few seconds, she slowly squinted her eyes open, and the next moment, Roman flicked on her forehead.


    "Ouch!" Julie brought her hand near her forehead to rub it.


    "What did I say about not speaking about it again?" Roman pulled his hand back and ran his fingers through his hair as if to set it right and lightly ruffle it, unbothered by the wind. Sparing her one look, he walked away from there, leaving her standing there.


    Bringing her hand to her side, Julie watched Roman''s broad back as he made his way through the gates and disappeared from her sight.


    "One second you are being nice and the next second you flick my head," muttered Julie under her breath, not forgetting his embarrassing question. She quickly shook her head to stop thinking about unnecessary things and started to make her way towards the lunchroom.


    On her way there, she noticed Roman was with his friends, sitting on their bikes. They headed in the direction towards the entrance gates of the university as if they were going somewhere.


    "Julie!" she heard her name being called and turned towards the lunchroom''s door. She caught sight of her two friends waving at her. When she met up with them, Conner asked her, "Is it true? Is Ms. Piper making students who enter the detention room take part in the y?"


    "Ah, you heard that. She did. It was a surprise," replied Julie as they headed inside the lunchroom.


    "I heard some of them speaking when they walked past me. It is probably the time of the annual year,"mented Conner, and Julie looked at him in question. "I mean every year after Halloween, we celebrate an annual day for three or four days. And everytime around this time, Ms. Piper picks students as she is also in charge of the drama club."


    "No wonder she looked like she had found a pot of gold," murmured Julie, and they sat down at the table. Julie faced the window and her back facing the lunchroom.


    "Students are wary of taking part in the y because Ms. Piper''s scripts are rather strange. It isn''t normal and she picks the students from the detention room so that they have no way out," chuckled Conner and added, "Have you heard about her past here? Back in the days when she used to study here, she used to be a frequent rulebreaker."


    "So the rule breaker turned to controlling the rule breaker," murmured Mnie. "No wonder some of them have started to behave while there are still some who continue to cause trouble without anyone''s knowledge. You should lock your windows properly so nothing drops out of the dorm, Julie," her friend advised her.


    How many times did she close her windows, but it magically opened by the hands of the letter thief, thought Julie in her mind.


    The story she had cooked up was that one of her books had fallen out of the window, and she had stepped out to pick it up when Mr. Evans caught her.


    "I thought the drama club was something everyone liked to be part of,"mented Julie, and she ced her bag to the side. She watched the sky that had turned inky blue and turned back to look at her friends, who gave her a nod.


    "It isn''t that it isn''t popr, but Ms. Piper''s ys aren''t exactly pg thirteen. I remember two of them, one which was filled with gore and murder in it. Not literally. Another one was, well, too steamy. People are turned into walls or clouds, hanging up on the stage not knowing when you will break your bones once you fall down. Not to mention, the pairing is also strange, with people you don''t get along with," exined Conner, using both his hands as if to emphasize the scenario.


    "The headmistress and others allow it? I guess, one side there are strict rules, and the other side, they are liberal," remarked Julie while hoping she could be a wall and stand there on the stage without any need to move or utter a word.


    "Veteris is just different and strange. Even if some of them object, I am sure the administrators will just say that they are only showing what things that already exist in this world without filtering it," said Mnie, and she looked around the lunchroom. At the same time, Julie watched the students who walked outside the lunchroom through the ss walls.


    When Julie returned to her dorm, she noticed the letter from the letter thief.


    "You. You are the reason why I have to memorize dialogues if I don''t turn into a wall!" she pointed her finger at the letter before exhaling. She quickly got on her bed and picked it up to read. At least if something bad happened to her like Stacy Hopkins, the letter thief would know it when he wouldn''t receive a reply from her.


    Unfolding the letter in her hand, she started to read¡ª


    ''-_-''


    Seeing that was enough for her to put down the letter.


    He didn''t know what happenedst night, did he? Julie asked herself. There was no way he knew it. Please God let him not know, she prayed in her mind.


    Julie slowly picked up the letter¡ª


    ''Did you think I would not find out what you did? I was standing right behind the tree and saw what you did with my note. You have quite some nerve to turn it into a cleaning article. I guess I have been too liberal with you. You almost got me into trouble, and what if that other student didn''t interrupt? I can tell that you were trying to look for me.


    Curiosity not only kills the cat but sends you to the headmistress''s office and back home.''


    "Mr. Evans you caught an innocent student like me but didn''t find the actual person who caused mischief,"mented Julie staring at the letter.


    There was more written in it¡ª


    ''To make up for it, on the eve of Halloween, go to the warning post of number sixteen. I will hand your punishment personally as you are eager to find out who I am. And it would be better if you don''t whisper a word to your two friends, don''t forget I still have the first half of your letter.''

 Chapter 36 - Roles In The Theatre Play

    <h4>Chapter 36 - Roles In The Theatre y</h4>


    ''I will hand your punishment personally.''


    Those words were enough to elicit worry in Julie, which started to branch out underneath her skin. But there was a sliver of anticipation, to think that cleaning the window with his letter had made up his mind to show himself to her.


    Somewhere she was eager to meet who this mystery letter thief was, but at the same time, she wondered how much deeper she was going to fall into the rabbit hole. Bringing her book to ce it on herp, she wrote back to him¡ª


    ''I didn''t mean to use your letter as a window wiper. If it weren''t for that counsellor who caught me standing there, I wouldn''t have dirtied it. Believe me >.< I was only hoping to divert his attention to something else, but I wasn''t sessful.


    I don''t mind the part of meeting you, but I don''t think I am ready to break any more rules this year. If you saw me getting caught, why didn''t you jump in to save your letter?


    Isn''t posting sixteen somewhere near the restricted area? I don''t know if you care about your life, but I do care about mine >.> I don''t want to be one of those dumb students who wanders into the restricted forest and whose body ister found to be dead. Also, not to forget, I have a lot of things to do in this lifetime. Why are you trying to put an expiry date on me?!


    By the way, what costume are you wearing for Halloween? How am I going to identify you?''


    Julie wondered how funny it would be if someone else arrived at posting sixteen and she mistook the person to be the letter thief. Folding the paper, she ced it on the window.


    Lying down on her back on the bed, she stared at the sky through the ss window. As the room had been kept closed for quite some time, Julie realized there weren''t many students who had been lucky enough to appreciate the view where she could see the stars and moon that passed by the window.


    Julie wondered if Roman knew more about the boy, who once upon a time used to live here. Did he have a good lifeter? She was curious to know about this secretive fascinating ce that Veteris once used to be before they turned it into schools and universities to give education.


    The next day, Julie received her response from her letter thief. She pegged that whoever he was, he was very good at slipping past Mr. Borrell and Mr. Evans'' gazes because he was always out of his dorm past the curfew hours.


    Her hands were quick to unfold the paper, and she read it like a newspaper that was delivered to her window every morning and night¡ª


    ''Given I did feel I was going to momentarily turn blind because of your little stunt, I didn''t miss you wiping the window. Might as well get back into detention so that your wish to clean the other windows of the university is fulfilled.


    Don''t say no. Who else will break the rules if not you?


    Expiry date? I increased your time with an extended warranty by not handing your letter to Mr. Borrell. I heard he''s been looking for someone to expel. Do you want to apply as a potential candidate? Not to mention, you got saved in the nick of time, and the letter I gave you was not exposed. You just got into silly detention; it shouldn''t be anything new. After all, if I am not wrong, you have turned into a frequent visitor there.''


    "I can feel the smugness in those words,"mented Julie with her brown eyes narrowed at the letter.


    She read thest bit of what was written¡ª


    ''You don''t have to identify me, when I know how you look. Let''s keep the costume as an element of surprise.''


    Julie only hoped that at Halloween, she wouldn''t confuse him to be someone else. It looked like the letter thief wanted to keep his identity a secret until the time they met each other face to face.


    That week after her sses were done, Julie stood outside the drama club room and Mnie at the side, who hade to see Julie off before going to the dorm. It was the day where Ms. Piper would be choosing the roles for each student for the y that she hade up with.


    "That''s a lot of them, but I shouldn''t be surprised," murmured Mnie softly so that only Julie heard her.


    "Every day the detention room is packed," replied Julie, looking at some of the students who showed up at the end of the corridor and walked inside the room. "Earlier someone said that this year there are four ys that are going to be staged and it is going to be enough for all the spots to be filled with many students."


    "I think some students will help in creating the props for the y. Not to mention, they will get the measurements of the students who will be ying the roles. There''s another club that handles designing the clothes. That might be one of the best things to look forward to. I look forward to seeing you on the stage, Julie," Mnie looked suddenly excited.


    "I think it would be better if you don''t," replied Julie because she knew how terrible she was at acting. The lies that came from her mouth were always bad, and she didn''t want to start smiling in the middle of the y if she forgot her lines.


    "Oh shush, you will be fine. With the right amount of practice, you will be fine," said Mnie. She then said, "I am going to be taking part in the cooking club, so be ready to eat good things from my hands. They are still deciding the menu. Conner is upiedpleting his assignment of sculpting the woman so that he can have it ready when the annual celebration starts."


    "It is good that the annual day isn''t nearby and we still have time," responded Julie, and at the same time, she saw Eleanor appear in the corridor with another friend of hers. It seemed like in her previous life, she and Eleanor were close along with some others as they seemed to cross each other''s paths often.


    "Did she mention anything after that day to you?" whispered Mnie, before looking at Eleanor, who had her chin up and entered the room.


    Julie shook her head, "Surprisingly she didn''t."


    "The heartbreaker is real, he crushes the girl''s feelings into dust," said Mnie.


    For a person like Eleanor to not spare her a look or utter a word, Julie could only be thankful that she was being harassed by one less person. Like her and Mnie, some of the students stood outside the room, chatting about irrelevant things, when the volume in the corridor turned down.


    Julie wondered if Ms. Piper had arrived, but instead, her eyes fell on Roman, who walked with Maximus next to him and behind was Olivia. But the students hadn''t turned quiet to watch the three seniors walk in the corridor because they were a popr group. It was because both the boys had wounds on their faces that caught people''s attention.


    Maximus ran his tongue over the corner of his lips, and Julie noticed he had a ck and blue bruise on his forehead. Roman''s knuckles looked bruised, and a bandaid was put on the side of his cheek. It looked as if the boys had been in a fight, and they looked unbothered by their appearance. But the same couldn''t be told about the others, who were eager to gossip on what they saw.


    And though Julie stood next to the door, when Roman stepped inside the room with his friends, he didn''t spare a look at her. Sometimes, it was as if they were getting to a neutral ground, but then most of the time, it was as if they were strangers, she thought in her mind.


    Once the three seniors entered the room, leaving the stunned students behind them, others quickly broke into the conversation.


    "Those bruises look bad and fresh," said Mnie, her head leaning to the side to take a look before she stood straight.


    Julie turned to peek inside the room and saw Roman sitting on one of the side stairs, where a stage had been built and listening to something Olivia was saying before a smirk appeared on his face. For someone who was in a fight, he was in a good mood.


    "Every one inside the room!" Ms. Piper appeared in the corridor, her stilettos clicking against the marble floor, and she carried a file in her arms.


    When Mnie was leaving, Ms. Piper stopped her, "Where are you going? Inside you go."


    "But I haven''t been in the detention room this month, Ms. Piper," Mnie quickly said so that she wouldn''t be dragged into the whirl of the drama activities. Julie saw her friend run away from there before Ms. Piper would drag her inside.


    Julie stepped inside the room, and the students who were gathered in the room didn''t bother to step forward and greet the woman. After all, they were undisciplined students and were unhappy that this time Ms. Piper had pulled out something underhanded. But that didn''t deter Ms. Piper''s good mood, which turned even brighter on seeing the students sulk.


    One of the students had followed Ms. Piper with a cardboard box and ced it on the table, which was ced on the table.


    At that time, Julie turned to look at Roman, who hadn''t moved and was looking at Ms. Piper. As if sensing her gaze, his eyes shifted to meet hers. His face was expressionless, and he stared back at her.


    Ms. Piper raised her hand to gain everyone''s attention. She said,


    "There are character names written here in chits, and the number of chits equals the number of students in this room. Some will be on the stage, while some will be helping backstage in creating props," one corner of her lips pulled up. "Now each of you wille forward and pick one chit out of this lot. And as you already know, it isn''t an option to sit out of the y. Come on now," she said, looking at the more diligent students, who had been put into detention by fate even though they were obedient.


    Soon one by one, every student started to pick the chits. There were only a few who looked relieved, while most of them looked annoyed. Julie picked up her chit, walking back to her ce, and when her fingers opened it, she read the name ''Iris Turner.''


    She took a deep breath before looking around if someone was willing to switch chits with her. She had ended up with a problematic character which was one of the centre characters in the y.


    "What did you get, Ms. Winters?" asked Ms. Piper, same like she had asked everyone who had picked up the chits so far.


    Julie looked down at the name again, and she replied, "Iris."


    The woman nodded her head and waited for other students to finish picking. Olivia and Maximus picked up their chits, where Maximus had turned into her brother-inw in the y.


    Olivia, who had picked up the chit, raised her hand and asked, "It says Harold."


    "That''s fine, we can switch the genders," responded Ms. Piper. Julie wondered how Olivia had ended up in detention because she wasn''t a frequent visitor in the detention room.


    And then, Roman walked forward and came to stand in front of the cardboard. He put his hand inside the box and picked up a chit. Opening the chit, he read, "As Cheverell," and walked back to sit where he had earlier been sitting.


    Eleanor, who hadn''t looked at Julie until now, finally red at her. It was because As was in love with the married woman, Iris.


    But the re disappeared because she had turned into the fiance of As Cheverell, Eve Campbell. And if her excitement wasn''t apparent before, it was now. As if that wasn''t enough, the person who had sat behind her in thest detention, Caleb, had picked up the name ''ke Turner.'' Husband of Iris Turner.

 Chapter 37 - Mocking Words To The Wallflower

    <h4>Chapter 37 - Mocking Words To The Wallflower</h4>


    When Ms. Piper announced the names of every student along with their role to make sure she hadn''t missed anyone, Julie saw Caleb turn to look at her with a sultry smile. Her eyes fell on her shoes, and she lifted one of them to see if she had stamped on something, that something being the worst bad luck in the entire history. Caleb''s face twisted into anger, thinking she wasparing him to her shoe.


    Ms. Piper said, "Students who are selected for props cane and stand on the left side near the wall so that you can start working on it. Mary will guide you on what you need to do."


    "I am not going to work on colouring something so absurd," protested Mateo.


    Mateo Jackson, who had arrivedte to the room so that he could skip being part of the y, as like the other students, had been forcefully dragged into this charade and had hoped to be left out of it.


    The rebellious boy started to make his way towards the door of the room when Ms. Piper lightly threatened him, "One step outside the room now, is a goodbye to Veteris." She turned back to look at the students who were going to be acting. Mateo gritted his teeth, turning around toe back and stand next to others while gritting his teeth.


    "Looks like you are my wife," said Caleb, who came to stand in front of Julie.


    "Thankfully, only in the y," replied Julie, and some of the people who heard her responseughed at Caleb. Bringing up the manuscript in her hand, she turned the pages to see who would start the practice first. She didn''t have to appear until As Cheverell and Eve Campbell''s first scene together was done.


    "I was hoping we would get the parts that had close interactions, after all,st time you ran quite soon and went to sit in front of Moltenore," said Caleb, turning his gaze to look at Roman, who stood leaning against the wall and was talking to his friends. "I heard he is tutoring you. You shoulde to my dorm. I will be more than happy to teach you."


    Julie knew this time there was no escaping from Caleb. Thanks to Ms. Piper''s y, both of them would be sharing many scenes on the stage.


    "Why? Are you a senior topper?" Julie asked him with a straight face.


    Caleb took a second before he opened his mouth, "I am getting there."


    "Good for you," replied Julie, turning her head, and she started to speak to the girl next to her, who had been caught in this web of detention like her. To save his face, Caleb turned and casually walked away from there.


    Two minutester, Julie slipped away from there and walked near the stage, looking at it. The room they were in was moderately big but not big enough to hold enough audience in the room. It seemed more like a practice room, where they had a tform to act and execute their dialogues.


    Feeling someonee and stand not too far away from her, Julie turned and saw it was Roman. She asked him, "What are you doing here?"


    "Did your eyesight increase? I thought you knew I was here when our names were called out by Ms. Piper," responded Roman, staring at the stage without even looking at her. It wasn''t her, but he who needed a new pair of sses thought Julie in her mind.


    "I saw you before that. At the door," said Julie.


    "Is that so? I didn''t notice you," Roman finally turned to look at her and noticed her stare. "What?" he asked her.


    The reason she was surprised was that she hade to believe that he liked to avoid talking to her in public, which was why she hadn''t expected him toe and stand near where she was.


    Julie shook her head, and when her eyes fell on the bruise on his face, she asked, "What happened to your face?"


    "Got into a fight," came the dull words from Roman. He walked forward, turning around. He ced both his hands on the edge of the stage while his eyes looked at others who were in the room. He didn''t exin or put more light on his words and right now looked quite rxed.


    "Does it hurt?" asked Julie, her worry subconsciously seeping into her words.


    Roman''s eyes snapped back at her, looking at her doe-like eyes watching him. "What are you going to do if I say yes? Going to y nurse with me?" he raised his eyebrow at her.


    "Of course, not. I was only curious," answered Julie, and she turned to look the other way. "Why do you get into fights?"


    "You didn''t answer that fantasy question I earlier asked you," stated Roman, and this was enough for her face to turn red. Seeing Julie''s unwillingness to answer it, he said, "No answers."


    What was he even going to do with her answer! Julie gave him a short re until his eyes narrowed at her, and she coughed. She looked at Ms. Piper, who was still speaking to the students who were going to open the y''s first scene. Her eyes went back to look at Roman, who put gum into his mouth. Julie wondered if he chewed to rid the smell of the smoke.


    But Julie wasn''t too far from the truth because chewing the gum got rid of the blood from the mouth.


    Roman finally said, "Someone broke the headlight of my motorbike, so I had to repay them back."


    Julie looked taken aback, "Who did it?"


    "Some fuckers from Sophomore year. I don''t like people damaging my things," remarked Roman, and his jaw moved as he chewed, biting into the orange coloured bubblegum. "Have you ever had something that you dearly care about?" his eyes leisurely moved back to look at her.


    "A few things," murmured Julie. So Roman Moltenore treasured his motorbike, she thought in her mind.


    "Hm," responded Roman. "Anyways, there was a tiff about something, and they decided to break the headlight and cut one of the wires. So I decided to do the same."


    Curious about getting the best out of Julie, she asked him, "Did you break something that belongs to them?"


    "I broke their front teeths. It made an interesting sound when I flicked them with my finger. Bastards surprised us with metal rods," said Roman as if it wasn''t a big deal. Julie cringed at the thought, remembering the pain she had felt when she was young, and the dentist had pulled her tooth forcefully.


    In time, Eleanor walked towards where they were and stood in front of Roman. Shepletely ignored Julie''s presence and spoke to Roman.


    "I have got the role of Eve Campbell, your fiance," saying this, Eleanor''s cheeks turned bright red. Julie could feel Eleanor''s excitement that was bouncing from the top of her head. "I somewhere knew I would end up getting Eve''s part. I mean how pure is she to ept the man, even after he falls for someone else, who is married and has an affair. I was hoping we could practice our lines together."


    While Eleanor waited for Roman''s answer, Julie turned to look at him and noticed him watching Eleanor as if he could see through her. Two seconds passed to ten seconds, but he didn''t reply. After another five seconds, he pushed himself and walked past Eleanor without an answer.


    Before Eleanor would start turning red out of embarrassment, Julie inched away from there as if she hadn''t heard or seen anything that had happened.


    With Julie, who didn''t have to go to the stage anytime soon, it gave her time to read Iris Turner''s parts in the script so that she was prepared and didn''t bber incoherent lines. The students who were going to act first were already on the stage, working on their lines and emotions.


    "What crap is that? Even my cat can act better than that," scolded Ms. Piper with an annoyed expression on her face. "The line says ''Mr. Gallhanger, I was walking by the street when I caught sight of the Turner''s in town! Did you know they had moved and why?'' You two, how hard is it to bring in emotion of excitement?"


    The student on the stage replied, "I already told you that I don''t know how to act, Ms. Piper."


    "You are saying the lines as if you are speaking from your grave. Do it again," ordered Ms. Piper while crossing her arms against her chest.


    Hearing this, the people in the room broke intoughter. Julie looked up from her manuscript to see the students, who gritted their teeth because of their inability to control the woman, unlike the other students they usually liked to bully.


    The next day, in the drama room, after seeing the others acting, Julie felt more at ease that there were people who were possibly worse than her. Ms. Piper had gotten the two students to practice in the corner of the room so that she could see the other student''s performances.


    "Alright, Roman and Eleanor, you are up next," reminded Ms. Piper.


    Julie heard one boy who stood only a few steps away from her say, "How did Moltenore end up taking part in the y?"


    "Through detention of course, just like us," murmured another boy.


    "Not that. All these years, during this time of the year, he always keeps himself away from detention, knowing how Ms. Piper is," replied the first boy, and he snickered, "He probably got caught by Mr. Evans or Mr. Borrells."


    Julie''s eyes fell on Roman, who climbed up the stairs where Eleanor was soon to follow him. He came to stand in the middle of the stage, and Eleanor quickly stood next to him, glowing brightly.


    Ms. Piper spoke to Eleanor, "As it is your first day, all you need to do is to look at the manuscript and speak your dialogues with emotions and not like robots. But from next week, you will be required to learn your lines and not depend on the manuscripts."


    "I have already memorized some of my lines, Ms. Piper. I won''t disappoint you," said Eleanor with a smile, letting everyone know how fluent she was when it came to delivering her lines on the stage.


    "Well, that''s good. Roman," Ms. Piper turned to look at him with a look of doubt in her eyes if he was going to deliver his lines like a robot. Like the two students, who had spoken earlier next to Julie, Ms. Piper was slightly surprised that she had caught him in the fishing to participate in the y.


    Roman raised his hand that held the manuscript.


    "Alright, take your positions," instructed Ms. Piper while the room turned quieter than before so that they could watch one of the beautiful girl''s and the handsome boy from Veteris enact their lines. "Action!"


    While Roman and Eleanor began reading their lines, another student who had been personally picked from the music department to y on the piano started to y the instrument in one corner of the stage. The lights around the room had been dimmed, and the spotlight focussed on the two of them on the stage and the third one spotlight on the pianist.


    Eleanor was amid her line, ncing at the manuscript every once in a while to make sure she was saying it right, "... I cannot wait for your sisters toe here to visit. I will make sure they will have a good time here," she looked up for a moment to see Roman''s face and ended up pausing to admire how handsome he was.


    "The lines, Eleanor," Ms. Piper reminded Eleanor, and the girl quickly smiled at the mistake she made.


    Eleanor asked Roman, "Do you know when you will be returning, As?"


    Roman had not bothered to look at Eleanor even once, and instead, he read his lines.


    "You don''t have to do that. I don''t want you spoiling your health when you can rest," he paused for a second and then said, "I have will be meeting Mr. Craig to finalize the reports after the soiress. I will see you day after tomorrow, Eve."


    Along with the others, Julie watched Roman continue to ignore Eleanor, seeing how their character''s chemistry was already falling apart. Unlike some others, who had grumbled over their characters, he was perfect when it came to delivering his lines, and the only missing thing here was the eye contact and expression on his face. To see him in a different light like this was new to Julie, and she noticed his demeanour looked more poise and sharp.


    Eleanor replied, "I am going to miss you. I am d that in less than two months, we''ll be getting married and there won''t be any need to wait for each other like this."


    Hearing this, Julie wondered if Eleanor was reliving her imagination that she had written in the love letter she had asked to deliver to Roman.


    "Cut! Good work. Now, let us move to the next scene," said Ms. Piper, pping her hands because she didn''t have to yell. "Roman stay on the stage, at the side. Caleb and Julianne. Where are you both?"


    Hearing her name, Julie''s body turned cold, and her heart started to beat loud enough in a way that she could hear it. While making her way towards the side stairs, her legs slowly started to wobble as if the ground beneath her feet was experiencing an earthquake.


    The stage fright was going to kill her today! Thought Julie in her mind while she climbed up the five stairs and came to stand in front of the spotlight that was too bright.


    Someone in the room shouted, "Scaredy cat!"


    And then another onemented, "Isn''t Iris supposed to be pretty for As to fall in love? We don''t want one who is ugly," a whisper ofughter echoed in the room.


    "Silence!" Ms. Piper shouted to get the ce in order.


    Julie somewhere knew this was going to happen. She was more than happy to switch ces with another girl who was given to handle props. It was easier to be a wallflower where no one noticed than being put under the limelight and being disliked for no actual reason, she thought in her mind.


    "Eleanor, would you-" started Ms. Piper, but Eleanor was quick to say, "No!"


    Eleanor cleared her throat and said, "I think Julie is a perfect fit for Iris'' character. We would also be breaking the stereotype of the audience who wille to see it." Julie narrowed her eyes. This girl was only telling that so that she could stay as Roman''s fiance, who ends up marrying him at the end of the y.


    Roman, who stood at the side of the stage without the spotlight focussing on him, had been watching Julie since she had neared the stairs. Her face had turned white as a ghost, and it was apparent that she was nervous.


    "Maybe others are right," said Roman from the darkness and Julie''s eyes turned to look at his silhouette. "She will probably not be able to pull out the character of Iris, not as good as Eleanor. She even looks average and it would be best to recast someone else in her ce."


    Hearing Roman''s words, Julie felt a slight prick in her chest. She had expected mean words from others, but she hadn''t expected it from Roman. She should have known. Even though he gave her lessons, he was still a delinquent.


    But did he have to be so blunt!


    Whispering started to fill in the room, and Olivia and Maximus, who stood next to each other on the backside of the room, watched Julie on the stage, who was trying to keep her cool.


    "I don''t think she looks bad for the part," said Olivia.


    "''Course, she doesn''t. In fact, she looks cute," replied Maximus in a low voice. "When Rome found out that I was going to turn her into my personal treats, he imed that she was his treat. But he hasn''t drank from her yet."


    "That is a first," muttered Olivia as they all knew the fondness Roman had towards blood.


    Maximus stretched his hands upwards by linking his fingers and leaning back against the wall. He then said, "I think he wants her off the stage."


    Though Maximus didn''t give a hint, it took Olivia only a couple of seconds before her lips parted in surprise, and Maximus smiled, staring at the stage.


    "He''s a little possessive over the human girl. How do you think he ended up in detention," added Maximus.


    Olivia knew that Roman had been spending quite some time with the human, but she had believed it had only been like a cat''s curiosity that would slowly subside. She wondered how far it would go.


    Julie turned slightly red and awkward whilst she stood there under the other students'' scrutinizing gaze that judged how she looked. She wanted to get back to her dorm and get into her bed.


    On the other hand, Caleb defended the role, "I would like to go with what Eleanor said. I think Julianne looks pretty good to y Iris," and he grinned schemingly at her. One person wanted to keep her on the stage to bully her, and the other person was bullying her to get off the character because she appeared to be unfit for it, thought Julie in her mind.


    In the past, Julie had avoided signing up for events that would bring attention to herself, which would lead up to being bullied by Natalie and her new friends. Back then, she was a scared girl who didn''t want to offend people and have bad blood with anyone. She disliked getting into conflicts, and it wasn''t that she had changed much because she still disliked those things.


    But if she wouldn''t stand up for herself, then no one would.


    "Ms. Piper, I would like you to give me a chance to y this part," said Julie to the woman who was standing near the stage.


    Ms. Piper smiled and nodded her head, "I didn''t intend to give it to others. Everyone''s role stays the same. Anyone else having unnecessary input will be turned into a mat on the stage and I don''t joke," she said to the students behind her.


    Julie didn''t get the chance to recite her lines as time was up, and Ms. Piper decided to meet them next week again at the same hour. Walking towards the room, Julie''s eyes met Roman''s, who stared at her with a hint of re in them before he shifted his attention to his friends.


    He was always angry! And she stared back at him.


    But somewhere, his reaction did make sense, thought Julie in her mind. ''Don''t worry, I have no ns of taking my payment like that,'' she remembered his words.


    It was because, in Roman''s eyes, she wasn''t an appealing person, thought Julie to herself. Else the boy who always had his neck in the crook of a different girl''s neck would have cornered her that day in the library.


    Maximus turned around, noticing Julie walked towards the door. When their eyes met, he waved at her and she awkwardly raised her hand. He said to Roman,


    "Aren''t you going to exin what happened?"


    "About what?" questioned Roman, tearing one piece of the manuscript page. He stuck the gum before wrapping it to throw it in the bin. His eyes moved to look at the door and saw Julie leave the room.

 Chapter 38 - Crushing Can

    <h4>Chapter 38 - Crushing Can</h4>


    When Julie returned to her dorm, a relieved sigh escaped her lips, and her forehead touched the surface of the door. She was away from prying eyes that had tried to ridicule her.


    "What have I done!" Julie banged her head against the door. "Kill me! Kill me!"


    On impulse, she had told Ms. Piper that she would y one of the main leads in the y, but now that she was alone and back to her usual cocoon, she realized what she had done.


    When a sudden knock came from the other side of the door, out of shock, Julie slipped backwards and fell to the ground.


    "Julie?! Are you alright??" It was Mnie.


    "Yes, give me a second," replied Julie, gathering her thoughts, and she stood up. She opened the door and received a strange and confused look from her friend.


    "I heard some strange banging. Are you sure you are alright?" Mnie asked, and Julie nodded. "Did you find out who you are going to be in the y?? " She asked enthusiastically.


    "I will tell you in detail on our way to the lunchroom," said Julie.


    Turning behind, she looked at her room, her eyes falling on the space next to the window. The letter thief had not written back to her. Pulling her door and locking it, both the girls walked from there and stepped out of the Dormitorium.


    Once Mnie heard the entire thing without uttering a word, with her hands covering her mouth, she finally said, "Wow! You got to y the lead!"


    "One of the leads. But did you not hear the rest of it, Mel?" asked Julie with a frown.


    "I did, but look at the best part," Mnie had a wide smile. She then patted Julie''s back out of nowhere, "You were born to y the lead role."


    "By getting detention?" Because that is exactly how she had ended up in Ms. Piper''s y.


    "Whoever mocked you are just a bunch of losers," said Mnie, hooking her hand around Julie''s arm. "You are beautiful!"


    "I am not upset by their words," said Julie. It was someone else''s words that had bothered her. "I know they are a bunch of jerks. Though I am slightly worried about this Caleb guy."


    "Don''t bother about it, he''s probably a small fry and a freshman," Mnie seemed more excited than her. She had already read the entire manuscript, and knowing the story, she supported Julie.


    "I wish you could get detention too, Mel," Julieughed on seeing Mnie''s eyes go wide. "I will need your help while rehearing."


    "You can count me and Conner on it," came Mnie''s solemn words. "You make sure to bring out the best actress from inside you and show everyone that you were made for the role. By the way, are you nning to invite your uncle and his family? To watch you."


    The smile that was on Julie''s lips faltered, "I don''t know. I didn''t think about it."


    She realized the month would soone to an end, and during the weekend, the students'' progress reports would be sent to their families.


    Julie knew that her uncle and her aunt would find out the truth of the number of times she had visited the detention room one or the other day. Considering how it appeared to be a difficult task, she wondered if there was a point in hiding it. She decided not to visit them until this year was over or unless it was necessary.


    "That''s alright, there''s still time for it," said Mnie, and they stepped inside the lunchroom. "Oh¡­"


    Julie, looking for their friend like Mnie, noticed him sitting with Dennis at the table. When did they be friends?


    They made their way there, and Conner looked up from the book that Dennis was showing him. "I didn''t know you both knew each other," said Julie, offering a polite smile to Dennis and Conner.


    "Dennis hade by our art ss to drop something and I ended up chatting with him. He was showing me some of the stuff to inspire my current art form which looks cool," said Conner, and he pulled the chairs next to him so that they could sit, and Dennis stood up. "I didn''t know he knew you too."


    "The world is small ha ha," Mnieughed.


    "Good evening, Julie and Mnie," Dennis greeted them, and his eyes shifted back to look at Julie. "I heard from Conner that you are taking part in the theatre y for the annual day''s celebration. I never thought you were interested in acting."


    She didn''t know about it either, Julie thought dully. She then nodded her head, a polite smile on her lips, "I am. I am ying one of the lead roles."


    "Good job, Julie," Conner turned his hand into a fist.


    "That must be exciting. I am not much into theatre y, but I will surelye to cheer you on by sitting in the front row," looking through his sses, Dennis smiled at her.


    Both Conner and Mnie shared a look, and Julie said, "Ah, thank you."


    "If you haven''t had your dinner, you can sit with us," offered Conner, "Unless you have your friends waiting for you."


    "That''s fine, I shouldn''t impose myself," Dennis said politely, adjusting the sses of his frame.


    Until now, Julie had never seen Dennis in the lunchroom, and she wondered if he had his meals alone. Somewhere feeling bad about it, out of pure kindness, she said, "You can join us if you want."


    Dennis looked at Julie. A secondter, he nodded his head, "I guess I will join for this one time."


    After a few minutes passed, where Julie and her friends had bought their dinner from the counter, Roman and his gang walked into the lunchroom. Roman was the first to enter the room, and he made his way to the counter, ordering the two blood cans for himself.


    "When and how did you even end up in detention, Liv?" asked Simon while walking next to her.


    "It was just by chance," Olivia sighed with a grim expression on her face, "I should have known better that trying to stop them from fighting would end up me being dragged into trouble."


    Simon chuckled at her words, "You should have known. I am sad now that I didn''t get into the same y. I am d at least I have Victoria with me."


    At the counter, Maximus and Victoria were ordering their meals. When Roman turned around, his eyes fell on Julie, who was sitting with her friends and next to the boy with sses. Pulling out the ring on top of the can, he raised his hand to take a sip while his eyes were fixed on her.


    Once he finished drinking the blood in the can, he crushed the can in his hand, and his eyes subtly darkened.

 Chapter 39 - Dont Go Anywhere

    <h4>Chapter 39 - Don''t Go Anywhere</h4>


    Seeing Roman crush the can, some of the students near the counter were quick to walk in the other direction, while his friends and the person, who stood behind the counter, turned to look at him.


    "What?" questioned Roman with his raised eyebrows, and they went back to what they were earlier doing.


    He watched Julieughing at something that Dennis said to her. His lips twisted while he quietly red. He had suggested recing her to act in the y so that she wouldn''t gain unnecessary attention. But this idiot had decided to jump right into the burning fire, thought Roman, and the nerve on his forehead popped.


    A few days had passed since he realized that Julie couldn''t bepelled, and he wasn''t sure what to do with it. He had withheld the information and not informed Dante or any other night creatures.


    By doing this, he wasn''t only prolonging the girl''s death, but at the same time, he knew it was also going to put him in trouble. One word about the ineffectiveness topel her was enough for the other vampires to snap her neck without blinking their eyes.


    If she wanted to jump into the fire, then fine, thought Roman.


    Throwing the can into the dustbin, he walked back to where Simon and Olivia stood.


    "What do you think, Rome?" asked Simon, gaining Roman''s attention.


    "About what?" questioned Roman casually, pulling out another can''s ring, and he took a sip of blood from it.


    "Do you think Piper will agree if we ask her to switch us from the y we are in to yours?" asked the ginger-haired boy, his eyes bright with excitement.


    "She would never agree," stated Olivia shaking her head. "She didn''t agree when Roman told to rece Julianne from the female lead."


    Simon turned to look at Roman with a smile on his lips, "You did that? Poor thing must be hurt," and he jerked his head in the direction where Julie was sitting with her friends.


    "She''ll be fine," Roman''s words were nonchnt, and he didn''t bother to turn to look in Julie''s direction.


    Simon turned, puzzled at Roman''s disinterest in the girl, not to mention she was sitting in the lunchroom with her friends. Did his friend already lose interest in the human girl?


    Looking at Julie, he said, "Maybe we should invite them over to eat. Bonfire was fun, wasn''t it?"


    Olivia turned her head to look in the direction where Simon was looking, "They are already eating. It is rude to make them shift tables."


    "Then let''s join them. You don''t mind, do you, Rome?" On Simon''s question, Roman red at him. "Ahaha, I was just suggesting."


    "Don''t stir unnecessary trouble," warned Roman, and Simon crossed his heart, which was already a lie when he did that because he didn''t have a beating heart, as he was apletely turned vampire.


    Roman was still annoyed by Julie''s actions in the practice room and now even more annoyed by seeing the person sitting beside her.


    "Alright, let me just go and say hi ande back," said Simon.


    "Whatever," Roman said, disinterested with whatever his friend wanted to do. Simon walked away from there, heading where Julie was sitting at one of the tables near the backside, near the wall.


    Julie was talking to Dennis when she felt someonee to stand next to their table. Looking up, she saw it was Simon, and he had a polite smile on his face. "Hello there, I saw my favourite juniors sitting here and thought toe and greet," said Simon, looking at everyone at the table. When his eyes came to settle on Julie, he said, "Congrattions on getting to y one of the main leads."


    "Thank you," Julie thanked him. "Did you end up in another y?" she curiously asked.


    "Victoria and I did. You should get into another detention and maybe then you will get a role in our y?" suggested Simon with a straight face. Julie didn''t know if the senior was joking or being serious about it. He then smiled to let her know he was joking.


    "What is your y about?" asked Julie, being polite.


    The boy gave a thoughtful look before he said, "It was about a King who is obsessed with a woman and has many screws loose in his head. It is an interesting piece," said Simon, and Julie nodded.


    "Anyways, I should get back to my friends and get my meal."


    Hearing the word ''friends'', Julie''s eyes tore away from Simon to find Roman, who talked to Olivia. Remembering Roman''s words in the practice room, she pursed her lips. She didn''t want to feel bothered by his words, but hisment did affect her. When he turned his head in her direction, their eyes met. To Julie, he seemed like a block of ice, and she was the first one to look away.


    Julie nodded her head and offered Simon a smile, and he waved at everyone before leaving the table''s side. Dennis, who hadn''t bothered to smile at the person, turned to Julie and asked,


    "You are friends with everyone in the group?"


    "I wouldn''t use the word friends, but we are fairly familiar with them," replied Julie, and continued to eat, but the boy next to her seemed bothered by the very idea of it.


    "We have spoken to them asionally, and also spent ourst bonfire with them. They seemed okay,"mented Conner and took a bite from his food.


    Dennis knitted his eyebrows and said, "You shouldn''t associate yourselves with those kinds of people who break the rules and get into trouble too often. The more time you spend with those folks, the more you spend your time in the detention room. Of course it is good that you got the main lead to y, but visiting the detention room is not good," he advised before his eyes fell on Julie.


    Julie smiled at Dennis'' words, and she said, "Not everyone who ends up in detention is bad."


    "Yes, but haven''t you heard that people drag others along with them?" said Dennis in a low voice, looking at her through his sses. "I am sure you have had a clean record until now. I am speaking about them."


    Julie waved her fork in the air and said, "Actually, since I started getting tutored, my grades in one of the subjects hasparatively improved. You shouldn''t worry, it doesn''t look as bad as it looks," she chuckled. Though Dennis looked like he wanted to say something, he decided to drop the subject, and he smiled.


    "If you ever need my help, don''t hesitate to ask. I can always spare time to teach you and even you both can join it," said Dennis looking at Mnie and Conner. They nodded their heads before sharing a look at each other.


    Julie wondered why it felt now as if Dennis had only meant to invite her but had invited her friends only because they were sitting with them. As grateful as she was at his offer, she could feel the awkwardness grow.


    The next moment, Julie''s thoughts were interrupted with a loud thud when someone ced the coke can next to her on the table.


    Julie''s eyes fell on the fingers that were wrapped around the can, which had inked words on each of the back of the finger. Each of them had a different word that together read as ''Death''. Her brown eyes trailed upwards from the hand to meet its owner.


    Roman said, "You people don''t mind if we join you for dinner, do you?" and he pulled a chair to sit next to her while Mnie and Conner shook their heads.


    Julie stared at Roman, with a hint of confusion in her eyes, wondering why he had decided toe and sit here when other empty tables were avable in the lunchroom. Soon his friends arrived. Simon got Mnie to shift so that he could sit next to her. Right now, it felt like an invasion, Julie thought in her mind.


    Maximus came to stand near Julie and Dennis, and the spiky ck-haired boy said, "Would you kindly please scooch over?"


    More than Julie or her friends, Dennis looked utterly confused as to what was happening. The pleasant and disciplined dinner had been disrupted like a bomb thrown at their table. But if there was anyone to me, it was Dennis, who had run his mouth by bad mouthing about the clique that the famous clique had heard.


    Dennis looked to his right side where there was space and said, "There are seats here."


    "Yes, that is why I asked you to scooch over," said Maximus and Dennis clenched his jaws. Unable to refuse one more time as it would only look childish, he smiled back with a polite expression.


    "Let us give them some space, Julianne," said Dennis, and he pulled his chair to the right.


    When Julie was about to scooch along with her chair, it didn''t move an inch as if her chair had suddenly glued itself to the floor. Bending to her left side, she noticed the hand that held her chair. Her eyes moved to look at Roman, who held his coke in his left hand, and he let go of the chair.


    But by then, in the space that had formed thanks to Dennis, Maximus pulled a chair and sat while Olivia and Victoria took to sit next to Conner and Dennis, respectively, where Dennis turned sour as if he had been tricked.


    "Maybe we should have added one more table as it''s cramped,"mented Maximus before saying, "As most of us are casted in the same y, we thought it would be better to get to know each other so that there will be less awkwardness at the stage." What kind of reasoning was that? Thought Julie in her mind. She then heard him say, "You are my sister-inw," he grinned at Julie, the corner of his lips pulling wider as if he was teasing her about something she didn''t know about.


    But Maximus'' words flew right past Julie, and she politely smiled. She said, "Yes, you are my brother-inw. You all must be talented when ites to acting in these ys."


    If the y was held every year, and with the clique''s record here when it came to receiving detention, it was possible that some of them at this table had ended up as one of the cast members in Ms. Piper''s y, thought Julie.


    "We are?" asked Maximus. And then, in realization, heughed, "Don''t go by only Rome''s performance. He likes to give his best, you know how he ranks first in our year. I often forget my lines and the same goes to Olivia."


    Julie was somewhere relieved to hear that there were imperfect people like her in the y. She didn''t turn to look at Roman directly, but while she ate, her eyes fell on his forearms that were resting not too far away from her on the table. Her eyes then moved slightly up to see him running his long finger around the coke can.


    Her eyes had been fixed on his hand, that when he raised to his face, her eyes met his. She was caught staring, and now it was hard to look away.


    Julie asked in a low voice, "Why did you do that?"


    "Do what?"


    Her hand reached out for the chair before she let it go. Roman used his two fingers to indicate her toe nearer to him. Leaning forward, she waited for him to give his reason, but instead, he pulled her chair nearer again, and her face turned red again.


    "W-what are you doing?" asked Julie, and the back of her hair on her neck raised. When his eyes fell on her neck, she felt her heart skip a beat.


    "It is so that you don''t catch stupidity. It is infectious," deadpanned Roman.


    What kind of reason was that!


    Julie pulled her chair away from his chair and softly red before making sure no one had noticed it.


    "Don''t worry. No one saw that," Roman addressed the concern on her face, and she turned back to look at him, where she looked red like a cheery. The girl was indeed amusing. "It is easier to keep you away from flies."


    "Flies?" she questioned with a frown while calming her heart that had picked up its pace. She didn''t understand him. One minute he behaved as if they didn''t know each other, and the next moment, he was pulling her chair. "Don''t do that!" she said in a hushed tone.


    "Already flustered like a child," taunted Roman, a look of challenge in his eyes, and Julie returned his stare. "Your reaction only proves that your role in the y is going to be hard for you. Did you forget the scenes As and Iris share in the middle of the y?" he reminded her. "Ms. Piper won''t be happy if you faint."


    "I won''t faint. The least you can do is support me rather than be intimidated about the scene. Maybe if you told me which part I don''t fit in, I will try to work on it," said Julie.


    "Are you asking me for lessons on how to not turn flustered?" questioned Roman, raising one of his eyebrows. "I don''t think it is going to make any difference," he muttered under his breath before finishing the entire can that was in front of him. As if that wasn''t enough to prove his point, he ran his tongue over his lips once he finished the can.


    Her eyes subtly widened at his action, and she turned to look at her friends, where Mnie and Conner were talking to Maximus and Olivia.


    Looking back at Roman, who wore a smirk on his lips, Julie said, "I won''t faint, I will show you on the stage."


    The corner of his lips pulled up, and he said, "I look forward to it, Winters." Challenge epted!


    The clique left after they were done eating. Even Dennis left the lunchroom, and after spending some more time, Julie finally returned to her dorm, which had turned into a safe ce. A ce which was only hers for the next years in Veteris. Changing her clothes, she climbed on her bed and picked up the letter that wasn''t there before she left the dorm. Opening it, she read¡ª


    ''Must be exciting to get the main role in the y, Troublemaker. Didn''t know you were keen on acting, especially considering how bad of a liar you are. Now that I know, I am looking forward to some special mummy performance by you.


    What am I doing?''


    In her morning letter, Julie had asked her letter thief what he was doing for the annual day, if he was taking part in something.


    ''We are going to have a football match on thest day of the annual day. I am waiting to kick some of them. Now don''t go looking for the names, because you won''t find them. Do you have ns to visit your rtives at the end of the month? Stealing university letters must be the most rules you have broken.''


    Starting to write back to him, Julie wrote¡ª


    ''Aha! So you are that bully jock! I wasn''t nning to look for you¡­ I worry if I do, I will end up in detention again >.<


    It isn''t as exciting as it sounds. For one, I have never tried acting. And two, people are rude! I know you might agree with the rest of them and maybe evenugh >.>, but there were some who wanted to rece my character of Iris. Because they think I won''t be good enough¡­


    Today felt like I was back in my old school. But this time, I don''t want to run, and I want to believe in myself. I am going to stay back here for the weekends.


    What are your ns over the weekend holiday?''


    Folding the letter, Julie ced it next to the window.


    As hours passed, she fell asleep, and the letter that she had written for the letter thief was picked up. Far away from the girl''s Dormitorium, Roman sat on the branch of the tree with Julie''s letter in his hand, which he had already read. He stared at the sky full of stars.


    "I knew I would find you here," said Maximus, walking towards the tree and looking up at Roman. "Reading letter from Julie?" He had a wide grin on his face.


    If it weren''t for the day when Julie had been caught by Evans, Maximus wouldn''t have figured out what Roman was usually doing with folded papers in his hand or pocket. Instead of replying, he only stared at Maximus with an expressionless face.


    "What is it?" questioned Roman.


    "Piper said she can arrange switching students for the role, if you still want to do it," informed Maximus while jumping up on one of the branches and bncing himself.


    Roman looked at the letter in his hand. Before Julie''s letter, he had decided to switch her role in the y while also nning to step out of the theatre y as it was a drag to act on the stage.


    But she wanted to prove, not others but herself said Roman in his mind. And he knew what it meant to start from the bottom and move up.


    Folding the paper and putting it in his pocket, Roman said, "I changed my mind. Let things stay as they have been."


    Hearing Roman''s reply, the smile that had disappeared appeared on Maximus'' face again and he jumped back down on the ground.


    "Yours too?"


    "Yes. Mine too."


    Because it was better for him than someone else to steal the girl''s heart on the stage, thought Roman with a crooked smile on his lips.

 Chapter 40 - To Keep You Quiet

    <h4>Chapter 40 - To Keep You Quiet</h4>


    Standing in front of therge building, Julie looked at the outer walls of the library. Some students walked past her to step inside, and some came out of the building. Since yesterday, she had been slightly worried about what Roman''s reaction would be during their study session. But more than his actions, it was the reaction that he elicited in her, which brought a frown of worry on her face.


    But remembering their previous study sessions, where he had only focussed on teaching her, Julie stepped inside the library and made her way up the stairs with the textbook in her hand.


    When Julie reached the end of the racks, she noticed Roman was already sitting at the far end of the bench with his left hand resting on the railing. He had ced his ankle to rest on the other leg, looking at the people who were on the ground floor while chewing gum. As if sensing her presence, his head turned, and he looked at her.


    Remembering how he had pulled her chair near his in the lunchroom yesterday, she felt her resolve dissolve, and the nervousness creep in her mind. But this was not the time to be scared! Julie tried to encourage herself.


    "You are early," shemented, walking towards the table that he had pulled out, and she ced her bag on top of it.


    "Or maybe you werete," remarked Roman, moving himself toe to sit in the chair in front of the table. "I was sure you were going to skip today''s session."


    "Why would I do that? I am here," stated Julie, not breaking eye contact.


    Roman tilted his head to the side, and he said, "You stood there at the front of the library for far too long."


    "Oh, that," Julie smiled before pushing her sses up the bridge of her nose. "I thought I forgot something back in my dorm."


    "Hm. Was it courage?" he questioned her.


    "It was my sanity," replied Julie, and she noticed a faint smile on Roman''s lips that intrigued her.


    Roman continued to humour her with the question, "Did you find it?" Julie nodded her head. "Don''t worry if you lose it, all of us here are partly orpletely insane."


    Julie slid into her seat in front of him and found something was very different about Roman''s clothing style today. Instead of his regr t-shirts, he wore a dark grey shirt and three buttons at the top were left unbuttoned, revealing part of his chest. He had rolled the long sleeves right below his elbows.


    His dishevelled hair made it seem as if he had made out with a girl before Julie hade here. Her curious eyes didn''t stop, and it fell on his chest where she caught sight of tattoos peeking out.


    Why was he dressed like this?! Asked Julie in rm.


    Her gaze slowly moved back to look into his ck eyes. Was he testing her over the conversation they had yesterday? She softly gulped and tried to concentrate on what he just said.


    Julie found it extremely hard to say the next words because of his distracting attire. She finally uttered, "Are you saying you are insane?"


    Roman''s eyes were on hers as if he was looking through her. Uncrossing his leg, he leaned forward to ce his hands on the surface of the table. With that single action, Julie felt her heart skip a beat, and one corner of his lips pulled up.


    "I lost my sanity long ago. I believe many here have too, you would be surprised," remarked Roman, and he noticed her turning curious over his words.


    He told it as if it was normal, but there was always a pivoting point for people to step from losing their sanity.


    "When was that for you?" Julie asked him, her brown eyes taking in his serious face, but his eyes held a sliver of mischief in them.


    "Wouldn''t you want to know," and Roman tapped his finger on the textbook that she had ced on the table as if telling her to open it so that they could start today''s lesson.


    Pulling out the required things on the table, Julie kept her bag down before opening the book. During the time Roman taught her with his eyes on the book, Julie''s eyes wandered up to his arm that had the tattoos. Her eyes caught sight of nerves, making her wonder if he regrly worked out.


    While Julie solved some of the questions Roman had written down for her, she noticed him pull out the manuscript of the y that he had brought with him, and his eyes raked through it. It looked like he was memorizing the lines. So Roman Moltenore wasn''t purely gifted, and like her and others, he had to put effort, thought Julie in her mind.


    With the way he spent most of his time with his friends or mysteriously able to get out of the campus of Veteris in his motorcycle, Julie had been sure that this senior boy didn''t need to study like others, which was why it felt good to see him reading the manuscript now.


    Roman raised one of his hands, bringing it to support the side of his head. It looked like he was thinking about something, and right now, he looked no less to a model-


    "Neither my face is a textbook nor that has answers, Winters. Eyes back on your notebook," said Roman and Julie''s eyes moved back to her book.


    "Why are you¡­ dressed differently today?" asked Julie, and when she looked back at him, she saw his wrist drop that was holding the manuscript.


    "Why? Is my unbuttoned shirt bothering you?" questioned Roman with a dare.


    Maybe¡­? said Julie.


    "I was just wondering if you decided to change your appearance. Curiosity," added Julie before she went back to solving the questions when she heard Roman say,


    "Ms. Piper wanted me to wear a shirt today for the measurements for the clothes that will be needed to stitch for the y before I came here. This material is stuffy as fuck, and I needed some air."


    Ah, so that was why, thought Julie to herself. She then asked, "But, you wear a leather jacket¡­"


    "Do you know my body better or I?


    "You," replied Julie.


    Not speaking another word, Julie looked at her book. But her words had given Roman an opening, and he asked, "Do you prefer me with a t-shirt?"


    Julie raised her head, reacting with, "Huh?"


    "Because it is too distracting for you to concentrate," responded Roman. "Not everyone can handle looking at such things. Especially not virgins."


    "For your record I have seen plenty. There''s something called Google," Julie lifted her chin as if she was not an inexperienced or an unknowledgeable girl.


    "What a pervert to be ogling at men''s pictures," said Roman, and he shook his head as if he was disappointed with her.


    Yes, she had seen the pictures on the inte, but it wasn''t like she had fantasized about them, thought Julie to herself with a frown. "Nothing you wouldn''t have done while looking at girls," she muttered under her breath, but Roman clearly heard it.


    "I prefer mine to be live. In mypany than behind a screen. You know that," there was a faint smirk on his lips, and Julie shook her head. "Tell me, Winters. Have you at least kissed someone until now?"


    Julie shook her head, "I haven''t," and the action made her sses slide down her nose. With the back of her hand, she pushed it up.


    In the past, Julie had never found an opportunity to get close to a guy. There was a senior whom she believed to be cute, but not soon Natalie started dating him for a short period before she had turned the way she was right now. Later on, whenever a guy tried to approach her, it was only to pull and push her into the janitor''s room, where she was left alone in the dark. And it was the only attention she had received.


    Even though Roman sat in front of her, unconsciously, her eyes fell on the palm of her hand where she often dug her nails into.


    Julie wondered when she had started it, to protect her mind from the fear it felt. But there were times when she wondered if it was something she had developed years before being bullied.


    "A pity,"mented Roman, breaking her trail of thoughts from her past, and she looked back to meet his eyes.


    "I am not desperate to be kissed," she lightly pouted before adding, "When it happens it will happen."


    "Interesting that your first kiss will be on the stage,"mented Roman and hearing this, Julie''s cheeks tinted pink.


    "I-I don''t think that would be needed. I am sure it is only to make the audience believe that the couple is kissing," Julie tried to exin, looking away from him.


    Roman noticed the way she turned ruffled at the thought of having to kiss him on the stage and in front of everyone. "Did you think this is a movie where your camera tricks will work to make people believe? This is stage."


    Julie had believed that there wouldn''t be actual kissing on the stage, and they would only make people believe it. Taking the manuscript, she read the scene once again before pursing her lips.


    "I will discuss to Ms. Piper about it. I am sure she wille up with some alternative n," said Julie. She didn''t want to be one more girl added into Roman''s list of girls whom he had kissed.


    "Good luck with that," said Roman as if he knew how that would go with her and Ms. Piper.


    Nervousness slipped into Julie''s skin.


    Conner had mentioned it, but she had failed to inquire about the details of how far Ms. Piper would take her y and its characters. She noticed Roman had gone back to reading the manuscript, and she wondered if it didn''t bother him to kiss a random girl, someone he had no feelings for.


    Considering he had asked her something not rted to the subject, Julie decided to ask him, "How many girls have you kissed until now?"


    "Don''t remember," came the nonchnt words from Roman without looking at her.


    "Meaning, you had many girl friends?" she asked with her eyebrows raising with curiosity in her eyes.


    "I don''t do the concept of girlfriends. They get clingy and it is too much of a hassleter," remarked Roman, turning to the next page. "Now get back to finishing your work."


    Julie didn''t pay heed to Roman''s words, and she continued, "Isn''t it better to have just one pero-"


    Roman''s hand swept the things that were on the table to fall to the side with a tter. He pushed the movable table back to its original ce in the wall and leaned forward with nothing between them now.


    "You have a hard time listening, don''t you?" he asked. Julie was glued to her seat without moving an inch, not knowing what happened. Did she disturb his reading? "Did you pause my reading because you want to practice the kiss scene with me? Let''s practice then."


    Julie started to cough as if something started to itch in her throat. She said, "I am fine, I haven''t finished studying Rubix yet."


    Instead of listening to her, Roman raised his manuscript for her to take. He wasn''t serious, was he?


    "What if Ms. Piper decides to change the scenes, it would be a-" Julie tried to change his mind, but he wasn''t having any of it.


    "Ms. Piper won''t do anything like that." cing both his hands on the sides of her chair, he said, "I am sure you know how important a kiss is in a y. Some of them evene to just look at it and we don''t want it to be disappointing now, do we?" he asked her.


    And then he pulled her chair towards him in a way where he had moved both his legs apart to make space for her.


    "I-I haven''t prepared my mind for it," she blurted.


    "Don''t worry about that. It is a surprise kiss scene, it is just perfect where you don''t have to be prepared," when Roman said this with a glint of evilness in his eyes. She should have known that his patience was ice thin that ran out quickly. Since she was a girl, he couldn''t hit her, and instead, he had decided to punish her this way!


    "Scared?"


    "Of course, not!" replied Julie, not trying to be intimidated by Roman''s presence.


    "Good," remarked Roman, the corner of his lips pulling up.


    "Did you decide what costume you are wearing for Halloween? I have some rmendations like Hulk or maybe pointy ears with a trident would do well," she bbered before saying. "You know we can just try and see if we can make the no kiss to kiss believable-"


    "Come hither, dear," Roman said those words in a whisper as he angled his face, making her gulp.


    Before their faces could get nearer for a kiss, Julie felt her nose tingling, and she sneezed, "Achoo!" and in the process, she ended up banging her head with Roman''s head.

 Chapter 41 - Question About Cemetery

    <h4>Chapter 41 - Question About Cemetery</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Dream No.24 - RIO


    .


    Like Roman, Julie hadn''t expected the sneeze to make its appearance. And as it was unexpected, her head-butted with his head as if she had hit a rock, and for a moment, she didn''t know what happened.


    She winced in pain, bringing her hand up to her forehead. Her eyes opened, and she noticed Roman touch his head while sending her a re that made her want to pack her things and run back to her dorm and never return here again!


    Julie looked away from him while still feeling the res sent at her.


    Dropping his hand, Roman growled, "Seriously, how clumsy are you?"


    She slightly cowered back and said, "I am sorry, I didn''t know that was going to happen. But you shouldn''t have done that. I told you I wasn''t prepared. When you came near my nose tickled. Not that you smell bad, you smell great," when his eyes narrowed at her, she closed her mouth.


    "Stop talking, Winters," ordered Roman so that she wouldn''t bber anymore.


    This time Julie was quick to listen to what Roman said, and she pressed her lips. Internally, she couldn''t help but curse herself. She nced at him before looking away, emotions of embarrassment mixed with relief in her mind.


    As seconds passed, Julie felt the bump on her forehead erge, and she tried to push it in by pressing her finger on it. Thinking about what happened today in the future would be funny, and a small smile on her lips, believing it was going to be funnier in the future than now, because Roman didn''t find it funny.


    "Turn this way," she heard Roman speak to her. When Julie''s eyes turned towards where Roman sat, she saw he had raised his hand, waiting for her. "Let me take a look."


    Julie shook her head and said, "That''s fine. There have been times this has happened and it takes quite some time before it turns to normal."


    Roman hadn''t dropped his hand, and Julie sighed before turning back to face him and dropped her hand to her side. He warned her, "Don''t sneeze this time." His eyes still narrowed at her, and she nodded her head.


    When Roman leaned forward this time, Julie saw his face move closer while his hand reached to pull the sses away from her face and then trace the bump on her forehead.


    "My sses are fine, aren''t they?" asked Julie in doubt because it was only her forehead that had crashed.


    "Just so that you don''t end up poking with it," saying this, he ced her sses to the side, and Julie suddenly felt naked.


    Though it wasn''t the first time for her toe in front of Roman without wearing her sses, she wasn''t used to not having it covering her face in front of others.


    He was too close, and her brown eyes caught the way his eyes looked at the spot where they had head-butted. Three minutes ago, she was in a pure panic because of Roman''s aggressive way of wanting to teach her a lesson. But now, she sat in her seat, slightly rxed. She breathed in the cologne that he wore. She didn''t mean to smell him like a stalker, but he had entered her breathing space, and it seemed like an unavoidable thing to do.


    The texture of his finger wasn''t smooth nor too callus, and he said, "That''s quite a big bump. You look like Humpty''s sister now."


    Julie''s eyes snapped to look at him with a frown that he didn''t miss the opportunity to tease her, and she said, "Your head is like a wall of rock that I bumped into. I told you that it is-"


    She was taken aback when Roman rubbed on the bump that formed on her head to push the bump back. Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt his eyes look at her. Why was he looking at her? Asked Julie while clutching the hem of her sweater.


    Roman had often seen her without sses when he used toe by the window of her dorm, though it had always been the time when she was sleeping. He now saw her eyes with a ck ring inside and outside the iris, which was filled with warm brown colour.


    He said, "There was one time when I fell on the ground and had a bump as big as this. I didn''t tend to it immediately and it took quite some time to push it back."


    Julie''s eyes moved to look at his forehead, which looked perfectly fine, "I would have never guessed you to be clumsy."


    Roman rolled his eyes, "It was a long time ago," and his thumb continued to massage her forehead. He had suddenly turned gentle towards her as if he cared, and it did something to Julie. "You are going to be a disaster on stage," he said to her.


    Scratch about him being gentle, thought Julie in her mind.


    "It wasn''t my mistake, something that happened out of my control," muttered Julie under breath, and she felt Roman retrace his hands back and lean against the chair. She brought her hand up, touching her forehead, feeling the bump had reduced, and she thanked him, "Thank you."


    Relieved that Roman had forgotten about having to teach her how to kiss, Julie thought this was the right time to pack her things in the bag and behave as if nothing had happened.


    "I should go," announced Julie in a hurry. Standing up, she pushed her chair back and started to put all her things in her bag. Today, she had spent too much non-study time with Roman, and her mind was turning fuzzy.


    "Already running?" taunted Roman, raising both his hands and cing it behind his head as he leaned back in the chair.


    "Yes, before you pick up any other practice session that I didn''t sign up for. I will solve the problems in my dorm and show it to you in the next session," said Julie, zipping up her bag and letting one strap rest on her shoulder. "Okay, then."


    "Later," responded Roman, not making any attempt to stop her.


    When Julie reached her dorm, she caught Mnie, who had Conner over, in her dorm.


    "You finished your study session early today,"mented Mnie.


    "God, how I wished to be tutored by Roman too," said Conner as if he had missed a good opportunity. "Do you think he is well versed with art subjects?"


    "I don''t think so, but you never know," replied Julie, entering Mnie''s dorm, and she sat down on the edge of the bed.


    "How does it feel to be tutored by the best? The first time when you stayed back to get your lessons from him, Mnie was worried that you were going toe back with bruises,"ughed Conner.


    "That''s because of his reputation when ites to violence," muttered Mnie in worry. "But Julie''s grades have been skyrocketing in the weekly tests so everything seems good," she raised her hand to show the peace sign. "Anyways. Julie, Conner and I were wondering if you would like toe home with us, unless you have ns."


    "We were nning to watch a movie," said Conner, raising both his arms and then saying, "The dead from the grave."


    On seeing Conner''s action, Julie smiled and said, "I am not sure if I will be able to make it this time. I don''t know what Ms. Piper has on her mind, but maybe next time?"


    "Of course, always," said Mnie, nodding her head.


    "Do any one of you have any wand-like objects? I think I must have left it back home while packing. For Halloween I am going to be a witch without her wand."


    Julie shook her head and asked, "Maybe we can tie a couple of pencils together and wrap it up?"


    "That will be my secondst option,st being breaking a branch of a tree," replied Mnie.


    Julie turned to look at Conner and asked, "What are you turning into?"


    "A zombie. I think all the zombies could party together. Only if there was a grave nearby," said Conner.


    "Isn''t there one near the forest?" asked Julie, her eyebrows knitting together.


    "Of course not," Connerughed as if the idea of having an existing cemetery in Veteris ground itself was absurd. "Our university has old buildings, forest, but no cemetery. If there was one, I am sure most of the students would go there and smoke up and drink."


    "I think Conner is right," agreed Mnie. "I don''t think anyone has ever heard about Veteris having a cemetery, but you never know. I mean long long ago, people used to bury their family members near where they used to live. This ce used to be like a mini vige or town."


    Julie had a confused expression in her eyes as she heard her friends talking about it. She was sure that the night when she met Eleanor and her friends in the forest, she had seen a cemetery beyond the woods.


    Maybe it was because the cemetery was located somewhere in the restricted area of the forest, which was why no one knew about it, thought Julie to herself.


    "What happened, Julie?" asked Mnie, looking at her as she had gone quiet.


    Julie said, "I thought I saw one," and it brought curious nces.


    "When was that?" questioned Conner, but Julie shook her head and smiled.


    "It must have been my imagination."


    Julie knew telling that she saw, heard and was told something would only bring trouble by going against Mr. Evans'' words. When Julie returned to her dorm, the letter thief had left his response¡ª


    ''My ns over the weekend? Probably to catch some bugs and squash them under my feet. Lately, there have been too many bugs, making me want to electrocute them with the bat.


    Good for you, Troublemaker. Also, don''t bring the tornado of trouble on the stage, though I do look forward to you causing trouble. It will be quite interesting to watch.


    How are your co-stars in the y? Don''t trip while on the stage. You will be putting the penpalship to shame.''


    Julie smiled, reading thest line. She wrote back to him, writing¡ª


    ''Why would I trip and fall? I have perfectly good legs and shoes on my feet. My co-stars? I think you would know them better than me as you must have crossed paths with them in the detention room.


    How have you not been caught yet? Ah, now I know. Recently, you haven''t been leaving many letters at my window at night. You are trying to avoid getting a role in the y, aren''t you?


    A few are nice, and some are weird. The boy who ys my husband in the y keeps grinning unnecessarily and gives suggestive looks. I don''t know why I got paired up with him. Then the person who ys my lover, I think he wants me kicked out from my role by scaring me. The girl who ys his fiancee is probably back to ring at me.


    There was something that I wanted to ask you. Do we have a cemetery on the grounds of Veteris?''


    When Roman read the letter from Julie, his eyes narrowed at thest line. His lips were set in a thin line, wondering why she was asking about it.


    By the time Julie returned from the bathroom to her dorm, his reply had arrived at the window.


    ''Why do you ask? Do you n toe out from the grave in your mummy costume for Halloween?''


    Why would she ever enter the graves that possibly had spiders and insects in them? Julie asked, staring at the letter before replying to him.


    ''No, I have no such ns. Closed spaces makes me feel jittery. My friends and I were speaking when they said that there''s no cemetery around this ce. But I think I saw one.''


    ¡ª


    2 chapters are avable in the privilege, scroll over to find it.

 Chapter 42 - Splashing The Walls Red

    <h4>Chapter 42 - Sshing The Walls Red</h4>


    Roman pressed his thumb on the pusher of the lighter for the me to appear. He held one side of the paper above the me, and soon one end of the paper caught fire before the whole burnt itself, leaving behind residue of ashes on the floor. He brought his fingers to his mouth, running his tongue over the burn as he stared at the ashes.


    His eyes burned brighter than the me, remembering the question that Julie had asked him in the letter.


    Did she see the cemetery that night? Students, who had previously gone wandering over the restricted area of the forest, but no one ever spoke about it as their memory was instantly erased.


    Roman''s eyes narrowed that Julie had ignored his words. He picked the other letters that had their conversations and burned them until there were none of it. He couldn''t believe that even after he had warned her, she had questioned her pen pal about it. At times, Julie had written her reply in the same letter as him, which yed advantage to him as he got back the letters he sent her.


    He doubted she would be able to stay alive if she were to bring this up with anyone.


    Tearing a page, he wrote down¡ª


    ''Cemetery? I don''t think I remember anyone mentioning seeing the nearby cemeteries around the campus. Do cemeteries intrigue you?


    By the way, what are you doing with my letters? Saving them like a nerd?''


    Julie was lucky that the person she had asked and the person she had been writing to were the same. Roman''s lips twisted in displeasure because if the word was to fall upon Evans or anyone else''s ears, they would question herst and instead first drag her to the underground dungeon.


    When the letter reached Julie, she wrote back to him¡ª


    ''Why would I be interested in coffins? I wasn''t a zombie in my previous life, though my friend Conner is more interested in it because of his Halloween costume. I must have mistaken it for something else.


    I would have saved it if it was my lover, but you are a letter kidnapper >.> Your letters? I tear them into tiny pieces, which have been going to the trash every day.''


    So it seemed like no one knew about the cemetery, thought Julie in her mind. For now, she decided not to question it, but that didn''t mean the curiosity about it reduced in her mind.


    Days were quick to pass by where Julie got busy with her sswork, practising for the annual y, and she continued to exchange letters with the mysterious letter thief. And then finally came the day before Halloween, where everyone was eager to wear their costumes.


    Julie noticed the campus being prepped and ready to celebrate Halloween, which many of them called it Hallow. Pumpkins had been carved to represent many emotions on it, and skeletons were being ced all around the campus with other things like statues of spooky-looking witches. Banners had been ced all around the campus, including the front of the lunchroom that had read ''Happy Hallow''.


    All everyone could speak about was about tomorrow and what they were going to wear.


    After having their lunch, Julie and Mnie had decided to take a walk around the campus before heading back to their dorms. Noticing a student sshing red liquid on the walls, Julie asked,


    "I didn''t know Veteris was so into Halloween."


    Mnie turned to look in the direction and saw the red liquid dripping down from the wall. "Hallow in Veteris is one of the notable celebration days and they like to go hardcore on this one. I think the other things that they like to enjoy are the annual week celebration, including the football matches."


    Julie, who was still staring at the stained walls, asked, "How are they going to scrub that out? It looks more tedious to remove the stainspared to taking out the decorative items."


    "I think they bring the cleaners. They did it thest two years I have been here," replied Mnie, and Julie nodded her head. "Thankfully Mr. Borrell doesn''t ask us students to clean it as another form of punishment. It would be terrible."


    "I can imagine that," smiled Julie, continuing to walk with Mnie. She said, "I am surprised that they don''t have a curfew time tomorrow."


    "Right? I think Ms. Dante and the other teachers decided to extend the time knowing how hard we have been working on our grades. We all need a break and I guess with the curfew time being extended to two in the night, everyone is eagerly waiting to let off some steam," responded Mnie, bringing up the fruit juice near her mouth and slurping it from the straw.


    Julie carried a coke can in her hand. Curious if it tasted different, she bought it from the lunchroom after being heavily advertised by Roman, who always kept drinking it. She wondered if he didn''t care about his dental health, not that he cared about anything with the way he did things. She always found him carrying a can and drinking it as if it was water. But after drinking, the drink tasted the same as before. Maybe he just liked it a lot, she thought in her hand.


    "When did you say the celebration starts again?" asked Julie because even though the university was celebrating Halloween tomorrow, sses would still go on as usual.


    "Probably around six or seven in the evening. But I don''t think people are going to be attending it, everyone is going to start to dress up depending on their costumes and the make up," answered Mnie. "Do you have your study session tomorrow with Roman? Is Satan going to drag you to the library?" she joked with a smile.


    Julie shook her head before looking around to make sure Roman wasn''t anywhere near them, "He told me he was going to be busy tomorrow." When a sigh escaped her lips, Mnie turned to look at her curiously.


    "Is everything alright?"


    "I think so. I don''t know, a few days ago, Roman seemed really angry at me. It is like his mood keeps on getting worse, though it doesn''t affect the studies directly, it is distracting," replied Julie remembering how she had felt his continuous re at her when she had been looking at her book.


    "Did something happen in the y practice room? Did you forget your lines with him on the stage?" Mnie''s eyebrows subtly raised in doubt.


    "Not that I can think of anything," said Julie. "I don''t know, sometimes he''s just strange." After that day of bumping heads with each other, he hadn''t tried to intimidate her again. Maybe he was angry about the same matter? She asked in her mind.


    But the truth was that Roman was annoyed because Julie had tried to expose herself even after he had warned her. That particr day, he had drilled holes at her.


    "I think if it was rted to you, there would have been a close call of murder by now. Roman Moltenore and his anger issues. Maybe it was for someone else, else why would he even bother to take his precious time to teach you?" asked Mnie. Julie realized her friend had a point. "I think he tolerates you. I mean, there are only a few people whom he can tolerate and those are usually his friends." He did?


    Mnie then continued, "You doubt it," she smiled.


    "Did I say it out loud?"


    "No, but it was written on your face. Not only does he give you special lessons, but he also came with his friends to have lunch with us. I don''t think their group ever does that with anyone."


    "Oh, that. You heard Maximus say about the y, I am sure they felt bad for the way people spoke about me when I was on the stage that day," Julie waved her hand, forgetting she had the coke can in her hand, and some of it spilt on her hand and the ground. "Also it might be because of Dennis."


    "Hm? But I thought Dennis didn''t like them to be friends with," murmured Mnie.


    "I believe they both don''t like each other. Yes, that would be more right to say," exined Julie, remembering how Roman had got her to stay in the same ce at the table while Dennis had shifted farther away from her. She raised her hand, "It is a topper versus the person whoes second."


    As they made their way towards their Dormitorium, Julie noticed the helpers of Veteris, who were usually involved in cleaning and other maintenance duty, now were on thewn outside their Dormitorium. They had ced a random headstone in the corner, and next to it was arge looking scary head with hands as if it was trying toe out from the ground.


    Getting back inside the Dormitorium, which was decorated with cobwebs, spiders and with some other scary things, Julie walked through the corridor before heading back to her dorm.


    Tomorrow wasn''t just the celebration of Hallow, but it was also the time where she was finally going to meet the letter thief. Somewhere she was nervous about what was going to happen. Would she recognize him from the rest of the crowd?


    What if the mystery thief was Mateo Jackson? She had seen the looks he had passed at her along with another person, and it worried her. What if this was just a trap, and he was going to do something worse?


    But then his wordstely had turned nice, and she had started to look forward to his replies.


    Julie bit into her bottom lip in thought while trying to remember which ce the letter thief had mentioned in one of his letters to meet him. She had torn all the letters into small pieces and had thrown them in the trash.


    "Was it seventeen? Or was it eighteen?" Julie muttered to herself.


    Julie didn''t know where exactly the postings were located in the forest, and she didn''t want to walk from one posting to another looking for someone, whom she had no idea how the person looked.


    When she asked him in the letter, she had received the reply at night with¡ª


    ''Why didn''t you write it down? Considering how this might be thest time I get to make you run an errand before handing the first half of the letter back to you, try to remember or look around. Now don''t forget, there''s terms and conditions.


    If you fail to be there, your precious letter continues to stay with me. I will meet you at 00.31, in your mummy costume. I look forward to meeting you tomorrow, Julianne Winters.''

 Chapter 43 - Hallow In Veteris Ground

    <h4>Chapter 43 - Hallow In Veteris Ground</h4>


    When the day of Hallow finally arrived on the campus of Veteris, the teachers held sses only until noon before the students were dismissed from the sses. Most students had skipped sses, leaving only the studious ones like Julie and Mnie attending the sses.


    "They might as well have dered a holiday instead of conducting three sses," stated Mnie when they made their way through the almost empty corridors.


    "I would have slept more or skipped sses if I knew this was going to happen," agreed Julie, holding the strap of her bag on her shoulder. Tonight she was going to the forest and meet the letter thief, thest thing she needed was falling asleep before she met him.


    "True, but this might be their tactic," said Mnie with a thoughtful look on her face. "Even though they extended the curfew time, some of us will feel exhausted and then head to bed early," Mnie came up with the reason, and Julie smiled.


    "Maybe it would be a good idea to go back and get some sleep," replied Julie. "Do you need any help in tying together the pencils for your wand?"


    Mnie shook her head and said, "I was actually thinking of going near the forest and picking up a stick. Would you like toe to the forest? Please?"


    "Yeah, I want to check something there too. Let''s go," said Julie. She noticed the pumpkins ced at the staircase, and it seemed like they were waiting to have lit candles inside it. "Halloween seems really fun here. Would it be weird if I say this is my first one?"


    "Really?" asked Mnie in surprise.


    Julie nodded her head, pushing her sses up the bridge of her nose with her finger. They reached near the end of the stairs. "My father found it to be an unnecessary event to be celebrated, so we used to never have any decorations or costumes."


    "I am so sorry to hear that," Mnie looked suddenly sad hearing this.


    "No no, it wasn''t so bad. I mean you cannot feel about something that you have never experienced. I used to hear about it in school. But my mother used to keep candies below my pillow." Remembering the memory, Julie smiled because her mother didn''t want her to feel that she was missing something.


    Mnie put her arm around Julie and said, "Let us make your first Hallow to be memorable! I overheard some of the students in the restroom mentioning about bringing drinks and smoke. Conner said he knows one of the people and we''ll be getting it to drink, though we haven''t picked our spot yet."


    "That sounds exciting," replied Julie, and from the corner of her eyes, she felt someone standing at the end of the corridor. When she turned her head, she noticed it was a statue of the gue doctor. With all the statues ced on the campus, it could give anyone a good scare.


    Stepping out of the building, both the girls made their way towards the forest in search of a stick.


    "Found it!" said Mnie, picking up an arm''s length stick from the ground.


    "Mel, do you know where the forest warning posts are? Number fifteen to eighteen," asked Julie, looking around and noticed pumpkins hanging on the trees. If she wasn''t convinced before, she now could tell Hallow seemed to mark something important in Veteris for students and the faculty of Veteris.


    "Hm, I think it is somewhere on the right side from here," replied Mnie, breaking the twigs that were attached to the stick. "Why?"


    "Tonight I will be meeting someone here at the postings," said Julie. "Though I cannot remember which posting I am supposed to go and wait at."


    "Tonight? Do you want me toe with you? I can stay there until the persones," Mnie offered while swinging the stick in her hand as if it was a real wand.


    Did the letter thief mention meeting him alone? Not remembering it, Julie nodded her head, "Yeah, I think it would be better to have both you and Conner so that you don''t have to walk back all alone by yourself."


    If it was she and Mnie together, they weren''t scared, but the same couldn''t be told if they were alone.


    "Alright, let us head back to the dorm. Maybe grab something to eat before that so that I have time to see how to wrap the bandages," said Julie.


    "AH!" Mnie suddenly screamed, and it startled Julie. Mnie cleared her throat and said, "I am sorry I am just too excited about today."


    On their way back to the Dormitorium, Julie noticed the helpers of the Veteris, who were in their brown uniform, were still busy decorating the campus. Her eyes fell on the four skeletons with ck hoods ced not too far from the building that held the lunchroom.


    "What are those?" questioned Julie.


    "Those are the statues of the four founders of Veteris University, because of which this educationational institute hase into existence. During this time of the year, the administrators kinda like to have them set up here for everyone to see," replied Mnie.


    "During Halloween?" questioned Julie, her eyebrows knitted together. Remembering the dead during Halloween was strange. Maybe it has something to do with superstition, she thought to herself.? People in the past followed strange ways when it came to celebrating and appreciating things, she thought in her mind.


    The closer they reached the four skeletons, the spookier it looked they appeared. A small fence surrounded the statues, and stones were ced around with their names written on it.


    "Oscar, Marudas, Sterling, Donovan," Julie read their names. "Wait, doesn''t Maximus share the samest name?"


    Mnie nodded her head, "One of the founders was Maximus'' great great uncle or something. The boy''s Dormitorium once used to be the manor that belonged to Maradus'' family."


    Julie nodded her head. She was aware that people who attended this university mostly came from wealthy families. But she would have never guessed that she would meet students who were rted to people who once owned the entire manor.


    Returning to her dorms, the first thing Julie''s eyes did was look at the window, which was left empty. Her letter had been picked, but the letter thief had not replied to her as if he were busy. Sincest night, the nervousness had started to build, and she hadn''t been able to sleep in the night.


    Walking to her closet, Julie pulled out the bag that had bandages, and she carried it to Mnie''s room so that they could help each other in getting ready. Most of the girls had already started to paint their faces, and there was a loud chatter where girls borrowed each other''s stuff to get ready. Julie first helped Mnie with her makeup, and once she was done with it, Mnie helped Julie wear the bandages, starting from the legs.


    "You can borrow my body suit if you want," offered Mnie, and Julie waved her hands.


    "These should be good enough," said Julie, looking at her pj''s which were shorts and a tank top.


    "Alright, let''s hope these bandages don''te off,"ughed Mnie, and she continued to wrap Julie with the bandage. It took two failed attempts before the bandages were sessfully wrapped. "How do you want me to wrap your head? Or just leave it as it is?"


    "Probably just a bit," replied Julie, staring at herself in the mirror. The mummy costume hugged her body tightly, and one could easily see her body shape. Looking at her reflection, she turned red. "Yeah, I think covering my face would be good." By doing this, at least people would not know who was in the mummy costume.


    Once Julie waspletely wrapped up in bandages, she tried to sit and stand, stretching her hands and legs while jumping to make sure the bandage wouldn''te off because it would be awkward if the bandage turned loose and her costume fell apart in front of others.


    "What about your sses?" asked Mnie, and Julie looked at herself in the mirror and then at Mnie.


    "I think I will not wear it today," replied Julie and looking at her hands, she asked, "Do you think it looks weird?"


    "I think it looks pretty fun. So much better than the sexy nurse or bunny down the hall," said Mnie, but Julie felt if she turned into an insect, Mnie would still find it to be the best costume. "Before you ask who is wearing a bunny costume, that would be Eleanor. It''s like a swimsuit with a poofy tail and ears."


    Hearing this, Julie frowned, "Are they not worried about how cold it is going to getter?"


    Mnie shrugged her shoulders, "They will probably be the first ones to return to the dorm, you know what that means? Less trouble outside and more fun time for us." Turning around, she wore her hat and grinned wide.


    "Give me a moment, Mel," said Julie, stepping out of her friend''s dorm. She went to her dorm and saw the letter waiting for her. Taking it, she read¡ª ''Ready?''


    Taking her pen, she replied¡ª ''Ready. See you near the postings.''


    Folding the paper, Julie ced it back at the window. Stepping out in the corridor, she locked her dorm and saw Mnie had stepped out too. She noticed most of the girls had chosen to wear appealing costumes that looked cute or sexy. Mnie then said, "It is time to headout!"


    At the centre of the campus, techno music sted from the speakers that turned faint as it spread out and towards the forest and the restricted area of the forest.


    Suddenly the ce looked less like an educational institution and more like when this ce was still a town many years ago. With the sky changing its colour to paint itself with orange, pink and purple in the existing blue sky, the students started to step out of their dorms and Dormitoriums in their Halloween costumes. Candles were lit inside the pumpkins to give an orange glow.


    While walking, Julie could feel people''s gazes on her, and the more they stared at her, her legs turned stiff. Even though most of her skin was covered, she still felt naked.


    "Maybe I should have dipped the bandages in ck paint," said Julie to Mnie. While Julie''s costume was pristine white, Mnie wore a ck witch costume.


    "Don''t worry, no one is going to know it is us. Not many can recognize who the other person is on Halloween," replied Mnie.


    "Mnie! Julie!" Conner shouted their names from afar, making his way, while the other students who heard him shouting turned to look at them.


    "I think now they do," Mnie awkwardly smiled.


    "You think so?" asked Julie, a soft sigh escaping from her lips.


    Behind Conner stood some of the boys, and they waved at Julie before whistling at her, "Sexy costume!" she heard one of them say.


    "Hey, that''s my wife!" Julie heard another familiar voice and her eyes looked at the group of boys before she noticed Caleb, who waved at her. He wore scarecrow clothes with a sickle in his hand and a hat over his head.


    "Wife!" the other boys shouted, looking at her.


    "Now I wish I was truly dead and in the coffin," Julie muttered under her breath.


    Conner reached where Julie and Mnie were waiting for him. He was in his zombie costume, where only half of his face was painted. When the girls stared at his face, he said, "So it seemed like I didn''t have enough paint, but I decided to leave it as it is. I am a half zombie and half human. The person who shifts from zombie to human. You guys look good."


    "I like your costume,"mented Julie, looking at the way Conner had torn or ripped out the material to make his costume look more ragged.


    "Thank you! I used the old clothes that I wasn''t going to wear. Tada!" Conner raised both his hands before dropping them. "Brody is selling liquor near the bonfire. From what I heard, it is expensive. Let us go there."


    On their way, Mnie said, "Conner, do not call us by our names, it will be easier to camouge ourselves in the crowd."


    Conner gave a confused look and asked, "Why? Are you you-know-who?" a smile cracked on his lips. "


    "That was a good one," said Julie, and Conner nodded his head with a smile on his lips.


    "I know right," he responded as they made their way inside the forest.


    Julie stretched her bandaged fingers while she walked, that was slightly awkwardly that made it look like she was a mummy. Girls and boys were in their costumes, standing with their friends, while some gathered around the bonfire. Her eyes swept through the people, wondering if Roman was sitting there with his friends. But he was nowhere to be seen.


    She hadn''t seen him since yesterday, and it made her wonder if, by chance, he had stepped out of the campus, breaking the rules and celebrating Halloween outside. Her eyes fell on another gue doctor statue that was positioned next to the tree. There were other figurines like skeletons, scarecrows and fake crows that had been used as decoration.


    They reached the ce where a boy stood with arge box next to him. Students crowded around him, and it took five minutes for Conner to return with two bottles in his hands. He handed one bottle to Mnie, and they both opened the bottles and took a sip and Mnie nodded her head, "It tastes like berries," and she handed it to Julie.


    Initially, Julie had not nned to drink alcohol, but then she thought, why not? It was Halloween, and it was time to try things where nobody would judge her. One because her two friends were cool, and the second reason being, she was a mummy, and no one knew! At least not yet.


    When Mnie passed the bottle to her, Julie brought the bottle to her lips and took two sips. Her eyebrows subtly furrowed, and she said, "This actually tastes good." And she took two more sips before passing it to Mnie.


    Julie turned her gaze to look around and noticed the gue doctor''s statue missing from its spot. God, was alcohol already messing her head? Her head turned left and right, but it didn''t seem like anyone had carried it away.


    "Who are you searching for?" asked Mnie, who had gulped a mouthful of the alcohol.


    "Did you see the gue doctor statue standing over there earlier?" asked Julie, her brown eyes searching for it.


    "Statue? I don''t think I took note of it," replied Mnie, shaking her head. "There are so many people with different costumes. Probably one of the students wore the costume of the gue doctor."


    "Yes, maybe," murmured Julie to herself. She remembered it because it felt like the statue was looking in her direction. This was her first Halloween, and she decided to not think too much about what she saw or heard. Taking the bottle back where they were taking turns to drink, she took arge sip before gulping it down her throat. "So is there any trick or treat here?"


    "You mean like games or candies? I am not sure about candies but someone in my ss mentioned that some of the seniors have arranged for some games," said Conner with a thoughtful look, "But I think it would be better to not attend it. It is being held by some of the notorious delinquents. Griffin, Mateo."


    "Ah, I see," replied Julie.


    But the truth was that there was trick or treat¡ª where the humans had been tricked, and they were going to be a treat for the vampires.


    "But we do have a scary manor which the administrators allow the students to make use of during the time of the annual celebration. Unfortunately, Mnie refuses to step inside and I haven''t gone to get inside because it is too lonely," said Conner.


    "I do not want to voluntarily get scared by things popping or jumping out from the rooms. And that building is spooky without any decorations," frowned Mnie.


    "The one thates after all the other buildings and is kept closed?" asked Julie. She had entered almost all the buildings on the campus except for that building, where the double doors were locked with a thick chain.


    "Yes, that''s the one. I think the administrators didn''t have any use for it as the other buildings are sufficient. But they open it for the scary house thing," exined Mnie.


    "That sounds actually interesting," chimed Julie, a spark lighting up in her eyes, and she now looked forward to entering the building. She then turned back to Mnie and asked, "But you are watching a scary movie, aren''t you?"


    Conner snickered at this, and Mnie shook her head. She said, "I believe this is extreme. I have seen some girls faint and crying. Girls mostly from freshman year. Watching on the screen and actually experiencing it are two different things."


    "I think we should all enter the house. Maybe it will be scary if you go alone, but as a group, it will be more fun, right, Conner?" asked Julie, and Conner nodded his head in approval.


    Hearing some students speaking about the dance floor arranged on the football field, they decided to go there. While heading there, they came across Dennis, who was going somewhere.


    "Dennis, man!" Conner called him.


    "Oh, I didn''t identify you there,"ughed Dennis. He stopped walking and looked at everyone. "You look-uh-" his eyes looked at Conner''s and others'' costumes, "-uh different. Julianne and Mnie, you look good too."


    Dennis wore a ck looking long robe but nothing more than that. Julie asked him, "What are you today?" her eyes staring at the loose length robe.


    He smiled at her question, looking down at his dress and said, "I am the exterminator."


    "Of what?" she continued to ask him because his costume seemed too vague.


    "Evil spirits," he answered, and Julie nodded her head.


    "You will be helpful to Mnie in the scary house, Dennis," said Conner, only to be jabbed by Mnie''s elbow in his stomach, "Ouch!"


    Dennis looked confused but politely smiled. His gaze shifted to look at Julie. He asked her, "Aren''t you cold? I have my jacket if you want." he offered.


    "I am fine, really," Julie assured him. More than her, Dennis seemed ufortable by seeing her in such a costume where her body shape was clearly visible. "Are you going somewhere?" she inquired.


    "I was looking for a friend of mine, but he seems to have gone missing. I will catch up with you allter? Have fun," said Dennis with a smile and then walked away from there.


    Julie and her friends reached the open-air dance floor that had a different music being yedpared to the one ced at the centre near the Dormitoriums. There were white spotlights that blinked on the floor where students were dancing. She caught sight of a group of bunnies at the centre, where Eleanor was one of them.


    Mnie dragged Julie along with her, entering the floor and walking through the crowd of people. But before they could move farther away, more students came from the other side, which blocked their way, and they decided to stay where they were.


    Julie couldn''t help butugh at everyone''s unique moves, including hers on the dance floor, as everyone was trying to keep their moves rted to the costumes they wore. There was a smile on her lips as she had fun with Mnie and Conner. Somewhere, her bandage had loosened around her head.


    When her eyes looked around, it fell on someone she had looked for earlier.


    ck tousled hair, who wore a beige coat over his famous ck shirt. There were red lines of paint on his neck, and wait¡­ was that ck eyeshadow around his eyes?? He looked like a demon, and she had to admit, a pretty good looking one, thought Julie to herself. It seemed like he had dropped his aloof self outside the dance floor and now wore a faint smirk that she had asionally seen on his lips.


    He was with another girl who wore a catwoman''s outfit, his hands around the girl''s waist. When she looked back at him, his eyes met hers, and for a moment, she froze. Thankfully, Mnie held her hand, and she moved her hands.


    The smirk Roman had on his lips lowered down as they stared at each other from where they were. Julie didn''t know if it was because of the lights or the makeup around his eyes, but there was something very intimidating about him. It was like the bar of arrogance and smoulderness had increased around him.


    The music continued to re, and the light blinked on and off. Julie saw Roman lean to the side of the girl''s neck before he ced his lips on it as if he was about to make out, and she looked away. She felt difort in her chest, but she put up a smile when her eyes met Mnie''s eyes.


    Seconds passed, but she could still feel Roman looking her way, and she felt her heart starting to race, not knowing why.


    When her gaze slowly moved back to look at him, her eyebrows furrowed as the white light blinked around. For a second, she saw his eyes turn red before they turned back to ck. Julie blinked her eyes, not knowing if she really needed sses or if it was the shes of light that were distorting her vision.


    Julie was so focused on his eyes that she missed seeing him licking his lips subtly when he pulled back from the girl who was in front of him. Leaning his head slightly back, he sent her a wink, and she quickly snapped from her daze to look back at her friends and hid behind Mnie.


    The damn boy!


    Julie was sure Roman was drunk! So were most people, which was why some of them were acting weird.


    As the needle of her watch was moving towards twelve, Julie decided to go to the forest. Both her friends had drank another bottle of liquor, and they seemed exhausted. She made them sit at the stairs in front of the Dormitorium,


    The bandages around her face hade loose, and now her face was visible for others to look at.


    "Why don''t Ie with you, Julie?" asked Conner, who looked like he was about to fall asleep.


    "That''s okay. I don''t want you tripping over stones which you already have," she smiled looking at them. They were still tipsy. "I will be leaving now."


    "Don''t forget that the curfew time starts at two, be back soon," he said to her while having Mnie next to him, whose head was on Conner''s shoulder as if she had fallen asleep.


    "Let me help her get to her dorm," said Julie.


    "Don''t worry about us. Go on," and on Conner''s word, she nodded her head and waved.


    Julie made her way towards the forest. The music that had been earlier ring had stopped so that the others who wanted to sleep would not be disturbed. There were still students in the forest as there were still two hours before they had to go back to their dorms.


    As the postings of warning were near the edge of the restricted area of the forest, Julie continued to walk away from others. When she reached the eighteenth posting, there was no one there, and she decided to look at the seventeenth one. But there, she found a couple who were intensely making out.


    Julie continued to walk without disturbing the couple, and when she walked a considerable distance, she came to see the fifteenth posting.


    Wait, where is the sixteen posting? Looking at her wrist watch, she noticed there was still ten minutes from the mentioned time in the letter.


    Turning around, she walked back when she noticed a student who looked like a senior who had squatted on the ground. She recognized him to be one of the students who was part of the y. There was a paper on the ground on which she caught sight of powder on it.


    Looked like this person was busy smoking all by himself.


    "Um, excuse me?" Julie called him.


    The boy stood up, who seemed taller than her. He turned around to face her. Wow! Thought Julie in her mind, on seeing the person''s makeup. He had worn a red contact lens and had intricately made designs near his eyes while having two sleek-looking fangs toplete the whole vampire getup.


    Remembering why she had disturbed him, she asked, "Do you know where the sixteenth posting is? I seem to have missed it and found only the fifteen and seventeenth one."


    The person stared at her before baring his fake fanged teeth, while Julie had a confused expression on her face.


    "Yes, they are very very nice," said Julie, appreciating his costume. "Maybe next time you should wear a ck cape, you know, like Drac? It will look much better, not that this is bad," she added when she heard him growl.


    This guy seemed to be too into cosy, and she didn''t have time for it. She was trying to find the sixteenth posting so that she could meet the letter thief and get her letter back. He started to walk towards her, and Julie walked backwards, a gasp escaping her lips when her back hit the tree trunk.


    Remembering she had seen him with some substance before she had spoken to him, she awkwardly smiled and cleared her throat, "I was just curious about the sixteenth posting. It is perfectly alright if you don''t know about it, I will find it myself. I am not into these cosys, I am sorry but I need to go. Thank you!"


    To Julie''s dismay, the senior turned angry and continued to behave as if he was a vampire. He made a gurgling sound beforeing right at her. But instead banged his head on the tree as she had quickly slid down from her spot and moved to another side.


    Julie started to walk backwards, and jokingly, she said, "What substance are you taking? I would like some of thatter."


    "I am going to drink from you!"


    "What you need is water!" so that whatever he had taken would pass out of his body!


    Hearing this, Julie started to sprint like a ghost haunting through the forest because of her bandaged attire. The creepy guy was right behind her.


    The thought of if this forest was haunted passed her mind. Where did everyone go?!


    Ten more steps and that was as far as she got before the crazy guy got hold of her and turned her around. Before he could fulfil his Halloween fantasy, a fist flew straight into his face, and Julie heard his bone crack as he fell back on the ground because of the impact.


    "Fucking shit!" cursed the person on the ground.


    Julie''s heart was beating like a fish that had been pulled out of the water because the boy had? suddenly turned aggressive.


    Turning, she saw it was Roman standing there, subtle anger in his eyes, which had narrowed at the person who was on the ground.

 Chapter 44 - Dont Touch My Prey

    <h4>Chapter 44 - Don''t Touch My Prey</h4>


    Julie was stunned to see Roman as she hadn''t expected to see him there. But at the same time, she was d that he had stopped this costume person from role-ying with her.


    "Ouch!" winced the person whom Roman had hit in the face. The boy stood up, "Fucking, Moltenore! What do you think you are doing?!" Anger coursed in the other boy''s veins because Roman had interrupted him from drinking from this human.


    "You know this weird guy?" asked Julie, looking at both the boys back and forth.


    Roman quickly turned to Julie and ordered, "Get back to your dorm right now."


    Hearing this, Julie frowned, "I am waiting for someone here. I will go back sometime."


    "You are going nowhere! I am going to drink from you and-" before the boy could finish his sentence, Roman''s fist came flying to hit the boy''s jaw, and the boy staggered back.


    Fuck, said Roman in his mind. Seeing Julie''s reaction, it seemed like she still didn''t know that it wasn''t a fake vampire but a real vampire who had tried to drink her blood.


    "The fucking hell! She is my prey! Get out of this, Moltenore! Find someone-" Roman stepped forward and continued to punch the boy so that he would shut up and not mention them being vampires.


    Julie wasn''t supposed to know about the existence of the vampires, nor would he allow the other boy to know that she couldn''t bepelled. Though there were minutes for the clock to strike thirty-one past twelve, Roman had heard someone mention that one of the warning posts had fallen when he was near the football field. He had immediatelye here only to see one of the vampire''s chasing and trying to suck her blood.


    On the other hand, Julie didn''t know how to react to the way the situation had turned into. Roman hade out of nowhere, and he was now punching the boy without giving him a chance to speak. She scrunched her nose, hearing the hits. Looking around, she noticed it was just the three of them on this side of the forest.


    Roman''s fist hit the other vampire''s face, and in a low voice, he warned the person, "Don''t even think about going near her. She''s my prey so hands off from her."


    The other boy tried to push Roman and tried to hit him, but Roman was too quick for him, and it only ended up with the boy receiving more punches on his face from Roman, "I was the one who saw her first! You didn''t even take a bi-Ugh!"


    As the boy was no human but a fellow vampire, the bones were much stronger and harder, making the punch impactful on both of them.


    "Roman! You are going to kill him!" Julie tried to touch Roman''s shoulder to gain his attention, "He''s not a real vampire to sustain it!" She noticed the boy''s face had turned bloody, and so was Roman''s hand, which was scaring her.


    "Just making sure he gets the point across his head," that Julie was his prey and not anyone else''s, Romanpleted the words in his mind.


    "What point?" asked Julie, staring at the boy to see him groan, and she was d he was still breathing. She wondered where his false teeth had fallen because she caught sight of his normal teeth.


    Seeing the boy looked partly conscious, Roman finally stood up and turned to look at her with anger because she hadn''t listened to him. He gritted his teeth, "I told you to fucking go back to the dorm!"


    Julie''s lips pursed, and she said, "And I told you I have to meet someone. Thank you for helping me here, but you are not the teacher." What was with that demanding andmanding voice¡ªher thoughts stopped when Roman''s eyes narrowed, and he stepped towards her, and she quickly stepped to the side, which only annoyed him more.


    Somewhere Julie couldn''t help but grin at her smart brain. After being cornered a few minutes ago by the weirdo, she had decided to avoid stepping backwards and instead stepped sidewards.


    They both then heard the person on the ground groan as if he was regaining his consciousness. While Julie''s eyes were on the person, Roman had quickly closed the distance, and he sped his fingers around her delicate wrist.


    "We should go from here," he said with a serious look in his eyes.


    "But-"


    Roman''s grasp on her hand was firm, and he was much stronger than her, making it easy for him to drag her away from there. They walked past the boy, and while Julie followed Roman, she noticed the posting that had fallen t on the ground. Ah, so it was here, she said to herself. She wondered if the letter thief knew about it or if he, like her, would end up missing the posting.


    After walking for a while, Roman finally let go of her hand, stopping near arge tree. Julie retrieved her hand towards her chest, rubbing the skin of her wrist as if his touch had burned her. When her eyes fell on Roman, she noticed him looking in the direction from where they had juste.


    "Turn around," said Roman, twirling his hand, and Julie turned red.


    "What? Why?" She took a step back, wondering if he wanted to take a look at her costume.


    There had been too many girls and boys who had checked her out today. Not her face, because it had been covered until she had stepped out of the dance floor, but at her body.


    Right now, they had moved farther away from the centre of the university, where their dorms and other buildings were located.


    "Because I amzy," said Roman, his head tilted, and Julie turned confused. What did checking her out do with hisziness? She heard a sigh escape his lips. He stepped towards her and repeated his words, "Rotate, Winters or I will do it for you."


    Remembering what happened a while ago with the boy, whom Roman had beaten, Julie closed her eyes and slowly started to turn in her ce.


    Rotating once, she wondered if it was sufficient for Roman, but she felt the air blow around the skin of her neck. Julie opened her eyes, and she noticed he had grabbed the bandage that had loosened and tore it right in front of her before cleaning his hand with it, which had his and the boy''s blood on it.


    "You could have just asked me," muttered Julie under her breath.


    "What?" Roman snapped at her as if he suddenly remembered he was mad at her for not listening to him earlier. Once he was done cleaning his hand, Julie noticed the skin on the backside of his knuckles had scraped.


    "You didn''t have to beat him that badly. He didn''t try anything weird with me," exined Julie, her eyes moved from his hand to settle on his face.


    Now that there was no one between them except the air, she saw the skin around his eyes had been darkened with the eyeshadow, and it highlighted his eyes even more. They were pitch ck as the sky on a starless night. When his gazezily moved up to meet her eyes, she heard him say,


    "He would have tried if I didn''t show up," he then shook his head as if he couldn''t believe it. "Never have I met someone who attracts trouble like you do."


    "If you hadn''t shown up someone else would have," said Julie, her chin lifting and looking in the other direction.


    "And who is that? Another person to get to y with you?" questioned Roman, trying to hide the smirk from showing up on his face, as he knew exactly whom Julie was talking about.


    "I would have told you if you didn''t drag me from there. I should get back," said Julie, bringing her watch in front of her and checking the time to see that it was past the meeting time. What if her letter thief hade and seen she wasn''t there and left? "I have to go straight back, right?" asked Julie.


    "That''s what you think. Go ahead," said Roman in a nonchnt tone, "But before that..." he stepped right in front of her.

 Chapter 45 - Dead Archeologist And The Mummy In The Forest

    <h4>Chapter 45 - Dead Archeologist And The Mummy In The Forest</h4>


    Julie felt Roman catch hold of the loose end of her bandage, rotating it around her neck and she stared back at him.


    Roman watched Julie''s brown eyes that had turned wide for a few minutes, and he could hear her heart beating in her chest. He didn''t have to look below her face to see how she looked in the mummy costume because he had done that before when they were on the dance floor.


    When Roman had instructed in the letter to wear the bandage costume, he hadn''t taken note that it would end up emphasising the curves of her body. He had noticed the way everyone eyed her.


    "Roman?" Julie whispered his name as if she was scared someone would hear them when it was just them here.


    "Hm?" Roman responded, where his hands had paused, and he hadn''t torn the bandage from her.


    Julie didn''t know why Roman needed bandages, making her wonder if he was nning to get into more fights tonight. "You can take the bandages that''s on my hand," she offered to help in exchange for him helping her get out of a sticky situation. This way her hands would get to breathe.


    "I am good," said Roman. To tear the bandage, he didn''t use the force of his hands and instead leaned towards her neck and used his teeth. Julie felt her heart stumble, making her breath hitch over his action. When he pulled back, his eyes met hers, and she felt his face too close, and for some reason, she felt Roman''s sex appeal had skyrocketed.


    Julie cleared her throat, her vision slightly dazed and blinking a couple of times before looking around the forest.


    "Isn''t this the restricted area of the forest?" questioned Julie, slightly worried that they had stepped in here and could get into trouble if the teachers found them here now.


    "It is. A ce where no onees," remarked Roman, and at his words, Julie only turned more alert.


    "We should go back from here," said Julie. Turning around, she started to walk, believing it was the right direction. But soon, she turned around and returned to where Roman stood, who had expected her toe back. "Which is the way to get out of here?"


    Seeing Julie worried about getting caught, Roman was amused. His eyes caught the expressions on her face. It seemed that she had decided to leave her sses in her dorm, and she had tied her hair. On the other hand, Julie waited for him to answer, but instead, she only received his stare.


    "We are both going to get into trouble if Mr. Borrell or Mr. Evans see us here. Can you imagine having to act in two stage ys?" Julie asked him, not wanting to end up in another detention. Distracted, she looked at his attire and asked, "What is your costume today?" She had tried to figure out his look, but the only thing she came up with was a demon.


    "Why don''t you guess," Roman raised one of his eyebrows.


    "Long brown coat, red paint on your neck. ck eyeshadow," said Julie trying to gather the details, and she said, "Sherlock Holmes? But then you look like a dead Sherlock Holmes." On noticing his eyes subtly narrowing at her words, she added, "You told me to guess. So what are you?"


    "A dead person," Roman answered with a straight face and Julie''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "You are an odd dead person," replied Julie, and Roman rolled his eyes. "What?"


    "You speak as if you know how a person from the dead looks," said Roman, starting to walk.


    "Where are you going?" asked Julie because she didn''t know how many more rules Roman had nned to break tonight.


    Walking more than five steps away from where Julie stood, he stopped to look over his shoulder. He said, "The dead archeologist found the mummy," he raised his hand that held the bandages.


    Huh? What did he mean by that?


    When Roman turned and started to walk, Julie turned confused. Did he say he was a dead archaeologist? That was no costume at all! Thought Julie, missing his point while staring at his overcoat. The only mummy around here was her¡­


    Frozen for a few seconds, she tried to understand the situation to avoid misunderstanding anything here. It was rare for anyone to choose to be an archaeologist during Halloween. It was highly unlikely for Roman to turn into an archaeologist, a dead archaeologist, she corrected herself. Unless¡­ he already knew and he was here, thought Julie to herself.


    Her eyes widened, and her jaw fell ck.


    Roman was the letter thief?!


    Some things did make sense, especially when Mr. Evans had caught her and Roman hade to speak to the counsellor. But still, it was hard to believe that it was him, who was the person writing to her. No wonder he never asked anything much about her study sessions in the letter!


    Remembering the letter thief mentioning about the dorm she was staying in, being his previously, Julie found it hard to wrap it around her head that he was the one who had been leaving letters to her.


    Roman had always behaved aloofly towards her in front of everyone, while he had been secretly enjoying bullying her!


    Coming out of her thoughts, she noticed he had disappeared from her sight.


    "Where did he go?" questioned Julie.


    She ran past the trees, her eyes looking for him left and right in the direction he had walked. But she didn''t find him, and she stopped, looking around while wondering where he went. Did she get lost deeper in the forest?


    Julie was surrounded by the chirping sound of the crickets and leaves rustling against each other to create a whisper like a murmur in the wind. With not a single soul to be seen around, she slowly felt the bite of the cold weather on her skin exposed to the air.


    "Roman?" Julie called, worry slightly coating her voice.


    "What''s the matter, troublemaker?" she heard the voice from above and behind her. Turning around, she looked up at the tree and noticed Roman sitting on the branch with his back leaning against the bark. He had a cigarette in between his fingers, "I thought someone wasing for you."


    Julie pointed her finger at him, "All this time it was you!"


    "Took you quite some time to put two and two," came the calm words of Roman, bringing his hand up, he took a puff from the cigarette, and he blew the smoke into the air.


    "It is hard when the actual answer is four, but you have decided the answer to be five with two plus two," replied Julie, and she saw intrigue enter his eyes.


    Somewhere Julie found it to be awkward to converse. Not the bad kind, but Julie doubted she would call it good either. She had gone back and forth in writing letters to the letter thief, all along not knowing the thief was right in front of her. Giving her tutoring lessons!


    She then opened her palm and asked him, "My letter."


    "I don''t have it," came the quick response.

 Chapter 46 - Returning Favour

    <h4>Chapter 46 - Returning Favour</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Love me like that- Sam Kim


    .


    "You mentioned in the letter that you would give it to me if I came here to meet you," Julie watched him turn so that both his legs hung on the branch.


    Roman jumped on the ground with ease without falling, and he stood up like the ck cat he was. He walked towards her and came to stand in front of her, "Why do you tear my letters, Winters?"


    "So that nobody can read itter?" asked Julie, not sure what answer he was looking for.


    "Right. Don''t you think I would have done the same?" bringing his hand up, his cheeks turned slightly hollow when he took a drag from the cigarette. He turned his head in the other direction so that the smoke wouldn''t fall on her face. "Knowing the troublemaker you are, there is no telling when one of the letters was going to end up in the wrong hands."


    Knitting her eyebrows, Julie opened her mouth and said, "If you would have returned my letter you wouldn''t have-"


    "Probably I should let Mr. Borrell know that you collected your report letter from your uncle''s house, which was sent by the university for him to read," stated Roman, his entire demeanour calm. The way he looked right now was less of a dead archaeologist and more of a demon who was enjoying torturing a person.


    The three categories that the students had made up here, Roman Moltenore, definitely belonged to the evil category.


    "You cannot do that," said Julie, holding her ground, and Roman watched her without breaking his gaze away from her. Somewhere, she was worried that he was going to wink.


    "And why not?" questioned Roman.


    Whatever he had been high on seemed to have lowered as he wasn''t smirking mischievously anymore. Julie now understood. He had been enjoying her plight on the dance floor by seeing her dressed in these bandages.


    "Because I gave you my bandages," blurted Julie, feeling his intense gaze.


    Roman''s eyes narrowed at her, and he said, "I wouldn''t have needed them if you wouldn''t have got your mummified self in trouble. You keep revolving around it."


    Her mind was still reeling from knowing the truth that she had been writing her letters to none other than Roman. Turning her head for a moment, she closed her eyes while scolding herself. Did she badmouth him? She tried to remember what she had written in the letters.


    To his words, Julie replied, "I wouldn''t have been in trouble if you hadn''t told me to meet you at the sixteenth posting. The sixteenth posting had fallen."


    "I heard it from someone and decided toe here to only find you already swimming in the pool of trouble," responded Roman, clicking his tongue. "Don''t think I have forgotten the way you used my letter to clean your window. Who evenes up with that? And then you go to mention the cemetery, when I clearly told you not to bring up what you saw or heard that night," he red at her for her carelessness and ced his finger on her forehead. .


    The next second, Roman had lightly flicked her forehead, which wasn''t painful but a light snap.


    When he walked past her, Julie, who had squinted her eyes, opened them. Her hand reached to touch her forehead, as she had been worried that her brains would blow out from the back when he was about to flick her forehead. For some reason, Roman appeared stronger than the most, and she wondered if it was because he was always in fights.


    Noticing him walking, Julie quickly followed him so that she wouldn''t be left behind.


    On their way, neither Roman nor Julie spoke to each other. He walked two steps ahead of her, and Julie had chosen to walk behind. Biting her bottom lip, she looked at his side profile. The cigarette he had been using had turned small, and she saw him suck on the tug before blowing the air. Though Julie wasn''t fond of the smell of smoke, there was something very alluring the way Roman did it.


    What did she think and what had happened today?


    Because of Roman''s distant behaviour and the way he kept ring at people, including her, she had never doubted it to be him.


    Stepping out of the restricted area of the forest, Julie saw there were more couples than the time when she was heading towards the postings. Curious, she asked Roman, "Where did the girl go, whom you were earlier with?"


    "Probably went to sleep," replied Roman, looking around at the people.


    There were still students who were celebrating Hallow as there was still nearly an hour left.


    "How was your Hallow? It seemed like you had some egyptian moves there,"mented Roman, sparing her one look before looking ahead of him.


    "I could tell the same to you," murmured Julie, and the corner of Roman''s lips subtly pulled up.


    "Liked anything out of it?"


    "Nothing," she quickly replied to him, while her eyes slightly turned unfocussed on remembering him sucking the cat woman''s neck.


    "Mhm," hummed Roman, not divulging further into the subject.


    "How has your Hallow been?" Julie returned the question to him. She had barely seen him yesterday and today.


    Roman slowed down his footsteps so that she could catch up and then turned to look at her. He brought his finger to his lips, "It is a secret you wouldn''t want to know."


    What did that mean?


    Julie wondered perhaps if he was making out with that cat girl or another person. It made her question Roman''s sexual drive. Realizing what she was thinking, she started to cough. Her mind was all over the ce to be thinking about such things.


    When they stepped out of the forest, Roman didn''t utter a word and instead continued to walk as if they were heading towards her Dormitorium. Reaching in front of her Dormitorium, he turned to look at her.


    He jerked his head towards the entrance and said, "Get inside before troublees sniffing you."


    Julie took four steps forward before pausing and turning to face him. She tried to read his expression, which had gone back to his usually unreadable face as if he wasn''t bothered with anything. But he hade to see her off until here when he could have gone back to his friends or the Dormitorium.


    She said, "Wait here."


    His eyes held questions at her words, and he saw her get inside the building. A minuteter, Julie returned holding something in her hand, and she stretched her hand forward. She said, "Your knuckles might burnter. This will help to ease it."


    Julie offered him the antiseptic gel, something she had got used to keeping with her after the number of injuries she had sustained during her time in the previous school. Roman was slightly surprised by her gesture.


    He took it from her without uttering a word of thanks.


    Thankfully, there weren''t a lot of people around, and the ones who were out were either stoned or were drunk. Before her costume would pool at her feet as she could feel it was turning loose, she turned around and started to climb the four stairs to get back inside the Dormitorium.


    When she turned around, Roman had left the spot where he had been standing.


    She locked the door of her dorm, and her head went to rest on the surface of the door. She took a deep breath before letting it go. In a ce where there were hundreds of students, the one person in whose hands the letter had ended was Roman. The walk she had from the restricted forest area until the Dormitorium had given her the time to soak in the newfound information.


    Now that they had met, Julie wondered what would happen next as the mystery person had finally been revealed. She wondered if it was the end of the season of letters.


    Changing herself into her nightdress, Julie bit the inside of her cheek while staring at the space next to the window. Roman, the letter thief, had not written back to her but had taken her reply with him. ''Ready?'' he had asked her, and she had replied, ''Ready.'' Not knowing what would happen after they woulde to meet face to face.


    It had been a long day, and Julie got into her bed, pulling her covers while yawning.


    Though Julie closed her eyes, she didn''t fall asleep. After a while, she sat up and turned to her table, reaching for her notebook and tearing half a page.


    She wrote in there¡ª ''Roman?''


    When the following day arrived, Julie woke up and quickly picked up the note next to the window and saw it was still her note.

 Chapter 47 - Everyone Wants Water

    <h4>Chapter 47 - Everyone Wants Water</h4>


    With the end of Hallow''s celebration, the sses had again started as usual, and it took quite some time for the students to return from the joyous time they had. When it was the time of recess, Julie and Mnie went to fill their water bottles. Julie caught sight of Roman, who stood next to Simon outside their ss.


    There was a girl who stood in front of Simon, who was looking at Roman. Julie recognized that girl to be the cat woman she had seen with Roman on the dance floor. But Roman looked uninterested by the girl''s presence as if his interest hadsted only for a short span. He was ying with a small stick in his mouth, biting on it.


    "I forgot to ask you, how did the meeting go with the person whom you went to meet?" asked Mnie, stepping in front of the water can. Turning the cap, she started to fill the water bottle.


    "It was alright," replied Julie, not sure if she could tell Mnie that she had met Roman in the forest. "Though I had a very strange encounter in the forest. There was this guy, who wanted to cosy with me."


    Mnie''s eyebrows furrowed, and she questioned, "Did he want to be the Pharaoh? The king?"


    "Thankfully no," thought Jully with a chuckle because that would have been extremely strange. "He was this modern vampire with these fake teeth and contact lenses. For a moment I was worried about the way he was acting. I think some of the students took too many drugs," she whispered.


    "People like to go high and mix things. It is never pleasant," replied Mnie, waiting for her bottle to fill, and she then moved from there. When she looked at the staircase, she said, "Oh, look. There''s Dennis."


    Julie turned her head and noticed Dennis climbing up the stairs, making his way towards the water cans. When he saw them, a friendly smile appeared on his lips.


    "I didn''t expect to meet you at this time," confessed Dennis, and he seemed more rxedpared tost night. "Good afternoon, Julianne and Mnie."


    "Hello," Mnie greeted him.


    Julie asked Dennis, "Is it crowded near the water can that is on your floor?"


    Dennis looked confused, and he said, "Yeah, how did you guess?"


    "I usuallye to the below one when that happens here," replied Julie, a smile on her lips.


    Dennis nodded his head, "You havee back to your usual attire."


    Mnie intruded with, "We were waiting for you to join us after the dance. Did you find your friendter?"


    "I did," Dennis offered Mnie a smile. "Unfortunately, I couldn''t make it to spend time with all of you, but maybe in the future. To the annual day celebration," he nodded his head while filling water in the bottle. "I will see you around," and he climbed the stairs.


    Mnie leaned forward and said to Julie, "I think watching your curves made Dennis ufortable in the mummy costume. Don''t make him your boyfriend, Julie," she said in a slightly worried tone.


    Hearing this, Julie broke intoughter.


    "I am serious!" whispered Mnie.


    While Julie and Mnie were about to leave, Conner came up to their floor and caught sight of them.


    "Did youe here to drink water too? People seem to be thirsty today,"mented Mnie as Conner''s sses were two floors below their own ssroom.


    "Oh, I am here because one of the teachers wants to talk to you, Julie," Conner informed her.


    "Me?" asked Julie, doubt raising in her mind if someone had seen her and Roman wandering in the forest. But then, if that was so, they would have called Roman too. She turned in the direction where Roman was standing. For a brief moment, their eyes met, and she looked back at Conner.


    Roman was listening to what the human girl was speaking when he felt eyes watching him. It wasn''t umon to sense people watching him, but for a fleeting moment, his eyes moved and fell on Julie, who had a look of question in her eyes.


    He watched her talking to her friends until Julie handed her bottle to her friend and went down the stairs.


    Simon humoured the human, "It is only time now. With the probability of rain, you''ll see fireflies in the forest at night. You should probablye with me," he smiled, and the human girl blushed.


    "I was hoping to go with Roman," the girl turned to look at him, subtly putting her thoughts out. Simon''s lips twisted, knowing exactly what reply the girl was going to get.


    Both Simon, as well as the girl turned their heads to see where Roman was looking.


    Roman then said, "I don''t like people sitting behind my motorcycle," and when his gaze shifted back to the people next to him, the girlughed to cover her fallen face.


    "Does that mean you are the only one who has rode your bike?" she asked him.


    "Yes, it is. I ride solo," remarked Roman, biting the stick in his mouth. He then said to Simon, "I will be skipping the next ss."


    Simon gave a nod, not surprised by it as Roman barely stayed inside the ssroom and preffered to stay outside. The girl, who had been standing then turned to look at Simon and asked, "When are you going to look at the fireflies?"


    Simon offered the silly human a polite smile, "I forgot that I have Victoria who will be riding with me. Maybe some other time?" and he stepped inside the ssroom.


    Roman made his way to where Conner and Mnie stood, chatting with each other. They were startled at his presence as they hadn''t expected toe and stand where they were.


    Roman questioned, "Do you know where Winters is?"


    "Julie?" asked Conner, not knowing what Roman wanted from his friend, "She went to the counsellor''s office. Mr. Evans wanted to talk to her about something."


    On the other hand, Julie had reached the ground floor, and she made her way towards the counsellor''s office, wondering why Mr. Evans had called her to his office room.

 Chapter 48 - Counsellors Office

    <h4>Chapter 48 - Counsellor''s Office</h4>


    When Julie pushed the doorknob to open it, she caught sight of the counsellor, who was sitting behind the desk. Mr. Evans''s gaze fell on her, and he gave her a bright smile.


    "Come in, Ms. Winters."


    "You wanted to see me, Mr. Evans?" asked Julie, her words careful as Conner had not mentioned what the counsellor wanted from her.


    Mr. Evans'' smile was between a rxed and a creepy smile, and there was something very eerie about it. "I did. I thought to have a little chat with you, please close the door and take a seat," Mr. Evans pointed his hand towards the chairs that were in front of him.


    "Ah, I haven''t finished my sses yet," she informed him, which was true while she also wanted to escape from this ce. It would have been rude not to show up here and attend her sses when he had sent her friend to tell her toe and visit him.


    "I won''t keep you long here, after all, it isn''t like you are here because you want to discuss your trouble," Mr. Evans closed the book that was in front of him and pushed it aside. "I will give you the pass to skip your ss, that you came here on my word. Hm," he eyed the chair.


    Julie pushed the door and closed it behind her, slowly walking towards the chair, and she sat in the chair that was the closest to the door. Her fingernails dug into the palm of her hand so that the worry wouldn''t show up on her face while she waited for him to speak.


    "How was your Hallow, Ms. Winters?" questioned Mr. Evans.


    "Uh, it was good. How about you?" Julie returned the question because she felt it was impolite to not ask the same to him. But her question only intrigued the vampire who was sitting in front of her.


    "It was wonderful, thank you for asking. Nobody asked me how my Hallow was," replied Mr. Evans. Then he said, "Your friend Conner must have told you that we met in the corridor, and while speaking, something very interesting came up. I was hoping we could speak more about it. About the cemetery," his unnerving smile didn''t leave his lips.


    Hearing his words, Julie felt her heart drop. Did such a casual mention of the cemetery reach counsellor this fast?


    "Cemetery?" asked Julie, trying to keep a straight face, and Mr. Evans nodded his head.


    "Yes, you see, while talking about his costume, Conner told me that he was hoping about having a fake cemetery in the campus as it would be more fun to celebrate Hallow and then he said you saw a cemetery before in Veteris. Is that true?" came the casual words from Mr. Evans as if he meant no harm.


    "Oh, that!" Julie smiled, and she nodded her head, "I had this dream about the cemetery and I mentioned it to them."


    "Is that so," said Mr. Evans, the smile on his lips subtly lowered, and he leaned forward, before asking saying, "I was surprised that you saw something I have never seen before. Wondering where you saw it. He must have forgotten to mention that it was only a dream."


    "Yeah," Julie nodded her head. She didn''t know if this was some kind of test because thest time, he had told her not to speak about what happened in the forest. Remembering Roman had told her to stay away from the counsellor, she tried to be wary of him. "Is that all you wanted to ask me?" she was ready to leave, but Mr. Evans waved his hand as if telling her to stay put in her seat.


    "You seem to be in a hurry to get back to your ss," remarked Mr. Evans.


    Julie offered him an innocent smile and said, "I don''t want to fall behind in my grades by skipping the important sses. Veteris has such in-depth subjects that I am still trying to manage to cover everything and now I am in a y script because of that day," it was because of this person that she had been sent to the detention room!


    "Don''t worry, I won''t keep you here for long. I have only one more question for you, Ms. Winters," said Mr. Evans, his eyes keenly looking at her. He asked, "Do you remember anything about a scream or if you have ever entered the restricted side of the forest and seen something?"


    Julie shook her head without opening her mouth.


    She tried to keep her breathing calm while digging her fingernails deeper into her palms. What was she supposed to reply? That she saw the cemetery and she had met him with Mr. Borrells? But then she wondered, why would a counsellor ask her questions about it as if he was trying to confirm that she wouldn''t tell it to anyone?


    But then, she had already broken that rule by mentioning it to Roman.


    "Is that a no, Ms. Winters?" questioned Mr. Evans, and Julie nodded her head.


    "It is, Mr. Evans."


    Mr. Evans stood up from his chair, making his way around the table toe and lean next to the side of the table where she was sitting. He then ced one hand of his on the table while staring at her.


    "Why are you asking me these questions?" Julie questioned, keeping her eyes on him.


    "I was just curious, Ms. Winters. Just to know if you happen to remember something that I told you. If you do, do let me know."


    Before the man could get any creepier, the room''s door opened, and Mr. Evans stood straight. Julie''s gaze shifted to look at the door and saw Roman.


    "Our dear student, Mr. Moltenore. It has been a while since you graced your presence in this room," said Mr. Evans as he turned to look at Roman. "How can I help you?"


    "There is something I want to talk to you in private. It is important," said Roman, his eyes fixed on the counsellor and not once did it move to look at Julie.


    "It seems like you are always interrupting my conversation with the students," hummed Mr. Evans. He then turned to look at Julie and said, "I will talk to youter, Ms. Winters. You can get back to your ss," he offered another polite smile to her.


    Julie was more than happy to step out of the room and walk as far as possible from the counsellor''s questions. She realized this was the second time where Roman had interrupted her and Mr. Evans'' conversation.


    While making her way towards the door, her eyes fell on Roman, who continued to talk to Mr. Evans. It felt good to see him. She wondered if Mr. Evans was some sort of sleazy lewd counsellor, which was why Roman had interrupted them.


    She decided not to bring up anything that had happened in the forest with her friends as it seemed like words could spill and reach the counsellor''s ears, and Julie didn''t want to meet him again.


    After having dinner and when she returned to her dorm, she noticed the position of her note next to the window had changed. Walking near her window, she picked it up and saw the new note, that read¡ª


    ''Hm?''


    It wasn''t much, but seeing his reply brought a smile to Julie''s lips. The response hadete, but it was here. Picking up her pen, she replied to him¡ª


    ''I thought you stopped writing letters.''


    Roman had written back to her the following day ¡ª''What made you think I wouldn''t? What did Evans ask you yesterday?''


    Julie replied to him with¡ª? ''You are usually quick when ites to replying, and you didn''te to pick the letter that I had written¡­ So I thought maybe the letter on the Hallow day was thest one.


    Mr. Evans asked me about the cemetery, and then about the night, I met him in the forest. He scares me. I should have been more careful. I will be now. What did you have to speak to him about? The way he said it, it seemed like you had visited the counsellor''s room a couple of times. Is it true?''


    By the time of the evening and after her sses, she had received his reply. Today, she hadn''t seen him in the corridors, making her wonder if he had skipped his sses again, something he often liked to do.


    Roman''s letter read¡ª


    ''I was busy with something else, which was why I didn''te by. I didn''t know you were waiting for my reply.


    Considering he didn''t call you again, you should be okay for the time being unless you decide to broadcast what I told you not to do. I spent some useless time with him in the past because the headmistress thought counselling would help me control my temper. But I think beating up people is a good form of therapy.''


    Roman Moltenore, the delinquent. Really, why was he always angry? Maybe he needed to start meditating to control his temper, thought Julie in her mind.


    ??When it was the day to practice their period drama with students who had received detention together, once they had gathered and Ms. Piper had arrived, she stared hard at one of the students. The room had turned into giggles and whispers on seeing the boy, whom Roman had beaten, who had ck and blue bruises, and his face had swollen.


    Ms. Piper pinched the bridge of her nose, "I thought I was very clear when I told you not to get into brawls. What happened to your face, Dalton? You are supposed to y the role of the handsome friend next to the second female lead, but here you look like a bruised pumpkin."


    Dalton turned to look at Roman and said, "Ms. Piper, it was Roman who did this to me during Hallow!"


    "I don''t remember seeing you that day," came the calm words from Roman and Dalton''s hand turned to fist.


    "I was in the forest and I was going to-" Dalton stopped as if not knowing how toplete the sentence, and Roman and the rest waited for the boy toplete it. "He beat me up!"

 Chapter 49 - Making You Bow To Me!

    <h4>Chapter 49 - Making You Bow To Me!</h4>


    The vampire, whose face had been bruised, wanted to tattle-tale on what Roman had done to him. But revealing the truth in front of everyone that Roman had stolen his prey, especially when vampire students were allowed to sink their fangs freely during the night of Hallow, would not just send him to the headmistress office but would also end up with a stake in his heart.


    Because letting the humans know about the vampire''s existence was not allowed.


    Ms. Piper shook her head and said, "With your face that is bruised to that extent I doubt it will heal in time. Dalton and Jackson, switch ces. I need someone whose face isn''t swollen."


    Not that Julie wanted to be judgmental, but porcupine didn''t have pretty hair. Instead, it looked like awn that had been mowed left and right while leaving the middle just as it was. But then, at the same time, she realized Ms. Piper had offered to let her keep the role of Iris Turner.


    "Everyone who has to practice their stage acts today, move near the stage," instructed Ms. Piper, and she made her way towards the front side of the stage where chairs had been ced. "The rest of you can continue with the props. I want to see it from the opening of the y."


    Some of them were quick to walk near the stage, while the others dragged their feet towards the stage.


    "Are you ready my wife?" asked Caleb, walking next to Julie, but she didn''t turn her head to look at him. "What happened, my wife? Why are you ignoring me?" he taunted to get her attention.


    Julie finally turned to look at the boy, "I am sorry, were you talking to me?" she asked him, and Caleb''s jaw fell at the girl''s audacity. Quickly recovering from it, he smiled at her.


    "Of course, I am. I am walking right next to you. What made you think that I wasn''t talking to a hottie like yourself. You have some amazing curves on that body of yours that you hide from everyone. I think everyone will agree that you were a sexy mummy on Hallow," said Caleb, the smile on his lips widened. "Why are you staring at me? Are you wondering why a handsome boy like myself is talking to you?"


    Julie hadn''t reached the ce near the stage, and she moved towards the wall, hoping Caleb would leave her alone. But instead, he was sticking to her worse than chewing gum on a shoe.


    "You look creepy with that smile," came Julie''s direct answer, and Caleb''s smile faltered as if until now it had been one of his dazzling characteristics. "Firstly, I am no wife of yours. Secondly, I will fork out your eyeballs if you talk to me again in a sleazy manner."


    "Oh my! I am scared!" Caleb overdramatically said while cing his hand on his chest, and he thenughed. "You don''t look like a person who would harm a fly. Why don''t you hit me and I will tell you if I feel it."


    Pushing her sses up on her nose, Julie said, "Go away from here." Bringing her manuscript in front of her, she flipped the sheets.


    "I am a strong person, you can feel it. Do it," Caleb again poked her with his words, and Julie wondered if she was the only one in the room to be harassed, but it wasn''t true. Some students were quietly bullied, while Ms. Piper had her focus on the students who were on the stage.


    While Julie stood on one side of the wall, Roman stood on the opposite side of the wall with Maximus. Olivia was up on the stage, delivering her dialogues with two more students. He had leaned his back against the wall, with one foot on the wall to support his body.


    On hearing the little whisperingsing from the opposite side, his gaze shifted from the stage to look at where Julie was standing. She was trying to ignore the boy''s presence, but the boy, a junior, continued to talk to her.


    Caleb was only a mere human, which was why Roman didn''t bother to go and pull the pest from Julie. And it seemed like she was doing fine by herself.


    After the night of the Hallow, she had returned to her usual attire of wearing a woollen sweater which was light maroon and baggy on her body, pairing it with blue jeans and canvas shoes. She had worn her hair up to a medium ponytail, and her sses were back, hiding those curious brown eyes behind them.


    And though Julianne Winters had gone back to wearing her regr clothes, some of the students, who had caught sight of her and had heard that she was the one who had worn the mummy costume, their focus fell on her, or more precisely on her figure. People were used to seeing skin, and Eleanor''s bunny n had backfired as there had been too many bunnies and only one mummy on the eve of Hallow.


    "Caleb and Julianne, you are next on stage," Ms. Piper called them, and the students who were on the stage, rehearsing lines until now, let out a breath of relief. "Quick quick, get on the stage. We still have to go through the third act between As and Iris and I would like to finish it today."


    Even though Julie wanted Caleb to walk first, the boy was adamant that she walk first, and it only made her ufortable. It was because she had caught sight of the boy staring at her sweater and her jeans. Pulling the backside of her sweater, she made sure to cover herself.


    "Both of you take a minute before starting the scene. Owen, y the music to set the scene," ordered Ms. Piper, cing one leg over the other.


    Not everyone was paying attention to what was going on, on the stage, and they were busy talking or ying until their own turn came.


    The spotlight had turned off, and they were using the regr light in the room. Even though Julie had stood on the stage two times before this, she still felt nervous. She closed her eyes so that she could calm her racing heart.


    "Did she fall asleep?" asked one of the delinquents, who stood below the stage.


    "Maybe she''s pretending to be asleep,"ughed the person next to the one who had spoken two seconds ago. "I still think Eleanor or someone pretty would have done a better job. She''s-" the person stopped talking when something hit the back of his head.


    When the boy turned back to see who had hit his head, everyone''s eyes were focused on the stage, and he didn''t find anyone looking at him. Touching his head, he finally turned back while his words about the girl on the stage had stopped.


    Maximus looked down at his pen that didn''t have a cap anymore because Roman had pulled it out.


    Caleb was the first to open this particr act''s scene, and he pulled out the coat that he was wearing and ced it on the stand that was ced on the stage earlier. He said, "It was a lovely soiree, wasn''t it? I was just thinking that we hold one here at our ce. We have never held a soiree before and I wasn''t able to introduce you to everyone properly."


    Julie opened her eyes, blinking a couple of times. She tried to steady her voice as she said, "What are you telling, ke?" she let out a softugh. "I have already met almost everyone in thest twenty soirees where we have been to."


    "Hm, maybe you are right," saying those words, Caleb came to stand behind Julie. He ced his hand on her shoulder, and she turned around gingerly. With the way they stood on the stage, to the audience, it appeared as if she was looking at him, but in truth, Julie was looking behind him, and Caleb turned annoyed at this.


    Ms. Piper tapped her finger on the armrest before shemented, "I don''t think I have written about ke being irritated with Iris. It says ''ke looked at Iris with love''. Unless you have a different definition when ites to love, Caleb."


    Caleb offered a tight smile and said, "Julie is looking somewhere else."


    "Which we don''t care about because the audience cannot see where she is looking at. But they can see you," pointed Ms. Piper. "Seriously, what is with stopping in between the dialogues. One is you and then we have Eleanor who seems to get lost whenever she sees Moltenore''s face." Hearing this, Eleanor''s face turned red as if she didn''t know people had noticed it. "Ms. Winters, please concentrate, I thought you wanted to keep this role."


    "I do," Julie turned back to re at Caleb. "Stop feeling my shoulder."


    "It is the scene that is asking for it. ''keforts his wife with his hand''," Caleb whispered back to her with a grin before they enacted the scene from the beginning.


    When it was the next scene, both Julie and Caleb stood on the stage, and Roman climbed up the four stairs with his long legs to join them on the stage. Julie''s eyes met Roman''s for the briefest moment before he turned to look at Ms. Piper, who had called him.


    Julie couldn''t deny that having Roman around felt like a safety nket because of the number of times he had saved her from trouble, even though he appeared distant, as if they didn''t speak to each other through letters.


    The scene now was where Caleb was leaving the room after delivering his two lines. And then it was just Roman and Julie. They had moved past the scene where Roman and her character''s had already spoken to each otherst week, and this was their second time practising together on stage.


    "Alright, everyone get to your position," instructed Ms. Piper, and when the woman was stillpleting her words, Roman''s pen dropped to the ground. It rolled and came to a stop in front of Caleb. Julie noticed this, and so did Caleb. Caleb took a step forward as if he wanted to make it appear to the others that the great Roman Moltenore was bowing at him.


    Some had failed to notice that something had fallen, and some who noticed it didn''t bother about it. But Roman took two steps forward, and to Caleb''s satisfaction, he bent down to pick up the pen. A wide grin appeared on Caleb''s face that he had made Roman bow to him.


    "You don''t have to bow your head to me," said Caleb in fun, "I forgive you."


    Roman stood up so quickly that the next moment his head collided with Caleb''s face. The younger boy covered his face that had scrunched at the sudden impact.


    "What the fuck did you do?!" Caleb grumbled, and when he pulled his hand away to take a look, Julie noticed his nose was bleeding.


    "My bad, I didn''t see you there," Roman didn''t sound an ounce apologetic when he said that. "You should apply some ice on that."


    Ms. Piper didn''t know what to say because both the boys had acted on their own, one trying to instigate and the other, who delivered a bloody nose. As if that wasn''t enough, the students who were vampires, their senses turned high at the smell of blood that came from the stage.


    "Olivia, if you could be kind enough to take Caleb to the infirmary," said Ms. Piper with a frown. It wasn''t unusual for fights to break in during the practice, as the room was filled with troublesome students.


    "I will be fine. It just needs to dry," Caleb waved his bloody hand while he had thrown his head back.


    The teacher gave a hard stare at the boy before her eyes shifted to see Olivia making her way to where Caleb was, and she dragged him out of the room.


    Julie was surprised that with such a small touch, Roman''s head had broken Caleb''s nose. Out of the three of them, Caleb was the person who had stood too close and had been asking for a fight, but she doubted he saw iting like this.


    "Alright, let us move into the scene from Iris and As'' conversation," said Ms. Piper, turning the pages of the manuscript.


    Before the stage turned quiet, Roman said to her, "Give me your sses for a moment."


    Julie''s eyes widened. She had told the truth only to the letter thief, but the letter thief had turned out to be Roman. She asked him, "Why do you want my sses?"


    Roman didn''t answer her, and instead, he raised his hand, waiting for her to hand it to him.


    They stared at each other before Julie gave up the contest because many people were watching them who stood or sat in front of the stage. She pulled her sses from her face and hoped Roman would not break it so that she would never wear them again.


    She handed them to him. She watched him take a look at her sses, turning them front and back.


    Julie wondered what Roman was up to, and her gaze moved from her sses to look up at his face that had a serious look.


    "Here you go," said Roman, returning it to her, and she took them. Slightly confused, wondering if he needed a pair of sses which was why he was checking the design.


    "Julianne and Roman, please take your position again," Julie heard Ms. Piper say, and she quickly wore her sses back. But when she wore them, the sses had turned blurry, and she couldn''t see through them properly.


    Did Roman put his fingerprints all around her sses to make it blurry?!

 Chapter 50 - Ghost Behind The Window

    <h4>Chapter 50 - Ghost Behind The Window</h4>


    NOTE: Dear readers, you can shift all your votes from the other books of mine to this book from this Friday or Saturday. Thank you~


    .


    Julie''s eyesight through her ss felt nothing less to a foggy window. Before she could check what Roman had done to her sses and asked him why Ms. Piper said,


    "Action!"


    Roman knew the reason why she didn''t want to take her sses off her face. Julie hade to believe that he had stopped bullying her, but instead, he was back to bullying her openly in front of others! Out of nervousness, her hands turned into fists. Thankfully, she had already memorized her dialogues for the scene today, but the only problem was that now she couldn''t see Roman''s face clearly.


    "Rx," Roman said in a low voice to her, and Julie red at him even though she doubted he could see her ring through the blurry ss.


    "Has anyone ever rxed when they have been told to rx?" Julie whispered to him. "Thankfully, I don''t have an eyesight problem."


    "There''s always the option to remove your sses off your face, I would be happy to take it out," said Roman.


    "Don''t!" Julie was quick to take a step backwards so that he wouldn''t meddle with it again. Roman''s lips twitched on seeing how intent she was on keeping the sses on her face. He knew well that she wouldn''t willingly take it off because of the number of eyes watching her. His little n had gone as he had thought.


    Ms. Piper and the others didn''t know what was going on because neither Roman nor Julie had started rehearsing their scene, with the first dialogue that was yet to be delivered.


    With Roman on the stage, the students who were in the room had turned quiet. During the previous practise sessions, he had delivered every scene with dialogues with precision as if after graduating from here, he was going to pursue his career in acting. Even though the room was filled with a mixture of bullies and only a few innocent ones, he caught most people''s attention with his presence.


    Julie heard the piano sound that came from the left side of the stage from where she stood. The music slowly started to fill in the room, and it was something soft and sweet on one''s ears.


    Gulping, Julie said the dialogues that belonged to Iris Turner''s character, "Where is Ms. Campbell? I don''t think I saw her today."


    "She went shopping for her wedding. You know how women are, when ites to getting married, Lady Iris," Roman responded to her words.


    "I don''t," said Julie, staring at him through her foggy sses.


    "No?"


    "No, my husband and I didn''t have a wedding like most of them. It was in front of the magistrate," said Julie. When she turned to the side, she saw Roman looking at her from the corner of her eyes. The way he looked at her right now, it wasn''t just intense smouldering, but there was something different in his eyes that Julie couldn''t read him.


    When he said, "What a pity," Julie turned back to look at him. His voice sounded rich and smooth like his cologne. "Any person who might have wanted to marry you should have held a big wedding. I would have if you were my bride. Or was it your idea? To have a quiet and simple one."


    "I didn''t mind it, Mr. Cheverell. Not everyone dreams about having a big wedding. I am sure you know that everyone has their preferences," Julie continued to deliver her dialogues, making sure not to make any mistakes. She tried to keep up with Roman, which was hard because his dialogues felt more real and were clear to listen to. Somewhere, having her sses blurred helped her to concentrate on delivering on Iris'' dialogues to As.


    After saying a few more dialogues, Roman said the dialogue to her, which was, "When shall I be seeing you next time?"


    "We are living in the same town Mr. Cheverell, I doubt it would be hard to not cross paths with each other when we run in the same circle-"


    ording to the scene, Iris was supposed to leave As Cheverell''spany so that she could get back to the others in another room.


    Julie turned, ready to leave, but before that, Roman caught hold of her wrist to stop her from walking away. She felt him brush his thumb against the skin of her wrist just like he had done the night she had broken into his dorm. Even though it was just part of the stage-y where they were acting ording to what was written in the script, Julie felt her heart skip a beat because of the little contact.


    Roman took a step forward towards her and then asked, "You are leaving?"


    "If you can let go of my hand, Mr. Cheverell," Julie didn''t know what Ms. Piper was thinking when she was writing this kind of y.


    "What if I don''t want to?" Roman''s voice lowered down, and Julie''s face turnedpletely red, knowing right now, he was looking at her, but she couldn''t see what expression he had worn on his face.


    Did he have to whisper? She asked herself.


    Wait, what was her next dialogue?! Julie tried to rack through her brain.


    Julie stared in Roman''s direction, making it look like her character was ring at him. But in truth, she was only trying to remember what she was supposed to say. Somewhere she understood why Eleanor kept pausing with her dialogues when it came to enacting scenes with him.


    "I think you forget that I am a married woman now, Mr. Cheverell. It is impolite to hold-"


    "Does that mean you wouldn''t mind if we were like before? Before you got married and ran away from my sight," Roman pulled Julie closer so that they stood close to each other without letting go of her hand. Still, in character, he said to her, "I haven''t forgotten about you."


    With the way, Julie''s heart was beating, and Roman seemed like he was too immersed in his character, she felt like she was going to pass out! Why was Ms. Piper not stopping the scene by saying ''cut''?!


    While Julie was somewhere in between panicking and trying to make sure to say the same lines in the script and not something irrelevant, Roman stared at Julie''s face that had turned red. Standing right in front of her, he could hear every beat of her heart.


    He knew this was going to happen, which was precisely why he had put a white sheen of grease over her sses so that she wouldn''t turn flustered.


    There weren''t many who could resist Roman''s presence and charm, and he noticed how Julie was trying to keep her calm while also hoping for the scene to get over as quickly as it could.


    "I-I don''t know what you are talking about," replied Julie, and she looked down for a moment to get herposure back. Julianne was natural to this role because her reaction was too pure and innocent, thought Roman, his eyes fixed on her face.


    "Let me remind you then," said Roman, gripping her hand.


    Julie''s heart rate spiked, and to her relief, Ms. Piper said, "Cut! That was good Roman and Julianne. Maybe next time try for a less dazed look there, Julie, but the rest of it was good. Who is next?" she asked, her head turning left and right before calling the other students on the stage.


    With the scene that had ended, so did the spell on the stage between the two characters. On hearing Ms. Piper''s words, Roman immediately let go of Julie''s wrist, and he took two steps backwards.


    For two seconds, Julie stood there, slightly shaken by the exchange of the dialogues. She quickly removed her sses and cleaned it with the hem of her sweater. And during that time, she noticed Roman had turned around and made his way down the stairs. Wearing her cleaned sses which were still slightly blurry but manageable, she saw herself off the stage.


    One of the girls who stood near to where Ms. Piper was so that she wouldn''t be bullied by others like Julie, said to her, "That was good acting there. You didn''t forget any lines," the girl smiled at her.


    Julie returned the smile, "Thank you, all the best up there," she said, knowing it was the girl''s turn. Internally, she wondered how people had missed that she had forgotten to deliver her dialogue on time, which was why she had paused for such long seconds. To hide the mistakes on stage was an art! She praised herself, thankful that people had not jeered or picked on her.


    Walking to the side, Julie came to stand near the wall again to be a wallflower. She watched the students who were on the stage. Thanks to Roman''s head breaking Caleb''s nose, the boy was no more around her, bothering her like an annoying fly. Her eyes slowly moved from the stage to look at Roman, who was talking to Maximus.


    What was he thinking smudging her sses like that?


    As if sensing Julie''s re, Roman''s eyes turned to look at her, and he tilted his head to the side and stared back at her as if he hadn''t attempted to cause trouble for her. Pursing her lips, she turned her eyes back on the stage.


    Forget about Roman being a warm nket. This was burning charcoal, thought Julie in her mind.


    On returning to her dormter, Julie was quick to write a letter to Roman ¡ª


    ''Why did you do that? Smudging my sses so that I couldn''t see anything?''


    Julie left her dorm to have dinner in the lunchroom, and once she was back, Roman''s reply was waiting for her as if he had written to her before entering the lunchroom. It was because when she was leaving the lunchroom with her friends, he was still sitting at another table with his friends.


    Unfolding the three folds of the letter, Julie read¡ª


    ''It is said that blocking one of the senses heightens the other senses. I was testing to see if it would help.


    It seemed like you forgot your lines. Did your memory capacity run out?''


    "Pfft, of course not," reacted Julie on reading thest line. "I was just too involved in my character and forgot about it," she reasoned before picking up her pen and writing a reply to him. Once she was done, she folded and ced it next to the window.


    With the drama practice taking her time, Julie had tried to squeeze and push her time to make space for her studies. She sat at the desk as hours passed to twelve in the night. She continued studying when she heard the sound of something click in her room.


    Julie turned around and for the first time, she caught sight of the window being slowly opened as if there was a ghost behind it.

 Chapter 51 - Wallows Of The Dorm

    <h4>Chapter 51 - Wallows Of The Dorm</h4>


    Noticing the tall and dark shadow of someone behind the window of her room, Julie felt a sheen of sweat form on her forehead. She didn''t see how the window was unlocked, and now it was left slightly ajar.


    The person didn''tpletely open the window or did a hand appear to sneak through the little gap to pick up her letter. On seeing the outline of the person''s shadow, Julie turned worried. She had believed it to be Roman, but when the shadow moved closer, she noticed the person behind the window had the face of a bird.


    It was simr to the costume that she had seen during the day of the Hallow.


    The person continued to stand there, and so did Julie on the other side, her heart starting to thunder when the shadow went to hold the window with its hand. But it wasn''t just any hand. The hand looked like sticks but, at the same time, defined. Until now, Julie had never seen anything like that.


    Slowly, the window was pushed to open it, and Julie saw a bird''s face that didn''t have eyes and were hollow. The face wasn''t made of metal like the usual gue doctor, but it appeared more like it was made of wood and her heart stopped still when it turned to look at her.


    Hearing another sound, Julie woke up from her desk, as while studying, she had fallen asleep. Quickly standing up, she looked around the room before her eyes fell on the window, which was still left slightly ajar.


    Was that a dream? Julie asked herself. But it felt less like a dream and more as it happened a few seconds ago.


    It was past twelve in the night, and the campus had turned quiet, except for the sounds of crickets and rustling leaves.


    Not a minute had passed, and soon another shadow of a person appeared on the other side of the window. A little frightened, she walked towards the window. When she pushed the window with her heart still beating quickly, she found the bad boy standing right outside.


    On seeing that it was Roman and not the bird faced person she had seen in her dream, Julie breathed a sigh of relief. She said,


    "You are here."


    "And you are awake," stated Roman. Julie quickly leaned forward, taking a good look outside, left and right, to see if anyone apart from Roman was there. Once she was done scouting around the ce to make sure there was no one, her eyes fell back on Roman, who had a curious look in his eyes. "Whom are you looking for?" he asked her.


    Julie shook her head and then asked him, "Are you not worried about getting into another detention? Mr. Evans or Mr. Borrell''s will catch you."


    "Do you think I am as easy to be caught like you?" questioned Roman, raising one of his eyebrows.


    "I am offended. But you did get caught by Mr. Evans that night," reminded Julie, and Roman rolled his eyes.


    "I wouldn''t have if you didn''t step out of the Dormitorium with my letter in your hand. Who do you think is responsible for making me take part in the stupid y?"


    When her mouth shaped as if she was going to say ''You'', Roman''s eyes narrowed at her with a re in them. "Don''t even dare, else I will have you hanging upside down in the tree, until someone elsees to bring you down."


    "That is a mean thought," whispered Julie so that she wasn''t loud. "If you had given back my uncle''s letter this would not have happened."


    "If you read the rules and cared enough to ask someone on what you are supposed to do and not to do, the letter wouldn''t have toe to me in the first ce," pointed Roman, and Julie wondered if he hade here to bully her more. "But I know what''s going on in here," he said, cing his hand on top of the window sill.


    Julie slightly frowned and, curious to know, she asked, "What?"


    "Since the first week you joined here, you have been breaking rules left and right. You have already put one foot into the dark side," a smirk appeared on Roman''s lips. "Time to put the other foot. The more you try to run away from something, the more it will try to catch up to you."


    She looked at him with her brown eyes, staring into his midnight ck eyes.


    Julie said, "You seem to be enjoying acting in the stage y. You are good at it."


    "Did you expect me to throw a tantrum like the others?" questioned Roman, and his hand reached out to take the letter that she had ced next to the window. This was the first time she saw him holding her letter and reading it right in front of her.


    A few days had passed since Hallow, and Julie had slowly started to map the letter thief''s face with Roman.


    To his question, she answered, "No, I don''t think I have ever thought you would throw a tantrum. I just didn''t expect you to be good at this too. Say, Roman¡­" Julie started.


    Roman''s eyes had finished sweeping through the words that she had written in the letter, and he looked up to see her, "What?"


    "Doesn''t it get tiring to go back and forth next to pick up the letter?" Her words were careful.


    "I am usually walking around the Dormitorium and there isn''t much entertainment here for us¡­ students. At least not for me apart from breaking people''s bones and bullying some in the campus," replied Roman with a straight face, and Julie stared at him.


    "I don''t know what to say," replied Julie, and he said,


    "I wasn''t waiting for you toment on it," and Roman folded the letter and put it in his pocket. He started to leave, and she watched him walk away from there.


    Like a clock clicking with its hand ticking forward, her heart continued to beat while she watched Roman leave the front of her window. Her eyes followed him, watching his broad shoulders where he hadn''t bothered to wear his leather jacket.


    But after Roman took a few steps forward, he turned around and came to walk past her window. He then returned to stand in front of her window again that she hadn''t closed.


    Roman said to her in a low voice, "Keep your voice down."


    Roman held both sides of the window sill with his hands, and realizing what he was going to do, Julie''s eyes widened. "What are you doing?" she asked him, rmed.


    "Inviting myself in. Thank you," remarked Roman before jumping inside the room and closing the window.


    She could see that! Said Julie in her mind. With Roman entering her dorm at this hour of the night, together, they were breaking rule number seven!


    "You shouldn''t be here!" Julie said in a hushed voice, but Roman was quick to ce his finger on his lips while he looked at the window. He turned off the studymp, turning the room dark. A shadow appeared just outside Julie''s window, and she turned to look at him with a frown on her forehead. Was it the bird faced person again? But then, this shadow didn''t seem to have a bird''s face.


    Julie heard a male''s voice from outside her dorm, "Did you see someone walking in here?" It was Mr. Evans.


    "I thought I heard some rustling sound. One of the students must be lurking outside their dorms. there''s always someone breaking rule in the night," said another person, who was scouting through the campus to make sure to see that all the students stayed inside.


    A little amount of light came to pass through the window, letting them see things inside the room.


    "Rom-" Julie was about to call him when Roman ced his hand on Julie''s mouth.


    A human wouldn''t hear the soundsing from inside the dorm, but one of the teachers who stood outside was a vampire with decent hearing ability. His eyes red while looking at her so that she wouldn''t cause trouble to both of them by saying something. With Julie''sck of knowledge about the existence of vampires, it was nothing less than a problem to Roman with her.


    "Go check the other side and I will check this side. Piper said she wants one more student to help her y," said one of the people outside and Julie heard the light footsteps that slowly receded away from there.


    Roman made sure that everything had turned quiet, and he then finally pulled his hand away from Julie''s mouth.


    "Now don''t scream bloody murder or I will murder you myself and you won''t see the day tomorrow," Roman warned her so that she wouldn''t raise her voice. He had picked the quickest escape route so that Evans wouldn''t catch hold of him.


    "The time of night is not good," murmured Julie to herself. Because one or the other day, someone was going to catch the midnight delivery of letters.


    "You are right. It is troublesome for me," Roman responded to her words, and he moved towards the window. "For a change I should have youe and pick up letters from my dorm. Tomorrow, it is your turn."


    "What? No!" Not only was his room on the above floor where she would have to make use of the outside stairs, but she was also terrible at sneaking in and out without being noticed. "I will be caught on my first try."


    "Maybe it is time that you start practising how to not get caught, Winters," said Roman, turning to look at Julie, whose eyes had widened. "Too scared?"


    "Of course, not. I am a good student who likes to abide by the rules of the university," said Julie. At the same time, she noticed Roman''s eyes fell on her bare legs in her shorts with the image of books imprinted on her shirt. "W-what are you looking at?" she questioned, bringing Roman''s eyes back to meet her eyes.


    Roman stared at Julie before he made his way to where she stood. Suddenly she turned on her guard, aware that they were alone. When he came near, she closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she slowly opened them. She noticed him pick up her book. "Such a nerd." He then went and sat on her bed.


    "I have seen plenty of bare legs before, for you to feel shy about it. Sit," he said, jerking his head to the side. "I think this evens our scores where we both have entered each other''s dorms through the window."


    Julie saw Roman going through the notes she had written in her book. He sat on the edge of the bed as if he owned this room, where his posture waspletely rxed. He had leaned forward to rest his hands on his knees while he flipped through the pages. The chain around his neck that often rested on his chest had moved forward, where the two rings hung on it.


    Remembering him caressing her wrist on the stage, Julie''s face turned red, and she turned to have her back facing him. Picking up the water bottle from the tab;e, she took a couple of sips before cing it back. She tried to remind herself that it was just acting in person, and Roman was not like that. Instead, he was someone who used those very hands to beat people up.


    Not knowing how long Roman was going to be here and when the teachers would stop their patrolling of students who were breaking the rules, Julie decided to take a seat on the bed. She kept a distance between them, and Roman didn''t bother toment on it.


    Noticing the tattoos on his arm, she caught sight of the words on his fingers ''DEATHWIT''. She wondered what that meant. Julie asked him, "Did it not hurt while having them made?" She bent her legs and ced them both on the bed.


    Roman''s eyes shifted from the book in his hand to look at Julie, whose eyes were on his arm. He said, "It is only the beginning. It feels like a hot drop of liquid on the skin and then it gets better."


    "That''s too much pain," murmured Julie with a frown that Roman caught, and his lips twisted into a faint smirk.


    "Don''t you know that after pain there is pleasure?" Closing the book, he ced it on the side table.


    "No," came Julie''s direct answer that only made Roman amused.


    "Let me educate you, as it seems like you need a lot of learning to do in many things," suggested Roman, and Julie looked at him warily before shaking her head.


    "I am good. I am not looking for that kind of learning," replied Julie, and she then looked at her wrist where Natalie had scarred it.


    Roman watched Julie, where her hair hadn''t been tied, and without the sses, she looked like a butterfly in the night. As if sensing his gaze, her eyes moved to look at him. He noticed the little gulp, and her eyes, unable to keep up with his gaze, it darted to look away from him.


    As if nervous by his presence, Julie said, "You shouldn''t have stayed outside the window for so long. The teachers wouldn''t have been alerted."


    "That did cross my mind, you little, troublemaker," remarked Roman, whose eyes were still on the human girl. "Do you ever dream of what happened in the past?"


    Julie looked slightly startled, and, noticing him looking at her wrist, she unconsciously ced her other hand upon it to cover the scar. "Sometimes," replied Julie. There was something with the way he looked at her, a hint of intrigue and intensity, along with the bad boy aura that made her nervous. "I feel like I have told you more things about me than you have," she muttered under her breath.


    "Have you ever heard about a prisoner having more information than the abductor?" Roman continued chewing gum. He then leaned backwards on the bed, letting the upper half of his bodyy on the bed while cing both his hands behind his head to support it.


    "You aren''t nning to sleep here, are you?" asked Julie with a doubtful tone.


    "You can take the chair, Troublemaker," hummed Roman and Julie hoped he was only joking. As if he wasn''t done speaking, he said, "I don''t think it is safe for either of us to sleep on the same bed. I don''t trust you."


    What?!


    "I would never do anything like that!" replied Julie, not knowing what Roman thought about her. "I am not going to throw myself at you like those other girls whom you keep swatting away. In your dreams."


    Roman sighed, "Seriously, which direction does your mind keep running to? I mean I don''t trust what kind of trouble you would bring to me."


    Julie turned embarrassed, and she tried to cover it, "That is what I was getting to next. I wouldn''t do anything."


    "Sure," responded Roman, his voice sarcastic. "Are you telling me that you don''t mind sleeping in the same bed as me?"


    "That is not what I meant. I don''t even know why you want to sleep in my bed, when this is my room and-" Julie stopped speaking because Roman had sat up, and he leaned forward, bringing his face in front of her.


    "Sorry, I don''t think I quite caught what you just said a second ago. Care to repeat it?"


    The look in his eyes had changed to something very dark, and his entire demeanour turned colder than she had evere across in the past. Julie didn''t know what she said that got Roman simmer.


    Suddenly his hand shot towards her face, Julie felt her heart stutter, and she closed her eyes. She heard Roman''s words that fell low and in a husky voice, "You look scared. I am not going to hurt you."


    When Julie opened her eyes, the look in his eyes didn''t change, and he said, "You might be living here now, but don''t forget that to begin with, this was my room before you came to live and it will stay like that. Okay?"


    It was hard to go against his word because of the way he intimidatingly looked at her.


    ¡ª


    The cover of the book has been posted in thement section. A Facebook group has been created for readers and the future books information. Look up for the name ''KnightSquad ash_knight17 book discussion''

 Chapter 55 - Contamination In Veteris

    <h4>Chapter 55 - Contamination In Veteris</h4>


    Mr. Helm, the teacher for Julie''s ss, now stood in the headmistress'' room with the two girls from Junior year who had gotten into a fight. The room held the same quietness as the first visit when Julie had been dragged in here because of Roman and Mateo''s fight.


    Ms. Dante stared at them with a grim expression on her face, and there was a frown on her face, and her lips were set in a thin line while watching the two young girls.


    The male teacher cleared his throat and said, "Ms. Dante, Ms. Winters and Ms. Obson were involved in a fight for no actual reason. Not only that, they even broke the rule of not listening to me when I told them to stop. Look at this," he showed his arms that had angry red lines on his skin. "They didn''t even spare me!"


    "Why didn''t you stop the fight when your teacher clearly told you to stop?" questioned Ms. Dante, leaning back against the ck chair. The woman appeared poised with the ck suit and pants that she wore, and her blonde hairbed back. Her eyebrows raised as if wanting the two girls to start speaking.


    The other girl was the first one to speak, "Ms. Dante, it was Julianne who first started the fight by pulling my hair."


    "I did it only after Gabrie pulled my hair. It wasn''t I but her, who started the fight, Ms. Dante. She went as far as to call me names and then-"


    "You said me and my friends had nothing to do but gossip, while behaving like you are the only righteous one. It isn''t like you don''t take tutoring and get close to him,"ined Julie''s ssmate. Gabrie looked back at Ms. Dante and said, "I didn''t do anything, and it was her who started it. It was also her who scratched Mr. Helm''s arm," she pointed out at Julie''s nails.


    But when the headmistress'' eyes fell on both the girl''s hands. She noticed that Gabrie had longer nailspared to Julie, who had short ones.


    "I am extremely disappointed by this behaviour shown by both of you. This kind of behavior shall not be tolerated in Veteris. Ms. Obson, you should cut those nails before pointing fingers at someone-"


    "But-" Gabrie started to speak and ended up receiving a cold re from Ms. Dante, and she immediately closed her mouth.


    "I am not done speaking. It seems like students from the Junior year are in need of learning discipline as they fail to follow not just basic rules but also manners," remarked Ms. Dante, and Gabrie turned confused. Though she was the one to start the fight, she wasn''t the one to scratch the teacher. It was Julie!


    But Julie stayed quiet.


    Ms. Dante''s gaze then shifted to look at Julie, "Ms. Winters. You were admitted this year in Veteris, wasn''t it?" Julie nodded her head. "This is the second time you have entered my office, for causing trouble."


    "Thest time I came here it was a mistake-" Julie was quick with her words, knowing Ms. Dante wouldn''t allow her to speak.


    "I didn''t ask for an exnation, Ms. Winters," Ms. Dante ced both her hands on the surface of the table, holding them, she said, "I cannot look over your actions and the little feuds that took ce with your behaviour, all of those will be noted down and sent to both of your family so that they know what you are doing here, instead of concentrating on your studies."


    On hearing this, Julie''s face turned pale.


    "Make sure to see that you don''t repeat this in the future and visit the infirmary now to fix those scratches or any wound," Ms. Dante picked up the ss of water that was ced on the table. She took a sip and cleared her throat. Turning around as if to pick a file, she said, "I have something to talk to your coach to implement rules and the behaviour. You can now go," the headmistress dismissed both the girls.


    When Julie and her ssmate stepped out of the headmistress'' room, closing the door behind them, Ms. Dante finally turned back with a handkerchief in her hand. Her hazel eyes had turned red.


    "Ms. Dante, are you alright?" Mr. Helm asked in concern, noticing her lips had turned red. "Shall I call Isolde?"


    The woman raised her hand as if to stop the man. Mr. Helm was a lower level vampire. A kind where he didn''t have the vampire''s attributes but only had vampire blood running in his veins. It was why he was in charge of physical training and other games on the field.


    Ms. Dante coughed some more blood into her handkerchief and then turned her gaze to look at the ss of water.


    The headmistress stood up, walking to one of the many cupboards and pulled out a wooden box. Opening it, she picked up one of the red pills and dropped it in the ss of water. When the pill started to dissolve, the water turnedpletely ck.


    "Get Borrell, Evans and the other staff to inform all the night creatures, not to consume any blood from the humans or drink or eat anything until we announce it. Someone has mixed silver water. Tell it is a signal yellow, and to take countermeasures to make sure the memories are erased when needed. Right now," ordered the headmistress.


    Mr. Helm quickly bowed his head and left the room to convey the information to others.


    Ms. Dante poured the water in the nearby pot of the office room, and she then stepped out of the room, locking the room from outside. On her way, she met Ms. Piper.


    "Is everything alright?" asked Ms. Piper, noticing Ms. Dante''s facial expression had subtly turned tense.


    "Come with me to the underground tanks, Piper," said the headmistress, her shoes sharp against the floor, and Ms. Piper didn''t question and instead followed her with one of the helper men. They left the main building, making their way towards the forest area where the tanks had been built to supply water to all the buildings that were inside Veteris. "Open the lid and fetch the water," she ordered the helper.


    With no one around, the helper man climbed thedder, and he got the water out in a ss before handing it to Ms. Dante. She pulled the red pill from her pocket.


    "Is this effective?" asked Ms. Piper, already having a hint of what the headmistress was suspecting about.


    "If the water stays red, it should be fine," said Ms. Dante, and she dropped the pill right into the ss. They waited for a while, and the liquid slowly started to turn ck. "And this confirms the person who has infiltrated here has decided to attack us directly. We still have no answers as to who is causing this."


    "All the students seem normal and it is hard to distinguish which one is actually trying to cause trouble and expose us," stated Ms. Piper with her eyebrows furrowed.


    "I don''t think it is about exposing. Veteris has a tight security and nobody can enter and get out that easily. Only people of our kind are aware of the exits and only a handful of them from the lot. Something tells me, that the person wants to disrupt the awakening that we are working on," remarked Ms. Dante, "I don''t thinkpelling will work right now, but have the humans sent to their dorms. If it doesn''t, get the humans to the dungeons so that the word doesn''t spread. Firstly, get the water restored as quickly as possible. I want this cepletely secured so that the contamination doesn''t happen again. Have people be on guard here."


    Back in the football field where the practice was going on, Mr. Helm called the football coach, who had been supervising the game. Roman passed the ball to someone and tried to listen to what Mr. Helm had to say as he seemed slightly tense.


    "What is the matter, Helm?" questioned the football coach.


    "There is a code yellow and the headmistress wants our kind to be alert and not to consume anything until further notice," whispered Mr. Helm so that the human students wouldn''t hear it.


    Roman heard everything that had happened and looked around the field, noticing that the junior ss students had finished their time here and had probably returned to the locker room.


    When the football coach returned to where the game was still ongoing, he looked left and right before asking, "Where is Moltenore?" The other students shrugged their shoulders as they had no clue when and where he disappeared to.


    Roman walked through the corridors, his eyes searching for the troublemaker. His ears picked up some of the vampires trying topel and two human students who had caught note of the fangs. He already knew that they were being dragged to the dungeon until the Silverwater would pass through their body. And after that, they would bepelled to forget what they saw.


    He didn''t want Julie to be caught in this crossfire because if she saw something that she was not supposed to, and with her ability of not beingpelled, there was no telling what Dante would do to Julie. Not just her, but also him, because he had hidden this knowledge from them.


    Julie wasn''t in the girl''s locker room, and he wondered if she had already gone to her dorm. If she was in the dorm, it would save his breath from having to save her. When he stepped out of the building, he heard Simon call him.


    "Rome!" Simon walked to where he stood. "You disappeared from the game. Did you hear about the code?"


    "Yeah, I did," replied Roman, his eyes scanning through the crowd of the students.


    "Thankfully it isn''t the time of lunch or dinner, and is somewhere in between,"mented Simon in a low voice. "Else there would be a shortage of dungeons. Let''s go check if Olivia needs any help tying people in the infirmary," Simon chuckled at the idea.


    Roman went to the locker room, changing his clothes back to his usual ripped jeans and T-shirt. Picking up his bag with one of the books, they made their way to the infirmary building when they came to pass the troublemaker and her friend. There were small marks on her face, and it glistened because of the ointment.


    When Julie stepped out of the building with Mnie, her eyes fell right on Roman, who was walking in the opposite direction. Earlier, she had gone to defend Roman''s team, which had somehownded her in the headmistresses'' office.


    The evening rays of the sun fell on him, holding a little warmth. They stared at each other until they came near and finally walked past each other without a word.


    Roman and Simon entered the infirmary building as if they were in a hurry, and Julie and Mnie continued to walk. But before Julie could get too far, she heard Roman call her from behind, "Winters."


    Turning around, Julie saw Roman standing at the front side of the infirmary with a book in his hand. "Notes for Rubix'' next chapter. I have written some of the problems for you to work on today."


    It seemed like he was busy because they were supposed to have their study session together in the library. Taking it from him, she said, "Thank you."


    Without sparing another word, Roman turned around and walked back inside the infirmary. When Julie returned to where Mnie was, her friend said, "I am sure if you get tutored for the rest of the subjects, by the end of this year you will fall in the top five students."


    Julie smiled, staring at the book and opened it, noticing his handwriting.


    "Even his handwriting is pretty," murmured Mnie, and Julie nodded her head. Roman had fooled her into making her believe that he had bad handwriting until she came face to face with the letter thief.


    Seemed like this evening, she would be spending her time in her dorm, thought Julie, walking away from there with Mnie.

 Chapter 61 - Midnight Hunt In The Forest

    <h4>Chapter 61 - Midnight Hunt In The Forest</h4>


    Julie stared at the words that were written in the text message. Of course, she knew she wasn''t at her home because she didn''t have one, or more precisely to be told, it had turned into a house of horror for her.


    ''Julianne.''


    Reading the line over and over again, Julie''s hands slowly started to turn cold, and her face turned pale as if blood drained from her face. It couldn''t be, said Julie in her mind. The only person apart from her who would go to that house was her father. She locked the phone, putting the phone down on the bed, she sat down to stare at it.


    Her father was in prison for killing her mother.


    Julie''s phone beeped again, the phone screen turning on and off, letting her know that she had an unread message waiting for her to read. She opened the text message¡ª


    ''Where are you?''


    Unsure of who had sent her, if it was someone from her previous school who was trying to bully her again by trying to know about her whereabouts, Julie called up her uncle as quickly as she could. She heard the line continuously ring for a while until it was picked up.


    "Julie? Is everything alright?" asked Uncle Thomas from the other side of the phone. "How are you?"


    "I am doing well, Uncle Thomas. How about yourself?" she returned the question in a polite tone.


    "Just the same work on Sunday in the garage. You know," Julie heard Uncle Thomas'' heartyugh. "Are youing here? I will have the room prepared for you."


    "No no," replied Julie quickly and then she said, "I actually had something to ask you."


    "Yes, tell me?"


    Julie took a moment, trying to frame the sentence before she said, "I was wondering if you recently went to meet my father."


    "..." Hearing the silence from the other side, she softly gulped while holding her breath. Uncle Thomas then said, "I haven''t gone to meet him, Julie. I haven''t seen him since the time the officers took him from the court."


    "And the house?" she asked him.


    "Well, the house is still there and right now in your name. Have you decided to sell it?" asked Uncle Thomas, and this time it was Julie, who went quiet. It was the home that was left vacant since she moved to her uncle''s house and then to the Dormitorium.


    It was the very house where she had lost her mother. Also, a house that was filled with her mother''s memories. Memories that were precious to her. Her mother wasn''t alive, but Julie treasured every corridor and corner of the house. It was thest remnants of her mother, something she had clung to and didn''t want to part with it.


    A memory that was both good and bad.


    "No, Uncle Tom," came the quiet words from Julie''s lips. "I don''t think I am ready to sell the house just yet."


    "That''s alright, dear. Take as much time as you want," said Uncle Thomas, and Julie stared at the wall that was in front of her. "What did you want to ask about the house?"


    "That, if anyone else had the key to it?" asked Julie, wanting to confirm.


    "I don''t think so. There was only one key, the one that you have," informed Uncle Thomas, and after a pause, he asked, "Are you nning to go to visit there?"


    "Not anytime soon. I was just wondering and thought to ask you about it," said Julie, putting up a smile on her face even though he couldn''t see it.


    "You don''t have to worry about it. I will make the arrangements to have someonee take a look and clean it, maybe next time when youe and visit?" asked her uncle. Realizing she would have to go and meet him, Julie said,


    "No no, it is fine. I wouldn''t want to trouble you, Uncle Tom." She cleared her throat and then asked, "If you can, please do let me know, if you hear anything about the house or¡­ about my father, if he is being released from the prison."


    "What your father did, he will never be released from the prison, Julie," assured Uncle Thomas, and Julie nodded her head.


    "Thank you, Uncle Tom. I really appreciate it," Julie thanked her uncle before adding. "I hope your weekend goes well."


    "Yours too, Julie. If you find time, we would love to have you here to have dinner together," she heard Uncle Thomas'' words from the other side of the line. "We already miss you. I hope everything is going well with you at your university?"


    When he asked about Veteris, Julie wondered if her uncle had received the report letter today. The more surprising part than her detention was that Veteris had a special delivery service of letters, even on Sundays. She was sure that the mail truck belonged to Veteris, who had the time to distribute the letters concerning the students.


    "Julie?" her uncle called her name.


    "Yes, Uncle Tom. Everything is going well. Please don''t worry about me," said Julie. She hoped to be more truthful like ''I got into detention'', ''I am in a theatre y in the university, but none of it left her lips. "If you ever get any letters from the university, you can keep it to the side. Once Ie to visit you, I will go through it."


    "Alright. I will keep that in my mind," replied Uncle Thomas, and Julie hoped in her mind that he wouldn''t think badly of her if he were to find out about her detention. After all, those report letters were dedicated to her uncle.


    "I have to go now. Sending lots of love to everyone at home," she said, hearing him return the words before she cut the call.


    She stared at the phone, deciding to ignore the text that had been delivered to her a few minutes ago. It was best to ignore it, thought Julie to herself. Going to sit on the edge of the bed, she stared at the phone before putting it aside. In the beginning, when she had found out the cave-like rules of Veteris, it had made her feel ufortable at the fact that she would have to cut off the connection from the outside world, but now the same thing had turned into a cocoon that made her feel safe.


    After she finished eating Mrs. Davis'' dinner at night, which was nothing less than another feast, Mnie''s family was warm, and she hoped it would continue to stay so. Julie went back to the room. She nowid on the bed with just the sidemp turned on.


    She recollected the day she had spent, which was mostly around Roman.


    It seemed that Roman had decided to upgrade her position from being an apprentice to being his friend. It had been an innocent question, where she hadn''t realized she had stretched her hand towards the kind that took her kind as nothing but a meal.


    Somewhere Mnie''s words returned to Julie''s mind¡ª ''Roman was flirting with you.''


    Julieughed softly, why would Roman Moltenore like her. She was far from the type he often hung out with, or who hung around him would be right. And even though she didn''t believe it right now, her friend''s direct words and Roman''s actions had sparked the possibility in her mind.


    She remembered his gaze, those ck eyes that stared at her. Unlike the times when he used to look at people as if he could see through them and they didn''t exist. But with her, he looked straight in her eyes as if he had somewhere been between listening to her and wanting to watch the movie. Julie couldn''t strike the thought that the boy was rude when dealing with certain things with his devil-may-care attitude.


    Roman did what he liked, without caring what others thought or would tell, it was obvious that that was how he lived until now, thought Julie.


    Earlier, while standing in the front of the bowlingne, Roman had hidden her by standing right behind her. At that time, Julie had tried to focus on hitting the pins, but now that she went through it over and over again, she softly gulped at the emotions that had started to sprout within her. They were emotions that she wasn''t familiar with.


    Julie came up with reasons how Roman wasn''t flirting with her, and though it might have been true, Roman had invisibly marked her so that people like Dennis would stay away from her and get the point through the thick skull.


    Pulling her phone again, she typed a message to Roman¡ª ''Did you reach near Veteris?''


    Her phone screen blinked after five minutes, and when Julie checked the message, it read¡ª ''In the forest.''


    Noticing the short reply, Julie wondered if he was busy. People did a lot of things in the forest, but it was nearly midnight. What was there to do in the dark forest? Julie asked herself.


    ''Okay, stay safe,'' sent Julie before closing the phone and pulling her nket close to her.


    On the other side, far away from the Greasy Corner town, a forest was located. Roman and his friends had not lit the bonfire, as it would only draw in more attention to themselves, and they wanted to stay low.


    Like his friends, who stayed in the shadows while sucking the blood out, Roman had sunk his fangs into a woman''s neck, drawing the blood out and drinking it. The warm blood seeped into his fangs, coating it with the liquid, which was what the creatures of the night survived on.


    The woman had beenpelled to stay still and not to move, letting her know that there was nothing to be scared of and everything was going to be okay. Once Roman had drank near to the limit, he pulled back, running his tongue over his bloody lips.


    "Haven''t you been leeching on Mnie and Conner today,"mented Olivia, sending her human back, who hade along with her inside the forest, hoping he could have some fun with her, but instead, she had used him for his blood.


    Simon was taking his own time with the human in front of him, ying with her hair, where he had only halfpelled the human while letting the taste of fear trickle into the blood. He offered a sweet smile, "I didn''t know you were watching me. Have you finally taken an interest in me, Olivia."


    The vampiress rolled her eyes at him, "As if. When you go clinging like that, it makes not one but many of us question what you are thinking."


    Simon licked the human''s neck to remove the traces of the blood so that it wouldn''t turn sticky. Turning around, he said, "You doubt my good intentions dear." Maximus started to cough beforeposing himself and smiling at Simon''s words. "If you insist, I want to see how both of them taste. I realized that I have never taken a bite from them. Is that a good enough reason?"


    "How about you, Rome? Have you nned when to take a bite from the girl?" questioned Olivia, wanting to know more about Roman''s interest after seeing him teach the human how to bowl when they were in the arcade.


    "I haven''t," stated Roman, leaning against the bark of the tree.


    "Haven''t decided to drink from her or to not drink from her at all?" questioned Victoria, who had been mostly quiet the entire day. Maximus, who had been busy with another human, pulled his head from his prey''s neck.


    "I will drink when I want to," stated Roman, his eyes looking straight at Victoria, who stared back at him. "When I am in the mood, I will drink from her."


    "Good," said Victoria, nodding her head. "Hopefully you won''t forget the difference between us two kinds. That we are the vampires and they are our pr-"


    Suddenly Roman threw a sharp stone close to her head that went and got stuck in the tree far behind her. He said, "Don''t try to lecture me on things that I already know."


    "I only say it because I see the change, Rome," said Victoria, with her eyebrows knitting together. "If I weren''t your friend, I wouldn''t. All of you are taking it as a joke, but when the Elderse, this will not only cause an issue to you, but also the human whom you are getting attached to."


    "Is trauma catching up to you, Tori?" asked Simon in a joking tone, but Victoria stared at him with a serious expression on her face.


    "Rx, Tori," said Olivia from where she stood, "It isn''t like any of us haven''t spent time with the humans to feed blood on. We all have been intrigued and bored at some point of time."


    Victoria shifted her gaze from Simon to Olivia before settling on Roman, "Are you sure that is all here? Because from what I see it is rolling in a different direction."


    Maximus, who was the only one who knew that Roman was exchanging letters with Julie, watched Roman bring out the cigarette and his lighter as if the conversation that was going on wasn''t about him.


    Roman ced the cigarette between his teeth, lighting up the tip of the bud, and he took a calm breath before releasing the smoke through his mouth. He then said,


    "What I do, or how I do things, it shouldn''t concern you. If it is going to roll or fly," said Roman, holding the cigarette between his teeth and one corner of his lips pulling up.


    Watching the little exchange, Olivia said to Victoria, "It isn''t like none of us know about the consequences, Tori. Rome knows it the best, and we keep humans next to us as a passing time, after all, they had a limited time before they walk past us."


    "More rightly to be said, they die," added Simon, without being subtle about it. "Are you feeling jealous, Tori?" he chuckled while taking a dig at his friend.


    "I am not someone to grovel. I know when I am not needed," replied Victoria, crossing her hands across her chest and supporting her body by leaning against one of the trees.


    "Ah, so that''s why you didn''t react when Rome was teaching Julie. I apud you for giving up on hi-" Simon was cut off with Olivia, who said,


    "That''s enough, Simon."


    Simon raised both his hands, a smirk on his lips, "It feels like you all are turning more humane than staying as vampires. At least we know that mixing humans and vampires in Veteris, there''s one benefit. To join the mortals as if we are one too."


    "It is a good way to camouge," stated Roman, tapping on the cigarette and the ash that had formed at the tip fell on the ground. "It is why we are taught to make friends with the humans, before we go drinking their blood. If I didn''t make it clear before, none of you will touch a drop from Julianne Winters."


    "So possessive," hummed Simon and gave a nod as he was already aware of it.


    "Keep her all for yourself," said Victoria with no interest.


    "I didn''t have any ns. I feel bad, when I drink blood that belongs to the ones who are innocent,"mented Olivia. Maximus gave a small nod, already having given up on the Junior who was fresh in the university.


    Roman hadn''t just taken Julie in his territory, but he wanted to keep the truth from being found out. About Julie''s ability to deflectpulsion. This way, he would be able to keep an eye on things.


    "I should probably get one of them for myself, treasure the blood. You know what they say, blood can taste nothing less to an aging wine," Simon grinned with a thoughtful look on his face.


    "You will be the first one to drain the human leaving not a single drop of blood in the body," stated Olivia, looking at him with narrowed eyes.


    "What can I say, I appreciate my meal until the veryst drop. And it isn''t like I am the only one here. There''s Rome too,"ughed Simon. His eyes fell on Roman, who was finishing his cigarette.


    "We''ll get to do that more once they are here," said Roman, his eyes looking at the trees in one direction, which held nothing but darkness in there. The word ''they'' was for the Elders. Attached to the human? He questioned, taking thest puff before dropping it down and stamping the cigarette. He was trying to save her neck by keeping her out of trouble.


    Roman hoped that none of the Elders would get suspicious about the issue with herpulsion. He wondered if it was toote to get her kicked out of Veteris. It would take him just two minutes to get her kicked, but knowing how she had nowhere to go put his thoughts in quite some trouble.


    Even though right now she wasn''t in front of him, she was still troublesome.


    He remembered the way the unbridled smile appeared on her lips, something he hadn''t seen before. Crazy little thing, thought Roman in his mind.


    After squashing the bug in the game, he doubted Dennis would being near Julie for the next few days. He hadn''t nned to teach her until Dennis had mentioned teaching Julie. Remembering the surprised look on her face, his lips twitched.


    In the bowling alley, when he hade to stand behind her, he had been able to pick up the flowery smell again. He had moved to the side so that she could hear him over the music that was being yed there. He remembered how delicate her hand was when he had gone to hold it.


    Coming back to the present where they were still on the deeper side of the forest, Roman caught the sound of the air whistling as if something was making its way and noticing in which direction it wasing, he pushed Olivia on the ground he fell too.


    By then, the others had turned alert, and Simon gritted his teeth, "Hunters! Erase the memory of the humans here!"


    "How the fuck are hunters in here?!" questioned Maximus, ring in the direction and trying to judge the distance. "I thought Greasy Corner had no hunters."


    Both Simon and Maximus took hold of them, but before Simon couldpletelypel the human he was drinking, two more arrows flew right at him, making it impossible to finish thepulsion. Maximuspelled the girls, "Run in the right like your life depends on it until youe to see the road. Go back home."


    The humans started to run in the other direction as ordered.


    "We cannot fight them, can we?" questioned Simon.


    "Disperse right this instant!" ordered Rome, pulling Olivia on her feet. "There are more than ten of them. We''ll be meeting Mr. Tarts shop after two hours. Split!"


    The hunters were smart enough not to use guns right away as it would not only echo in the forest but bring the other curious humans toe and see what was going on. Roman held the arrow that had pierced through his arm.


    The footsteps were quick on the ground, stamping the dried leaves, and the humans were closing in.


    Pulling the arrow from his arm, Roman started to make his way through the trees like the rest of them, who split up while being chased by the hunters, and they dodged the arrows. He took a sharp turn, making most of the people follow him so that the others could get time to escape from here. It seemed like someone knew that the vampires were in town and had been waiting for them.


    To not let them escape, finally the hunters pulled out their guns, and when the gun shot was heard, Roman turned in time to dodge it, but the weapon was faster, and when he tried to deflect it, the bullet pierced through his palm. He cursed, feeling the burn of the silver.


    The hunters continued to chase them, but the vampires had a better speed than them, and in no time, they escaped from the forest. "Where did they go?!" asked one of the men, who was in histe forties.


    "Escaped of course, we didn''t make enough nning. We cannot let them leave!" said another.


    Another hunter bent down, touching the blood that had dripped down. "How many shots did we get?" questioned the woman.


    "Just two of them," huffed a young man, catching his breath.


    "Have the exits closed and check the medical shops," said the woman. "They won''t have gone that far. We can catch those blood sucking creatures tonight. Go!"


    The humans who carried crossbows and guns in their hands dispersed from the forest to hunt the vampires who had to be staked.


    Roman didn''t know where the others were, but it was better to avoid the open space even if it was midnight. Blinking his eyes, it turned back to his usual ck eyes.? Blood dripped down from his arm and his hand. Walking up the pharmacy would only rm the person, and there were more than two people in the shop that he stood nearby.


    Bringing his hand up, Roman noticed how the residue that was in the bullet was trying to spread across the entire palm and slowly moving towards the fingers.

 Chapter 74 - Sailing Ship At The Dock

    <h4>Chapter 74 - Sailing Ship At The Dock</h4>


    Julie quietly ate the meal that was specifically bought for her. While taking a bite from the sandwich, she noticed how everyone at the table was quiet. Roman hadn''t spoken a word, but he did continue to sit next to her. Her friends, who had returned to the table, had been surprised seeing Roman sitting at the table.


    Leaning towards Roman, Julie asked him, "Your friends aren''t going to wait for you?"


    Roman, who was sipping the coke, turned his gaze to look at her. He had one of his hands pulled back to rest on the chair like the delinquent he was.


    "They know why I am here," responded Roman nonchnt, but his attention was on her. "I am sure they will survive without me."


    "You aren''t eating anything," Julie pointed out, realizing how he barely ate anything except the chips and coke. How did he maintain his body eating and drinking that? She asked in her mind. "Research says that having coke all the time is not healthy."


    The corner of Roman''s lips pulled up into a faint smirk, "It is good to see you worry for me. Trust me when I say that this is everything I need to get myself going, I am fine. Eat up."


    Julie wondered if Roman may have added alcohol in the can. Because of the way he was behaving, it sent chills down her body, and the others felt a different chill from him. It felt as if his behaviour had done a one-eighty degree turn when it came to her.


    Curious, Julie raised her hand, and Roman tilted his head in question.


    "Can I have a sip from it?" asked Julie, eyeing the can of coke.


    Roman''s eyes subtly narrowed at her request. Julie''s curiosity often got her into trouble. He didn''t want to im that the can was empty, which was why she couldn''t have it.


    The other people at the table raised their eyebrows, wondering when Roman and Julie had turned into a couple because yesterday at the bonfire, it seemed like they were still friends. Or maybe they were wrong. It was because Julie was asking Roman to give the same can that he had been drinking from.


    "We have shared cold drinks before, let''s share it in a better way as there''s only one more sip left," stated Roman, bringing the can to his lips. He took a mouthful of it before moving towards her.


    Julie turned bright red and quickly said, "That''s fine, I will take another one." He did it out of purpose! Roman knew that she wasn''t bold enough to kiss him in front of everyone and drink it from his lips.


    Roman, who had leaned towards her chair, gulped down the cold blood, and a crooked smile appeared on his lips. Right now, he had handled the situation with ease, but he knew that there woulde a day when Julie woulde to find the truth about the existence of the vampires.


    And as much as he wanted to tell her about it, now didn''t seem to be the right time for it. He wanted to ease her around him and spend time with her as a human would. His eyes shifted to look at Dennis, who hadn''t said a word since he had sat next to Julie.


    Sensing the gaze, Dennis looked up from his meal to meet Roman''s eyes, a crackle of electricity passing in the air. While one of Roman''s hands was on the table, tapping on the surface of the table, he put his other hand on Julie''s chair for support.


    Conner cleared his throat and spoke to break the silence, "I heard that there''s a football match that is going to take ce tomorrow. Have they picked all the team yers?"


    "We have. Sorry to hear that they cut you out of the team after thest match," Roman didn''t sound sorry, but he did respond to the boy as he was Julie''s friend. Not to mention, Conner was also the hunter''s son, who had shot him in the forest of Greasy Corner.


    Connerughed, "That''s fine. I just wanted to fullfill my wish of being part of the football team and now that I have, I can rest in peace. I heard that there was a new recruitment for the team yers for this season''s matches."


    Roman gave a nod, "Yes, we have. We had to get yers who have a higher strength and agility."


    "Sounds like it is going to be more aggressive than usual,"mented Mnie.


    "That''s what football requires, else you will be on the losing team," remarked Roman, turning the can in his hand as if to check if there was any more liquid left in it.


    Mnie nodded her head, "I am d that Conner was cut out. I meanst time he fell so sick after the game." Turning to Conner, she said, "You should have known that it would make you exhausted," there was a small frown on her face.


    "I think it is worth the exhaustion if you get to fulfill the wish," Reese replied to Mnie''s words as if wanting to support Conner.


    "If it is going to warrant you infirmary time with broken bones, I am not sure," Mnie replied, a grim expressioning to form on her face.


    Dennis, who hadn''t spoken until now,mented, "In Veteris, it is a game for people who like to fight, to behave like uncontroble animals."


    Roman''s gaze shifted to look at Dennis and stated, "You seem to have a problem with a lot of things."


    "I have problems with people breaking rules. I believe all of us here are well informed with your reputation, so it is only obvious why you like the game. Someone who can''t control his temper and goes around beating people without blinking your eyes," replied Dennis, while he took a break to take a bite from his meal.


    Julie looked at both the boys on her left and right. She felt her nose tingle, and she scrunched her face.


    Roman ced the can of coke on the table and leaned forward. He said,


    "Football is a sport that most of them enjoy. Just because a weak boy like yourself cannot carry more than a book''s weight, doesn''t mean the game isn''t worth it."


    Dennis had a look of disgust in his eyes directed at Roman, but he tried to keep a passive expression on his face. He remarked, "So you agree that you are a delinquent."


    Roman crushed the can until it turned into nothing but a piece of round metal on the table. Julie''s eyes widened at his strength. He nodded his head,


    "Nothing wrong in epting who you are, better than hiding behind the phoney appearance to please others, isn''t it?"


    Dennis dropped his fork and red at the bad boy with narrowed eyes, "That''s quite an usation about me. It''s called basic etiquette on how to behave in public and be considerate about others¡ª"


    "Why?" questioned Roman as if he didn''t understand the boy who often came second. "I find it to be pointless to be considerate about people whom I don''t give a fuck about. What a pointless waste of energy in pleasing others."


    Julie''s nose tingled again, and she sneezed. It was enough to break the res that the two boys were giving each other from their seats. Julie hoped they would drop the subject because she could feel a slight headache rise. She said, "Let me go and get something to drink."


    Roman said, "I need to get one too," and he stood up from his seat.


    When both Julie and Roman made their way to the less crowded counter of the lunchroom, Julie turned to face him and whispered, "What was that my girl about?"


    "That you''re my girl?"Questioned Roman, walking in front of the counter. He waved his hand at the man behind the counter and then asked her, "What do you want to drink?"


    "The same that you were earlier drinking," said Julie, crossing her arms against her chest.


    Roman turned his gaze to the man behind the counter. He said, "You heard the youngdy."


    Julie went back to talk to him in a low voice, "Why did you address me like that? Do you know that people are calling me your new ytoy? Like a new trial because you might be bored with your usual girls whom you make out¡­" she stopped speaking when she noticed him staring at her. "Roman, are you listening to me?" she asked him. When another student walked towards the counter, they moved to the side.


    "I am. People calling you as my ytoy. You worry that I might break your heart once I am bored with you," said Roman, twisting his lips and letting her know that he was listening to every word that had left her lips.


    Julie pursed her lips. It wasn''t like she had only heard the rumours and gossip about him, but she had witnessed it with her own eyes. Roman had every bad reputation attached to him, and she had seen his uncaring attitude towards others. Not to mention the awkward atmosphere that had formed earlier around the table because of the meal.


    "I thought I already cleared it. Don''t believe what others say and instead go with your gut feeling, that will avoid you overthinking about it," said Roman. Raising his hand, he ced his finger on her forehead.


    "My gut is very nervous to think about anything," replied Julie, being truthful about it.


    When the man at the counter returned with two coke cans, Roman was about to pay for it, but Julie raised her hand in front of him.


    "You paid for my meal. I will buy you something too," said Julie, not wanting to feel that she was letting him buy things by Roman. Also, because they weren''t a couple, Roman and she were their persons.


    "You don''t have to do that," stated Roman, his eyes curiously watching her.


    "I insist," Julie used the politest tone and smile. Roman gave her a nod, and she turned to ask the man at the counter, "How much is it for both of the cans?"


    "That would be fifteen dors," replied the man and Julie''s eyebrows raised at him.


    "Is it made with traces of gold?" asked Julie, baffled. But seeing the serious expression on both Roman and the man at the counter, she opened her wallet before handing the money, which was all she had in there.


    Roman picked up the cans, opening one''s lid and handing it to her, "There is your special coke."


    Taking hold of it, Julie took a sip, and her eyebrows furrowed, "This tastes like any regr coke." In doubt, she looked at Roman, who seemed like he didn''t have anyints, as he took a sip from his can.


    He raised his can and said, "These are refrigerated differently because of the traces of ingredients it is made of."


    Julie didn''t find any difference between the regr coke that she was used to drinking and this expensive can. She took another sip and then looked at Roman, who seemed like he was enjoying his drink while looking around at the people who were in the lunchroom.


    Roman then looked at Julie and said, "Come watch me y tomorrow at the bleachers. The football match."


    Julie nodded her head, "If it is in the evening it should be fine. Ms. Piper didn''t mention about any rehearsal tomorrow."


    "The game will start earlier. We are going to have two matches between the four teams so that we know who is ying in the finals that will be on the annual day. It will start around fourish," Roman let her know, his gaze taking in Julie''s sses as she pushed it up her nose.


    "You mean skip ss," stated Julie, and Roman gave her a nod.


    "Yes. It would be nice to have a nurse at the bleachers," Roman''s lips twitched. "See what you can do," came his casual words, and he took another sip before running his tongue across his lips, as it was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted.


    Julie noticed Roman''s lips appeared to have more colour.


    "I didn''t know Mcoy had turned to be part of your friend group," hemented, his eyes shifted to look at the table where they had earlier been sitting.


    Julie''s eyes followed the direction where Roman was looking. His eyes narrowed, and his lips set in a thin line. She replied, "Dennis doesn''t have anyone to sit with during meals and sometimes he joins us."


    "Hm," came the short response from Roman. He then said, "Don''t go adding people into the group. I thought the warning would be enough to get people away, but it seems like people need some visuals," a small frown appeared on his face before it disappeared.


    Julie tried not to smile at his words, and she said, "He is only a friend."


    "To you, yes. For him, I doubt he understood that part," remarked Roman, and he then said, "I should get back to my friends. Will you be okay?"


    "I am not sitting with sharks," pointed Julie, but Roman didn''t seem to agree to it.


    "You never know," replied Roman, and he nudged his chin in the direction of where her friends were sitting. A small frown appeared on her face, making her wonder what Roman meant by that. "See youter."


    Roman held onto the can in his hand, watching Julie make her way towards the table.


    When Julie returned to the table and took a seat, Mnie offered her a knowing smile, but she didn''tment on anything. She had shifted back to sit next to Julie with her meal.


    "Did you know that a football match takes ce every time during the Fall Annual celebration. This match is more intense than the other ones,"mented Conner, showing his excitement for the game even though he wasn''t going to y for the team.


    "Isn''t it always intense?" questioned Julie before taking arge sip from her can.


    Conner shook his head, "Those are just normal matches, but here, the yers go all out. They get injured and end up in infirmary more than the usual count. It happenedst year. I think that is why this year they reced some of them to y."


    Julie turned to Dennis and said, "I thought you liked it. You came to watch the match thest time Conner was ying."


    Dennis nodded his head, "I was only curious to see how people yed it," he offered her a small smile.


    "How unfortunate that I missed watching you y in the team, Conner," Reese pursed her lips, and Conner smiled awkwardly.


    "I am d you didn''t. I was in horrible shape and had ended up in the infirmary. I didn''t even tell my parents about it so that they wouldn''t worry about me," exined Conner to his girlfriend.


    While Conner and Reese spoke to each other, Dennis asked Julie, "Do you like the sport? Football I mean. You don''t think it is violent?"


    A smile spread on Julie''s lips, "No," she shook her head. "It isn''t wrestling. Just that, you need good speed and strength, it looks fun."


    Dennis gave her a nod as if he was trying to process and understand what Julie liked. On the other hand, Julie could only guess that he had been brought up in a prim and proper way, where games like footballs were probably frowned upon.


    "How do you spend your time, if you don''t like the Bonfire and Football matches?" asked Reese, turning her head to look at the senior, who shared the same table.


    "I spend my time reading books. Isn''t that why we are here?" answered Dennis as if it was the most obvious thing to do.


    "You must have really good grades,"mented Reese, and Dennis'' back straightened.


    "I actually do," Dennis basked in the subtlepliment.


    "Dennis is the second topper of the senior year. Unfortunately, he isn''t our major else we could have taken his help," Conner let Reese know, and she nodded her head.


    "If Dennis is studying so much and getting second position, I wonder how much the person who gets first must be studying," Reese had a thoughtful expression on her face.


    Hearing this was enough for Dennis to turn sour as if he had taken a bite from the bitter gourd. Julie, who already had the answer to it, decided to stay quiet. But her bber mouthed friend Conner had a different idea, and he replied,


    "The topper of the senior year was sitting with us until now. Roman Moltenore."


    "We should get some tips from him. He doesn''t look like someone who spends a lot of time studying," murmured Reese, looking more impressedpared to when Conner had mentioned Dennis. Julie had to agree to what Reese said. She had rarely seen Roman with books in his hands, and he was usually outside the sses and in the detention room. He seemed more like a person who held books only to beat someone with it.


    Dennis then stood up and said to Julie and others, "I should head back to my ss now. I will see you allter." Everyone nodded their heads, offering polite smiles and watched him leave.


    "That was a little awkward," said Mnie. "Thanks to Conner."


    "Me? What did I do?" asked Conner, clueless.


    Julie felt bad for Dennis. He didn''t seem like a bad person, but like Roman, he believed he was the best, and he was walking on the right path. No, that would be wrong, Julie corrected her thought. Roman knew he was walking in the wrong path, and he epted it.


    While she was looking around, her eyes fell on Conner, who had a smile on his face, "So how are things going between you and Roman?"


    "Nothing is going on," Julie was quick to deny.


    "Don''t be shy, we totally support the about to sail ship," Conner raised both his hands with a thumbs-up sign. Julie shook her head, making herself busy in drinking the cold drink. "I think all of us know that something is cooking. Dennis would have known if he had attended the bonfirest evening."


    Thankfully Conner got upied with Reese talking to him and Mnie, being the understanding friend, didn''t tease Julie more than she already had in the girl''s restroom.


    Julie turned her head, her eyes looking in the direction where Roman was sitting with his friends. He had leaned his back against the chair, his gaze appearing to be of amusement in them while he heard his friends talking at the table. He then parted his lips, responding to something before a crooked smile appeared on his lips.


    Julie had only noticed Roman enter and leave the lunchroom in the past, but now her gaze seemed to follow him. As if sensing her gaze, he turned to look in her direction, staring at her from a distance before she looked back at the can that she held in her hands.


    In the evening, when Julie finished her sses and returned to her dorm, a letterid next to the window. Dropping everything on the table, she grabbed the letter and sat on the edge of the bed.


    ''Stealing nces from across the room while thinking I am not looking at you. It is going to make me believe you are falling faster than I expected.


    Don''t dream too much about what happenedst night. Else you will end upte tomorrow too. I have to get my team yers ready for the game and will be busy with it. Have a goodnight, Troublemaker.''


    It was the first time Roman had wished her goodnight in the letter, but it seemed like she was stuck with the name ''Troublemaker''.


    Bringing her book from the table, she tore a page from it and started replying to him,


    ''I was just looking around when my eyes met yours.'' But then Julie ended up scratching the line because who was she kidding? Roman probably had two more eyes on the sides of his head to know who was looking at him, she thought in her mind.


    Crushing the paper in her hands, she tore a fresh page and started once again,


    ''Thank you for lending me your wristbands today. I will try to find something to cover my wrist before I turnfortable enough to let others see it.


    I forgot to tell you something in the lunchroom. Yesterday before I fell asleep, Mr. Evans came by my dorm''s window. He was patrolling outside, and we had a little chat, where he seemed suspicious that I was up to no good. Why don''t the management hire more guards than having teachers patrolling through the grounds at night? It makes me feel as if they are very dedicated to Veteris.''


    Realizing that he might pick the letterter when she was asleep, Julie wrote, ''I hope you had a good practice. Have a goodnight, Letterthief.''


    Folding the page into three folds, she was about to ce it next to the window when she sneezed, "Achoo!"


    Scrunching her nose, she ced the letter in its usual ce.


    Later when it was time to sleep, Julie turned off the studymp of her room and slipped inside her nket. She had pulled the curtains away from the window as she didn''t want to wake up in the middle of the night and find the counsellor standing outside the window, staring at her. Just the thought of it sent shivers down her body.


    With Roman, who was busy, he was yet toe by to pick up the letter from the window, and she realized that one of these days, she would like to ask him how he unlocked the window.


    Her wrist was bare, showing the two scars. She had ced Roman''s wristbands next to the letter so that she could return them to him.


    As her eyes turned heavy, Julie slowly started to drift to sleep. Her soul and mind left her body to step into the dreand. She found herself in the middle of the forest, surrounded by the tall and lean trees that branched into many branches above her, where she couldn''t see the sky.


    The night was as dark as she hadst seen through her window. An eerie silence that surrounded the forest with not even the sound of a cricket''s chirp or an owl''s hoot to let her know that she hadpany. As much as Julie knew that she was dreaming, she didn''t know why it felt real. She could feel the bite of the cold weather, and just as she thought about it, something soft fell on her face. Not soon, she saw snowkes falling, some drifting in the wind.


    Julie wondered where she was. Turning her head, she found nothing but darkness. The more seconds passed, the more it felt as if hours had passed.


    Wanting to get back to the Dormitorium, Julie wondered which was the way.


    While trying to find her way back, Julie heard something rustle behind her. She quickly snapped her head around, but she found no one until she caught the sight of a person wearing a cloak. It was hard to see the person''s face because of the ck cloak and the darkness present in the forest.


    Julie parted her lips, ready to call and stop the person. To ask on which side of the Veteris campus she was in, but sensing the silence of the forest, no word spilt out of her lips.


    She was in her nightdress, shorts that reached her mid-thighs and a sleeveless top. Not knowing where else to go and slightly more than curious, Julie quickly tried to follow the cloaked person. Her feet were bare, and with every step she took on the ground, she felt the stones and pebbles, grasses and the roots of the trees that had pushed themselves towards the surface of the ground.


    Not soon enough, the mist started to crawl on the ground slowly. Or maybe it was there from the beginning because she was moving further towards it.


    Julie tried to keep up with the cloaked person, hearing the person''s footsteps turn louder and faster. And before she knew it, the person had disappeared into the mist, which had turned denser in such a way that she couldn''t see anything beyond three steps from where she was. It took a while before she came to stand in front of a creaking bridge.


    The lonely bridge stood there with no one to walk through it. Its path was made out of wooden nks, and the railings looked like they were made from thin branches of the trees. But Julie could hear the faint sound of metal that came from it.


    Julie felt her heart starting to beat in her ribcage, and it wasn''t the kind when Roman was around her. The nearby trees that hovered near the bridge looked bald with not a single leaf on the branches.


    She wondered if the cloaked person had walked past this bridge, making her question where this bridge led to. The mist that surrounded this ce turned colder. Taking one brave step towards the bridge, she started to walk and came to stand right in front of it. When she took six steps forward, she felt the bridge lightly sway, realising that this bridge was built midair.


    Just when Julie took another step forward, the wooden nk beneath her feet broke, and she fell into an abyss of darkness.


    The following day in the evening, the football coach let the four teams know which team was going to y against the other. Some of the students had boldly skipped sses and now stood at the bleachers, ready to watch the match.


    Roman entered the field with his team as they were going to y first.? As he made his way towards the centre of the football field, his gaze turned to look at the stands trying to find the girl with the sses in sweater. But she wasn''t there.


    He wondered what was taking her time.


    ¡ª


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 Chapter 82 - How Much Blood Is Needed To Drain A Body

    <h4>Chapter 82 - How Much Blood Is Needed To Drain A Body</h4>


    Julie stared at Roman, who continued to eat his meal until nothing was left on his te. As she had spent her time staring at him, she had barely eaten anything from her te. It seemed like he enjoyed his meal until the veryst bite.


    Roman''s two fingers swiped on the te. While doing that, his eyes met hers, and for a moment, it felt as if everything around them stopped, except for the slow movement of his hand. The scene in front of her was erotic as he brought his hand to his mouth, and his tongue licked the liquid off his digits.


    "Enjoying watching me eat?" questioned Roman, his eyes staring into her brown eyes that looked slightly dted.


    Julie''s eyes lowered. She picked up the burger with both her hands and took a bite from it. But as the burger was too big to fit entirely in her mouth, some of the sauce came to stick in the corner of her mouth.


    She brought her hand up to cover her mouth so that Roman wouldn''t think she was some kind of glutton, but then she dully remembered that he had already called her that.


    "Like it?" he asked her, his eyes falling on puffed cheeks. Roman ced his elbows on the surface of the table before leaning forward.


    "It''s good," mumbled Julie with a nod, and she saw the faint smile on his face. Once she swallowed it, she said, "You should smile more often."


    He raised his eyebrow, "Am I not smiling now?" Roman picked up the iced tea brought for Julie, taking hold of the straw and drinking a few sips from it.


    Julie nodded her head, "You are now, but not in the past."


    "I didn''t have an actual reason to smile, but I do now," he took another sip and ced the ss down near her te.


    Julie''s face turned warm, "Why do you say cheesy things like that?" she asked him.


    Roman''s head tilted to the side, and he said, "I was speaking about the steak. What were you talking about?" and Julie shook her head with a smile.


    He smiled back at her, knowing even though he said he was talking about the steak, Julie knew his words were meant for her. "I cannot help but enjoy seeing you squirm, knowing how embarrassed you turn when I use those kinds of words."


    "Spoken like a real bully," stated Julie, and Roman raised his hand as if to shrug.


    "Only I am allowed to do that to you. Consider it to be my guilty pleasure," remarked Roman.


    Julie took another bite from her burger, and while she chewed,? she noticed some people enter the diner. There were two girls, and they went to the other side where the old couple were sitting.


    Once she finished her burger, the waitress cleared the table, except for the cold drinks. When Roman had earlier mentioned not having to worry about her missing her sses, Julie believed he had told her only at the spur of the moment to have her agree toe out with him. But with the meal finished, he had her pull out her notebooks before he started to exin the subject that her ss would be taught today.


    Julie listened to Roman exin, his voice not too loud or low, enough only for her to hear as he wrote and drew the figures in her book.


    She had never imagined dating someone, and even if she did dream, she would have never imagined studying during their first date. It only proved how Roman was different from the people she had met and seen until now.


    Somewhere in the middle of the teaching, Julie''s eyes started to take a closer look at Roman''s features, and he was quick to catch it.


    "Are you listening or staring at me, Winters?"


    "Both?" Julie asked him in doubt.


    "Tell me if it gets too much and we can stop the tutoring," stated Roman and Julie immediately shook her head.


    "No, it''s good like this," replied Julie, tucking one piece of her hair behind her ear. Roman took note of how her hair that had been tied while leaving the lunchroom earlier was now let loose. She asked him, "How are you so good at all of this? Did you skip sses and go to the library?" Nobody could be this good when they were always missing or sleeping through the sses.


    "Not always," Roman replied to her curious question, "In the initial years, most of us tried to sit through before we started to skip. There was this person whom I once knew, he went by the name Tobin and he was a doctor. He owned thisrge library and I used to like spending my time reading there¡­ when I was young."


    So that''s how it was, thought Julie to herself. She could imagine young Roman sitting in the library and reading by himself while avoiding people who could remotely annoy him.


    "But there was something else too," said Roman and Julie''s curiosity only increased. "There were rare times when he would let me witness him conducting an operation."


    "How old were you then?" asked Julie.


    A faint smile appeared on Roman''s lips, and he said, "Nine or ten years I think."


    That was young, thought Julie in her mind. To see people being operated on, one needed to be brave enough to not cringe at not just the blood but also the flesh being cut and being exposed.


    Remembering the physician, Roman''s gaze turned distant. He had known Tobin since he had turned young. Roman''s thoughts took him to the time in Veteris several years back, as if time turned.


    A young, ten-year-old Roman had fallen on the ground during one of the brawls with the other boys, hurting one of his knees and forehead. A man riding his bicycle, a physician by profession, noticed the boy walking from the other side of the road with a bleeding wound on his knee. While the boy looked at the bicycle with interest, looking at the way it worked.


    "Are you alright, boy?" asked the man, a frown appearing on his face. "You are bleeding."


    "Yes," came the dull response from the boy, barely bothered by the pain on his knee or his forehead. When the young boy was going to start walking, he heard the man say,


    "Are you nning to walk like this with your wounds exposed until you reach home?" asked the man, who was lean in appearance and wore golden framed sses. He had short hair, and his appearance was nothing shy.


    The man had seen the boy during many asions in the town, but like many others, he had never felt the need to talk to the boy explicitly. Knowing how the boy had been conceived out of an affair with Lord Malcolm Moltenore and an unknown woman.


    Young Roman replied with a straight face, "People get hurt all the time and the wound will dry by the time I reach home because of theponents the blood has."


    Intrigued by the boy''s answer, the physician asked, "And do you know what thoseponents are?"


    "telets?"


    "Yes, indeed," the physician smiled at the boy, "It seems like Lord Moltenore has been sending you to school though what you said is too much for you. Why are you not in school with your brother?" On the physician''s query, the young boy stared at him. "But I don''t think I have seen you with your brother Tristian, when the carriage reaches the school."


    "I don''t," answered the boy, all his answers short as if he didn''t want to make a conversation, even if it meant it would warrant him being called an ill-mannered child.


    "Then how did you learn, if not for school," asked the physician, still sitting on the bicycle that he had halted at the side and next to the boy, where they were surrounded by trees.


    The boy pursed his lips and then said, "I wanted to see how much blood needs to be drained and preserved in the body from not killing someone. I got the books rted to it."


    The physician started tough as if taking the boy''s word to be nothing but humour.


    "Tristian used to get me the books home so that I could read them," the young boypleted his words.


    The young boy, even though he had been cared for. He hadn''t been allowed to have all the privileges as his older half-brother had. School was something he only knew and had seen at a distance. But it was the governess who came to teach him at home, while the rest was something his half-brother taught him.


    The man stared at the boy for a few seconds more and then said, "How about youe with me and I will treat your wound so that it can heal sooner?"


    "Why? I don''t have money," questioned the young boy, not knowing why the man was trying to offer him help. Even though he was young, his eyes narrowed at the physician, who was a stranger to him.


    "I will do it for free. I could use a young boy''spany like you at my workce and I have a lot of books, that is if it interests you. Maybe with a cup of tea?" offered the man, trying to be kind. The boy gave him a nod. "How rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Tobin Trosney," he introduced himself.


    "Roman Moltenore," the boy introduced himself in return


    "Why don''t you sit behind me on my bicycle, and I will take you there," said the man, and the young boy agreed and climbed on it.


    Reaching the physician''s house, which was attached to where he worked, they stepped down from the bicycle, and Tobin parked it at the side. The young boy''s eyes were still fixed on it as if he was fascinated with the way it worked.


    Tobin led him through the door, and the little corridor, before they came to stand in front of another door. He pushed the door and stepped inside, holding the door for the boy. The little boy noticed two men who were in there, working at the table. "This is where I usually work, helping injured people and other things. Take a seat. The books are in the next room, and you can take a look at itter."


    Once the physician finished treating the young boy''s knee and forehead, the boy got up from his chair to take a look at the next room. As promised by the man, the room was filled with books on the three sides of the wall.


    "Feel free toe here any time and pick a book to read," said the physician.


    Hearing this, young Roman turned his head to look at the man and asked, "Can I take it home?"


    The man nodded his head, "Yes. Only that, after you are done reading it, I would like it to be returned here."


    The boy walked around the room, looking at the collections of the books and the names. He picked three books, "Thanks," said Roman, and he stepped out of the room.


    The physician stepped out, walking outside the house, and he saw the boy head in the direction of his house, carrying the three books rted to medicine.? Same time, a young blonde girl neared the house and noticed her father looking ahead of him at the boy.


    "Who was that, father?" asked the girl, catching her father''s attention.


    "Just a boy who needed a bit of help," Tobin fondly smiled at his daughter. He asked her, "How was school today, Olivia?" and the girl smiled.


    "You always ask me the same question, father," and Tobin held his daughter''s hand, and together, they walked inside the house.


    As the days slowly passed into months and then to years, the young boy became a frequent visitor at Mr. Trosney''s working ce. Roman liked to see what the physician did and how it was to be done while sitting in the corner of the room. Sometimes the physician allowed him to take a look at what he was working on. The man taught Roman everything he knew, seeing potential in the boy, hoping one day he woulde to work for him.


    But then Roman Moltenore was the Lord''s son, who would end up working for his father with his elder brother.


    One of the days, when Roman was fifteen years old, he stepped inside the room, noticing the assistants had left and Mr. Trosney was alone in the room, and a dead person''s bodyid on the table.


    "What happened?" asked Roman. He came to stand next to the table, noticing a woman''s body that looked pale as a ghost.


    Mr. Trosney adjusted the sses on his nose. He took a close look at the body and said, "No one knows what happened to her. There''s no bleeding or any bruise on the body."


    "Did she die because of an organ failure?" inquired Roman, as if he was ready to be a physician.


    "I will have to open her up and see if it is so," said Mr. Trosney, bringing the knives and scalpels to the table.


    Roman''s eyes took a look at the body, keenly looking at the skin of the woman. Even though he was young, he had gotten used to seeing the bodies in here. He had read as many books as he could, swallowing the knowledge that it had to offer. He had spent his time with the books that prevented him from getting into brawls.


    He walked towards the head of the body, taking a look at the dead woman''s eyes that had been closed, and then his eyes fell on two faint dots that were on the neck.


    "You should go back home as it''s alreadyte. Mrs. Moltenore wasn''t happy when she found out that you were lingering here, when I am working," said Mr. Trosney, and Roman''s eyes lifted to look at Mr. Trosney.


    "She worries for no reason," responded Roman and went to pick up the books that he had kept on the side. Mr. Trosney smiled at the boy. On his way, Roman met up with the physician''s daughter, who informed him,


    "Maximus said he is going to visit today as you were here."


    "I will see him tomorrow," remarked Roman, carrying the books in his hand. He headed back towards the mansion.


    Returning to present, he noticed Julie reading what he had written. Things had changed in Veteris since the time he had first entered the town and until now. And it was going to change further once the Elders would wake up. Julie said,


    "You really know how to teach all the subjects that feel interesting," Julie looked up to meet his eyes. "I think this is the easiest chapter I have ever stumbled upon. You should turn into a teacher."


    "Others would disagree with that," the corner of Roman''s lips lifted, and Julie raised her eyebrows.


    "Why do you say that?" asked Julie.


    "Thest person I taught was Maximus and another boy. Let''s just say someone ended up in the infirmary," said Roman, and he tapped his finger on the book. "Do you want to make notes?" he asked, knowing how Julie had the habit of making little notes in her book.


    Julie shook her head, "I will copy it from Mnie''s notes or write it by myself after going through it again. Mel has the habit of making extra notes on top of the existing notes for my sake, even though I told her earlier this morning that she didn''t have to do it for me. She''s very kind."


    Roman gave her a nod and then said, "Let''s continue with the lesson now. After that, I have somewhere else to take you."


    "Okay," agreed Julie, before her eyes went back to look at the book.


    The faint smile that was on Roman''s lips until now disappeared. Only time would tell who was kind and who wasn''t. A hunter''s child siding with anyone other than the humans was often unheard of. One could only hope.


    After two more hours of studying, Julie finally packed her things in her bag, and she excused herself to visit the restroom. She was washing her hands and looking at her reflection in the mirror when she heard the voices of the two girls, who soon entered the room.


    "Did you see him look at me?" one of the girls giggled in glee.


    "I did, I think he heard you talk about him. I didn''t even know a hot person was sitting in the diner, and we chose to sit on the other side," said the other girl, and she came to stand next to Julie. The girl pulled out her lipstick from her purse and applied it on her lips while looking at the mirror.


    In the meantime, Julie pulled out her cherry lip balm and applied it to her lips. She chapped her lips before looking at her reflection.


    "I should go and ask him out before he leaves. What do you think?" asked the first girl, and her friend shrugged her shoulders as if she didn''t care.


    Julie didn''t follow to see what was going to happen. She instead wet her finger and tamed her eyebrow to make it look darker. Taking in her appearance, she removed the sweater that she had been wearing.


    Fluffing her hair with both her hands while holding the sweater, she stepped out. The girl, who had left the restroom, was now speaking to Roman. He had left their booth and now stood in front of the counter.


    The girl said something to him, something that Julie wasn''t able to hear. She saw Roman stare at the girl with disinterest. His eyes then shifted to look at Julie.


    The girl asked, "We can meet on Sunday if you aren''t free tomorrow. What do you say?"


    Roman left the counter, walking towards where Julie stood, and he asked her, "All done?" Julie nodded her head, and she felt his hande to pet the side of her hair as if smoothening her hair and said, "Let''s go then."


    They started to walk towards the door.


    "I-Is that a no? You like this girl?" the girl pointed her finger at Julie. Though she didn''t say anything more, she scoffed, looking at Julie up and down.


    "Cute, isn''t she?" questioned Roman, his eyes shifting to look at Julie, who turned to look the other way because she had turned into the centre of the conversation.


    Slipping his hand into Julie''s hand, Roman pulled her out of the diner, and they made their way where the motorcycle was parked. He finally let go of her hand, picking up the helmet.


    "You know you don''t have to defend me. I don''t care much about what they say," stated Julie, scrunching her nose with one of her eyes squinting before she smiled.


    "You don''t care?" asked Roman, and she nodded her head. He raised his hand to her face, his finger touching her lips, and he said, "Is that why you decided to apply something on your lips and removed your sweater?"


    "That," said Julie pursing her lips and then said, "I care about what you think. I was trying to match you today, not them¡­" she cleared her throat.


    Roman shook his head, and Julie wondered why he did that. There was a faint smirk on his face, and he remarked, "You don''t have to match me. I will take you mismatched with me too." Telling that, he put the helmet over her head.


    This time while sitting behind Roman, it felt less awkward, and Julie''s hands slowly moved around to hold him. She heard the motorcycle start, and soon they left the diner behind them, where it turned smaller and smaller in vision until itpletely disappeared behind them.


    Instead of closing her eyes like before, she watched the scenery. She noticed Roman take a left and not the right that the Veteris bus had travelled towards. This side of the area seemed to have continuous forest. After they rode for a good distance, she caught sight of something shimmering on the ground, realizing it was ake, and behind it were mountains.


    Roman took a route inside the forest, and they continued to ride at a much slower speed because of the uneven path.


    For a moment, she was sure that Roman would stop near theke to sit down and watch the beautiful scenery in peace. But he didn''t stop there. Instead, he continued to ride until they reached a more spacious ground that had fewer trees.


    When they got closer, Julie noticed a few old and small buildings, broken and discoloured¡ªcovered in leaves and dust around them.


    "Where are we, Rome?" Julie asked him, her eyes taking note of the windows that had no window pane in them. Some that did have were broken.


    "This used to be a town, but for quite a few years, it has been left abandoned," said Roman, stopping the motorcycle, and both of them got down from it. Julie took off her helmet. "I have a few memories of mine here."


    This was the ce where he once lived with his mother, a ce that had scarce memories that he kept close to him.


    "Do you guyse here to have a bonfire?" questioned Julie.


    "No, Ie here alone," replied Roman to Julie, who watched the ruins. "People moved away from this ce. Going to the other towns, which is why it is like this."


    "I see," murmured Julie. They were surrounded by peace and quietness. With the motorcycle not making any sound, it felt like she could hear clearly. She was d that she had eaten until her stomach was full because they had travelled for a very long time.


    "Let us take a walk," proposed Roman and Julieplied and started to walk next to him.


    "Can we take a look at theketer? Before we leave?" asked Julie.


    "We can."


    Julie and Roman spent enough time with each other, walking around the forest and enjoying the quiet scenery while talking to each other. When the time neared evening, they decided to head back to Veteris before sitting near theke.


    "There''s still a bit more time. Stay," she persuaded Roman. They were already outside, and she had broken the rules, so spending a little bit more to look at the almost setting sun wouldn''t be too bad, thought Julie to herself.


    Roman didn''t mind, and he sat next to her, watching the colours of the sky that had softened. "Do you like the scenery?" he inquired, his head turning to look at her, and Julie nodded at him.


    "I love it," a beautiful smile broke through her lips. "My parents used to take me during holidays. To spend time together and to look at things around when I was small. But after sometime, they stopped it," a sigh escaped her lips. "What about you? How did you find out about this ce?"


    "Because of my mother," said Roman, bringing his hand towards her head and weaving his fingers gently through her hair. "She''s the reason I know this ce."


    "That must be nice," replied Julie. When Roman spoke about his mother, there was a certain warmth in his voice, and it stood out because of his usual cold behaviour.


    After a while, they stood up and walked back to where the motorcycle had been parked. The sun was about to set, and Roman and Julie rode the motorcycle in the same speed as they hade here. The wind had turned cooler, and the day had been nothing but rxing.


    By the time they reached Veteris, Julie was d that the creepy watchman didn''t stop them. It made her question how wealthy Roman was, that he had paid the watchman to let him in and out of this ce.


    Roman stopped the motorcycle in front of the girl''s Dormitorium. But he didn''t leave. He stepped down after Julie. Clicking the straps to unlock the helmet, Julie removed and handed it back to him. She looked up at him, as their time together, outside Veteris hade to an end.


    Looking up at him, while holding her sweater in her hand, Julie said, "I had a lovely time today. Thank you."


    "I am d you did. We should do this often," said Roman, tilting his head to the side with a smile.


    "Maybe on a non-ss day," she smiled, staring back at him, and he gave her a nod.


    "We''ll see," he replied. Stepping closer, he tucked her hair behind her ear. He ced his hand below her chin and looked at her. "I wish to keep you with me, forever."


    She felt her heart skip a beat, and when his face moved closer, someone called her.


    "Julianne?!"


    The spell around her broke, and hearing the familiar voice, she turned, and her face turned pale on seeing who stood in front of the girl''s Dormitorium.

 Chapter 83 - Warning On Both The Sides

    <h4>Chapter 83 - Warning On Both The Sides</h4>


    Julie''s hands turned cold, and her lips parted, but no words came out of it. She was too stunned. It was because she hadn''t expected this.


    Aunt Sarah''s eyes had narrowed, her face filled with shock. But the worst thing for Julie was the person who stood next to her. Julie''s uncle stood there, staring at her in disappointment in his eyes, and shifted to look at Roman, the boy who was going to kiss his niece before his eyes went back to look at her.


    Both her uncle and aunt looked at Roman as if he was someone alien to them, noticing the chain around his neck and ripped jeans and the cuff rings on his ear.


    Julie released her clenched hands, deciding to speak rather than increase her nervousness of being caught. She started to walk, making her way where her rtives stood. Coming to stand in front of them, she awkwardly smiled and opened her mouth to speak.


    "Good evening Uncle Thomas and Aunt Sarah," Julie greeted them, trying to hide the nervousness that coursed through her body. "I didn''t know you were visiting me today." If she knew beforehand, she would have never left Veteris today, even if the Corvin woulde to haunt her in the ss.


    Uncle Thomas stared at Julie as if tongue-tied after nearly witnessing Julie being kissed. Gathering himself, he said, "Ah, we came here to meet you. There was something I wanted to speak to you about¡ª"


    "Your uncle and I came here to see our beloved niece, who is studying in an esteemed university. Your uncle was telling how proud he was of you, that you got admitted here, that you have been concentrating on your studies, and working hard to get good grades. But looks like your uncle was wrong," said Aunt Sarah, her voice hard and briefly looking at Roman. "Not only are you skipping sses, but you have been getting into multiple detentions."


    Julie turned red, "It is true, but the detention wasn''t intentional. I received it out of misunderstandings and I can tell you how," she tried to exin.


    But Aunt Sarah seemed to have found a reason to make Julie guilty. In a low voice, which only Julie and her husband could hear, the woman said, "We don''t need you to be exining about anything, when we went to look for you, one of your teachers showed us about the number of times you got into trouble. Breaking the rules and for what? To go out with a delinquent like that?" she had an appalled expression on her face.


    Before more words could be shared, Mr. Borrell appeared at the ce, "Mr. and Mrs. Winters, a word in the office room. You too Ms. Winters," he said, giving Julie a look.


    Why?! Asked Julie, rmed by the current situation.


    When Julie turned to look at Roman, another student came to call him and informed, "Moltenore, Ms. Dante would like to have a word with you. She''s in the second office room."


    Great, thought Julie in her mind. It seemed like they both were getting punished for skipping ss? Roman gave Julie an assuring smile as if telling her not to worry, and he left the ce first to meet the headmistress.


    "Julianne?" Julie heard Aunt Sarah''s voice call her.


    Julie followed Mr. Borrell along with her uncle and aunt, making their way to the main office. On the way, the anxiety in her chest increased. She knew one or the other day, her rtives would find out about the number of rules she had broken, so maybe this was the time to take the blow and get over with it.


    Taking a deep breath, she continued to walk. They reached the main building, and then the office room, Mr. Borrell entered it first, and then her aunt and uncle, to bestly followed by Julie to step inside the room.


    "Please take a seat," said Mr. Borrell, walking around the table, sitting on the lone chair behind it.


    Julie waited for her uncle and aunt to sit down before she sat with them.


    Aunt Sarah was the first one to speak, "I hope you don''t punish Julianne for skipping today''s sses. Her uncle and I will make sure that she follows the rules of the university."


    Julie didn''t like that her aunt was treating her like a child when she was way past that age and could decide things by herself. If she were in another university, this wouldn''t have been a problem when it came to skipping sses. It was only that Veteris had absurd rules.


    "That isn''t the reason why I called you to the office, Mrs. Winters," spoke Mr. Borrell, cing both his hands at the table and holding them together. "Earlier, when you were speaking, you said something about not receiving the letters of Ms. Winter''s reports."


    Before Aunt Sarah could say something, Julie noticed Uncle Thomas ce his hand on his wife''s hand as if telling her to keep quiet. He then said,


    "My wife wasn''t aware of it. I must have missed reading it, because Julie has previously informed me that Veteris University would be sending letters to the house." And it was true, Julie had asked him not to open the letters. Only that, this time, the letter didn''t reach the house as Roman had taken the letter from the lot before it was sent to the truck. Aunt Sarah turned to look at her husband. Uncle Thomas then continued, "I hope you won''t expel my niece, young children do things in their youth, I am sure you understand it."


    Julie gripped her sweater with both her hands, seeing Uncle Thomas was trying to steer the matter, unlike Aunt Sarah.


    It didn''t matter what Aunt Sarah thought about her, but Julie cared about what her uncle would think of her.


    Mr. Borrell stared at her uncle. He said,


    "No, I don''t. Veteris is not just a name of the university, here we expect students to follow rules. And as Ms. Winters went as far as to break many rules, she will be punished in the detention room, with proper disciplinary actions. We aren''t petty to expel students thoughtlessly." Julie''s eyes shifted to look at the teacher in doubt. Did he forget that he caught students only to put them in detention?


    "That is very kind of you, Mr¡­." Aunt Sarah seemed to have forgotten the man''s name.


    "Mr Borrell," came the curt answer from the teacher. "Another thing. I would like you to make Ms. Winters understand the choice of herpany. As you know, this is a significant time for a student, and staying in badpany will only bring down her grades."


    "Of course, we understand that and will make sure to speak to her on it,"ughed Aunt Sarah. "Julie knows how important it is to study, and how fortunate she is to be admitted to such a prestigious university."


    "That''s good," said Mr. Borrell, moving his eyes to stare at Julie. "I look forward to seeing you correct your errors. So that you can have a better future."


    Julie didn''t nod her head, nor did she utter a word. She stared at the teacher as he had a few more words with her uncle and aunt before they stepped out of the room.


    Once Julie and her rtives stepped out of the room and walked to the end of the corridor that was near the entrance of the building, Aunt Sarah spoke to Uncle Thomas in a low voice,


    "You knew about the letters?" her aunt then turned to look at Julie. "Your mother had such dreams for you, and this is how you repay her?"


    Julie didn''t understand why her aunt had decided to take a sudden interest in what she did, where in thest two months, she hadn''t bothered with it. She said, "The detentions I received was not because I did something bad. It was just bad timing and I was caught at the wrong times."


    "Like now? With that rowdy looking boy?" Aunt Sarah raised her eyebrows.


    A sigh escaped from the woman''s lips as if she was tired. "Your parents raised you better than this, Julianne. Do you think your mother would be happy if she knew what you have been doing here? What were you even doing with him outside, when you have sses going on?"


    "We were studying," replied Julie, "It''s not that bad, and he''s a good person. He has been helping me in improving my grades and I didn''t do anything bad," her aunt was making it look like she hadmitted an awful crime.


    "Do you think we didn''t see what was going to happen back there? And what was with that attire? Boy''s like that will treat you nice before they ruin your life, Julianne¡ª"


    "That''s enough Sarah," said Uncle Thomas, stopping his wife from questioning Julie anymore.


    Aunt Sarah sighed one more time and then said, "I am going to the restroom," and she turned her back and walked away from there.


    Uncle Thomas then said, "News has reached me that your father escaped the prison and is on the run. That''s why we came here, to inform you about it. I didn''t know how to contact you, as there''s nowork here and thought to let you know as you seemed worriedst time we spoke on the phone."


    "I see¡­ I am sorry I wasn''t here to receive you," apologised Julie, meeting her uncle''s eyes and her uncle gave her a nod.


    "You don''t have to worry about your father finding you here. I won''t tell him anything about it and neither will your aunt. I will make sure you are safe," stated Uncle Thomas, making Julie feel guilty that she had somehow let him down. "Aren''t the teachers here good enough to teach you?"


    "They are¡­ but he is a better teacher. He has been helping me with another subject. Roman is not bad, Uncle Thomas," Julie took Roman''s side, not wanting her uncle to misunderstand him.


    "I heard from that teacher of yours that he is a violent boy. Who gets into fights very often and beats them to the point where they need to visit the infirmary," though it wasn''t a question, her uncle''s eyes held a questioning look in them. "Even the teacher thinks it would be wise for you to stay away from hispany. I think it would be best if you keep your distance from a boy like that."


    At the thought of it, Julie''s heart squeezed.


    "Roman isn''t how the teacher said. He has been there when I needed support, please. Give a chance in getting to know him," Julie tried to convince him, wanting both of them to get along.


    "Your father¡­ he used to get into many fights too, and look what happened¡­ I don''t want you to get into trouble," he ced his hand on her shoulder and offered her a smile. "Unfortunately, your aunt had nned for a trip with Joel and me and we won''t be in town during the time of the annual day here. I wish I knew beforehand, I would have postponed the trip."


    Julie shook her head, "That''s fine, Uncle Thomas," she offered him a smile. Thest time when she had visited them, she had heard Aunt Sarah mention the ns of the trip. "What time did you arrive here?"


    "Around four o clock. We decided to wait for a while until the sses would get over. To inquire, we went to Mr. Borrell''s office, which was when I found out you hadn''t attended the ss since this morning," exined Uncle Thomas, and she nodded her head.


    "I see," murmured Julie under her breath, and she then asked, "Does the police know where he is?"


    "No," answered Uncle Thomas. "They are actively searching for him, and a team had been sent to your house, but they didn''t find him there."


    But her father had visited the house, thought Julie in her mind. It was why he had asked her why she wasn''t there. On the other hand, Julie''s uncle noticed how she took in the information without being too shocked, not knowing she already had heard the news.


    When Aunt Sarah showed up at the end of the corridor, making her way towards them, Uncle Thomas said, "I know right now, you are at that age where people fall in love. But try to find someone who is more suitable to you," Julie nodded her head, and her uncle offered her a smile.


    She let him know, "I was thinking of visiting you once the Fall Annual is over."


    "I will always wee you to my home. Despite how your aunt feels," said her uncle, and stopped speaking further on it when Aunt Sarah came to stand next to them.


    "I hope your uncle has advised you well, hoping you won''t repeat something like this," and to Julie''s surprise, Aunt Sarah ced her hand around her shoulder, something the woman hadn''t done in a long while. "We want you to graduate and lead a better life. And when it is time, take a good man as your husband, and not someone who looks like a gangster. This is a good ce to study, don''t waste it."


    Did the sight of Veteris'' infrastructure sway her aunt? Wondered Julie to herself.


    Julie looked at her uncle, who stared back at her, silently sharing a look.


    "Anyways, it iste and we should get going now as Joel''s alone in the house with the babysitter. Let us drop you at the Dorm," decided her aunt, and Julie didn''t refuse the offer. Once she was dropped in front of the Dormitorium in the car, her aunt sitting in the car, said, "Don''t forget my words, Julianne. Don''t get yourself involved with messy one''s."


    Julie nodded her head, offering a forced smile at her aunt. When her eyes fell on her uncle, he offered her a smile, "Take care, Julie."


    "You too, Uncle Thomas," said Julie, and she saw the car leave the front of the girl''s Dormitorium.


    Julie turned her head back in the direction where Roman had gone to visit Ms. Dante. She wondered if she should wait for him here. When she became more aware of her surroundings, she noticed some of the students around look at her while whispering and giggling about something.


    Deciding to wait for Roman in her dorm, Julie walked inside the building. While walking through the corridor, she heard one of the girls make fun of her,


    "This is why you don''t get involved in a rtionship with Roman. At least not when you aren''t a good fit for him."


    "Do you think her parents are going to take her back from here. Wouldn''t that be a good idea?"


    "Julie!" Mnie greeted her in the corridor, quickly making her way to where Julie was and started walking along with her. "Did you meet your aunt? She hade here to see if you were here. Are you okay?"


    Julie nodded her head, "I met them a while ago and they just left a minute ago. We went to Mr. Borrell''s office."


    "That doesn''t sound good. Did he say something?" asked Mnie. Julie pulled out her key from her bag, opening the door and pushing it open.


    "Let''s say they didn''t look impressed by Mr. Borrell''s information about my detention," Julie exhaled, dropping her bag and her sweater on the chair. "I have to attend detention tomorrow, but nothing more than that I think."


    "Did your family receive a letter, which is why they were here today?" inquired Mnie, and Julie shook her head.


    "No, it wasn''t that. My uncle wanted to speak about something important with me, which is why they were here. There''s something you need to know, Mel," said Julie, her face turning serious and not wanting to hide a part of where she came from with her close friend. She then told Mnie about her father killing her mother and her father, who had escaped from the prison. "After my mother died, my father was dead to me."


    "That must have been truly hard. I don''t know what to say¡­ If I found out that one of my family members had killed a family member or anyone, it would put me in shock too," Mnie offered Julie an encouraging smile.


    Sitting there in silence for a few seconds, Mnie asked, "Was it worth it? Getting caught today?"


    Julie thought about it, recollecting the day''s events, and she then nodded her head with a smile. "It was¡­ I got tutored."


    "Are you serious?" Mnie was baffled, and Julie nodded her head with a smile. "That''s so weird. I don''t think anyone can figure out Roman Moltenore. Who even takes a girl out to only make her study on their first date?"


    A chuckle escaped from Julie''s lips. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled. She wondered what Roman was doing right now.


    Far away from the girl''s Dormitorium, in another building, Dante sat behind a table. She stared at Roman, who sat in front of her in the chair, staring right back at her with an unwavering gaze. Several minutes had passed since Dante had summoned him to the head office.


    Dante said, "You should already know why I called you. For what you have been doing, Roman." She had her back leaned against the chair she sat in.


    "There are a lot of things. You should be more specific than that," Roman tested the vampiress who sat in front of him. His whole demeanour had changed since he had left Julie''s side. The look in his eyes had turned back to his usual cold and aloof self, an unbothered expression taking over his face.


    The headmistress knew that Roman was aware of what she was speaking. Word had reached the vampiress'' ear on how Roman had taken a human girl out of Veteris University, and the girl''s family had suddenlye to visit the girl. Not that she cared what the girl did, but she had heard of how Roman had been spending more time with the human, which was very strange.


    Not that Dante was against vampires spending time with humans, as the university hade into existence to maintain harmony between the vampires and humans, but Roman''s case was different.


    "Don''t get attached to things that can be easily damaged," Dante advised him, and Roman''s lips curled, a crooked smile appearing on his face, and her eyes subtly narrowed at this.


    "You don''t have to worry about that," remarked Roman.


    Dante had known Roman since he had been turned into a vampire. She had noticed the subtle effect the human girl had on him. It was the first time that he had willingly decided to take part in the y that would be showcased at one of the Annual day''s celebrations.


    "Was that all you wanted to speak about?" he tilted his head to the side.


    "No, I have an errand for you. I need you to go with Borrell and Evans to visit Greasy Corner''s town. Track the hunters, so that we know how many are there, so that we can acquire full information about them. I have already picked three more people who will join you, just so the Hunters don''t take you by surprise if they are already anticipating any other vampires," exined Dante, and she leaned forward, cing both her hands to rest on the table.


    "Consider it to be done," agreed Roman.


    The door was knocked, and Dante said, "Come in." Mr. Borrell stepped into the room with a serious expression on his face. "You arete."


    "I was dealing with one of the student''s guardians," replied Mr. Borrell, "It seems the mail man had a little mishap, he didn''t deliver the letter to Julianne Winters house."


    Dante''s eyes shifted to look at Roman for a brief second, who wore a passive expression on his face as if he had no clue what Mr. Borrell was talking about.


    "What time are we supposed to head out?" inquired Mr. Borrell.


    "Now. It is better to run with the crowd, instead of going there when the town is quiet," stated Dante, and Roman stood up from the seat. Mr. Borrell stepped out of the room, and when Roman reached the door, Dante called, "Roman."


    He turned to look at her.


    The vampiress said, "I hope she''s only a prey for blood."


    Roman stared at her for a second longer before smiling and said, "Sure."


    Once Dante was alone in the room, she rubbed her forehead. She had warned him for his benefit, and maybe others too. Roman was differentpared to the other vampires in Veteris. Not just because Azazel Donovan had turned him, but his transformation had stopped midway, and it had left him with a beating heart, unlike her and the rest of the vampires whose heartbeat had stopped. And if there were other vampires who had a beating heart, it was only the Elders.


    Roman''s temper was nothing less to an inferno, and after so many years, it had tamed down, thought Dante. Losing a person again would unleash rage and cause serious damage, which she didn''t want to happen.


    In the lunchroom, Julie was at the counter while her friends were at the table. She turned behind her, looking at the entrance and hoping to see Roman, but it seemed like he was still with the headmistress. It somewhere worried her if he had gotten into serious trouble.


    "You seem distracted," she heard Simon say to her, who now stood next to her. Julie''s eyes moved to look at him, noticing a smile on his face, "I heard your uncle and aunt were here to visit you. Must have been an eventful visit?"


    Did everyone already hear about it? Julie asked herself. She gave him a small nod, "Kind off. Did you see Roman?"


    Simon shook his head, "Nope. Not since I heard that he was called by the headmistress for breaking so many rules."


    But it was more than two hours since she hadst seen him. What was Ms. Dante talking to him about?


    The smile on Simon''s lips widened. He stirred the straw that was in his soft drink and said, "I think Ms. Dante must be very upset by his behaviour. He has broken so many rules since thest few years, I wouldn''t be surprised if he has been expelled from Veteris tonight."


    Hearing this, Julie''s eyes widened. She then said, "But he''s the top student."


    "You know how strict Veteris is, when ites to the rules and how we are supposed to follow it. Earlier this month, Rome had been warned to follow the rules. I am sure he''s packing his things now," said Simon with a straight face, continuing to stir the straw.

 Chapter 84 - Aprroval Of The Group

    <h4>Chapter 84 - Aprroval Of The Group</h4>


    Julie stared at Simon, feeling a trickle of worry run down her mind. The red-haired boy stared back at her with a serious expression on his face. For a moment, she came to believe that Roman was really being expelled from Veteris as he kept getting into trouble with other students, and his reputation was only getting worse with every passing day.


    And she would have immediately rushed to the Boy''s Dormitorium. But then she realized that if Roman was being kicked out, he would meet her before leaving Veteris, wouldn''t he?


    Because the Roman she hade to know, he wouldn''t leave without causing more trouble and not telling her goodbye.


    Julie finally said, "I think I will wait for him. You should know your friend better than me, that he wouldn''t leave just like that."


    "Are you sure about it?" asked Simon, his eyes subtly narrowing at her.


    She nodded her head. She then said, "Yes. Mnie has told me that you like to cause trouble to her."


    A slow mischievous smile appeared on Simon''s lips, and he said, "Did she now? I barely did anything, my good intentions are being mistaken. How sad."


    Even though this person was Roman''s friend, Julie realised she would need to be wary of him because of his slightly twisted personality. He liked to stir trouble, and she wondered why. Curious, she asked him, "Why did you do that? Lie about him being expelled."


    "I never said he was expelled, I told he might be in the process of being expelled," but at the end of the sentence, the red-haired senior smiled at her, giving away his mischief. "I wanted to see if you were really up to Roman''s mark."


    His words caught Julie''s attention. So he was testing her?


    Simon said, "Don''t feel offended by my words, but you look naive and easy to break. I was wondering if Rome took interest in you because of your cute little self or if there was something more to you. Something special," his eyes fixed on her.


    Now that she had found out about her ability, Julie wondered if it was apparent and if people could tell she was different. But it was impossible for one to know that she had some sort of ability.


    "And what did you deduce?" asked Julie.


    "Not bad, at least you aren''t stupid enough to chase after him without a thought. I can tell that you care about my friend as much as I care about him. Maybe a little more or less, and that you aren''t there with him for his looks," Simon''s words turned nonchnt, and he took hold of the strawberry milkshake that had been ced for him.


    Noticing the ten dors passed to the man, who stood behind the counter, Julie''s eyes narrowed, and she said, "Why is it that everything you guys buy is often more expensive than what I pay for?"


    A grin came to spread on Simon''s lips, "What can I say. We like to tiprge when we are paying," and he offered her a wink.


    Julie pursed her lips but didn''t go toment. Picking up the tray of meal that she had earlier ordered, she followed Simon back to the table to sit next to Mnie.


    Julie hoped for Roman to be alright, and they would give him the same detention that they had given to her. But something told her that they wouldn''t be spending detention time together tomorrow.


    Maximus, who had taken himself to sit next to her, spoke, "You seem to be worried. Missing Rome already even though you two spent time together the whole day?"


    "Quit teasing the girl, Max," Olivia lightly scolded her friend so that the human could get some space she needed to have her dinner. "Ms. Dante called Rome for some work, he should meet you tomorrow morning," she informed Julie so that the human wouldn''t worry about it.


    So that''s why he wasn''t here. Julie wondered what kind of work he had been called for.


    "Is he going to make some kind of opening speech during the annual day?" asked Conner, somewhere eager and excited about the Fall Annual celebration that was going to take ce.


    "Yes," answered Simon with a smile. His eyes fell on Julie, who was looking at him, and it made her wonder if the answer he had given was true. "As one of the top students of the University, like the previous years, Rome will be holding the second speech and the headmistress must be going through it with him. Even Liv is going to give a speech because of hermendable work in the infirmary."


    "It''s nothing big. Just a few sentences in front of the students," responded Olivia, taking a bite from the meat on her te.


    When the others were speaking about other things, Maximus went back to question Julie and said to her, "You know where you should go next time? To the Devil''s Den."


    "What''s that?" asked Julie. She had never heard anything like that before.


    Maximus ran his teeth over the pin of his mouth, taking a few seconds to answer her. He replied, "It''s a club with good music and food. We sometimes go there and it is pretty fun. Actually all of us should go there together, I am sure you will enjoy it. What do you say?" He looked at others.


    Conner and Reese looked at Maximus, and Conner said, "I guess that would depend on which day we are going. Probably on thest weekend of the month?"


    "I won''t be able to make it," Julie let them know, "I will be going to visit my uncle."


    "That''s fine," Simon waved his hand, "Maybe we should wait to see what Rome will say about it. If he wants to take you there," he grinned.


    "That''s true," agreed Maximus. "I am curious about Rome''s date, he won''t tell us anything, and the only information to get is from Julie."


    Noticing everyone''s curious eyes on her, who were at the table, Julie said, "We went to the diner and to look at the ruins that were present in the forest."


    "Ruins?" repeated Maximus, and Julie gave him a nod.


    "The ce where there once used to be a vige with old houses. Theke there was very pretty," Julie smiled when she said this, and the others gave her a nod.


    When Julie got busy talking to Maximus, Simon leaned against the back of his chair, and he turned where Olivia sat next to him.


    "Looks like Rome took her to the ce where he once used to live," said Simon in a low voice, and he stared at the human.


    "That was a risky game you yed there," Oliviamented, and Simon turned to look at her.


    "I didn''t know I was being watched and heard," the smile on the red-haired boy widened on his lips while Olivia continued to eat withoutmenting. "I just wanted to see if she was worth being next to him."


    Olivia hummed, running her tongue over her teeth. She said, "Though I won''t lie, I would have enjoyed seeing the oue with Roman dealing with your little trick. It is better you don''t try anything."


    Simon continued to smile, "That would have indeed been fun. It has been long since I got hit by him," he brought his hand to rub his jaw.


    On the other side of the table, Julie asked Maximus, "Does it not hurt?" she pointed to her tongue.


    "The piercing?" questioned Maximus, and Julie nodded her head, "Barely. It''s like a feather touch."


    "I have never seen a person pierce their tongue with a pin. What made you do that?" asked Julie, wondering if it was just a style quotient for him. She didn''t know how he even ate his food without the food getting stuck in it.


    "It''s the feeling of hot and cold temperature," replied Maximus, and when he saw Julie staring at him, he moved closer as if to whisper a secret to her and said, "When I am doing a girl, the tongue and the pin gives different temperature, making it pleasurable for both me and the girl."


    Julie''s eyes widened, and she gave a small nod before getting back to her food. She decided not to question anything more because she doubted she would receive normal answers.


    Later on, getting back to her dorm, Julie locked the door and sat on the edge of her bed. Letting her legs stretch forward, she bent her upper body to the front and rested her head on her knees.


    Thinking the day she had nned to skip hade to an end made Julie sad, and at the same time, she was d that it was over.


    She was not a child to be questioned on whom she was dating and what kind of person she was dating. She had reached an age where she didn''t need people telling what was right for her when she knew herself better than the others who believed they had control over her life. Uncle Thomas had been her beloved uncle, and she knew he loved his wife, which was why she had not spoken back to the woman until now.


    Her thoughts went back to the time of noon when Roman was teaching her. Somewhere, he was turning into a home. A person whom she looked forward to seeing and being with. She wondered if things between them were moving too fast.


    Julie wondered if things would have been the same if she and Roman were studying in a different university, unlike Veteris, without any rules. But would things be the same? Surely not, thought Julie in her mind. If she wasn''t studying her, and if it weren''t for the letter, he would have looked at her in annoyance too, wouldn''t he?


    Removing her shoes, Julie rolled on her bed, her body resting on the side while questioning if Uncle Thomas was disappointed with her actions. His words about Roman hadn''t been direct, but it hadn''t been anywhere subtle either in letting her know that she should maintain her distance from Roman from now on.


    But she had started to like Roman a lot. Every word, touch and thought about him was addicting¡­ and Julie didn''t want to let go.


    Julie wanted to ask her uncle about her mother, to learn something he might have known, but the time had seemed unsuitable, especially being caught in breaking the rules.


    Earlier she didn''t want to inquire with him in the middle of the corridor, where some of the students were walking past them, which was why she had proposed to visit her uncle at the house. Hopefully, by then, her father would be caught, and even if he went into hiding, he woulde to realize that she didn''t live with Uncle Thomas and Aunt Sarah.


    While thinking and waiting for Roman to return, Julie''s eyes slowly started to close, and she fell asleep on the bed. After some time, someone gently brushed her hair, and it was enough to wake her up from her sleep.


    The studymp that she had earlier left on at her desk had been turned off.


    "You are here," murmured Julie, realizing there was a nket spread over her body. She noticed Roman lying on the bed next to her.


    "Go back to sleep," whispered Roman in the darkroom.


    "I was waiting for you," her voice was softer than usual.


    Roman''s hand that had gone to pet her head moved back to rest on his side. He said, "I could tell. You didn''t have to wait for me."


    "I was worried," Julie''s sleep slowly started to leave her mind, and she tried to focus her eyes on him. "I was worried that they were going to expel you. That you wouldn''te back."


    Roman''s lips curled, looking at Julie. Noticing she was more awake, his hand went to caress her cheek.


    "Where else will I go, if not here?" he murmured, feeling her cheek lift as if his words brought a smile to her lips. "Did you get into trouble?"


    Roman had heard almost everything that Julie''s aunt had said to her before he had left the front side of the girl''s Dormitorium. Even though it had been a hushed conversation that the humans couldn''t hear, the students who were vampires had heard it all, something Julie didn''t know about yet.


    He didn''t like the woman''s tone with Julie while knowing well about the delicate dynamics between the two people.


    "I got detention tomorrow. Mr. Borrell made sure to see that I will be a frequent visitor and keep me busy so that I won''t break more rules," replied Julie, a small frown forming on her face. "What about you?"


    "I didn''t get detention in the room, but I do have something to do today," he answered her question, running his finger across the side of her face. "What about your uncle and aunt?"


    "Let''s just say that they weren''t impressed by the fact that their niece had skipped sses and was roaming around with a boy who has a reputation of getting into fights. Mr. Borrell told them that I should pick betterpany, if I wanted to get better grades and graduate from here," a sigh escaped from Julie''s lips.


    "So it didn''t go well," remarked Roman, while his eyes narrowed, knowing the teacher had warned Julie''s family to keep her away from him.


    Roman wondered if it was because of his reputation when it came to sucking the blood out of many girls in the past to fill his thirst. Worried that the next human heid his hands on would die due tock of blood.


    "Actually, uncle came here to let me know about my father''s escape and to not be worried about it. That he would never let him know where I am," said Julie, moving a little closer to Roman so that she could get a better whiff of his cologne. Right now, he smelt like the air in the forest. Fresh and breezy. "I don''t know why Aunt Sarah tagged along with him. Probably to take a look at how this ce looks. She kept saying I should stay away from you, and find someone better. More decent looking."


    "I am sure that she would approve number two instantly. And what did you tell them?" Roman''s words were more rxed as he continued to y with her hair, and then his finger touched the upper lobe of her ear.


    "I told them you are different from how you appear, or what they think about you. That you have been helping me with my studies, but I think they had a hard time believing it. Saying my father used to get into fights too with others, and by picking you, I would end up having the same fate as my mother," Julie looked a little frustrated, and Roman sensed it while also picking the details about her father. "I told him that I will visit him."


    "Did you tell anything about meing with you?" questioned Roman, and Julie shook her head. "Good. Surprises are always good. I am sure your aunt will appreciate it."


    Why did it feel like the devil''s mind was already at work? Julie asked herself.


    Roman put his hand around her waist and drew her close to him. He then said, "You are wrong about something, Winters," he paused for a moment and then said, "I am just like my appearance, rough around the edges. I don''t like to listen to what people say and I enjoy breakingws, but you already are aware of it, aren''t you?"


    "Mm," Julie hummed. "What did Ms. Dante tell?"


    At the same time, Roman''s fingers around Julie''s waist had slipped from the bottom hem of her shirt and felt the softness of her skin. Julie closed her eyes, and her lips parted, feeling his fingers softly brush against her skin.


    "I had to run errands. You don''t have to wait for me, get to sleep when I am not here. Okay?" said Roman, and Julie nodded her head.


    "Okay," she whispered.


    Roman''s fingers drew random lines around Julie''s waist before moving to the front and ying near her stomach. He felt her stomach dip at his touch, and like a moth attracted to a me, the tips of his fingers continued trailed her skin, and a soft gasp escaped from her lips when Roman''s fingers moved slightly downwards.


    "Rome," whispered Julie, and Roman hummed in response. Her toes curled and she felt her heartbeat hitch.


    "Mm."


    "Your hands are cold," said Julie and ticklish, she thought in her mind. "How long were you outside?" Roman stopped his yful touch, and he pulled his hand away from her skin and ced it back on her waist, this time with his hand on her shirt that separated from his hand, feeling her skin directly.


    "Probably more than seven hours," he replied to her, moving closer to her and cing his chin on the top of her head to rest.


    "That''s a lot of hours. Seven? What time is it now?" she asked him, a little confused.


    "It is nearly six in the morning. That''s why I told you to go back to sleep, you don''t have sses to attend today, and you can sleep some more," replied Roman, and a yawn escaped from Julie''s mouth.


    Julie closed her eyes but was too aware of his presence in the bed to fall asleep now. She asked him, "Why were you outside for so long?" She untucked herself from Roman, taking a look at him.


    "I had work, had to find some things. I didn''t finish all of it, which is why I have to goter. Let me get some sleep with you," saying this, Roman leaned forward and pressed his lips on her forehead.


    His lips felt nice, even though they were as cold as the weather outside the dorm. But it didn''t make her shiver. "It''s warm now," murmured Julie under her breath.


    "I am d to hear that," hummed Roman, a faint smile on his lips as they fell asleep next to each other.


    Hours passed, and when Julie finally woke up, she saw Roman sleeping beside her. With him here, everything felt like a continuous dream. To think that the brooding bad boy was sleeping soundly in her bed, with the absence of a frown or re in his eyes.


    Carefully getting out of the bed while making sure not to wake him up, she heard a knock at the door of her room. Quickly opening it, Julie peeked her head out and saw Mnie, who looked at her suspiciously. Before Mnie could speak, Julie whispered,


    "Give me five minutes, I will be there," and she closed the door.


    Turning back, Julie looked at Roman, who was fast asleep. Not having the heart to wake him up, she wore her jeans and her sweater on top of her shirt. Picking up her book, she wrote something in it and tore the page as quietly as possible. Folding it, she ced it at the window.


    Julie leaned towards Roman,? staring at his handsome face, and a smile appeared on her lips. She bit her bottom lip. Was it alright to kiss him because she hadn''t mustered the courage to initiate the action when he was wide awake.


    Leaning in closer, she quickly stole a kiss from Roman. Before he would wake up, she quickly hurried out of the room and closed the door behind her.


    When the door shut, Roman opened his eyes.


    For a few seconds, he didn''t move and stared at the ceiling before shifting his gaze at the door that was closed as softly as it could be done. He had been awake for quite some time, admiring the human in the bed before closing his eyes when he picked up the change in her heartbeat.


    His hand reached his lips, touching it. It seemed like the troublemaker wasn''t as shy as she appeared to be. She liked to do things when she thought nobody was looking at her.


    Sitting up on the bed, his gaze fell on the letter that Julie had left for him. Picking it up, he read¡ª


    ''I am going to the lunchroom with Mel for breakfast. I will get back soon. I have only one key, but I think it should be okay as you somehow know how to unlock things. See you soon.


    Julie''


    Folding the letter, Roman slipped it in his jeans pocket, and after writing a reply to Julie, he pushed open the window and jumped out of the dorm.


    Instead of going to his dorm, he went to the ce where his phone picked up thework and he called a person. When the person on the other end picked up the phone, Roman inquired,


    "Did you find anything?"


    The person on the other end said, "Everything looked very normal and clean. Husband and wife both worked, and they seemed to have a lovely family. But digging deeper, I found it''s just a farce like many other things. The gun that was used to shoot his wife, it seemed normal but on closer inspection, the bullet wasn''t. It was made out of silver."


    "Hunter," Roman''s eyes narrowed.


    "Yeah, the man is tied up with Hunter. I am still trying to track him on where he is. I don''t think he''s used his cards and is using someone else''s help," said the person on the other end.


    "Thanks for the information. I will call you upter," said Roman before ending the call.


    Back in the Blue Block building, Julie made her way towards it even though there were no sses today.


    "They treat students as if they are kids. What are we fifteen?" muttered Julie under her breath as she dragged her feet towards the detention room. A sigh escaped from her lips and she told herself, it would be only for a few hours.


    When she entered the detention room, some of the students had already entered and taken their seat behind the desks. Ms. Piper weed her, "Well well well, looks like you are turning into a frequent visitor in this room." Julie gave an awkward smile. "Take a seat," said the woman.


    There was only two seats in here, one near Porcupine, who was as frequent as her in getting into detention. And the next one being in front of Caleb.

 Chapter 85 - Veteris Fall Annual

    <h4>Chapter 85 - Veteris Fall Annual</h4>


    Note- Chapter under edit


    .


    Caleb sat on the stairs of the boy''s Dormitorium, ying with a stick by hitting it on the wall and watching the ends of it turn into small pieces and fall on the ground. A loud yawn escaped from his mouth, still sleepy since he had barely sleptst night. While he was waiting for his other friends toe and join him, he noticed the senioring from the opposite direction.


    Caleb took a quick look at his watch, wondering where Roman had been until now. Since the day he had fallen from the tree, caught by Roman, he felt like he had stepped on the bad luck. The bruise on his face hadn''t disappeared.


    Before the senior vampire''s eyes met his, Caleb turned his head in the other direction as if he was busy staring at the wall. When his eyes briefly shifted to look at Roman, Caleb noticed being watched, and he decided it was better to leave this ce than wait for something to happen again.


    Getting up quickly, he turned his back at Roman, ready to walk inside the Dormitorium, when Roman called him,


    "You there."


    Caleb cursed under his breath, and he slowly turned around to meet Roman''s eyes. Before he would be questioned, "I didn''t hear anything about her. Nobody spoke anything remotely close to what she is. All they speak about is how you have picked up a human as your girlfriend. They think it is pathetic and you picked a human because of how weak you are¡ª"


    Noticing Roman red at him as if he was an idiot, Caleb immediately stopped speaking. Caleb wanted to punch the senior, but he knew his action would only warrant another ckeye.


    "Do you have any detention today?" questioned Roman, and Caleb shook his head. A smile appeared on his face.


    "Today is that one day where I have been saved from going to that horrible detention with Ms. Piper. I am as free as a bird," replied Caleb with a continuous smile on his face.


    Roman frowned, and then with a straight face, he said, "Change your time table for the day. I want you to attend the detention today."


    "Huh?" responded Caleb, his brain processing Roman''s words slowly. "Why would I do that? If you want to get into detention, go ahead with it."


    "Winters is attending this morning''s detention. I have work to attend to, and won''t be here in Veteris. I need someone to keep an eye on her during the detention. Who else to choose if not the free bird," deadpanned Roman and Caleb sarcasticallyughed.


    "Tough choice there, Moltenore, but no thanks, nobody likes to willingly get into detention¡ª"


    "I am sure Borrell would be very interested in knowing about what you did four nights ago. That you chipped and damaged one of the gravestones, leaving it broken," Roman slipped his hands in his jeans pocket.


    Caleb gritted his teeth, not knowing how Roman had found out about it. He had been sure that there was no one there that night. Borrell wouldn''t just send him to detention. The man would send him to Hell if he woulde to know about it.


    "The detention starts soon, so hurry up," stated Roman and started to walk towards the entrance of the Dormitorium.


    If Caleb could, he would have jumped into a well and drowned himself instead of turning into a babysitter for the girl, whom he had nned to hit on. But the current situation was such that, even if he attempted to drown himself, Roman would drag him at the end of the second while making sure to let him know how it felt to drown.


    Quickly making his way to the Blue Block where the detention room was, Caleb entered the room and took a seat at the backside of the room. He watched the students enter the room, and when one of them came to upy the front seat in front of him, he quickly shooed the person.


    "Go find some other seat," Caleb shooed the Sophomore year student, who red at him, and he red back at him.


    Ms. Piper, who noticed this happen twice, questioned him, "What are you doing there, Caleb?"


    And finally, the human entered the detention room. She looked around the room with dread, and then her eyes fell on him. He wondered what kind of creature Julie was because he had never heard about any humans holding vision abilities.


    On the other hand, Julie found herself being red at by not just one person but two people in the room.


    "Ah ha, another regr student in this room, Ms. Winters. Do you enjoy it that much here?" came Ms. Piper''s sarcastic remark.


    "Could you spare me this time, Ms. Piper?" Julie tried to take a chance to escape from the detention and not knowing what the woman had on her mind.


    "Tough luck with that, take your seat," said Ms. Piper, taking a look at the names of the students on the sheet.


    Well, it was worth a try, thought Julie in her mind, while making her way to the seat in front of Caleb.


    As Julie took a seat at the desk, she heard Ms. Piper say, "The first and second row of students pair up into one team, then next two rows into second, and the fifth and sixth row as the third team. You will find buckets and mops waiting for you in the hallways of the building that is in the back of the campus, which needs cleaning."


    Wasn''t that the same building where the horror house was going to be set up? Asked Julie in her mind.


    Ms. Piper said, "There''s a lot of dirt that needs to be cleaned."


    "This is utter rubbish, when there are helpers to clea-"


    "You are the one who is¡­ speaking rubbish," Ms. Piper shut the boy up, who had begun toin. "Do you think I care if people are avable or not? When I say you are going to mop the floor, you are going to do it without anyints. Now get yourself out of those chairs and start walking there."


    Julie stepped out of the room along with the other students, and the sound of the chairs and desks moving could be heard. The students headed to the back of the Veteris campus, towards the isted building, prepared for the Annual day.


    When Julie reached nearer to the ce, she noticed how it looked more like a manor than a mansion. It was huge, looking a little more isted than the rest of them with less nted around it.


    "Ms. Piper," Julie addressed the woman, who had apanied the students to supervise them.


    "Yes, Ms. Winters," replied Ms. Piper, turning to look at Julie.


    "Why is this building farther away from the rest of the other buildings?" questioned Julie, her eyes curiously looking at the manor that was made out of bricks and woods, giving its appearance an antiquey touch.


    "This manor was once used to be a social ce, holding many celebratory asions. A ce where families woulde to gather," replied Ms. Piper as they walked. "Once the town came under Veteris, this manor came under the other buildings too and the entire ce waster turned into an educational institution. It was decided to keep things in there as it was, without modifying it. We only use it during the Fall Annual day," she offered a smile to Julie.


    Another boy, who was a human, asked, "I thought there was some sort of murder that took ce in here, which is why it''s closed."


    Ms. Piper and some of the students turned to look at the boy. She asked, "Where did you hear that?"


    Julie sensed the change in the atmosphere, the people around her holding a look of wariness on their faces.


    "It must be in one of the old files of news that I came across on the inte," replied the boy. "If I remember it right, it said it was a massacre that took ce here one evening."


    "You must have mistaken it for another manor''s news. Nothing ever happened in here like that," stated Ms. Piper, staring at him. The pupil of her eyes widened, and the boy, after a second, nodded his head, who had been next to Ms. Piper.


    "You must be right. I must have mistaken it for something else," agreed the boy.


    "That''s what I was saying," smiled Ms. Piper. She then said, "First team, go to the left wing and the next team to the right wing, and then the third team move to the above floor. The sooner you finish, the faster you will be finishing your detention."


    Picking up the bucket and mop, Julie climbed the stairs with the other students who had been grouped. Once she filled the water, she dipped the mop and mop the floor with the other students.


    After she finished cleaning one side of the corridor with another girl, Julie entered one of the rooms where the door had been left slightly ajar. The furniture looked still new as if time had stood still. The room had a king-sized bed, cupboards built on two sides of the wall and a dressing table with arge oval mirror fixed in it.


    The room looked nothing less to a picture in a magazine about homes representing a century-old design.


    Julie walked near the dressing table and pulled the empty drawer. Her eyes fell on the surface of the drawer, which had patches of ck colour on the brown wood. When Julie grazed her fingers across the wood¡ª


    "AHH!!"


    She quickly pulled her hand away from the drawer and stared at the empty drawer with a startled look on her face. Turning around, she looked at the door of the room. She wondered if one of the students had screamed, but it felt like the person had screamed right next to her ear.


    Was it her vision?


    Her breathing turned slightlyboured, and she again went back to touch the ckened parts of the drawer. When her finger touched wood, she once again heard the scream.


    "AHHHH!!"


    The scream was shrill and spine chilling as if someone was in pain. Julie closed her eyes without pulling her hand away from the wood.


    Julie tried to concentrate. She felt a sudden breeze pass by where she sat. When she opened her eyes, she noticed the light in the room had changed to a golden glow from the candles in the chandelier. Looking outside the window, she saw it waspletely dark as if it was night now.


    Thankfully even though she was tired, she had not closed her eyes to make her believe that she was dreaming. But then this couldn''t be real either, thought Julie in her mind.


    When she was looking at the change in the decor, Julie heard someone gasp for air, and she looked down near her feet. Her eyes widened when she saw a woman in herte twenties on the floor, breathing herst few moments as the warm liquid spread near behind her body, with blood around the back of her head and neck.


    Julie sat down next to the woman, noticing the woman staring at the ceiling, "A-are you alright?" she asked the woman, but her words didn''t seem to reach the woman.


    The woman appeared in great pain, her eyebrows drawn in together, and her body went still. Hearing more screamsing from outside the room, Julie quickly left where she had been, moving towards the door and stepping out of the room.


    Compared to the brightness in the room, the corridor was darker as only a few candles had been lit here. She could hear themotion taking ce on the floor below, and the more she walked, the more dead bodies she came to find on the floor, which was either in the rooms that she passed by or in the corridor.


    Julie ran towards the end of the corridor, and when she reached there, someone called her "Julianne."


    Turning behind her, she was back in the present and light-filled around her.


    "I am going to the West wing from here with Hudson, Caleb said he woulde help you on this side. Okay?" said the girl, and Julie nodded her head.


    Julie looked back and forth, where the vision disappeared in front of her. Even though she tried to get it back, wanting to see what exactly happened, she couldn''t do it. Walking near the railings, Julie looked down at the students who were mopping and wiping the manor''s windows.


    "Julianne," came a rough voice. Julie turned and saw it was porcupine, who, like others, held a mop in his hand. "Follow me, Ms. Piper told me to take you with me to clean the attic."


    "Where did your friend go? Ask him to help you," stated Julie, not wanting to do anything with this person. He had already done enough damage, and she wasn''t an idiot to walk alone with him in this unfamiliar manor.


    "He''s busy with cleaning the North Wing," Mateo Jackson looked around them, noticing there was no student or the teacher on this floor. "I cannot do it alone."


    "Caleb is waiting in the other room, you can take his help," offered Julie. Noticing the evil glint in his eyes, she started to walk away from there. Before she could take five steps, the boy caught hold of her arm to stop her.


    "Haven''t you heard that you should listen to your seniors?" demanded Mateo, and Julie tried to pull her hand away from him.


    "I don''t think you are my senior in any way. Let go of my hand," Julie tried to take her hand back, but it only made the boy tighten his hand around her arm.


    "Don''t think I will let you off that easily for telling on me to your useless boyfriend," he red at her, his face turning into a scowl. "Thinking he will protect you. Why don''t I give you an option instead. Come to my side and I will make things easier on you. Leave him."


    Julie stared at the porcupine and said, "You must have banged your head on one of these walls to think I would even favour you for one second." Saying that, Julie hit the end of her mop against Porcupine''s head hard enough for him to loosen his hold, and she stepped away from him.


    "You''re going to regret it," warned Mateo, gritting his teeth because of the way the mop had hit right next to his eye.


    "Stay away from me, else I will scream and Ms. Piper won''t be too happy about it," Julie warned him back.


    "How will Ms. Piper know, if I throw you down from this railing and you die," the porcupine''s words held more than just a threat, and a wicked smile appeared on his lips. "No one will know that it was me, after all, idents can happen anytime."


    "I would like to see you try it," responded Julie, keeping her ground and trying not to be intimidated by his empty threat. She didn''t stay there and started to walk away.


    Mateo Jackson touched the side of his eyebrow, and when he brought his hand in front of his face, he noticed a spot of blood. He cursed her, "Bitch. Wait until the right timees," and he walked towards the attic.


    Julie returned to the room she had earlier been to.


    She walked towards the drawer and closed it. Looking at the floor that had been covered with the carpet, she bent down and started to roll it. As she suspected, there was a patch on the wooden flooring, which was darker than the rest of it. This was the ce where the body had been lying in her vision.


    Hearing footsteps approaching the door, Julie quickly started to unroll the carpet, and Caleb entered the room.


    "Ms. Piper didn''t tell us to clean the carpets, why are you cleaning it?" asked Caleb, making his way inside the room.


    "I thought I dropped something and was looking for it. Did you finish cleaning your share of the rooms?" asked Julie, standing up, she kicked the end of the carpet to smoothen it. "You don''t have to follow me around."


    "I wish I didn''t have to but Moltenore thinks otherwise. So I am just here doing my hourly check on you," said Caleb, keeping a good distance from her.


    Julie noticed how Caleb acted differentlypared to before when he kept hovering around her like a fly.


    "I am fine," she replied while picking up the mop that she had left to rest against the wall. When he continued to stare at her, she asked him, "You seem scared of me."


    "I am not scared," Caleb huffed, "I don''t want to get beaten by Moltenore. But I am curious"


    It was strange to think that even Caleb knew about it, "Do you belong to the same group¡­ the association that Roman is part of?" She didn''t know what else to call it if it was some sort of club or some gangster gang.


    "No," came the curt reply from the boy who was a junior to her. "Frankly, I would prefer to have not known or heard anything." His eyes narrowed, and then he asked, "Can you tell my future though? If I will be alive at this time of next year."


    Caleb walked to where she stood. He raised both hands for Julie to read his future. What kind of strange request was that? She asked herself.


    "I don''t have such power," responded Julie, pursing her lips.


    "Huh," responded Caleb, dropping his hands to his side. "So you aren''t that kind of Seer."


    "Seer?"


    "Yeah," replied Caleb. He went back to the door to take a look outside and said, "In the history of this world, there have been many kinds of seers. Some can see the future, some can about the past. Some say that they have powers that can bring bad luck to people."


    "How do you know about these things?" inquired Julie and Caleb shrugged his shoulders.


    "Word of mouth I guess. It is nice to hear some spooky stories and I just happened to hear it when I was young. Not many know about the Seer''s, and if some of them im to be one, they are mostly liars trying to make money and don''t know jack," exined Caleb.


    As Caleb hadn''t rted the Seers with witches, Julie assumed that he wasn''t aware of the Corvins or Willow Creek.


    "By the way, there was something I wanted to ask you about," said Julie and Caleb, looking at the human with a curious gaze. "Did something happen in this manor?"


    "I don''t know. Didn''t you hear when Ms. Piper said that nothing happened?" asked Caleb. As he was a morm and not a vampire, his information about Veteris was limited. "People like to make things to look spooky and hold a heavier value as it gives significance to a ce or things."


    "I see," replied Julie. So he didn''t know about it.


    It took more than three hours before they finished cleaning half of the ce and Ms. Piper finally dismissed them.


    Days were quick to move like pages of a book before the most exciting event of Veteris University finally arrived, that was the Fall Annual celebration.


    The management of Veteris had fixed speakers on every corner of the campus, where music sted from them. All the sses had been paused, and students were busy with the respective events they were taking part in.


    Almost half of the students were outside their dorms and the buildings, taking a look at the events and being part of it..


    Right now, Julie with the other students of Veteris had been ordered to gather near the football field, where a small stage had been arranged and Ms. Dante stood at the dais.


    "Wee to another year of Veteris'' Fall Annual celebration days," her voice was loud and clear, the look in her eyes holding utmost seriousness in them. "As most of you are already aware, Veteris University came into existence more than a century ago, and we aim to be the best university inparison to the other institutions that have beenpeting with us for years. Thanks to our dedication, the rules that you have been following, you have turned this ce more than we thought it would turn out to be. I would like to apud the teachers as well as the students for all your support and cooperation in upholding Veteris'' name."


    Everyone started to p for each other in praise. When the sound of ps lowered, Ms. Dante continued to speak, "Initium novum et concordia," she smiled at the students, "Keep in mind that the rules will stay in ce during these days of celebration. Enjoy yourselves these days," and she stepped away from it.


    Another speech was delivered by Mr. Borrell before Roman climbed on the dais and came to stand in front of the mic. Julie noted how he had changed his attire, where his leather jacket had been reced by a zer, his ck shirt had been changed into a formal crisp linen shirt, though he hadn''t bothered to button the top buttons.


    Julie couldn''t help but admire him. A soft smile appeared on her lips as she stared at him.


    He spoke about the events that were going to be held, while speaking how much progress Veteris had done in thest couple of years. Once the speech was over, everyone started to disperse away, heading to watch the most exciting events taking ce in Veteris today. Julie and her friends made their way back to check each and everything that was going on today.


    "You need to check out the food stall that we put up," said Mnie, pulling Julie and Conner along with Reese. After tasting some items, Mnie asked Julie, "I didn''t expect the crowd to have doubled this yearpared to ourst Fall annual. What are your ns now? Anything that caught your attention?"


    "I have rehearsals of the y with everyone," replied Julie while stuffing her mouth with the delicious food that the students prepared. "I will be back as soon as we are done with practice."


    "It''s okay, take your time. Conner and Reese said they would be here once they finish the arrangements for the disy of their sculpture.Let us go check it out once you are here," replied Mnie.


    Conner stopped Mnie, and he said, "Actually, Mel, Reese said she wanted to go and check one of her friend''s exhibitions."


    "You said you would help me here. If you would have told me earlier, I would have asked Reagan to stay," Mnie frowned, her lips pursed. Oh dear, thought Julie in her mind.


    "I am sorry about that. Reese said she forgot to tell me about it-"


    "And you decided I would be alright if you changed the n without informing me?" questioned Mnie, and before Conner could open his mouth, she said, "You know what? Go. And don''te back."


    Connerughed, "Come on, Mel. You don''t mean that," but Mnie turned away to speak to Julie.


    "I will see youter at the y rehearsal, Julie," and Mnie got herself busy.


    When Julie''s eyes met Conner''s eyes, she offered him a smile and left from there.


    The practice for the y went smoothly because of the number of times Ms. Piper had got them to act the scenes repeatedly until she was satisfied. Roman, who stood next to Julie with her back leaning against the wall, turned to look at her, whereas she stood enthralled, staring at the two students who were enacting their scenes.


    "Winters."


    "Hm?" Julie turned to look at him.


    "Walk with meter, after we are done with this thing," said Roman, bringing his hand up to run it along the length of her ponytail.


    "Can you wait a bit? I want to check if Mel needs my help," replied Julie, but Roman didn''t reply to it immediately.


    He took a second before he said, "You don''t have to worry about that. I know someone who might be interested in helping her," and one corner of his lips pulled up. He said, "I want to make the most of our time together."

 Chapter 86 - The Time Is Finally Here

    <h4>Chapter 86 - The Time Is Finally Here</h4>


    Roman watched Julie as if she was the only person in the entire room, and there was nothing there that could distract and divert his attention to something else. There was fascination in her eyes, a smile on her lips and her eyes fixed on the students who rehearsed at the centre of the stage.


    It was good to see the innocence in her was still intact, but the question was for how long it would be before it would shed away once reality woulde to appear in front of her.


    He had tried to spend most of his time with her, spending every possible minute with her as if it was thest. And the reason was that he knew things wouldn''t stay the same as it was now, once the Elders would wake up from their long rest.


    Julie felt Roman''s gaze on her from the side, and she turned to look at him. He didn''t look away even after being caught staring at her.


    "Is there something on my face?" Julie asked in doubt, raising her hand and tucking her hair behind her ear before touching her face.


    "No," replied Roman, the expression on his face passive but his eyes expressive enough to continue to watch her. Julie smiled at him before turning back to watch the rehearsals onest time before showcasing their y tomorrow evening.


    Feeling someone''s gaze on them from where they stood, Roman''s eyes snapped to look at the opposite side of the stage where some of the students stood. And out of them was Mateo Jackson, who stared at Julie, and as if feeling Roman''s gaze, Mateo''s eyes shifted to look at him with a threatening re.


    Julie had already informed him about the little exchange of words that had taken ce between Mateo and her. Mateo was the kind of person who didn''t try to mend his ways even after getting beaten by him. It made him wonder if Griffin was behind Mateo''s actions, trying to instigate a fight. Because Dante had sent out a notice to all the vampires that the ones trying to create trouble would not be spending their time in the detention room but directly in the dungeon.


    And Roman didn''t want to leave Julie by herself, especially when her ability was slowly showing up and when Dante was nning to awaken the Elders somewhere around the corner.


    Mateo brought his hand to his neck, moving it from one corner to another with a grin on his face as if to say he was going to die in a warning. In response, Roman brought his hand to his mouth to yawn and looked away, which irked Mateo.


    "Alright, Julianne and Roman," called Ms. Piper, who stood below the stage and right in the front with a mic in her hand. "It''s your turn next, step forward."


    Once Julie and Roman finished rehearsing their parts, Julie went to stand at the side because thest scene of the y was where As was marrying Eve.


    "Students who are responsible for the costumes, have you brought it to the backstage rooms?" questioned Ms. Piper.


    "Yes, Ms. Piper. All of them have already been kept in the racks. The essories have been ced in the room''s too," answered one of the students.


    "That''s good," Ms. Piper looked pleased, making sure she had got all the scenes covered during the rehearsal. "Eleanor, honey, you will need to be quick while changing your dresses as you need to change into the wedding gown at the end of the y. I need you to be quick in getting off and on the stage."


    "You don''t have to worry about that, Ms. Piper. I will be ready within a few minutes," Eleanor looked more than excited, happiness bubbling up in her whole body at the thought of what was going to happen tomorrow.


    Not only was she going to have a wedding with Roman on the stage, but she would also be seeing the embarrassing look on Julianne''s face. She wanted to humiliate the girl who had stolen the person whom she had eyed for so long.


    "Keenan, I need you to stop the music with a much subtle tone. It''s still not working for me," stated Ms. Piper with a frown on her face. "Change the music for thest two Act''s and I will be here to listen to it before tomorrow noon." The pianist nodded his head. "Alright, I will see you all tomorrow at this hour. Don''t bete as we need to start with the makeup and also have the props on the stage two hours before the y is showcased."


    "Yes," came the chorus replies from all the students who were around the stage.


    Roman said to his friends, "We''ll be going out, see you here at seven in the evening."


    "Yeah, Livi and I nned to see how Simon and Tori''s makeup is going on," replied Maximus with a grin and waved at them, "Have fun."


    Julie and Roman stepped down from the stage, making their way out of the closed theatre. While leaving the dorm this morning, Julie had left her sses and her sweater behind.


    Instead, she wore a honey yellow top with sleeves that stopped above her elbows with a bit of puff at the top of her arms. It had a V neckline, and she had tucked the shirt into her burgundy skirt that reached the length of her knees. The skirt had been adjusted to fit around her waist, making it look petite. The only thing that didn''t change in her attire was thefortable canvas shoes she found hard to let go of.


    Her eyes moved to look at Roman, the bad boy who had discarded his zer. Even with the formal and crisp white shirt, his demeanour didn''t change, and he still looked like a delinquent. He had rolled his sleeves up to his forearms, letting people see his inked tattoos on one of his hands, and from his ripped jeans, everything stayed the same.


    They made their way to where Mel''s food stall was, and Julie caught sight of her friend, who was in thepany of three young-looking boys helping her out. Some of the students hade to eat near the stall, and on seeing Julie and Roman, Mel smiled.


    When Roman had mentioned the help, Julie somewhere doubted that Roman meant it was Simon. But now it made sense why it wasn''t Simon as he had his theatre y in a few hours.


    Julie turned to Roman and asked, "When did you tell them toe help Mel?"


    "I spoke to some of the freshman students, telling them they could get more points for their year-end progress if they would volunteer to help in the stalls," exined Roman, his eyes moved to look at the boys who offered a bow to him, and he gave them a nod. "Some of the students are short of help and every year to make sure the Annual celebration is sessful, some of us make sure to let the freshman year students know what to do to improve their grades in the student ranks."


    Julie nodded her head, "That''s a good way to get help."


    Mnie asked Roman, "Would you like to have a tter of crispers?"


    "I am fine," responded Roman, something Julie had already expected what his answer would be.


    Mnie then said to Julie, "I heard there''s a picture booth that has been set up near the library. You should go there."


    "What time do you close the stall?" inquired Julie, not wanting her friend to be left by herself.


    "Probably by four or five. Don''t worry about me," Mnie offered Julie a bright smile. "I will be busy with people whoe to taste the door and it will keep me upied. Go on, have your couple time," she shooed them away.


    "Where do you want to go first?" while walking, Roman asked Julie, looking at the crowd and running his hand through his hair which had turned messy since he had stepped down from the dais.


    "How about the art exhibition? It''s supposed to be a gallery. Conner said they are disying historical things that once belonged to this ce before turning into what it has be now," proposed Julie, and Roman gave her a nod.


    Making their way near one of the buildings, both of them stepped inside and saw some of the students hovering around the paintings or objects that were a century old. Roman''s hands slipped into his jeans pocket, walking next to Julie. They walked past the paintings one by one that were brought out for disy during the annual celebration and were taken back into the cers, which would be locked away.


    The crowd was less here, as this was repeated every year, and only the freshman year students came to take a look at it.


    Years ago, today was the day when the town where many families had been killed. To think that Veteris had picked this day to celebrate, he tched in his mind.? It was the day a lot of them had lost family and had mourned. His face turned serious at the memory of the past.


    ''Initium novum et concordia'', good luck with that, Roman dryly thought in his mind.


    "These paintings are so beautiful," Julie admired, standing in front of one of the many paintings, and Roman came to stand next to her.


    It was a painting of a family. Looking at it, Roman exined, "The Getrude family were renowned for their trade in textiles. Mrs. Getrude was a dressmaker. A shop for wealthy women, who belonged to high families from this town went to get their dresses stitched. It was said that she used fine fments, thread of gold and silver in the dresses that glittered under light."


    "Did the people preserve any dresses from her?" asked Julie, as Roman seemed to be quite familiar with the artefacts.


    "Unfortunately no," replied Roman.


    When they moved to the next painting, Julie''s eyes widened when she saw the painting of a woman she had seen.


    "This is the woman I saw in my vision," Julie whispered and took a step closer to the painting. The woman wore a pearl ne around her neck, short curly hair, and chin up while sitting on a chair.


    Roman''s expression didn''t change, knowing soon Julie would see more than glimpses of the events that had taken ce in this town. An incident that had been hidden from the world except for the vampires. "This is Lady Lauretta. The manor you visited, it once belonged to her father," he responded to her question.


    Lady Lauretta, Julie whispered the name, noting the woman''s name at the corner of the painting.


    Last week after returning from detention, that night, when Julie met Roman, she had let him know what she had seen. The memory of the past had been disturbing, where she wished she could help the woman, but Julie was a person from the present and not from the past.


    Their conversation a week ago had gone with Julie saying,


    ''It was like a sea of bodies in the corridor, and people screaming in pain. Blood marring on the walls and the floor. An execution must have taken ce. I feel like I keep seeing things I am not supposed to see. Caleb said I might be a Seer?''


    ''Caleb knows only bits and he doesn''t know about Willow Creek,'' said Roman, ''Seer predicts the future, not the past. Though like I said, witches used to have different abilities, but both aren''t the same.''


    ''One of the students mentioned that he read online that people were murdered. But Ms. Piper denied it. We should google and see what can be found,'' Julie had proposed to him.


    At that time, Julie had been too engrossed in exining her vision to Roman that she had failed to notice that he had quietly listened to her without giving much input.


    Right now, if Julie did google about the murder that had taken ce here, she would not be able to trace it, thought Roman. Thest pieces of information would have been erased on Dante''s word after Ms. Piper ryed the news.


    In the exhibition gallery, Julie murmured, "How eerie, to think that they have nned to put up a horror house in the ce where many people have been killed," giving another look at the painting, she walked forward with Roman.


    "Isn''t that the fun part,"mented Roman. His eyes fell on Julie, who turned to meet his eyes. "To maybe live through something close that possibly might have happened?"


    Julie saw the crooked smile on Roman''s lips, and she shook her head, "That''s very creepy and somewhat weird."


    "What isn''t weird, Winters. The world is filled with oddity, which we slowlye to ept," stated Roman, pulling out the chewing gum. Unwrapping it, he put it in his mouth.


    They walked around the ce, looking at the other things that were on disy. The gallery had paintings, dresses belonging to some men and women of the past, and eye-catching jewellery with precious stones.


    While Julie was admiring the clothes, Roman came to stand in front of another family painting. Even though many years had passed, and the paint on the canvas had dulled down, the memory of the people in there continued to stay in the back of his mind.


    He must have been around twelve in the painting.


    "Who is that?" asked Julie, who had returned to Roman''s side. She didn''t find a name in the painting.


    "Lord Malcolm with his wife Lady Petronille and his two sons. And the family butler," Roman''s eyes were fixed on the picture.


    "It''s so good to see some of the family paintings here. I got to see Maximus'' great great grandfather. It looks like the people in this painting were important people," she said, looking at the painting. They had a poised appearance, letting one know that they belonged to the higher society.


    "They were," replied Roman, and noticing Julie wait for him to exin, as he had done to the rest of them, he raised his hand and lightly flicked on her forehead. "Do you think I personally know every person in the paintings? If you have had your fill with the gallery, let''s step out from here."


    Julie nodded her head with a smile, "Is there something you want to check out?"


    "I think there''s one ce that did catch my attention," Roman''s fingers entwined with Julie''s hand, and he tugged her away from the things that belonged to his past.


    When they came to the ce where Roman wanted to check, Julie noticed a picture booth with a small line in front of it. This was what Mnie had earlier mentioned.


    Now that Julie thought about it since she had arrived in Veteris, she hadn''t taken a single picture of her or anything. Not that she had anyone to share it with. It might have also been because of theck ofwork, making one not use the device.


    "You want to take pictures,"mented Julie.


    "I did tell I want to make the most of my time with you," Roman''s words made Julie question if there was more than what he uttered. Was it because he wouldn''t be here next year? The thought made her sad. "I would have taken it from my cell phone, but I prefer the physical print than the digital one."


    "The traditional way," responded Julie, and before they could join the line, she ced her hand on his hand. "Will youe to attend the annual celebration next year?"


    Roman stared at Julie, noticing the little cloud of worry in her brown eyes, "Spare a spot for me next to you, for the theatre y next year."


    "I will," replied Julie.


    When it was their turn, Roman and Julie stepped into the booth, where two sides were covered with a ck curtain.


    "Where do I stand?" asked Julie, not knowing where or what to do. The ce was cramped, and she doubted more than three would fit in the booth. "I think taking pictures on the phone and printing is much easier. I should have checked the mirror," her hand reached to smoothen her fringes.


    "It looks fine," responded Roman standing behind her. When he went to help by pushing her fringe to the side, they heard the clicking of the camera sound go off. "What kind of picture booth goes off without people being ready?" he red at the lens.


    They heard another sound, and Julie, noticing Roman frowning,ughed, "I think it''s an automatic one. Wai-"


    One more sound of the camera was heard, and Julie realized they would have funny pictures to look at. Roman cursed under his breath. Before they would finish their turn, he put his hands around her waist and pulled her closer to him while resting his chin on one side of her shoulder.


    Julie felt smallpared to Roman, with the way he wrapped her in his arms as if shielding and hiding her away from the world. Her cheeks couldn''t help but burn while a smile appeared on her lips.


    Wondering if he was smiling, Julie turned to look at him, and he met her gaze.


    The faint smile on Roman''s lips lowered down, and he moved closer to her, and her heart skipped a beat. At the same moment, the camera clicked again. Roman didn''t kiss her as if making her yearn and anticipate for it.


    Julie looked slightly perplexed. But with his eyes still on her, he pulled away from her and said, "Let us see how the pictures havee."


    What was that? Julie asked herself.


    Stepping out of the picture booth, Roman gave the money to the person handling the booth. Taking the strips of photos, Roman took a look at it and asked her, "Do you want a copy of it?"


    Julie nodded, and once they received the copy, they made more rounds around the campus. When the time was nearing the drama directed by the counsellor, Mr. Evans, they made their way back to the closed theatre to take their seats to avoid sitting at the back. Both Roman and Julie''s friends joined to sit with them, to cheer the two friends who were taking part in the y.


    The lights of this ce were beautiful, and so were the seats, as if it was built way back in time.


    Almost every student hade to watch the y along with the teacher and the headmistress. A buzz filled around the ce, and seeing therge crowd, Julie slightly started to feel dizzy at the thought that they would have the same crowd tomorrow.


    Soon the lights dimmed down, and the students who sat in front of the stage with different musical instruments slowly started to y the music. Everyone stopped speaking, leaving the ce quiet so that others could hear every tone of music yed.


    The curtains soon drew away from each other, where Simon stood with another man. From what Julie had heard at the table in the lunchroom, Simon yed the role of an obsessed King while Victoria was ying the female lead''s sister.


    Maximus, who sat on the other side of Roman,mented, "I don''t think Simon had to put much effort into the acting. He fits the role perfectly."


    "Probably that is why Evans thought he should y the role," Olivia''s voice was low so that it wouldn''t disturb the audience around them.


    On Julie''s left side,? Mnie and her friends sat. Mnie was still upset with Conner and had barely spoken a word or two with him.


    Ten minutes into the y, Julie watched the costumes each person wore and the dialogues they uttered, following the story with interest.


    The girl, who was supposed to be the love interest of the King, said, "I got a ride."


    Simon stared at her, "From the castle? Did you charm one of the servants here to help you leave? Who was it?"


    The girl looked genuinely scared and said, "Your aunt was passing by in the carriage-"


    "How kind of her," Simon walked around the girl, saying, "They dropped you in the middle of the road," and he chuckled.


    Julie wondered if she would be able to enact so realistically like them. She hoped she would. After all, she had decided to y it to show everyone that she could do it.


    Simon, who had walked behind the girl, said, "What a silly girl you are. How does it feel to be back in the castle?"


    The girl then said, "I am not used to being alone. I want to go home."


    "You have me," Simon then looked to one side of the stage, as if looking at someone and said, "Get her things shifted to my room."


    "No!" the girl''s voice echoed, where the lightly yed music in the background paused, leaving the entire theatre quiet.


    Simon tilted his head, "You said you were feeling lonely."


    By the end of the y, everyone pped for the students who had taken part in the y. Even the counsellor of Veteris had stepped on the stage, bowing his head, as everyone apuded for the y''s sess.


    Later the same day, at midnight, when the students had gone back to their Dormitoriums, and the campus had turned quiet, three people stood in the room.


    Ms. Dante, the headmistress of Veteris, stood with her arms crossed against her chest. Along with her was Mr. Borrell, who now stood looking at a chart with a circr design that had writings in an unknownnguage. The counsellor had joined them, standing next to Mr. Borrell vampire, while looking at the chart.


    "Day after tomorrow. That''s the right time, the moon will reach its highest peak," stated Mr. Borrell, looking up from the white chart to meet Ms. Dante''s eyes.


    "And what if there are clouds hovering in the sky? Wait for next month?" questioned Mr. Evans.


    "The weather is clear, I checked it before picking the time," replied Mr. Borrell and then said, "We have made all the arrangements. The blood has been collected and preserved, it is on standby if we fall short of it."


    Ms. Dante unlocked her arms, taking a step closer to the table and said, "Then it is decided. We''ll start the procedure of awakening the day after tomorrow. What time did you say?"


    "Around seven. Everything is nned to start at seven. It is the time when the match starts," remarked Mr. Evans, the smile on his lips widening. "It is finally time."

 Chapter 87 - Preparation Before The Stage Time

    <h4>Chapter 87 - Preparation Before The Stage Time</h4>


    The following morning was the second day of the Annual Celebration of Veteris and the day held the same amount of excitement as the first day, or maybe more. When the clock struck nine in the morning, the speakers turned on, either to make announcements or for the music to be yed to keep up the mood of the celebration.


    Julie was in her dorm, drying her hair after a head bath.


    It would be a lie if she said that she wasn''t nervous about this evening. All these days she had performed the rehearsal in front of a small number of students who were part of the y. But after seeing the number of people in the theatre of the university yesterday, she wondered if she would be able to y her part without stuttering.


    In the back of her mind, a memory was attached to the stage, when she was studying in her previous university and not in Veteris. Her thoughts drifted to the past¡­


    Some of the students stood at the stage, rehearsing, and Julie was carrying the boxes in her arms, by helping the drama club. When she heard the teacher question, who was directing the y,


    ''Where is the pole that is supposed to be here? Julianne?!''


    Julie stopped walking and came forward, ''I ced it here a while ago,'' she looked at the stage.


    ''Where did it go then? I gave you the responsibility for it, why aren''t you taking care of it?'' asked the teacher. She turned to look at the other students and asked, ''Did anyone see the pole?''


    ''I don''t think the pole was even brought here, Mr. Webston. I have been here the entire time,'' informed one of the students.


    Hearing this, Julie frowned, ''You are lying. I ced it right in front of you.''


    ''And why would I lie?'' asked the student, looking offended by her words. ''You must be trying to spoil the y because we got the chance to act in the y while you are here picking up things,'' saying this, the boy shrugged his shoulders.


    ''I heard she wanted to y the role, saying she felt it was unfair that she didn''t get it,'' said another student, who was her ex-best friend''s friend now. ''Mr. Webston, Julianne must have hid it somewhere to spoil the y.''


    Julianne clenched her hands, turning to look at the teacher, she said, ''I would never do anything like that Mr. Webston. These people are lying. Please give me some time and I will go take a look at where the pole is.''


    The teacher held a grim expression on his face, and Julie quickly went in search of the pole, but after fifteen minutes, she didn''t find it. She returned back to the stage and said, ''I don''t know where it went. I will try to get another pole ready as quickly as I can.''


    ''We all know what you did. Why are you lying, Jules?'' questioned Natalie, walking forward. She turned to look at the teacher, ''Mr. Webston, if Julianne wants to take part in the y, I think we should give her a chance, don''t you think so?'' She offered a polite and sweet smile.


    ''Mr. Webston, I do not want any role in it. If I wanted to take part in it, I would have¡ª''


    ''That''s enough, Ms. Winters,'' Julie''s words were cut short by the teacher who had an unimpressed look on his face. ''This is not the first time you have been unable to coordinate with the whole team of students. You keep causing trouble. Somebody give her the script.''


    ''But I don''t want to act,'' Julie voiced her thoughts.


    ''I don''t care anymore. This is your second chance, and if you don''t do it properly I will make sure to let it reflect in your final grade of your behaviour,'' stated the teacher, folding his hands across his chest. ''Give Ms. Winters the script.''


    Julie didn''t know for what she was being punished when it wasn''t her fault. Couldn''t the teacher see that she was being bullied by the other students, making her stand all alone with not a single support? With the way the teacher looked at her, she wondered if he supported the bullies, not knowing her side of the story.


    Julie was then made to stand at the centre of the little stage, with a sheet given to her. The other students tried to hide theirughter and giggles.


    Her one hand clenched, while the other clenched the sheet of paper. Looking down, she read through the lines. But before she read the dialogues, one of the studentsmented,


    ''I don''t think anyone wille to watch the y if she stars in it. Did you look at her?''


    ''She shouldn''t have evene to help backstage with her ipetence.''


    ''She''s probably thinking of stealing Natalie''s spot, but she should know better than that,''mented another student. ''I can''t believe that they were once friends. It''s good that Natalie stopped being her friend. Did she even look at herself in the mirror?''


    Julie hadn''t been able to concentrate on the lines because of the continuousments and remarks thrown at her.


    Natalie then said, ''Like Mr. Webston decided, you aren''t fit just for a role to y, but you aren''t good for anything."


    ''Someone else will handle the work that was given to Ms. Winters. You don''t have to help around here anymore,'' stated Mr. Webston, who then ordered, ''Let''s continue with the rehearsal and get some others to get the pole ready as quickly as possible.''


    Julie didn''t know what happened, and why she was asked to step out where she wouldn''t get any extra credits. Before leaving from there, her eyes met Natalie''s eyes, who stared at her.


    ''I know you did it,'' said Julie.


    Natalie softly smirked at Julie''s words, stepping forward and towering an inch above her. She said, ''You are not needed here anymore. Nobody wants you here, so run away and stay in the corner where nobody can ever see you.''


    Julie stared at Natalie and then asked, ''Why are you doing this? We were once friends and I never did anything bad to you.''


    Natalieughed at her words, ''Are you sure you can say that? The worst thing is, you did everything without knowing and it has caused me so much pain. I am taking everything away from you.''


    Julie nodded her head, ''Take it. I don''t need it anyways,'' and she walked away from there.


    Julie''s thoughts broke away from the past, and she returned to the dorm. She took a deep breath before exhaling the air through her lips.


    Thankfully things were different now. Thanks to Conner and Mnie''s help, she had practised many times before getting on the rehearsal stage, making it seem as if she was able to act. But her friends weren''t the only ones who helped her.


    Roman had encouraged her with his actions, trying to get the best out of her and be at par with him. She had tried to use the negativements to improve herself, be better than thest time, and prove them wrong.


    "Everything is going to be great today," Julie assured herself, looking at the mirror. If her mother was still alive, she would have loved for her toe and see her on the stage.


    Picking up the notebook from the table, she wrote a note to Roman if he were toe by the dormter as she hadn''t seen him this morning and it was noon now¡ª


    ''I am going to the theatre after lunch. Maybe not immediately, but after looking at some of the stalls with Mel and Conner. Ms. Piper said the makeup and costumes for the girls would be done sooner than the boys. See you thereter.''


    Tearing out the page, she folded and ced it near the window. This morning when she had woken up, Roman had dropped a letter to her, letting her know that he had somewhere to be and would meet herter.


    Julie picked up the photo strips that they had received yesterday from the photo booth. There were four pictures, and each one of them was uniquepared to the other one. A smile appeared on her lips. Staring at thest one, where both looked at each other, she wondered why Roman had not kissed her.


    Last night, after watching the y in the theatre, Roman and Julie had gone their separate ways with their friends. It made her wonder if she had done something he disapproved of, as he hadn''t said much to her. But she couldn''t recollect anything that stuck out from the usual.


    After having her meal and spending some time with her friends, Julie made her way to the building, where the theatre had been built many years ago when Veteris was still a town. It was fascinating to see that they hadn''t modified too many things and had instead preserved it the way it had been.


    Entering the theatre, Julie walked down the stairs. The only lights inside the theatre that had been turned on were at the stage, leaving the area of the red seats to be dark and empty. Julie heard the students'' voices that came from behind the curtain, letting her know that everyone in there was busy getting the stage ready for the evening''s show.


    Making her way behind the curtains, Julie saw the students at work.


    "Looks like our female lead for the y is here,"mented one of the students, and for a moment, Julie was sure the nextment was going to be negative, as the students who were picked were delinquents. But the guy then asked, "Are you ready for this evening''s y?"


    Julie nodded her head, "Yes, I am," a small and awkward smile formed on her lips.


    "Make sure you get all the lines right. I have a bet that you will shine better than Eleanor. A ck horse," said the boy.


    The small smile on Julie''s lips broadened, and she said, "Thank you for that."


    After being kicked from his former role in the y, Caleb, who was part of the backstage prop department, said to her, "All the others are in the backstage rooms. Ms. Piper has already taken the girls to check the fitting of the clothes once again."


    "Thanks," said Julie.


    She reached the backrooms, which was where the makeup and costumes would be worn. There were four rooms, and it had been divided between the girls and the boys.


    Entering the room, she caught sight of Olivia and two more girls, who were being helped by the students in charge of the costumes. Ms. Piper, who stood in the room, said, "I need you to ssh some red patches of paint on the dresster. She needs to look as if she came after fighting the war."


    "Would you like me to paint it now, Ms. Piper?" asked one of the students.


    "Not now, but an hour before the y starts," said the teacher, who was directing the y. Julie noticed how everyone looked busy, walking back and forth to arrange things for the y. Noticing Julie at the entrance, Ms. Piper said, "It is good to see you here, dear. Did you eat?"


    "I did. Even brought some snacks if you want to have them," Julie raised her hand that held the bags in them.


    "What a sweetheart you are," appreciated Ms. Piper, then said, "We have only Aurora and the two others for help. The other girls are taking their damn sweet time. I clearly told them that I need them here on time. And did anyone see where Ms. Eleanor is? Hopefully not daydreaming somewhere," saying those words, the woman walked outside the room to see if she should get hold of the other female lead of her y.


    Julie walked inside the room, cing the snacks on the table. She came to stand in front of Olivia.


    "How are you doing, Julie?" inquired Olivia, her blue eyes trained on the human girl.


    "A little anxious. I have never done anything like this before, in front of so many people," confessed Julie. "How about you?"


    "The same," chuckled the blonde girl and said, "None of us ever took part in the y, so it''s the first time for us. It''s good though, one of the memories to hold on to when we graduate from here. But I will be here, as I have ns to apply for a position in the infirmary."


    "I am sure you will get it with ease, you already have experience by helping in the infirmary," responded Julie, and she wondered if Roman had any ns to work in a hospital. The most Roman had taken an interest in the infirmary was sending students after beating and breaking their bones, thought Julie to herself.


    Hearing the sounds of someone''s shoes clicking on the floor, the girls turned to look at the door and noticed Eleanor. She appeared to be excited with a wide smile on her lips.


    "I am sorry for making all of you wait for me," said Eleanor, taking her feathery coat off her body. "I got caught up while trying to rehearse again in my room and make sure I would deliver all my lines perfectly," and sheughed.


    Aurora, who was in charge of the costumes with some other students, stared at Eleanore before saying, "At the moment we are upied with the others, so take a seat and wait for your turn."


    Eleanor wanted to remark on this, but seeing Olivia staring at her, she smiled, "Of course, I will wait," and she sat down on the chair that was in front of the mirror. From the corner of her eyes, she looked at Julie and then looked forward at her reflection in the oval mirror. Eleanor said, "Aren''t I the luckiest one, to be going through a wedding on the stage and kissing too at the end of the y as the scene is of our wedding."


    Hearing Eleanor''s words, Julie pursed her lips because what Eleanor said right now was true.


    Roman wouldn''t be kissing just her but also Eleanor to make the wedding scene look perfect. She took the petty girl''s words with a grain of salt. While also knowing that more than her having to think about kissing, Roman was the one who was more annoyed with it.


    After twenty minutes, the other girls entered the room and started to help the students who would be on the stage tonight with their costumes.


    "How is it going?" questioned Ms. Piper, who returned to the room.


    "Eleanor''s dress needs one more line of stitch as she seems to have lost some weight," said the student, while showing the loose-fitting of the gown that Eleanor wore right now.


    "I didn''t want to put on weight and barely ate anything," remarked Eleanor, coyly pushing her hair behind her shoulder.


    "Well get to it then, there''s no time to wait," said Ms. Piper.


    On the other side of the room, Julie noticed the girl bringing her white and navy costume dress in a box ced a few days ago.


    "Let me go and get my tape," said the girl, handing the dress to Julie. Julie took out the dress from the bow and went behind the wooden divider to change her clothes. But when she was done wearing it, she felt air breezing near her thigh and knee.


    When Julie moved her hand on the bottom side of the skirt, she noticed it was torn. Her eyes went wide. When did the skirt tear?! The skirt of her dress didn''t have many frills to hide the tear in the fabric. Thest time she had worn it, it was in perfect condition.


    The girl returned with her tape, and her jaw went ck on seeing the cut, "W-what happened to the dress?!"


    Julie shook her head, "When I wore it, it was already like this. Did anyone check the gown again?"


    "No. We made sure to lock the room so that no one would enter," said the girl, who looked more worried than Julie. "Oh my God, we don''t have enough time to stitch another costume right now. Let me go and get the thread box and see if I can fix it."


    "What''s going on?" came the murmurs in the room, trying to look at where Julie stood with her back facing them. "Did something happen?"


    Ms. Piper, hearing themotion behind the wooden divider, made her way there and asked, "What''s the matter?"


    "Ms. Piper, the g-gown," said the girl. "It has been damaged."


    Ms. Piper walked around, bending, she took a look at the tear. A deep frown appeared on her face, "Did you all not check the gowns and the ornaments that are being used today?"


    "We did, Ms. Piper. I don''t know how this happened," said the girl, who turned her head to look at Julie, "She said that the gown was already in this state when she wore it."


    When some of the girls who were getting ready came to check it, Ms. Piper quickly shooed them away, "Get back to your ces while we try to get this one solved." She then said to the girl in charge of Julie''s costume, "See if you can fix it here. There''s still time."


    But when the girl took a closer look at the back of Julie''s dress, she ced her hand, and soon the fabric there tore.


    Julie had imagined the worst thing to be was to trip and fall on the stage. Never had she imagined that her costume would turn this way, where it was unsuitable to wear it on the stage.


    Her hands clenched, and she noticed Ms. Piper''s lips set in a thin line. "I cannot believe this is happening right now. Damn kids," she cursed under her breath.


    "What are we going to do, Ms. Piper? We don''t have a spare for Julie to wear," said the girl, twiddling her fingers.


    "Is it not possible to stitch it back?" asked Julie, "With the lights and the distance, I don''t think anyone will be able to notice it."


    Ms. Piper shook her head, taking a closer look at the dress and she said, "The gown was sabotaged in a way where if you wear it and walk in it for more than ten minutes, it might tear and fall apart on the stage. See if there''s any simr dress fromst year''s y, or of the year before that. Quick."


    Julie looked around the room, trying to see who might have done it, and her eyes fell on Eleanor, who was changing her clothes by giving the gown back to the girl that she would be wearing.


    Could it be her who had done it? Her eyes narrowed at Eleanor.


    "Once you are ready, I want you to move to the next room and sit there. The students assigned to you will be there to check on your clothes and your makeup," ordered Ms. Piper. Turning to Julie, she said, "Why don''t you change back and take a seat, dear. Mariot should be here soon to tell us if there''s gowns," she patted Julie''s back.


    If she didn''t have a costume to wear, the whole y would be ruined, her character was important to the y, thought Julie in her mind. Which would mean at any cost, she would have to manage by wearing the torn costume.


    Not knowing what else to do, Julie went to one of the girls who was getting dressed and asked, "Do you need any help?"


    "A helping hand! If you don''t mind, could you hold this piece of cloth in here," said the girl.


    Time was quick to pass, but Julie''s gown was still not in a wearable state, but Julie kept herself upied. One by one, the girls started to get ready with their makeup and hair done to represent the periodic drama. But not as old as what Mr. Evans'' y had showcased yesterday.


    Olivia was ready with her soldier''s uniform, where red paint had been sttered on the front part of her dark green dress. Eleanor was in her golden yellow gown, her ck hair curled and a ne that shone brighter than anything. She was the prettiest looking girl in the room, and she took in thepliments that were showered upon her.


    Girls who got ready were sent to the front room, while some had just started to get ready.


    "Winters!"


    Julie turned her eyes to the door, and noticed Roman standing there.


    Walking outside the room, she noticed Roman wore his costume but without a coat. His hair was a mess, as if they were yet to be styled. She asked him, "Why aren''t you in the room getting ready?"


    "I heard from Olivia that something happened with your costume," Roman had a frown on his face.


    "Mm, it turned into a modern dress because of the slits in the front of the skirt and then back," Julie smiled, feeling her heart skip a beat at the way he now looked. Roman Moltenore looked like someone from that high society, who could still ruin a girl in bed. She then said, "Ms. Piper and Mariot are trying to fix the dress as we speak."


    "You haven''t gotten ready nor is your dress ready," remarked Roman, and he caught her hand and said, "Come with me."


    They walked away from there and made their way towards another room at the back, walking to another side of the corridor, where Ms. Piper stood in front of the sewing machine with the girl, who sat behind the sewing machine. Upon hearing the footsteps, Ms. Piper turned to see who it was.


    Roman questioned, "How long is it going to take for the dress to be fixed?"


    "More than thirty minutes or an hour. Mariot is trying to fix it in a way so that it doesn''t tear again," a sigh escaped from Ms. Piper''s lips.


    "Why not find something else for her to wear?" Roman looked around the room.


    "We have only the ones from the seventeenth century. It won''t work well with the other outfits on the stage. It will stand out to be very odd," exined Ms. Piper, "I did consider picking the one''s from the gallery, but you know how all of them have already been locked since this post noon as the exhibition of it hase to an end to make space for the others."


    "Can I have a word with you at the side," said Roman, walking towards the wall with Ms. Piper. For a moment to Julie, it looked like Roman and Ms. Piper were of the same level and didn''t share a student-teacher rtionship.


    When Ms. Piper moved to the side, Roman questioned, "Are there any other dresses that you have ess to. What about your clothes? I doubt you have thrown them in the fire."


    Ms. Piper pursed her lips, and she then said, "I think there was one, but it''s in Laurette''s manor. I believe it has never been worn before," she turned to look at Julie, who was watching the dress being fixed. Looking at the watch on her wrist, she said, "We don''t have much time. I will go and bring it here."


    "I will get it," offered Roman, and the vampiress subtly raised her eyebrows. "Tell me where it is."


    "I ced it in the cer in a wooden trunk. It''s olive green in colour and you will probably find it in the corner. If you''re going, hurry. I need to alter the dress so that it fits her," said Ms. Piper.


    Roman spared a look at Julie, who stared back at him and saw him leave the room.


    "Mariot dear, wait for Roman. He will get the dress and you can then alter it to Julie''s size. And Julie," said Ms. Piper. Julie tore her eyes away from the door where Roman had disappeared, and heard the woman say,


    "As I am the only one who knows how the dress looks, let me help you with the makeup and hair."

 Chapter 88 - Cliffhanger On The Stage

    <h4>Chapter 88 - Cliffhanger On The Stage</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Unfaithful piano variation- Jan A.P. Kaczmarek


    ¡ª


    Julie sat in front of one of the chairs in front of the mirrors while Ms. Piper prepped her face before applying the makeup. The girls who were helping the other students go on the stage turned to look at them with curiosity.


    "Would you like me to work on Julianne''s makeup, Ms. Piper?" asked one of the girl''s who finished one girl''s makeup and hair.


    "That''s fine. The gown that she will be wearing is of a different colour than the previous one. I believe the boys need help, go and see if they are ready," stated Ms. Piper, pulling the makeup kit and spreading the different brushes and other makeup products. "Close the door on your way."


    "Yes, Ms. Piper," said the girl, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind her to avoid students who were walking back and forth outside the room, and wouldn''t peep inside.


    In the meantime, Julie was worried if Roman would bete. He wasn''tpletely ready, and the building that Ms. Piper said was far away from where the theatre was.


    "I should have checked the gowns yesterday," said Ms. Piper, "I never thought someone would pull a stunt like this on the gowns."


    "I am sorry about that," apologized Julie, even though it wasn''t her fault. Because it was only her dress that had been ruined while every other person''s costumes were in good condition. Someone didn''t want her ying her role on the stage today and wanted her to fail.


    "That''s fine, it isn''t your fault. I am hoping that Mariot will be able to finish altering the gown to your size as quickly as possible."


    Ms. Piper started applying foundation on Julie''s face.


    "Can I ask something, Ms. Piper?"


    "Go ahead."


    Julie, who sat still in her seat, asked, "The gown that Roman went to get, is it of the same time period?"


    The woman nodded her head, "Thankfully it is. Somewhere in thete eighteenth century. There aren''t many wearable gowns that have been stored in that time period. We can only hope that Roman finds the right dress and brings it to Mariot soon."


    Once Julie''s makeup was done, Ms. Piper started to work on her hair, turning her brown hair into something wavier. The first half of her hair had been tied in pins, and Ms. Piper made sure not to overdo the look, trying to keep it simple and elegant.


    After some time, they heard a knock on the door. "Come in," said Ms. Piper.


    It was Mariot who had brought the gown after altering it. She stepped inside the room while carefully holding the olive green gown in one hand.


    The gown looked differentpared to Eleanor''s, which was made to have manyyers and frills. It seemed like there were three parts to Julie''s gown now. One was the long chemise-like gown which was pastel crepe pink. The next one was an olive green gown, which she believed would be worn after the chemise. This was made out of chiffon, and it looked crumpled with thinyers. Lastly was a belt which was designed like a flowery-bird pattern.


    "Were you able to alter all the sides to Julianne''s size?" questioned Ms. Piper. Walking forward, she took hold of the dress and took a good look at it. "It''s good to see that it''s still in perfect condition. Get me the satin gloves."


    Mariot nodded her head, but before dashing out of the room, her eyes fell on Julie, who looked beautiful. She then quickly dashed out of the room.


    "This is a beautiful gown, I didn''t know they mixed the materials like this and design," murmured Julie while staring at the gown. "I wonder why they didn''t showcase it in the gallery."


    Hearing this, Ms. Piper smiled. It was because this gown was hers that she had specifically got it stitched years ago. But after what happened to the town, the little things people wanted to preserve had been locked andter forgotten. She said, "Get into the dress quickly. I will go and see if I find anything that doesn''t look too much around your neck."


    Once Julie was alone in the dressing room, she picked up the gown, walking behind the wooden divider, she started to change her clothes to wear the gown. The satin felt soft on the skin that reached right above her ankle. Though it was slightly tight at the top, there was room to move her legs freely. She then wore the olive green chiffon-like gown on top of it.


    The half sleeves of the dress had slits in the middle. She was working her way with the gown''s belt when Ms. Piper appeared in the room. The teacher had returned with a small box in her hand.


    "Let me help you with that. It goes a little higher than that," informed the woman,ing to stand in front of Julie. Taking the strap-like belt, she tied it a little higher than what Julie was trying for earlier, without pushing the bosom provocatively. "I can tell you are nervous."


    Julie took a deep breath that she had held when Ms. Piper was tying the belt around her. She said, "I have never stood in front of such arge crowd before¡­ and I was nervous about the gown."


    "I understand. These little mishaps can cause more stress in these kinds of circumstances. It''s good that Roman volunteered to pick up the gown," smiled Ms. Piper. Once she was done tying the belt around the human, she stepped backwards. She picked up the box she had brought earlier and opened it.


    Julie noticed it was a chain with a pearl pendant hanging in it, and she wore it.


    Once the human was ready, Ms. Piper admired her. The students assigned to help the ones with the makeup thought what they did was a good job. Even though Ms. Piper had opted for a bolder style on the darker version, where she looked like a ring leader in the detention room, she knew how to get a suitable look for the drama. It was because she had lived during that time, witnessing the gowns and hairstyles once worn by the women of high society.


    "You look stunning, Julianne," Ms. Piper couldn''t help but praise herself for her work. She then said, "Don''t be scared. Thesest couple of days, you have practised really hard and I am very much aware of it."


    Julie was thankful for the pep talk that Ms. Piper was giving her, which she very much needed. In the far corner of her mind, as the time started to get closer to seven, her heart had begun to race faster.


    "Thank you for all the help, Ms. Piper. I will not forget it," said Julie, a smile appearing on her lips.


    But Ms. Piper shook her head, "No. I should be the one to thank you, and not the other way round." The teacher''s words had Julie turn perplexed on what she meant. Because the woman had taken her time to help her get ready, while the fellow students helped the other students. "Don''t worry about tripping or forgetting your words. I am sure there''s another person who will help you fix it," she then smiled.


    "Ms. Piper," asked Julie, before saying, "Do you think I could stay in here until my scene arrives?"


    "Can. I will send someone toe and fetch you. But don''t leave the room, okay? I don''t want someone toe here and see that you aren''t here." Ms. Piper''s words made Julie believe that the woman knew someone was trying to target her.


    Not knowing that someone was busy daydreaming of the kiss that was going to ce on the stage.


    "Yes, Ms. Piper," replied Julie.


    "I will be going near the stage now to see how things are going. Take deep breaths," said Ms. Piper before stepping out of the room, leaving Julie all by herself in the room.


    Now that the chaos about her gown had simmered down, Julie''s eyes moved to the clock and saw there were fifteen more minutes before the y would start. Out of nervousness, her hands had turned cold, and she clenched it tightly before letting them free.


    She turned to look at her reflection in the mirror.


    Her appearance didn''t change much, but Ms. Piper had applied makeup on her in such a way that it emphasized her existing features that she had been hiding until now. Because of the golden light in the room, it did make her feel right now as if she belonged to the time that was a century ago.


    But looking at her reflection, she felt good about herself. Ms. Piper had turned her pretty and not to mention the pastel olive gown looked wonderful with the light pink satin behind it.


    Finally, when the room''s door was knocked, Julie turned around. A girl pushed open the door and said, "Julianne, your scene is going to appe¡ª" the girl stopped mid-sentence, staring at Julie. "Ah, you, Ms. Piper told me to tell you toe near the stage."


    "Okay," replied Julie with a smile, and she stepped out of the dressing room.


    "Do you need any help with the gown?" asked the girl, after recovering from the pause-like moment.


    "No, I am fine. Thank you," said Julie, and she walked into the corridor, which had a mix of blue and orange light. She asked, "Is it still the second act? of the y that is being yed?"


    "Yes. It''s almosting to an end," answered the girl.


    When Julie reached the ce where the students stood backstage, one by one, the students whose eyes were on the stage turned to look at her. A little whispering started, which was shushed by Ms. Piper with a re at them to shut up and concentrate on the stage.


    At the moment, Roman was on the stage, enacting his role, and Julie took herself to stand in the corner. But it wasn''t of much help as people kept turning to look at her.


    Julie tried to remember her lines, going through the first scene in her mind while watching the other students in their costumes. Caleb stood on the other side, who looked like a puppy whose bone had been snatched away from him. The bone here being his role as ke Turner. The hairstyles and clothes made everyone look like they belonged to the old time.


    It made Julie realize that she was part of something this time instead of standing on the sidelines.


    Ms. Piper walked towards Julie and said, "Julianne, you and Mateo are next. Take your positions and just remember what you did during rehearsals."


    Julie nodded her head, taking a deep breath and calming her nerves that had turned slightly errant now. The porcupine had been made to wear a wig to cover his mowed head, and he didn''t seem too happy about his look.


    "Now go and make me proud," Ms. Piper ushered the two of them, making Julie and Mateo walk towards the back corner of the stage. Mateo stood in the front, and Julie stood one step behind him, taking a peek at the crowd and feeling her legs starting to shake.


    The earthquake was here again! Julie internally panicked and gulped.


    Music could be heard filling up the room, yed by the pianist, who sat below the stage and in the front. The lights slightly dimmed down, focussing only on the stage, making Julie realize that she wouldn''t be able to see a single person in the crowdter.


    When Julie stepped into the audience''s view, she had already started to immerse herself into her character of Iris. Her demeanour, her facial expression, every step she took belonged to Iris Turner. She was no more Julianne Winters, but this moment, she was Iris Turner.? A woman, who was married while still holding the thoughts of someone from her past.


    "I don''t think I heard about it. I should perhaps check with Mr. Batterons," said the person with a hat to Roman, who were talking to each other at one side of the stage.


    Iris and her husband ke were walking when the man with a hat greeted them, "Mr. and Mrs. Turner, how wonderful to see you here!"


    The couple turned in the person''s direction, and ke smiled, the smile tight on his face because of the student who was ying the role of ke Turner, "Good afternoon, Mr. Robert."


    "I didn''t know you came into town. I did hear rumours but I wasn''t sure. Are you here to visit someone?" asked Mr. Robert.


    At the same time, Julie''s eyes fell on Roman, who stared at her without looking away or blinking his eyes. She stared back at him with the same intensity in her eyes. His hair had beenbed back, and his features looked even more attractive than usual. Julie was sure it wasn''t the makeup, but the way he looked at her, pulled the strings of her heart.


    Roman looked as if he belonged to that period of time, with his demeanour and the smoulder in his eyes.


    In the back of her mind, Julie wanted to fan herself and maybe even look away for a moment to gather herself. How did she end up with such a handsome person as her lover? Realizing she had stared at him longer than her character was intended to look at him, she looked down at the ground.


    On the other hand, Roman stared at Julie as if he saw her for the first time.


    She looked breathtaking in every possible way. Good job, Piper, said Roman in his mind. The makeup wasn''t too much, and it was just enough to bring Julie''s beauty. Her eyes looked brighter, her lips fuller and rosy pink. Her brown hair cascaded down her back beautifully.


    The colour of the gown suited her skin, and a dainty ne hung around her neck, which Roman wanted to hook his finger. To pull her towards him so that he could take a bite from her. Right now, he wanted to weave his fingers through her hair and smear the lipstick on her lips while having her alone with him.


    "I don''t think you have met Mr. Cheverell before," said Mr. Robert to ke. "As Cheverell owns the four residents buildings," and turning to As. He said, "And this here, is ke Turner and his wife, Iris Turner."


    As'' eyebrows furrowed while he greeted the couple, "I hope you are here for many days."


    "We are here to live. We recently bought the house that is at the corner of the tea factory," replied ke.


    As turned to look at Iris, who looked like she wanted to bolt from the ce. He said, "How wonderful, I look forward to knowing you more, Mr. Turner. Now if you will excuse me," and he stepped away from the stage.


    "Mr. Cheverell is engaged to Lady Eve Campbell, I believe there''s a lot of preparation to be done for the wedding,"ughed Mr. Robert and saying this, he took his leave too.


    While Iris and ke stood there, ke turned to his wife, putting his arm around her shoulder. He asked her casually, "Do you know who that man is, Iris?"


    "We used to live in the same town before. But I don''t think he remembers. You know how short a person''s memory can be sometimes," Iris tried to cut the conversation short with a smile.


    "I wouldn''t say that. He seemed like he was trying to figure out where he saw you before," said ke, pulling his wife closer to him.


    Julie tried hard not to step away from his crushing hold. She was ufortable being in this position, but she told herself that it was just acting. And it was only for some time, and it would be over soon.


    "Not to mention, his eyes seemed like they were not ready to look away from you. Not that I argue as you are my beautiful wife. The most beautiful," stated ke, and every person in the theatre could agree after seeing the girl with the sses and her sweater, who had transformed herself into a Cindere.


    Roman, who stood behind the stage, watched the students'' bodynguage, noticing how Mateo kept Julie close to him, hugging her from the side. His unwavering gaze continued to stay fixed on them.


    Seeing how the porcupine was not letting her go and continued with his dialogues as if he was the most loving husband on the stage, Julie took a step closer to Mateo with a smile. Right in time, she stepped with the heel of her shoe on his foot.


    The porcupine''s face contoured in slight pain that showed on his face, "You stepped on my feet, dear."


    "My apologies, the gown is too long at the front and I must have missed it. I think the gown turned longer when it was stitched. Maybe we should go back home and put some ice on it," Julie''s alias Iris offered him a gentle smile.


    The porcupine nodded his head, "Maybe we should shorten the length of it."


    Julieughed, "I don''t think the dressmaker would be pleased if she came to know about it. I am tired, I will be going home. I will see you at home."


    Julie made her way towards the back exit of the stage, followed by Mateo after a minute.


    "That was some modification,"mented one of the students.


    "Everybody try to stick to the original script unless you discuss it with me, and Julianne, don''t go too overboard with your lines," instructed Ms. Piper, and Julie nodded her head. The teacher shook her head before going to talk to Mateo Jackson. The next scene was Eleanor''s, to get back on the stage with her friends, and while walking past Julie, the girl stared at her with a baffled look.


    Instead of stepping onto the stage, Eleanor turned to look at Ms. Piper toin, "Ms. Piper, why is her gown like that? I thought we both were wearing simr kinds of gowns. I am the only one who looks like a puffy character on the stage."


    Ms. Piper smiled before ring at Eleanor, "It is no time to chit chat. On the stage you go," and she pushed the girl towards the entrance exit at the corner of the stage.


    From where Julie stood, she looked at Roman, who stood with Olivia and Maximus. When their eyes met, she didn''t know why she didn''t walk to where he was, but neither did he, just watching her, and a blush appeared on her face.


    Julie turned back to look at the stage, watching Eleanor, who looked more upset than her character was supposed to be.


    Eleanor''s character, Eve Campbell, said, "Since one week As has been too involved in his work. Do you think I should ask for the wedding to be held sooner?"


    One of Eve''s friends said, "This is why I asked you before on why there''s so many weeks gap between the engagement and the wedding. You said you both needed time for your family to get to know each other better."


    Eve sighed, "I didn''t want it to look like I was rushing things, but I didn''t know I would feel lonely with him being upied and barely any time to spend with me."


    "You know what you should do, Eve? Take him to Madame Georgina''s soiree. I mean you can spend time together and maybe talk to himter? It isn''t a bad opening," suggested another friend.


    "Yes, I think that is what I should probably do," agreed Eve, and the dialogues continued between them.


    The students who had been allotted their roles continued to act, moving the story forward with every scene until Julie and Roman shared the stage just by themselves. The characters in the y had gone to attend a soiree and had met each other, right now all alone in the room. After exchanging a few heated lines, Roman now held Julie''s wrist.


    Since yesterday, Julie''s mind and body had turned a little more aware of Roman''s presence. His eyes shone bright, and she looked away from him and said,


    "I think you forget that I am a married woman now, Mr. Cheverell. It is impolite to hold-"


    "Does that mean you wouldn''t mind if we were like before? Before you got married and ran away from my sight," Roman pulled Julie towards him by her hand, "I haven''t forgotten about you."


    Somewhere, Julie felt as if Roman was letting her know that even though they hadn''t seen each other until he had found out about her dress being damaged, that he hadn''t forgotten about her.


    "I don''t know what you are talking about," replied Julie.


    "Let me remind you then."


    Suddenly Roman turned Julie in a way where her front was pressed against the front of his body. The look in his eyes changed, an emotion that had flickered in his eyes. The impatience was clear in them, and the music from the piano only continued to y intensely but not over the top.


    His one hand circled her waist, and the other continued to hold her wrist, not letting her leave.


    Roman''s character said, "How did you decide to forget me even after I have held you in my arms?"


    He leaned forward, running his nose from the bottom of her neck and moving it upwards as he grazed her soft skin. He could smell the perfume that she had worn. It was very subtle and sublime, just like the girl. He kissed her neck, and electricity ran down her spine.


    Julie shivered on feeling the tip of Roman''s nose tickle her, feeling him inhale in her scent.


    "I cannot get you out of my head. Even after all this time, you still haunt me. I waited for you," stated Roman,ing to hover his face in front of hers.


    Julie turned to look at one side of the stage, noticing at one exit at the back, students watching them. She said in a hurried tone, "Let me go, before someone catches both of us-"


    "Then let them," Roman interrupted her.


    "I am married, As. I am not the same girl-"


    "I know that," he cut her short again, sending a re to her, and Julie felt her feet pushed further into the shoes that she wore. "You found the next best thing and hopped in the carriage. That day, you said you were going to your aunt''s ce, but you knew that you were not going toe back, didn''t you?"


    Roman ran his hand on Julie''s back, and her face turned redder, but she tried to even her voice.


    "I was forced into it. I couldn''t do anything, and this is something that you should have known."


    "Does that mean you still love me?" questioned Roman.


    His face leaned in closer, hovering in front of her lips, and Julie, who already knew how it felt to be kissed and to kiss Roman, couldn''t help but be drawn closer to him. The tension on the stage increased, and he said, "Tell me you love me."


    Julie felt Roman brush the corner of her lips. She pushed him away from her with both her hands. She turned away, saying, "I should go. ke is waiting for me."


    Was he not supposed to kiss her? Julie asked herself in doubt.


    Both Roman and Julie disappeared from the stage once again. The next scene was of ke and his brother''s, porcupine and Maximus, where Maximus informed ke about catching his sister-inw in the soiree, exiting the same room as As.


    Once their scene was over, the scene was Iris and ke''s confrontation about what happened. Mateo was back to gripping Julie''s arm, and he shouted,


    "Silence! I do not want to hear one more wording from your mouth. How much do you love him? Did you miss your past?!"


    "I did not!" replied Julie, stepping back from him, and Mateo followed her.


    "Then why is it that someone has seen you with him in the same shop, this noon?" demanded porcupine. "How long has this been going one?! Since when did you like him!"


    Julie pushed Mateo''s hand away from her, "I do not love him anymore."


    "Lies! This is not the first time I am hearing about this. You are a shameless woman, roaming around with another man, who is not your husband but your past lover. I think it would be best if you go back. I cannot see your face right now,? not until I feel alright," said Mateo, turning his back to her.


    "I have nowhere to go? This is my home!"


    "This is not your home and I won''t allow someone with such thinking and behaviour, who goes around spoiling my name and hers in the town. Leave now."


    After having some more scenes and dialogues of others on the stage, then came the final scene of the y. Everyone who had appeared in the y until now, came to witness the wedding of As Cheverell and Eve Cambell.


    They stood on the left and the right side of the stage, while the priest, the groom and the bride-to-be stood at the made-up altar.


    Eleanor looked the happiest bride-to-be in her wedding gown that was white and the veil on her face had been pushed back to show her face.


    The priest started the wedding ceremony, and Julie stood at the side, watching Roman and Eleanor. After a minute, the priest asked,


    "Do you agree to take As Cheverell as your husband?"


    "Yes, I do with all my heart," replied Eleanor, lovingly staring at Roman.


    The priest then turned to look at Roman and asked, "Do you agree to take Eve Campbell as your wife?"


    "No," came the direct refusal from Roman.


    Everyone on the stage looked shocked. Eleanor, who had been bubbling with happiness, her face fell. She stared at Roman before turning back to look at the backstage where Ms. Piper stood. Eleanor then awkwardlyughed and said,


    "I think you meant to say yes, As."


    "No," Roman shook his head and said, "I think it would be wrong to marry you Eve as I wouldn''t be able to give you everything that you expect by marrying me."


    "I don''t mind little things too¡­" said Eleanor, not knowing how to react to this. "I love you."


    "And I love someone else," replied Roman, turning his head and eyes in the direction where Julie stood.


    Before anyone on the stage could utter any more words, the curtain pulled on both the sides to hide the stage with the high note of music, ending the y right there.


    "What about the wedding?!" questioned Eleanor, "What was that?" she asked in shock.


    The other students looked at Roman, and he deadpanned, "That was a cliffhanger."


    "Ms. Piper, what-" Eleanor started when the teacher came near them.


    "Not now, Eleanor. We have to greet the audience," said Ms. Piper, and once the stage was quickly cleared, the curtains were pulled to the sides and lights had been turned on.


    All the students who had participated in the y, and the ones who had helped, stepped on the stage along with Ms. Piper, who stood in the middle. The audience apuded the y by pping their hands louder than they hadst evening.


    There were cheers from the audience, and it brought a smile to Julie''s lips.


    Atst, she had done it.


    When the curtains drew in again, the students burst into conversation.


    "Ms. Piper, did you know that Roman was going to change the ending?" asked one of the students.


    "Yes, it was ast minute change," replied Ms. Piper, and she had a smile on her face too. "Good job everyone for making the y sessful."


    Some of the students came to congratte each other, and the same boy who had spoken to Julie when she had just arrived at the theatre said, "That was some fine acting there. I got a hundred bucks thanks to you."


    "You did well," praised another student, and at the same time, Julie noticed Roman standing against the wall with his arms crossed against his chest.


    After thanking the people around her, she excused herself and made her way to where Roman stood. The students didn''te to hover around him, knowing how he enjoyed his space and didn''t like being bothered.


    "Looks like you finally proved everyone wrong, that you were the best female lead to be picked for the y," remarked Roman, and he uncrossed his arms.


    "I think it''s because we share a chemistry," the chemicals from her were flying all over the ce because of him, thought Julie in her mind. She then asked him, "Did something happen yesterday?"


    Roman stared at her, his ck eyes unwavering and taking in her every action. From the movement of her lips to the number of times she blinked.


    "Like what?" he asked, his tone casual.


    "Like¡­" Julie was shy to speak about it when there were people walking by them. "You were supposed to kiss me on the stage, but you omitted the scene."


    Roman raised his hand, running his finger across her ne that rested around her neck. "Were you anticipating it?" he asked, his finger tracing her skin while feeling the cold metal.


    "I-It was in the scene. It felt like you were being distant¡­" she trailed, feeling his finger tracing her neckline, and she sucked in her breath.


    "I wasn''t ignoring you, if that is what you wanted to know," and Roman pulled his hand away from her neckline and leaned forward before pressing his lips on hers. When he pulled away, Julie noticed the hint of her lip colour on him. "I feel I might not behave. That I cannot control myself around you."


    Considering Roman''s previous reputation, Julie wondered if he missed making out and having sex? He was holding himself back with her, and she wasn''t sure if he was torturing just himself but also her.


    Julie''s eyes lowered, and she coughed.


    She clenched both sides of her dress. Feeling confident today, she raised her hand and stood on the tip of her toes before kissing Roman.

 Chapter 89 - Stolen To A Quieter Place

    <h4>Chapter 89 - Stolen To A Quieter ce</h4>


    Music Rmendation: On his Knees- Danny Elfman


    -


    Julie quickly looked at her left and right side to make sure nobody had caught her kissing Roman in public. The little feeling of nervousness that she had felt disappeared on seeing everyone was busy discussing the y and how well everything had ended, even though the end had been surprising.


    But, on the other hand, Roman had been holding himself back and was not ready to let go.


    Before she could head to the dressing room to change her costume, he said, "Follow me."


    "Where are we going?" asked Julie, curious, but Roman had already started to walk away from the people, pulling her away from there while holding her hand. She quickly turned to look at the students, who were busy talking to each other, and before anyone could spot them, Roman and Julie disappeared from where they had been standing.


    Her heartbeat quickened as she followed him, listening to the music being yed in the theatre''s speakers now.


    The moment felt simr to their characters in the y, where Iris and As were escaping from the crowd''s eyes to spend their time alone together.


    Even though some people walked past them, everything turned into a blur as she followed Roman. His hand firmly held her hand in his, without letting go of it even for a second, as if this was the only time they had with each other.


    "What about our costumes? Ms. Piper might want them back soon," Julie reminded Roman, her face holding a look of anxiousness in it.


    Roman turned to look at her over her shoulder, and he said, "Until now, it was the others who had been seeing you. I need to have you for myself, even if it''s for a moment. It''s alright, isn''t it?" The habit of him directly telling things without mincing what he meant was enough for her heart to jump. He then said, "I am sure Piper can wait for a couple of more minutes and collect the other costumes until then."


    When he said it that way, Julie found it hard to refuse him.


    The farther they walked away from the backstage, the sound of the people''s chatter and the music turned dull. Julie noticed the dull brightness of the corridor, and there weren''t many people.


    Roman stopped when they reached in front of one of the rooms. He pushed the door open and pulled her with him inside the room. When the door closed, she noticed there was only one light bulb that hung from the ceiling. Julie wondered if these rooms had not been reworked on, unlike the rooms at the immediate backstage.


    Before she could think more about it, Roman pushed her against the wall.


    Roman''s hands came up to cradle her face, and Julie noticed he appeared to be in a trance. He stared at her, watching her as if he had found something very precious. His thumb ran across her cheek, caressing it while the other went to touch her lips.


    "Do you know how much I have been wanting to do this?" questioned Roman, and when he swiped his thumb across her bottom lip, a shudder escaped her lips.


    It wasn''t just because Roman had touched her lips, but he had invaded her space in a way where one of his legs hade to settle in between her legs. The feeling was indescribable, something she had felt while watching some specific scenes in the romantic movies. The sliver of heat that had run across her body had turned into a blown furnace, which was increasing in its heat.


    A soft gasp escaped from her lips, and Julie''s mind started to daze out with overwhelming emotions, and she whispered,


    "The gown is going to get crumpled."


    "Is that what you are worried about?" questioned Roman, his eyes that had been fixed on her lips, watching the gasp now shifted to look into her brown eyes.


    Julie''s eyes sparkled, happiness and innocence dancing hand in hand, and Roman wanted to protect it. But at the same time, he wanted to sink his fingers and his fangs into her skin. He wanted to im every part of her. Mind, body and soul. That he would be the only one to gue her mind.


    One of his hands dropped to hold her waist while the other slid down to her neck. Noticing how delicate it was, his hand continued to trail down, where he could feel Julie''s heart beating against her chest. It was like a little sparrow singing a song just for him.


    "Stop thinking about other things, else I will help you with that," stated Roman, and he leaned forward to capture her lips with his.


    The kiss was long and deep, where Julie''s hand crinkled the shirt that Roman was wearing. The kiss wasn''t simple. Roman nudged his knee to press between her legs lightly, and his action drove her senses to the edge, not knowing what to do but cling to him.


    Her toes curled, and her body turned weak under his touch.


    Roman''s lips were nowhere gentle, and he imed her lips as if it was rightfully his, and she belonged to him in every sense. His hand came to tangle into the back of her hair, weaving it with his fingers as he angled her face.


    Though Julie had been shy in the beginning few seconds, she couldn''t deny the obvious attraction that she felt towards him.


    But once Roman had begun to kiss her, she kissed him back. Her eyes were closed, soaking herself in the feeling of being held in Roman''s arms. Her eyebrows furrowed, and another gasp escaped from her lips when he bit it a little too hard.


    Without letting her speak, his tongue ran across her bottom lip, soothing and healing it while sucking it. Roman tried not to bite her again, but it was hard not to do it.


    "Stay still for me," he whispered against her lips, every word of his bouncing on her lips.


    Julie wondered why he said that until his lips trailed down to her neck and then towards her exposed neckline. The gown that she had worn was deeper and wider than the usual clothes that she wore.


    Right now, the gown that she wore gave easy ess to Roman''s eyes and hands.


    Julie felt him kiss the top of her bosom, leaving little nibbles and her hands came to settle on Roman''s shoulders for support. When she felt him nip her skin, she took a sharp breath, and her hands clutched his shoulders.


    As it was nearly past nine in the night, the weather in thend of Veteris had turned cold, and it added to the coldness along with Roman''s breath that directly hit her skin on her chest. Her breath turnedboured, blood rushing up to her neck and rushing south to settle between her legs.


    Roman didn''t push the gown''s fabric away from her chest and honoured it without ripping it apart, knowing Piper would haunt him for screwing up with her gown.


    Roman''s sexual drive had gone over the edge along with his thirst for Julie''s blood. The one drop or two drops of blood once in a while was killing him, and he wanted more. He wondered if it was time to tell her the truth. To let her know of who he was, and what he was capable of, of what kind of university she had been enrolled into.


    His eyes changed colour, and his fangs appeared in his mouth, wanting to take one small bite on the soft and supple skin that looked inviting. Because of the little nibbles, it had turned pink and red.


    Julie was consumed with fireworks that her body was experiencing by Roman''s lips, her eyes closed, and her head leaned against the wall. When she opened her eyes, she noticed the incandescent light bulb in the room, glowing and dimming.


    "Rome," Julie whispered his name, and he pulled away from her with the light shing in and out in the room.


    The light made it difficult for Julie to make out the difference in his eyes which had turned red. His hands settled on the sides of her waist, feeling it, and he suddenly pulled her towards him. His head came to settle on the side of her head, and his lips against one side of her ears.


    "Do you know you are torturing me," his voice sounded slightly raspy, and his words fell on the shell of her ear.


    When Julie heard voices outside the room, she tried to turn back, but Roman kept her in his arms. She whispered, "I didn''t do anything to torture you¡­"


    "Can you promise me something?" he questioned her. Julie couldn''t see Roman''s expression, but she nodded her head. "Tell me you will never hate me."


    Julie''s eyebrows furrowed, and she felt Roman put his arms around her. She asked him, "Why would I hate you?"


    "I feel you might one day, because of the way I live my life," stated Roman, and he then said, "I don''t think I will take it well if you would do it."


    Roman''s words sounded heavy and serious. She wondered why he told it that way because he had done nothing but be nice to her until now. As bad as people viewed him to be, she hade to see the positive things in him.


    She nodded her head, "I won''t."


    Roman turned his face towards her, inhaling the scent of her head, and he murmured, "Thank you." He kissed the side of her head that felt tender and sweeter than anything she had felt as if she was safe. Meeting his eyes, her cheeks turned warm.


    Julie went back to lean against the wall, watching Roman watching her. Her eyes looked at the hanging light bulb that had earlier flickered.


    She felt his finger tracing her neck, asking her, "Did she apply makeup on your neck?" Julie shook her head, "Good."


    And right after that, Roman dived to her neck, this time sucking her skin in a way where his actions wet Julie''s neck. When his canine grazed across her neck, somewhere very faintly in the back of her mind, Julie couldn''t help but note that he had sharp canines.


    Unable to stand with her knees turning weak, Julie murmured, "I should sit down for a while before leaving."


    Roman smiled against her skin, pulling himself back, and he looked at her. Just like Julie had thought, he did look like someone who could do more than physical damage. He took her breath away.


    "I am not done yet," Roman let her know, and Julie wondered what was on his mind.


    They were far away from the stage, in an old room, which looked like no one had used it for many years. Even the light bulb was old. Earlier, Roman had locked the room after entering the room, so there was no way for anyone to disturb them, and they were all alone by themselves.


    Julie''s lips were parted, air passing in and out, her eyes staring back at him, which was slightly hazy. She saw Roman kneeling in front of her, and the headiness that had entered her mind started to slip away.


    Roman''s hand sped around one of her ankles. His eyes met hers, and he slowly started to stand up while running his hand from the inside of her leg, trailing his hand from her ankle to her knee and then up her thigh.


    Julie''s face heated up brighter than the light bulb, especially how Roman didn''t look away from her.


    She heard him say, "I don''t think I have ever seen anyone as beautiful as you. Tonight, you were more than beautiful but also confident. But also something more than those things. It is strange¡­ because you steal my breath away."


    His body that had been bent slowly straightened, and the back of his fingers brushed against her inner thigh.


    "Scared?" asked Roman, his eyes turning darker.


    Julie softly gulped, feeling his hand that was inside her dress, now lightly drawing lines. She then said, "I¡­ I have never done anything like this before."


    "I am aware," remarked Roman, but Julie shook her head.


    "Not like that," as much as she didn''t want to be embarrassed, she turned flustered before saying, "This, hand, I mean finger."


    Roman stared at Julie, and his eyes softened. He said, "That''s fine. Let me know if it feels ufortable."


    His hand then moved away from her thigh, cupping her sex over her underwear. He ran his finger across the fabric, where a patch of it had turned wet. Julie took Roman''s support, hiding her face in his chest because his gaze at her had only turned more heated and she was scared that she wouldbust into dust.


    The brush of Roman''s finger on her core felt different, and it elicited foreign feelings that she was only now learning of. Her heartbeat quickened. This position was far too intimate, something that was new to her, and she closed her eyes, feeling his finger caress her against the fabric.


    Roman felt Julie lean on him for support, hiding her aroused face that had turned beet red. After a minute, when her heart was trying to calm down as if she was getting used to the touch, he hooked his thumb on the hem of her underwear and slipped his hand inside it.


    A moan escaped from her lips when Roman touched her wet sex, and Julie bit her lower lip. He didn''t push his finger in, but he continued to rub his digit across the wet lips, between her legs. Unconsciously her toes rose, and his hand followed. He continued to rub, his digit slightly moving in and out until her legs started to quake and Julie''s hand held tighter on his shirt.


    Her arousal started to build up, moving one step at a time, and she gripped his arms.


    "Rome, I feel somethinging," Julie''s words came out in panic, her body meeting her arousal properly for the very first time.


    "Let go, sweetheart," Roman whispered to her, continuing to please her. "Come." Julie trembled before she came with a small cry, her head rested against Roman''s chest. He pulled out his hand that had been pleasing her while using his other hand to pet the back of her head, "You did well."


    Julie''s head was in the clouds, breathing through her lips and her eyes closed as she tried to catch her breath.


    When Julie had returned to the present after minutes in the room, she slowly pulled away shyly from Roman. Just when she was about to make her dress proper, he bent down once more. This time, making her dress proper, which had slightly turned dishevelled.


    Roman looked at his watch and then said, "Ready to go to the dressing room?"


    "Mm," Julie nodded her head.


    Moving to the door, Roman turned the knob and opened the door wide open. When he stepped out of the room, he turned back to look at her and stretched his hand. Julie ced her hand in his, and together, they made their way towards the dressing room to change and return the clothes that had been used for the y.


    When they reached the ce, and before they could step into the two different rooms, Julie asked, "Will I see youter?" It was becausest night, he hadn''te by her dorm.


    "I wille look for you. Wherever you are," promised Roman, and Julie smiled.


    Getting inside the girl''s dressing room, Julie noticed some of the girl''s hadn''t changed their clothes yet, enjoying their costumes. The only person who was back to her usual clothes was Olivia. She was back to her blouse, skirt and fish stocking with a choker around her neck.


    Olivia handed her costume to the girl in charge, and while making her way towards the door, she met Julie.


    "Good work on the stage, Julie," Olivia offered a smile, and Julie returned it.


    "You too, Olivia. And thank you. For letting Rome know," Julie appreciated, and Olivia gave her a nod.


    "No problem," and Olivia stepped out of the room.


    When the other girls noticed Julie step inside the room, they offered praise about her acting to her and how lovely she looked. While Eleanor, who had sabotaged Julie''s costume, silently sat in one of the dressing chairs with a sulky and foul mood.


    Ms. Piper said, "I told you that you would be wonderful tonight."


    One of the girls then asked, "We thought you were near the front stage or at the audience. Aurora went looking for you."


    Julie smiled, clearing her throat. She said, "I am sorry about that. I got a little lost with something."


    When the girls looked away, Ms. Piper remarked, "d to see that you didn''t get lost somewhere far away. I felt like my characters had decided to continue their story." Julie looked at her in slight suspicion. "Did you think I haven''t? crossed your age? I had to make sure my hair wasn''t sticking up," the woman patted Julie''s back,ughing to herself.

 Chapter 90 - Horror Of The Cemetery

    <h4>Chapter 90 - Horror Of The Cemetery</h4>


    Julie changed the costume dress to the one she had worn this afternoon and returned the gown to Ms. Piper. Thanks to the fabric of the gown, it hadn''t creased. Shebed her hair to ensure it didn''t look like it was sticking out before leaving the dressing room.


    Stepping out in the corridor, where some of the lights had been turned off, Julie turned to look in the direction where the boy''s dressing room was situated. The room''s door was closed, and she wondered if Roman was still changing his clothes or had already left.


    Deciding not to wait for him, she made her way towards the front side of the stage.


    "Julie!" Mnie called her, who stood at the front side of the stage.


    A bright smile appeared on Julie''s face, and she quickly climbed down the stairs of the stage.


    "Well done there, Julie. You were amazing in the y," Conner praised her with a smile as bright as on Julie''s face.


    "That''s all thanks to you guys for helping me rehearse so many times," Julie thanked both her friends.


    Reese, who stood next to Conner, said to Julie, "You looked stunning, Julianne. I couldn''t get my eyes off of you, I don''t think anyone could. You were probably the only person who shone so brightly apart from Roman."


    "Thank you foring to watch it," Julie thanked Reese.


    "I am surprised Jackson could act,"mented Mnie. "You were the only person who shone bright on the stage, you blew everyone''s mind with your performance and charm." A small frown appeared on her face. She asked, "I thought your costume was white and blue in colour, did they change it at thest minute?"


    "There was a little bit of mishap with the original costume. But everything went well in the end," said Julie. She apologized to them, "I am sorry for making you guys wait." Because most of the audience had already left the wide theatre.


    Mnie waved her hand, "That''s perfectly fine. We wanted to stay back to congratte you and go together. Did you see Eleanor''s face?" sheughed. "At the end of thest scene of the y, she looked like she was about to cry. And that ending was amazing too. This year''s script of the y was much better thanst year."


    "I agree on that," Conner nodded his head.


    They started to walk towards the double doors to step out of the theatre, and? Mnie said, "It felt like watching a movie today. I wish they could showcase the ys, put up at least once a month, which would be something to look forward to."


    "I don''t think there will be an issue when ites to getting the students to be part of the y," remarked Julie with a smile. "I didn''t see your sculpture, Conner. Do you think they will have it disyed tomorrow too, or will they rece it with some other event?"


    "It should still be there until tomorrow noon. What time is it now?" Conner raised his hand to take a look at his watch. "Thirty past nine. If you want, we can take a look at it right now."


    When they stepped out of the building, some of the students who were nearby, talking, turned to look at Julie. Before leaving the dressing room, she had removed the makeup off of her face, and only her hair was let down. Both the girls and the boys looked at Julie in a whole different light, understanding why Roman had openly imed the girl.


    Earlier, when Julie was on the stage, she hadn''t caught any audience''s expression because of the bright light directed at the stage. She had boldly enacted the scenes, but now that people looked at her, she tried not to meet anyone''s eyes. It wasn''t like she had taken a walk on the stage, but she had openly romanced Roman, and she finally realized why he hadn''t kissed her.


    Julie and her friends made their way to the building where the exhibition gallery of the past had been held yesterday. She noticed there were barely ten people inside the room that had been held for the art students.


    "Not many are interested when ites to looking at the art apart from the art students themselves, unless there''s an erotic sculpture to look at," said Conner as they walked further into the room.


    "It''s good that we don''t have many of them," murmured Reese while hanging on Conner''s hand. "But they should have opened it at night, you know, like the museums. With the amount of delinquents we have here, I doubt they appreciate it."


    "I don''t think the rule holds good to everyone," replied Julie, a small smile on her face as she admired her friend''s work. It was a statue of a woman in a sitting position that had a veil over her head and her body. The woman held a pot in her hand. "There''s Maximus who is an art student, and his art is different." She turned to look at the statue made out of thread with wires.


    Julie took a look around the ce while Reese exined to Mnie the materials used while sculpting the statue.


    While Julie walked past arge mirror with stones surrounding the bronze background, she felt like she had walked past someone. She walked backwards, her feet moving back one after another until she came back to stand in front of the mirror. She caught sight of the Corvin that looked as if it stood behind her.


    She turned back to look, but there was nothing but emptiness around her. Julie turned back and looked at the mirror''s reflection, noticing the bird-like creature standing outside the gallery room and in front of the open window.


    Julie looked away from the embellished mirror, looking at the window where a couple walked past it, who had been in the gallery a few seconds ago. She then caught sight of Corvin walked past another window.


    "What happened?" asked Conner, noticing Julie standing in the middle of the room and staring outside.


    "She must be waiting for the senior,"mented Reese.


    Julie turned to her friends and hurriedly said, "I have somewhere to go. Don''t wait for me." She ran out from there.


    "Huh? Did she forget something back in the theatre?" asked Mnie with a small frown.


    Outside the building, Julie quickly looked for the Corvin. The previous times when she hade across it, she hadn''t been able to see where it had disappeared to. Now, as she knew that it was rted to her, she wanted to get more answers. Answers about who her mother was and why the creature kept appearing in front of her.


    Her eyes searched for the creature, and finally, she caught sight of it making its way away from the building and also from the eyes of the students.


    Julie followed the Corvin, trying to keep up with the creature as it was too quick in its movements.


    "Wait!" She called the creature, but the creature didn''t stop and continued to move on the Veteris ground, towards the forest area. Its ck cloak swept across the ground, making sounds with the sticks that caught on to its cloak before the sticks let go of the ends of the creature''s cloak.


    The forest turned quieter when Julie continued to follow the Corvin away from where Veteris was celebrating its annual celebration. When she thought she had caught up to it, the creature increased its speed.


    When Julie was two minutes inside the forest, her feet paused, and she wondered if she should go back to where her friends were. But at the same time, she was curious to find out about herself. Did the creature understand English? Could it speak? Because the one time she had knocked its mask off of its body, there was no head there.


    "Hold on!" Julie called the creature and started to follow it again, wondering if it was walking away from everyone so that no one could catch it. But when it stood outside the gallery, no one had seen it.


    The sound made by the crickets filled the forest. The wind blew across the deserted forest where it seemed like it was just her and the creature in here. Julie didn''t know where the creature was taking her in the forest and not taking note of the time that had passed since she had started to follow it.


    After a few minutes, Julie noticed a passage in the middle of the thick bushes. The Corvin was the first one to walk through it, and she followed it.


    But once she stepped out of the narrow passage, Julie realized where she was. A few steps away from her stood the road that led towards the town. She had been lured to step out of Veteris grounds.


    When she tried to spot the Corvin, the creature stood on the other side of the road. It had turned to face her as if staring at her.


    "Who are you?!" Julie shouted so that her voice could reach it. "Why did you bring me here?"


    The creature didn''t speak; instead, it raised its stick-like hands to point at her and then to its left side. Julie turned her head to look at the road, which was dark, and the only thing she was greeted with was silence. When her gaze moved back to look at where the creature had stood, her eyes widened.


    It had disappeared in thin air without saying a word!


    "Don''t tell me you brought me here only to disappear," Julie frowned, and hearing something snap behind her, she turned and saw an owl that was perched on one of the branches of the nearest tree.


    Julie sighed and decided to head back and go to the Dormitorium. At least if there was one thing she could confirm, it was that the creature had shown no intention of harming her. Stepping back into thend of Veteris, by walking past the bushes, she started to walk.


    She took less than ten steps when she heard the sound of crackling sticks. Turning to look at the passage, she noticed the path she had walked through had now closed with no way out. It looked like magic. Staring at it for a few seconds, she began to walk until she realized she wasn''t sure which way to take.


    The Corvin had made her walk left and right, taking circles that Julie was notpletely sure of.


    "The least you could do was return me back to the Dormitorium," muttered Julie, her words directed to the Corvin.


    Raising her hand in front of her, Julie read the time. There were forty minutes left for the curfew time to take effect. Taking in a deep breath, she walked, hoping it was in the right direction. Not knowing she had stepped into the restricted side of the forest and was moving deeper into it.


    A light mist of fog appeared on the ground, crawling to spread across the restricted forest and almost hiding Julie''s white shoes.


    Looking up at the sky, Julie noticed the moon that was going to turn full tomorrow night. Keeping it as apass, she walked while her skin felt the bite of coldness that the atmosphere had to offer her.


    Few minutester, Julie came to stand in front of a cemetery, an existence that had been denied to her.


    "Wonder why the management was trying to hide it," murmured Julie under her breath. Thanks to finding the vast graveyard, she finally knew which way to take to reach her Dormitorium.


    But when Julie turned in the right direction in which she was supposed to walk, she heard a light growl. Blood drained from her face.


    Was it the same wild animals that Veteris had warned them about?!


    She took a brave step forward and hearing the growl turn louder. She quickly walked backwards. Her pulse quickened along with her breathing. Her eyes searched for the wild animal, wondering if it was a panther sitting on top of the branch of the tree, which was why she wasn''t able to see it.


    "This is why you follow rules," Julie scolded herself. She didn''t want to turn into an animal''s meal. Looking to her left, she decided to take the other direction so that she would slowly diminish away from the animal''s vision. And then she would run as fast as she could because her life depended on it!


    While she was walking backwards, her shoe stepped on someone''s grave.


    "I am so sorry for that, I didn''t mean to do that," apologized Julie, even though the person in there was dead. "Let me move away the leaves for you," she offered as a peace offering for her action.


    The graves in this cemetery were obviously not taken care of and had been abandoned. The graves here probably belonged to the people who once lived in this ce that was once a town, thought Julie in her mind.


    Her thoughts drifted to the memory of the woman, who had been killed with the rest of the people. The woman''s hollow eyes and blood spread around the body had reminded Julie of her own mother.


    Once she cleared the leaves from the grave, Julie caught sight of the name on the headstone.


    The headstone read¡ª ''Candace Marudas. Year 1843-1887. Beloved by all who knew.''


    "Marudas," Julie murmured the familiarst name that belonged to Maximus. She wondered if this was his great great grandmother, the woman who was possibly married to the man who once owned the mansion, which had now been converted to the boy''s Dormitorium.


    Away from where Julie was in the cemetery that belonged to Veteris, back at the centre of the Veteris campus, Mnie was making her way towards the girls Dormitorium after visiting the art student''s exhibition. Before she could step on the stairs of the Dormitorium, she noticed Roman heading towards her in the opposite direction.


    "Do you know where Julie is?" Roman questioned her.


    Mnie raised her hand in the direction of the theatre and said, "I thought she had gone to the theatre. She seemed to be in a hurry as if she had to be somewhere."


    Roman''s eyes narrowed, and he asked, "Do you know which direction she went?"


    Mnie shook her head, "We went to visit the art gallery, and that was thest time I saw her today. Do you want me to check the lunchroom?"


    "That''s fine, I will see where she is," said Roman, and Mnie nodded her head.


    Roman hade from the lunchroom, and as far as he knew, the dressing rooms had been closed after the students had returned their costumes. His jaw clenched. Julie wasn''t in her dorm, and he wondered where else she could be right now. Feeling something not to be right, he started to look for her.


    Back on the restricted side of the forest, Julie picked a broken branch, just in case she were to be attacked. She looked around the headstones that were old and dusty.


    When Julie was about to stand up from where she had crouched, her eyes fell on the headstone next to the one she was in front of. The only light in here came from the moon, and she moved closer to make sure she read it right.


    The name on the headstone read¡ª ''Maximus Marudas.''


    This headstone didn''t have the year mentioned, and Julie questioned if the Maximus she knew was Maximus a third or fourth. People in the past loved naming their children or grandsons with the same name, just to carry the name forward.


    But it was still odd, thought Julie to herself.


    While her mind had been upied about the graves, Julie had forgotten about the growl that she had earlier heard. But when her ears picked up the growl once again, she quickly stood up.


    Julie started to walk, making her way past the many graves, but a log of wood that had been buried in the leaves caught one of her legs. She tried hard not to trip, taking the support of the grave next to her while her heart almost stumbled out of her ribcage in fear. For a moment, she believed it was the ghost of one of the many dead bodies in here that had caught hold of her feet to stop her from leaving.


    Looking down, she noticed the wood, and she sighed in relief.


    The next time when Julie opened her eyes, she tried to look around but found no animal approaching her. She was ready to leave the cemetery behind until her eyes fell on the headstone that had the name engraved ''Roman Moltenore'' on it.


    "It can''t be¡­" Julie whispered to herself, her face turned pale as a ghost.


    Seeing an alive person''s name on the headstone once could be called coincidence, but seeing another person''s name couldn''t be called a coincidence. Was this some kind of a sick joke of Veteris? Because even on this grave, there were no years mentioned and she doubted this grave that stood old along with the rest belonged to Roman''s great grandfather.


    She looked at the graves next to it, cleaning the headstones to read the names¡ª ''Malcolm Moltenore'', ''Petronille Moltenore'' and the third grave that read the name ''Tristan Moltenore''.


    The two names in here were the names she hade across yesterday, when Roman had given a little information about the painting of the people. Her breathing quickened at her trail of thought. There were five people in that frame, a mother, father and two brothers along with the butler. She tried to remember the faces of the young boys in it, but having seen it only once, the picture in her mind was blurry.


    Julie quickly looked around the names written on the headstones of the graves, and she found familiar names, who had Roman''s friends'' names.


    There were people''s names on the headstones, whom she had met and spoken to. Most of the headstones that had the year of birth and death on them, they seemed to have died at the same year. Half way through, Julie stopped looking, while she started to panic in shock.


    The main reason people use graves graves was to keep the deceased bodies in the, andter remember them. Did that mean Roman was dead? At that thought, Julie''s hands turned ice cold.


    Before she could process more, she heard footsteps. Julie spun on her heels and noticed a boy. And maybe she would have asked his help get her back to the Dormitorium, if she didn''t notice blood on his shirt.


    The closer the boy walked towards her, the more rmed she turned. Julie caught sight of the boy''s bright red eyes and fangs.


    "Vampire," whispered Julie, turning paler with every second. "Please tell me you are cosying," she prayed.


    The boy, on hearing this,ughed, "Julianne Winters, what a surprise to see you in here."


    "Y-you know me?"


    "We all know you. You are Roman Moltenore''s girl," said the boy, a smile spreading on his lips, and he said, "I am very thirsty tonight and seeing you have broken the rule by entering here, let me quench? my thirst with you."


    Oh my God! Julie screamed in her mind. Didn''t vampires only exist in books and screens? What were they doing outside the books and screen?!


    "I heard that Roman hasn''t taken a bite from you until now. You must be really precious to him," said the boy, slowly moving towards her and Julie''s feet moved backwards.


    "I didn''t see anything!" Julie turned around and quickly started to run as fast as she could.


    She was barely able to think straight with the things she had seen. She heard the footsteps of the boy, who was a student moving closer to her. It wasn''t a drug mafia but a blood mafia of vampires!


    Being a human, Julie didn''t get too far from the vampire, as the boy was quick to get right behind her. When the vampire opened his mouth, ready to take a bite into her, she tried to push the wood on his mouth to stop him from biting her.


    Her little trick to drag the inevitability was only for a few seconds before the night creature threw the broken branch away from her.


    When the vampire took a step towards her, a stone came to hit the person''s head. The person in front of Julie turned angry.


    "Step away from her."


    Julie turned and saw Roman standing not too far away from them. And for the first time, she caught sight of his red eyes.


    The boy cackled, "Tough luck, you seem to have forgotten about your little prey¡ª" he didn''t get to finish his sentence, as in the next second, a wooden stake flew right into the vampire''s neck.


    Julie''s eyes widened not just at Roman''s precision in aiming but also at the fact that he had thrown a sharp piece of wood into the vampire''s neck. She didn''t know whom to be more scared of, and her knees slightly trembled at the sight of the two vampires.


    The boy who had nned to take a bite from her crouched in pain. Blood oozed out of his neck, and he tried to pull out the wooden piece from his neck.


    When he was sessful in pulling out the wood, he threw it back at Roman, but Roman caught the wooden piece with ease. Before the other boy could get his hands on Julie, Roman threw the stake right into the palm of the vampire who red at him.


    Julie quickly stepped away from them by walking backwards. Soon, Roman and the vampire got into a physical fight. Roman punched the person''s face repeatedly until his fist was covered in blood and the vampire boy turned unconscious.


    Roman stared at the boy of his own kind while his back facing Julie.


    He could feel her shocked eyes on him. His eyes hardened at the thought that she had found out the truth. He ran his hand through his thick hair. Before Julie, he had to fix the problem thatid on the ground in front of him. He slowly turned behind, his red eyes meeting Julie''s shocked brown eyes, who stared back at him.


    Roman''s voice was calm and his gaze steady when he said, "You should get back to your dorm." Julie agreed to his words because her mind was a mess. Speechless, she nodded her head, and started to walk in the left direction, when she heard Roman call her, "Winters."


    Julie''s heart stuttered, and she turned to look at him. He raised his hand, pointing to his right and said, "That''s the direction."


    Listening to the girl''s heart, beating loudly in fear, Roman saw Julie take a right. Once Julie was out of his sight, Roman dragged the vampire boy by his leg, taking it back to the old cemetery.


    After a few minutes, Roman was done tying the vampire''s legs and hands tightly in a rope made for the night creatures. He waited until the student turned conscious while taking a smoke.


    "You are going to pay for this, Moltenore!" the boy red, trying to free himself from the ropes.


    "What''s your name?" deadpanned Roman, and the boy turned offended.


    "I am Victor Gage! You broke my nose before this!" said the boy named Victor.


    "I see," came the nonchnt words from Roman.


    He walked around the graves and then pushed one of the graves'' lids. Returning to the vampire, he dragged him to the grave that had his name ''Victor Gage'' on it. Taking the tape, he stered the mouth before wrapping it around the boy''s head so that the boy wouldn''t open his mouth. "Until everything settles down, I need you to stay here. I will let you out when it is time. Take a good nap until then."


    Roman pushed the boy into the grave and then pushed the lid to close it.

 Chapter 91 - Revelation Of Veteris

    <h4>Chapter 91 - Revtion Of Veteris</h4>


    Author: Thank you to the readers who have been voting with their power stones, tickets andmenting <3


    -


    Julie walked as fast as she could from the cemetery, whichsted for twenty seconds before she started to run towards her Dormitorium. On reaching her dorm, she fumbled with her key. Inserting it into the door, she unlocked it and got it open as quickly as she could. Once it was open, she stepped inside and turned the two locks.


    Her heartbeat had increased out of fear as the certainty of the uncertainty she had been having about this ce all this time.


    Vampires.


    There were vampires in this university, dead people and graves in the restricted side of the forest. Walking to her table, she picked up the bottle of water and gulped it down until the veryst few drops in it.


    When she closed her eyes, the names on the headstones shed in front of her eyes. It didn''t stop there, as she remembered one of the student''s faces and also Roman''s face. Red eyes and fangs.


    What did the graves mean? Julie questioned herself.


    Of course, they were dead! Vampires did sleep in their coffins and then woke up from it, so that was that, said Julie to herself.


    Slowly realization hit her about the incident that took ce on the day of Hallow. He had meant to take a bite from her, and both the times she hade close in contact with the vampires, Roman was the one to save her.


    What now? What was she supposed to do? Was she supposed to pull out her bag and start packing clothes so that she wouldn''t be the next beverage?


    She had found out the big secret about Veteris, and from what she knew, none of the students ever spoke about it.


    Mr. Evans¡­ holy crap! She internally panicked.


    The secret had been guarded, unbeknownst to the humans who believed Veteris was the most reputed university.


    Julie would like to fix that, she thought in her mind. Veteris was reputed for having dead students as their students!


    Roman was a vampire, a being who depended on blood. Blood¡­ the can. She remembered asking for his coke can once, but instead of giving it to her, he had told her to take it from his lips, knowing well she would never do something so embarrassing in public. This was why things that he and his friends ordered were expensivepared to what she brought from the lunchroom.


    The Corvin had led her outside the Veteris, pointing its hand to the road that led away from the university.


    Away from the ce that was filled with blood-sucking creatures. Julie couldn''t help but worry that someone woulde to take a bite from her now. As fancy as the creatures seemed on TV and books, it wasn''t the same in reality. Especially after she had almost tried to be sucked out dry from one of the students.


    "Calm down," Julie whispered to herself and took a long breath. "Let me think. What do I know when ites to vampires? Damon Salvatore?"


    She shook her head. This was not the time for Damon but to think what Sam Winchester would do! Salt! But all the salt that she could afford from her room was the salted potato chips...


    She looked around her dorm, wondering if it was time to change the room''s decor by decorating it with garlic and salt. Where was her rosary? She quickly went to her cupboard and started to rummage through her things when she heard the window creak.


    Picking up the rosary, Julie turned around while raising her hand in front of her.


    Roman had already climbed into her dorm and had locked the window. He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her, and she stared back at him.


    "Do you really think that will work on a vampire?" Roman questioned, his eyes unwaveringly looking at her.


    "I didn''t study about vampires when I got admitted into Veteris," replied Julie, dropping her hand that had been holding the rosary.


    Roman eyes were still red, and it looked as if it didn''t care, but Julie hade to learn it to be otherwise. His fangs had disappeared. Apart from his eyes, he looked like a human. His skin wasn''t as pale as one would expect from a vampire.


    "A-are you dead?" Julie asked him, her heart beating out of fear. It was one among the many things that were right now running in her mind after seeing his name on one of the headstones in the cemetery.


    Roman ced both his hands on either side of him on the bed, supporting his body. Seconds felt like minutes, as he didn''t answer right away. He responded, "Something like that. What were you doing in the cemetery?" his eyes subtly narrowed at her.


    "The Corvin led me towards the road that was outside Veteris. I thought I could talk to it but it disappeared from my sight and I lost my way," replied Julie. At the same time, she tried to understand that the world she had been living in wasn''t as simple as she had thought it to be. "Why didn''t you tell me?" She asked him.


    "I nned to tell youter. I didn''t consider that you would be finding it through the graves and meeting one of the vampire students," stated Roman. Pushing himself, he got up from the bed. Julie softly gulped when he made his way towards her, and he came to stand in front of her. "Do you want me to leave? We can talkter if you want time to process," hiszy red eyes watched her.


    Julie shook her head.


    Now that she knew there were people outside her dorm, who could suck her blood and leave her body cold, she didn''t want to be alone. And if there was one person she trusted, it was Roman.


    He took a step closer to her, his hand reaching for the rosary that she continued to hold. Taking it away from her, he ced it back in the cupboard.


    "How is it possible?" whispered Julie, her eyebrows knitted in worry.


    "I believe you aren''t asking about the rosary," said Roman, closing the cupboard door. "It has been this way for quite some time now. Ask me anything you want to know and I will answer it."


    "Vampires have been living here for years?" asked Julie, her mind bringing out one question after another.


    "Vampire students enter and leave the university, to step into the outside world. Just like the humans do," exined Roman. He carefully slipped his hand into hers and said, "Come sit. This is what Veteris has thrived for, to run the ce with vampires and humans, without the knowledge of humans."


    "So¡­ how old are you then?" questioned Julie, walking towards the bed, and she sat down with him.


    "A century old," replied Roman and Julie gulped down. That was not even an average lifespan of a human being, thought Julie in her mind.


    Julie tried to wrap her head over it, nodding her head in silence. Remembering the boy she had met on the restricted side of the forest, she asked, "What happened to that boy?"


    "He is taking some rest," deadpanned Roman. His lips twisted in distaste, and he said, "I could let him free, but if word was out that you had stepped into the cemetery, it might cause some serious damage, so this is the best damage control for now. I don''t want to have any loose ends when ites to you. There''s something that you need to know."


    "Are you something more than a vampire?" Julie asked, worry in her eyes, not wanting to hear another twist that vampires ate people apart from drinking their blood.


    Roman said, "It''s about you."


    "Me?" asked Julie, a little anxious.


    "There are some vampires who canpel humans. Making them do things, even though the humans don''t want to. Sometimes for the vampire''s benefit, and sometimes for the humans'' sanity," Roman started to exin to her, having her full attention on him. "For a vampire to be able topel, they need to practice. Very few are able to master it soon. It is why most of the vampires who are in freshman and Sophomore year in Veteris can''t do it. Evans tried topel you the night you had been caught in the forest by him."


    Julie started to panic at the thought that the counsellor hadpelled her without her knowledge.


    But Roman eased her thought by saying, "You cannot bepelled."


    "What do you mean by that?"


    "Every human can bepelled, unless they have a substance called Silverwater in their body. SilverWater is a nt, which is harmful to the vampires. I don''t have the answers for why you can''t bepelled, it possibly has something to do with your lineage. Vampires have an iron rule," Roman gave a pause to make Julie followed every word that left his lips. "If a human cannot bepelled, then the human is killed."


    The little blood and colour that was left on Julie''s face drained.


    "Isn''t that a little too extreme?" asked Julie, fear trickling down her spine, and she didn''t know what to think of her current situation.


    Roman shook his head. The expression on his face remained the same, "It''s amon practice, a practice that is taught in the ss." Wait, vampire students had different subjects?! Julie asked in her mind. "Vampires have tried to hide their existence, not revealing who or what they are to the humans for many years now."


    Julie continued to digest what Roman said, trying to make sense of things.


    "I don''t think it''s as bad as you think," said Julie, her voice just above a whisper.


    "There are humans who hunt and kill vampires, Winters. Back in time, there were humans who hunted down even the witches. If you aren''t one of them, they will either stake your heart or burn you alive. Your father is a hunter," Roman dropped another piece of information, and Julie''s mouth parted in shock.


    Her father had killed her mother without mercy, leaving her cold on the ground. Her hands that were on her knees clenched into fists.


    "It''s a lot of information to take in," confessed Julie, staring at the wall in front of her. "I wonder¡­ if the Corvin has sensed that I am going to be in trouble. If it wants me to leave Veteris, and stay away from here," because of the way it had pointed its hand, but only that creature knew what it was doing.


    Roman''s eyes hardened when he heard her words. It was something that even he had considered in the past until he realized he couldn''t let Julie go. He asked her,


    "Do you want to leave?"


    Silence filled the room, and Julie shook her head, "If I leave Veteris, I have my father waiting for me. I think it''s better that I stay here." She turned to look at Roman and said, "And you are here too."


    On hearing Julie''s words, a small smile appeared on Roman''s lips. He was d to hear that she wasn''t scared and packing her clothes to run away from here in the middle of the night while everyone was asleep.


    Though Roman doubted Julie would sessfully run away when her name was attached with trouble.


    "Is this the reason why you are so smart? Because you have been repeating the same years here?" asked Julie, her eyes turning brighter with curiosity in them. She received a re from him, and Julie said, "No?"


    "None of the students who are vampires have repeated their years, unless they failed their sses," responded Roman, and she raised her eyebrows. Julie frowned hearing this, more questions appearing in her mind.


    "But you guys don''t grow old and are immortal. Aren''t you?"


    "We vampires do grow old, but at the same time we are immortal," he answered her burning curiosity. "Once a vampire crosses the age of thirty, their age stops randomly, ceasing time in their life. It leaves some of them to look young, and some old. There are only a few cases where people stop growing old before thirty."


    How interesting, thought Julie to herself.


    Julie then asked, "The names on the headstone and the years on some, why are most of the headstones there having the same year of death?"


    "It was the night and year when the massacre took ce in the town years ago. The vision that you saw in the abandoned building was of that night," he revealed the truth to Julie.


    So all the graves that she hade across, they were attacked by vampires?


    "Wait, you said your family was killed-"


    "By vampires. They were rogue vampires, people who hadn''t been turned and guided well. There are some vampires, who follow rules, some who don''t and some in between.These vampires hade to hunt the town," remarked Roman, his eyes turned hollow as if his emotions turned cold at the memory of it.


    If his family was attacked by vampires, it meant Roman wasn''t originally a vampire and was once a human, thought Julie to herself.


    Julie asked him, "Were there too many vampires who came to drink blood from the entire town?"


    "They didn''t drink blood from everyone. Their intention was solely to wipe the town, to cause as much damage as they could, while turning some humans into vampires. Some couldn''t handle the transformation process and died," exined Roman. "Long ago, the people who lived in this town believed that this was the finest town as it mostly consisted of wealthy families. While the other families who lived here were more than the average ones. But they failed to see that one of the vampire''s hade to live in the town. It was Castiel Marudas. Uncle of Maximus Marudas."


    Roman''s thoughts drifted to the past that he had often recollected and relived, and every time he did it, it caused him lesser pain until there was nothing to feel.


    He began the original story of Veteris that Julie had been curious to know about since the very beginning, "It was the year eighteen eighty-seven. There were more buildings in the town, houses that weren''t too far away from the mansions and the manor that belonged to the Lords. You can''t see them now because most of them were burnt down in fire¡­"


    Year 1887


    A young boy, who was around the age of fifteen, walked on one side of the road. He was carrying a bag in his hand that consisted of books that he had borrowed earlier that week to read and was going to return it. His eyes were as ck as his hair, his expression holding utmost seriousness for a boy of his age.


    "Rome!" The young boy turned his gaze in the direction of where another young boy stood. The boy was none other than Maximus, who walked up to where Roman stood. "Are you going to Olivia''s house?"


    "Mr. Trosney said he was going to visit the next today, to bring equipment that he needs for his work. He said I could apany him," replied Roman, and Maximus nodded his head. "We''ll be leaving in fifteen minutes."


    "I see. My uncle who lives in? Heartharbor has arrived in town and we have been busy with family time. He''s my father''s brother," exined young Maximus.


    "I will see youter then," responded Roman so that he wouldn''t keep Mr. Trosney waiting.


    Maximus nodded his head, "Okay."


    When Roman reached Trosney''s house, he walked through the door and stepped in front of the door, inside where Mr. Trosney was working.


    "Oh, you are here, Roman. Can you hand me the scalpel that''s in the third drawer on the right side of the desks?" asked Mr. Trosney and Roman noticed his assistants weren''t in the room yet.


    "Where is everyone?" questioned Rome. Making his way inside, he pulled the drawer.


    "Patrick''s mother has fallen ill and the other two will be here in an hour. I wanted to check if there was any venom in the woman''s tissue that I could find, but so far there''s been no discovery of it," stated Mr. Trosney, taking hold of the scalpel that Roman handed him. "The magistrate wants to get a quick result, and is worried that everyone will need to move from here."


    "Why?"


    "He thinks the whole of water supply in the town has been contaminated and soon it is going to spread into an infectious disease," replied Mr. Trosney. He pushed his sses up the bridge of his nose and started to work.


    Roman walked around the dead body that was ced on the examining table. Unflinching, he pushed the woman''s hair away from her neck and noticed the two dots.


    "So you believe what I said, that it might be an animal."


    "You are right, it can be one of the options," answered Mr. Trosney. "I just need to find out the cause of it. Give me a moment, why don''t you go and tell Jared to get the carriage to the front. I will be out soon."


    Before Roman could step out of the room, the magistrate of the town appeared at the door, along with two men who were taller than him.


    "Mr. Altman, what a surprise!" eximed Mr. Trosney on seeing the magistrate and the two men.


    The other two men appeared to be in their early forties, wearing crisp looking suits, and by their appearance, it was apparent that they belonged to a wealthy household.


    "My apologies for intruding this early in the morning, Tobin. We came here to have a quick look at the woman''s body to see how things were going," said the magistrate. Then his eyes fell on Roman, and a scowl appeared on his face. "What is the Moltenore''s boy doing here near the body, step out, boy. This isn''t a ce to y," the man tried to shoo the young boy away from the room.


    But Roman stood right there, only staring at him as if the magistrate hadn''t spoken a word to him.


    "Roman is actually learning things. I have nned to turn him into my future apprentice," said Mr. Trosney with a smile.


    "Isn''t he too young to learn things like these," questioned one out of the two men, who hade with the magistrate. Roman''s eyes shifted to look at the man, who appeared to hold an intimidating aura around him. There was a smile on his face while he stared at Roman. "I am surprised to see that the smell of death in this room, he hasn''t thrown up yet."


    "He is a brave and intelligent boy. He has finished reading almost every book that is rted to the medicine on my shelf," Mr. Trosney praised Roman.


    "I think I know you," said the other man, who had tinum blonde hair, "My nephew has mentioned your name. Roman Moltenore, was it?"


    Roman, in return, questioned, "You must be Castiel Marudas."


    "Is that how you introduced yourself, boy?" questioned the magistrate with a frown on his face. He clicked his tongue before saying, "Even though you have been brought up by a reputed family, you seem to have a hard time to let go of that behaviour from where youe."


    "There''s nothing to introduce when he already knows my name. No one is dumb here," deadpanned Roman, and his words irked the magistrate.


    "Tobin, you shouldn''t have a misbehaving boy like himself in here. I will not allow him to work here in the future, if you allow it, I will take away the license of you being a physician," dered the magistrate. He then turned to look at Roman and said, "Just because Lord Moltenore''s family has epted you, don''t think we won''t keep an eye on-"


    The man with ck hair and brown eyes, raised his hand for the magistrate to stop talking. He said, "There''s no need to quarrel when we havee here to take a look at the progress of the real cause of the woman''s death."


    The magistrate red at Roman, and Mr. Trosney looked at Roman and said, "Why don''t you take a step outside the room?" and Roman left the room.


    After fifteen minutes, the man who had earlier stopped the magistrate from speaking more stepped outside and asked, "Do you like to read a lot? I have some books at my ce if you want to read." Hearing no response from Roman, the man then questioned, "Trosney speaks very highly of you. Did you find anything strange with the body?"


    "They think it''s because of water contamination," answered Roman.


    "And what do you think it is?"


    "Bite."


    Hearing this, the man''s intelligent eyes looked at the young boy, "And what makes you think that?"


    "Intuition," said Roman, not giving away the details, as he was trying to figure it out by himself. "What do you think caused her death?" He returned the question to the person.


    The man smiled before he said, "I think it might be a bite too. I have seen some deaths like that, but it is often hard to crack cases such as these. It is better to let the woman be in peace, than keep her body out in the open." When the man tried to ce his hand on Roman''s shoulder, Roman stepped forward and walked away from there.


    When Mr. Trosney stepped outside his workce, he looked around, his eyes searching for Roman. "Huh? Where did he go?"


    Once Mr. Trosney and the magistrate left in their respective carriages, Castiel, who stood there with the other man, said, "I havepelled both of them to have them stop working on this case. The case will close in two days."


    "Good, it would be a drag to have unnecessary open cases when we already know why the woman died," answered the other man, looking in the direction where the boy had disappeared. "What happened to turning your family?"


    "I will speak to my brother after tomorrow''s soiree," replied Castiel with a peaceful looking smile on his face.


    "And what will you do if he doesn''t agree?"


    "Then he will be an example of why one needs to be turned," replied Castiel and both the men left the front of Mr. Trosney''s house.


    The next day, Roman had left his manor to get some things that he had been working on building after eyeing Ms. Trosney''s bicycle. When he reached the market to get grease, the woman who stood at the front stepped away from him to maintain a distance.


    The woman then said, "Looks like the Moltenore are treating you just like they should be, by making you work and showing you your ce."


    Roman turned to look at the woman, his ck eyes staring at her. He said, "Did you say something?"


    "Instead of sending your butler or a maid to fetch the things, you havee here yourself to fetch it. Your condition is pitiful, why don''t you go back to your mother instead of shaming Moltenore''s reputation?" asked the woman, trying to be polite with her words.


    "I think you are more pitiful than me, toe here all by yourself at this age," deadpanned Roman, not mincing his words even a little. The woman''s face turned red, and half the people aroundughed while some took the woman''s side.


    One of the people in the market said, "It saddens me to see that people like the Moltenore''s family have to go through with it. Especially Lady Petronille. The Lord sowed and the woman reaps, tch."


    "The boy has grown and he shows not one bit of respect to any of the elders," the woman was quick with her words, who had earlier taunted Roman.


    Roman bought the grease, paying the shopkeeper the money, and before he could leave, he said, "I didn''t know you were waiting to gain my respect. I rather respect the wall than a person like you." Saying this, he walked while the woman continued to scold him.


    Unbothered, Roman continued to walk when he felt someone''s presence behind him, and he stopped. Turning around, he noticed it was the same man who he had met at the physician''s house.


    "You seem to be having an eventful day," said the man, a smile on his lips which didn''t affect.. "I heard about your little history."


    When Roman started to walk, the man also started to walk next to him, "I thought you were here to solve the mystery case of the dead woman. I didn''t know people had free time on their hands."


    "You know how gossip runs around the town and eventually you know everyone''s business," said the man, his eyes shining in mirth.


    "Congrattions on learning something useless," remarked Roman, with a neutral tone. But this only caught the man''s attention even more, and he chuckled.


    The man then said, "I didn''t get to introduce myself yesterday. I am Azazel Donovan."

 Chapter 92 - Year 1887

    <h4>Chapter 92 - Year 1887</h4>


    When Roman returned to the manor, the main door was opened by the Moltenore''s family''s butler. Compared to how things were when he had firste to live with his father and the rest of the family, people''s behaviour towards him had changed in many ways.


    "Wee back home, Master Roman," greeted the butler with a bow. The man''s hair had turnedpletely grey, his skin slightly wrinkled. He stepped behind Roman, helping the young master remove his coat, and hanged it on the stand. "Was Mr. Trosney not at his ce?" asked the butler in a polite tone.


    "He had guests to entertain. I will visit himter," said Roman and made his way inside the manor.


    The butler closely followed his young master from behind while keeping a good distance as he was only a servant who served Lord Moltenore''s family, while the boy was the Lord''s son.


    "Lady Petronille has gone out to buy jewellery for this evening for her with Lord Malcolm," informed the butler, "They left a few minutes ago, and Master Tristan is in the study room.


    "I am right here, Edison," came the male voice of Roman''s half brother Tristan, who stepped in the corridor. He was as tall as Roman, his hair ck, which both the boys had acquired from their father. But his eyes were hazel in colour that he had received from his mother, Lady Petronille. "I am so d that you are here. Edison bring us tea to the drawing room," he said to the butler away to spend time with his brother.


    Both Roman and Tristan walked next to each other in the corridor, and when Tristan went to ce his hand around Roman''s shoulder, the younger brother slightly red at him. Lacking the experience of anyone touching or hugging him when he was young, Roman didn''t like anyone touching or hugging, an action that he found to be ufortable.


    And even though Tristan knew it, he put his arm around his brother with a smile on his face, "I am trying to see which one of the clothes I should wear. Brown or grey?"


    "Both of them are going to make you look old,"mented Roman, and Tristan chuckled.


    "I knew I had bad taste. I should probably ask mother when she returns. Which one are you wearing?" asked Tristan.


    "The usual ck. I don''t think you should dress yourself so much, it might bring you trouble,"mented Roman, his voice nonchnt yet indulging himself in the conversation.


    "Sometimes it is so hard to understand what you are pointing to with your words, Rome. It''s just simple clothes," stated Tristan with a bright smile,pared to Roman, who rarely smiled.


    "Father and mother are nning to get you engaged and married to Mr. Robins'' daughter, who has recentlye to a marriageable age," Roman notified his elder brother, and Tristan nodded his head.


    "So I have heard. But I have the matter covered," Tristan waved his hand as if there was nothing to worry about. "I think if I said yes, I would be haunted by Piper for the rest of my life," heughed, thinking about it with a thoughtful expression on his face. I have been waiting for the right time to break the news to our parents. I was thinking maybe tomorrow morning. What do you think?"


    "Do whatever you want," sighed Roman, tired with the conversation.


    "When I was of your age, I was more enthusiastic about meeting girls. Hasn''t anyone caught your fancy?" asked Tristan. Entering the room, the brothers took a seat on thefortable cushioned chairs.


    Roman stared at Tristan for two seconds before he gave a nod, "There''s a woman, who has caught my attention."


    "Tell me more about her," a wide smile appeared on the elder brother.


    Roman replied, "It is the woman who is lying on Mr. Trosney''s examination table. She died in some mysterious circumstances with no blood in her body. Mr. Trosney is checking with her muscle tissues."


    Tristan stared at Roman, his mouth parted while the smile on his lips died down. He shook his head, "I wasn''t speaking about the subject of the dead, Rome. Really, what am I going to do with you. You know we worry about you. Father is nning to involve you in his work, one that doesn''t involve sick people or operating bodies. Mother isn''t happy that you keep visiting and spend time with the bodies. She might not tell, but she''s worried that you will fall sick."


    "She wille in terms with it one day, simr to the time when you n to drop the news about you and Piper to them tomorrow," Roman raised his eyebrows, and Tristan smiled.


    "Does it make you happy? Working with the physician?" asked Tristan, wondering if it brought his brother peace of mind by helping the people who were in need.


    Tristan was aware that even though the people in this manor had epted Roman to be part of the family, it wasn''t the same outside this manor. Though most people didn''t speak or mention how Roman was born, the look on their faces gave away what they thought about his younger brother.


    "It''s interesting," responded Roman.


    The butler arrived in the room with a tray in his hand. The tray held a teapot filled with hot tea and teacups on it, along with a te of biscuits that had been baked this morning.


    Roman then said, "It is good to see the way how a body functions and what is inside it. Like a treasure box, and if you take anyone out, the rest of them fail."


    Edison tried to keep a straight face while he poured the tea in the teacups and offered it to the Moltenore brothers. Most of them in the manor had gotten used to the way the boy sometimes spoke oddly, and they were still learning to ignore it as if they heard nothing.


    "I don''t think I could ever be able to look into an opened up body of a person. What is the progress of the case? Any new developments?" Tristan asked before bringing the teacup to his lips and taking a sip from it.


    "It looks like a case of an animal bite," stated Roman, his gaze steady as he watched the butler leave them alone in the room. He then continued,


    "The magistrate has an absurd imagination that it''s because of contamination. The body of the woman was found on the edge of the forest and when I checked with the officer, he said when they found the body it was sprawled near the tree. Simr to a tomato being kept under the sun for long and dries up with no liquid in it. Mr. Trosney said that the town''s authority will be closing the case as it has already been more than two weeks."


    "That must be terrible for the family, to not know what exactly happened to the person. If it was really an animal attack, wouldn''t there be some blood spilled on the body or in the area?" questioned Tristan, enjoying the conversation with Roman about their town''s news.


    "That''s the only thing that makes me doubt that it was a natural death," replied Roman, his eyebrows subtly knitting together in thought.


    "Well anyways, if I am being introduced to meet the girl, I want you next to me. I know she will be charmed by you, more than me. That''s one way to solve the problem," said Tristan with a smile.


    A small smile appeared on Roman''s face, and he sipped the tea.


    When the evening started to approach, all the families, who had been invited to the soiree by the Arthur family, started to get ready. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur''s had arranged a grand dinner, as their daughter Lauretta was getting engaged to a reasonably wealthy man from another town.


    In the Moltenore''s manor, Lady Petronille was helping her husband wear his bow, standing in front of him.


    "Today is an important day for us, and I hope things goes as we thought it to be," remarked Lady Petrnollie, who was already dressed. "She''s a beautiful girl, and fairly educated and polite in nature. I am sure there are many mothers who want to take her home by marrying her to their sons."


    On noticing his wife''s anxiousness, Lord Malcolm ced his hands on her shoulders, "It will be fine, Petronille. Tristan is our son and he has all those good qualities in him that a girl would appreciate."


    Lady Petronille nodded her head, a sigh escaping from her lips.


    "I know, but one cannot help but worry," said the Lady before telling her husband. "I will go and see if the two of them have gotten ready. I trust Rome to be ready, but Tristan must still be finishing those papers that you gave him."


    Lady Petronille stepped out of the room, making her way down the stairs. Heading to Tristan''s room, she knocked on the door and asked, "Do you need any help, Tristan?"


    When she opened the door, the room was empty, and she frowned. Turning around, she walked away from there and met the butler, "Do you know where Tristan is, Edison?"


    "Master Tristan went outside a while ago, mdy," replied the butler and Lady Petronile gave a questioning look. "Did he tell you where he was going?"


    "No, mdy," answered the butler, and Lady Petronille nodded her head.


    "Okay," and she started to walk on the ground floor, making her way until the end of the corridor, and she stood in front of the room. Raising her hand, she knocked on the door and noticed the room was slightly open.


    Pushing the door, Lady Petronille saw Roman standing in front of the mirror, trying to tie the tie.


    "It''s good to see that out of you two, I have one less person to worry about," stated Lady Petronille. She then asked, "Do you need help with that?"


    "No, I am good," said Roman, his eyes catching sight of Lady Petrnollie standing in front of the room. But though he said that, he continued to figure out how to wear it around his neck.


    "You are doing it wrong, let me do that," said the woman and stepped inside his room. Making her way to where he stood, Lady Petronille got him to turn around so that he faced her. She took the tie that rested around his shoulders. "It isn''t bad to take others'' help when you need it." She gave him a brief look before her eyes fell on the tie.


    Roman and Lady Petronille had not started their years together as expected, but with many years that hade to pass, the woman had taken the mother''s role in his life. Not entirely, because in one corner of her mind, thedy still felt the prick in her heart. But sometimes, even a little gesture was a lot.


    Roman stood in front of the woman, letting her help him wear the tie around his neck. Once she was done, she was about to ce her hand on his shoulder but dropped it to her sides, knowing how much he enjoyed his personal space.


    "I heard that you have been hovering around the physician''s workce again. Does your father''s work not interest you?" questioned Lady Petronille.


    "I think it would be better to let Tristan have the title as he is the older son. It suits him better than me," stated Roman, knowing the Lordship''s title could go only to one person in the family.


    Lady Petronille didn''t speak immediately, letting the words sink in her mind, before she said, "You are both inheritors of the Moltenore''s family. And as much as you hate people''spany, I think like your brother, you are someone many people look upto."


    Roman''s lips twitched, humour entering his eyes, "I am happy dissecting things."


    "Okay, if that is what makes you happy. But you can always return to take the title, if ever the timees in the future. I am sure your father and brother would agree to it too," said Lady Petronille.


    "I will keep that in mind, mother," responded Roman, and the woman nodded.


    "Good."


    She didn''t want to treat Roman as an outsider.? Knowing he had no one else but them in this world, Lady Petronille had stepped into the role, making him call her mother.


    Lady Petronille then said, "You havee to the age too now, it isn''t too bad to mingle and talk to girls who catch your eyes."


    Instead of replying to what she had asked, he said, "I think you should check with Tristan if he wants to meet Mr. Robins'' daughter. He is unaware that you have ns about having ns of proposing the idea of the family merging together after tonight''s soiree."


    A frown appeared on Lady Petronille''s face, and she asked, "Why do you say that? Don''t tell me Tristan is skipping today''s soiree."


    "He''s not," said Roman.


    "Do you know something, Rome?"


    "I think it would be better for you to speak with him than with me about it," he gave her a heads up. Turning away from her, he walked to where the shoes were ced and started to wear them.


    Lady Petronille stepped out of the room, making her way towards the hall when she saw her elder son entering the manor through the main door. She ced one hand on her waist and gave him a stare.


    "Where have you been Tristan Moltenore? And what happened to your hair? Did you fall down from a tree?" she questioned him.


    Tristan quickly weaved his fingers through his hair. "I went to get some fresh air, mother. What''s the matter?" he asked her with an innocent smile.


    Lady Petronille stared at her son, her eyes narrowed before she said, "Just go andb your hair. I will talk to youter."


    "Of course, mother," Tristan quickly offered a kiss on her cheek and went to his room.


    When the four of them were ready, Lord Moltenore and his family got into the carriage and rode to Lady Laurett''s mansion, where the grand soiree was being held. Many elite families had already arrived, their carriages had been parked at the side in a line.


    Before people could even step into the mansion, one could hear the music that spilt out from the open windows and doors. Women and men were dressed in their finest clothes and jewels that adorned the women and girl''s necks. The atmosphere was one of merriment, where the town''s richest folks had been looking forward to attending since the party had been announced.


    The Moltenore''s family stepped inside the mansion, where people greeted Lord Moltenore and his wife with great glee and their elder son. But when it came to the younger son, their smiles turned upside down. Many believe it was a shame, not only because he was the Lord''s son but also considering how handsome he was turning out to be.


    Some parents, especially the mothers, would have offered their daughter''s hand in marriage to the younger boy. But knowing he had been born in such a disrespectful way, they were hesitant about it. And as much as these mothers tried to educate their young daughters about it, the daughters couldn''t help but look at Roman Moltenore.


    Roman didn''t stay around to greet the people with his parents. He walked away from them, making through the wide hall and corridors of the mansion, where people stood talking to each other and enjoying themselves.


    Noticing one of his friends, who stood at one side of the room, he walked there.


    "Maximus isn''t here, he''s with his uncle," said Simon, whose red hair had been neatlybed the same as Roman''s. He looked like a young man who had been brought up with good manners and etiquettes.


    "How''s the matchmaking season going?" questioned Roman, standing next to Simon and looking at the people who were near them.


    "So far, boring. I was hoping to see something more exciting, but it seems like any other soiree where people have nothing but endless gossip that I have already heard about,"mented Simon with a pleasant smile on his lips.


    After five minutes, Olivia appeared at where they stood, along with a girl next to her, whose eyes fell on Roman.


    Oliviained, "I am tired of my mother dragging me all around to introduce me to every person."


    "This is your age to shine, Olivia," teased Simon with a chuckle, which she didn''t pay heed to.


    "Do you like me to bring you something to drink or eat?" asked the girl with long blonde hair and her gown that had swept the floor beforeing to stand near Roman.


    "No," came the crisp answer from Roman.


    "I would like to have a ss of liquor," said Simon, and the girl red at him.


    "You can go and get it yourself instead of putting me into trouble, Simon," said the girl.


    "So harsh, Victoria. Is it because Rome is special and we aren''t?" The red-headed boy poked at Victoria, who excused herself from there.


    Olivia red at Simon and asked, "Do you really have to do that? Every single time."


    "What did I do? I was just asking. When did asking questions turn out to be offensive?" asked Simon. "Am I not right, Rome?"


    "Don''t drag me into it," responded Roman. His eyes had caught someone in the crowd. It was the same man he had met in the morning when he returned from the market. "What do you know about that man?"


    Simon shifted his gaze to look at the person Roman had asked about, "The one with the dark green coat? I heard came here with Maximus'' uncle. Apart from being wealthy, I heard they both hold a very high position from where theye. Even our beloved magistrate is in awe at their presence.


    "I can tell," remarked Roman.


    Simon turned to him, "Why do you ask?"


    "No reason," replied Roman, staring at the man from a far distance. The man turned his head as if feeling Roman''s eyes on him, who then offered a slight nod.


    There was something very odd about the man, thought Roman to himself. He had met peculiar people, but this man named Azazel Donovan had a different air around him.


    Roman looked away from the man and said, "I am going to get something to drink."


    While walking, he met his brother''s lover, who seemed like she was trying to get away from there. When the youngdy, older than him, turned in his direction, she ced her hand on her chest as she had not expected to see a person in front of her.


    "Roman," the youngdy greeted him.


    "Ms. Martin," Roman greeted her back, and just when he was about to step away, the youngdy raised her hand.


    "Do you know where Tristan is?" asked Piper.


    "No, clue. He must be searching for you or standing next to my parents," he replied in a monotonous tone.


    "I didn''t find him standing next to Mr. or Mrs. Moltenore. Don''t tell me both of us have been running in circles," the youngdy sighed and then said, "Mrs. Getrude was supposed to finish stitching the gown yesterday, but its belt is not done. She said she''s trying to add pearls in them. Now I am stuck with this, and with a man who my mother thought would be a suitable suitor for me."


    "Seems to be fun for everyone," said Roman.


    "Those are really supportive words for your future sister-inw," said Piper, a smile appearing on her lips when she caught Tristan in the crowd. "I will see youter," Piper said to Roman, who gave her a nod, and she went to where Tristan was.


    While making his way through the crowd, where one room on the ground floor was filled with men and women dancing to the music with the same steps, Roman left the ce to get away from the noise and the voices of all the people to have some needed peace for himself.


    Climbing the stairs, Roman was walking past the room when he heard two men, "What do you mean by we are not starting it now? It''s the perfect time!"


    "Shut up, and lower your voice! What we are doing is pinning the me on them. I don''t want you getting us caught! The others have already taken position and we''ll be doing it one at a time. A ce with so many people where the older vampires are present, is not a good idea. So wait for my cue."


    "And what if we get caught before that? You think those old ones cannot differentiate between us and humans?"


    Roman heard a smack sound, "I will fuck you up before you try to fuck up, you got that?! Just listen to what I say. Let''s go now."


    Hearing the footsteps of the people heading towards the door, Roman quickly stepped away from the room and went to the other room while wondering what that was about. It was a strange conversation that didn''t make sense.


    People continued with their merriment, dancing and listening to the musician''s music in the mansion. Not having anything particr to do, Roman stood on the patio of one of the rooms. He stared at the buildings of the town while looking at the forest that stretched at the horizon.


    Roman, who had leaned towards the railing with his hands resting on it, noticed something move in the darkness of the forest.


    His back straightened when he noticed the dark trail to the left side from where he stood, where the other houses and manors were located. With his eyebrows furrowed, he went back inside the room, stepping into the corridor and made his way down the stairs.


    "Where have you been, Rome?" questioned Maximus, who had left his family''spany.


    "Above. Did you see Tristan?" asked Roman, while his eyes were looking through the crowd.


    "He must be at the front or maybe away with Piper," replied Maximus, "Everything alright?"


    "Yeah," replied Roman, and he stepped out of the mansion, taking a look around the ce, which was surrounded by lots of trees that joined the forest. But he saw nothing to be unusual. He wondered if he had imagined what he had earlier seen.


    "Rome, what are you doing here, instead of being inside?"


    Roman turned and saw it was Lady Petronille. She was with another woman, "Getting some fresh air. Are you going somewhere?" he asked her.


    "Yes, Madame Tabitha wanted to see the silver and gold gown that had been made by Lady Getrude. She is leaving tonight and won''t be able to visit the dressmaker''s ce, we''ll be back soon," said the woman and Roman gave her a nod. "Your father said he would drop us."


    "Your husband seems to be a very loving man, to be with you all the time," said Lady Tabitha and Lady Petronille only smiled.


    Roman saw his father walking past the door. He then ced his hand on Roman''s back and said, "Are you bored."


    Roman shook his head and said, "I am fine."


    Lord Malcolm offered his younger son a warm smile, and he said, "If you want to get back home, you can ride with us. I know you don''t like these things very much. Your mother used to be like that too."


    Roman watched them leave in the carriage while he stood there for a while before getting back inside. After spending some more time with his friends, he noticed a new man had joined Azazel Donovan, speaking to each other with a pleasant-looking smile on their lips.


    After a few minutes passed, Roman looked for the two men he had heard arguing inside the room.


    But the men were nowhere to be seen. He checked the ground floor before climbing up the stairs once again. Standing at the patio, he looked to his left and noticed a little glowing near the centre of the town, and the frown on his face deepened.


    "AHHHHH!!!"


    "HELP!"


    Roman turned back, hearing screamsing through the room''s door. The music had abruptly stopped, leaving nothing but screams to reach one''s ears.


    When he dashed outside the room, he noticed two injured people lying on the ground, with their neck bleeding and part of the flesh on the neck had been bitten. Hurrying himself down, he noticed a few men and women sucking on people''s necks. When one of the men pulled his head away, Roman caught sight of blood trickling down the neck.


    Suddenly, Donovan appeared in front of the strange human, throwing the man against the wall. There was too much blood, and the ce filled itself with people screaming. Chaos and death filled the air.


    He noticed Olivia, whoid on the ground with a bleeding neck and her body trembling.


    "Olivia?!" Roman ran towards her and helped her to sit. She looked like she was about to pass out any second.


    Olivia murmured something that he didn''t understand. He got closer and finally heard her say, "Run."


    He noticed too many bodiesy on the ground, and he didn''t know where the other people he knew were. Some of them who continued to suck blood, he realized they were going toe at them soon. Gritting his teeth, he put her hand around his shoulder and said, "I will take you home. Mr. Trosney will know what to do."


    Roman stepped out of the mansion carrying Olivia in his arms. He caught sight of people fleeing away from the mansion, some in the carriage and some by their feet as they ran as fast as they could.


    He kept looking around to make sure no one wasing to attack him or his friend. Once they reached Olivia''s house, Mr. Trosney, who hadn''te to attend the soiree, was shocked.


    "Olivia! What happened to her?!"


    "There has been an attack and she''s lost a lot of blood," informed Roman in a hurried tone and said, "I should go and check my home, please lock your doors and windows. Make sure to not open the door for anyone!"


    Roman ran towards his family''s manor, hearing people''s scream all around the town. Two houses were on fire, burning brightly. On his way, a man came to stand right in front of him. The person had blood-red eyes and canines that were longer and sharper to look at.


    "You are the people who killed that woman two weeks ago," Roman''s voice was low.


    "It''s good to see there is one less person who isn''t screaming," said the creature, heading right at Roman to suck his blood out.


    But Roman used all his might to stop the person''s mouth from getting close to him. He struggled to get up as the person had pushed him to the ground, and suddenly a painful scream escaped from Roman''s mouth when the human who looked like a strange creature, dipped his hands into Roman''s stomach.


    "Such a stubborn boy," chuckled the creature and said, "Would you like to turn into one of us? Why don''t you drink some blood from me and I take a bite?"


    Roman felt drops of blood fall into his mouth, and right on time, someone from behind hit the creature''s head and then staked the creature through his chest.? It was one of the women from the town, who wheezed for air, "You need to use a wooden stake. They don''t die without it," she said to him.


    He looked frantically for the nearest stick while more creatures came into view, threatening to kill the woman and him. As his hands trembled in a rush of adrenaline, Roman picked up the wooden stake and pushed it into one of the creature''s back.


    As sharp pain shot up from his abdomen, Roman limped to get back to his home to let his family know about what was going on. Finally making it home, he saw the door was already open. Stepping inside, he noticed Edison, their butler lying cold on the floor and a cold and drowning sensation engulfed his body. His hands numb and a resounding beating of his heart thumped in his ears as he moved frantically to check his home.


    Roman had his hand on his stomach, which had now turned red because of the blood that was leaving his body, and he was feeling faint.


    "Father! Mother!" Roman shouted in the manor, which echoed. "Tristan?!"? A feeling of dread erupted from his chest as he continued to limp around the manor.


    He frantically searched for them, and when he finally saw them, his hands turned cold.


    His parentsid on the ground, eyes open, bloody lips, surrounded by a pool of blood that left their bodies. Roman quickly made his way to where they were, bending down to wake them up and to take them to Mr. Trosney''s house. But when he ced his hand on their necks, he didn''t feel any pulse.


    Only an hour ago, he had spoken to both of them. They couldn''t be dead. He stared at them, the shock of what had happened starting to sink in his mind and tainting it with blood.


    Roman closed his eyes, feeling the pain and anguish hit him as he had never felt before. His hand shook as he raised it towards them and closed their eyes.


    When he turned his head, he saw the woman who had apanied his parents to the manor, only that she looked different as her head was severed from her body.


    "Mother?! Father?! Rome? Are you here?!"


    Hearing his brother''s voice, Roman stood up from where he had crouched earlier, his heart growing heavy with every passing second.


    He flinched in pain, limping and walking in the direction of where he had heard his brother''s voice. But halfway there, Roman started to sway because he had lost too much blood from his body. He tried to walk as much as he could.


    "Tristan!" Roman shouted, "Get yourself to a safe ce!"


    "Where are you?!" called Tristan in haste, not realizing he had alerted one of the night creatures who had stepped inside the manor, looking to hunt more people.


    Roman finally saw Tristan, who stood on the other end of the corridor. He was d to see that his brother was unharmed, and Tristan looked at Roman with relief washing on his face. Tristan then informed,


    "There are creatures hunting us! We must leave now! Where''s mother and father?! What happened to you?"


    Before Tristan could walk towards Roman, one of the rogue vampires came to stand behind him. Roman''s gaze was blurring, unable to keep up with his failing body.


    "Behind you!" Roman exerted his remaining energy.


    But it was toote to react, as the vampire pushed his hand right through Tristan''s back, and dropped the human''s heart on the floor.


    "No!" Roman''s scream echoed in the manor, noticing the light in his brother''s eyes leave and slowly turn hollow.


    Roman''s breathing turned shallower before he fell cold on the ground.

 Chapter 93 - Quiet Town After Massacre

    <h4>Chapter 93 - Quiet Town After Massacre</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Coven - 2021 : League of Legends


    ¡ª


    Many buildings were set aze in the town, where people who were stuck in there screamed for help. At the same time, many people who were outside screamed, as they were being attacked by strange-looking humans who were sucking blood and killing people.


    The merriment that had started this evening in the town was quick to die down, where the atmosphere heavily filled itself with the scent of death.


    Azazel Donovan tore one of the rogue vampire''s heads and dropped the person on the ground. The screams of the humans slowly reduced until the entire town almost turned quiet.


    Castiel Marudas walked to where Donovan was and said, "Some of the rogue vampires have escaped from the town, and some have died."


    "How is your brother''s family?" questioned Azazel. He moved his red eyes to look at Castiel without moving his head.


    "Dead, except my nephew who was bitten," replied Castiel, a deep frowning to settle on his face, "He''s in the process of transformation. I took him back to the Marudas manor so that he can take his time inpletely turning into one."


    "My condolences for your loss," said Azazel. Castiel didn''t reply, thinking about the consequences that the town had to face because of the rogue vampires following them. "I can sense more humans, who are under the process of transformation."


    "What do you want to do with them?" inquired Castiel.


    At the same time, another vampire who was old only by age but not appearance stepped into their view. The man was tall, and a frown on his lips, which was a clear indicator that he wasn''t happy with what happened. The ck coat that he wore swept from behind because of the wind.


    "The hunters have already caught a whiff of what has happened and might be here any moment. We are the only guests who arrived here. Which idiot thought it was wise to turn a bunch of humans into vampires and have them run free?!" asked the vampire, walking towards the other two vampires.


    "Probably the humans who had not beenpelled or witnessed some of our existence. You know how humans love to be us," replied Castiel. "Where''s Oscar?" he asked.


    "He''s extinguishing the fire from the houses. As if it is going to help, tch," the other man clicked his tongue in irritation. "Let us leave this ce. It''s a dead town now with no food, and is of no use to us anymore, Azazel."


    Azazel''s eyes moved to look across the buildings, and he said, "The town can still be useful to us. There''s no one topel in here, and with the number of humans, who are being turned into vampires,? we can use them for our own benefit. To build a ce just for us."


    "Humans who were of low quality? I thought you didn''t like them," said the third person.


    "I still am not fond of humans, Luciano," remarked Azazel, his gaze turning away from the buildings to look at the vampire named Luciano. "Humans are foolish and ungrateful creatures. Not to mention they are lower than us in every aspect. But it would be a waste to leave a town like this, when we can take control of it, in a way where the hunters will nevere to know of."


    Castiel agreed with this and said, "I agree with Azazel. There are many who have been turned, and this is a ce I would like to look after. We make use of them for our own benefit. But for the transformation to be sessful, they will need to be put in istion."


    Azazel closed his eyes, taking a deep breath where he basked in the smell of death in the air. He opened his eyes, revealing the red eyes and said, "Let''s get the ones who have been turned and lock them in the rooms of the manors. Make sure no onees to wander there. When they are ready let us see if they are worth keeping. If they turn out to be useless, discard them with the rest."


    The three old vampires dispersed from where they were standing to discard the dead humans, who were of no use to them while picking up the ones who were remotely alive or were going through the process of transformation.


    The vampire named Luciano stepped into the Moltenore''s manor and greeted with bodies at the front side of the hall. He looked around the manor. When he was walking near the stairs, he noticed a human''s heart near the body.


    His shoes had been sshed with blood when he was earlier killing the rogue vampires. He walked to the other side of the corridor, noticing a young person lying on his stomach. It was a boy in his teenage years, and Luciano found nothing in him. There was no heartbeat, and by the look of it, the body had turned cold.


    The older vampire stepped out of the manor, after finding every single person in the manor to be dead, leaving Roman''s body on the ground like the rest of the people, whom he had grown up with.


    But after some time, Roman gasped, and his eyes that had been closed until now opened, flickering between red and ck.


    His head hurt with a severe pain that spread throughout his body. The pain in his stomach didn''t reduce, and he flinched. When he came to his senses, Roman looked towards the other end of the corridor, where Tristany on the ground.


    Unable to stand up, as he was weak right now, he crawled on the ground. Making his way towards his brother.


    Roman''s hand trembled, and he reached for his brother''s chest that had been hollowed. He then ced his hand on his brother''s face, noticing how cold the body had turned. His brother''s eyes were open. Roman''s face contorted in pain, wishing he could turn back time and save his family. To keep them safe and alive, but they were all dead, leaving him alone.


    "I couldn''t protect you until the end," muttered Roman under his breath. His eyes started to burn and prick, but the water in them didn''t spill out from his eyes.


    The shock was too much for Roman to digest. He wanted to call for help, but even Roman knew that there was no way anyone could help his parents or brother now. He whispered, "I will find the person who did this to you. To our parents. And when I catch the person, I promise to avenge all of your deaths."


    Roman closed Tristan''s eyes, the brother who had always stood next to him since the very beginning. His heart ached, and his hands clenched in pure rage.


    He tried to push himself up to stand while pain shot in his body. He looked at his hands that were covered in blood.


    Using the support of the walls, he tried to step out of the manor while leaving a trail of blood on the white walls at the front of the Moltenore''s manor.


    Stepping out of the manor, he was greeted with the sight of smoke moving up in the air from one of the houses that continued to burn in mes. The screams that he had earlier heard before looking for his family had stopped. Climbing down the stairs of the manor, he looked around and caught the sight of bodies, people he knew in the town.


    The pain in his head increased, and for a moment, Roman stopped walking as he felt his body sway. He felt difficulty in breathing.


    When he got to the road, he made his way towards the physician''s house. Halfway there, suddenly two men in long ck cloaks appeared in front of Roman.


    "There''s a vampire there!" Roman noticed one of them pull out a crossbow and aim at him.


    Roman raised his hand, "I-I didn''t harm anyone," he struggled with his words. "Stop! I need help!"


    "Isn''t that Lord Moltenore''s illegitimate son? Looks like he was recently turned,"mented one of them, but the other person with the crossbow didn''t lower down his weapon.


    "You know what our orders are. We don''t leave any turned human alive. Anyone with a trace of vampire in them, we stake and kill them all," said the man, aiming the arrow at Roman.


    Roman''s knees gave away, and his body dropped to the ground, where he sat on his knees while clutching his stomach.


    One of the men ced his hand on the crossbow to lower it down, and he said, "Let''s take him to Lloyd. He will know what to do. The boy''s eyes are changing."


    "Fine, I will go and bring the others. I think the vampires have fled after killing the humans," said the man with the crossbow and ran to look for the others. The other man carried Roman on his shoulder, who was part of the hunter''s group. The hunters who were present in the town were some who lived in the same town, while the others lived in another town that wasn''t far from this town.


    "Who do you have there, Porter?" questioned an old man, whose cloaked hood covered the upper half of his face. But one could see his peppered beard that covered his jaws.


    "We don''t know if he''s turning into a vampire or he''s trying to get back to his human form, Llyod", said the man named Porter.


    "Weren''t the orders clear that you kill every vampire in the vicinity? A hunter doesn''t show pity to the creatures who sucks blood and is a ruthless creature," said the old man named Llyod, who was the head of the group. "He''s either dying or transforming."


    "But if he''s still a human, shouldn''t we¡ª"


    "Do only what you are told, Porter. It seems like the vampires after quenching their thirst have left the town," said Llyod, a scowl on his face. "You are living in this fucking town, and you have no clue that it was invaded by vampires? How reckless can you be?"


    A man came running to the ce where they were standing and informed them, "Sir, all the humans we found are dead on the road. It is aplete massacre."


    "A whole town ispletely destroyed," huffed the old man, and he then said, "Porter, bring the boy to the hall, the one without any residents. Bring the others and send some of them to deal with the authorities on what happened. We don''t want word of panic spreading to other towns that there are creatures who kill humans for pleasure. Handle it with utmost care."


    "Yes, Sir!" said the man, who had recently joined them.


    "Let us see why the boy''s body condition is fluctuating," said the old man. "We''ll alsoe to know how the vampire''s body functions. It is time to learn more about them so that they can be easily killed."


    The hunter carried Roman, following the older man and the others away from there.


    All the hunters walked in a pair, following one after another in harmony until they reached a huge building. The doors were pushed open, and they entered therge and vacant hall. Once they went to the centre of the wide hall, the man carrying Roman ced him on the ground. The men in the cloaks surrounded him, where one of the hunters started to offer his prayers and the others followed. At the same time, Roman regained his consciousness and opened his eyes. He noticed the high ceiling of the room and heard the murmurs from the people who surrounded him.


    As much as he wanted to stand up and go back to the Moltenore''s manor, his body didn''t support him. The pain he had felt earlier woke his body as it spread across his body, inching towards his heart.


    Once the men were done whispering their prayers, the older man ordered the man who stood in front of him, "Kill him."


    The person, who had first started the prayer, pulled out a knife from his back, and he stepped forward near where the boyid on the ground. When the tip of the de pierced through Roman''s chest, a sharp pain started to spread in his chest, and he caught hold of the man''s hand, trying to stop him from pushing it further.


    One of the cloaked men sensed someone standing on the other side of the hall''s entrance, where the doors had been left open.


    "Never knew humans could do something so ill to their own kind. It''s a delight to look at."


    The other hunters turned to look at one of the old vampires, whose eyes were blood red and the corner of his lips with traces of blood, letting one know that he had consumed blood from a human beforeing here.


    "So you are finally here, vampire, after hiding like a coward," said the older man, and pulled out his weapon, and so did the others, while some picked up the crossbows.


    The vampire chuckled in humour, his eyes brightly shining, and he ran his tongue over his fangs that still had the blood of one of the insolent humans whom he had sucked blood from until the veryst drop.


    "I was looking around for any human who was still alive to drink blood from, but then I heard those pathetic prayers of yours. And to think I find you self righteous hunters in such an interesting situation, it does make me believe that we are both the same," taunted the vampire with a smile on his face.


    When the vampire took a step forward, a series of gunshots were fired, and arrows aimed at the vampire. But the creature of the night was not old for no reason. He moved in speed, dodging the bullets and arrows, pulling the bloodied sharp wooden stakes out from his coat. He quickly started to throw it at the hunters, who suddenly jumped away from where they had been standing to avoid getting pierced with it.


    And even though there were a total of nine hunters in the hall, they seemed to be outnumbered. It was because two more older vampires hade to join the fight from the entrance of the door, which the hunters had used to walk into the building initially.


    The three vampires in the hall were old, and they fought the hunters, wanting to erase the very existence of the humans so that they could continue living while working on slowly controlling the world.


    The vampires tore the men''s arms or heads off the body, where blood spilt profusely from the top of the head and then on the ground, leaving the floor covered in blood. One of the hunters, who was the old man, realized how his people were being ambushed and killed, where he hadn''t expected the old vampires to be in the same ce at the same time.


    The old man tried to escape from there, but Azazel blocked his way. Catching hold of the human''s face, he pushed it against the wall.


    "Where are your other people so that I can deal with them?" questioned Azazel.


    The human tried to push the silver knife at the vampire, but his arm was twisted behind his back, and the knife fell to the ground. Llyod said through his gritted teeth, "Do you think I will give you the information that easily because you asked me?! I know you blood-sucking creatures who kill humans on a whim."


    "If that is so, it looks like you are useless to me," stated Azazel.


    "You think I will be scared by your threats? My people will one day find and kill¡ª"


    The old man didn''t get a chance to speak as the vampire used all his force and squashed the human''s head to the wall. The old man''s head cracked before blood dripped into his hand, and Azazel let go of the human, who dropped on the floor. Out of the nine human hunters, only one was left alive, while the restid on the ground with blood oozing out of their head or bodies.


    For an average vampire, the amount of blood spilt in the building would have driven them mad to take a lick at the ground. But these vampires who stood in the hall were not any ordinary vampires; they were the first and original vampires.


    "Don''t kill me!" the man panicked, who was the only hunter in the room, who was left alive.


    "Let go of his head, Oscar," said Azazel, and looking at the human hunter, he said, "You are from this very town, aren''t you? I didn''t know this town had Hunters living, how nice. Castiel must have missed noticing it. Tell me why you are hunting us?"


    "Y-you creatures killed my whole family! My parents and my siblings!" the man shakily said, and the vampire nodded his head.


    "Sounds fair. Do you have more of your mening here to hunt?" questioned the vampire with a pleasant voice as if his hands had spilt no blood or had caused death.


    The human didn''t answer and only stared at the vampires, who now started to head towards the exit of the building, while saying, "Get him off my sight."


    "No! No! They aren''ting! The others have been sent to deal with the situation of the town!" the man named Porter shouted in panic. The vampire named Oscar swept his hand across the human''s neck at a speed that severed the head to fall on the ground.


    Azazel heard something behind him, and he turned to look at the boy who had been lying on the floor. He walked to where the boy was,ing to stand next to the boy and watching the human, who gasped for air.


    "Is he undergoing transformation?" questioned Oscar, looking at the boy.


    "He''s dying," said Azazel, watching Roman''s eyes flicker between his ck human eyes and red vampire eyes. One of the rogue vampires must have tried converting him, but the creature didn''t do it right, thought Azazel to himself. "You seem to have been heavily injured yet you are still breathing, is it the little vampire blood that is coursing in your body that is trying to extend your life?" hummed the vampire.


    Both Roman and Azazel''s eyes met. Even in pain, Roman saw how the creature, who wasn''t a human, curiously stared at him.


    "Kill him off quickly, Azazel, we need to check on the others,"mented Luciano, who was there in the room.


    "It would be a waste to do that, when he shows so much potential," hummed Azazel. The vampire sat down on his heel next to Roman, tearing the shirt he wore to look at the wound caused by the de and his stomach. "You will turn into one of the finest vampires. My very first."


    Azazel picked up the knife on the ground, and he brought it towards Roman''s chest. When he ced it right above Roman''s heart, the human caught hold of the hand, ring at the vampire.


    "It''s the fire in your eyes that I find to be fascinating. Don''t you want to get revenge on those people who killed your family and friends?" questioned Azazel, a smile forming on his lips. "Right now your body is weak, but you will turn strong with my blood."


    The vampire pushed the knife further into the wound on Roman''s chest that had earlier formed, and it had Roman spout blood from his mouth. Azazel then pulled out the knife, bringing it to his hand, he sliced it. Drops of the vampire''s blood fell on the open wound on Roman''s chest.


    Azazel whispered something under his breath while watching the boy''s eyes close.


    The pain that coursed through every cell of his body had numbed every sensation in him. The vampire''s blood entered his body, overpowering the other vampire''s blood that had entered Roman''s body earlier and then overpowering the human blood in him.


    "You could have picked someone who was in a better condition than a badgered human," scoffed Luciano, looking at the boy whoid on the ground as if he were dead.


    A minute passed, and then five minutes, but nothing happened. "You must have beente¡ª"


    The vampire''s words were interrupted when a heartbeat was heard.


    Then another heartbeat followed the first one before the heart continued to beat in Roman''s chest.


    "Is he still a human?" questioned Oscar from where he stood. Azazel keenly watched Roman, where the boy''s wounds slowly started to heal.


    When Roman opened his eyes, they were bloody red, and the corners of Azazel Donovan''s lips tugged.

 Chapter 94 - Preparation Of Graves

    <h4>Chapter 94 - Preparation Of Graves</h4>


    Thirty minutes had passed since Roman''s transformation from his human form to vampire had begun. Even though one of the Elder vampire''s blood flowed in his veins right now, only time would tell if he would be able to handle and survive the transformation.


    There had been many urrences in the past where some humans had tried to gain an advantage against vampires. Apart from creating weapons to kill the night creatures, and in their own twisted thoughts, they had tried to turn some humans into vampires, who were sent to kill the other vampires. But the vampires often revolted and turned bloodthirsty, killing everything and anything that came in their way.


    It wasn''t just the humans mentally breaking down, but some of the humans'' bodies couldn''t adjust the vampire blood in their veins. This led to the vampires spewing blood out of their mouths and, in the end, die.


    Right now, Roman had been locked in his room all by himself, in the Moltenore''s manor.


    "The boy is abnormal!" Roman heard the voice of someone from the other side of the room.


    Outside the room and at the end of the corridor stood the four Elder vampires¡ª Azazel Donovan, Castiel Marudas, Luciano Sterling and Remy Oscar.


    Luciano had a re in his eyes. His face couldn''t contain it and spilt into his words, "Kill him now, or I will kill him myself."


    "Try doing that and see what happenster," stated Azazel, staring at the other Elder vampire with his dark red eyes.


    The vampire named Remy asked, "Why are you so intent on keeping the boy alive, Azazel? You can have someone better, yet you picked him. Someone who appears to be a half. Not to mention we don''t know what the beating heart means in his case."


    "It means he''s a special kind," replied Azazel with a smile that continued to stay on his face, unlike the other three vampires, who had a serious expression on them. "I like to keep things that are special and I see potential in him. He will help us or me with the goal of keeping control over thends and killing the humans that we need to erase, who are worthless."


    Luciano narrowed his eyes, "And what if in the future, one day he stands against you or one of us? None of us have ever turned any humans to vampires, with a beating heart. You never know when one turns their back at you. It''s not the first time. We didn''t evene here to turn them¡ª"


    "You will not touch him, Luciano. Roman Moltenore will only answer to me, if he doesn''t I will make sure he understands why he should. I did save him. If you want," Azazel said to Luciano. "You can pick one of the humans who are still under transformation, to do your bidding. Castiel has decided to take his nephew under his wing."


    Luciano had a scowl on his face, and he walked away from there, stepping out of the Moltenore''s manor.


    "I might as well find a disciple who will listen to me so that I havepany," said Remy, and he walked away from there, and soon after, Castiel left the manor too.


    At the end of the corridor, where Roman''s room was located, he coughed. The light that came from the candlelight was too bright for his eyes, and he turned his body to the other side while heid on the bed.


    The cough shook his body, and he brought his hand up, trying to cover his mouth, resulting in him coughing blood into his hand.


    Roman heard footsteps approaching the door, and even though he was in pain, his eyes narrowed.


    "How are you doing, Roman? I believe you have heard our conversation with your good hearing ability thates from me," said Azazel, who stood on the other side of the door.


    "You remove all the things from the room," said Roman, because the table, the dressing table, and most of the objects that he could use as a weapon to harm had been cleared once he had been brought in here by the man.


    "Consider it to be a precaution to protect you from harming yourself until youplete your full transformation process," replied Azazel. A smile formed on his lips that the boy he had decided to pick as his disciple was not throwing tantrums, unlike the oth¡ª


    "I rather die than be something like you, who killed my family," Roman threw up more blood. The wounds on his body had healed, but at the same time, it had weakened him.


    "It wasn''t I or my otherpanions who killed them. It was the rogue vampires, people who don''t follow rules and don''t know when to stop," replied Azazel. Hearing the room''s window creak, he said, "Step out and you will only end up hunting innocent people. Of course I understand the thirst you must be feeling. My condolences for what happened to your family."


    Roman stared at the wall in front of him, his eyes turning hard.


    "I can smell your insincere words from here," responded Roman, and hearing the young boy''s words, the smile on Azazel''s face widened more.


    A human or a vampire always knew when to close their mouth when speaking to the Elder vampire. But Azazel found humour in the boy''s words, who was trying to speak as an equal, whom he had personally turned into a vampire.


    Roman heard footsteps leaving the front of the door, and he stayed inside the room. He didn''t know how many hours or days had passed, but it passed by torturously slow. He didn''t sleep, as the memories of his family repeated in his mind. The people he had cared for in this manor had been brutally murdered, and all that he was left with were just memories of them.


    And during that time, his heart grew colder as if wrapped in a nket of ice that was never going to break.


    The manor held an eerie silence, and so was the town as if it had turned into a ghost town in one night. The Elder vampire, who had turned him, visited him once a day, the visit brief to check if Roman was still alive before leaving the front of the room.


    There was nothing to do in the room apart from coughing the blood and drowning in memories that were turning hollow and dark. His upper jaw hurt, the fangs trying to appear.


    One evening, as usual, Roman sat in the room all by himself, staring at the burning candle. At that time, suddenly, his body went through a shock of pain, his heart squeezing in his chest as if it would explode any moment. From some of the words that he had picked from the Elder vampires conversation, he wondered if this was how he was going to die.


    Getting up, he picked up a page. His red eyes then looked for something to write with. Finding a pin that had fallen at the far corner, he used the blood that he had coughed to write¡ª ''The quietness that instills fear has now turnedfortable.''


    The humans who had been scared the evening of the massacre, running away, had turned into the very same creatures, who had either killed their families or friends.


    Roman wondered if he would be able to continue to live, as it had been around two weeks since he had been locked inside the room. His family''s name would end with him. Once he was gone, every memory that had been built would cease to exist, and if it happened, he wanted to leave something behind.


    Hearing footsteps approach the door, Roman quickly folded the paper and pushed it inside a brick.


    When the door flew open, Roman caught sight of the same woman, who had told him to make use of the wooden stake. The woman had blonde hair tied at the back of her head, her eyes not red.


    "Roman Moltenore, Mr. Donovan has summoned you," said the woman, her voice firm.


    "You are now one of them too," remarked Roman, noticing though she didn''t look like the so-called vampires, she was still one.


    "And you are too. Looks like you have survived through the transformation," responded the woman. Roman stood up from where he had been sitting.


    "Mrs. Dante?" Roman tried to confirm her name, as they hadn''te across each other much in the past.


    "You can call me, Ms. Dante," the woman let him know. "I will tell it only one time, so listen carefully. These vampires who are here, they are powerful. They are called the four Elder vampires of our time, and don''t do anything to upset any of them." She pursed her lips before continuing, "A week ago, two of them tried to go against them and now they lie in their coffin."


    Roman''s eyes didn''t leave Dante, and soon they started to walk out of the room, where Ms. Dante''s voice had turned extremely low.


    "So now we are part of the kind who killed our families?" questioned Roman, his eyes hardened.


    "They weren''t the ones who attacked the town, but yes, we belong to their kind now. The ones who have survived are no more humans and are all vampires," on hearing Ms. Dante''s words, Roman wondered if his friends were still alive. Azazel had never given any information while telling him to concentrate on fighting the transformation so that he could turn into a vampire.


    They stepped outside, and the dark sky was the one to greet them.


    On his way, Roman noticed the houses burning on the day of the massacre had disappeared entirely. There was arge patch on the ground.


    When Roman arrived at the ce with Dante where the Elders stood, they weren''t alone but in thepany of some of the rogue vampires who had attacked his town.


    "Wee, Roman," greeted Azazel with a satisfied smile on his face. "I brought you a wee present to celebrate your sessful transformation. These are the rogue vampires who had attacked the town. Anyone you fancy?"


    Roman looked at the rogue vampire''s, and while doing so, he caught sight of a familiar face he had never gotten along with within the town. His eyes subtly narrowed, meeting Griffin''s eyes, who stood right next to an Elder vampire, Luciano Sterling.


    Everyone noticed the way Roman and Griffin locked their eyes with a distaste for each other.


    "Luciano has turned Griffin as his disciple, simr to how I turned you. You must already know each other, it is a small town,"mented Azazel.


    But Roman didn''t remark on it. His eyes then moved and fell on one of the rogue vampires¡ªthe same person who had stood behind his brother. The memory had run in his mind over and over again that it had imprinted in his mind.


    There were a total of six rogue vampires who had been caught.


    Azazel said, "Looks like someone did catch your interest."


    Another Elder named Remy looked at Roman and said, "I will show you how to kill a rogue vampire as you are new to it." The man then came to stand right behind one of the rogue''s, and he used his hand to separate the head from one of the rogue vampire''s heads. "This is how to do it."


    Roman walked forward, noticing how the rogue vampire trembled from where he stood, without moving an inch even though he looked like he wanted to run away from the ce. Some of the vampire''s who had been turned stood far away, watching the scene taking ce in front of their eyes. A lot of them watched Roman in doubt, as none of the town folks had ever tried to kill a vampire or kill anyone until now.


    Roman''s right hand straightened, ready to run his hand across the neck to separate the head, but his brother''s face kept shing in front of his eyes. The relieved look that had been on his brother''s face had turned to shock, realizing his life had been cut short.


    Lucianomented for Azazel to hear, "Looks like he can''t do it."


    Roman felt the pain and the slight smile that had reached to offer him courage by his brother. His jaw clenched, and he raised his hand towards the front of the rogue vampire''s chest. He suddenly pushed his fingers into the vampire''s chest, grasping the person''s heart and watching the pain, simr to how Tristan had felt.


    Pulling the heart out, he squeezed it in the process, and the rogue vampire fell on the ground, dead. And even though Roman had avenged one of his family member''s death, his heart only grew colder.


    Roman then looked up at the Elder, who had earlier decided to teach him how to kill their kind. He said, "I don''t like following things."


    Days passed, and the town was rebuilt, and the people who upied it were all vampires, which the four Elder vampires controlled, mainly by Azazel Donovan.


    One afternoon, a man walked to where the Elders were and informed them, "The other Hunters have caught a whiff, they are nning to visit this ce. To see if any vampires are living here. It''s not one town, but more than five who have caught the news."


    "Hm," Azazel hummed and then said, "That will be quite problematic. But it is also the right time to rest, a rest we haven''t taken in some time."


    "And what if they find anything to be suspicious?" questioned Castiel.


    "I am sure we have enough people to handle it. Keep only a handful of vampires here, while the rest can take a nap in their own spots. To the hunters we''ll be just a myth and they will eventually forget," said Azazel, his chin raising. "I have already exined it to Dante, and she will get it arranged within a few days, to open the educational institution. Veteris will flourish."


    "It is a clever and perfect way to camouge things around here," agreed Luciano, his lips twisting into a smile. "Borrell, make sure to pick the younger ones to sleep, while keeping the older ones out. When the time is right, wake them up and have them join with the others."


    Borrell looked slightly confused and asked, "What about blood and their age?"


    "Don''t worry about that," responded Azazel, "Remy has already got everything prepared and the younger ones can continue with the same age once they are brought out of the coffin. Have the other vampires admitted when needed along with the humans. Bnce them both. We would like to gather as many as we can." He took a deep breath and said,


    "I cannot wait to see what the new world looks like when we wake up."


    And when the time came, the elders'' chambers were prepared to go to sleep, and wake up when it was time of the full moon, which would hold a line of redness around it.


    The graves with the caskets had been built for the vampires, who belonged to the town, in the cemetery that was in the forest. It was also the same ce where their deceased familiesid.


    The Elders as well as the newly turned vampires stepped into the chambers and graves respectively to rest so that the hunters would nevere to know of them. Years passed, and as expected Veteris flourished, before the vampire students were woken up in batches to join the institution that was being run by vampires.

 Chapter 95 - Want A Bite

    <h4>Chapter 95 - Want A Bite</h4>


    Julie, who sat next to Roman, stared at him as he exined to her about the things that had happened in his past and how Veteris came to be, "I am sorry about what happened to your family, Rome." She ced her hand on his, which was resting on the bed.


    She didn''t know how he had pulled himself after what he went through and still remained the way he was. Her heart ached for Roman, who had lost his family in front of his eyes, when he was young, not knowing how much pain he had gone through.


    "It''s fine now," remarked Roman, exhaling air through his lips. "My friends and I, including Griffin and his friends, had been woken up a year before we were admitted into Veteris."


    "That''s why you have your graves in the cemetery¡­ because you have been in there," Julie murmured to herself. "Doesn''t the long sleep affect a vampire''s body without blood?"


    "No. During the vampire''s long sleep, the body can''t function and is pretty much in a dead state, but once they consume blood they regain their lost energy and are back on their feet," exined Roman.


    "Are the Elders already awake?" she continued to ask him.


    "About that¡­" Roman''s voice trailed, and he finally said, "They are going to be woken up somewhere around this week."


    From what Julie heard from Roman, it seemed like Azazel Donovan was attached to Roman. Someone who wanted to control him, but the problem here was that Roman couldn''t be controlled. He had lived his life on his terms, without bowing his head to anyone, and it probably intrigued the Elder vampire.


    Julie then said, "I think I feel more shocked on finding this used to be your room, that the story of the boy you told me was about you,pared to finding out you and the rest of them are vampires."


    Roman raised his hand towards Julie''s face, caressing her cheek, as he stared at her.


    His thumb brushed her soft skin, and a smile broke through his lips.


    "It''s good to know that you aren''t running away from me, I was worried," stated Roman, the smile left from his face. Julie noticed Roman''s eyes had returned to being ck again.


    In the past, when it came to replying to her prying questions, Roman hadn''t lied to her, but he had danced around the answers and words. She doubted anyone else would have been able to figure out that vampires were living between them.


    "Do you ever miss being human?" asked Julie, feeling Roman''s hand moved down near her neck now.


    "Truthfully¡­ not much," a dry chuckle escaped from Roman''s lips. He said, "There are a lot of pros than cons when ites to being a vampire, it isn''t too bad."


    Julie nodded before a yawn escaped her lips.


    "You should get some sleep, Winters. You had a long day and the next days are going to be longer," said Roman.


    "Will you stay?" asked Julie, not knowing if Roman was nning to leave once she would fall asleep.


    Julie trusted Roman, but that didn''t mean she trusted the other people in Veteris who were vampires. In the back of her mind, somewhere, she was scared that someone woulde into her room and suck her blood out. The worst part was that if they tried topel her, it wouldn''t work, and they would know!


    "Not worried that I might sneak in a bite when you are asleep?" he asked her, as she had earlier held a rosary in her hands as if the vampires were spirits who could be easily driven.


    Julie stared at Roman. Worry entered her eyes, and she asked, "Are you hungry?"


    Maybe it was time to store coke cans in here along with potato chips in her dorm, thought Julie in her mind. The thought of blood leaving her body made her feel dizzy.


    "I am, I used all my energy in finding you and then beating the other vampire," Julie''s eyes fell on Roman''s lips, where his fangs had appeared. He said to her, "I am famished."


    Julie gulped, not knowing if it would be rude not to offer blood to her vampire boyfriend. She wanted to be supportive. After all, from what she had been learning for a few days, she was probably not entirely human.


    "Didn''t you have dinner?" asked Julie, noticing Roman looking at her neck.


    "I didn''t find time today, I hope you wouldn''t mind if I took a small bite from you, do you? For a very long time, I have been wanting to drink from you. Now that you already know what I am, I don''t see a point in hiding my thoughts from you," saying it, Roman turned his body to face Julie.


    Julie could feel her heart drumming in her ears, and Roman raised his hand and ced it on her chest, "You can hear it?"


    "Very clearly since the time we met," remarked Roman, and he then said, "Why don''t you close your eyes, it will feel less painful."


    "B-but I need to mentally prepare myself for it," stuttered Julie, wide awake now at the thought that Roman was going to suck her blood. "How good are you at controlling your thirst?"


    Roman leaned forward, bringing his face right in front of her face, and he said, "I think I will skip the question instead of answering it."


    That meant he wasn''t good at it!


    Before he could move closer, Julie ced her hand on Roman''s lips. She gently pushed his head back so that she could look into his eyes. She then asked, "There is something I want to know¡­ Apart from that rogue vampire, did you kill anyone else?"


    "I have blood on my hands. A lot. The reason I asked you to not hate me was this, not because I am a vampire," Roman was serious when he said it, his unwavering gaze looking at her. He then caught her hand to pull it down. "Close your eyes, Winters. Would you prefer I drink from other girls?"


    His words provoked a memory in Julie''s mind, and she went ''Ah¡­'' in realization. Was that what he used to do in the library? That all this time, he wasn''t making out with those girls and was instead drinking blood from them?


    "I have another question," said Julie, and Roman stared at her.


    "What is it?" Roman''s words were patient with her.


    "Did you like, you know, drink blood from others since the time we have been together¡­" her voice trailed.


    "I wanted to but it has been a while since I took a bite from any person," Roman''s lips twisted as he said, "If I drank from the girls I have been drinking from the past, it would create unnecessary misunderstanding and I didn''t want to do that. Of course, there are boys but thest thing I need is you confusing my sexual orientation. You really made me run, where I had to depend on canned blood. Imagine seeing your favourite food walking in front or around you twenty-four seven."


    At his words, Julie''s thought went to imagining french fries walking around her. Well¡­ if he was saying like this, it was hard to argue, she thought in her mind.


    Roman always had the ''coke'' in his hand and remembered the amount of cans he drank. But it was only him, who drank that way, while his friends seemed to have better control when consuming blood.


    Julie closed her eyes, her face scrunched, and she said, "Be quick, okay."


    She wondered if the bite would be like receiving an injection. The only difference was that this time, it would be a double prick on her skin. Nervous, she said, "I am not good with injections. I usually close my eyes when the nurse or doctor is about to prick it into my skin, because just the sight feels scary." Goosebumps started to rise on her skin.


    She waited for a few seconds, but feeling no prick, she opened one of her eyes while continuing to squint the other eye. Roman wasn''t sitting in front of her anymore.


    When Julie turned to her left, she noticed Roman lying on the bed, on his back. He turned his head in her direction and said, "Get in the bed, Winters."


    Julie wondered if Roman had only tried to tease her and had not meant to take a bite from her. Or if he wanted to take his time with it before sinking his fangs into her. She got into the bed, lying down next to him and on the side of her body, watching him. Roman turned to face her too, where both of them stared into each other''s eyes while keeping their hands to themselves.


    "Rome," Julie whispered. "What kind of people are the Elders?"


    "Conceited, cunning, overbearing. Almost ny percent of the vampires aren''t looking forward to seeing them wake up," said Roman, tucking her hair behind her ear.


    "If that is so, why not leave them to sleep for a little longer?" asked Julie. Her hand reached out to the rings that hung in his chain, ying with it while feeling the metal''s coldness.


    Hearing her words, Romanughed, and Julie raised her eyebrows, "No?"


    "All of us would have loved to do that, but the ones who are in charge right now like Dante, Borrell, Evans. They were ordered by the Elders to wake them up. The hunters are going to catch the wind of this ce one day, and they will be needed here. For any decision making. I believe somewhere even Dante isn''t looking forward to it either, and she''s doing it only out of responsibilities," exined Roman. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips tenderly on her forehead. "Let''s not talk about them. What are your ns for tomorrow?"


    A thoughtful expression appeared on Julie''s face, and she nodded, "To watch your football match and cheer you. Walk around the campus. My friends and I previously nned to attend the horror house that is going to be open tomorrow. Do you want toe?"


    "What time have you nned to go and visit it?"


    "Probably around three in the noon? Reese has to go help one of the professors, so we are nning to wait for her and then go together," replied Julie while watching him.


    "Sounds fun," replied Roman, his lips twitching, and he then said, "You might probably see more horror in the mansion,pared to what the others see because of what it has to offer. Will you be alright?"


    Julie nodded her head, "I don''t know when the abilityes and goes. And you will be there with me." At the same thought, Julie realized how this manor that was turned into a girls Dormitorium probably reminded Roman of his family''s death. She asked, "If this manor used to belong to your father, does it mean you own this ce now?"


    Before Roman could respond to her, someone knocked on Julie''s dorm door.


    Julie turned startled on hearing the sharp knocks, and her heart almost leapt out of her throat. She looked at Roman and then got up to look at the door. Was it the warden of the Dormitorium?


    Pushing himself from the bed, Roman got down from it and made his way towards the door. He opened the locks before turning the knob of the door and opening it. When Julie tried to take a look at what stood in front of the dorm at this hour, she noticed it was Maximus.


    Maximus looked serious, and he said to Roman, "We need to go to the restricted side of the forest."


    Roman''s eyes narrowed, and he walked towards the window. Pushing the curtain away, he looked at the sky that had the moon with a slight tinge of redness around it. They had woken up, he thought in his mind.


    Roman heard his friend inform him, "He''s asking for you. Donovan."

 Chapter 96 - Dinner With The Elders

    <h4>Chapter 96 - Dinner With The Elders</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Look at this- Marc Streitenfeld


    .


    On hearing the name that Maximus uttered, Julie''s eyes turned to look at Roman, and she noticed the look in his eyes had hardened. His demeanour turned serious, and his eyes met hers, without saying anything for seconds.


    Realizing Julie had heard the uttered name, Maximus said, "My apologies for disturbing your time together, but we have a guest who wants to meet Rome. I hope you don''t mind if I take him for a while, do you?" His words were polite, but she noticed the hidden urgency in his voice.


    "Give me two minutes," remarked Roman, turning to the side where Maximus stood. His friend nodded his head.


    "Goodnight, Julie," Maximus wished her, and Julie wished him back with a small smile on her lips. Maximus stepped out from her dorm, making his way outside, waiting for Roman near the entrance of the girl''s Dormitorium.


    Roman closed the dorm''s door and came to sit right next to Julie on the bed. She spoke in a low voice, "I thought there was still time for them to wake up."


    "The outline of the moon has turned red, someone must have woken them up after seeing it," replied Roman, and he pulled the curtain to hide the window behind it. He said, "The full moon''s light gives them the needed source of energy along with blood, to wake the Elders. I don''t think I will be backter tonight, so get some sleep. I will see you tomorrow."


    "Promise?" asked Julie, her hand reached for his hand to hold it.


    She noticed his eyes had turned possibly darker. He wasn''t sure of returning to her tonight because no one knew what the Elders had nned after waking up. She hade to know about their existence only today, and she hadn''t found enough time to process every little thing. It was as if a dam had broken, and the water had flooded everywhere.


    Roman noticed Julie''s worry in her eyes. He said, "Don''t worry. It is unfortunate that I didn''t get to take a bite from you tonight."


    "You didn''t eat anything, will you be alright?" asked Julie, biting her inner cheek. She stared into Roman''s eyes, feeling the strings of her heart pull, knowing he had to leave the dorm soon as one of the Elder vampires could turn impatient.


    Roman''s hand weaved through the side of her head and in her hair. Bringing his face close to her, he pressed his lips on hers. Without prior notice, his fang bit right into her bottom lip and Julie flinched a little. The bite hadn''t been delicate. When he was done sucking and licking it, he said,


    "Though it doesn''t help, I will remember the taste of it. It will be something to look forward to," Roman''s nose rubbed tenderly against her nose, and he said, "I will see you tomorrow. Or you will see me on the football field."


    Before he could pull away from her, Julie said, "I will wait for your letter."


    A faint smile appeared on Roman''s lips, and he said, "And I look forward to picking your letter." He caressed the side of her cheek with the back of his hand and finally pulled himself away from her.


    Julie saw Roman make his way through the door, leaving her dorm, and she closed the door and locked it. She hoped things would be fine, not knowing what was going to happen in Veteris.


    Now knowing that these walls of her dorm had also kept Roman in here, Julie looked around the room. She ran her fingers across the bricks of the walls, which had been painted. She tried to concentrate, her eyebrows furrowing, but the memories in here were a blur.


    Out of the girl''s Dormitorium, Roman met up with Maximus, hanging near a tree. If it was any other day, one would have not openly roamed around the campus at this hour of the night. But whispers had started to spread among the vampires about the Elders, who had finally awoken from their long slumber.


    "How long has it been since they were woken up?" inquired Roman while they started to walk towards the chambers that were located on the restricted side of the forest.


    "More than fifteen minutes. Isolde is still injecting more blood bags as they seem to have been absorbing more than it was initially expected," exined Maximus as they passed one of the buildings and then towards the quiet forest, where one could hear only the chirping of the crickets. "Evans was the one to start the procedures of the awakening after he caught the circle of the red moon."


    "Thought so," remarked Roman. He could already sense the change in the air that surrounded Veteris. Some of the vampires didn''t dare to get close, and they stood away from the restricted section of the forest.


    Some of the vampires, who weren''t originally from Veteris in the past, had only heard rumours and stories about the great four Elder vampires. And some of the vampires, who had already met the Elders, stood behind the trees, carefully looking at the cave-like chamber.


    Roman and Maximus reached near the chamber, and walked past thenterns that hung on both sides of the cave. And then they reached the centre of the underground chamber, where the four Elders continued toy in their caskets as blood was still being fed to them. The university vampire physician, Isolde, continued to transfuse blood into the older vampires, and once the process was done, they finally sat upright.


    The sides of the casket holding the body moved to tten itself such that it looked like a bed now. The Elders stood up from their caskets, and they looked at the few night creatures, who had gathered themselves in here.


    "Wee back," Dante greeted the four Elders, bowing her head, and the others were quick to follow her suit.


    Luciano Sterling stood on the left side, and Griffin came forward and kissed the back of the Elder vampire''s hand. The man had given him more strength,pared to most of the vampires, as they hadn''t received Luciano''s blood. On his right stood Remy Oscar, and he had a pleasant smile on his lips, appearing to be the calmest personpared to the other three Elders.


    Olivia walked up to where Remy was, and she offered her greetings with a bow. She said, "Good evening, Mr. Oscar."


    "It is good to see you, Olivia. How have you been?" asked the Elder, who had chosen to give his blood to her, and be a sire to the girl.


    "Very well," like many others, Olivia had not expected for the Elders to wake up this early. She had believed there was at least still a day or two before the awakening. With them in here, it felt like once again they went back in time where they were newly born vampires.


    Maximus offered his uncle a bow, and seeing his nephew had grown up into an adult, Castiel Marudas returned it with a gentle smile on his face. He noticed the strange rings on his nephew''s ears, and pin in his mouth, which he didn''t understand what was going on.


    On the other hand, Roman and Donovan stared at each other. Donovan questioned him, "How have you been doing, Roman? Enjoying life with humans?"


    "Something like that," came the short answer from Roman, and Donovan smiled.


    "Looks like you haven''t changed a bit since the first time we met," stated the Elder, and to the Elder vampire''s surprise, a crooked smile appeared on Roman''s lips.


    "I could tell the same. Hope you have a good rest?" asked Roman, a faint smile on his lips that didn''t reach his eyes. This was something new that Donovan had never seen on the boy before, and it made him wonder how or when Roman had learned to smile.


    Donovan nodded his head, "It was filled with peace. But I am not interested in staying here for a second more. A century is long enough for any person to be bored while being surrounded by the same dark walls."


    "We have already arranged the rooms for all the four of you," informed Dante.


    "There''s no need to go to the rooms right away, Eloise," Donovan remarked to Dante''s words, and he continued, "I would like to hear how everything has been going here. Noticing all of you still alive, I can tell that you have been doing pretty well?"


    Mr. Evans had a bright smile with a hundred watts of power like a bulb on his face. He answered, "We have Mr. Donovan," while offering a humble bow to the Elder. "The institute has been running, having both humans as well as vampires in it. Veteris has turned into a reputed ce, where we don''t need to bait and human students try hard to get into it."


    "That sounds wonderful," said Donovan, and then he said, "How about we continue this conversation in a more private setting. Also enjoy food as we speak?"


    Mr. Borrell quickly said, "I will inform the head cook in the lunchroom. He will arrange and deliver it¡ª"


    "Lunchroom?" questioned Remy, raising his eyebrows.


    "It''s where the students and the staff eat their meals," informed Dante, enlightening the Elder.


    The students who had entered the chambers slowly realized that it would take a while for the Elder vampires to adjust to technology. At the back of the head, to them, they were one step ahead of them in it.


    "Then let us all eat there," proposed Elder Remy.


    Dante wasn''t sure if the other Elders would be pleased about it, considering how they had always viewed themselves to be superior to everyone else. Everyone else who weren''t them, were below their feet to even look at.


    "With themon people?" Luciano scoffed at the idea. "I am sure Eloise can arrange better than just amon room," saying those words, the elder vampire turned to look at the headmistress of Veteris.


    "There''s a manor that''s been specially arranged at the end of Veteris'' property and it has all the facilities that you might ever need," exined Eloise Dante, who was already feeling a faint headache because of the Elder vampires presence around her.


    "Yes, I think it would be better, rather than discussing things in front of everyone in public," agreed Azazel Donovan, raising his head as if telling Dante to lead the way.


    The cars had been brought near the caves, letting the Elders to get in, and Luciano said to Griffin, "Meet meter in my room."


    "You must be tired, go back and have some sleep. I will talk to you tomorrow morning," said Castiel, being an understanding rtive with his nephew and the different life he was leading right now.


    Remy didn''t say anything to Olivia, and she only guessed that the same went to her too, where she wasn''t needed.


    "Roman,e join me," stated Donovan, with his eyes holding a smile as if he couldn''t wait to hear what the boy had been up to since he had woken up.


    Roman''s facial expression remained the same, but the stare was enough to let the one close to him know that he wasn''t happy to be invited. He knew it well that if he tried to oppose the Elder now, the vampire would annoyingly get that much curious about what he was trying to hide.


    "I wille by walk," said Roman, but Donovan moved to the side, making space for Roman to sit next to him.


    "That would not be required. You are the son of a Lord, Roman. There''s so much to catch up," a smile appeared on Donovan''s lips. The elder then looked at other students and said, "You are free to join if you want to."


    Simon and Victoria had not stepped inside the chambers, but they had stood outside. Feeling it was a hassle to get involved too much with the Elders so that they could leave Veteris in peace and lead their own lives, like the other vampires.


    Maximus gave a slight bow and said, "Thank you, Mr. Donovan but we are quite full. We had a very heavy dinner."


    Roman got inside the luxurious ck car, and the driver closed the car''s door. On the other hand, Griffin''s mouth was left hanging, as his sire had not offered him a ride, and the car had left.


    The other cars brought for each of the Elder vampires slowly started to ride away from the underground chambers. The headmistress rode with Elder Remy, while Mr. Borrell and the counsellor rode with Castiel Marudas. In one of the cars, in which Roman and Donovan sat, both the vampires looked outside the window, staring at the trees in the dark forest.


    "I like your clothes, Roman. Not just yours, but everyone who looks like a hooligans. But interesting hooligans,"mented Donovan, his eyes still looking at the trees.


    "I thought that was how vampires were. Drinking blood and engaging themselves in hical things," responded Roman, his voice sounding passive, and his eyes moved to the corner to look at the Elder vampire.


    A smile cracked on Donovan''s lips, and he rubbed his chin, "Hmph, that''s interesting. But I believe vampires have always lived our lives in posh and elegance."


    "It''s just a clothing choice. There''s nothing deep about it," sighed Roman. His gaze turned back to look at the forest they were riding through.


    Donovan turned to look at Roman, his curious red eyes staring at the boy, who still seemed the same except for some of the subtle things. The boy''s tongue was still sharp.


    They reached in front of the manor, which was explicitly built two years ago for the Elders. The drivers stopped the cars, getting down and opened the door for the Elders to step out with a bow. Roman stepped out of the car, standing in front of therge manor. He had alreadye by this ce during the time when he skipped his sses and exploring it.


    Ms. Dante exined, "There are a total of four rooms. Two at the top floor and two on the ground floor. I have already made arrangements to shift all your things into your room."


    "Lovely, Eloise. You never disappoint us," praised Castiel with a polite smile. He then questioned, "What were those lights on our way here?"


    "We are having a celebration for the students of Veteris. To mark the time Veteris came into existence," replied Ms. Dante. She led them inside the manor, and the Elders looked around the ce where they had stepped in.


    "Looks like we havee on an opportune time. What other suitable time to know our students better if not now?"mented Donovan with a pleasant smile and the look in his eyes holding cunningness in it. "Or have we missed it by a few hours?"


    "We still have the celebration going for two more days, Mr. Donovan," answered Mr. Evans, the smile on his lips not lowering down even for a moment.


    Even though Mr. Evans has been appointed as the counsellor of Veteris university, the vampire wasn''t too fond of humans. He preferred the dominance of the night creatures on the other kinds, especially the human hunters.


    The counsellor continued to speak, "Tomorrow evening, Ms. Dante has arranged a match between two groups or two teams of vampires. We hope you will enjoy it. Both Griffin and Moltenore are ying against each other."


    Hearing this Luciano looked pleased, as if Griffin won the game, it would also mean he was better than Donovan.


    When they entered the dining room, pushing the double doors, they were greeted by a long rectangr table that could fit in more than twenty people to have meals at a time. Donovan walked towards the head of the table, taking a seat and the other three elders took a seat next to his side. The staff of Veteris sat down, and Roman took a seat next to the counsellor.


    Donovan questioned, "How is the situation with the hunters going on. Hopefully there''s improvement?"


    "We have spotted a few of them not too far away from here. They are spread out all around the ce," replied Ms. Dante.


    "How unfortunate, it would have been easy if they were living in one town and all we would need to do is lighta? fire and burn them alive to the ground,"mented Luciano, while picking up the napkin next to his te.


    "The best way to bait them is to let a rat out to swim and catch their attention," said Donovan with a harrumph before he asked, "Did anyone find out about what goes on in Veteris?"


    "We have kept it a secret and in control as you wanted it. Any student who finds out about it and mightter try to leak it out, they are silenced immediately," Ms. Dante paused for a moment, trying to phrase the sentence in her mind, before she said, "A few weeks ago, we had a little issue," and she exined about the contamination of Silverwater.


    "A hunter? Or is it a hunter''s child?" questioned Luciano, with his eyes narrowing at her.


    "We weren''t able to find the culprit," replied Ms. Dante, and the Elders didn''t look pleased hearing this.


    "You must be joking, Eloise," came the sharp words from Donovan, a smile on his lips that could only scare a person. "You have a culprit who tried to corrupt the vampires, and you haven''t caught the person yet?"


    "We didn''t find anything on anyone who could have done it. We have checked every student''s dorm and ssrooms," exined Ms. Dante, her lips setting themselves in a thin line. "I think it was thest of Silverwater the person. We have been actively trying to find the culprit. It was the first andst time something like that happened in years."


    "It looks like we haven''t recruited efficient people to handle this ce when we went to sleep," Donovan''s words were sharp, and the smile on his face disappeared. "If you can''t find the culprit then you use alternate methods to get the rat out. Sacrifice always motivates everyone in the right direction, eliciting fear that makes one stutter."


    Donovan''s eyes fell on the youngest vampire at the table, who sat on the end of his left side. Roman hadn''t bothered to take part in the conversation, and he dug into his food, taking a piece of the meat and putting it in his mouth.


    "And how much damage control was done?" questioned Donovan.


    "Two humans were killed in the dungeon as the Silverwater continued to remain in their bodies," exined Ms. Dante. Donovan then asked Roman,


    "Who do you think did it?"


    Roman didn''t have to lift his head to know that Donovan had questioned him. He picked up the ss of water that was next to his te, he took a sip, while everyone''s eyes fell on him.


    At the same time, Griffin, who had not been offered a lift, came by foot, reaching the manor. He entered the dining room with a bow.


    Roman''s eyes fell on Griffin and then at Donovan. He said,


    "I don''t think one of the Elders would like to hear my answer." This caught the four Elder vampires'' attention. Even though Ms. Dante already knew who Roman was speaking about, she didn''t intervene in the conversation. "It''s Griffin," said Roman, before looking at the te and cutting the meat into a thin slice.


    Griffin''s eyes narrowed, not knowing what the conversation was about. Before Griffin could speak anything, Luciano raised his hand for the other student to stay quiet.


    Hearing Roman''s words, Elder Luciano started tough, "Are you trying to frame my boy?"


    "I don''t think I need to do it, when he''s doing the job by himself," Roman took a bite, chewing the meat, while Luciano looked annoyed by Roman''s behaviour.


    "And what proof do you have?" Luciano raised his eyebrows, and then turned to look at the staff of Veteris sitting at the table. "Did you find anything?"


    Ms. Dante replied, "No. We didn''t find anything."


    "There you go," Luciano raised his hands in the air. "I am well aware that you don''t get along with Griffin, but that''s a silly way to think of getting revenge."


    Roman didn''tment on it, knowing fully well that the four elders had picked up younger vampires to be their followers, or assistant''s in the present world they lived in.


    "We have tightened the security, so it won''t be easy to mix the Silverwater in the water tanks anymore," assured Ms. Dante, to let the Elders know that she was doing everything she could, while in the back of her mind, she wanted to retire from this ce.


    "I am sure Eloise is doing everything she can," said Castiel with a smile. "If the culprit is still here, it isn''t too far when we find out who it is. Let us enjoy the meal as it has been only some time since we have returned."


    They continued to have their meal in silence, and Roman could feel the eyes of the two Elders. Once dinner was over, Roman had stepped out, hoping to leave when Donovan asked him,


    "Looks like your blood thirst is still the same, and I cannot tell how happy it makes me," the Elder''s eyes were dark red as Roman''s eyes.


    Roman remembered the time in the past when he was supposed to drink blood, something he had tried to prolong and stop craving for as much as he could. But in the end, he had killed more than four people as if it didn''t quench his thirst. Blood on his lips and hands, something the Elder who had turned him very much liked about him, to be a killer.

 Chapter 97 - Missing You In The Crowd

    <h4>Chapter 97 - Missing You In The Crowd</h4>


    In the morning, Julieid on the bed, her body humming in its sleepiness even though she had fallen asleep a few minutes after Roman had left the dorm. Right now, the rays of the sun passed through the cracks of the curtains, and she opened her eyes to look at it.


    Yesterday had been a rollercoaster day, a day that had turned her beliefs upside down, and she wouldn''t be able to see things the same as before anymore. The day had started with her finding her costume to be torn, and then the y turned not just sessful, but it left an elevating experience for Julie.


    And it felt like whatever confidence that she had lost in the past had returned to her. Julie felt confident, the skin of her shyness slowly shedding away to turn her into a better version of herself.


    Pushing herself from the bed, Julie pushed the curtains away from each other and then opened the window. It was around eight in the morning, and as everyone was still in the mood for celebration, most of the students were either still sleeping in their beds or someone else''s bed without being caught.


    Julie felt the morning air touch her face, and a sweet smile spread on her lips. The weather was perfect today, the third day of the Annual celebration of Veteris. Her brown eyes looked at the trees that surrounded her side of the dorm.


    Picking up her notebook and her pen, she started to pen down the letter to Roman¡ª


    ''I hope your night went wellst night with the guests and that you had the chance to have your dinner. I had a decent sleep, with dreams of cheetahs and panthers that wanted to eat me. It was an adventurous dream.


    I am going to the lunchroom in an hour, and right now, it is seventeen past eight.


    Julie.''


    Previously when she wasn''t aware of the existence of the night creatures, she had written her letters to Roman without any hesitation, asking or telling him whatever came to her mind. And if there were people she had to worry about, it was the night patrollers who could catch hold of the letter and read what was written inside it.


    But now that she knew about vampires, she had to be more careful without mentioning her knowledge in the letter.


    When she went to bite her lip, she remembered Roman''s lips on hers. The way it caught her lips, and he bit into hers with his teeth. Just the memory had her sigh, and she squeezed her toes.


    After an hour passed, Julie sat in the lunchroom with her friends. This time only with her friends, not with Roman or his friends, as they were nowhere to be seen in the lunchroom.


    "The lunchroom today is emptier than usual, isn''t it?"mented Conner, his eyes looking around the room, and he said, "Even the Dormitorium has been quiet."


    "Probably just the boy''s Dormitorium, because they are practicing for the football match?" asked Mnie, taking a bite from her meal and chewing it.


    Conner shook his head, "I don''t think so. Most of the students were still in their dorms and it has been like this sincest night, I heard some footsteps outside the corridor. Then I went to sleep."


    Julie twirled the fork in the bowl withoutmenting and only listened to what her friends spoke. She wondered how many times her friends had been used as blood bags and had beenpelled without their notice.


    "It''s weird because I remember opening the door and wanting to see what was going at the end of the stairs, but I don''t remember when I got back to my bed. God, I must have been really tired,"ughed Conner.


    Julie realized that someone might havepelled Connerst night. Her eyes slowly moved to look at his neck, which looked smooth without any mark on it.


    "How was your night, Julie?" asked Mnie, raising her eyebrows as if hinting about something. "I heard someone knocking on your doorst night."


    "Mhm," Conner smiled, turning to look at Julie and giving her a knowing look. "You do know that you will get into trouble if you get caught past the curfew time."


    "I didn''t know you were awake," replied Julie with a smile, and she put the leafy vegetable in her mouth.


    "I was having trouble falling asleep, and heard the knock somewhere that time. He should have stayed for a little longer instead ofing for two minutes if he was risking it at that hour. But then I guess he doesn''t mind breaking rules," remarked Mnie and Julie nodded her head. Her friend probably heard Maximus knocking on the door and had thought it to be Roman.


    Suddenly three Sophomore year students stepped next to their table, and one of the boys looked at Julie, "Last evening, you were stunning on the stage. We were in awe of your beauty," praised the person.


    Another boy added hispliment, "What an act," he pped his hands, "We want to treat you for lunch to appreciate your acting skills in yesterday''s y."


    "Do you have any ns on taking part in next year''s y? By getting into detention? We would like to join too," confessed the next boy.


    Julie wasn''t sure if she was supposed to take it as apliment or if she should feel horrible for getting into detention continuously and breaking more rules.


    "I already have ns with someone. Thank you foring to watch the y yesterday," Julie offered them a polite smile and noticed some of the students looking in her direction.


    "You mean with Moltenore? He''s going to be busy and I doubt there will be much time to spend," said the boy who spoke about her detention.


    Julie was quick to realize that these boys were not humans but were vampires. Though she wanted to ask why they felt that way, she pressed her lips.


    "Didn''t you hear that she''s already busy? Shoo away now and let us have breakfast in peace," Mnie waved her hands at them so that they would leave the table.


    "Thank you again, but I will have to refuse the offer," Julie was polite, and the boys gave her a look.


    One of the three boy''s one seemed not to understand it. He went to pull a chair and was ready to sit down. But before he could sit, the chair was pushed to the side, and he fell to the ground. Julie quickly looked behind the boy and noticed it was Roman.


    "What gives you the thought that you can hover around her?" demanded Roman, annoyance clear in his eyes.


    The boy who had fallen on the ground quickly got up, trying to look Roman eye to eye, but he was an inch shorter than the senior.


    Roman rolled his eyes before ring at them. He said, "I am not dead for you to think you can hit on her and that I won''t skin you alive."


    Julie saw Roman push the bands on his hands and fix the rings on his fingers as if he was preparing to beat up the boys. The sophomore year students turned around and quickly left while cursing Roman and their luck because they were sure that the Elders who had woken up had kept him busy to do their beck and call.


    Roman turned his gaze to look at Julie, who sat at the table, "Morning," he greeted her, and Conner leaned towards Mnie and whispered,


    "I think we have turned invisible."


    Julie stood up from her chair. A look of relief appeared in her eyes on seeing him here. She greeted back, "Good morning, I didn''t know you were going to visit."


    "A short one," responded Roman. "I said I had to buy coke cans. I cannot stay long."


    Julie nodded her head.


    She noticed Roman looking behind her through the transparent ss walls of the lunchroom, where one could see people outside the lunchroom. She turned to look in the direction where he was looking and caught sight of two men, who appeared to be in their mid-forties.


    Before Julie could ask Roman about them, he had already left the ce and had stepped out of the lunchroom, holding the Coke cans in his hands. Both the men wore suits that looked crisp, and their hairstyling was enough to let her know that they weren''t any student''s parents or rtives.


    Roman had left her side so quickly as if he didn''t want the Elder catching him with her.


    One man had tinum blonde hair, with a peaceful looking expression on his face. While the other had dark hair, his eyes keenly looked through the ss at the students inside the lunchroom. Julie quickly looked away from him so that she wouldn''t be caught staring at him. Even though her eyes didn''t meet the man''s, she felt a cold chill run down her spine. After a few seconds, she raised her gaze, feeling it was safe to look at where the three were still standing.


    Julie''s eyes caught the way the dark-haired man ced his hand on Roman''s back as if they were close. She could only guess that this man was the same person who had helped in keeping Roman alive. The man exuded arrogance with the way he looked at people as if they were beneath him.


    "Julie?" Mnie called her. "Sit down, what are you looking at?"


    Julie sat back in her chair while her eyes followed the three vampires until they disappeared from her sight.


    "This was going to happen, Julie''s poprity has skyrocketed and along with her, we have been put on the map of Veteris," Conner nudged his head to the other side of the lunchroom.


    Julie turned to look in the direction, noticing some students looking at her and whispering about something. She wondered how she would be able to identify a person to be a vampire or a human. She couldn''t help but worry if the people who were looking at her right now were all vampires, who were waiting to sink their teeth into her.


    This was what it meant when they said ignorance was bliss.


    Now she couldn''t help but look over her shoulder and be more alert.


    "I worry about the boys more than her," replied Mnie, and Julie turned back to look at her friend. "I mean the amount of people who will get beaten for not listening. Some have really no sense of danger, do they?" she softlyughed.


    Sense of danger¡­ no one knew, said Julie in her mind. The humans here were nothing less than cattle being raised in a more sophisticated sense for the vampires to feed onter.


    Trying not to let the worry appear on her face, Julie asked, "What ns do we have today apart from visiting the horror house?"


    "Are we still going there?" Mnie asked with her face filled with dread. "Why don''t you both watch a horror movie?"


    "You will enjoy it, Mel. And who knows if they are going to set it up next year? I heard someone speak this morning that the management ns to lend the mansion to someone. This might be the only chance," said Conner, slurping on his drink and checking his watch. "I wonder when Reese is going to be free."


    Mnie looked at Julie and then said, "Inside the forest which is essible to students without any restriction, there''s ake view. It seems that they have some fun sports being arranged there. Like high ropes, do you guys want to try it?"


    "You don''t mind falling from that height but you are scared of ghosts?" questioned Conner, shaking his head. "Yeah, we can do that."


    Julie nodded her head, "I don''t mind." Hopefully, away from trouble, for now.


    After finishing their breakfast, Julie asked, "Have you seen Dennis?"


    "Nope. I wasn''t able to spot him in the theatre during the entire time of the y and even the short break. Thest time I spoke to him, he mentioned about not being too keen about the celebration," replied Conner to her.


    While the three of them started to leave the lunchroom, they met up with Caleb.


    "I will be tagging along with you," said Caleb with a smile, and Julie raised her eyebrows.


    "That''s not needed. I will be fine," said Julie and started to walk with her friends. But Caleb quickly followed her. "I am going back to my dorm. So you can go and do what you want, Caleb. Really," assured Julie, somewhere feeling bad for the boy that he had been turned into a bodyguard.


    "Moltenore said I will end up in the dungeon, if I don''t baby sit you," Caleb let her know, and Julie sighed.


    "Mel and Conner, this is Caleb," Julie introduced the boy who was one year junior to them. "Caleb, this is Mnie and Conner."


    Mnie''s eyebrows furrowed, and she looked at Caleb with a suspicious look in her eyes. Conner, who was nothing less than a helium balloon, was quick to offer Caleb his hand to shake and said, "I feel like I have seen you somewhere. Ah, yes! You yed the part of being a wall!"


    Caleb turned slightly red, unhappy to be remembered that way.


    Julie finally said to Caleb, "We are going to the high ropes in the forest."


    Caleb wanted to say something, but he nodded his head. Mnie pulled Julie to the side and asked her,


    "Isn''t he the one who was calling you his wife on the day of Hallow?"


    "It is him. He probably wants to mend things as an apology," Julie awkwardlyughed, not wanting to call Caleb her bodyguard.


    "CONNER!" They turned and saw Reese running towards them. She huffed for air, smiling, and she said, "I finished early and am free to do what I want now!"


    "That''s good, we were only going to head to the forest now," Conner hugged Reese by putting his arm around her shoulders.


    "Oh, another thing," Reese turned to look at Julie and said, "Ms. Piper said that she wanted to see you at noon."


    Julie frowned and asked, "Did she tell you why?" but Reese shook her head, "Okay, I will meet herter, thanks, Reese."


    They left the front of the lunchroom building and headed towards the forest where the event was taking ce. When they reached the spot, Julie noticed some students had already climbed to the top of the tree and were bncing themselves on the ropes or nks held by ropes. Many ropes were tied from one tree to another so that the students could continuously walk on them.


    Julie wore the safety helmet over her head while getting her vest hooked with the ropes. Mnie was the quickest when it came to finishing walking from one end to another, and she moved ahead of them. Caleb, who was in front of Julie, now stood in the same ce without moving.


    "What are you doing there, Caleb?"


    "Building a house!" Caleb shouted, with his legs shaking as if he was going to fall at any second. "Why are the ropes so fucking thin?!"


    "Because that''s how it''s supposed to be," replied Julie. For a person who had climbed a tree, he sure was scared of falling. "How about you move to the side and I will move forward."


    "Shh!" Caleb hushed her, trying to concentrate.


    Reese looked scared to walk forward on the other side of the rope, and Conner helped her. "It isn''t that hard. Don''t look down, Reese," said Conner.


    And watching the other couples of the university, who hade to the ce to take part in the event, Julie wished for Roman to be here. It wasn''t that she wasn''t having fun, but it would have been more memorable.


    When Reese was almost losing her bnce, Conner quickly caught hold of her hand, and theyughed. Once they finished walking on the high ropes, they returned to the centre of the university, where the other events were taking ce. With many stalls set up, it looked like a small fair.


    Julie wondered if this was how it was back in the day, and the headmistress had tried to replicate those days on this one day out of the four days of the Annual celebration. Something they missed from their past, and for one day, they could live as if nothing had changed.? She said,


    "I didn''t know Veteris celebrated this time of the month so grandly. The people must really love this day because it rem¡ª"


    Caleb waited for her to continue, while Julie paused, realizing it was supposed to be a secret.


    "It helps everyone experience a different time period," Juliepleted her words.


    They visited the stalls one by one, enjoying their time while taking part in some of the games, while Mnie bought a few things. After some time, they now stood at one stall, where Conner was trying to win a box for Reese. Caleb had spoken about the time in the y and it had both Julie and Mnieugh, that he had been pushed into a cardboard box.


    When Julie looked to her right, she caught sight of Roman and Maximus, who were with Donovan and the other man, with tinum blonde hair whom she had seen earlier.


    It seemed like they were taking a look at the stalls too, thought Julie.


    Roman was exining something to Donovan, his expression nonchnt.


    Apart from the four of them, two girls apanied them, who walked next to the senior students. Julie''s eyes zeroed on the girl, who was next to Roman, who tried to put her hand around his arm. Roman pulled his hand back, where he looked like he was going to push her away from him, at any time now. There was a hint of slight irritation in his eyes, which he tried to control.


    Donovanmented, "What a wonderful time to be alive. There are so many things to be familiar with and everythinges alive with a snap of my hand. Especially light and talking to someone."


    "Truly," Castiel agreed with him, and then said, "I would have been sure this was witchcraft. But to think the world has progressed," he smiled.


    Donovan said to Roman, "I am surprised that you didn''t have a girl hanging by your hand to give you blood. I will gift you three of them tonight if you win this game. I am sure Kam would be more than happy to serve you. Consider it to be a gift."


    "You don''t have to burden yourself with that," came the clipped words from Roman, who had been given a girl who waspelled by the Elder. And if needed in public, after all, Veteris belonged to the vampires. "I pick people by myself, I don''t need you to do that for me."


    "So grown up," chuckled Donovan with a smile while he looked at the crowd of students, who mainly were humans. It was because the vampire students were well aware of the fact to stay away from the Elders. Nobody wanted to face the wrath of the four Elder vampires, who had only woken up yesterday. "Do you remember that time when you drank the blood from that girl? You turned her into a dried leaf."


    "How can I forget," deadpanned Roman. He then turned to look at the girl next to him and red at her, before saying, "Try to touch my arm one more time and I will rip it off."


    "Don''t be rude to her, Roman," came the causal words from Donovan, where the underlying meaning was clear to anyone who heard him, that he was displeased that the boy who was supposed to follow him was not happy with his gift. "It looks like you haven''t worked on improving your social skills, not that I mind. Evans tells me that you skipped most of his counselling time with him."


    Roman coolly replied to this, "We have a counsellor, who needs counselling more than anyone else." Hearing this, Donovanughed, enjoying Roman''s humour.


    "It''s good to see that the time has changed," said Castiel, "Now there''s more food and an easy way to camouge without being under the spot. Dante has truly worked hard to ce some of the efficient ones of our kind in different positions outside Veteris."


    Roman ordered the girl, "Go get me something to drink for us."


    "Go with her," Maximus ordered the girl next to him with a smile.


    Donovan spoke to Roman, "Luciano is upset because of your usation at Griffin without any solid proof. What makes you think it was him?"


    "Instinct," responded Roman.


    When Julie and Roman''s eyes met from afar, for a moment, everything froze around them before the world continued. With the way he looked away from her with a look of indifference in them, it felt as if they were back to being strangers. Simr to the first time when they hade face to face.


    After some time, Roman walked past her along with hispany, without sparing another look at her or a word from him.


    To Julie, Roman walking by her felt like a breeze, his cologne whispering to remind her of how it felt to have him around her. And though he had been next to her only for a second, she felt something pushed into her hand.


    "Who is that?" questioned Mnie, curiously looking at the two older men, who were with the senior year students.


    "Rtives," replied Caleb, which was a standard answer for every human who questioned about the Elders.


    When no one was looking, Julie brought her hand forward to notice a folded paper. A letter from Rome. Opening it, she read it¡ª ''Smile.''


    And when she read it, it brought a smile to Julie''s lips.


    She wondered how and when Roman was able to write it so quickly in the Elder''s presence. It was the little things that he did that warmed her heart, like hot chocte handed to her on a rainy night.


    After spending some more time with her friends in the stalls, Julie decided to meet Ms. Piper, not knowing what help she needed.


    But in truth, the teacher had never called for her.

 Chapter 98 - Catching The Goldfish

    <h4>Chapter 98 - Catching The Goldfish</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Look at this - Marc Streitenfeld [Slight trigger warning]


    ¡ª


    Previous night¡­


    Griffin stood in a room that was mostly dark except for the light that came from the firece. The warm fiery orangish-red glow touched the room''s floor as well as the person who sat in front of the firece on a plush chair.


    "Evans told me what you have been doing," said Luciano, sitting with his legs crossed on one over the other and his hands interlinking together. "It''s purely disappointing, but more than that pathetic to find out that you have been doing nothing but wasting your time. Not one remarkable thing since you have been up from your casket."


    "Elder Luciano, I¡ª"


    "Who gave you permission to speak?" Luciano''s head turned to the side, where the younger vampire stood in the room a couple of steps behind the chair. The Elder vampire took a deep breath before releasing the air through his lips. "All I heard from Dante were praises to the boy who Donovan has turned. And here you are. Not top in your year, or games of strength. And what is this about the contamination that the boy was speaking about?"


    Griffin''s eyes slightly widened, and if he had a beating heart, it would have skipped a beat right now. But catching if a vampire was lying or not was a hard thing to know.


    "Roman is always trying to frame and spoil my name. If you may ask, I think it is his own ploy. I would never do something like that," replied Griffin, his head slightly bowed, even though the Elder couldn''t see him.


    "It better not be you, boy. I heard it didn''t reach the pipeline of the chambers where we Elders were resting," remarked Luciano with a hint of re. "Trying to disrupt the affairs of Veteris by having Silverwater run in the human blood, it won''t end well."


    Griffin bowed his head again and then said, "There is something I would like to inform you about, Elder Luciano."


    "What is it?" demanded the Elder, who was displeased with his apprentice, whom he had taken under his wing.


    "Recently, Moltenore has been too attached to a human. A student, who is studying here, and he hasn''t taken¡ª"


    "I have no time for these silly child talk, Griffin. Grow up. If that is all, you can leave and probably practice for tomorrow''s match. I am looking forward to seeing you win and not lose against one of the Edler''s boy. Show me your skills and tell me how much it means to win," came the stern words from Luciano, his red eyes looking brighter than the burning fire in front of him.


    "I won''t disappoint you!" Griffin sputtered, and Luciano waved his hand to dismiss him from the room. Griffin wanted to stay and receive more guidance and time from the Elder, but he could tell that the Elder was in a bad mood.


    When Griffin returned near the boys Dormitorium, he met up with one of his friends, Mateo Jackson. Most of the vampires, who had earlier stepped out of the building, had returned to their beds after seeing the Elders from a far distance.


    "It looks like only the elite vampires, who have a little Elder''s blood in their body were invited to have dinner with the oldies,"mented Mateo. He then asked, "How did it go?"


    "Luciano expects us to win tomorrow''s match. He wants to defeat Donovan through it," stated Griffin. Pulling out a cigar, he lit the end before taking a drag. He twisted his lips for the smoke to pass through the corner of his lips.


    "That wouldn''t be a problem. Tomorrow is going to be our win, especially when we have picked the best yers in the university," said Mateo, but Griffin shook his head.


    "I was thinking of something better. It is time to use our triumph card against Moltenore," Griffin pulled the cigar away from his mouth and looked in a certain direction. He said, "He is going to be busy with Donovan tomorrow. It is the perfect time to lure the mouse into its trap. You can have your revenge too."


    Hearing this, Mateo''s eyebrows raised before a smirk appeared on his lips, "Finally, I have been waiting after what the human did on the stage."


    Mateo had been enraged because the human girl had dared to stamp his foot and had gotten away from it. He wanted to crush her for repeatedly humiliating him. He felt the bubbling excitement in his body.


    Griffin said in a low voice, "It won''t be difficult to lure her, and Moltenore won''t be there to protect her. Even if hees on time to rescue her, the damage would have already been done. And if he doesn''t find her, he will probably keep looking for her and miss the chance to be on the field."


    "I like that idea. I would like to personally deal with the girl," smiled Mateo, and Griffin gave him a nod along with augh.


    "She''s all yours. Make sure it''s a memorable one for her," replied Griffin, already smelling the victory of his team on the football field.


    Back in the present, where it was noon, Julie entered the Blue Block to meet Ms. Piper, where the woman could always be found.


    Next to her walked Caleb. He had insisted on apanying her.


    "What did you tell your friends?" Julie looked at him curiously. It was strange to have him hanging out with her as they had never done it before.


    "They think I am hitting on you, and have a bet that Moltenore is going to send me to the infirmary," replied Caleb, looking at the deserted building. As the sses had been put on pause, the students and the teachers had not used this building since the start of the Fall Annual celebration. "It is better than losing my image that I have turned into a babysitter."


    "What were you doing in the tree that day?" asked Julie.


    "I was looking at the grounds, to have a better look by sitting on the branch to see if there was any ongoing bonfire," answered Caleb, but Julie knew it was a lie.


    As he knew he was aware about her ability, it only meant he was a vampire. But at the same time, Caleb looked less like a vampire and more like a human. It was because of his little fears of height or Roman.


    When they reached the staff room, which was on the ground floor, the room was empty. The windows were closed, with the fan turned off.


    "What do you think Ms. Piper wants from you? Are you starring in another y?" questioned Caleb while Julie took a peek at Ms. Piper''s table. The books were still there, but where was the woman?


    "Julianne Winters?" She heard someone call her name, and both Julie and Caleb stepped out of the staff room. They found a girl who looked at Julie and asked, "Is that you?"


    "That''s me," replied Julie.


    "Ms. Piper is on the second floor and is having girls try out the gowns. Follow me," informed the girl, who was carrying books in her hand. When Caleb started to walk with them, the girl said, "It''s girls changing clothes, not for boys."


    Caleb narrowed his eyes and said, "It''s not like I wanted to take a peek at them." He then turned to look at Julie and said, "I will be right here."


    Julie followed the girl, climbing up the stairs.


    Climbing the flight of stairs, Julie asked the girl, "Do you know why we have been asked to try the gowns? I heard that there was some sort of costume being disyed from the historical period."


    "I don''t know. I was only asked to bring you here," the girl didn''t look at Julie and continued to walk, and it made Julie wonder if the girl was in a hurry to go somewhere else.


    Julie couldn''t hear any noiseing from the second floor, and she wondered which ssroom they were walking towards. In the back of her mind, she questioned why Ms. Piper was gathering the girls to try out the gowns in this building when there were other rooms.


    "That''s the room at the far end of the left side," said the girl, pointing towards the room.


    "Thanks," replied Julie and saw the girl leave through the stairs.


    Julie started to head towards the room, but before she could make it to the far end, someone pulled her arm. The person dragged her inside the ssroom next to where she was walking. She was pushed to the ground, and she felt the palms of her hands burn because of the friction.


    "Look who we have here," came a gruff voice, and Julie looked up and noticed Porcupine standing a few steps in front of her. "I have been waiting to catch you alone, by yourself. And today seems to be the day."


    Julie quickly stood up, and when she turned around, she noticed he wasn''t alone. There were two friends of his, the same people who had chased her. One of the boys stood in front of the door with a smile on his lips. She saw him ce his hand on the knob of the door and lock it.


    "I don''t know what you people have on your mind, but step away from the door so that I can leave," said Julie, her voice firm.


    "Tough luck with that ugly duckling," said the boy who stood at the door. "Did you know she was pretty, Jackson?"


    "I didn''t, but it seems yesterday she turned into a fine doll in the y," Porcupine snickered. "You had some nerve to think I would overlook what you did yesterday, not to mention how you decided to tattletale about me to your boyfriend."


    Julie clenched her hands into tight fists, wondering if she should scream for help. But with the music ring from the speakers and the number of students outside making noise, her scream would be lost before it could leave this building.


    "What do you want from me?" Julie directly asked him, without beating around the bush.


    The smirk on Porcupine''s face widened, and he said, "So many things. Grab her boys!"


    Julie could feel the spike of panic in her body and mind, and for a moment, she froze. She stepped away from the two boys. She looked at the windows as if she was going to jump, but that was equal to suicide.


    Looking around her, she picked up the wooden duster. She raised it in her hand, looking at the two boys, while Porcupine stood with his hands in his pocket.


    "Don''t you think ganging up against a girl with three is to one ratio is unfair," said Julie, feeling a drop of sweat trickle down from her neck that moved down her spine. "I have already apologized to you, yet you keep trying to pick on me."


    Julie knew the kind these boys belonged to. Bullies whocked self-esteem and felt like they had to be validated by bullying people who were weaker than them. But she was not weak, said Julie to herself. She wasn''t going down without a fight. And as much as she tried to encourage herself, she knew it wasn''t possible to overpower all of them. She was at a great disadvantage, and she was in a sticky condition.


    The twockeys of Porcupine were big, and when they got closer, Julie sneaked between the gap, heading straight for the door. She sessfully turned the knob of the door, but one of the boys caught hold of her leg and pulled her away from the door.


    Pulling out the bobby pin from her hair, she pushed it into one of the arms of the boy, who had turned her around and pushed her on the ground.


    "ARGH! You fucking bitch!" the boys cursed her, whose face contorted in pain. Julie pushed the pin far too deep into his arm, where drops of blood trickled from his arm.


    Another boy came to catch hold of Julie''s hands so that she wouldn''t try to cause any more harm. The one who had gotten stabbed by her bobby pin raised his hand and pped her across her face with the back of his hand.


    Julie felt the sharp sting. One side of her face burned because of the impact. She tried to get out of the boy''s hold.


    "I think more than Moltenore, first she needs to be taught how to behave with us," said the boy while trying to pull out the hairpin from his arm. He then looked at Julie and said, "It is time to teach you that this ce is run by us, and if you stand against us, you will receive what you deserve."


    "Bastards, get off of me!" Julie screamed, feeling the boy in the front hold both her legs down. They were too strong for her to get away. She did the best she could and dug her fingernails right into the person''s face when he had leaned near her, but it was only for a short moment.


    "She fights back!"


    "She will get tired of it," spat another person.


    "Remember this day, Julianne Winters. We will make sure that you never forget this day," stated Porcupine, walking around the ce where Julie had been held against the ground. He pushed the desks and the chair to the side to make more room. Julie caught sight of Mateo pulling out a pair of scissors from his pocket, and he scissored it in his hand.


    Julie screamed her lungs out for help, but her words turned deaf. She didn''t want to go through this. She hadn''t done anything to hurt anyone, and she didn''t deserve it.


    Porcupine sat down next to Julie, and he brought the scissors near her face and said,


    "You have been humiliating me time and time again in public. But now I know it was on Roman''s words. Do you think he will be hurt to know that the girl whom he imed to be his? That she was humiliated mentally and physically?" He ran the cold metal near her cheek as if to scissor it, and Julie''s heart squeezed, ready to feel the skin sliced.


    "Please let me go, you don''t have to do this!" Julie pleaded in panic. When she heard the snipping sound of the scissor, her body turned rigid. Porcupine was ying with her, eliciting fear, and she wondered how she would be able to get out of this situation.


    She tried to take a deep breath, and she stopped struggling. The boys who gripped her hands and legs, their hold subtly loosened on her.


    "I didn''t want to, but you have stepped on my nerves. Do you know how Moltenore had beaten me up in the Dormitorium? As if he was mighty?" demanded Porcupine. "With all the fish in the pond, I hear you are precious to him. Like a goldfish. So let me see what happens if I put this goldfish out of water. He''s busy with other things, and even if he finds out, he knows well that he cannot do much about it."


    Mateo then brought the scissor near to her blouse, which was when Julie heard the snipping sound. He had moved the scissor near her blouse, slowly snipping it with an evil glint in his eyes.


    The fear in her increased, seeing how the boys were not budging or joking, and they were looking to vite and shame her today!


    "Looks like you are finally listening to us. Let us see what''s so special about you," chuckled the boy who was in front of her. "Good that you left the boy there on the ground floor."


    "That''s fine. The boy has already been taken care of by one of our boys and is probably locked in one of the rooms," replied Porcupine.


    Porcupine moved his hand from one side of her shoulder to another shoulder, cutting her blouse in a U shape right below her corbones. Julie''s eyes started to prickle, and she tried to keep calm.


    But fear was quickly slithering through her body.


    Julie questioned if Reese had beenpelled to lie to her about Ms. Piper asked her to meet her, and she had been the easiest person for Julie and the others to believe without a doubt.


    "I want to hear her scream. Scream some more!" said one of them, and when Julie didn''tply, the boy pped her face once again. This time, the impact felt less because she had already received one earlier, but she felt the burn, before tasting blood in her mouth.


    "Let us cut it further down now before pulling it open, shall we?" said Porcupine wanting to torture her.


    The boy, who had been holding her legs down, slowly moved his hand upwards. Feeling the grip on her hands by the boy loosen, and Porcupine, who had moved his hand away from her, she took the opportunity. She spat on the boy''s eyes, whose hands had moved up her knees. Pulling one of her hands, she pushed the scissor into Porcupine''s leg.


    Julie quickly rolled to the side and went to the door. But before she could leave, one of them tried to get a hold of her, she punched straight into the boy''s face. She ran from there while feeling pain burst in her knuckles. She climbed down the stairs before her eyes frantically looked at the walls. She pulled open the simr secret janitor''s door where Roman had once pulled her to escape from the teacher''s eyes.


    Julie quickly stepped inside and locked the door from inside.


    Her heart continued to thud against her ribcage, and she tried to calm it down. Stepping away from the door, she moved further inside the tiny room. She covered her mouth and nose with her hand.


    "Where did she go?!" she heard Porcupine''s voice echoing in the corridor.


    "She must be right in these ssrooms, I don''t hear her footsteps!" said the boy, who hadn''t expected Julie to spit on his face.


    "Find her! We aren''t going to stop until we punish her!" ordered Porcupine, and Julie heard the footsteps and the doors hitting on the walls when they were pushed open.


    Julie cursed herself and then the boys who wanted to settle their score with her and Roman. With the celebration in the university, for a moment, she had forgotten that this ce was not safe just because it consisted of vampires, but the people in here were vile.


    She stood for a long time, and then she sat down. The closed space made her feel dizzy, and her breathing started to turn shallow. She dug her fingernails into the palms of her hand.


    A few minutester, when the sounds of the footsteps had disappeared, she finally moved towards the door to take a peek outside through the thin gap of the door. Suddenly Porcupine appeared, and Julie''s hands tightened.


    "She must have run away from here. See if you can find her near the girl''s Dormitorium!" ordered Porcupine before adding, "Compel and bring her to me."


    Shit thought Julie in her mind. This meant she couldn''t get back to her dorm right now to change her clothes.


    "What do you n to do with her, Jackson? I think we have already scared her enough," said one of Porcupine''sckeys.


    "He''s going to be pissed anyways. The point is to make him so angry, that he will lose his shit in front of the Elders and then they can send him to the dungeon. Now go get her!"


    Julie heard the receding sounds of the footsteps, leaving the ce quiet except for the music ying outside.


    She waited for a while before she decided to push thetch on the door and opened it. Treading carefully, Julie made her way to the below floor while looking for Caleb. They had mentioned something about the storage room, and she looked until she finally found the boy on the ground floor in one of the rooms.


    He looked like he was dreaming, staring at the ceiling.


    "Caleb! Wake up!" Julie whispered.


    "What happened to you?" both Julie and Caleb asked each other.


    Caleb replied, "I think it was the chloroform¡­ Half of it spilt on the floor and the other half was inhaled¡­ by me. I think Moltenore is going to kill some of them today. A day to remember," his voice felt as if he was using all his energy to speak.


    Julie tried lifting Caleb on his feet, putting his hand around her shoulder, "Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?"


    "No. Trees," he answered, and Julie nodded her head and carefully, they left the building without anyone''s notice.


    They went to the back side of the building and the forest, before Julie let go of Caleb helping him lean against the tree. After she iterated on who was behind on what just happened, Caleb cursed Mateo Jackson.


    "He''s trying to irk Moltenore so that he can get into trouble before the match starts," Caleb frowned in thought. "Well, that''s going to happen now orter, once he sees you in this condition."


    Julie didn''t want that to happen. The way everyone kept bringing up the football match made it feel like it was important.


    "Don''t tell him anything. I will tell him myself," Julie''s eyes met Caleb, who gave her a nod.


    They spent some time in the forest, where Caleb was still trying to get out of his drowsiness, and stayed there. If it weren''t for her and Roman, Caleb wouldn''t have been in this state.


    As if talking to himself, Caleb muttered, "What do you know, I had to be rescued by the girl and not the other way round."


    "Can I ask you a favour?" asked Julie and Caleb turned his head to the side and asked,


    "What?"


    "I need a shirt, or maybe a sweater or even a coat will do." Julie wanted to cover her torn blouse that was too obvious that someone had ripped it apart.


    "I will go and see what I find," Caleb nodded.


    Julie stayed at the same spot, while Caleb left.


    She brought her hand up to her neck, running her fingers across the ce where it had been cut.


    Julie couldn''t believe that she had hoodwinked three senior year boys. And even though they weren''t near right now, the trickle of fear didn''t leave her. She had stabbed them not once but twice and had punched one of them.


    Julie closed her eyes, letting herself lean against a tree, when she heard the snapping sound of twigs. Her eyes flew open, and she noticed it was the creature in the cloak.


    "I am not in the mood to y treasure hunt with you now," sighed Julie, looking back at the building and around the ce to make sure there was no one except for the two of them.


    The Corvin made its way towards her, and Julie continued to hear the snapping of the twigs until the creature stopped walking.


    ''It is not safe here.''


    Julie lost her bnce out of shock and stumbled to the side, while catching hold of the bark of the tree for support. Her eyes narrowed at the creature, and she gave it an using look, "You can speak!"


    ''Sometimes,'' the Corvin''s voice was a whisper that held a rasp at the end.


    "Why didn''t you speak before when I questioned you? Were you there earlier, when I was in the building?" She gave it a wary look while trying to wrap her head around that the creature knew how to speak English!


    ''No.''


    "You pointlessly made me walk yesterday. What do you want?" questioned Julie, and the creature stared at her, at least she believed it to be staring because it was standing in front of her. "Who are you?"


    ''Corvin.''


    It looked like it wasn''t much of a chitchatter, thought Julie in her mind. She then heard it say, ''You should leave from here.''


    "Why? Is that what you were trying to do with me? To make me leave?" asked Julie, but the creature didn''t respond to it. "I won''t know if you won''t tell me."


    ''Witches have never been safe. You let the boy know.''


    The boy? "You mean Roman? Thanks to you, we traded each other''s secrets." It was the Corvin, who was responsible for it.


    ''It isn''tte, leave everything behind lest you want to die.''


    Julie''s hands clenched into fists one more time, but the earlier punch she had given to one of the boys, now sent a sliver of pain through the back of her hand and she let it go. "My father is looking for me outside Veteris, I cannot leave. I don''t want to leave. Do you know where my father is?"


    ''No,'' it answered her.


    For a good few seconds, both Julie as well as the Corvin stared at each other without uttering a word. After some time, the creature stepped forward, and startled her by picking up her hand. She watched it move its twig like fingers across her hand. When it let go of her hand, she felt no more pain in her hand.


    "You can heal," murmured Julie in surprise.


    ''No. Reduce pain,'' came the creature''s raspy voice. It touched her cheek, running its fingers that lightly poked her skin before bringing its hand back to its side, hiding its hand behind its long cloaked sleeve.


    "Thank you for¡­ that," said Julie checking her knuckles that felt all new without a pinch of pain in it. Before she could ask more, the creature disappeared with a blink of her eyes.


    "Corvin?" She called the creature, but received no response.


    When Caleb returned, he saw Julie standing there with her back facing him. He looked around but saw no one and then said, "I got a jacket. I took it from the practice room. See if it fits."


    Taking hold of it, she wore it and nodded her head. Even though it was loose, it did the work of hiding the cut that had been made on her blouse. "Thank you, Caleb," Julie thanked him.


    "They are not going to stop and will wait to find you alone. And I don''t think I can do this babysitting job anymore. It is risky because I bruise like a peach,"ined Caleb, and he looked at the bruise on the corner of Julie''s lips that seemed to have reduced.


    "I will talk to Roman about it, so that he doesn''t have you do that. I guess it''s a good thing that some of the troublesome students are graduating this year," replied Julie, running her tongue at the corner of her lips and tasting the metallic taste on her tongue.


    "Tell me about it," said Caleb, just happy that it was true. Unless the students decided to fail the year.


    If she was right, Roman was still busy with the Elder until the time of the match. Thest thing she needed was him going hulk and being disqualified from ying on the field. She had noticed the way his eyes had subtly lit up while speaking about the game, the same expression when he was done beating up people.


    Julie decided not to show her face to Roman right now.. At least not untilter tonight.

 Chapter 99 - Vampires Game Night

    <h4>Chapter 99 - Vampires Game Night</h4>


    Music Rmendation: To build a home- The cinematic Orchestra


    ¡ª


    Julie didn''t directly go to meet her friends. And instead, she visited one of the nearest restrooms. Pulling the sleeves back, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.


    There was a bruise near the corner of her lips, but it didn''t look as bad as she thought it would be. And it was because of the Corvin, who had touched her skin. Taking a peek at her blouse, it looked like she was wearing a designer blouse and was ready to walk the ramp.


    Turning the faucet of the tap, Julie leaned forward. Gathering the water in both her hands, she continuously sshed it over her face. She ced her hands on both sides of the sink to support her body while drops of water slid down from her face and fell into the sink that was in front of her.


    "Everything is okay," whispered Julie to herself.


    Things could have turned worse, but she had escaped that fate, and she was thankful for it. Her hands gripped the edge of the sink, and she wondered what to do if one of the vampires would try topel her. Maybe smack the person''s face before the vampire had any opportunity? Questioned Julie to herself.


    Pulling herself, she looked back at her reflection, and she exhaled.


    Julie touched the corner of her lips with her fingers, and she flinched, where the bruise felt tender.


    Somewhere, Julie was in awe of herself, on how she had distracted the three boys. She ran the scene in her mind on repeat, feeling she had turned lucky. One of her hands on the tap suddenly broke the top, and water from the tap showered like a fountain with force.


    Julie tried to fix the tap, but the force of the water was too much, and in the end, she was drenched from the top of her head until halfway below her lower body.


    One of the girls who entered the restroom screeched when the water sprinkled on her before the girl stepped out.


    On hearing the screech, Caleb, who was outside, entered and asked, "What did you do to the faucet?!" standing at the door and watching Julie step away from the sink.


    "It just got loose," replied Julie, her mood turning grumpy.


    She had hoped there would be no need to change her clothes until night, but now she couldn''t stay like this.


    "I thought I was having a bad day, but you have it worse than me,"mented Caleb, while Julie wrung the sleeves of the jacket that she wore.


    "Tell me about it," replied Julie. "Do you think you can go and check where Roman is right now?" she asked Caleb.


    "I can do that. But before that let me walk you to the Dormitorium so that I don''t get beaten up by one more person today," smiled Caleb, trying to make jokes, but Julie only stared at him. "Looks like couples do pick up qualities from each other," he muttered before they stepped out of the girl''s restroom.


    On their way, some of the students took a quick look at Julie, wondering if someone had poured a bucket of water on her as a prank. At the same time, some didn''t bother, as they were busy enjoying their day.


    Julie kept a cautious look around her, trying to make sure she didn''t meet Roman or any of his friends on their way back to her dorm. More than the Porcupine and hisckeys, right now, she was worried about Roman''s reaction.


    Unable to keep her thoughts to herself, Julie asked the boy apanying her, "Why is the match being hyped?"


    Caleb''s eyes that were looking ahead of them, slowly moved to the corner to see Julie. He pursed his lips, not knowing how to exin to her. He said,


    "You saw those two tall rtives of them?" Julie nodded her head. "They are verypetitive, and don''t like to be let down. They are very prideful and won''t take a no for an answer. If someone steps over the line, that person will end up spending time in istion. Roman getting into a fight seems like an obvious thing, but we are only prolonging the time. One at a time."


    Julie nodded her head, "I understand."


    "Yeah, so that''s that," responded Caleb, and they finally reached the girl''s Dormitorium. "I will stay here, or I cane stand in front of your dorm, if you want to?" He gave her a skeptical look. Even though Julie had not openly reacted to what happened in the Blue Block, he wondered if she was trying to hide her emotions. She hadn''t cried, shedding not a single drop of water from her eyes.


    Julie was touched by Caleb''s gesture. Having him around felt like having a younger brother.


    "I will be fine. It''s just the girl''s Dormitorium and there are still some of them in there," said Julie and when the wind blew where they stood, she shivered. "If youe to see Mnie, can you let her know I am asking for her?"


    Caleb gave her a nod and then watched Julie enter the girl''s Dormitorium.


    Julie walked through the corridor, noticing some of the girls looking at her with a curious expression, wondering what happened. Coming to the end of the corridor, she pulled out the key from her jeans pocket and unlocked the door. Stepping inside, she pushed the door to close and leaned her head against it. She had made it to her dorm without being caught.


    She started to change her clothes, removing her blouse and then pulling down her jeans before throwing them in the hampher. She then picked up fresh and dry clothes from the closet and wore them. Taking the blow dryer, she started to dry her wet hair. At the same time, she noticed a letter waiting for her near the window.


    cing her dryer down, she went to pick up the letter and opened it, that read¡ª


    ''By the time you read this, it might already bete. Maximus and I are taking his uncle Castiel and Donovan around the campus. I might not be able to make it to the horror house. I will tell the pipsqueak to stay near you until I can get back to you. The football match starts at seven, but we will be gathering at the locker room an hour before the game.


    Take a seat on the left side of the bleachers. I would like to see you there.''


    Julie smiled at Roman''s words, wondering if he had an inkling that she would return to her room for something. When she was re-reading it, she heard someone knocking on the door.


    "Who is it?" inquired Julie, and she heard her friend''s voice.


    "It is me, Mel. Will you be wearing the costumes along with the other girls?"


    Julie folded the letter and ced it in her drawer. She then went to the door and opened it. On seeing Julie''s face, a deep frown appeared on Mnie''s face, and her eyes widened in shock.


    "What happened to your face?! Did you have a fall?" questioned Mnie.


    "I will exin about itter, but how good are you when ites to make up?" Julie asked Mel. "I need your help in covering it up. Please."


    Mnie turned worried, but instead of questioning further, she nodded her head, "I can do that. I am not an expert, but I will do my best. Let''s go to my room."


    Once they stepped inside Mnie''s room, Julie sat down on the chair, and Mnie helped her apply makeup on her face while not making it cakey. "Are you okay?" asked Mnie, noticing Julie spaced out.


    Julie''s eyes moved to look at Mnie, and she nodded, "I am good." She put on her brave face because that was what she had decided to do, without letting other people worry for her or fight because of her.


    She wondered how to take her revenge on Porcupine and his two minions for trying to humiliate her. She knew he wouldn''t back down, and before he would strike, she had to do something about it. But how, questioned Julie to herself. There should be something that she could use against the Porcupine and hisckeys.


    "There, all done. I have covered most of it, so it''s very subtle but there''s a little swelling," informed Mnie.


    Julie took a look at herself in the mirror and saw how the bruise on her face had disappeared behind the foundation, and she said, "This is good enough for me. At least I won''t have people staring at me."


    "Did something happen while you went to meet Ms. Piper?" Mnie''s words were slow and careful.


    If she told Mnie that Ms. Piper had never called her, she was sure Mnie would pounce on Reese for lying to her and colluding with the wrong people, when someone might havepelled Reese to lie to her.


    "I got into a fight," replied Julie, which was somewhere true. Thanks to the Corvin, she didn''t have to visit the infirmary to check if she had cracked bones in her hands. She had never punched anyone before, and punching a vampire had never been on her bucket list.


    But then dating a vampire was not in it either. It was time to upgrade and change things around her.


    "Was that Eleanor there again? She must really hate that Roman is with you¡ª"


    "No, it was someone else," corrected Julie, already feeling horrible for lying and not wanting to lie to Mnie.


    "Fine I won''t ask you about it, but you let me know if you need help. I will pull out my shoe," stated Mnie, and Julieughed. "Do you want to stay in the dorm, or visit the horror house? I wille with you."


    "You''re a sweet friend, Mel. I think I will skip it and go directly to see the football match in the evening. But you don''t have to stay with me, go have fun outside," Julie encouraged her.


    Mnie ced the makeup brush to the side and sat down next to Julie. She then put her hand around Julie''s arm and said, "And leave you here all alone when others are having fun? And I think I am good here. While on my way here, I saw Simon and he''s outside the other Dormitorium. I don''t think I want to run across him when I am alone. He gives me the creeps," and saying this, she shivered.


    "Then let me go and let Caleb know that I will be in the dorm," said Julie, and she stood up from the bed and stepped out of Mnie''s dorm.


    Coming out of the Dormitorium, Julie saw Caleb standing outside with his hands crossed against his chest.


    Julie walked up to where he was. Caleb looked at her and said, "Now I know why you wanted your friend." He noticed the makeup that had been put on her face.


    "I will be in the dorm andter will directly go to the bleachers with Mnie to watch the game. You don''t have to worry about me and enjoy the day," said Julie, not wanting him to babysit her.


    "You sure?" Caleb asked in doubt, and Julie gave a nod.


    "Hm. Thank you for tagging along with me, it is very much appreciated," she let him know. "Mel will be staying with me and we would like to rest a bit before heading out in the evening."


    "Alright, if you say so. Keep an eye to not get caught, and don''t believe even your friends," he gave her a tip, "I mean not because they are bad, but just like that."


    "Yeah," replied Julie, knowing he was talking about thepulsion without revealing it openly to her. She watched Caleb walk away from the Dormitorium. When she was about to head back into the Dormitorium, her eyes met Simon''s, who stood with a girl. He had his arm around the girl''s waist, where the girl stood snug next to him.


    "Not enjoying the Fall Annual celebration?" Simon asked her, with a smile on her lips, while his eyes curiously looked at her.


    "I did, but thought we would rest a bit. How about yourself?" Julie returned the question to him. She stood in a way where her left cheek was hidden from his eyes.


    "I am. More than I expected to," the smile turned into a grin, and Simon said, "Did you meet Rome today?"


    Julie nodded her head, "I did in the morning¡­ and at noon."


    "I see. Make sure you rest well. We will need all the energy from our cute juniors to cheer us on in the match," said Simon. Julie smiled before saying,


    "All the best for today''s game."


    Saying this, Julie made her way inside the girl''s Dormitorium and then to Mel''s room.


    The hours were quick to pass, and in that time, Julie''s mind kept going back to something else, not just about the boys who had tried to humiliate and hurt her. It was about what the Corvin had told her.


    Leaving Veteris was not an option that she had ced in her cards, and she wondered if the creature was worried about the Elders? Or was it the vampires in general? If she hid her true identity, no one would ever find out, and she would be able to leave Veteris in peace, thought Julie in her mind.


    When students started to head towards the football field, Julie left the Dormitorium with Mnie. They headed towards the field. In front of the bleachers, the cheer team had already begun to show their routine to everyone. Julie kept an eye around before realizing that Porcupine and his friends were going to be busy for this evening''s match.


    They met Conner and Reese. Julie''s eyes fell on the girl, who smiled at her.


    "Where did you both go? I thought we were going to visit the horror hour together," Conner spoke loudly over the loud music and the crowd, who were making their way towards the bleachers.


    Julie''s eyes shifted to look at him, and she said, "We wanted to get some rest before the match starts. So that we can cheer for the yers."


    "I feel bad that you guys didn''te along with us¡ª"


    "Then you should have waited for us instead of going alone," muttered Mnie, where Conner didn''t catch everything that his best friend said, but Reese did, and she looked at Mnie. "Anyways, let''s go and sit otherwise we might end up sitting in not so good seats."


    "Do you think there are free seats on the left side of the bleachers?" asked Julie, remembering what Roman had written.


    "Students are stilling in, so we should get them," said Conner, and while they made their way, they met up with their lunch friend. "Dennis! So good to see you here, where have you been?"


    Julie saw Dennis push the sses up his nose, a polite smile appeared on his lips. He said, "I have been helping one of my teachers in sorting out some files. The storage room had turned into a mess. But I am done arranging it now."


    "I thought all teachers were on break time," said Julie, and Dennis'' eyes shifted to look at her.


    "Unfortunately some are still working over the clock," Dennis replied to her.


    His eyes fell on her lips, and Julie wondered if the makeup had worn out. He said, "You like makeup."


    She let out an internal sigh of relief that he hadn''t noticed the bruise and onlymented on the makeup.


    "Makeup is mostly girls'' best friend," Reese came to Julie''s aid, and she looked at Julie and said, "And suits her, doesn''t it? She looks like a doll."


    "She does," said Dennis.


    Julie cleared her throat and then said, "Shall we go to the seats?"


    "Yes, it''s gettingte. Let''s hurry so that we get good seats," agreed Conner, and they all walked to the left side of the bleachers. They sat in the order of Reese in the far corner, then next Conner, Mnie, Julie and then Dennis. Students continuously walked in, filling up the empty seats and picking up the best seat so that they could see the match clearly.


    As minutes moved ahead, where everyone was filled with excitement with loud chatter and noise discussing what would happen today, Julie noticed the Elders enter in her view. Like others, they hade to watch the match.


    They wore suits, their stature tall and pride clearly written on their faces. The volume at the bleachers slightly lowered as the students turned to look at the four Elders walking at the front of the bleachers along with the headmistress, Mr. Borrell and Mr. Evans.


    They then took their seats at the front, which had already been reserved for them.


    "How long is this game?" questioned Luciano, looking at the front and the clear field.


    "It is ny minutes," answered Mr. Borrell.


    "Instead of watching this lowly game made for the humans, there should have been close handbat," harrumphed Luciano.


    "We can have one after this one. Do you think you will be able to arrange it, Eloise?" Donovan turned to look at Dante, who sat one seat away from him.


    "It will take time as it''s just for the night creatures," replied Dante, "The human students wouldn''t survive it and it would raise eyebrows."


    "I wouldn''t agree to that," responded Donovan, who had a smile on his face as he waited for the game to start. "Surely, there will be at least one human who wille close to the vampire''s strength. Then we turn that person into us. He or she would be an asset."


    Castiel shook his head, "I think I would go with Dante. It''s too much risk to turn and kill in bulk. Especially with these days, the technology was it?"


    Donovan huffed, "The humans might have moved ahead with? technology, but we are still ahead of them in many things. It''s only a matter of time before we surpass them in these little details, where most of our kind already have. There is something that has been bothering me."


    The three staff members turned to look at Donovan, wondering what he wanted to tell.


    The Elder then said, "Why is the game called Football, when it is supposed to be Ser?"


    The counsellor chuckled and then replied, "Mr. Hatice got confused when it came to naming the game and everyone just happened to stick with it. Would you like us to change it, Mr. Donovan?"


    Donovan waved his hand, "I don''t care about it," dismissing the conversation.


    [Music Rmendation: My songs know what you did in the dark- Fall out boy]


    Finally, the trumpet was blown, letting every spectator in and around the field know that the game was soon going to start. From the right side, yers belonging to the Raven''s team entered, making their way towards the centre of the field. The students screamed and shouted, hyping the already pumped up atmosphere. Then from the left side, entered the Hawks, and the students screamed louder.


    Conner said, "Many have been betting on who might win today''s match."


    Julie caught sight of Roman in his red uniform, leading his team to walk towards the centre of the field where the opposite team yers stood in their blue uniform.


    The referee stood with his whistle and held a coin, ready to flip it. The two team captains stood in front of each other, Roman and Griffin, looking each other in the eye.


    "Are you ready to lose today, Moltenore?" Griffin taunted with a smile.


    "Are you hoping because you know you will lose," one corner of Roman''s lips curled, and he saw the sliver of anger that crossed in Griffin''s eyes.


    "Today I am going to show where a half vampire like yourself stands, while learning who is superior to you," red Griffin.


    "I cannot wait for it," remarked Roman in a nonchnt tone.


    The referee blew the whistle to get everyone''s attention and asked Griffins'' team, "Head or tails?"


    "Heads," smiled Griffin before adding, "Because they will be the ones who will need to hide their tails." The referee flipped the coin, and when he caught the coin, he moved the top hand to show heads. The Ravens picked to go with the kickoff, and Roman''s team picked the pitch field.


    Soon the match started on the referee''s whistle, and the ball passed from one person to another or stopped. Julie, who sat in the bleachers, watched Roman ying with the other yers. When she had found out that this match was going to be serious, they weren''t kidding about it, as this particr day''s game had been designed for the vampires only. By the looks of it, it was obvious that the yers were constantly getting injured from the get-go of the game. Bumping and falling on the ground, which the referee couldn''t hold against the yer, as it mostly looked unintentional.


    It took almost fifteen minutes before the Ravens scored a goal against the Hawks.


    "You know what they say about birds who are early, Azazel. The first bird always wins,"mented Luciano after seeing one of Griffin''s team members score the goal.


    "You must have missed something in it, Luciano, that early birds are also the first ones to die," remarked Donovan, which made Luciano narrow his eyes.


    The sound of the referee blowing the whistle was heard, and Julie anxiously held both her hands. Her eyes followed Roman without looking away from him. The game continued, and the Hawks were the next one to score a goal.


    Right now, Simon got hold of the ball and was about to kick it forward when one of the yers from the opposing team kicked Simon''s heel and got him to stumble on the ground. Mateo quickly got the ball passed to him, and he passed the ballter to one of his team yers. But before it could reach the person, Roman came in between and, with his foot, took it away.


    Roman dragged the ball with his feet, taking it to the goal point. Griffin tried to follow Roman closely, trying to take the ball back. Raven''s team captain moved closer and used his elbow to hit Roman''s chest, near where his heart was.


    But that didn''t stop Roman from taking the ball to the goal point, defending himself. When Griffin tried to hit one more time with his hand, ready to throw Roman on the ground like Simon, Roman turned and changed the direction, which momentarily confused Griffin.


    Maneuvering the ball, Roman finally scored another goal. The crowd erupted in cheers as the Hawks team was in the lead now.


    The score on the board changed, and Griffin looked angry before he started to smile. Looking at Roman, he smirked and asked, "I forgot to ask you, how is your girlfriend doing? Heard she got into trouble this evening."


    Roman''s eyes narrowed, and for a brief moment, his eyes looked through the crowd before it fell on Julie, who was standing with her friends.


    "Poor girl must have been very scared. Pity that you are still the same useless person as you have been before, even when it came to saving your brother," taunted Griffin.


    Roman''s hands turned into fists, and he took a step forward to hit Griffin. But before he could do that, Simon came between them to stop him. "Not now, Rome," said Simon, pushing Roman backwards so that he wouldn''t be disqualified from the match because of his behaviour.


    Griffin didn''t stop there and continued to speak, "I can understand why you couldn''t help Tristan. It was because he was your half brother. I heard someone who was close to him tell that he never wanted you around him."


    It took a second before the re in Roman''s eyes diminished a little, and he responded with, "If you are trying to make up stuff, you should make it believable. Let me tell you the truth." He pushed Simon to the side and walked to where Griffin stood, "The truth is you couldn''t digest the fact that we were the Lord''s sons. That Tristan was the Lord''s son, and you were nothing in front of him. You were always someone no one wanted around and still are."


    This time it was Griffin who red at Roman.


    The referee blew his whistle and questioned, "Everything good in here Moltenore and Griffin?"


    "Fantastic," replied Roman, and went back to take his position on the field.


    When the game reached half-time, the yers went to the bench to drink blood from the bottles. Roman took hold of the water bottle before pouring it on his head and face.


    His eyes fell on Julie, who looked back at him with a smile on her face. Roman''s thoughts went to what Griffin said on the field.


    "Rome, Kirkby and Carter are injured," informed Simon, and Roman tore his eyes away from Julie and looked at his team yers.


    "Do you think you will still be able to y?" questioned Roman, his eyes turned hollow in simmering anger.


    "Yes, captain!"


    Roman didn''t want to put the newbies in the game when they didn''t know how dirty the senior yers yed. Some of them were bleeding and bruised. Both the team''s yers had not spared each other, and it was probably only the captains and handful ones who weren''t majorly injured.


    Bringing his hand up, he ced his hand on the side of his head and stretched his neck before letting it go.


    The next half of the gamemenced, and the Hawks scored another goal, leading two points from Raven''s team. When Roman got hold of the ball, Griffin tried to injure Roman in the worst possible way by heading straight at Roman and digging his nails into Roman''s sides.


    Both the team captains collided, and Roman winced as they fell, feeling the sides of his ribs dug by Griffin''s sharp nails. The game among the vampires was such that there was no actual foul unless a fight broke out in the middle or the referee caught a foul y.


    Ravens scored another goal in the next few minutes, and then one more, where both team scores were equal.


    With only five more minutes left for the game to finish, both the teams tried hard to score a goal, using every dirty trick from their secret book.


    "Should I y sacrifice and get one of them out of the game?" Simon asked in a low voice to Roman.


    "Cover me," said Roman, turning his head to look at Simon.


    "I am listening," replied Simon, humming a song.


    "Whistle," said Roman and walked to the front. Simon wondered who was going to fall, though he had a few guesses. Knowing he had to cover the referee''s vision from witnessing whatever was going to go down in the next few seconds or minutes.


    The whistle was blown, and the yers started to chase the ball. Blocking one of the yers and stealing the ball, Roman kicked the ball in the direction of the goalpost. As expected, Mateo appeared in the front, ready to snatch it from him, but right when the ball could be taken away, Simon moved in the proper position, and Roman used his elbow to hit right into Mateo''s stomach. It produced a shock in the vampire''s body.


    Simon was quick to go straight at Mateo as if he was going to save the ball, colliding with each other while camouging the hit.


    Roman raised his leg and kicked the ball to pass through the goalkeeper, and the ball touched the. The crowd once more erupted in screams and shouts.


    "That was a foul!" Griffin shouted in anger, turning to look at the referee.


    "Simon fell on Jackson when he was trying to get the ball back," said the referee and Griffin turned angry.


    "It was Moltenore who hit my team member! He needs to be disqualified!" said Griffin, and the other yers came to gather around the referee.


    "Nothing seen can be held-"


    Griffin stomped his way towards the referee and was ready to grab his cor. But the referee stepped back and said, "Get back on the game, Griffin. You still have two and a half minutes. Go against the word and I will hand you a red card."


    Mateo coughed, feeling the blood in his mouth because Roman had not been gentle in using his elbow to him. The mohawk boy red at Roman while holding one side of his body.


    Mateo and Griffin came to stand next to each other, and Griffin said to Mateo in a low voice, "I will take Moltenore down, and you take the ball to the goal."


    The game started again, the Ravens trying to score a goal to even the points, and the Hawks trying to keep themselves in the lead. One of the Hawk''s yers took the ball, passing it to another person in the Hawk''s team before it was passed to Roman.


    Roman yed with the ball without letting anyone take it, turning back and forth and scissoring his way.


    Griffin came to stop Roman, ready to take the Hawks captain down. He went straight at Roman and the ball, hitting Roman''s leg first and then his stomach before he fell as if Roman had pushed him. Roman fell on the ground too.


    The referee blew his whistle, and Griffin saw the man pointing at Roman and then pointing at the bench before saying, "Foul."


    But at the same time, Roman spat a mouthful of blood from his mouth, and the referee realized it was the other way around. "Griffin, foul."


    "What the fuck?!" eximed Griffin.


    "Foul conduct caught. Red," dered the referee.


    Roman stood up from where he was sitting on the ground, and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.


    "The fuck, I didn''t even touch him like that," said Griffin, looking at Roman and then at the referee. "Nobody throws up blood like that!"


    Roman stared at Griffin and then said, "It must be because my body is weaker than yours. You know, half vampire."


    Griffin was about to get into a fight, but the referee blew the whistle one more time for him to leave. He red at Roman in rage before leaving the field, and a subtle smile appeared on Roman''s lips. The blood he had thrown up wasn''t because of Griffins'' hit, but because Roman had been drawing blood in his mouth while knowing Griffin was going to attack him.


    Not all vampires had good hearing abilities, not even the referee, but Roman had been blessed with it since he had been turned.


    When the game finally ended, the referee dered the Hawk''s team to be the winner of the match, and soon the crowd cheered and apuded the team. The vampires yers were then asked to congratte each other with the team members before the loser team left the field . The winning team stayed back, hooting and making noises of their victory.


    The team yers congratted each other before leaving the centre of the field.


    The elders stood up from their seats and Elder Luciano had a sour expression on his face as if he had swallowed something bitter. Donovan watched Roman with a pleased expression on his face. The other Elders took the game to be something fun for the vampire students, holding calm expressions on their faces.


    "Are you alright?" asked Simon to Roman, as he had seen Roman being hit by Griffin.


    "Never better," replied Roman with a half grin.


    They walked towards where the Elders stood as they hadn''t left the bleachers. Roman brought his hand forward, running it through his hair, before his eyes, for a fleeting moment looked at where Julie stood, who had a smile on her lips.


    Donovan, who stood there talking with the other Elders, noticed the flicker in Roman''s eyes. It had happened during the half-time of the game too.. The Elder''s eyes subtly moved to the corner, noticing a group of students standing at the bleachers.

 Chapter 100 - Curiosity In The Eyes

    <h4>Chapter 100 - Curiosity In The Eyes</h4>


    Julie watched Roman standing in front of the Elders and the other three prominent staff members of Veteris, talking to them. She wondered if he was alright because she had seen him throw up blood while ying during thest few minutes of the match.


    "We already knew that the Hawks would win the match. Moltenore really knows the game. Did you see him move even after getting injured like that?"mented Conner, who was still high on the game like the other students who hadn''t left the bleachers, discussing the game.


    More than five groups of students on the left side of the bleachers had stayed behind, where some of them hadn''t gotten up from their seats.


    "Was itst year that the Hawks lost the game against the Ravens?" asked Mnie, as if trying to recollect the event.


    "Oh, yes. I thinkst year, Simon was injured and Moltenore wasn''t there in the game. He happened to skip it," nodded Conner in thought, and he then said, "But today''s match, it was one hell of a game. Second half I was in doubt if the win was going to shift. I am sure most of the yers will be in the infirmary tonight," heughed.


    "A lot of them were severely injured, weren''t they? Wonder how the referee let them y, even the rules were all mixed up," asked Reese, who stood next to Conner. She held the empty popcorn bucket in her hand. "I wonder if they are the trustees who now own Veteris," she nudged her head towards the spot where Roman stood.


    "They are," replied Dennis, and Julie turned to look at him. He continued to say, "Castiel Marudas owns the boy''s Dormitorium, so I guess the other parts of Veteris belong to the other members who are there. It is why most of the delinquent students get a free pass on whatever they do, and aren''t punished for the things they do there."


    Julie would have argued on it before, but this time, she couldn''t help but silently agree with Dennis. Though Roman and his friends hadn''t harmed her in anyways, the same couldn''t be told about Mateo and his friends. She wondered how many other students had been traumatized by the vampires.


    She wondered if she had turned a blind eye towards what the vampires were.


    The vampires who lived in Veteris and outside the university weren''t all nice. Theypelled humans, taking blood without consent and manipted the surroundings to their own benefit.


    "Well now that the match is over, can we go and have dinner?" said Mnie, and everyone agreed to it.


    Julie herself was hungry as she hadn''t eaten much since breakfast.


    "Are we allowed to go out of the campus during the annual day celebration?" asked Reese to Conner as they made their way away from where they had been sitting and towards the stairs.


    "I don''t think so. Didn''t Ms. Dante say that the rules still apply," Conner responded to her.


    "It''s because I have seen motorcycles ride towards the gates," said Reese.


    "They are all privileged students, who don''t mind breaking rules. You shouldn''t club us with them," Dennis said to Reese..


    Julie didn''t pay much attention to what her friends were talking about, as she was worried about Roman. Her eyes kept darting towards the man named Donovan and at Roman. When they climbed thest flight of stairs and headed towards the exit, they had to cross where the Elders stood.


    She tried not to look at anyone, not even Roman.


    "What are you nning to have today?" asked Mnie, unaware that the people they were going to walk past were predators.


    "I was thinking about noodles," replied Julie, "It has been a while since I ate it. What about you?"


    But when Roman subtly turned his head in the direction of them, Conner spoke to him, "Congrattions on the victory. That was a splendid game to look at."


    Julie didn''t dare to speak to Roman, knowing he was trying to keep her away from the Elders for a reason. Instead, she turned to look at the other Elders, and as her eyes moved, she met the counsellors, who offered a smile. Offering a small smile, she turned back.


    Roman gave a nod, "Thanks," his words were short, and his expression passive.


    That didn''t deter Conner''s mood because it was a known fact in Veteris that Roman didn''t like to associate himself with people, nor did he like to speak much. Unless they were close to him. For a second, Roman''s eyes briefly fell on Dennis, and annoyance passed through his eyes, who stood next to Julie.


    Reese interrupted by asking Roman, "Are you alright? We saw you throw up blood?"


    "Yeah," responded Roman.


    Donovan''s eyes fell on the girl who had spoken to his treasured disciple. He observed the young girl with his keen eyes, who looked quite young and petite while wondering if it was her, whom Roman had earlier looked at.


    "Are they your friends, Roman?" Donovan took the opportunity to get involved and keep a hold of what was going on. He offered a pleasant smile to them, friendly yet daunting at the same time.


    "No."


    As usual, Roman''s answer was direct, which sounded rude and harsh to the students who stood in front of him. Suddenly an air of awkwardness surrounded the humans, but they tried to keep up the smile while wanting to get away from there.


    "Hm," came Donovan''s reaction, and he spoke to Reese, "Did you know that the Hawks would win today?"


    Reese looked a little intimidated by the man''s question, but she gave him a nod, "Yeah, we thought they would do well as they won thest season''s match."


    "How rude of me to not introduce myself. I seem to always forget to do that," Donovan lightly chuckled as if to mock others. "I am Azazel Donovan. Roman''s close rtive."


    Julie wondered if they should have perhaps waited for the Elders to leave before they would head towards the lunchroom. This person named Azazel Donovan looked haughty. It was obvious with the way he looked at them, as if they were clueless, about the night creatures'' existence. But Julie wasn''t.


    "I am Reese," Reese introduced herself, and she started to introduce the others, "This is Conner, Mnie, Julianne and Dennis."


    Donovan gave a quick nce at all the five human students, and out of them, his eyes lingered longer on one girl.


    It was because he noticed the subtle unevenness in the girl''s face; one side of her cheek was subtly swollen. Roman, who took note of this, his jaws clenched, and the look in his eyes hardened, wondering if Donovan had found out.


    Dante walked to where they stood, and the students offered her a small bow, and she nodded her head in acknowledgement. The headmistress informed,


    "Mr. Donovan, dinner has been arranged in the mansion."


    "Wonderful," remarked Donovan and ced his hand on Roman''s shoulder. He then said to the humans, "Excuse us," with a smile that fell when he turned his face away from them.


    The other Elders had already started to walk, and so did Roman with his vampire maker.


    Julie watched Roman''s back. An uncertainty started to linger in her chest because she had felt Donovan stare at her as if trying to look for something.


    "I have goosebumps all over my skin," said Conner, checking his hands. "He looks scary, doesn''t he?"


    "Yeah, I felt that too," said Mnie, as she had also felt the sliver of fear run down her spine when the man''s eyes met hers for a fleeting second.


    Leaving the bleachers, Julie and the others headed to the lunchroom to have dinner.


    On the other hand, Roman left Donovan''s side to the locker room. He got into the shower, water falling on his body and blood dripped down his body and moved towards the floor drain. Finishing his shower, he stepped out and walked towards his locker. Picking up his clothes, he wore them.


    Sitting down on the bench, he wore his shoes before bringing one of them to ce it on the bench. He started to tie thece of his boot.


    Simon had just stepped out of one of the showering stalls with a towel around his waist. Whistling, he got near his locker. Noticing Roman around, he asked,


    "Did you notice it?"


    "Donovan introducing himself to the humans?" questioned Roman, and Simon, who was going to say something, closed his mouth.


    "Nosey Donovan. At this rate he will find Julie," stated Simon, "How long until you tell him about her?"


    "It''s not like I can hide Julie away from his prying eyes and ears. It would be nice if they could get back into the casket," deadpanned Roman.


    Simonughed and then said, "He''s not going to be happy that you are associating yourself with anything lower than a vampire. Someone might drop the information to him before you," and he used another white towel to wipe his wet hair.


    "You think I am not aware about it," deadpanned Roman, tightening hisce and tying them together. "Donovan should already know I don''t owe him, nor can he control me."


    A smile appeared on Simon''s face, and he said, "I don''t think he''s understood that part. To him, you are equal to a son. As he never has turned another human."


    Roman finished tying theces of both his boots, and he stood up from the bench, "The most feasible thing would have been if we had been woken up a year earlier. At least we wouldn''t have to deal with the entitled Elders. But everything was pre nned so that they would always have a grasp of us," his eyes held a re.


    "You would have missed the human then. And I," Simon paused with his smile widening, "Would have missed dra-ma."


    Roman closed his locker''s door and asked, "Do you know what Griffin was talking about earlier when we were on the field?"


    The smile on Simon''s lips faltered, and he said, "Earlier when I was near the girl''s Dormitorium, Julie and Caleb were behaving a little strange. Like they were trying to keep a secret between them. You should probably ask Julie yourself."


    The elders had invited Roman with some other vampire students to their mansion to celebrate the teams victory while indirectlyugh Elder Luciano''s turned vampire. He wanted to get back to where Julie was, as he wasn''t interested in the Elderspany. Even before looking at where Julie sat, he had made sure to look at her only when there were many students so that it would be hard for anyone to know whom he was actually looking at.


    Donovan might have turned him and kept him alive, but he wasn''t going to allow him near Julie.


    This was one of the reasons why vampires were forbidden to fall or build rtionships with a human. Because a human''s life was fragile like a thread that could be used to threaten and snap in a second.


    While Roman and Simon were in the locker room, away from there and in the lunchroom, Mnie called, "Julie?" who had spaced out.


    Julie turned to look at Mnie, who asked her, "Are you worried about Roman?"


    She was worried about a lot of things, and it felt like everyone''s life around her was delicately bncing on the tower of cards. One card was enough to send everything tumbling down.


    "He''ll be fine. Once he visits the infirmary, they will treat it right away and he appeared to be in better condition," Conner snapped his fingers. "Did you forget about me? I mean, it was just one day where I looked like a ghost, but then I was alright."


    Julie smiled at her friends encouraging words, "Yeah, he will be."


    For a fact, she knew that Roman or any other vampires wouldn''t be spending time in the infirmary. They had a better healing ability, and the infirmary was mostly used for the humans and not the night creatures.


    Finishing their meal, everyone headed back to their respective dorms.


    When Julie entered her dorm, the first thing she did was look at the side of the window, but there was no letter. She wondered if this was how it would be from now, where Roman and she would have to steal themselves away from the Elders eyes if they wanted to speak.


    The thought was enough to squeeze her heart painfully, and she walked towards her closet to pull out her nightdress.


    She wanted to see Roman now, but at the same time, she didn''t want him to see her bruise. Could she hide it forever? No, said Julie to herself. No, it wasn''t that she wanted to hide it from him, but she didn''t want him being punished with the so-called istion by the elders by getting into trouble.


    Julie didn''t go to themon bathroom until it was near the curfew time so that she wouldn''t have people in there. Alone in themon bathroom now, she washed the makeup off her face. She noticed the bruise on her face that she had received earlier had turned more prominent than thest time she had seen it.


    Once she was done, along with brushing her teeth back and forth and rinsing her mouth, Julie made her way towards her dorm. Even though there were walls on either side of the corridor, the cold wind somehow reached her, and she shivered. Before she could insert the key into the door, it slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.


    When Julie went to pick up the key, the door in front of her opened, and she froze.


    It was because no one had ever opened her dorm room for her, which made sense because she was the only one with the key and who lived there.


    Her eyes fell on the ck boots, realizing the room didn''t belong to her. It belonged to this person, it always had and always would.


    Julie, who had bent, walked into the room without lifting her back or head. Once inside, where she had walked past Roman, she straightened her back. She ced the key on the table and said,


    "Congrattions on winning the match. I didn''t know earlier if I should or shouldn''t wish you."


    Roman closed the dorm''s door, and he walked to where Julie stood with her back facing him. He put his arms around her, hugging her from behind and pulling her close to him. He murmured, "It''s okay," and he inhaled her scent, closing his eyes as if having her in his arms brought him tranquillity.


    Julie felt warm in his embrace and nice.


    "I wished I could have taken you straight from the field," Roman''s words sounded slightly frustrated. Julie''s cheeks turned warmer, knowing exactly what his words meant. "But this is good too. I am sorry I couldn''t make it to the horror house that you were looking forward to."


    She shook her head, "I didn''t go there. Both Mel and I decided to skip. So it''s okay. I knew you would be busy because of the Elders. After all it hasn''t been even a day since they woke up."


    "Are you hurt? I saw you throw up blood," asked Julie, her eyebrows drawing close to each other in concern.


    "I am fine. It was a trick," Roman tightened his arms around Julie and asked her, "Are you alright?"


    Even though she had been smiling while standing at the bleachers, Roman could tell that something was not right by Julie''s heartbeat. At his question, her heart hitched.


    "Winters."


    "I am okay now," whispered Julie.


    Roman was a vampire, which was why he would know about it without having to look at her face, thought Julie in her mind. She didn''t know how to say it, as she had tried to brush the incident under the carpet and not let it affect her. But with him being here, it was hard. She felt vulnerable in Roman''s presence.


    His arms around her waist loosened, and Julie softly gulped. She turned clockwise and finally met his eyes. But his eyes were quick to zero on the left side of her cheek.


    Roman''s eyes narrowed. He ced his hand below her chin and turned her face towards the studymp that brightly lit on the table.


    Julie saw the way Roman''s features slowly started to shift from the calm sea to the storm that was going to wreck and destroy every person near him. His eyes red once he took in the bruise, and he demanded,


    "Who the fuck did this to you?!"

 Chapter 101 - You Before Them

    <h4>Chapter 101 - You Before Them</h4>


    Roman had a murderous look in his eyes that narrowed in anger as he waited for Julie to reply to his burning question.


    There had been many times before this when Julie had seen him being but never before had she seen him this angry, and it scared her.


    "That¡­" Julie''s voice trailed, noticing his burning eyes on hers.


    Roman gritted his teeth, closing his eyes to control his anger, which he couldn''t right now. The next second he opened his eyes. They were dark red. He questioned her, "Was it Griffin?"


    Julie softly gulped, and she shook her head, "No, it wasn''t him."


    "Who was it then? What happened after we met near the stalls?" Roman continued to question, his eyes taking in the bruise on her skin that had turned bluish-green. It started from the corner of Julie''s lips and moved up towards her cheek.


    She finally uttered the name, "It was Mateo and his friends."


    Roman''s eyes hardened, his hands turning into tight fists until it turned pale, ghost-like. Fire zed in those red eyes, and he turned towards the door. A sudden panic filled Julie, and she caught his arm.


    "Don''t leave!" Julie stopped him. "Please." She held him with both her hands, hoping for him to listen to her as his hand had already reached the doorknob and gripped it tight.


    "Let me go and speak to them," Roman spoke through his gritted teeth.


    Julie''s hands gripped tight on Roman''s arm, and she pleaded, "You will get in trouble and I don''t want that." She knew Roman''s ''speak'' was going to be more on physical speak than verbal.


    Roman sensed Julie''s concern in her voice. She was anxious and nervous for his sake. The anger in him lit like an inferno that wasn''t going to extinguish until he would settle the score with those fuckers.


    He let go of the doorknob and turned to look at Julie. His eyes still narrowed, he demanded, "I thought Caleb was with you. How did it happen?"


    Julie nodded her head, "Before seeing you in the afternoon at the stalls, Reese told me that Ms. Piper asked for me, because she wanted me to wear the costume. But I think someonepelled Reese and she didn''t realize it. Caleb had stayed behind on the ground floor of the Blue Block. But when I went to meet Ms. Piper, I found out it was Mateo and his friends who had tricked me toe there."


    "Fucking bastards," cursed Roman under his breath.


    He had made enemies in Veteris, with his own kind more than the humans, but he hadn''t expected for them to take their revenge by making use of Julie. Taking advantage of his absence while she had been left unprotected.


    Trying to push away his temper out of his mind, he looked at Julie''s eyes, fear behind them. Realizing right now, she needed him here more than he wanted to beat the living shit out of the people who had hurt her.


    Roman cupped her face with both his hands, caressing her cheeks, and he calmed his voice before asking, "Did they hurt you elsewhere? What else did they do?" Dropping his hands, he stepped backwards to check her. When Julie didn''t answer, her heart beating in her chest, he asked, "What did they do?"


    Not meeting his eyes, Julie said, "Mateo made a cut out of my blouse, but I was able to get away from them, and found Caleb knocked out on one of the ground floors."


    Roman checked Julie''s hands, looking at them and then at her neck before pulling her into his embrace. He ced one hand on Julie''s back while he ced the other on the back of Julie''s head. Gently petting her.


    "I am sorry I wasn''t there when you needed me," Roman apologized to her.


    Julie felt safe with Roman, holding her.


    The panic, the pain and the fear that she had experienced this afternoon, that she had tried to hide within herself until this very minute, slowly started toe out from her. She brought her hands up, holding the sides of his shirt before gripping on it.


    Soon, the tears that she had tried to hold back started to spill out from her eyes.


    "It''s okay," Roman consoled her by gently patting her head on his hand while not letting her go.


    It seemed like beating the person once had not been sufficient, and just because the Elders were awake, the other vampires believed that he wouldn''t do anything to them. But they were so wrong, thought Roman to himself. Now he didn''t care about what the Elders were going to do to him. He would set an example for everyone to know what would happen if they ever messed with him one more time.


    It wasn''t too hard for him to guess that Griffin was behind this. Else he would have never mentioned about Julie when they were on the football field.


    Julie didn''t mean to cry. She had tried to be strong, but seeing Roman and his actions had melted her heart.


    When she pulled away from him, Roman saw Julie''s face had turned slightly pink and flushed.


    Raising his hand, Roman wiped the tear-streaked cheeks of hers. Julie mumbled under her breath, "I am okay."


    "Mm, I know," replied Roman, where he could only imagine how worried and scared she might have been at that time. Right now, his hands itched to beat the people who hadid their hands on her. By the look of it, he could tell it wasn''t a punch, but someone had struck her face too hard using the vampire strength.


    Later, said Roman in his mind. He said, "Come with me," and Julie''s anxious eyes met his.


    "Where are we going?" asked Julie, slightly worried by thinking that he was taking her to the boy''s Dormitorium.


    "Don''t worry. It isn''t something that will leave bad memories," Roman looked into her eyes, and he added, "I promise."


    "Let me wear my sweater," said Julie. When she turned to go to her closet, Roman caught hold of her hand.


    "Wait," he said, and he removed the leather jacket that he had worn, putting it around her shoulders. "The night is colder for your sweater to resist and protect you. Someone once told me, it isn''t too bad to depend on a person when you need to. It is perfectly alright."


    Julie wondered where Roman was taking her, but without asking any question, she decided to go with him. Because this could be one of the times where they could spend time without people around, and she didn''t want to regret itter. She didn''t mind breaking the rules because she hade to realize that was how the world ran.


    Without letting go of her hand, Roman tugged Julie by her hand, and they stepped out of the dorm.


    "The key is inside," came Julie''s soft words. But Roman closed the door and turned to her.


    "I got you, Winters," replied Roman, and his other hand reached for his chain.


    Julie heard the metal sound, and when Roman brought his hand down, she noticed the two rings on his chain were not there anymore. She looked at his hand, where the rings had magically turned into a key, and he locked the door using it. Once done, his eyes met hers, and he offered her a wink with a small smirk on his lips.


    She heard the snapping sound of the metal, and Roman brought it back to his chain, where the key had turned into two in rings.


    "How is that possible?" asked Julie, her eyes filled with curiosity.


    "One of the perks of being turned by an Elder," replied Roman, and they started to walk. When they heard footstepsing from the entrance, he pushed her behind him. After a few seconds, she noticed the warden walk past the corridor in front of them.


    Seeing the woman heading towards the staircase, Roman and Julie stepped out of the girl''s Dormitorium. Roman walked as if no one would spot them, and they walked near the ce where he had parked his motorcycle.


    In a few minutes, both Roman and Julie passed through the main gates of Veteris university, riding on the motorcycle under the starry night.


    Julie didn''t know how long they rode, not that she cared about time or people right now. She ced one side of her head on Roman''s back, watching the trees that they continuously passed them.


    When Roman finally stopped the motorcycle inside a forest, she got down and pulled out the helmet from her head.


    "Rome?" Julie called him.


    Roman, who had parked his motorcycle, looked at her, "Unfortunately, there are no ghosts in here to entertain you." He stretched his hand forward, and Julie took it without any hesitation.


    They started walking in the forest, where the moon disappeared behind the clouds. All Julie could hear now was the sound of crickets and the sound of their footsteps. Roman''s leather jacket was big for Julie, that covered her hands while also protecting her from the cold.


    To fill the silence, Julie asked, "How was your dinner with the Elders?" She didn''t forget the way her eyes had met the Elder, who stared at her for a second longerpared to the rest of them.


    "Boring as usual with the vampires boasting about themselves on how better they arepared to the others in the room. Luciano was more pissed at Griffin than he was at Donovan, who was taunting him," remarked Roman, and he then said, "He has taken a faint interest in Reese."


    "Reese?" Julie turned a little confused at this information.


    "I believe he thought I was looking at her, when I was on the field. Also she was the one who spoke to me and not you," stated Roman, his tone turning slightly serious. "It is safe to say that his concentration is on her. So right now, you are clear."


    Julie was d to hear it while at the same time worried about what Donovan might do to Reese. Hopefully, he wouldn''t do anything to her because Conner was very fond of the girl.


    "Do youe here often too?" asked Julie.


    Roman turned to look at Julie over his shoulder, and he stared at her, and she stared back at him. "Not often," he answered her. "This is a special ce. More special than the ce I previously took you to. This is a ce that belongs to my mother."


    Julie''s eyes widened, wondering if his words meant that his mother had been buried here.


    He said, "Before my mother passed, she had brought me here once. After I grew up, using my father''s influence as he was the Lord, I got her casket shifted here. Away from the ruined vige, and a ce where I believed she would be more at peace. I think she is."


    Julie didn''t know if she was just emotional, but she felt her chest turn heavy, and she quietly listened to him. Knowing how precious these things were.


    He brought his hand forward and checked the time on his phone. "The weather and time seems like it is supposed to be now," Julie heard him, who walked ahead while he still held her hand. "It should be somewhere here. Close your eyes."


    Julie closed her eyes while Roman slowed down his steps so that she wouldn''t trip. They walked for two minutes more before he stopped.


    "Can I open my eyes?" asked Julie, and she felt Roman let go of her hand.


    "Now."


    When Julie opened her eyes, it took a second for her eyes to focus, and she saw a little twinkle of lights around her, flying. They were fireflies that lit the ce where they were, and her eyes followed those little lights.


    One of the fireflies flew close to her, and Julie brought her right hand forward, watching ite to sit on the palm of her hand.


    The smile that had been lost this noon was found once again, and she turned to look at Roman with a bright smile on her face.

 Chapter 102 - Warm And Cold

    <h4>Chapter 102 - Warm And Cold</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Sinking in - Before You Exit


    ¡ª


    Who would have thought that Roman Moltenore would know about such a beautiful ce, asked Julie to herself.


    She stared at the fireflies that flew around the forest. Some were on the trees and some in the air, and it looked like Christmas hade early this time. The firefly that hade to sit on her palm flew away.


    Never before had shee across something so beautiful. Everything around her felt breathtaking, and she made a circle where she stood before her eyes fell on Roman, who walked towards her.


    "I never knew something so beautiful could exist until now," Julie let him know, her eyes looking away from Roman when a firefly came to fly right near her.


    Roman, who was staring at Julie, said, "Sometimes it takes a while, before you find and learn that something so beautiful exists." He watched the faint smile and fascination like a child on Julie''s while looking at the fireflies. "I have another ce to take you to."


    Julie''s gaze returned to look at Roman, wondering what other surprises he had for her. She asked him, "Are you going to show me more magical things?"


    "Better than that," responded Roman, and he said, "Follow me."


    Julie started to walk with him while turning back to look at the fireflies that were mostly concentrated around the ce where she and Roman had been standing a few seconds ago. The more they walked, the amount of fireflies reduced, and so did the insects'' light. She was made to jump on the broken log of wood that had blocked their way, ducking her head, where there were branches grown low before she straightened her back.


    She was in her shorts and shirt, which was covered by Roman''s jacket. Moving her head to the side, she took a quick sniff at the jacket and smelt him and his cologne on it.


    "Careful here, there are thorns here," Roman informed her. Using his hands, he pushed the branch to the side. Julie smelt the heavy fragrance of roses that came from the ce where she was walking through.


    Julie caught hold of Roman''s hand, which he had used to push the thorny branch away from her. She noticed the small dots on his palm because of the pricks he had received from the thorns. But as he was a vampire, the skin was quick to heal.


    They continued to walk for a minute more, Julie heard the sound of gushing water, and she looked at Roman.


    "W-we aren''t taking a dip in the water, are we?" Julie asked, a little worried, because of the ice-cold water at this hour.


    Roman''s eyes looked at Julie, his face not giving away anything, and she realized something like that was going to happen. He said, "Everything is only a moment of fear before you learn to adjust and push through it. Trust me on this, you will enjoy it more than what you expect."


    Julie could already feel the bite from the cold water, and she shivered. She pointed, "But, Rome. We didn''t bring extra clothes to change intoter."


    "You can take off your pj''s," came the direct answer from him, and Julie smiled with a blush.


    "How simple. Wonder why I didn''t think about it," replied Julie, and she noticed a hint of a smirk on Roman''s lips.


    "I am here to remind you about such things," remarked Roman, and he said, "If you want, you can keep your shirt on and wear my jacketter."


    "But what about you?" asked Julie before she added, "Do vampires fall sick?"


    "Only on rare asions, but mostly if they consume something harmful like the Silverwater. Sometimes too much loss of blood from their body can turn them into a corpse, making them weak. But that doesn''t mean they aren''t alive. Never try to get near the caskets, Winters," Roman warned her, looking at her with a serious look in his eyes. "It takes less than a few seconds for a vampire to drain out every single drop of blood from a human''s body."


    "That is something I have been very much worried about," muttered Julie. "Do you think I can use something to protect myself?" she asked him.


    "I would rather you don''t," said Roman, bringing her to a more open space that had fewer trees. Julie noticed the shimmer on the ground because of the water that flowed on the ground. "The humans have been killed only when they couldn''t bepelled, so that they don''t open their mouths. Keeping weapons to protect yourself from the vampires, would only bring more attention to you."


    "But there have been deaths every year, hasn''t it?"


    "Sometimes newly turned vampires don''t understand the rules simr to the humans," replied Roman. "At those times, when a human is found dead, and because of a rule broken inside Veteris, it leads to the vampire being punished by being killed."


    Remembering what the Corvin said, Julie wondered if this was the right time to speak about it. But before she could, she heard the sound of gushing water and saw water rushing towards the edge before it fell.? Roman had brought her to a small waterfall, where the water joined in a small and closed water body below it that was surrounded by trees.


    "Wee to the private bath," stated Roman, stepping to the side so that she could take a better look at it.


    "You know, there are some movies in which the ghosts live under the water and then they drag the person to the bottom of theke or river, to never be found by anyone alive," Julie made up a reason, while her eyes looked at the glistening water under the moonlight.


    "Then it must be nice that you have a dead boyfriend who can find you, if the alive can''t," replied Roman, and she watched him ce his hand behind his back before pulling out his ck T-shirt and cing it on the branch of a tree that was next to them.


    Julie turned distracted by Roman''s chiselled and toned body. She sucked her breath while watching his broad shoulders and the way his upper body tapered to his jeans that hung on his waist. She removed the jacket that she had worn, cing it next to his T-shirt.


    She had never stood in front of him naked before, and though he had suggested that she keep her shirt on, she didn''t want to get it wet. Because she would like to wear dry clothes apart from his jacket when she was going to return to her dorm. Removing her shoes, she ced them next to where Roman had ced.


    Julie noticed Roman looking at her, standing in the same ce without making an attempt to remove his ripped jeans. The softness he had shown her in his eyes a while ago had disappeared as if a gust of wind had blown and taken it away with it. There was a challenge in the way he looked at her, and it was enough to push her to take her shirt off her body.


    It was like there was a silent striptease challenge going on between them, without a word being exchanged except staring at each other. When Roman''s hands went to the button of his jeans, Julie wasn''t too brave, and she looked in the opposite direction.


    She heard the harsh sound of the zip on his jeans, and she gulped.


    Julie was in a rtionship with the bad boy, and they had already kissed many times, where Roman had also pleasured her with his fingers between her legs. But there was still that hint of innocence that stayed with her, that made the person in front of her adore her.


    Though she wasn''t looking at Roman, Julie heard the rustle of his jeans and felt him bend before his jeans joined the other clothes on the branch.


    This was it, thought Julie to herself before pulling down her shorts, and she quickly ced it with the rest of the clothes.


    Julie praised herself for the choice of the underwear and bra that she had worn tonight, where both matched and weren''t old. It was no Victoria''s Secret, but it was decent.


    Deciding to take a quick look at him before they would get into the cold water, Julie''s brown eyes stealthily moved to look at Roman''s toned body. His legs looked firm because of running on the football field. And if her memory served right, he always had toned legs. For a brief second, her eyes fell on his boxers before she realized that Roman was looking at her.


    "Time to take a dip," stated Roman, who had already taken a look at her delicate frame in her inner clothing. Noticing the small bow on the front of her underwear. How cute, thought Roman.


    They walked towards the edge, feeling the water rapidly flowing near their feet. Julie could feel her heart beating loudly in her ears, the excitement of doing something new and daring, tingling her skin. Within a few seconds, both of them jumped into the pool of water.


    The shock of the fall and the cold water around her body had Julie curse, and she moved her hands to resurface from the water surface.


    Her hair was all over her face, and she took another dip in the water while bringing her hands in front of her head and pushed her hair backwards when she came up once again. She shivered, looking around and noticed Roman resurface from the water not too far away from her, running his hand through his wet hair.


    "How are you doing there, Winters?" questioned Roman from where he was, with a distance between them.


    Julie sent a small re in Roman''s direction while her teeth chattered out of cold. She said, "I think I am going to pass out."


    "I will pull you out of the water if that happens," assured Roman, and Julie swam to the other side of where the water was falling so that the water wouldn''t ssh on her much.


    She saw Roman dip his body in the water.


    A few seconds passed, but he didn''te out, and Julie, who hade to the quieter side of the water, trying to keep herself afloat, turned worried. When she was about to run back, her body touched another body as cold as hers. A soft gasp escaped from her lips, and she turned around and saw Roman in front of her.


    "You are here," said Julie, her voice sounding nothing less to a whisper, and she breathed through her lips.


    "I am," replied Roman, watching her closely while they both kept themselves afloat in the water. "Getting better now?" he asked, and Julie nodded her head.


    If it weren''t for the moonlight, the water body and the ce around them would have been dark.


    Noticing his eyes darken as they fell on the bruise of her face again, Julie said, "There was something I wanted to tell you," and it was enough to bring back his attention to look at her eyes. "The Corvin came to meet me today."


    "Did it try to lure you out of the university again?"


    Julie shook her head, "It spoke to me today. In English." It was one of the highlights of her day, apart from the other incident.


    "What did it want from you?" Roman took note of Julie''s expression, where she looked a little torn over it.


    "It wants me to leave Veteris," her voice was quiet, and she pursed her lips. Hearing her words, Roman''s eyes flickered between ck and red before they turned back to ck. "It told me that danger is lurking around for a witch like myself. But I told I wasn''t going to leave."


    Roman stared at Julie, wondering if the creature was only trying to protect her from the Elders because of their unsympathetic nature towards anyone.


    "Rome," Julie called him.


    "Yes," he responded to her and moved closer to her while Julie continued to keep her head and neck above the level of the water. When her leg hit a stone, she lost her bnce. Roman was quick to grab her, bringing her back to the surface. Julie coughed up the water that entered her body and blinked her eyes to get rid of the water. "Were you going to ask me something?"


    Whatever Julie was going to ask had slipped out of her mind when she had lost her bnce, and now the front of her body being pressed against his taut body, it was hard to think straight. Her hands fell on his shoulders, that was cold and wet like everything else around them.


    Roman looked at her, nothing less than the burning tip of the cigarette that didn''t look like it was going to extinguish at any time soon. He stared right into her soul, and Julie willingly bared it in front of him.


    "Did you and your brothere here? To swim together," asked Julie.


    Now, as he held her, the water wasn''t there to cover her until her neck. The water covered her until her chest level, leaving the swell of her bosom to the air.


    "We did," replied Roman, with a thoughtful look on his face. "Tristan liked to do things together. He used to say that it strengthened and deepened our bond as brothers. Some were silly things that he wanted to do. He was one of the reasons why my adoptive mother started to take me to the celebratory parties. Like others, he used to annoy me. Even when he could do things by himself, he liked to take my help," his eyes narrowed at the memory of it.


    Julie smiled. Even though Roman looked irritated by the thought of it, she doubted he disliked it. To be cared for and needed by someone, when every other person around was looking down, it must have warmed Roman, she thought in her mind.


    "He sounds like a wonderful person,"mented Julie, the smile not leaving her lips.


    "One might tell that," replied Roman, and his eyes fell on Julie''s lips that had turned pale because of the cold water. "What are you smiling at, troublemaker?"


    "You must have looked really cute when you were small. I wish I could have taken a proper look at the photo frame in the gallery when they put it up," said Julie, and sheughed when the look of annoyance returned in his eyes.


    Roman rolled his eyes, "There''s nothing cute about it. I don''t like to associate myself with cuteness."


    "I would like to think otherwise," said Julie. "You know when¡ª"


    Suddenly Roman pulled Julie into the water with him before they resurfaced up. She coughed the water, opening her eyes that she had closed, her face holding a look of disbelief on it.


    "What was that for?!" She asked him, as she hadn''t prepared herself to dip into the water.


    "That''s for you being cheeky always," stated Roman, his lips holding a faint grin upon them while he enjoyed watching her. "Would you like to take another dip?"


    "You have nned to kill me, haven''t you?" asked Julie, and she quickly took arge breath before Roman pulled her again under the water with him.


    Julie tried to keep her eyes open in the water, and when she steadied it, she saw Roman in front of her. The onlypany of the ghost she needed was here with her. His eyes had turned red, and tiny bubbles moved up towards the surface of the water as they stayed there for a few seconds. She noticed his hair moved in the direction where the water moved, making it appear fluffier than usual.


    Underwater, their bodies were nearly naked, and as the thought passed her mind with Roman looking at her, she quickly moved up. Breaking through the surface of the water, she tried to catch her breath. Water dripped from the top of her head and trailed downwards to join the river again.


    When Roman came out of the water, following her, his hair stuck to his forehead, and he looked sexier than she had ever found him to be before. His eyes were fixed on hers, and Julie could feel the sexual tension rising between them. The most they had been doing until now was talking and staring at each other, and the more he stared, the more her heart quietly skipped its beats.


    Roman swam towards her and right in front of her. And this time, their bodies moved closer while being pulled by their emotions towards each other.


    "Are you going to be busy tomorrow?" asked Julie.


    "Not much. The Elders are going out to take a look at the town. It shouldn''t be as busy as today," he answered her question.


    Julie didn''t know when they moved too close to each other, but it seemed impossible to turn or step away from the other. Roman raised his cold hands to ce it on her cheek. He said,


    "I don''t think I can hold back anymore."


    Roman tugged her towards a stone under the water and had her sit there. Parting her legs, he stepped forward. Julie felt his hands around her waist, and his breath fell on her neck. He licked a spot on her neck, informing her, "Close your eyes."


    His fangs had already appeared, and he opened his mouth, hearing no words of resistance from her, he sunk his fangs into the crook of her neck. Julie''s hands gripped Roman''s shoulders, feeling her skin prick. And as scary as she thought it would be, it wasn''t. Rather it felt to be very intimate. She felt him suck her skin when he was actually sucking her blood.


    When Julie''s blood touched Roman''s tongue, the richness of it burst into his mouth, and his eyes turned darker. He held her closer as if, if he were to loosen his hold on her, she would disappear from his arms and sight. Since he had been turned into a vampire, he had drank blood from many people like there was no tomorrow.


    But nothing came close to Julie''s blood.


    Unable to control his thirst, he bit harder, which was when Julie''s nails dug into his shoulders.


    Roman treasured every single drop of blood that he took from Julie, relishing its taste. When he drank just enough from her so that she wouldn''t have weakness, he retracted his fangs. In the past, he had never cared about such things, and neither had the Elder who had turned him into a vampire.


    He licked her neck, catching every possible trace of blood that might have seeped out of his mouth or from the bite on her skin.


    Cupping her face, he looked into her slightly dted eyes. From the sliver of worry, her emotions had shifted to arousal, and she tried to focus her eyes on him.


    "I feel like I am going to turn worse than an addict when ites to you," Roman whispered to her on her lips.


    Their lips hovered for a second longer before they touched each other for a heated kiss.


    The water might have been cold, but the more they kissed with their tongues dancing with each other, the more Julie''s body heated up as if Roman had lit fire to it, and it was going to burn until he wanted it.


    Having stayed long in the water, Julie''s mind had rxed, and she circled her hands around his neck. She yed with the ends of the nape of his hair before weaving her fingers into his hair. Roman pulled her closer, and the water made it easier for her to slide towards him. He had ced both his hands around her waist while his mouth kept her busy.


    Roman felt nothing less to a demon who was going to steal her soul, which he had already done along with her heart. Away from the trouble, they melted in each other''s arms.


    The fireflies that had earlier been on the other side of the forest had started to spread everywhere, flying around where some of them came to hover above where Julie and Roman were. The orange-yellow light left a reflection on the water. It was enough to light the ce apart from the moonlight, and when she pulled away from the kiss to catch her breath where Roman''s kiss felt like he was going to devour her, she noticed the fireflies.


    Julie''s heart felt heavy, not because she was sad, but because everything around them had been perfect. In the back of her mind, she wondered if this was a dream that she was dreaming, while waiting for Roman in her dorm. And she hoped it wasn''t.


    She had never thought that she would be loved like this, and it ached her heart. Her brown eyes met Roman''s red eyes.


    "Did I take too much blood from you?" inquired Roman, on noticing the slightly lost look in Julie''s eyes.


    Julie shook her head. She said, "Thank you for bringing me here."


    "It is the least I could do," Roman brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. "How did you turn this lovely?" he asked, as if unable to believe it.


    Not knowing how to answer his question, she said, "It must be because of the witch''s blood in me."


    "Mm," agreed Roman, that would answer why he was so bewitched by her.


    After spending some more time in the water, they finally stepped out of it and walked back to where they had hung their clothes and ced their shoes.


    Julie walked behind one of the trees to wring her bra and underwear before wearing them again before her dry clothes followed. Once they were done wearing their clothes and shoes, with their hair still wet, they started to head back to where the motorcycle had been parked. This time, Julie didn''t wear his helmet.


    "Hold tight," advised Roman, and Julie tightened her hands around his body and felt him kick start the vehicle before they rode back to Veteris.


    Roman dropped Julie safely to her dorm without being caught, and before he could leave from the front of the window, Julie stopped him, "Rome."


    "Hm?" he tilted his head to the side.


    Julie put her head outside her window as if she was going to tell him a secret. But when Roman came closer, she ced one hand of hers on one side of his cheek, and she pressed her soft lips against the other side of his cheek.


    She said, "Thank you for tonight. It was the best time I ever had until now."


    "I did say you would enjoy it. This is why you should break more rules," a slight grin appeared on Roman''s lips before he said, "Have a goodnight, troublemaker."


    "Goodnight, Rome," Julie wished him and went back inside.


    Neither of them noticed that someone had caught their little exchange at the girl''s Dormitorium. Seeing Roman leave, Julie closed the window and drew the curtains close.


    When Roman started to walk away from the girl''s Dormitorium, the faint smile that had been on his lips disappeared and the rage that he had hidden behind his eyes until now, reappeared.

 Chapter 103 - Consequences

    <h4>Chapter 103 - Consequences</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Bevor Alles Wieder Passiert- Ben Frost


    ¡ª


    When Roman entered the boy''s Dormitorium, the warden of the building looked up from behind the desk to look at the person who stepped inside. And though it was past the curfew time of the university, the warden made no effort to stop Roman. As he walked, the sound of his boots were prominent, and it echoed.


    Though Roman didn''t speak to every person, he knew the people and the ones they were involved with. It was one of the advantages of sitting back and observing people as if they were part of an experiment. He walked to one of the dorm and knocked on the door.


    The dorm door was opened by one of Mateo Jackson''sckeys. Seeing Roman standing right in front of his room, his eyes widened. He tried to prepare himself to hit the person who had shown up in the middle of the night. But Roman was quick, and he punched his nose hard enough that they both heard the bone crack, and the boy''s nose started to bleed profusely.


    Roman''s face was warped in rage, and he stepped inside the room before closing the door behind him.


    "Moltenore, one more hit and you will get into trouble," warned the boy, who had fallen on the ground.


    Though the boy in front of Roman was a morm, who did the bidding of higher vampires than himself like Mateo and Griffin.


    A cold chuckle escaped from Roman''s lips, and he said, "Are you new in Veteris to think I care about such things, when you tried to put your filthy hands on things that belong to me?"


    Stepping forward, Roman picked up the morm, who tried to reach the dorm''s door. He twisted the morm''s hand, catching hold of the boy''s face, and he pushed it against the nearest wall.


    "I-I didn''t do anything to her! I swear! It wasn''t me but Mateo and Eddie who hurt her. I-I didn''t do anything to her!" The morm panicked because he hadn''t expected Roman to pay him a visit when the Elders were in Veteris.


    Roman''s hand gripped the boy''s head, smashing it against the wall that slowly started to mark itself with the blood of the morm.


    Smashing the boy''s head two more times, Roman pulled the boy away from the wall, where one side of the head was covered in blood, and the morm looked like he was going to pass out.


    "I-It wasn''t m-me, but Eddie who hit her and Mateo wanted to assault her. I was only th-there-"


    Roman punched the boy one more time before the morm fell unconscious.


    Right now, Roman''s eyes had turned dark red, and he was only getting started in serving what had been asked for. Stepping out of the room, he walked to the next one.


    This time, he didn''t wait to knock on the door as his patience had been worn out, and he kicked the door open. Eddie was busy ying cards with two other juniors, and on seeing Roman, he scoffed.


    "Nobody invited you in here, Moltenore. Get out of the room," Eddie waved his hand as if to shoo Roman out of his dorm.


    Roman red at the two vampires in the room, who were from the freshman year, and ordered, "Back to your dorms. Now."


    His gaze alone was enough to have the two boys stand up and make their way towards the door.


    "Nobody is going anywhere. This is not your room." Eddie then looked at Roman and demanded, "Do you have difficulty understanding what I said, you half vampire?" demanded Eddie. His eyes then fell on Roman''s hand that was coated in blood. "How is your girlfriend doing? Heard that someone pleased her this afternoon," he stoked Roman''s already burning anger.


    Hearing those disgusting words, Roman''s mind filled with rage, and in less than a second, he picked up Eddie from where he was, gripping his hand around the boy''s neck.


    "Go ahead, hit me more,"ughed Eddie while running his tongue over his teeth. "Let me tell you something. Her legs are amazing, I felt them up and I heard her heart skip a beat. If I am not wrong, she definitely liked it."


    Roman''s fingernails dug deep into Eddie''s neck, and he pushed him back before beating the boy up with his hands and legs.


    The two freshman year students quickly hurried out of the room. Not to get back to their dorms but to inform Mateo. Back in the dorm, both Roman and Eddie fought, trying to hit and beat the other person. Eddie was a turned vampire, and though he wasn''t as strong as Roman, he tried to fight with him.


    Themotion caused by the fight brought the other students out of their dorms to check what the noise was all about.


    Eddieughed at Roman''s anger, and he taunted, "Aren''t you pathetic? To not be able to protect any person? Might as well breakup with her and give her to me, I think she would be great in-"


    Roman punched right into the boy''s face, so hard that it took a while for Eddie to get back on his feet, and he took the support of the wall.


    "You might have tried to put your hands on her once, but don''t think you will live to see that happen a second time," threatened Roman in a low voice.


    Roman lifted the boy by his cor and said, "Have you ever wondered how it feels to be human again?" his eyes burned holes into the person.


    Eddie tried to hit Roman, but Roman quickly kicked the person right into his stomach with his knee. Still holding a grip on the boy, Roman used his other hand to hold Eddie''s face, putting pressure on both sides of Eddie''s face.


    "Fucking, Moltenore!" Eddie gritted his teeth, noticing Roman''s eyes turned cold and empty.


    Roman used the other hand to twist the boy''s hand, turning it to the point until it had dislocated from the boy''s shoulder. Eddie screamed in pain. Using the opportunity, Roman pulled the vampire''s fangs out of his mouth, and more screams filled the room. By now, a crowd had formed outside the dorm.


    He dragged the boy out of his room, who was in pain. In time, Mateo appeared, who hadn''t been in the Dormitorium until now. Mateo came to help his friend andnded a sessful punch on Roman''s face.


    Mateo hade from the corner, at the same time when Roman had stepped out of the dorm. The blow had been a surprise, and Roman ran his tongue over the corner of his lips to taste blood in his mouth.


    Right now, Roman was high on Julie''s blood and also the anger that coursed through his veins. He didn''t care about anything except about one person.


    "What the fuck did you do to him?!" Mateo red at Roman, noticing the fangs in Eddie''s mouth were missing. Apart from the vampire students, some of the human students had stepped out of their dorms, which was why the vampires hid their vampire features.


    A chuckle escaped from Roman''s lips, and he said, "Trying to turn him back to human."


    Mateo red at Roman and went straight at him, where both of them started to fight in the middle of the corridor. Some of the students moved towards corners so that they wouldn''t get in the middle of the fight.


    Griffin, who had stepped out of his dorm, stood at the side with his arms crossed, watching the fight. This was what he wanted. He knew that Roman had a bad temper, and it was only a matter of time before Donovan would disown him, and Elder Luciano would praise him.


    Roman blocked the hit that Mateo was trying for, pushing Mateo''s hand away, he used his hand to strike Mateo''s chest, which left a shock, and Mateo took two steps backwards. Hearing themotion not stop, the warden reached the floor, and he shouted,


    "Stop it right there, Moltenore and Jackson!"


    But neither of the two boys paid any attention. The warden red at the other students and said, "What are all of you doing out of your beds? Go back to your dorms so that I can handle the current situation before I call Ms. Dante."


    Most of them went back to their dorms, mostly humans, while some vampires lingered, wanting to know what caused the fight in the middle of the night.


    "Did you not hear me?" The warden looked at the vampires who had lingered, and the students reluctantly stepped into their dorms and closed the door.


    Simon and Maximus, who had already climbed down from the above floor, still stood at the side and watched the fight.


    Roman and Mateo''s fight continued, and Mateoughed, "Look at how weak you are, you have truly fallen. Getting involved with a human girl and trying to protect her. Are you in love with her, Moltenore?"


    Mateo''s words only resulted in Roman''s hand turning into a fist and punching Mateo multiple times on his face. On one side of the corner, Eddie groaned in pain because of the dislocation of one of his arms and his fangs that had been pulled out from his mouth.


    When the warden tried to push both the vampires away from each other, Roman''s hand hit the warden''s face, and the older man winced.


    "Stop the fight right now, else I will have to get one of the teachers," the warden warned them, but seeing the fight continue, the man left the floor.


    Roman caught hold of Mateo''s neck and then mmed Mateo right on the ground.


    "Beating you up seems to have done no good," remarked Roman through his gritted teeth. "I warned you to stay the fuck away from her."


    "She has a slender neck, you know I have felt it when we were on the stage," poked Mateo, the smile on his lips not leaving his face. "So fragile that one snap is enough to break her neck."


    Mateo pulled out something from his pocket and then used it to stab Roman. Roman brought his hand forward to grab it, and the silver nail burned into his hand. Mateo kicked Roman and then got up.


    "You fucking don''t belong in this ce, you were supposed to be dead. To think you are smart, Moltenore, you are nothing," huffed Mateo and then said, "How about I go and fuck the girl, she won''t even have to know it is me if Ipel her, and let us see what she says?"


    The words from Mateo snapped thest strands of thread that Roman had been holding back. Within a second, Roman got up and caught Mateo before he repeatedly punched the vampire''s face that was now dripping in blood. Holding Mateo by his neck, Roman pushed him against the wall.


    "Few people are redeemable, but some are just vile and need to be discarded, Jackson," came the cold words from Roman. With one hand still tightly holding the vampire''s neck, Roman raised his right hand while Mateo tried to catch his breath.


    Though Mateo tried to get out of Roman''s hold, but Roman had always been stronger than most of the vampires to let him go.


    Noticing Roman raise his hand, Griffin, who had been quietly enjoying the scene, stepped forward and warned, "What do you think you are doing, Moltenore?" he demanded.


    Roman''s grip on Mateo''s neck didn''t loosen, and he tilted his head to the side, looking at the person. He was the person who had made Julie cry today. The one who had marked her skin. For a few seconds, he didn''t answer as if he didn''t hear what Griffin said. Roman then calmly said,


    "Have you heard that action speaks louder than words?"


    There were barely six students in the corridor, while most of them had gone inside their dorms on the warden''s word. The ones who saw Roman''s hand raised, their eyes widened. Because it wasn''t the first time, they had seen him do something like this.


    Mateo, who had been looking at Roman with a mocking expression on his face until now, the expression on his face froze.


    Roman''s hand had moved inside Mateo''s chest in a swift movement, where his heart was present. Roman squeezed it in his bare hands until it burst. Mateo''s eyes turned hollow, his expression vacant, and his body fell ck on the ground.


    Silence filled the corridor, and Griffin''s mouth fell open.


    He had expected Roman to get into trouble for causing a ruckus in here, for touching his precious little human. But he hadn''t expected Roman to kill someone, that too, a vampire.


    "You fucker!" Griffin cursed at him and stomped his way towards where Roman stood. He swung his hand, ready to blow a punch at Roman for killing Mateo.


    But Roman was quick to step back. Lifting his leg, he kicked right into Griffin''s face.


    Griffin''s vampire side surfaced in his eyes, and the features on his face changed. Swiftly getting up, he used his speed and strength to tackle Roman down on the ground. He started punching Roman, when he pulled his hand back for the third time, a couple of footsteps were heard on the floor, where they were.


    Griffin had his back facing the stairs and was pissed that Roman had killed his friend.


    "That''s enough!" came a loud and rough voice that had Griffin''s hand freeze in mid-air.


    He quickly stood up, and when he turned, he saw the four elders standing not too far from where he and Roman were, along with the headmistress and the warden.


    Griffin felt the tension in the air increase. Even though he wasn''t involved with the death here, unlike Roman, he could feel the heaviness around them. But having been caught in the fight, he quickly bowed his head.


    The Elders eyes fell on the two vampires before it fell on the third vampire whoy dead on the floor, with blood spilt around him. Then the fourth vampire, sitting near an opened dorm, with his hand on his shoulder.


    "What is going on here?" questioned Donovan, where not even one Elder looked pleased by the sight that presented in front of them.


    "I thought the rules were quite clear. And to think it happened when there are other students," Dante''s voice was hard, and she tried to speak on behalf of the Elders before they would say something that would lead to more deaths.


    Castiel had a grim expression on his face, and he turned to look at the warden, who was once the Marudas family''s butler, Albert. He ordered, "Take the dead vampire''s body out of here and bring it to the forest so that the humans don''te out and get into shock. Also get this ce cleaned."


    Albert, the warden, bowed his head, and he quickly went near Mateo Jackson''s body and picked it up. Putting the boy over his shoulder, he started climbing down the stairs.


    Griffin was quick to speak up, and he said, "It was Moltenore who did this! He was the one who killed my friend Mateo Jackson!"


    The Elder''s eyes shifted from Griffin to look at Roman, who didn''t speak as his mind was still consumed with anger.


    Luciano had a scowl on his face while he spoke to Griffin, "Who told you to get involved in it when you are supposed to inform the closest authorized person? First of all, killing your own kind?" he looked back at Roman.


    Donovan looked at Roman without any expression on his face, but his eyes were filled with intrigue. He then looked at Roman''s hands that were covered in blood. With the hole in the dead vampire''s chest and the heart missing on the ground, the Elder could only guess how Roman had killed him. Though Roman''s face appeared to be nk, his eyes danced in a raging fire.


    Elder Donovan asked, "Why did you kill him, Roman?"


    Roman''s cold eyes met Donovan, and the look in the younger vampire''s eyes excited the Elder that he could turn into a perfect ripper.


    To make sure to add fuel to the current situation, Griffin informed them, "Mateo is my friend, and Roman came to this floor in the middle of the night, and started beating him and his friends. As you can see, he has done more damage than anyone has ever thought of¡ª"


    "Nobody asked you to speak," Donovan cut his words, sending a slight re at Griffin that shut him up immediately. "No need to be a parrot in here."


    Luciano looked displeased, sending a re to both Griffin and Donovan, but thetter to be a quieter one. Hemented, "Killing a vampire for no reason is against thews that we have set here in Veteris. You know that, don''t you, Roman?" he asked in an air of superiority.


    "Depends on the reason, doesn''t it?" asked Castiel, giving Roman the opportunity to speak.


    Roman gave it a few seconds before he replied, "He deserved it, there''s nothing more to it."


    The fourth Elder vampire, Remy Oscar, stared at Roman with a small frown on his face. And though he stood there with the others, he didn''t take part in the conversation.


    "That isn''t enough reason that you can go and kill someone of our own kind. You have offended us, by not following the rules that were meant to be followed or do you think you are better than the rest of them," scoffed Luciano. He then turned to look at Donovan and said, "Looks like you are unable to keep a hold on the boy. It is time to teach him how to behave by imprisoning him in the dungeon. We can then decide on how to punish him more for his misbehaviour. Don''t you all agree?"


    Castiel pursed his lips and said, "Unless you don''t give the reason as to what happened and what forced you to take such extreme step, I think you will need to stay in the dungeon, Roman."


    "If that is what you want," remarked Roman. Castiel frowned, while Luciano looked even more offended.


    Roman wasn''t going to let Mateo or Griffin off without repaying what they did to Julie, and getting into trouble with the Elders seemed to be an unavoidable thing.


    "The boy knows that Azazel will get him out of there, and he does what pleases him. There will be a day in the future where your disciple will hold a dagger at your chest, Azazel," Luciano shifted his eyes to look at the Elder, who stood next to him.


    Donovan questioned Roman, "Let me help, why did you kill the boy?"


    And though Griffin wanted to speak, he tried hard not to open his mouth. He was aware that stepping on the line would only end up in being smacked across his face or spending his time in the dungeon.


    Seeing Roman''s unwillingness to speak on it or try to defend himself, Donovan said, "Alright then. If you want to spend your time in the dungeon, then so be it."


    Roman''s eyes didn''t break eye contact with Donovan, before the warden could get him, Roman started to walk and was followed by the others.


    "He acts so prideful as if he''s done no wrong!"mented Luciano, his eyes ring, and Castiel ced his hand on the Elder''s shoulder, while Donovan only stared at Roman''s back.


    The floor where the death had taken ce had been cleaned, and any spots of blood on the wall had been removed. The boy whose arm had been dislocated had been taken to the infirmary, and so was the other boy, whose head Roman had smashed on the wall a couple of times.


    An hourter, in the restricted side of the forest and the underground dungeon hidden from the human''s eyes and only used for vampire''s purposes, Roman was ced behind the rusted bars. He stood there with his arms crossed against his chest and his body leaning against the two bars of the cell.


    Lucianomented, "Don''t you think you should execute him for such misbehaviour?" to Donovan.


    "Aren''t you too eager to kill him off, Luciano. You don''t have to worry about him. Go catch up with your sleep and you too Griffin," Donovan offered a slight smile that didn''t reach his eyes.


    "Hmph," harrumphed Luciano, "If he and Griffin weren''t fighting, I wouldn''t be here bothering your boy."


    "Then we should also put Griffin inside as he seemed to have forgotten about the protocols, and decided to do what he wanted," Donovan turned to look at both of them.


    Griffin bowed his head, looking at Donovan with a pleading expression as if wanting to say something.


    "What is it, Griffin?" questioned Luciano.


    "I know why Moltenore got himself into this. If I may speak please," Griffin didn''t raise his head.


    "Speak," said Luciano.


    "Roman always used to threaten Mateo and this isn''t the first time he has done this. It was only a month ago he had beaten up Mateo. And all of this for a human girl, that he has been saving for himself, without drinking blood from her," exined Griffin, and Roman, who stood there, didn''t bother to look at the three of them.


    "So this is for a drink of not sharing," Luciano clicked his tongue.


    "I believe Mateo wanted to take a drink from her and Roman got very angry about it. Moltenore has developed this-"


    "You sound like a girl right now Griffin. Gossiping, and as much as it interests me," stated Donovan, looking down at the other Elder''s boy, he continued, "I prefer to take the information directly from Roman than from a third person. Boys fight all the time, it''s a verymon thing. Like I said, I don''t need a parrot. Go treat your wounds, unless you are strong and can head back to the Dormitorium."


    Luciano turned to Griffin, giving a nod as if to obey what Donovan said. Griffin offered his bow to both the older vampires, and before he left, he turned to look at Roman with a smirk on his face.


    Luciano walked in front of the cell, and he said, "Azazel thought you were like him, but what a let down. To think this was all for food. Unless Griffin meant that you have created a special bond with this food of yours."


    Roman only stared at Luciano, and if the boy weren''t Donovan''s turned and prized vampire right now, both Luciano and Roman would have been in a fight. And the Elder would have made sure to let the boy know who was more superior in the room.


    He turned around, ready to walk out of the dungeon. But before doing so, the Elder stopped in front of Donovan and said,


    "Looks like your treasure has found something else to be interested in, and not you. Doesn''t even answer you," Luciano scoffed before he walked out from there.


    With just them in the dungeon, Donovan stepped forward, his hands held behind his back and looking at Roman. He said, "You killed a vampire that has upset people. Though personally, I am not upset about it and am rather pleased to see that you can still kill. What I am upset about is that you haven''t given me an exnation about what happened."


    "The matter is solved now. There''s nothing you need to worry about," replied Roman, his voice barely holding any emotion in it.


    The corner of the Elder''s lips threatened to pull, and he said, "Humans are fragile in nature, Rome. They are our food source, and nothing more than that. Treat them like toys, but don''t grow attached to them. Because as you know, after some point of time, all toys break."


    "I am possessive about my things, Azazel," stated Roman, staring at Donovan, while the man stared back at him with the same intensity in his eyes. "And I don''t like it when someone even tries to look at it. Lest touch and try to sully it."


    Donovan nodded his head, his lips twisted, and he said, "I am aware of it, and I understand it. But I need you to focus on important things with me, not on something else. We have ces to go."


    "I have no interest in it. Find someone else to rece me, not something that you cannot do," deadpanned Roman, and Donovan smiled.


    "It''s not that I can''t, but I don''t want to. Why look for copper when I have diamond?" asked Donovan with a smile on his face. "And to make sure we are on the same page," he drawled.


    Roman''s eyes narrowed when he heard footsteps echoing in the dungeon, and soon two vampire men appeared, dragging a girl inside.


    It wasn''t Julie, but it was a human girl, Julie''s friend, who was being dragged inside the dungeon. She had a terrified look on her face, not knowing what was going on.


    "Where are you taking me!? I willin about this, let me go!" shouted the human.


    Roman clenched his jaw, and his eyes hardened, "Let go of her, Azazel. She has nothing to do with us."


    Donovan shook his head, "I would tell otherwise. Let me show you how a toy works." Seeing Roman there, Reese''s eyes widened, feeling relieved yet confused, not knowing what he was doing there. Donovan came to stand behind Reese, holding her head, and he calmly said, "As beautiful as the toy is, it is easy to break. See."


    Saying this, the Elder snapped the girl''s head, and the human''s body fell on the ground, with eyes still wide.

 Chapter 104 - Confinement Cell

    <h4>Chapter 104 - Confinement Cell</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Afraid of time- Hans Zimmer


    ??¡ª


    Seeing the human''s motionless body lying on the ground, Roman''s eyes subtly widened.


    He was unsure if Donovan was trying to y him or the others or if he was being his conceited idiot self. But if he were to touch even a strand of Julie''s hair to hurt her, Roman swore to kill his maker. His jaws clenched, knowing his maker wanted to get a reaction from him.


    "So fragile and delicate. You would think they would be able to survive but then it is only our imagination," Donovan sighed, his tone nonchnt, while the girl''s dead bodyid next to his feet.


    Looking up from the body, the Elder''s eyes met Roman''s, and he tilted his head, "Looks like you weren''t too close to her as much as she appeared to be in the first nce,"mented Donovan.


    "You must be delusional to think something like this will make me listen to you," stated Roman, his eyes holding a re. It could have been Julie in Reese''s ce right now if she had remotely even nced at him while speaking in Donovan''s presence. But it was Reese who had spoken.


    "This is called persuasion. It is a verymon practice in our world. Imagine, in the future, if someone wants to get leverage with you or me, by using a human like this to threaten us. It is never good to keep possible dead weights," Donovan waved his hand at the two guards. And soon, the men carried the dead girl''s body out of the dungeon.


    It was clear that Donovan would never ept the fact that Roman was close to any human. The Elder wanted to fight against the humans, the hunters, and to control them.


    "Let me be frank," said Donovan. Stepping forward, he walked near to where Roman''s cell was. "I was delighted to see you kill a vampire. A vampire I didn''t care about and I don''t care whose best friend he is. But let us not involve ourselves in petty matters like these anymore."


    "I wonder if you realize you are the one being petty in this room," Roman uncrossed his arms and made his way to the front of the cell, such that they stood in front of each other.


    Hearing this, Donovan chuckled, and he said, "I am only protecting you, Rome. In the long run, you will see it is for your benefit," he smiled at the younger vampire.


    Roman knew Donovan was crazier than most of the vampires, even though appearance-wise, he only looked intimidating to the others. In the back of his mind, he knew this was an inevitable situation. The only difference was that Donovan had mistaken the person whom Roman actually treasured.


    Donovan tried to read Roman''s expression wanting to see the sadness after losing his precious human, and when he found none, he heard Roman question him, "So what next?"


    "Luciano wants you executed, and I don''t. The rest is upto the other two Elders and the staff who work for Veteris," replied Donovan. His appearance looked serene and a smile on his lips as if he hadn''t killed an innocent human a few minutes ago. "I will be back soon to get you out of here."


    Once Donovan left the dungeon, Roman ced his hands on the rods and tried to push them away. But the metal was made to contain the vampires, and exerting too much pressure would only tire a vampire.


    "Fuck!" cursed Roman, running his hand through his hair in frustration.


    Donovan had missed this time, but the next time he caught the right person, luck wouldn''t be on their side. Roman was more than partly responsible and to be med for Reese''s death.


    It was because he knew one or the other day, there would be at least one student or a person in Veteris who would tattle-tell Donovan about Roman''s rtionship with Julie. And to keep her on the safer side, when Donovan had asked him about Reese at dinner, he had spoken about the girl as if he knew her.


    Away from the dungeons and in the infirmary, one of Elders, Remy Oscar, stood in the room with doctor Isolde.


    "Ah!" the vampire student winced in pain when Isolde tried to move his dislocated arm.


    "How does it look?" questioned Remy to the woman while he held his hands behind his back.


    "It will heal in less than a week. How did this happen? He doesn''t have his fangs," Isolde pushed the younger vampire''s arm to its original ce, and the boy groaned in pain. "Who told you to get out of your bed when you are supposed to be sleeping at this hour?" she scolded Eddie.


    "AH, aaht as Maltenar," Eddie spoke in pain, and Isolde took a second before deciphering what was said by the injured boy.


    "Roman Moltenore?" she questioned with a frown on her face. She should have known that only a few students in Veteris went all out when it came to beating a person.


    "He is in the dungeon right now," stated Remy, his face serious, and Isolde nodded her head.


    The woman then said, "The arm will heal, but as you know fangs once removed cannot regrow. What did you do to get in here?" she asked the boy, turning to him.


    Eddie had turned red not just because of the blood smeared on his face but also because of embarrassment. With one of the ring leaders dead and without any protection, he didn''t know what would happen to him if he told the truth.


    The boy shook his head and said, "Wae only waanted to take a sip fr da human."


    "Are you sure that''s the truth?" Remy''s eyes narrowed, looking down at the boy without lowering his head to adjust his view. "It isn''t good to lie to an Elder. If I find out that you are lying, you will end up far worse than what happened to your friend."


    Eddie gulped, and though his mouth was hurting, he tried hard to make his words heard, "It wasn''t my idea! Mateo only told us that we were going to threaten the girl because she always tried to humiliate Mateo. He just wanted to even it."


    Isolde rolled her eyes, "Ms. Dante has put up rules that the same human wouldn''t be taken blood by another as it could lead to decreased level of blood in the body which can lead to the human''s death. Why are you eyeing another vampire''s prey?" She raised her eyebrows in disbelief.


    The vampire tried to form words without letting his tongue touch the wounds in his jaw. And during that time, the Elder''s eyes turned distant.


    Earlier, after dinner, Elder Remy had decided to take a walk around thend of Veteris when he had caught sight of Donovan''s boy standing next to one of the dorm''s windows at the girl''s Dormitorium. Since the time he had met Roman, the boy always wore a passive expression on his face. But tonight, he witnessed the boy smile.


    Having no interest in others business, Elder Remy had continued to walk, disappearing into the thicket of the trees.


    The Elder then walked to look at the other vampire student, who was lying unconscious but alive after being hit on the head. It was a well-known fact that Roman Moltenore was hard to control, and Donovan liked to keep him around. But things would change soon, thought Remy to himself.


    Remy took his leave from the infirmary, walking out when he saw his apprenticeing running towards him.


    "Elder Remy," Olivia bowed her head when she came near him.


    "Did you hear what happened to your friend?" inquired the Elder, and Olivia nodded her head.


    "Is he really being held in the dungeon?" she asked him. She was in her dorm when she heard the news from Simon and had decided to get more information as Maximus had not left his uncle''s side.


    "He''s killed a vampire. I doubt the others would take it easy, and if we do, it would set a wrong example to the other vampires who are studying here. That we have grown a soft spot," exined Remy, his face holding seriousness in it. "He won''t be executed, if that is what you are worried about."


    Olivia nodded her head, "I am d to hear that. Thank you, Elder Remy," she bowed her head in appreciation.


    "You should get back to your dorm. It''s no time to be wandering outside," he stated, and Olivia bowed her head again before quickly leaving from there.


    Sometimeter, the Elders gathered in a conference room of the main building, where Ms. Dante''s office was located. In the room sat¡ª the four Elders, the headmistress of Veteris, the counsellor, and the three more teachers, including Mr. Borrell.


    Ms. Dante sat at the head of the table, her hands holding each other, which she had ced on the table. She began with,


    "As all of you already know, one of the vampire students killed another vampire student. We are here to discuss the disciplinary actions that will be taken on the student and the length of the punishment."


    "There''s nothing to discipline when the action is irreversible," responded Luciano. "It is supposed to be an eye for an eye. He killed one of our kinds and he might do it again."


    Donovan retorted to Luciano''s words by saying, "He is a vampire like all of us. You speak as if you have never murdered anyone, Luciano. What virtuous hands you have."


    "Don''t mock me to cover your boy''s dirty tracks, Azazel," Luciano''s eyes red while he tried to control his anger. "I thought when weid the rules to follow it was clear that if a person broke it, there would be consequences."


    "The boy who died, Mateo Jackson, was your disciple''s best friend. Don''t you think Griffin tried to instigate behind the curtains? Even if it meant that Roman was protecting what is his. We all know he is possessive about his things and doesn''t like it to be touched," exined Donovan in a calm tone.


    "Hmph! To protect a mere human?" scoffed Luciano. "Moltenore must be forgetting that firstes our kind, thenes the rest of them. He took a human''s side. I have little to no faith that he won''t attack the next person in the future."


    "Are you trying to protect your meek vampire, Luciano?" chuckled Donovan, and Dante smacked her hands on the table so that the Elders would concentrate on the subject of why they were here. Donovan said, "I have already solved the problem. The human who was the root cause of this, where the vampires were fighting for, is now dead."


    Hearing this, some of them stared at Donovan while Luciano raised his eyebrows.


    Dante turned angry, and she said, "You cannot kill the human students in here, Mr. Donovan. It was alreadyid out when I decided to take up this job that the innocents would be protected. It goes against all the rules. Especially when the human i¡ª"


    "So many innocent ones die, Eloise. And taking this action only solves the problem. We can now all go back to being the polite and respected people of the society that we are," Donovan calmly said, picking up the teacup that had been kept in front of him on the table, and he took a sip from it. "As much as we would like to maintain a bnce between the humans and vampires, it should be known that humans are nothing but a source of food to us and they add no other value apart from trying to kill some rogues."


    Mr. Borrell turned wary, and he asked, "The family of the girl will ask what happened to her."


    "Make up another white lie, Borrell. All of you speak as if you have nevermitted or hid a body until now," smiled Donovan, and he turned to look at Castiel and Remy. "What are your thoughts on this?" he asked them.


    The two Elders had been quietly listening to the discussion that had been going on in the conference room. Castiel suggested,


    "Make it look as if an animal attacked her and she was dragged into the woods. This way it will look more believable. Roman might have killed a vampire, but Dante has set the rules of not touching others'' prey to regte and keep a track of how much blood is taken from any human student."


    "It is suspicious that he would try to keep guard of the human," pointed Luciano, "One bite isn''t going to make much difference."


    Dante leaned forward and said, "Roman doesn''t like to share his things and he has made it clear. I heard that he had also announced to all the students to not touch his prey."


    "Maybe she had delicious blood," Castiel nodded his head.


    A dry chuckle escaped from Luciano''s lips, "Blood is categorized as stale or fresh. It doesn''t have any vours, Castiel."


    Remy, who had his back leaned against the chair, said, "I believe Griffin is as guilty as Roman is. Everyone should know their limits, and trying to cause imbnce by indirectly trying to kill a human, is only going to bring the hunters who have been sleeping to get a whiff of this ce."


    Donovan raised both his hands as if that was what he was going to say.


    Dante asked Donovan, "How is Roman doing?"


    It was because she had heard from Piper about how Roman was changing because of the human girl. To think that Donovan had killed the girl left an unsettling feeling in her stomach.


    "Perfectly well," smiled Donovan.


    Castiel then said, "It is only right that Roman will spend a week in the dungeon, without any blood to feed as his punishment."


    Luciano only crossed his hands with a miffed expression on his face.


    "Sounds good," said Donovan.


    Considering that Roman had a higher thirst than the other vampires, they found the punishment only apt, where everyone came into agreement.? Once the Elders left the building, returning to the mansion where they were staying, Piper came to meet Dante, knocking on the office door.


    "Come in," said Dante, and Piper stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her. She exhaled air out of her mouth and said, "Borrell and Evans have gone to fix the girl''s body in the woods, to make it look like she was attacked."


    Piper pursed her lips before saying, "Donovan has mistaken."


    Dante frowned, "What do you mean?"


    "He killed another girl, thinking she was the human who has been involved with Roman."


    "Great. Now I have to fix not one but two girl''s deaths," muttered Dante under her breath. "I guess it makes sense now as to why Roman has not torn the cell apart yet."


    "You cannot let them know, Ms. Dante," Piper tried to plead with the headmistress. "The girl is Roman''s hope and if he loses her, I don''t think it would end well for him or anyone."


    Dante rubbed her forehead as if the headache that had appeared since yesterday had not left. Though she was a night creature, she wasn''t in favour of bloodshed in Veteris, nor did she want the innocent to die without any reason.


    "Do you know what caused the fight?" inquired Piper and Dante nodded her head.


    "Jackson tried to attack the girl," said Dante with a sigh. "I don''t understand why it is so hard for people here to live in peace without causing trouble. I think I know what to do."


    Piper looked at Dante with her eyebrows furrowed, and she asked, "What would you like me to do?"


    "In two days, tell the girl to pack her things and send her home. I will draft all the documents and have then prepared so that it can be sent," stated Dante.


    It was the safest solution that she could think of and the most effective one. Roman would stay in the dungeon for a week, where the only visitors allowed to meet him were the Elders. Though many rules of Veteris could be bent, this one was impossible to get out from.


    "With what reason?" inquired Piper.


    "I will write a letter to her family. Compel the girl and make her believe that she broke many rules, which is why she''s being expelled from Veteris. Also erase her memories of Roman. This way she doesn''t contact Roman and he doesn''t try to look for her," Dante''s words were firm.


    Piper nodded her head and was about to leave the room when the headmistress said, "Keep this between us only."


    In the underground dungeon, Roman stood in a cell, staring at the sky and waiting for hours to pass quickly so that the punishment hours could end and he could get out of here.


    When the sun rose in the morning, one of the human students found Reese''s body at the forest''s edge. She had bite-like marks on her face and legs. The blood from her wounds dried on her skin to let one know it had been hours since she had passed away.


    Julie and Mnie were heading towards the lunchroom to have breakfast when Caleb appeared before them, "You two should go to the forest," he said to Julie.


    "What happened?" asked Julie, perplexed.


    "The girl who hangs with you people¡­" he paused for a moment before saying, "Her body was found in the forest this morning. It seems she was attacked by some wild animals," Caleb let her know, and Julie''s eyes widened.


    "Reese?" Julie uttered the girl''s name, and her face turned pale. "Do you know where Conner is?"


    "He''s already there," informed Caleb, and both Julie and Mnie ran towards the forest. When they reached the spot, they saw Conner sitting on the forest ground on his knees, by himself. But when they got closer, Julie caught the blood spots on the ground.


    "I think they took her body to the infirmary to find if there''s anything more to her death," whispered Caleb, and Julie and Mnie stepped forward to where her friend was sitting. The rim of Conner''s eyes had turned red, and he appeared to be in shock.


    Julie ced her hand on Conner''s shoulder, sitting down on one side, and Mnie sat on the other side.


    Conner said in a tone of disbelief, "I can''t think of a single reason as to why she woulde to the forest. It is so unlike her. I saw her to her dormst night, and we spoke about me meeting her parents. How did this happen?"


    Julie clenched her hands into fists.


    "I am sorry that something like this happened to her," whispered Julie, her voice holding guilt because subconsciously she could feel that Reese'' death was not caused by an animal''s attack.


    Conner shook his head, "I cannot believe she is gone. She can''t be," his voice cracked in the end. "S-she was covered in so much blood and her face...barely recognizable." He broke into tears, covering his face, and Mnie hugged Conner to console him,? sadness filling their eyes.


    Julie silently sat there with her friends, skipping breakfast with everyone while Conner tried to control his emotions. Feeling someone tap her shoulder, she turned to see it was Caleb. She stood up and turned to see him jerk his head to the side. She walked a couple of steps away from where her two friends sat.


    "There''s something else you need to know," whispered Caleb, looking left and right even though they were the only ones at the ce. "Last night, a lot of things happened. Roman killed Mateo and is now in istion."


    Julie''s eyes widened, "What?"


    Both Porcupine and Reese were dead around the same time.


    "Look I cannot reveal too much, but I thought you should know about it. Don''t ask anyone any questions and possibly try to stay as low as you can until he''s out. Best don''t attend any event today, and do your homework," advised Caleb, and he quickly added, "Don''t worry, they won''t hand him over to the police, but things are serious."


    "Do you know where he''s being held?"


    "No," came the quick answer from Caleb and Julie''s eyes narrowed. He then pursed his lips before saying, "I cannot tell. Don''t ask me questions, else I might be the next person," either spending time in the dungeon or dead by the hands of the Elders, thought Caleb in his mind. "It was something you and I both were expecting would happen. Taking Roman''s temper and you in the equation, it was going to happen now orter. So."


    Julie then asked, "How long is he supposed to be in istion?"


    "A week. That''s the time, yeah. You can meet and see him after a week, so stay put," advised Caleb, and when Julie nodded her head, the morm left.


    When Julie and her friends returned from the forest, Julie noticed not many had heard about the news about Reese'' or Mateo''s death. Some who heard about it gossiped about it for a while before they brushed it away and went back to enjoying thest day of the Fall Annual celebration of Veteris.


    After some time, they went to the infirmary, where Reese'' body was ced. Around the same time, Reese'' parents arrived there after being informed by the headmistress. On seeing Reese'' body, Reese'' parents broke into tears, unable to see their only daughter''s body in this badgered condition, where it looked like a wolf had attacked her.


    Julie''s heart turned heavy as she heard the parents uncontrobly cry and sob.


    The doctor of the infirmary said, "We have arranged the transport so that you can take her body from here without worrying about it."


    Reese''s mother continued to cry, "How could this happen? Why wasn''t anyone there to protect her?!"


    Doctor Isolde tried to console the parents, the expression on her face grim. She ced her hand on the woman''s shoulder and said, "We had already given strict instructions to the students to not go there, but they fail to listen to us. The restricted side of the forest is not safe and the headmistress has mentioned it time after time. I am truly sorry for your loss." Julie noticed the way the doctor looked right into the parent''s eyes and said, "Your daughter was a good girl, and we are going to miss her. It was an unfortunate ident."


    Julie realized how the vampiress, had manipted the parents with no regret to their feelings. The night creatures were cruel and bloodthirsty. The guilt in her heart turned heavier with every second,? because she knew Reese''s death was rted to her. Reese was innocent and cheerful. And just like that, her life was stolen away, as if it didn''t matter.


    Reese''s parents took her body, leaving the Veteris university after beingpelled to not cause any unnecessary trouble outside Veteris, on the issue rted to their daughter''s death.

 Chapter 105 - Tiptoeing To Him

    <h4>Chapter 105 - Tiptoeing To Him</h4>


    Though every person in Veteris was celebrating itsst day of the Fall Annual, Julie and her friends were not only devastated on hearing about Reese''s death, but they were shocked on seeing the state of her body.


    Julie and her friends returned to Mnie''s dorm, where Conner had taken a seat on the bed, while Mnie tried to console him. But there was very little anyone could say or do in such an unexpected death, and silence hung in the dorm.


    It wasn''t just Reese''s death that Julie thought about, but also what Caleb had informed her about Roman. She only hoped for him to be alright and that he wasn''t being tortured, wherever the management had kept him now.


    "I should probably go back to my dorm and try to get some sleep," said Conner, standing up from the edge of the bed. He wiped his face with both his hands.


    "You can stay here if you want to, Conner," suggested Mnie, standing up with him while Julie stood against the wall. "Do you want to take permission from Ms. Dante to visit Reese''s ce to attend her viewing?"


    Conner shook his head, "I don''t think it is possible, but I think I will try asking. I will go and see if Ms. Dante is in her office now to ask about it."


    "Let mee with you," offered Mnie, feeling sad for her best friend, the person whom she had secretly loved.


    "That''s fine. I will be fine, I need some time to think," Conner replied to Mnie and paused for a moment before he said, "I still don''t believe Reese had gone to the forest in the night. She has never been the type to break the rule, and yesterday she was having a headache. Maybe it is time the university did something about these wild animals that keep attacking the students."


    Julie didn''t utter a word because she knew Reese was killed by vampires. It had happened before, and it happened now. If she were to die at the hands of the vampires, her body would be found like this too, thought Julie to herself.


    They had killed an innocent person, and in Julie''s eyes, it was an unforgivable sin.


    "I will see you bothter," murmured Conner, and Julie nodded her head.


    "Take care of yourself, Conner," said Julie to him, and he offered a small smile that didn''t reach his eyes.


    Once the door shut, Mnie let out a tired sigh, "It is so hard to imagine that Reese is dead."


    "We should all avoid going to the forest," Julie''s voice was small, staring at the door through which Conner had left. "I think I will go back to my dorm too, Mel."


    "I understand," Mnie nodded her head and said, "I will stay here too. It doesn''t feel right to be outside and enjoying when we have lost someone."


    Returning to her dorm, Julie locked the door. She paced front and back in the room, deep in thought of what to do. Though Caleb had given her the information about Roman, she didn''t know if she should stay put in the dorm. The feeling of uncertainty with anxiousness kept building up in her stomach.


    Last night, after spending time with Roman, she had hoped that he wouldn''t go to fight with porcupine and his friends. Not immediately, at least. Roman''s temper was always something that slithered beneath his surface.


    She didn''t want to stay in the dorm, while God only knew in what state Roman was in right now. Julie didn''t want to be that helpless girl who didn''t know what to do in a situation like this, and it was because of her, Roman was being punished somewhere. She clenched her hands, and when she heard the crackling snap of twigs behind her, she turned around and caught sight of the creature in its long ck robes.


    Julie stared at the bird-like creature''s face that was facing her.


    ''You are upset,'' said the creature in its low, raspy voice.


    "One of my friend''s friend was killedst night. Do you know anything about it?" questioned Julie, and the creature nodded its head.


    ''Saw the body being dragged into the forest by two men,'' answered the creature.


    So her guess was correct.


    "Do you know who killed her?" she asked, and the Corvin shook its head.


    ''Saw only body in the forest. You should leave,'' said the creature to her.


    "I already told you why I can''t leave. I¡­" her voice trailed, staring at it. "This ce is attached to Willow Creek, do you know where it is? Do youe from there?"


    ''The Willow Creek has been hidden for years, it disappeared, and none have been able to get back into it. It is not good to be with each other," the Corvin said to her in a dull voice, and Julie frowned. "Vampires and witches don''t get along. Not meant to be with each other and will bring death."


    "Maybe it was in the past, but now it''s different. What is your name?" asked Julie, realizing she had never asked it before.


    ''Corvin,'' answered the creature. Maybe she did, and she had received the same reply before, thought Julie to herself. As if feeling Julie''s stare, the creature said, ''We have no names. Wee from death.''


    "Were you a witch before you turned into a Corvin?" inquired Julie, and the creature stared at her in silence.


    ''Maybe, but I don''t remember. We don''t have recollections of our lives before wee into existence,'' replied the creature, and Julie nodded her head.


    "There''s something I want from you."


    The creature tilted its head to the side in question.


    "Can you find where Roman is being held right now?"


    ''The vampire.''


    "Yes," replied Julie. "He''s being punished for killing a boy who hurt me. It is some sort of underground ce built by the vampire to hide their activities, I want you to find where he is. Can you do that?"


    The creature looked reluctant in having to find another kind of creature that it wasn''t particrly fond of.


    "Please," pleaded Julie, "I would have done it myself, but it''s day time and I might get caught for snooping around."


    ''Okay.''


    "Wait! Before that," Julie quickly went to her table, tearing a page from her book, she scribbled something on the paper. Once she was done writing the letter, she folded it and gave it to the Corvin. "Give this to him."


    ''I don''t like vampires,'' confessed the creature, letting her know that it wasn''t happy about having to find a night creature.


    "But you like me, and I like him. He''s important to me," Julie offered the creature a friendly smile, and it took the letter with its twig-like hands. The very next second, the creature disappeared from her dorm. Julie was d that the Corvin hade to see her.


    Away from Julie''s dorm, on the restricted side of the forest and in the dungeon, Roman had continued to stand, leaning against the wall. Sincest night, he hadn''t had a way to fulfil his thirst, and it was slowly weakening his body and mind. But he didn''t let it show on his face.


    The Elders seemed to have missed something, that he had carried a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, and he passed the night smoking it.


    "Always so self maintained,"mented Donovan, who hade to check on Roman. "It is something I have always admired about you, Rome. Feeling hungry?"


    "Not much," replied Roman, his eyes following the Elder, who walked down the stairs and came to stand in front of his cell. But he hadn''te alone and had brought a student along with him, a boy.


    "If you said that you were hungry, I would have shared this boy with you. My snack,"mented Donovan.


    Roman''s eyes fell on the boy, who looked petrified, but he didn''t dare to scream or call out for help. Donovan ran his fingernail across the boy''s neck, and soon the air in the dungeon started to pick up the scent of human blood. It was enough to have Roman''s eyes turned red, and his jaw ached as his fangs threatened toe out and take a sip from the human.


    "You should go and enjoy thest celebration day of Veteris, instead ofing here to check if I am still here," remarked Roman in a nonchnt tone.


    "Are you still upset because I killed your human? Don''t worry about it, I will find you a better one than thest one. She didn''t seem to have any qualities," saying this, Donovan took a bite at the human''s neck before starting to suck his blood out. Pulling away, he said, "I havee to notice that the humans'' blood tastes better than they did in the past, or is it because I haven''t taken blood since thest one century?" He licked the boy''s neck.


    "It''s because Dante has been providing them with quality food, which in turn has an effect on the human''s body," Roman humoured the older vampire with the silly conversation.


    "I guess this is what they call investment," Donovan finished taking another bite. "You sure you don''t want to take a drink?"


    "I would rather take a new one than share with you," responded Roman, and Donovan smiled.


    "How rude. You know if it was someone else, I would have snapped their head or torn their heart out of their bodies," said Donovan, his eyes fixed on Roman with a faintly amused smile on his lips.


    "Why don''t you try it," challenged Roman, the fire in his eyes lighting up that Donovan adored so much.


    "Hm, maybe one day, but today I am not in the mood," hearing this, Roman rolled his eyes.


    He preferred being in his ownpany than being in this geezer''spany, who hade here just to taunt and tease him. He wondered if he waste nning to throw all their caskets in the ocean, and he stared at Donovan.


    "You know," Donovan drawled, bringing the human''s hand up to his lips, and he took a bite before drinking blood from there. Pulling away, he said, "There was once a woman, and she was beautiful."


    "Did you kill her?" deadpanned Roman, his eyes holding no humour in them.


    But as usual, Donovan found Roman''s question to be amusing, and he said, "No, but I wished I did that. I thought we had a good time, but she disappeared. Just like that. I believe it has been a while since she has been dead. You know how short a human''s life is," he made a breaking action with both his hands.


    "Is that why you are so salty and don''t want me to have one?"


    "Salty?"


    Roman closed his eyes for a second before opening and said, "Bitter."


    Donovan brushed Roman''s words and continued to say, "I heard you came in contact with hunters. Do you know how many were there?"


    "Around seven, but probably more," replied Roman, and Donovan had a thoughtful look on his face.


    "From a very long time, the hunters have been our enemies. You remember the time when they tried to experiment on you. We and the humans, we are of the same kind, trying to kill each other," a huff escaped from the older vampire''s lips, and he said, "Anyways, make sure to get some good rest in here and once you are done, then it is time we go find the hunters. Right now, they must be lying low, knowing the vampires woulde back for them. I would like to see what other weapons they have made against us. Also take your time to mourn for the girl."


    Roman red at Donovan without uttering a word to him.


    "I will leave this human in here," informed Donovan, "Just so you know that there''s food in here if you get thirsty." The older vampire ran his fingernail against the boy''s neck in a way where blood trickled down the human''s neck.


    "Thank you for your thoughtfulness," Roman spoke sarcastically because there was arge distance between the cell and where the human was sitting.


    Donovan waved his hand at the boy to sit down, and he then said to Roman, "This one was trying to snoop around the mansion and I just happened to catch the rat. Seeing how he was interested in knowing what I am doing, I thought to bring him down here for you." Before leaving, Donovan said, "If you can try to get out of the cell, do try it and no one will hold it against you." And he told it because none of the vampires had ever been able to get out of the cells.


    Donovan stepped out of the dungeon with a polite smile on his lips, leaving the bleeding human to sit in front of Roman''s cell.


    Roman bit the inside of his cheek, tasting blood from his mouth before swallowing it.


    Previous day during the match, when Roman had bit himself to gather the blood in his mouth, it had taken him quite some time to regain his strength. He had drunk enough blood before going to Julie''s dorm as he didn''t want to pounce on her and suck her dry.


    While the Elder vampire had left a bleeding human to tempt and stir his hunger and thirst for blood, Roman heard a soft rustle, and suddenly a paper fell inside the cell. His eyebrows furrowed, and he looked around before walking to where the paper was and picked it up.


    Unfolding the paper, knowing who had written it, Roman read the content inside it¡ª


    ''I heard from the bodyguard that you have been kept in the dungeon, and I hope you are doing okay, Rome. Reese is dead, and we saw her body an hour ago. Conner is devastated by the incident, and he wants to attend Reese''s viewing.


    I am safe and in my dorm but worried. Worried for both of us, and I am sending this letter through the bird. Please be okay.


    ¡ªTroublemaker''


    "Smart girl," Roman murmured to himself, that she hadn''t used her name nor Caleb''s name in her writing.


    He looked around the ce but didn''t see the Corvin that hade to deliver her letter.


    Suddenly he started to cough, bringing his hand up to cover his lips that turned red because of the blood that he had coughed up. Bringing his hand forward, he noticed the hole-like wound that had formed when Mateo had pushed a nail in his hand. It was a metal that affected the vampire''s body.


    Pulling out the lighter from his pocket, he burned the letter until it turned to ash.


    Away from the dungeon and in one of the mansion''s rooms, Elder Luciano sat in thefortable chair with his back leaned against it while Griffin stood in front of him.


    "I don''t want you to pull this stunt again, not without my knowledge. Be satisfied that only Motenore has been ced in the cell and you haven''t joined him," scolded Luciano, who held a displeased look on his face.


    "But Elder Luciano, Roman, has been building rtionships with humans and trying to cause problems."


    "So what? I don''t care about it," Luciano rolled his eyes and then said to Griffin, "Spend your time on something more productive like hunting down the hunters instead of wasting your time on useless things such as these. Donovan has already taken care of the problem by killing the girlst night."


    "Killed the girl?" Griffin asked in surprise.


    Internally, he couldn''t help but smile at the thought that the human was no longer alive. He knew this was what the Elder would do once he found out about the precious human Roman Moltenore had been trying to keep by himself. Right now, he wanted to go and mock Roman, to rub salt over his wound for his loss.


    "If I am not wrong, I heard from Castiel that the girl''s family came to pick the body and they already left some time ago,"mented Luciano. These words uttered by his Elder was music to Griffin''s ears.


    Once his maker dismissed Griffin, he headed towards the lunchroom and returned to the campus. He heard the light murmurs of the students, where they were discussing the girl''s death.


    "I heard she was attacked by a wolf. What do you think she was doing in the forest?" questioned one of the students.


    A smile appeared on Griffin''s lips, and he was unable to contain his happiness. When he saw some of the vampires from the freshman year, who had yed for his team in the football match, he said, "Let me get you all a chilled can which is of high quality. This is to celebrate even though we lost."


    Griffin and the boys stepped inside the lunchroom as they were being offered a free can of blood.


    The hours of the day continued to pass, where more students stayed out of their dorms to celebrate the final day of annual celebration. The music of the speakers had been turned up to a higher volume, whilst everyone eagerly looked forward to the musical band, who was going to perform tonight as thest closing event of the Fall Annual.


    Julie didn''t leave her dorm, not even when it came to the time of meals, as she and her friends had lost their appetite after seeing Reese''s body. Through her window, Julie was watching the students when she heard the crackling sound and turned her body around to catch sight of Corvin, who had returned.


    "Did you give him the letter?" Julie asked anxiously, and the creature nodded its head. "How is he?"


    ''Confined in a cell with no blood. The night creatures torture their own kind. He was throwing blood before I left,'' the Corvin let her know, and Julie''s eyebrows furrowed. ''One of the old vampires came to visit him.''


    "It must be Donovan," replied Julie and she bit her bottom lip.


    Julie wanted to see Roman because throwing up blood for a human, or a vampire wasn''t a good sign.


    "Corvin..." Julie spoke to the Corvin with the name she had given it. "At night, everyone is going to be busy. I want you to take me to the ce where they are holding Roman. I will need you to keep an eye to make sure no one enters while I am there."


    ''Okay.''


    Hours passed, and Julie waited for the sun to go down. Mnie had gone to meet Conner while Julie slipped out of her dorm and made her way through the crowd. She covered the lower part of her face with a handkerchief so that no one would notice her. Her brown eyes kept a look around her, trying to make sure she didn''t walk past anyone who knew her.


    It was eight in the night, and the musical event was about to start in a few minutes.


    It seemed like Julie was the only one who was able to see the Corvin, and the creature led her towards the edge of the forest before they entered it. The forest was dark, and no light split from the underground dungeon. If it weren''t for the creature''s help, she would have never found it.


    Reaching the ce, the Corvin stood outside while Julie walked down the narrow passage and the steep staircase. And once she reached the ground, she noticed a torch of fire brightly burning on the wall. She only hoped the Elders and other people wouldn''t catch her while she was here.


    The ce was quiet, and some parts of the dungeon were dark. She made her way through the ce until she saw a human, who sat against the wall, and he appeared to be sleeping. Julie hoped the person wasn''t dead and had only lost his consciousness.


    "Winters?"


    Hearing Roman''s voice, Julie snapped her head and saw Roman behind the metal rods. She quickly ran to the front, d to see him not hurt the way she had imagined him to be. His eyes looked slightly tired.


    His eyes were narrowed, and he looked at the way she hade inside and asked, "What are you doing here?"


    "The Corvin said you were coughing blood and I wanted to see you. He''s waiting outside the dungeon to keep an eye so that I won''t be caught," replied Julie. When she raised her hands to touch him, his voice was sharp, and he said,


    "Don''t," and he stepped back, his red eyes holding a re at her. "I am not in the state to control my bloodlust," he let her know, and Julie dropped her hands.


    "Caleb said you are going to be here for a week," said Julie, and Roman gave her a nod.


    "I did kill a student of Veteris who was a vampire. It is against the rules and is the least punishment I could get for what I did," remarked Roman. Though he didn''t want to say the next words, he said, "Even with the Corvin with you, you shouldn''t havee here," he said with a look of seriousness. "I think it would be better for you to follow the Corvin. Because there''s still one person with whom I need to settle scores with."


    Julie felt heaviness in her heart, and she shook her head. In a small voice, she said, "No, you don''t have to do it for my sake."


    Roman stared at Julie before saying, "Who said I am doing it for you, silly girl. I am doing it for my own selfish reasons, and I cannot rest until I have evened it."


    She saw him coughing in front of her, and he held on to one of the iron rods for support. There was blood on his hands, and Julie turned concerned. "Why are you coughing out blood?!"


    "This morning I was injected with a small dose of Silverwater into my body. It isn''t as bad as it looks," Roman offered her a crooked smile while wiping his lips with the back of his hand. Julie knew it was far worse than what Roman was showing, and she felt bad. "You look like you''re about to cry."


    "That''s how I feel. Why did you kill him? Beating would have been enough..." said Julie, wondering if revenge was worth it.


    "Did you think I would let them off after what they did to you?" he questioned her, tilting his head, and he said, "I won''t let anyone live in peace who tries to hurt you."


    Instead of stepping backwards and away from Roman, Julie took a step closer towards him, and she stretched her right hand forward, letting it pass through the rods that separated them.


    "I know you are hungry," said Julie to him.


    Roman''s eyes narrowed, and he said, "You should get back to your dorm, Winters. If I sink my teeth into you, I might not stop until youy cold on the ground. I can survive without blood."


    "I have faith that you won''t, Rome," Julie sounded sure.


    Roman gritted his teeth because he could hear the sound of blood pumping in and out of her heart and the pulse. Thest time when he had been this hungry, he had killed a whole family.


    "I am not a saint," he turned his eyes back to look at her, the re not leaving his eyes. The expression on his face changed, and so did the look in his eyes, that turned into a predatory look.


    Julie nodded her head; without dropping her hand, she said, "I know."


    She watched Roman stare at her before he caught hold of her hand and said, "This will hurt a little."


    Julie saw Roman''s fangs appear, and he bit into her wrist.

 Chapter 106 - Time To Pack And Leave

    <h4>Chapter 106 - Time To Pack And Leave</h4>


    The bite was nowhere gentle as the one Julie had feltst night. This one was slightly on the painful side, where she felt the prick of his fangs, and the strength in her hand started to weaken. She didn''t try to stop him. Not knowing if it was because she had been holding it up for him to take for a long time or because of the blood that she was losing quickly.


    After a few more seconds, Roman pulled his fangs away from her wrist and licked the skin where he had earlier sank his fangs until it was clean.


    Julie could tell by Roman''s expression that his thirst had not beenpletely quenched, and it was obvious that he wanted more as the darkness in his eyes didn''t disappear. But he tried to hold himself back. He slowly dropped both their hands downwards, but his hand didn''t let go of her hand.


    Roman ran his tongue across his lips to collect thest residue of Julie''s blood on it. Julie wondered when she had changed her taste when it came to liking boys. From the polite ones, her taste had shifted to the dangerous kind. And the even stranger part was that she fell for him harder now even though he looked at her as if she was prey.


    "Are you feeling better?" asked Julie, a small frown still on her face, as the sight of Roman coughing blood had made her worried. "Do you think a witch''s blood has any healing abilities?" she asked him in a low voice.


    "I like seeing how hopeful you are even though we don''t know who might show up in here for a surprise visit," remarked Roman, running his tongue over his fangs and one corner of his lips pulled up.


    "I am putting my faith in the Corvin. It''s good to have someone on our¡­ side," Juliepleted her sentence with a pause, and Roman raised his eyebrow. "He doesn''t like vampires."


    "That''s fine. If he can keep you safe, that would be more than enough for me," replied Roman. Pulling her close, he brought his other hand to pass it through the gap of the metal rods and ced it on Julie''s cheek. Julie closed the remaining distance and kissed him. The kiss felt precious, like a drop of water that was given to a person in the desert who had been craving for water. "I don''t know if you are turning brave or are an idiot foring here, even after knowing the danger it can bring."


    Julie was about to say something, but Roman said, "But I am d to see that you are doing fine. I am sorry about Reese," he apologized to her.


    When he mentioned Reese, she knew calling her an idiot would be more proper, an idiot who followed Roman like a butterfly. She had been worried, and she couldn''t resist not seeing him.


    "They think Donovan killed the right person, so it buys us more time. But not too much and I won''t be out of this ce for the next few days," Roman reminded her with a faint frown on his face. He then said, "You don''t have to go to your uncle''s ce. Instead, find a motel to stay for a few days. If Griffin tells Luciano, it''s going to be troublesome. Do you think you will be okay?"


    Julie nodded her head, "Will you be okay? Without the blood?" she asked him.


    It had been only a few hours, and Roman was coughing blood. She asked him, "If Silverwater is harmful to a vampire, why are they giving you that?"


    "That''s how vampires are," he tucked the piece of her hair behind her ear. "Pack whatever you need and leave. Don''t go to your friend''s town where they have their families."


    "I wasn''t nning¡­ But why?" Julie asked Roman.


    But before they could speak more, the Corvin appeared through the stairs and came to where she stood. When Julie turned her head in its direction, Roman turned, but he saw nothing but emptiness.


    "Is it here?" questioned Roman, and Julie nodded her head.


    The Corvin said, ''Someone ising. It is time to leave.''


    Noticing Julie''s expression wilting like a flower, Roman said, "There''s a town named Queenstorm. You will find a motel there with the name Rose Veil. Stay there. Do you need my card?" he asked her.


    Julie shook her head. She had changed her bank ounts after what happened with her parents so that her father or anyone who knew her wouldn''t be able to follow her.


    ''Quick,'' the Corvin urged her to leave from there before whoever was heading to this ce would show up.


    Julie took a long stare at Roman, and he promised her, "I wille and meet you soon, Winters. Go."


    Julie left the dungeon half-heartedly with the Corvin, her footsteps quick before she ran in the other direction to hide behind a thick tree so that whoever was visiting the dungeon wouldn''t meet her. After the shadow disappeared into the dungeon, the creature led Julie out of the ce, and she returned to her dorm.


    Once Julie entered her dorm, she started to pack necessary things in her trunk.


    Today seemed to be the opportune day, as everyone had gathered in the football field, busy enjoying the loud music, and nobody would notice her leaving from this ce, thought Julie to herself. All that was left was letting Mnie know that she was visiting her uncle as there was an emergency just so that questions wouldn''t be raised about her going missing.


    Back in the dungeon, the person who hade to meet Roman was not the Elder, but the headmistress of Veteris, Eloise Dante. The woman walked and looked around the ce before her eyes widened on seeing the human on the ground. Quickly walking to where the human student was, she checked his pulse.


    "He''s alive,"mented Roman, who had taken himself to the dark corner of the cell.


    Dante''s eyebrows furrowed, and she stood straight before turning in the direction where Roman''s cell was present. "Did Donovan bring him here?" she asked him.


    Roman stepped away from the shadows, making his way to the front, where the light of the torched fire fell. He had his hands slipped into his pocket, and he asked, "Who else do you think would do it?"


    Dante wasn''t pleased with the Elders behaviour, but this was expected from them. The Elders were one of the oldest vampires on thesends, and they had always done what they pleased while the others bowed their heads.


    She walked to the front of the cell, her expression grim, and she said, "You could have informed me about Mateo Jackson''s actions and I could have dealt with it in a better way, Roman. Did you really have to kill him?"


    Roman''s gaze didn''t change as he stared at Ms. Dante with a bored expression on his face.


    "I did try approaching the matter by talking, but people here have a hard time understanding what was said to them. I believe this will set an example of what to do and what not to do," his voice held no regret.


    A sigh escaped from Ms. Dante''s lips, and she said, "You refuse to let go of the human. You should already know having a rtionship with a human will onlyplicate things."


    "I am aware of it," remarked Roman.


    Ms. Dante nodded her head.


    "Good, because I don''t want another innocent''s death on thisnd of Veteris," replied Ms. Dante, the furrow on her forehead, said, "I have decided to send Julianne Winters away from Veteris, so that she can study somewhere else, and safe by staying away from you. It will be good for both of you. Her documents are getting ready so that they can be sent to her house."


    Ms. Dante noticed the sliver of emotion change in Roman''s eyes when she mentioned it. She wondered if he was going tosh out and throw his temper at her. But instead, Roman said, "You don''t have to do that. I have already taken care of it."


    The woman''s eyes narrowed, and she asked, "What do you mean?" To Dante, both the Elder vampire as well as his disciple took into their own hands to take care of things, and it worried her. "What did you do Roman?" she questioned him.


    "Let me cut you some ck for now, Dante. Don''t expel her, and don''t send any of the documents or letters to her rtives," Roman''s words were calm and collected. Dante found it strange because for someone who had been injected with the Silverwater and someone who constantly craved for blood, he seemed to be in a better condition. "I am sure Julianne would be very upset if she doesn''t graduate from this university, after working so hard."


    Ms. Dante''s eyes narrowed, and she asked, "Please tell me you haven''t done something you are not supposed to do."


    "Don''t worry, we both want the same thing. Mark her attendance as she''s on leave so that no one questions anyone about her absence," stated Roman, but Ms. Dante didn''t know how feasible it would be.


    The vampiress said, "Do you think Donovan or the others won''t notice once she returns?"


    "It is only for some time, until I can see how to work things out with Donovan. I am only asking you for some time," said Roman, and for a few seconds, Dante didn''t reply.


    Dante gave thought to Roman''s words while also considering the words she had exchanged with Piper yesterday in the office.


    One of the many reasons why Donovan was fond of Roman, apart from being his maker, was the obvious traits that the boy showed when he had been turned into a vampire. Rage, constant thirst for blood higher than the average vampires were traits of a vampire ripper who could blindly kill anyone with little to no remorse.


    Dante released a sigh before saying, "I will need to think about it. Also Piper and Evans have already gone to erase the girl''s memories as well as her two friend''s memories of what they saw this morning."


    Roman''s eyes narrowed, "What?"


    Far away from the dungeon, Ms. Piper and Mr. Evans knocked on Conner''s dorm door, where the boy opened it.


    Conner had not gone to attend the music taking ce and had stayed back in the dorm. His eyebrows furrowed on seeing the two people in front of his dorm.


    Mr. Evans offered the boy a polite smile and then said, "Good evening, Conner. I was concerned about your health, knowing how close you were to Reese. You don''t mind if wee in and speak with you about it, do you?''


    Conner shook his head and stepped back for the two people to step in, and the door was closed.


    -


    NOTE:


    To readers who bought privilege, and have not been see the new chapters-


    It is because you bought higher tier of 8 advance chaptersst month, and this month downgraded it to lower tier of 1 coins with 2 advance chapters. Until the tier 1 readers don''t catch up to this chapter, you will not be able to view the next one''s because of the downgrade. Privilege feature is a monthly subscription.


    You should be able to see the tier list by going to the chapter index.

 Chapter 107 - Queenstorm Town

    <h4>Chapter 107 - Queenstorm Town</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Freaks- From Freaks - Tim Wynn


    ¡ª


    Julie shifted her things from her trunk to her backpack, like two pairs of clothes, nightdress, innerwear, and toiletry kit. She hoped not to get caught before leaving Veteris by the vampire Azazel Donovan.


    Slipping her phone in the back pocket of her jeans, Julie was almost done and ready to leave the dorm to visit Mel''s room when she heard someone knock on the door.


    "Who is it?" asked Julie, staring at the door while one hand of hers was on the backpack.


    "Ms. Winters," came the poise and polite words of the counsellor, and Julie''s eyes widened.


    The blood in her face drained, and she looked back and forth. Oh, God! What was he doing outside her dorm?! Cursing herself, Julie wondered if she should jump outside the window, but the possibility of getting caught was high.


    Surely Mr. Evans wasn''t here to invite her to join the music festival that was going on on the campus right now, she thought to herself. She quickly picked up the backpack and threw it in the closet, closing it so that he wouldn''t notice it and question what she was doing with it.


    She took a couple of deep breaths before making her way towards the door and opened it. She saw with the counsellor stood Ms. Piper.


    "Good evening, Ms. Winters. I see you haven''t gone to attend the music festival,"mented Mr. Evans, his eyes watching her, and Julie felt something crawl on her skin.


    "My friends and I weren''t in the mood to go and attend it. We are mourning for our other friend''s loss," replied Julie, her words sounding sincere because it was partly true. She then asked, "Was there something that you needed from me?"


    Julie hoped they weren''t here to take her to the Elder. If they were, she doubted she would be able to get out of this situation. Since the time she had returned to her dorm, the Corvin had disappeared.


    Ms. Piper tried to offer a smile, but the smile was small and not an encouraging one. The woman was going to be Roman''s sister-inw, and Julie knew Ms. Piper cared about Roman. Enough that there was a hint of worry that was on her face.


    On the other hand, the smile on Mr. Evans'' lips didn''t leave, and he said, "As the counsellor of this university, I wanted to make sure to see to it that you and your friends are doing well. Losing someone dear to us is always a painful process to go through."


    When Julie realized what his words meant, her hands turned cold, but she tried not to show the fear on her face. They were here to erase the memory of what she and her friends had seen this morning. To remove the memory of the gore that she and the others had seen.


    This was not good, thought Julie to herself. This was very, very bad.


    She didn''t know if theying here before she was leaving was a good or a bad thing. Because it would have looked bad if they caught her sneaking out of the dorm.


    Trying to stay calm and collected, Julie nodded her head, "Reese was Conner''s first girlfriend and they were fond of each other. We got to spend some time with her before what happened today."


    "Of course, that must be very hard for you," agreed the counsellor, his intelligent eyes looking at her. "Beforeing here, we went and spoke to Conner." He did? Asked Julie in her mind. "He said he was nning to ask the headmistress permission to go and attend the girl''s funeral, but Conner understands how important looking forward is, than looking back."


    When Julie had heard Conner speak in the morning, he had been too intent to attend the funeral. If Mr. Evans visited Conner, it must mean that her friend had beenpelled.


    Mr. Evans and Ms. Piper turned to look in the direction of the corridor through which they hade. Julie wondered who it was, and soon she saw it was her friend Mnie, who had a perplexed expression on her face¡ªwondering what the two teachers were doing in front of Julie''s dorm.


    "Ms. Davis," Mr. Evans greeted Mnie, "It is good to see that you are here, we came to talk to both of you about Reese''s death," he informed her.


    Mnie nodded her head. Seeing the counsellor point his hand towards Julie''s room, Mnie stepped inside, and both the teachers followed in before closing the dorm door behind them.


    Julie and Mnie were made to sit on the bed, while Mr. Evans pulled the chair that was at her desk to take a seat in front of them, while Ms. Piper chose not to sit and came to stand behind Mr. Evans.


    When Julie had gone to meet Roman, Mnie was visiting Conner. Julie had not gone so that she wouldn''t be caught by people. Mnie asked Mr. Evans, "Did they find out what Reese was doing in the forest in the night? She doesn''t seem to be the kind of person who would leave the Dormitorium and go to the forest all by herself."


    Mr. Evans replied to her by saying, "Only the girl knows the answer to it. It is sad that something like that happened. After speaking to Conner, I hope he feels better and epts what happened. Ms. Davis," said the man, looking straight in Mnie''s eyes, he said, "Forget that you saw Reese'' body in such a state. Forget the gore and believe that the girl passed away by natural death. Okay?"


    The pupil in Mnie''s eyes dted, and she replied, "Okay."


    "How did Reese die?" tested Mr. Evans.


    Julie felt sweat trickle down her neck, and her eyes met Ms. Piper''s, who was looking at her with a grim expression on her face. She heard Mnie answer the counsellor''s question.


    "She died out of natural death."


    "And did you see her body?"


    "No," Mnie''s answer was nothing less than a robot, and seeing how her friend had been manipted right in front of her, worried and scared her.


    "Good," said Mr. Evans with a pleased smile. He then turned to look at Julie, whose eyes had turned slightly wide. "Don''t worry about what you heard, Ms. Winters. Everything will soon make sense."


    It already did! Screamed Julie in her mind in panic.


    Okay okay, she said to herself. This was no time to panic! This was the time to use her acting skills and put it to use. She was stuck between a wall and a rock, and Julie gulped down the nervousness while bringing her breathing to normal.


    As they hadn''t tried topel her yet, Julie took the liberty to question the counsellor, "Why did you do that?"


    Mr. Evans did nothing but smile at her, "It''s just a precaution so that things don''t spiral out of control. Julianne Winters," said the man, trying to catch her whole attention. His eyes slowly started to dte, and this was the second time the man was trying topel her. "It was nice to have you here with us until now, but unfortunately, you have broken far too many rules of the university. And because of this, there has been a collective agreement that it would be right to¡ª"


    Someone interrupted Mr. Evans from speaking more when Julie''s dorm door was knocked.


    Julie noticed the subtle expression of annoyance that passed through the counsellor''s eyes, and Ms. Piper went to get the door. When she opened it, it was the headmistress who stood at the front.


    "Ms. Dante, what are you doing here?" asked Mr. Evans, a hint of surprise in his voice on seeing the vampiress at the door. "I thought you were busy with the Elders."


    "I was," replied the headmistress, and her eyes briefly fell on one of the girls who sat on the bed. "A word outside with both of you."


    The two vampires stepped outside Julie''s dorm and followed Dante to the other side of the corridor.


    "What''s the matter Ms. Dante?" questioned Mr. Evans with a curious look.


    "One of the students told me that some of the vampire students are causing trouble on the far East side of Veteris property. I need you to go there and see what''s going on so that they don''t turn out to be the next dead people," said Ms. Dante, and Mr. Evans'' eyes looked at the vampiress. "I will take care of the rest of the things in here."


    The vampire nodded his head and said, "We alreadypelled the boy, and he won''t be leaving Veteris to attend the girl''s funeral. We didn''t erase the entire memory but just the ones that might cause possible issues with regards to today''s death."


    "Excellent job as always, Evans," Ms. Dante gave him a nod, and Evans offered her a bright smile.


    Ms. Dante nodded her head, watching the counsellor walk away from there. Ms. Piper turned to look at the headmistress, and she asked,


    "Did something happen?"


    The headmistress said, "Roman has asked for some time and wants me to mark the girl''s attendance as absent for a few days."


    Piper had expected this to happen if Roman found out that they were nning to send Julie away from here. She hoped that he had a good n.


    "We are yet to erase Ms. Winters'' memory of seeing the girl''s body," informed Ms. Piper, and Ms. Dante nodded her head.


    Before they could start walking towards Julie''s dorm, they heard footsteps approaching towards the entrance of the girl''s Dormitorium. And when they turned, it was a student who bowed her head before she climbed up the stairs.


    When Ms. Dante and Ms. Piper had left the room, there were two girls in the room. But on returning, there was only one of them, who stood at the open window.


    Ms. Dante''s eyes narrowed, and she asked Mnie, "Where is Ms. Winters?"


    Mnie turned to look at the headmistress, a slight surprise on her face as she said, "She told me she had somewhere to go and left."


    Dante brought her hand to her face and pinched the bridge of her nose. She asked, "Did Evans say something that scared her?"


    "I don''t think so. We barely mentioned anything and Evans took the usual approach," replied Ms. Piper, a frown on her face. "Do you want me to send someone to find her?"


    "No, that''s fine," sighed Dante before adding, "It seems like Roman already nned to send her away from here before we could even think and put it in action." She then turned to look at the human girl andpelled her, "Ms. Winters has taken a leave to visit her family. She''ll be back within a few days."


    When Ms. Piper was about to step out of the dorm, Ms. Dante said, "Don''t go to help the girl or Roman, Piper. It will only lead to trouble."


    Ms. Piper pursed her lips before nodding her head, understanding why Ms. Dante said it to her. Once the Elders got a whiff about it, they would find out who had helped the human out of here, which could lead to another person''s death.


    "Do you think she knows about us?" asked Ms. Piper, worry marred her features.


    "I hope she doesn''t, but if she does, you know the rules," Ms. Dante''s words were serious.


    Leaving the girl''s Dormitorium behind her, Julie ran as fast as she could through the thick forest, passing the trees one after another. Though Julie had packed everything she needed, she had left her backpack in the closet as she didn''t want to carry her bag in front of Mnie. She huffed for air as she ran in the path through which the Corvin had previously led her out. Her heart felt heavy, but she told herself that she would return once they would find a solution or when the Elder vampire wasn''t nning to kill her.


    She had slipped all her money and her cards in her pocket along with her cellphone before jumping out of the window. She had been scared that Evans or the next person would try topel or do something worse.


    Julie continued to run until the ring music from the football field lowered in its volume. She started to hear the sound of the crickets. Wanting to catch her breath, she stopped, her chest heaving and fog escaping from her lips.


    She turned around, looking in the direction from where she hade, and said, "We''ll see each other soon, won''t we?"


    There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice, not knowing what the Elder vampires would do to Roman or this ce. She wondered if it would be easy for Roman to hoodwink Donovan.


    The Corvin was nowhere to be seen, and Julie didn''t know when she would meet it next. It came and went as it pleased.


    When Julie heard a howl, it was enough for her to snap out of her thoughts, and she continued to run until she reached the bush-like fence near the restricted side of the forest. It took her time to break it before she was able to pass through. Without waiting, she started to make her way to the side of the road, and started to walk. She hoped to catch a bus or a ride to the nearest town.


    As easy as it was to travel by sitting behind Roman''s motorcycle or by sitting in the bus while leaving Veteris thest few times, Julie had to walk a lot. It took her more than an hour before she saw a vehicle pass by, but the vehicle didn''t stop for her. After walking for some more time, finally, she was away from Veteris'' property and found a bus stop.


    By the time she climbed the bus to head to Queenstorm town, it was past nine in the night. But that wasn''t what worried Julie. When she got down from the bus, rain was pouring down from the sky, and she was drenched from head to toe.


    Julie couldn''t believe how bad her luck was when it came to these things. She shivered and quickly tried to look for the motel named ''Rose veil.''


    "Achoo!" Julie sneezed in the rain. On spotting the ce where its name was lit in red light, she entered the motel.


    She looked around the ce, where a dim-litntern was burning on the counter.? The ce looked old, and it didn''t look like it had many customers. Walking to the counter, Julie shivered in her wet clothes. Seeing no one there to attend, she brought her cold hand forward and tapped on the bell next to thentern.


    Was there no electricity in here?


    A man appeared from the door behind the counter, pushing the curtain. The man was lean, wearing clothes that appeared as if it wasn''t from the present time.


    He was a vampire, wasn''t he, thought Julie to herself.


    "You made my floor dirty," said the man, taking a look behind her, and Julie offered him an apologetic smile.


    "Pardon me for that. I didn''t know it was going to rain, else I would have carried an umbre with me," Julie turned to look through the door through which she hade in and saw it was still raining.


    "This must be the first time you are visiting this town," said the man, looking at her through his circr sses that rested on the bridge of his nose. Compared to the sses that she wore, this person''s sses were much smaller in size. "The town isn''t called Queenstorm for no reason. Rain is verymon here."


    Julie nodded her head and then asked, "I am looking for a room with a hot shower."


    "It was only yesterday that we had many guests who came to reserve rooms here. Let me check if there''s a room avable with a hot shower," said the man. Picking up a book, he ran through the pages. He then turned to look at the wall, where keys were hooked on the nails. "There are no avable rooms with hot water."


    Julie frowned. It looked like she would be taking a cold bath tonight.


    "The current avable room''s booking is hundred and fifty for three nights," said the man, looking at Julie''s drenched state, wondering if she had money on her. Seeing her shiver, he then said, "There''s an old room in the backside with the bathtub. But it hasn''t been used in a long time."


    "I will take it!" said Julie.


    "Follow me, miss. Before you decide," and he led her away from the front of the counter into a narrow corridor that had wallpapers and dimly lit bulbs on either side of the walls. He picked up thentern that was on the counter and led her. Walking around the floor, the owner came to stand in front of a wooden door. Unlocking it, he pushed the door open.


    It was a cosy-looking room with wooden walls and flooring. There was a bed and table at the side. And on the other side was an attached bathroom.


    "This one is going to cost a hundred and twenty. No food will be provided," informed the man. Julie nodded her head, though this time a little reluctant because of how shady this ce appeared to be. Why was everything around Veteris was old school? "Do you still want it?" he asked her.


    "Yeah," replied Julie, nodding her head, "I will take it."


    "Good. Money," he stretched his hand forward, and Julie pulled out the wet notes from her pocket. Counting it, she ced it on the man''s palm. "Here''s the key," he gave it to her and then said, "I will ask my boy to get the sheets on the bed changed and get you a nket so that you can use it."


    "Thank you," said Julie.


    As the motel owner walked away from her, before he disappeared at the end of the corridor, she saw him turn to look at her for a second before he left. If it weren''t for Roman telling her toe here, by now, Julie would have bolted out of this ce.


    She stayed in her wet clothes, waiting for the boy to change the sheets and fill the bath with hot water. It took a couple of minutes, and when the boy left, leaving antern for her use, Julie locked the door.


    Stepping out of her wet clothes, she got into the warm bath that felt pleasant in this cold weather. Once she was done, she used the towel to dry herself and pulled the nket to cover herself as she didn''t have any extra clothes. She would need to buy at least one extra pair, thought Julie to herself.


    Pulling out the phone that she had carried with her, she unlocked the screen before going through the messages and the missed calls from unknown numbers. She wondered if it was from her father, who was still trying to reach out to her or trying to find her location.


    She wondered if it would be wise to drop a text to Roman, but then he didn''t have his phone with him now.


    The Corvin hadn''t shown up again, and Julie was left all by herself in the motel room. She sat next to the window, watching the rain as it continued to pour down.


    Back in Veteris university, Ms. Dante had stopped by the office to speak to Mrs. Hill and stopped printing the letter for Julianne Winters.


    "You seem to be very busy, Eloise," came the voice of one of the Elders. It was Castiel Marudas, who had entered the main building of Veteris.


    Ms. Dante turned away from the office woman and looked at the Elder vampire, who made his way to where she stood. The vampiress replied, "I am the headmistress of this ce. It is only right that I make sure to see that everything is functioning smoothly without any problems."


    "Anything that I can help you with, mdy?" Castiel asked her, but Ms. Dante stared at him for a few seconds before she answered.


    "It has been taken care of. Is the music ying in the musical event not to your liking?" she politely asked him, taking two steps forward and away from the office woman so that she could put the documents that had been prepared earlier into the shredder box.


    Ms. Dante and Elder Castiel started to walk next to each other, heading towards the building''s entrance. The Elder vampire replied,


    "It is a little too loud for me, something I am not used to. I noticed you and some of the staff members weren''t there to enjoy it," he noted.


    "I sent Evans, Borrell and Piper on patrol to make sure the students who aren''t attending the music festival are not causing any unnecessary trouble," responded Ms. Dante. "I have asked Borrell to get tickets to the orchestra so that you and the other Elders would enjoy the old style music rather than these."


    "You didn''t have to trouble yourself with it," Castiel''s eyes fell on the headmistress, noticing how she had changed her hairstyle since the first time he had met her in the past.


    "It was no trouble. I am a vampiress who is now under the Elder''s protection and care. It is the least I can do," replied Ms. Dante, her voice firm and serious. "How are things with you and Maximus?"


    "Very well," replied Elder Castiel, nodding his head. "I am d that he''s epted who he has turned into, a vampire along with the rest of them. Some of them who were converted were gued with guilt and pain, suffering that they couldn''t handle. But it is good to see Maximus has been doing well." Though by name, Castiel was Maximus'' uncle, the Elder was much older in age than how he had appeared to be a century ago. "Most of them have settled into the new life, including you, even though you didn''t want to."


    The vampiress didn''t turn her head, but her eyes did move in the direction to look at the vampire from the corner of her eyes.


    "It wasn''t like I had a choice," a sigh escaped from Ms. Dante''s lips. "This is the ce where I once knew people."


    "Do you hate the existence of vampires? For killing your husband?" questioned Castiel, but Ms. Dante didn''t respond to the question. Instead, she said,


    "Let me apany you back to where the others are. Are they together?"


    Castiel smiled at Ms. Dante''s response, and he said, "Yes, I believe they are." The volume of the music got louder. When they got nearer to the ce where the crowd of students had gathered, he said, "I heard Piper directed a y the same evening before we woke up."


    Ms. Dante''s face hardened, and with a look of indifference, she said, "I didn''t know she was directing a y with that storyline. If I knew it beforehand, I would have changed it."


    "I thought it was very clever. Both Evans and her selected such fine ys. The story had interesting tweaks about a few things, and I? heard the ending was quite different from what really happened," said Castiel, his eyes falling on the vampiress'' face.


    Ms. Dante changed the subject by saying, "The culprit who had tried to contaminate the water is still here."


    "Let''s have the rooms searched one more time again. This time every girl and boy''s dorm, and also the staff''s room who is working here," proposed Castiel, but the vampiress frowned.


    "We have already done that before and didn''t find anything. There''s no trace of Silverwater," replied Ms. Dante and the man looked around the ce and people, who were dancing and jumping over the music.


    "Let me see what I can find. I don''t think the person would try to pull the same trick twice, knowing we are awake now."


    They walked towards where the other Elders were seated at the side, in morefortable seats.


    On seeing Donovan, Ms. Dante''s eyes subtly narrowed, and the Elder noticed the displeasure enter in her eyes, "Is something wrong, Eloise?"


    "You tried to bleed one of my students to death," said Ms. Dante.


    "You are exaggerating it," Donovan waved his hand. "I thought Roman would need a little snack if he were to get hungry in there. It''s always good to have the emergency food to be on standby."


    Luciano''s eyes narrowed at this, and he questioned, "Snack? I thought the punishment was to starve him. Looks like you have turned weak when ites to your emotions, Azazel. You are nothing less than the boy, growing attached towards a vampire who is lower than us."


    Donovan took no offence, and he smiled at Elder Luciano''s words, "That is not what you said when I turned him. Scared that he will overpower you. And no one is breaking the rules of the punishment. I left the human near the wall."


    "I am requesting you to not harm innocent humans who don''t deserve to be treated wrongly," Ms. Dante put her point across the Elder.


    "It is always good to see someone who has a soft spot for the weaklings," said Donovan before his eyes red red, and he said, "Castiel might have appointed you to look after this university, but don''t go thinking this ce belongs to you now, Eloise. As much as your help is appreciated, I don''t think I need to remind you, about not having to remind me on what I should or shouldn''t do," the smile on his lips had disappeared as he stared at her, letting her know who was in the higher position.


    The vampiress clenched her hands that were hidden by the long sleeves of her dress.


    More than a century ago, when Eloise Dante was still a young human, she had fallen in love with someone who wasn''t human. During that time, people weren''t aware of the vampire''s existence in her town, she was well aware of it. She had stayed quiet, hoping the guests who had entered her town along with the person, whom she once knew, were going to stay only for a few days.


    But the night creature''s presence had attracted the rogues before the fire was set to the houses, and people in the town were either killed or turned, including herself. It was why during the chaos, she knew a wooden stake through a vampire''s heart would kill the creature.


    After everything, she had turned into the same creature from whom she had tried to run away. She internally sighed.


    Donovan raised his hand, checking his nails. He said, "I have decided to shorten Roman''s punishment into half. Three days so that we can go take a look at the hunters," and everyone turned to look at the Elder. It was quite obvious that the Elder vampire adored the boy whom he had turned into a vampire.


    "Please tell me you are joking,"mented Luciano, raising his eyebrows with a look of disbelief.


    The Elder vampire had his legs crossed, and he said in a matter of fact tone, "I think punishments should be handed down equally and I am quite upset that Griffin has not been given even a day''s punishment."


    "Griffin didn''t kill our kind, but your boy did. You stick to your word and let him finish the punishment, Azazel," Luciano looked unamused, and it was only Castiel who turned the other way, amused, knowing something like this was going to happen.


    "Considering Griffin''s involvement in the recent water contamination that took ce, putting every other vampire''s life in harm¡ª" Donovan''s words were cut short by Luciano,


    "And where is the proof that Griffin was the one who did it?"


    "Roman never mes people without any base," Donovan was confident, and he said, "Why don''t I question the boy and we''ll see if he has done it or not?"


    Luciano rolled his eyes, "Who knows it might be Roman himself, who wanted to kill you."


    Hearing this, Donovan chuckled, "If he wants to kill me, he will do it by facing me and not stabbing me behind my back."

 Chapter 108 - Finding Proofs

    <h4>Chapter 108 - Finding Proofs</h4>


    While most of the students were enjoying the music, far away in the dungeon, Roman stood with his back leaning against the wall. His eyes were closed as if he was taking a quick nap, but his senses were sharp.


    Hearing footsteps in the dungeon, he opened his eyes that had darkened. Tilting his head, he noticed Olivia making her way to the front of the cell. She carried a paper in her hand.


    "It took a while for Isolde to leave the office from there. Is this what you were looking for?" asked Olivia, handing the paper to Roman, which he took in his hand. Flicking the lighter, where the me was bright, his eyes read through the page.


    "Do you see the entry in here?" questioned Roman and Olivia moved closer to take a look at the sheet that was filled with details about medicines and bottles used. "The number of bottles brought in doesn''t match up with the number used in the university. The only way to not get caught is to pick up an ingredient that is already present in the university without needing it to be smuggled in."


    Olivia furrowed her eyebrows, and she asked, "Isolde and the others, we keep the name of the patients visiting us, and the bottles of Silverwater are kept in a different room. We always keep a count of the special bottles."


    "It was possibly reced with a false one to make it believe that there was the full count, when in truth one or more had been picked out for contamination. I don''t think it''s a recent switch and he must have nned it out long ago," stated Roman, his eyes narrowed before he said, "Get this to Donovan, and it should be enough link."


    "But it doesn''t make sense," said Olivia. "What if it was Mateo who did it and not Griffin?"


    Roman handed the papers back to Olivia and said, "Did you know that some of the humans, who were on the verge of death, had been killed by the Elders? Even if there was a possibility of them being alive. Both Donovan and Luciano drank blood from the humans, and one of them was Griffin''s family."


    "He should already know that going against an Elder is nothing less than facing death,"mented Olivia, pursing her lips in concentration.


    "We all have different levels of hate when ites to them. But we are now part of the same boat, and we try to tolerate," remarked Roman. "He''s already thrown the bottle away, but I think it would be better to check in Max and my room."


    Seeing Olivia raise her eyebrows, Roman said, "If I am not wrong, Griffin will try to nt the evidence in our rooms to frame us. Take a sweep in my old room."


    "I dropped by Julie''s room earlier to check if she was alright. But she wasn''t there, someone said that she was called home," said Olivia, while Roman slipped the lighter into his jeans pocket. He didn''tment at Olivia''s words, and she said, "I will get these to Elder Donovan," and she left the dungeon.


    With Simon and Victoria''s help, Olivia looked around the rooms, going through things to search for the little vial bottle in which they stored the Silverwater. When they were looking through the human''s room, Victoria found an empty vial in the drawer that was ced at the end.


    "Is this the one?" asked Victoria without picking it up and showing it to Olivia.


    "Well well, looks like he was nning to frame the human out of spite,"mented Simon, and he questioned, "How much dosage is this?"


    "The highest that''s there in the collection," replied Olivia and then said, "I will run it through the scan, but it will take time."


    "Time is what we have," said Simon and when they were getting out of the dorm and about to walk through the corridor, Mnie''s door opened. "Hello sunshine¡ª"


    On seeing Simon, Mnie quickly closed the door on his face. The corner of his lips pulled up. It seemed like someone was shy, he thought in his mind. He looked at the dorm door before walking out of the building.


    Olivia said, "You both can run the scan while I go back and check how many other vials have been switched."


    Back in the town of Queenstorm, in the quiet motel, Julie watched the lightning strike in the sky through the window. She sat at the window for a long time before sweeping the nket across the floor and getting into bed.


    For a motel where the rooms were almost upied, it looked very deserted and quiet. Unless they were all couples, who had cuddled themselves in the bed now. She pulled her nket closer to her. Julie wished she could rewind the time and go back to where it was just she and Roman in the river.


    With her body tired, Julie''s eyes started to turn heavy with sleep, and she slowly started to drift to sleep.


    The rain outside the motel had slowed down, where only heavy drops of water falling on the puddle could be heard. The me in thentern had turned low until it extinguished itself, leaving the room dark. And for a moment, it was as if everything froze, while an eerie whisper could be heard in the corridor outside Julie''s room.


    Now away from Veteris ground, light sound of snaps could be heard in the room. As if a tree was trying to stretch it arms, while moving towards where Julieid in the bed. It was the creature in the ck cloak and bird-like face. But there were more than five of them that surrounded her bed.


    One of the creatures that stood right next to her left, brought its twig-like hand forward, ready to ce it on her head, when Julie''s eyes flew open.


    Julie looked around her, seeing nothing but emptiness while her breathing had quickened. Was it a dream?

 Chapter 109 - Has She Been Turned Into A Vampire?

    <h4>Chapter 109 - Has She Been Turned Into A Vampire?</h4>


    Earlier, Julie had drifted far away in her dream, and it had felt like she was one of the bystanders in the room while watching the creatures hover around her. Lightning shed from the sky outside the room, with heavy drops of rain falling on the ground.


    Wrapping the nket properly around her body, Julie wondered why things had turned out this way with her. If an alien came to abduct her, she doubted she would be surprised anymore. From the life where the students had bullied her, now she was here, trying not to be killed by one of the Elder vampires.


    While trying to hide from her father, Julie had considered going for stic surgery, which was one of the options just to deceive her father. But how was she going to make sure not to be a vampire''s meal? Even though she belonged to an old lineage of a family of witches, she was still an edible beverage to the night creatures.


    There was one solution. Turning into one of their kind, but Julie wasn''t keen on it. She liked Roman enough to ept who he was, but she doubted she would have taken it kindly if he wasn''t in the picture. She liked the way she was right now.


    Feeling thirsty, Julie''s eyes searched around the room, and it fell on the empty jug. Getting down from the bed, she wondered if people were already sleeping in the motel. A small smile came to form on her lips at the thought that both she and Roman were hungry now.


    Still covered in the nket, Julie made her way towards the door while holding the jug in her hand. At the same time, she heard a creak outside the door, and it was enough to alert her. Her hand hovered on the doorknob before she grabbed it quickly and turned it. Opening the door, she found the helper boy standing outside the room.


    By the looks of it, the helper''s boy was probably two or three years younger than her. As if caught red-handed, the boy said,


    "I came to ask if you need anotherntern."


    Julie nodded her head, "Yes, that would be very helpful. Can you fill this jug with water and bring it back?" her hand stretched through the gap of the door and wall. The boy''s ck eyes fell on her hand.


    "Yes," answered the boy, and he took hold of the jug and left the front of the room.


    For someone who hade to offer herntern, he hadn''te here with it, thought Julie. She hoped she wasn''t going to be served as anyone''s food in this motel.


    The boy returned with the water-filled jug along with antern and handed it to her. Julie thanked him. It was past twelve in the night, and before he could leave, she asked, "Doesn''t this ce have no electricity in here? I noticed there are no switches in the room nor bulbs."


    "The owner of this ce likes to run this ce with the same old decor, and keep it without much changes, just the way it has been since the beginning," he smiled at her.


    If Julie needed any more confirmation about this ce that it belonged to the vampires, this was it.


    The look in the boy''s eyes was simr to when she saw mouthwatering food in front of her. It made her ufortable, and she realized she would need to look for a wooden stake just to protect herself.


    "Did you run away?" The boy asked her curiously, and Julie wondered how to avoid answering his question. "Did someone rmend this ce to you?" he asked, looking at her and wondering if he could take a bite from this human or serve it to the highest paying customer.


    Julie pursed her lips, and she then asked, "Do you know Moltenore?"


    "So you are Mr. Moltenore'' guest," murmured the boy, a look of surprise entered his eyes. "Would you like me to bring some wood to add to the firece to heat up the room? I am sure it is cold inside."


    On hearing Roman''sst name, the boy had suddenly turned hospitable. Julie shook her head, "No, I am fine." Her wet clothes were on the table and chair, drying. Also, another reason, she didn''t trust him in the room. She asked him, "Is it possible to get some dry clothes for me to wear?"


    "I don''t think we have women''s clothes. But there must be something." Saying this, the boy left the ce, and he appeared after a few minutes with a pair of loose-fitting pants and shirt. "Here."


    It looked like a male''s clothes.


    "Thank you for these." She offered a slight bow, and he returned the gesture.


    Before Julie could close the room''s door, the boy said, "Miss¡­ Make sure to lock the windows and the doors properly." He paused for a moment before adding, "The wind in here is very strong, it might knock open the windows and disturb your sleep."


    "Thank you," murmured Julie, and she finally closed the door.


    Stepping backwards, she looked at the little gap below the door, noticing the shadow not leave the front of the door. She doubted she would be able to sleep. She first wore the pants, tightening them around her waist with the two ropes to ensure it wouldn''t fall off her waist. When he brought the shirt next, slipping it above her head, she stopped mid-way before pulling it below her head. She slipped her hands into the sleeves with a small frown before bringing the sleeve to take arge whiff.


    Roman. The shirt smelt like him.


    Getting back into the bed, Julie pulled the nket andid down with her eyes wide open.


    Throughout the night, Julie didn''t sleep well as subconsciously, she tried to stay awake to catch another snapping of the twigs by the group of Corvins. When dawn broke through the sky, most of the clouds in the sky had disappeared, leaving the ground in Queenstorm wet and puddles.


    Julie was woken up by her grumbling stomach, as she hadn''t eaten anything sincest morning. This was probably the second-longest time she had gone by without eating anything. The first time was when her mother had passed away, and she had lost appetite.


    Pushing the nket away from her body, she got out of the bed. She went to check her clothes, which were still wet from the rain and wondered how long it would take to dry them. Should she step out like this? Julie asked herself.


    Coming to stand in front of the dressing table, Julie weaved her hair through her fingers.


    "It should be alright to step out in these clothes, it doesn''t look that bad," muttered Julie under her breath. She was hungry and had a mild headache because of theck of food.


    Gathering her hair at the back of her head, her hand reached for the hairband that she had ced on the dressing table. But when the hairband fell on the ground, Julie bent down to pick it. While standing up, she ced her hand on the mirror for support and, standing straight, she noticed her handprint and stared at it.


    It wasn''t her handprint that caught her attention, but the reflection of the mirror and Julie felt as if the air had been knocked out of her lungs.


    It was an older woman who wore a ck-cloaked dress. The woman''s hair was ck and grey, fine wrinkles on her face and her eyes almost grey in colour. In shock, Julie let go of her hand from the mirror, bringing it to her chest and quickly stepping backwards.


    In Veteris, the helper men staffed by the management started to clean the ce and pull down the things set up to celebrate the four days of the Fall Annual celebration.


    With the mood of celebration slowly starting to fade, some of the students whispered about the girl''s death, which had been caused by wolves. Her death brought fear to some of the students. It wasn''t just the humans but also the vampires. Vampire students because they knew the Elders spared none.


    But the one death that wasn''t spoken about was of Mateo Jackson, because he was a vampire. In Veteris, the vampire student''s death was never reported outside, and they were buried back in the ce where their graves belonged. The vampires who didn''t originally belong to Veteris, their bodies were sent to the families or were burnt.


    The first-day sses after the Fall Annual was starting an hourter than the usual time, allowing students to adjust and get back to their studies and sses. And while most got ready, some headed to the lunchroom, and some went to the ssroom directly. A few of them were still in their beds, trying to pull themselves out of their holiday mood.


    Mnie headed towards the lunchroom all by herself, carrying her bag one side of her shoulder. Seeing Conner waiting at the front of the lunchroom, she looked surprised.


    "Hey," Conner greeted Mnie, but with less enthusiasmpared to how he usually greeted her.


    "How are you today, Conner?" asked Mnie, knowing Conner was still hurting over Reese''s death.


    Conner took a deep breath and then released the air through his lips. He nodded his head before saying, "I will be okay in a few days. I just feel bad that she died so suddenly. Mr. Evans said she had some sort of heart problem."


    "If only we knew beforehand. Take all your time, Conner," Mnie ced her hand on his arm.


    "Hm," responded Conner and looked behind her. He asked, "Where is Julie?"


    "She went to visit her family for a few days," replied Mnie, and Conner frowned.


    "Now?" asked Conner, and Mnie gave him a nod. "That''s strange, that they allowed her to take vacation. It must be important."


    "Yeah, I hope everything is okay with her family,"mented Mnie. "I am d to see that you havee out of your dorm, and to eat."


    "Mr. Evans said I should follow healthy habits to preserve the good things," Conner said while looking at her. "That Reese wouldn''t like me in this state and he''s right."


    "Reese will always be remembered by the people who came in contact with her," said Mnie, offering Conner a smile.


    "Good morning, birdies," someone interrupted them,? and Mnie turned to see who it was. By seeing the person, the calm expression on her face turned into a slight frown. Simon walked up to where they stood, who was apanied by Victoria. "I am sorry for what happened to your girlfriend," he said to Conner, his bright eyes briefly shifting to look at Mnie, who stood next to the human boy.


    "Thanks for your concern, Simon," Conner thanked Simon, where he believed everyone around him were people with good intentions.


    "She was a lovely person, and it is sad that she had to leave us suddenly. But I am sure there''s a reason for it," and he received Conner and Mnie''s attention. "I mean God sometimes has different reasons."


    Victoria gave a quiet re at her friend that went unnoticed by the two humans near them.


    "How about we have breakfast together? It is quite lonely to be eating with just two people," suggested Simon. Mnie was about to refuse, but Conner didn''t catch Simon''s intention.


    "Sure," agreed Conner, and the four of them went inside the lunchroom to have breakfast. While Conner and Victoria had left the table, one to get the tray meal, while the other to talk to someone, it left Simon and Mnie alone at the table.


    "You know this is an opportune time to offer your shoulder to him to grieve,"mented Simon, who got up from his seat and sat right next to Mnie.


    Mnie stared at Simon before looking away from him, and she said, "I don''t know what you are talking about. Haven''t you heard about minding your own business?"


    "I don''t think I have. It sounds like a boring thing to do," replied Simon, the gleam in his eyes more evident.


    Until Julie had found out about her feelings for Conner, Mnie had believed that she had been doing an excellent job in concealing her emotions towards the person she had loved for a very long time. She didn''t know if it was because her emotions had spilt without her knowledge, which was why Simon had caught a whiff of it.


    "If you don''t do anything quickly, you might end up staying in a forever friend zone, and frankly it is never pretty to look at," Simon leaned towards her, cing his hand on Mnie''s chair, and she, in return, moved back.


    Mnie wasn''t in the mood to deal with this person who looked nothing less than a psychopath.


    "Reese was a pretty girl, and younger than you. Possibly Conner likes his girls young, you know¡ª"


    "Just because we are sitting at the same table doesn''t mean you have to speak to me. I am good without yourpany," Mnie''s eyes red, but that only brought mirth into Simon''s hollow eyes.


    "So you would rather have someone else snag the boy? Ah, I know," said Simon, rubbing salt on Mnie''s wound by saying, "Conner loved Reese too much and he needs time to mourn. First love is hard to let go, you must know about it the best," he chuckled and then asked, "Where are you going?" because Mnie got up from her seat to get her tray of food while passing his friend.


    Victoria returned with their meals, which were specially made for vampires. Noticing the human girl stomp her way towards the counter of the lunchroom, she sat down next to Simon.


    "Looks like you are the only one who is still in the mood," remarked Victoria before she started to eat her meal. She then said, "Stop trying to cause trouble."


    The smile on Simon''s lips didn''t leave, and instead, it broadened, "A little harmless trouble is alright. Not to mention, it is quite boring with the Elders here and we didn''t go out at night. I was anticipating some more fights but with Mateo gone, I have only Griffin and Rome''s fight to look forward to, which was cut short because Rome is in a dungeon. I need to kill time."


    "Might as well cause trouble to yourself then," stated Victoria with a straight face, and Simonughed.


    "I am not an idiot to hit my own leg with the hammer, Tori. I rather do that to others, and this one seems quite easy," responded Simon while raising his eyebrows. He raised his hand to look at the watch and then said, "What time do you think Olivia is going to hand over the reports?"


    "Probably after the Elders are done with their breakfast or lunch. Thest time I checked, she was still scanning through the prints," replied Victoria, and they had to pause their conversation as Conner returned to the table.


    Simon pulled the chair for the human boy, offering him to sit right next to him as if they were best friends.


    A few hours passed, and when Olivia was finished taking the prints about the Silverwater vial, she first went to meet where Elder Remy was. "Don''t you have sses to attend today?" he questioned her while sitting on the resting chair, holding the newspaper in his hands.


    Olivia offered a quick bow, and she said, "It is about the contamination in Veteris, and the ss vials that have been stored into refrigeration."


    Hearing her, Elder Remy''s eyes narrowed, and he asked her, "I thought you wanted to have a much more peaceful life than most of the other vampires, Olivia. And to do that, it is often better to not get involved. The more you get involved, the more enemies you make, and there''s less protection."


    "Griffin is trying to pin the me on Roman," stated Olivia, and Elder Remy nodded his head.


    "I understand," he said, knowing in the past Roman was the one who had carried Olivia back to her house in the hopes that she would survive. But that day, even if a human survived, they would have been killed by him or the other three other Elders. The elders didn''t go through thepelling process unless it was needed. They preferred to get rid of the people who could cause the slightest trouble to them. "I understand that you, Roman, Maximus are friends, but you should know, when ites to the Elders where we have taken you under our wing, the dynamic between all of you changes. At least that is how us Elders look at things."


    "We grew up together, I don''t think it will change and I hope it doesn''t," said Olivia in a serious tone, and the Elder stared at her.


    "Hope is always good, it makes a vampire appear more humane," said the Elder. He folded the newspaper in his hand, cing it on the side table, and he stood up. "Do you know where the girl is?"


    "The girl?" asked Olivia.


    "The one with whom Roman is in love," stated Remy, walking past Olivia. She quickly followed behind him. She wondered how he had figured it out, but one of the plus sides about this Elder vampire was that he preferred to be a bystander without getting himself involved in anything. "I can only guess that someone will tell someone and soon it wille to fall into the ears of the others and things might not go so well. No one likes to be made a fool of."


    They climbed down the stairs beforeing to the hall.


    As if someone remembered Griffin, he walked through the entrance of the mansion. On seeing Elder Remy, he bowed his head and headed to where Luciano was. But before he could meet his maker, he met Donovan as if he was in luck.


    Griffin offered the man a bow, greeting him, "Good morning, Elder Donovan."


    Donovan was barely interested in Griffin, one because he was Luciano''s disciple. And two, because he wasn''t Roman. The Elder vampire was about to walk past the boy when Griffin opened his mouth.


    "Elder Donovan, there is something I need to ask you. If I may speak," Griffin requested permission from the Elder, having a look of doubt and confusion in his eyes.


    Olivia, who was on the other side of the corridor, heard Griffin speak, and she took a deep breath. Her Elder didn''t want her interfering in the matter, as it would only lead to Elder Donovan''s ire. She knew things like these couldn''t be hidden for too long, especially with the friction between the vampires and the humans.


    "Speak," said Donovan, his frame proud and tall.


    Griffin then said, "Did someone turn Julianne Winters into a vampire?"


    Donovan stared at Griffin as if he was an idiot, "Who is that?"


    When Griffin was in the boys'' Dormitorium, he had heard someone mention seeing Julianne Winters near the East side of the forest. But that couldn''t be possible, because from what he knew, the human had diedst night and her body had been taken back by her family. The thought of how Roman would not be able to attend her funeral had him internally smile.


    "Julianne the human, whom you killed," said Griffin, his voice slightly lower in volume than the Elder.


    Donovan was going to visit the town when this fool hade to interrupt him. He stared at Griffin, questioning, "Do you know how humans are turned into vampires, Griffin? Looks like someone was not paying attention in the ss. The girl I killed yesterday is dead, why would she turn into a vampire?"


    Griffin''s eyebrows furrowed. Something was not adding up here.


    Did the boys who said they saw the human had mistaken someone else to be her? If they had mistaken someone else to be her, then him speaking to Donovan would only receive a look of annoyance from him. And the Elder vampire was already staring at him as if he was an annoying housefly who was flying in front of his eyes.


    If he himself had caught sight of Julie, he could have been able to speak more confidently. He hade here to ask Elder Luciano, not understanding why they had decided to turn the human into a vampire.


    Elder Remy, who stood with Olivia, took the papers from her and said, "Why don''t you attend your sses, and I will take care of this."


    Olivia nodded her head and left the mansion.


    "If that is all you wanted to speak about," stated Donovan. He red at the boy and then walked past him, who had wasted a few minutes of his immortal life.


    Griffin had not seen the girl''s dead body, and who knew if someone had tried to turn the girl, he thought in his mind.


    Elder Donovan and Elder Remy left the mansion together. At the same time, instead of heading towards the Blue Block to attend his sses, Griffin decided to take a detour by making his way into the restricted side of the forest.


    Making his way towards the dungeon, he stepped inside. Making his way to where Roman was held in the cell, behind the iron bars.


    "How does it feel to be imprisoned here, Moltenore?" mocked Griffin.


    Roman stared at Griffin and said in a calm voice, "You must be missing me foring all the way here. Or did youe here to get beaten like how Mateo did."


    Upon hearing his friend''s name on Roman''s lips, Griffin red, but he tried to control his anger. The sight in front of him gave sce to his mind.


    "I would like to see you do that. But then you are locked up like an animal, just like the half vampire you are," taunted Griffin because he was the one who was free. "Donovan was disappointed in how you kept a human by your side. How did it feel to watch her die?" heughed.


    "You want to know the truth?" asked Roman, pushing himself from the wall that he had been leaning against until now. He came to stand at the front of the cell. He raised his hand and used his fingers as if signalling Griffin to get closer.


    Griffin''s eyes narrowed, noticing how Roman was still arrogant even though he had been deprived of blood intake for more than a day now.


    "Get closer Griffin," taunted Roman, and then added, "Unless you are scared to step forward."


    Griffin scoffed, "I don''t have to be scared about anything, not atleast of a person who has been locked in this side of the cell," and even though he said it, he didn''t step closer to the cell.


    His reluctance brought a satisfied smile on Roman''s lips.


    Because it meant that Griffin was well aware that he wasn''t a person who would hold back when it came to killing a person, not caring who or how important the person was. The vampire outside the cell said, "You should have left Mateo alive, at least you wouldn''t have seen your girlfriend''s body lying cold on the ground. Actually I heard it was far worse. Evans took her body to the edge of the restricted area and made sure that her body looked like it was bitten by a wolf."


    And even though Griffin hade here to spread salt on Roman''s grief, the person standing behind the cell looked too calm.


    "Even if I didn''t kill Mateo, both of you would have stirred trouble for the girl," remarked Roman, the re in his eyes weighing on Griffin. "I thought, if you are going to stir up trouble anyway, then why not put a person in the coffin so that I will have to deal with one less personter."


    "Looks like you have turned into an animal indeed, or maybe the girl was just a show and she was nothing," responded Griffin, his eyes subtly narrowed as he tried to decipher what was going on in Roman''s mind.


    Roman took himself to hold the iron rods with both his hands. Moving closer, he asked, "What do you think?" There was a faint smile on his lips, and he said, "Old habits die hard, don''t they? You will always be that snitch and I will be the one to bring out your lie in front of others."


    "You can keep on dreaming about it," Griffin smirked as he believed Roman''s threat was empty. He then pulled out a small bottle from his pocket and said, "Let me make a toast with you. For old time''s sake."


    Griffin removed the bottle''s cap and then said, "Just so that you don''t forget how blood tastes while you are in here." The little vial bottle held blood in it, and Roman''s eyes zeroed on it. It was a simr ss vial that was used in the infirmary. The other vampire tilted his hand such that the blood in the bottle spilt on the ground, leaving the smell of blood to spread around the ce.


    Though Roman had taken a bite from Julie, he was still hungry because he was someone who drank almost a whole crate of blood cans in a day. His facial features started to transform into the kind that he belonged to now. His eyes turned darker, and his throat felt dry from thirst.


    "Have fun in here, Moltenore," said Griffin, dropping the vial on the ground, and he left the dungeon.


    Roman''s jaws ached because of the scent of the blood hitting his nose. All he could think now was to sink his fangs into a human and drink until his thirst was quenched. His red eyes slowly started to change, which was much different from what most of the vampire''s eyes looked like. The pupil slowly started to turn into slits, his fangs growing bigger and his appearance holding a wilder look.


    He struggled to keep this side of him locked.


    His hands gripped the rods tightly, and it ended up with the metal creating more space between them than the rest of the rods around the cell.


    Roman, who had closed his eyes for a moment, opened to reveal those rich red eyes that fell on the vial of ss that Griffin had earlier dropped. His eyes then shifted to look at the dungeon entrance before his hand touched the two rings hanging in his chain.


    The cold metals changed themselves into a key, and he opened the cell''s door open.


    It wasn''t that he couldn''t get out of the cell, but sometimes people around needed to believe one''s incapacity so that it could beter used when it was least expected. And right now, even though he didn''t care much about Donovan''s support, he knew it was more advantageous to keep the Elder vampire by his side than the other way round.


    Stepping out of the cell, he walked to where the vial of the ss was. Picking it up, he brought it up, letting the three drops of blood from the vial fall into his mouth. One of the drops had fallen on his lips, and he licked it.


    Roman looked at his hand, turning the vial of ss and a small smile appeared on his lips.

 Chapter 110 - Behind The Wavering Mirror

    <h4>Chapter 110 - Behind The Wavering Mirror</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Mother Fights - Ben Frost


    ¡ª


    Julie stared at the mirror, where the reflection of the woman had now disappeared once she had stepped away from the dressing table. Her eyes were wide, her heart beating faster than usual.


    "I think if things continue like this, one day I am going to have a heart attack," murmured Julie under her breath because the number of shocks that she had been experiencing since thest one week had been too much for her mind and her little heart.


    Goosebumps had formed all over her skin, running a shiver down her spine, which wasn''t because of the cold weather.


    Who was that woman whom she had seen in the mirror? The more important question was, how did the person appear in the mirror?! From what she had learned about herself, she had the ability to look into the past, and she wondered if this room held some sort of past of its own. But there was something very peculiar about the way the woman had looked back at her, also her appearance.


    Julie took an apprehensive step towards the dressing table once again, but all she could see was her own reflection. Silence filled in the room, and all Julie could hear was her beating heart in her ear.


    Raising her hand, she went to touch the surface of the mirror.


    KNOCK KNOCK!


    Julie was startled by the sudden knocking sound on her room''s door, and she retracted her hand to her side. Walking to the door, she unlocked the door before pulling it open. At the front stood a maid with an apron tied around her waist. She held the sides of the cart that had closed containers in it.


    "I have brought breakfast for you, miss," informed the maid and Julie''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "I was told yesterday that they didn''t provide food service in the motel," said Julie, wondering if the food was mixed with something that would make her sleep, and she would be kidnapped! Her imagination ran wild while trying to keep herself alert.


    The woman was as lean as the two people whom Julie had metst night. The woman''s cheeks were hollow, and her ck hair was tied into a small bun.


    "Usually we don''t provide food service to our customers, but Mr. Nottingham said you are a special guest and to treat you with the best service that we can offer you," replied the woman, and saying that, she entered the room, walking towards the table before she pulled open one of the container''s lids.


    Julie''s eyes fell on the warm loaves of toast, butter, jam and eggs that had been cooked sunny side up.


    There was also a ss of freshly squeezed orange juice next to the te. Seeing this was enough for Julie''s mouth to water. She had been hungry sincest night, and seeing food in front of her was nothing less than being in heaven.


    "I cooked the regr food, but if you have any preferences of what you would like to eat now, or for the mealster, I would be happy to serve it to you," said the woman, offering Julie a slight bow and Julie, who was not used to this bowed her head.


    "No, I think this is good. I think I will need to ask the owner, on how much I will need to pay for the food," said Julie with a smile.


    "The food service includes the motel room''s charges. If you intend to take a bath now, I will have the servant boy to bring in the hot water," the woman''s words were polite, and Julie nodded her head.


    "Yes, thank you very much. I would like to take a bath," replied Julie before asking thedy, "Is it going to rain today too?" She just wanted to make sure.


    "Nothing is certain in this town, miss. Raines and goes when it wants. I would advise you to carry an umbre with you, maybe an umbre with a better tip so that you don''t trip and fall," advised the woman. She ced the tes and the ss of juice on the table before stepping out of the room. "I wille back after some time when you are done with your breakfast to clear the table."


    Julie noticed how the woman looked at her attire, where the shirt slightly fell near one side of her shoulder because it was oversized for her. But the woman didn''t say anything and left from the front of the room.


    Closing the door, Julie quickly took a seat on the table and smeared the butter and jam on the bread toast, and she took a bite from it.


    "Mm," Julie hummed in appreciation, this was so good. She finished eating and drinking everything in less than three minutes.


    She wondered if this was how Roman felt when he needed blood to drink.


    She hoped he was doing fine and wasn''t coughing any more blood than he had already coughed since thest time she had seen him. The empty tes were cleared, and once warm water was filled in the tub, she took a bath in it. After wearing her clothes that were still a little wet, she decided to look around in the town to draw money and see if she could buy a pair of extra clothes.


    She locked the room and slipped the key in her pocket, making her way through the narrow corridors, looking at the wallpapers on both sides of the walls, which were beige and had tinyvender flowers on it.


    When Julie reached the front of the counter, she thanked the owner, who stood behind the desk, "Thank you for the breakfast."


    "Breakfast?" the man stared at Julie, the expression on his face not changing much.


    "Yes, the one the woman brought to my room earlier," replied Julie, but the man didn''t acknowledge it. He said,


    "It was probably a customer, who got the meal ordered to your room. It wasn''t me," the owner stared at Julie through his small-framed sses. He didn''t? Julie asked herself. Then was it the boy who hade by the front of her room yesterday, who had got it arranged?


    A small frown appeared on Julie''s face because the maid had told her that it was Mr. Nottingham who had provided her with breakfast, and now he denied it.


    "Ah, I see," responded Julie, and at the same time, a young couple appeared from the other side of the corridor, hand in hand while whispering something in each other''s ears.


    "Mr. Nottingham," said the man, who wore a crisp suit. He stepped in front of the counter and said, "We would like to have some extra logs of wood added in our room by evening."


    At the same time, the man''s eyes fell on Julie, who was standing next to him. He subtly took a whiff in the air and smelt the human. He internally hummed.


    "Consider it to be done, Mr. Kelvie," the owner of the motel offered a slight bow. The man named Mr. Kelvie, a customer in the motel, ced his hand on the counter. He pushed the dor bill that was in his hand towards the owner. He then said, "I heard the food outside isn''t that tasteful and I would like you to prepare something good for me and my wife."


    Julie''s eyes once again fell on the person behind the counter, and her eyes narrowed at the mention of food. Having nothing else to talk about, she quietly excused herself and headed out of the door.


    Seeing the human leave the ce, the customer''s eyes turned red, and he looked at the owner of the motel. "We would like to have something fresh like her. Young human blood is always a delight to taste."


    "I will see if there are other humans avable in the list, better than her. If not..." the owner of the inn bowed his head, taking the dor note, he put it in his pocket.


    On the other hand, Julie stepped out of the motel and looked around the town. The sky was turning gloomy, and she missed the rays of the sun. It was a quiet town, the streets holding fewer people, and when she found a clothing store, she headed in there. Once she brought a pair of clothes, she immediately changed into them and put her slightly wet clothes in the bag. Drawing money from the ATM, she slipped them into her jeans pocket.


    Julie didn''t linger too much outside, and she was quick to return to the motel with a bag of snacks and a book and a pen, just because she didn''t know what else to do with nothing to do in the room.


    When she got inside the motel, she caught sight of another customer leaving the motel, the person''s eyes falling on her, and her eyes met for a brief moment before the person walked through the door. Unlocking the room, she stepped inside. Once inside, with her stomach filled, Julie looked around the room and decided to call,


    "Corvin? Are you here?"


    But all she received was nothing but silence. A tired sigh escaped from her lips.


    "I don''t even know what to do in here but wait," she said, slightly frustrated.


    If the Corvin hade by, she would have at least tried to ask a few questions to understand the lineage of the witches. Also, she would have sent a letter to Roman through the Corvin. It was the fastest delivery service that didn''t need awork.


    Right now, she had no idea what was going on in Veteris, and she wished she knew.


    Julie wondered if her mother had ever nned to tell her the truth about who she was or if her mother had nned to keep it away from her so that she could lead a normal human life. But nothing had ever turned out to be as expected.


    Her head turned to look at the mirror, wondering if the woman she had seen was still in there. Or in the room. For some reason, with every passing day, her life was turning darker and darker. She walked to the dressing table and once again touched the mirror, but all she saw was her reflection.


    ''I was looking for you.''


    "Holy crap!" eximed Julie, feeling her heart slip out of her chest because of the sudden voice.


    She turned and saw that the Corvin was in the room. "Don''t do that again, sneaking up from behind me." She stared at the creature that stood a few steps away from her.


    ''Sorry.''


    "Where did you gost night? I haven''t seen you since yesterday," asked Julie, looking at it.


    ''Unstable body. Still trying to get back to stable to move freely,'' answered the creature.


    The Corvin then looked left and right, moving its raven skeleton-like face to check the room and then said, ''Vampires.''


    "Yeah, I realized it yesterday," replied Julie, "Rome told me toe here."


    ''Kill,'' responded the Corvin and Julie frowned.


    "He didn''t send me here to kill me. This must be a ce he knows. His clothes are here," replied Julie, looking at the nightclothes she had wornst night. She then asked, "Where were you until now?"


    ''Trees.''


    Did that mean forest? Asked Julie. She nodded her head and then said, "There is something that I want to ask you. You can sit if you want," she showed the empty chair, but the creature made no effort to move from where it stood. Her voice was low so that no possible vampire would eavesdrop on their conversation. "I dreamt of something. Actually I am not sure if it was a dream or if it happened, but yesterday I felt many Corvin''s came to visit me."


    ''Visit?'' asked the creature.


    "Yes, visit me in the middle of the night," replied Julie, and she looked a little distressed when she remembered what she felt or sawst night. Unsure, she wanted answers, and she said, "But you weren''t here with them, were you?"


    The Corvin shook its head, and Julie released the air through her lips. "Do you know anyone who came to visit me? Or other Corvins whom you speak to?"


    ''I don''t. They must havee for help. Your help,'' it added in the end, and Julie gave it a suspicious look.


    "What kind?" asked Julie, and for a few seconds, the Corvin didn''t answer her.


    It then replied, ''You will need it.''


    Sometimes, the Corvin spoke in full sentences, and then there were times it spoke in broken English that she had to fill in the nks herself, thought Julie.


    ''Good that you leave Veteris.''


    "I will be going back there, Mr. Corvin. I have toplete my education," Julie reminded the creature. She knew that if the creature had a face, she would have probably witnessed it grimace at her decision. "Is there a way to contact you next time? It is hard to know when I can speak to you."


    The creature walked to where Julie stood.


    She noticed its feet, which looked the same as its twig-like hands. It was the first time she was looking at its feet. When she looked up, the Corvin hade to stand with a distance of three steps in front of her.


    The creature then raised its hand, stretching it towards her, and Julie noticed its fingers move. It was creepy but, at the same time, fascinating to look at.


    Wondering if it wanted her hand, Julie raised her hand and stretched it forward. When she did that, the creature touched her finger with its stick-like finger. The density in the air around them started to change. For a moment, it turned heavy as if she wasn''t able to breathe, and the space around her was going to suffocate her.


    Suddenly, the air-swept away from them and her eyes caught sight of the thin thread-like fragments in the air wrapped around them like a shield.


    She felt something on the tip of her finger where the Corvin''s finger touched her. It started to spread throughout her body.


    The thread-like fragments shimmered in the air like little lightning, and suddenly the air moved away from where they stood, shaking the objects that were present in the room.


    When the creature pulled its finger away from Julie''s hand, it bowed its head and said, ''Now you can summon me when you want.''


    Julie brought her hand to her side, looking at her finger, which the Corvin had touched. She noticed a thin sliver of light disappear in her finger, and she looked back at the Corvin.


    "You have abilities," whispered Julie.


    ''Just little. But you,'' the creature paused, looking at her before continuing, ''You can have more.''


    "Do you know how I can achieve it?" Even a little to protect herself would be more than enough. Right now, Julie was trying to look to survive.


    ''It must be locked somewhere. Young witches'' power can be pulled out of their body and ced at a ce so that they can reside along with the humans, without causing any suspicion.''


    Did that mean her mother had separated the possible abilities from her?


    ''But, there''s still residue present on you. Should be able to tap into some things,'' said the Corvin. ''You see things.''


    "And what about you?" asked Julie. The creature shook its head.


    ''Nothing. We Corvins don''t have abilities, and the ones that have are scarce.''


    Looking at the Corvin with curious eyes, she asked, "Beforeing here, did you visit the dungeon in Veteris?"


    ''He''s still in the dungeon,'' replied the creature, not moving an inch from where it stood. ''He''s fine.''


    Julie nodded her head, "Thank you for checking on him¡­ By the way, do you feel anything in this room? Any presence of a ghost or in this¡­ mirror?''


    The creature walked towards the dressing table and brought its hand forward to touch the mirror, ''Nothing here. Why?''


    Julie followed it,ing to stand next to it. Watching the mirror, she noticed the stark difference in the height between the Corvin and her.


    She said, "This morning, I saw a woman''s reflection in the mirror. She appeared to be old, and her hair tied behind her head and she wore a ck dress, or maybe it was a cloak."


    Her eyebrows furrowed, and as if wanting to test it again, she moved closer and ced her hand on the mirror. To her surprise, she noticed the surface of the mirror move, as if she had touched still water, and it wavered. The mirror looked nothing less than it was experiencing a ripple effect.


    When Julie pulled her hand away, the ripple stopped, and the surface started to turn stable. The woman reappeared in the mirror.


    ''Witch. Opaline La Fay,'' came the raspy response from the Corvin. ''The witch who was burnt after the execution of her children.''


    Julie turned to look at the creature with a frown and asked, "Wait. Are you speaking about the witch from Willow Creek?"


    ''Yes.''


    Curious, Julie tried to touch the surface of the mirror once again, and this time, her hand dipped into it. "Do you know what this is?" inquired Julie, holding her breath.


    ''Never seen anything like this before,'' said the Corvin, its voice the same. It moved its hands, which dipped into the wavering surface of the mirror. Julie doubted it was the mirror that had the ability, and it was her very own hand that had initiated something in here. ''Hot,'' said the Corvin.


    When it brought its hand back from the mirror, Julie''s eyes widened, seeing the twigs that had caught fire. She quickly moved forward, blowing air for it to extinguish the fire.


    So the Corvin didn''t know what was behind it, and Julie was curious about what was behind the mirror''s surface. If it was a portal to another world, but if it was, the question was to where? Where did it lead to?


    Hell? It was the only ce that was burning with fire, thought Julie in her mind.


    There was another ripple caused on the mirror because of the Corvin pulling its hand away. After some thought, Julie said,


    "Let me take a quick look. Give me your hand," she said, looking at the Corvin, and held its woody twig-like hand. She decided to use the creature as an anchor if something were to happen. When she stepped closer to the mirror, the creature warned her,


    ''Careful. Mirrors are no one''s friends. It is easy to get lost.''


    Taking a deep breath, Julie let her head enter the wavering water-like surface of the mirror. She felt the cold wind hitting her face, and when she opened her eyes, she saw trees. A lot of trees and somewhere at a distance, she heard the echo of a bell.


    With the help of the Corvin, Julie was pulled back, and she said, "I didn''t see any fire." She stepped away from the mirror, noticing the mirror''s surface stop wavering, and it turned solid.


    When the Corvin went to put its hand back into the mirror, its hand didn''t submerge itself into the surface, ''It''s closed. Your abilities are still under manifestation.''


    In the past, Julie had ced her hand on multiple mirrors, but never has she been able to see another world through it. The Corvin was of very little help, holding only a little guidance, but she took what she could get.


    Suddenly someone knocked on the room''s door from outside, and the Corvin instantly disappeared from her side.


    "Where did you go?" whispered Julie, but the Corvin had disappeared.


    Walking to the door, Julie opened it and saw it was the motel''s owner, Mr. Nottingham.


    She wondered what he was doing here, "Yes?"


    "The motel''s kitchen staff cooked for the customers and I thought you might want to have some of it," Mr. Nottingham spoke to Julie in a polite tone.


    Julie''s eyes then fell on the trolley that stood next to him, and each item was covered in a ss case that looked delicious.


    But before she could ept, she asked him, "Will you be charging me for this?"


    "Absolutely not, miss. This is a free service to keep the customers happy," replied the motel''s owner, and Julie nodded her head.


    "Okay then," and she took the food inside the room. "Thank you," she said to him.


    The man watched the human close the door, and he said in a low voice, "No, thank you."


    ¡ª


    Please check information about physical copy giveaway of LTR in the creator''s thought.

 Chapter 111 - The Hollow Vampire

    <h4>Chapter 111 - The Hollow Vampire</h4>


    Julie stared at the food that the owner of the motel had brought for her. There was something very suspicious about how the man had personallye to her door, and she couldn''t help but wonder if the food was mixed with something.


    Not to mention, the ce was mainly upied by vampires rather than humans. She remembered how Veteris offered the best food for its students. It was the kind of food which was expensive outside Veteris but was sold at a lower price. Personally, Julie didn''t find it too cheap because she didn''te from some wealthy family to spend moneyvishly.


    But who was she kidding? She had spent her money mostly on food, and with that thought, she grimaced at herself.


    Her tongue peeked out of her lips, running at the corner of her lips as if she could taste the dessert without opening the lid.


    "You know what, I am going to eat you," dered Julie, her eyes narrowing at the food, "But, not now. I am going to eat you at night."


    Julie looked around the room, noticing the Corvin wasn''t there.


    "Can you return to the room, Mr. Corvin," asked Julie. The Corvin didn''t appear until a few minutester. The creature had its hands on both sides of its head as if its head was about to fall on the ground. "Where did you disappear to?" she asked in curiosity.


    ''Sorry. Unstable body. Vampires make me sick,'' the Corvin replied, and hearing this, Julie frowned.


    Was it the reason why it didn''t enter the buildings of Veteris and only her dorm? But then, the dorm originally belonged to Roman and not her. The entire manor belonged to him, and as the thought crossed her mind, Julie realized Roman was not just wealthy. He was once a Lord''s son, who would automatically turn into a Lord after his father.


    "Why are you so allergic when ites to vampires?" asked Julie, making her way towards the bed.


    She removed her shoes and got on the bed, facing in the direction where the Corvin stood. She raised her hand towards the chair. But seeing the creature not react, she turned her hand to the space on the bed, and she still got no reaction. It felt strange that the creature didn''t sit. It just stood there, and it made her wonder if its body ever hurt. But did it have flesh and bones? Would it be rude to ask what the rest of its body was made of? Julie questioned in her mind.


    ''I don''t get good feelings from them,'' replied the creature.


    "Why? I mean, I doubt every single one is bad," said Julie, and the creature shook its head.


    ''Naive to think so. They kill. Will kill anyone for blood. Even their own,'' exined the creature. It walked towards the window, and right now, she couldn''t see its feet anymore. It must have adjusted its robes, thought Julie. ''They killed our kind. Erasing everyone possible. They know we a threat,'' it finished its sentence.


    Julie understood why the Corvin wanted her to stay away from the vampires, but at the same time, she didn''t understand why the vampires would ever want to harm the witches and vice versa.


    "You don''t have any recollection of the previous life you had when you might have been a witch, but you feel the vampires are harmful," stated Julie.


    ''It is a feeling of uneasiness around them. The more powerful and harmful a vampire, the more is the feeling. Every single night creature gives its own emotions and feelings,'' the creature exined, and Julie nodded her head. ''The four old vampires, they exude too much of negative energy. Blood and death on their hands.''


    That was quite evident to Julie, considering how Donovan had killed Reese without any thought or remorse. And every time she thought that it could have been her in Reese''s ce, it sent chills down her body.


    "I should have gone and attended Reese''s funeral. It was the least I could have done," whispered Julie to no one in particr in the room. Reese had died because of her, and if she didn''te to study in Veteris, Conner''s girlfriend would have still been alive, and he would have been happy. "I should have applied to the other universities, isn''t it?" The Corvin didn''t reply to her, and it finally sat down on the chair in an awkward and ufortable position.


    ''You would have stille. You were supposed toe here,'' replied the Corvin, and Julie gave it a suspicious look.


    "What do you mean by that?"


    The Corvin''s twig-like fingers made a crackling sound in the room as it stretched its fingers, ''I had to send you there. I moved your application so that you woulde.''


    "I don''t get you," said Julie, a frown on her face, and she pursed her lips. "You want me away from the vampire university and at the same time you bring me here."


    This was why she waste in her admission. The Corvin had given the needed push.


    ''I don''t like vampires. But thend is attached to Willow Creek, the town that went missing many years ago. Don''t you see? You are the key to the lost town of Willow Creek,'' said the Corvin. ''There are memories, lineage and maybe¡­ past too.''


    To Julie, the Corvin looked nothing less than a lost soul with half information, looking for answers just like her.


    "Does that mean that you didn''t know or meet my mother?" asked Julie because she had been too eager and curious to know about her mother. She had nevere to know the other side because her mother had been taken away from her too soon.


    ''Know her,'' it replied, and Julie''s eyes subtly widened. ''I met her. Met you before.''


    "When was this?" Julie asked in surprise, and the creature turned its head to look outside the window. The clouds in the sky had turned heavier and darker, gathering together to pour the rain.


    ''Little,'' replied the creature. ''You were little when I met you. In the park and near theke. Some of us are reborn as birds. Birds who cannot take any other forms, but can converse with the other witches. Some of them turn into pets, some into guardians or lost. She was good, and kind. Kinder than most of her other siblings.''


    "I have more rtives?'' asked Julie, the conversation intriguing her.


    ''All dead.''


    "Oh okay," replied Julie, a little sad.


    With the amount of dislike the Corvin held towards the vampires and how it called the vampires the enemy, Julie guessed that the death of the witches was linked with the night creatures.


    "By the way," started Julie, who already had the Corvin''s attention, "What do you feel about Roman? Same as the Elders or the vampires?"


    ''Nothing,'' replied Corvin, and Julie raised her eyebrows.


    "Can you borate on that?" asked Julie as she didn''t understand its answer.


    ''I am not able to pass through his energy. It is as if there is nothing but emptiness in there, hollow. People who have that kind of energy which is hollow are mostly the dead. Even vampires are not like that,'' came its raspy answer.


    Julie wondered if it meant something, but then she remembered, "Roman has a beating heart. Maybe you are unable to pick his energy?" she tried to reason.


    ''Don''t know.''


    In the Rose Veil''s motel, most human customers had been given the quality and delicious food to consume so that their taste of blood could be enhanced before the vampire''s dinner time arrived.


    And though Julie had taken the food from Mr. Nottingham, the food continued to rest on the side of the table as she was busy talking to the Corvin.


    While Julie was in the motel, in Veteris, the sses continued, and the teachers resumed teaching the sybus for both the humans and the vampire students. Griffin sat in thest row of the ssroom, enjoying his time, as the person he disliked the most was not in the ss. The other students discussed it with each other.


    "Do you think Moltenore is going to be punished more for killing Jackson? Staying in the dungeon seems to be quite a little punishment for him,"mented one of the boys.


    "What do you think caused the issue? I thought killing a vampire equaled getting killed," said one more student.


    Griffin tried to add more fire to the situation andmented, "The Elder is quite impartial when ites to Moltenore. There should be equal punishment for everyone, don''t you think so?"


    "It is apparent that Elder Donovan prefers Moltenore more than the other Elders. It makes me wonder what he sees. He''s nothing but a half between human and vampire, and what a shame," said the first one who had asked the question earlier, "To think that he killed Jackson, but over what?"


    "It was the girl whom Moltenore hangs around with. She must have tried to fleest night, knowing she''s going to be next on the death list if she stayed here,"ughed one of them.


    Hearing this piece of information, Griffin scowled. Because of these dimwits, he had tried to speak to Elder Donovan, and in return, the Elder had done nothing but looked down on him.


    "The girl is dead," Griffin sent a re at the two boys who sat in front of him. "Stop spewing shit which is not true. She was punished along with Moltenore."


    One of the vampire boys turned to look at Griffin with a small scowl on his face as he didn''t like Griffin that much. But that didn''t mean he didn''t forget who was whose favourite in Veteris.


    "I know what I saw. Who knows, maybe she was looking for some blood after getting turned and they let her free to hunt. They must have made some exception. Maybe Moltenore begged to save her simr to how he was saved?" the boyughed before looking back at the ckboard.


    Griffin''s eyes fell on Simon, who sat at his regr seat, twiddling the pencil between his fingers as he rotated it while looking at the notebook in front of him. The seat behind him was empty, which belonged to Roman Moltenore. After spending a few more minutes in the ss, he got up from his seat and made his way to the infirmary.


    On his way, he made sure not to get noticed by the teachers so that they didn''t send him to detention.


    Reaching the building, he made his way to where Doctor Isolde was working behind theputer. He offered her a small bow and then said, "Elder Luciano has sent me on an errand here."


    The woman raised her eyebrows and asked, "How can I help the Elder?"


    "He''s asking for the information about the girl''s blood group, who recently died," replied Griffin with a serious face.


    "Why is he looking for such minor information?" asked the woman while getting up from her chair. She walked to the drawers that held the files of the details of the students.


    Not wanting to make it seem suspicious, Griffin answered, "Elder Luciano didn''t tell me why, but he said he wants to verify something. Maybe to check if her blood was special."


    Doctor Isolde lightlyughed, "Every human''s blood is almost the same, nothing varies. Except the count of iron content, but yeah. Anyways, let me check it." She pulled out a file and started to run through the lines before saying, "It is O negative. I did run the tests yesterday when the body was brought in here. Found nothing, and there wasn''t much to do as we already knew the cause of her death."


    "O negative?" asked Griffin.


    "Yup, that''s the blood group of Reese William," confirmed Doctor Isolde, closing the file and ready to ce the file back in the drawer.


    But before she could, Griffin quickly made his way to where she was and snatched the file from her hand. A deep frown marred on his face as his eyes stared at the name.


    "This is not the person I am asking you about, Doctor Isolde. I was asking about Julianne Winters," he looked up from the file, his eyes meeting the eyes of the doctor who wasn''t pleased with his rude behaviour in the ce where she was in charge.


    The vampiress snatched the file back in her hand, and she said,


    "Yesterday morning, the body that was brought in here was of Reese Williams. I didn''t have any other student''s body enter in here unless Evans or someone else decided to take it directly to the forest, which can magically appearter this day or sometime in the night," the vampiress'' words were sarcastic as she said it. "You can tell the same to your Elder."


    No, thought Griffin in his head.


    Even he knew how many bodies mostly turned up in here. There was no way there could be confusion, or was there confusion? He questioned himself. He asked her,


    "This girl, Reese Williams, is she the same girl who¡ª"


    "Yes, the same girl who was killed by Elder Donovan and her body waster dumped in the forest," replied Doctor Isolde. She walked back to her chair, sitting down, and she said, "Now if you don''t have anything more to question on behalf of Elder Luciano, I will be getting back to my work." Giving him a look, she turned her eyes to theputer''s screen.


    Griffin stepped out of the infirmary, a deep frown on his face, which slowly turned into a scowl as he realized the mistake that had taken ce. No wonder that bastard had not batted his eyes when he had mocked him this morning. It was because Julianne Winters was still alive, and someone else had died in her ce.


    His hands clenched, and he quickly made his way back to the mansion where the Elders were staying in Veteris. Stepping inside, he looked around for the Elders, but none of them was there. Noticing a servant walking outside the mansion, he questioned,


    "Where did Elder Luciano and the others go?"


    "Elder Luciano left the mansion just a few minutes ago. He didn''t tell anything on where he was going," replied the servant, holding hedge shears in his hands while wearing gloves.


    Griffin''s face turned into a scowl in anger, as he hadn''t expected something so ridiculous to happen. He looked around the ce where he stood and asked again, "Did you see which direction Elder Luciano went?"


    The servant turned behind and raised his hand in one direction of the forest, "That way."


    Griffin quickly ran in the direction, trying to look for the Elder to inform him as soon as he could. He knew that Luciano had told him to not bother about these silly matters. Still, he also knew that his maker would be happy to know how Azazel Donovan had been turned into a fool when identifying and killing the wrong human.


    He continued looking for his Elder, and after a while, he found the old vampire standing near theke, away from the centre of Veteris. The older vampire held a dead man in his arms, where he was still sucking blood from the man.


    Hearing someone''s footsteps from behind, Luciano Sterling retracted his fangs from the man and dropped the human as if he were of no use to him anymore. He then turned to see his disciple in front of him, looking at him with narrowed eyes.


    "What are you doing here?"


    Griffin bent on one of his knees, bowing his head in respect to the man who had turned him. "Elder Luciano, Ie here to you with news that might interest you."


    "Speak," prompted the older vampire, staring at the younger vampire with his red eyes.


    Griffin then started, "It is about what happened the day before yesterday. The girl whom Elder Donovan killed¡ª"


    "You have been having this unhealthy obsession about this girl of Moltenore, Griffin," Elder Luciano looked utterly bored and disinterested with the same subject being brought up in front of him by the boy over and over again. "Now it makes me question if you were perhaps attached to that human or if it is Donovan''s boy who has been making you run in circles."


    Griffin turned red by his Elder''s words, and he quickly said, "It''s not that! The girl whom Elder Donovan killed was not the right one. He mistook it for another girl."


    Elder Luciano raised one of his eyebrows in question, "He got the wrong person? How unusual. And what do you expect me to do with this, Griffin?" There was a sharpness in Luciano''s words, and Griffin wondered if he had stepped too far on the line with the Elder vampire. But then the Elder questioned him, "Are you sure about this?"


    Griffin nodded his head, "Hundred and one percent. Beforeing to you, I just dropped by the infirmary to make sure the information was right. I have seen the girl, and I know her name because of Mateo. The girl is still alive."


    "Hmph, this will be something to look forward to. To think Donovan had lost sight of what the truth was," there was a satisfied glint in Luciano''s eyes, and Griffin was d to see that his Elder was finally pleased.


    When the two Elders who had left Veteris to visit the town returned after a few hours, Elder Luciano finally dropped the news on what he had found out. A subtle frown appeared on Donovan''s face, but he didn''t react to what Luciano had revealed. On the other hand, Remy Oscar stood at the side, not involving himself in the conversation.


    "Looks like staying in the casket for so long has turned you blind to not being able to see what was right in front of you, Azazel," smirked Luciano, as he had already decided that he would enjoy this until itsted.


    "And whom did you confirm it from?" Donovan kept his calm and collected demeanour. "From Griffin? You should already know that both Roman and he don''t get along and they are like cat and dog, who keep fighting like children. We shouldn''t bother ourselves with it."


    "You should verify with Isolde about the dead girl, and see how you killed someone else," taunted Luciano.


    There was a hint of re in Donovan''s eyes when he looked at Luciano. He then turned to look at the servant working outside the mansion and said, "Go and fetch Isolde. Bring her here and also bring Dante. I want to inquire both of them."


    Soon the doctor and headmistress of the university were summoned to the mansion. Luciano didn''t ask anything, as he wanted to enjoy seeing Donovan turning into a fool. He took a backseat while Donovan questioned the infirmary doctor,


    "I havee to hear that the girl who died and the girl whom I intended to kill were two different girls. What was the name of the dead girl?" asked the Elder, his red eyes ring at the vampiress.


    In the meantime, Dante kept a poised expression on her face that barely changed.


    The doctor was unaware of what was happening, but she answered, "The girl who died was Reese Williams."


    "And what about this Julianne Winters?" Donovan tilted his head, his eyes narrowing at her.


    Isolde shook her head, "I didn''t receive any student''s body with that name."


    Donovan''s eyes narrowed further, wondering how he had made such a mistake. He closed his eyes, recollecting the memory of the day when the football match had taken ce¡ªremembering the girl named Reese who had chatted with Roman. He opened his eyes. He remembered seeing another girl in the group, whose one side of the face was slightly swollen.


    It was that girl.


    Luciano sighed, "It is such a shame that a poor and innocent human was killed under your watch, Eloise."


    Donovan''s eyes then fell on the headmistress, who hadn''t uttered a word, and the re in his eyes intensified. He then smiled and asked, "You saw the body, didn''t you, Eloise? Did you forget to point out and mention this?"


    "I don''t keep an eye on things on which student speaks to which one. Roman has had multiple girls since he started studying in Veteris. Seniors, juniors," responded Dante, her eyes holding the same calmness as Donovan''s.


    The re in Donovan''s eyes didn''t reduce as he could sense that Dante knew it. He said, "Okay. If you say that. Mistakes happen to the best of us, but they can always be rectified."


    Donovan raised his hand for Isolde to leave, and the vampiress bowed her head. He had to see someone else before the mistake could be fixed, and he walked from there, leaving others behind.


    Augh escaped from Luciano''s lips, mocking at Donovan''s mistake.


    "There is something I would like to talk to you about," said Remy to Luciano, who turned to look at him. Dante was about to take her leave when Remy stopped her by saying, "I would like you to be here, Ms. Dante."


    "What is it about?" questioned Luciano, arrogance in his eyes.


    Remy pulled out the papers from his coat pocket and held them in front of Luciano to take them. He then said, "It is about Griffin''s involvement in the contamination."


    Thetter vampire frowned, and he took hold of the paper and started to read it. Remy wouldn''t have gotten himself involved in it, but when the contamination of the water took ce, it would have affected him and the others. He didn''t have anything against the humans, but he had always stood with the safety of the vampires, and he always would.


    Same time, far away in the dungeon, Roman was ying with his lighter when he heard the echo of footstepsing from the staircase, and soon Donovan came to stand in front of the cell.


    "Enjoying your time here?" questioned Donovan, and Roman raised his eyes to meet his maker''s red eyes that stared back at him.


    "Nothing new that I haven''t experienced before," responded Roman, picking up Donovan''s mood from the other side of the cell. "Looks like you finally found out." His demeanour stayed calm.


    "I was wondering if you turned cold like me. But it seems like I just picked the wrong one.? She must be very special, that you didn''t want to introduce her to me. I don''t know if I should feel hurt or impressed," remarked Donovan, looking at Roman. He looked at the rusted iron rods that separated them, and his lips curled into a smile.? "She isn''t here, is she?"


    "No," responded Roman in a nonchnt tone.

 Chapter 112 - Dont Breathe It!

    <h4>Chapter 112 - Don''t Breathe It!</h4>


    Though Roman didn''t have a smile on his lips, there was a subtle hint of it in the way he looked at Azazel Donovan, who stood in front of his cell.


    "Where is she?" Donovan asked Roman in a casual tone.


    "Somewhere safe," replied Roman, his eyes not breaking contact with Donovan. The Elder vampire nodded his head.


    At first, Donovan had been irked by the thought that someone had tried to make a fool of him. But then he thought if there was a person who could surpass him, it was only Roman. The boy had potential, and deep within himself, the Elder saw himself in the boy''s eyes.


    "What are you going to do now?" Donovan questioned Roman. "You know you cannot protect the girl forever and as any other human, she is going to die one day. Now orter, because of their short span of life and then you will be left heartbroken, Rome. Not that I mind, but I cannot have you showingpassion to the humans.."


    "Julianne has nothing to do with your goals," stated Roman, looking at Donovan unblinkingly. "You will make an enemy out of me."


    Donovan chuckled, "How interesting. Do you think you can go against your maker, Rome?"


    The Elder vampire raised his hand towards the cell, and the locks of the cell''s door clicked before opening itself. The four Elders had abilities of their own, which was why they stood in a higher position than the rest of the vampires.


    Roman didn''t move from where he stood and stared at Donovan, who had opened the cell''s door for him¡ªnot knowing if the man wanted to step inside with the thought of wanting to teach him a lesson or if the Elder vampire wanted to free him, where thetter sounded doubtful.


    Donovan stared back at Roman with a challenge in his eyes as he waited for the younger vampire to step outside.


    After a few seconds passed, Roman finally walked out of the cell, and he came to stand right in front of Donovan, looking him straight in the eye.


    "Let her go. There''s no point in clinging on to something so useless that can break. You have already seen one example. I don''t think you want to witness it again," Donovan advised Roman.


    "If I was nning to let her go, I would have never fallen in love with her in the first ce," remarked Roman, and Donovan''s eyes subtly narrowed while the smile on his lips didn''t disappear.


    The Elder clicked his tongue, his eyes holding darkness in them, and he said, "Mm, so she''s special. All it will take is one snap of the neck because I don''t mind seeing you go loose on a hunt. I think it would be quite interesting to finally awaken you."


    There weren''t many vampire rippers in the world who existed. Many people confused the vampire rippers with vampire rogues, mixing them up while not knowing the difference between them. Rogue vampires were born with existing defects in them, holding nopassion or feelings to anyone. But it wasn''t the same when it came to the rippers. The ripper vampires were the ones whose emotions once ran too deep, and once they broke, it was hard to bring them back to their original selves. Their blood lust was so high that some rippers had killed an entire town of people in the past.


    Donovan then asked, "What''s so special about her?" his eyes curiously looked at Roman.


    By nature, vampires were mostly detached, and there were only a rare cases where one was attached to something or someone. It took a great deal to bring out the emotion to feel something, and that feeling didn''te often.


    "Everything," replied Roman.


    Donovan was used to Roman''s short responses, but he wanted to know more about this girl, who could be just some simple human, where it would be a waste of Roman''s time.


    "Now that I think about it, I did miss the subtle hint. The boy you killed did something to the girl, and her face was swollen. To think you can kill a vampire without a thought, for the sake of a girl, imagine what will happen if the girl dies?" Donovan raised his eyebrows.


    Roman looked at his maker with an unamused look on his face.


    "You can try," taunted Roman, the look on his eyes turning fierce, and it excited Donovan. "But don''t expect it to end well."


    "That''s the exciting part, isn''t it,"mented Donovan, and he then said, "Why don''t you bring this girl here and I would like to take a better look at her."


    Hearing Donovan''s words, Roman''s eyes narrowed, "Do you think I was bitten by a mad dog to bring her here, when you killed one of the humans after thinking she''s important to me?"


    Donovan''s lips curled, and he ran his tongue over his fangs, "I am merely curious to know the girl who has captured your attention that you would dare to put yourself through this, getting into a cell and starving yourself for her." He paused for a moment and then said, "The first time I heard, I was taken aback by it. But I thinkpared to thest two days, I am more reasonable now."


    Roman stared at Donovan before responding, "I think it is better that you two don''t meet each other."


    Donovan stepped forward, reducing the gap between them. Before Roman knew it, his maker punched right into his stomach with a strong blow, and Roman fell on one of his knees while trying to hold in pain. He coughed out blood from his mouth as the Elder vampire was stronger than him.


    Roman clenched his jaws together and wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand.


    "That is for trying to fool me," pointed Donovan, yet internally impressed by Roman''s way of handling things. It wasn''t full proof, but it was enough to keep others'' eyes away from his prized possession. "Julianne Winters, was it? Bring her here, Rome. Let me see what is so special about her. If you don''t, I will make sure to bring her here myself in far worse condition than the way she left this ce."


    "And what is the guarantee that you won''t try to kill her or get someone to kill her?" Roman looked up from where he was, watching Donovan turn his eyes towards the entrance and exit of the dungeon.


    "How about this, Rome. Turn into a ripper, and I will spare the girl," smiled Donovan, putting his offer in front of Roman. "It is a very simple one."


    Donovan knew how easy it was to scare humans. They were scared by the sight of blood, and maybe Roman was the only exception when he was still a human in the past. And by the looks of it, the girl looked like an innocent sheep. Either of the two things could happen, Roman would back away from the girl just to protect her, or the girl would back away from Roman, at the possible threat he could cause her, especially with his image of killing the humans.


    "What do you say?" asked Donovan, his eyes bright with excitement. "I won''t harm her, you have my word."


    Roman knew Donovan was ying mind games with him and knowing Julie wouldn''t be safe if Donovan decided to hunt her down.


    The Elder had the habit of finishing things if he started it.. But at the same time, he knew Donovan was a man of his word. If he promised something, he would stick to it, possibly because of the period he belonged to where words mattered the most.


    Roman saw two options. One was to get him and Julie out of this ce. But Donovan was stubborn in keeping him next to him. The second option was to listen to Donovan by epting his offer and bring Julie under the Elder''s wing that could keep her safe. But it wouldn''t be easy.


    The girl who had died two days ago was of no importance to Roman, and knowing Julie could suffer the same fate, he didn''t want it.


    There was also a third option, but Roman didn''t consider it as it involved him and Julie never seeing each other again. To cut off ties with her and keep her away from the vampire''s harm.


    Not to forget, the hunters were slowly catching whiffs of the vampire''s existence, where there were possibilities of trouble following them outside Veteris.


    Roman pushed his hand to the ground, standing up straight and in front of Donovan, who waited for his reply. He said, "Fine." This would at least get the old man off his back for a few hours.


    Donovan''s fangs were visible as he smiled at Roman''s answer, "I will need some confirmation, to make sure they aren''t just words from you. Let us go to the town to catch some of the hunters."


    When footsteps echoed in the dungeon, with a lightmotion, Roman''s eyes moved to the corner. When he turned around, he saw it was two guards who dragged Griffin in there.


    "Why am I being dragged in here!" shouted Griffin, his fangs out and his eyes red.


    One of the guards, who had dragged Griffin in here, was the vampire who used to guard the front gates of Veteris.


    Donovan looked pleasantly surprised and asked, "What is going on in here?"


    Griffin looked at the Elder and beseeched for his help, "Elder Donovan, these two suddenly pulled out from the restroom and dragged me all the way until here, without telling what I did or what''s going on."


    "Is that so," murmured Donovan, and he looked at the guardsman of Veteris.


    The guardsman said, "We have been given orders by Ms. Dante to have him in the dungeon''s cell right away." Saying it, the two men pushed Griffin inside the cell and locked it.


    "This is ridiculous!" eximed Griffin, ring at the guards.


    Donovan walked to the front side of the cell and said, "Stay calm, and let me listen to what the headmistress has to say. You must have caused some mischief which you don''t remember. Hm?"


    Griffin gritted his teeth, "I didn''t do anything." He held the cell bars, wanting to get out, but the lock of the door was strong, and it couldn''t be opened without a key to it.


    Within a couple of minutes, Ms. Dante and the three Elders arrived in the dungeon. Luciano at the front and the other two Elders at the back closely followed the headmistress.


    "Elder Luciano, please get me out of here! Someone had framed me!" implored Griffin. Luciano had a frown on his face, and he raised his hand to stop Griffin from saying anything more than he already had.


    Griffin quickly closed his mouth, hoping that Elder Luciano would help him out of here.


    Ms. Dante, who was in charge of the matters of the university, stepped forward to speak to the student. The vampiress questioned, "We have proof of you picking up the ss vial bottles from the infirmary, which waster used to contaminate the water tanks."


    "I fucking told you I had nothing to do with this! Moltenore is trying to screw me over!"


    Ms. Dante frowned, "Language, Griffin. Did you steal the ss vial that was kept locked in the storage room of the infirmary?"


    Griffin gritted his teeth, "I didn''t try to contaminate the water. It wasn''t me! Why would I ever do such a thing when I am an underling of an Elder and have his protection?!"


    "This is something even I would like to know," stated Ms. Dante. Her face was serious, and she said, "Your fingerprints were found on one of the ss vials. And there''s no record about you taking the vials of Silverwater. Did you or did you not take it from the infirmary?"


    Luciano''s eyes narrowed watching the way Griffin was acting, and he was extremely pissed if it was true that his disciple had tried to pull such a stunt when he was resting. He demanded from Griffin, "Answer the question. Did you steal the vial without anyone''s notice?"


    Griffin didn''t know how to get out of this situation with everyone''s eyes on him, and he pursed his lips. Their gazes were too intense for him to handle, and he broke the silence by replying to his Elder, "I wanted to use it on someone else, so I took the Silverwater vial, but I swear I never went near the water tank to contaminate it."


    Donovan smirked at the boy''s words, and he said, "Looks like we have more than one murderer when ites to our disciples."


    Ms. Dante remarked on Griffin''s words by saying, "It is hard to believe that you didn''t do it because that was the only way to acquire the Silverwater in the campus. What did you need the Silverwater for? Do you still have it with you?"


    Griffin clenched his hands, and he said, "I wanted to use it on the junior students to let them know how it felt when they drank the Silverwater."


    "How to make them feel or to torture them?" questioned Ms. Dante, and Griffin''s eyes hardened.


    "It was just to scare them and nothing more than that. I would never think of trying to harm the Elders even for a second," Griffin looked at them with a bewildered look in his eyes. He turned to look at Elder Luciano and said, "Please believe me, I would never try to make the mistake of disturbing the Elders who were resting in the underground chambers."


    "It is hard to believe," remarked Roman, and Griffin''s eyes snapped at him. "You seem to like going extremes when ites to harming people."


    "And the same can be told about you! You fucking killed Jackson!" Griffin didn''t know what Roman was doing outside the cell while he was ced inside the cell. Their roles had reversed. "Why is no one questioning him? It wasn''t just mine, whose family was killed by the vampires, you should perhaps ask him. I overheard from the vampire who killed his family, on how Moltenore''s brother was killed before he died and Moltenore probably holds a grudge against all of us vampires."


    Luciano''s raised one of his eyebrows and then said, "I don''t think Griffin is as stupid as you people think of him, that he would try to attempt something like killing any of us Elders." His eyes then fell on Roman, "But you."


    Donovan chuckled, "This is getting absurd."


    Castiel had the same serious look as Ms. Dante, and he questioned Griffin, "Are the students still in the university? The ones whom you fed Silverwater to." The boy was quick to nod his head.


    "You can ask them! They will tell you they drank it," Griffin was quick to answer it, thankful that Castiel questioned this.


    Castiel then said, "Obviously it isn''t Roman, or Griffin. But then who is it?" He turned to look at the headmistress.


    Griffin let out a sigh of relief, and he said, "It should be someone else, but it isn''t me, Elder Luciano."


    "That doesn''t erase the fact that you stole a very important bottle from the infirmary. Do you think it is somemon drink that you can take without informing the person in charge?" demanded Donovan, "It is only fair that you spend some time here to reflect on what you did and not to repeat it."


    Luciano couldn''tment on it because, like others, he didn''t approve of what Griffin had done. The boy had done nothing but disappoint him since they had woken up.


    "There is no point in looking for the evidence as it seems like it doesn''t exist," stated Remy with a grim expression on his face.


    "Check which student is currently not in Veteris and tighten the security around the perimeter so that no one can escape from here," Donovan ordered, and he looked at the guard, who bowed his head. "Earlier I spoke to Isolde, to make arrangements tomorrow for a body check up of the students. To make sure they don''t consume anything after their dinner. Extract the blood of the humans in the name of health. Let us see who is consuming Silverwater in here to not bepelled."


    Griffin looked back and forth between all the Elders and then said, "I didn''t kill anyone! People take things¡ª"


    "It would be better if you stop speaking, Griffin," Luciano''s words were cold, and he red at his disciple. "Don''t make me doubt my choice of turning you into my vampire."


    A subtle smirk appeared on Roman''s face when Griffin''s eyes shifted and met his. The Elders started to walk out of the dungeon along with the two guards following right behind them.


    Roman pulled out something from his pocket and Griffin scowled on seeing a ss vial in the palm of his hand.


    "This is yours. My bad, the ss vial that belongs to the university that you decided to steal," stated Roman. "You are lucky to be inside the cell while I am outside. Spend some good time here, because it won''t be sunshine when you step out of the cell," the smirk on Roman''s lips disappeared, and his eyes darkened.


    Roman wondered who was involved in the contamination if it wasn''t Griffin.


    "No, you should be happy that I am here inside. You are going to pay for Jackson''s death," Griffin retorted with a sneer.


    Roman brought both his hands forward. One held the ss vial, and the other, he used to cut the blood from his finger and let it fill the vial. He then stretched it towards Griffin and said, "Here. I am sure you will need your strength when you wille out. Don''t mistake that it ended up with Jackson''s death."


    If it weren''t for the rusted iron bars that separated them, they would have gotten into a physical fight.


    Roman tilted the ss vial simr to the way Griffin had done earlier, letting his blood fall on the ground. He dropped the ss vial on the ground before leaving the ce.


    With the Elders who got busy, Roman didn''t wait to see what they were talking about, nor was he interested in ying clown to Griffin. He made his way towards his Dormitorium, heading to his dorm. He picked up his keys and helmet and then made his way to the ce where he had parked his motorcycle.


    But on his way, he met Mr. Borrell''s who looked slightly surprised on seeing Roman outside instead of being inside the dungeon.


    "Not going to attend the sses?" questioned Mr. Borrell.


    "I am on errands," said Roman and walked past the teacher as he had nothing more to discuss. Reaching where his motorcycle was, he got on it and wore his helmet over his head. Not because he wanted to. It was for Julie. Carrying it in his hand was distracting, and he wanted to reach the town of Queenstorm as quickly as he could before Donovan could try to hook him up with an actual errand or work.


    Back in Veteris'' office, Donovan questioned Ms. Dante, "I want details of Julianne Winters. From her ss, her family and where her family lives."


    Ms. Dante had hoped the subject would note up, but hoping something when it came to Azazel Donovan was wrong, she thought in her mind.


    "I will ask Mrs. Hill to take the print of the details and have it sent to your room in the mansion," replied Ms. Dante.


    "Good," replied Donovan with a smile on his lips that seemed to be fixed on his face.


    Mr. Borrell arrived outside Ms. Dante''s office room, knocking on the door before stepping inside the room. The man held a file in his hand, stretching it forward. He handed it to Ms. Dante. He said, "These are the details of the students who took a leave to visit their families, and the ones who are here. Only four students are on vacation while the rest are here. Mrs. Hill is currently typing the announcement for tomorrow''s health checkup in the morning."


    "What if the person decided to not consume Silverwater in this span of time? It would be hard to find out," Ms. Dante let her concern known.


    "Then it will be easier topel. There''s nothing that can''t be fixed. Whoever it is, if they are smart, the person will be packing their things and running once the news reaches the person''s ears," said Donovan while smiling to himself.


    And as expected, when the news was sent to each ssroom, one ssroom at one time, the person who heard it already guessed that the time was squeezing in. The person pushed the sses up the nose while sitting at the front desk of the ssroom.


    Away from Veteris, in the town of Queenstorm, Julie wrote a letter to pass it to Roman through the Corvin''s help. She wanted to let him know that she had safely reached the motel and received special treatment after letting the servant boy know that she knew Roman Moltenore.


    "Make sure to give it to him when no one is around," Julie made sure the Corvin understood well so that no one would find a letter dropping out of nowhere.


    ''Yes,'' replied the bird-like creature, taking the folded letter from her hand, and it started to walk towards the door and passed through the walls as if nothing was obstructing it.


    Once the Corvin had disappeared from the room, Julie''s eyes fell back on the food that was on the table. She was torn between wanting to eat it and not to eat it. She walked towards the table, standing in front of the tray on which the desserts and other nice dishes were waiting for her to eat.


    Julie''s hand moved towards the ss-covered container, and when her hand reached for it, she quickly grabbed the packet of chips that she had brought from outside.


    Potato chips any day! Walking towards the bed, she sat down before starting to munch on it. While the Corvin had gone to Veteris, minutester, someone again knocked on Julie''s door once again. She walked to the door, opened it and saw it was the motel''s owner again.


    You again, thought Julie to herself, wondering what he wanted this time from her.


    "My apologies for disturbing you, miss," Mr. Nottingham bowed his head in such politeness that Julie questioned if she was only being mentally mean for no reason. The man raised his eyes to meet hers, and he said, "One of the umbres of the motel is missing from the front. Did you by mistake bring it here with you?"


    Julie turned behind her before looking to the front, and she shook her head, "I ced it back at the stand near the door, when I returned from outside. It isn''t here."


    "How unfortunate. I thought you might be having it as we are unable to find it," came Mr. Nottingham''s worried tone and a faint disappointment appeared on his face. "The maid is currently searching for it."


    "Maybe someone else took it from the front while stepping outside?" asked Julie, but the man shook his head.


    "I think I will go and take a look one more time. How tiring," sighed the motel owner, and he then asked, "You wouldn''t mind, if I ask you toe and take a look at which one you took with you, do you? I will know which one went missing."


    Julie gave him a small nod, and she closed the door behind her before following the motel''s owner.


    Coming to the front of the motel, Julie stood in front of the stand to look at the umbre. Finding the one she had picked, she said, turning around, "This is the one in here. The one with polka dots in them¡ª"


    But her words were cut short when the man tried to push a kerchief onto her face.


    Chloroform!


    Julie tried to hold in her breath while using both her hands to push the kerchief away from her. And the first few seconds, she was sessful and ready to push him away and dash towards the door which was nearby. But the man was half sessful in getting it near to her nose, where she couldn''t hold her breath anymore. Damn it, her lung capacity was little! She cursed in her head.


    She ended up taking a whiff of the chloroform that was on the kerchief.


    She turned her head away, trying to breathe the cleaner air so that she wouldn''t inhale any more chloroform than she already had while feeling a little faint.


    While trying to get away from the vampire, who was stronger than her, something happened. The vampire was suddenly jolted away from her as if he had experienced a sudden shock in his body.


    Julie tried to keep her eyes wide and to stop the man from following her outside; she picked up the wooden stake, which she had taken from the firece, which she had tried to sharpenst night. She used it to push it into the person''s chest, but because of the chloroform taking into effect, her hand swayed, and she ended up piercing the man''s arm.


    "Urg!" a disgruntled sound erupted from the vampire''s throat.


    Julie tried to focus her vision, keeping herself standing, but she ended up leaning against the wall. Shit!


    The vampire''s little outburst had alerted a few people, wondering where the sound came from. The customer, who had previously requested for Julie as his meal, came to the front where the counter was.


    "What''s with the ruckus?" asked the man. He then noticed the owner of the motel had been stabbed and then the human, who had leaned against the wall and was trying to get to the door. He rolled his eyes, pulling a couple of notes and handing them to the vampire who had been stabbed. "I will take my meal from here."


    Saying this, the man dragged Julie to the room, where he and his wife nned to feast on the young human.


    Julie tried to get away from the vampire, who had gripped her hand tightly and pushed her into a room before locking it close.


    "I was wondering where you went," came the woman''s voice, who had been sitting on the bed until now. She stood up, "I have been thirsty. d to see you brought our meal to feast," and she ran her tongue over her fangs while her eyes turned red.


    "Pretty neat for a meal, isn''t she?" The man held Julie''s shoulder and touched her neck. "I can already feel the blood rushing and how warm it is."


    "Don''t," Julie warned them both, trying to push his hand away from her. But when the palm of her hand came in contact with the vampire, shes of images came in front of her eyes, and all she saw was blood and bodies that was dead on the ground. She smacked his hand away.


    "Thest time someone tried to do something, the person died. You don''t want that," she said while being cornered by the two vampires in the locked room.


    "Oh, don''t worry about it. We''ll be gentle and you won''t even feel a thing,"ughed the woman in a mocking tone.


    Julie''s hand was stretched in front of her, trying to keep them away from her.


    "It is the weather to have hot blood which is fresh,"mented the man, who held her wrist, and he stepped forward.


    Even though her vision was slightly blurry, she noticed the bright red eyes, and with the maning closer, she saw him open his mouth, showing his fangs. He was readying himself to take a bite, and Julie used all the strength she could use in pushing both the vampire and the vampiress away from her on both sides as they neared her neck.


    For a moment, her body felt cold, like she had been dipped in the icy water.


    "What the fuck¡ª" eximed the vampire, and Julie opened her eyes to notice a pale blue light appear around them.


    Outside the room and in the motel, the boy who had shown up in front of Julie''s room came to the front on hearing the earlier cry.? On seeing the man behind the counter wrapping his hand in a bandage, he asked,


    "What happened to you?"


    "I got fucking stabbed by the human," the man gritted his teeth.


    "You still haven''t learned how to handle humans. Which one was it?" asked the boy, looking at the floor while making sure its surface didn''t have any blood on it. "Did you deliver the human or did you tie the person in the basement?"


    The man shook his head and said, "She''s in the customer''s room. Room One O'' four, Mr. Nottingham."


    To the customers, the man who had been stabbed was the motel''s owner, when in truth, it was the boy, who was the real Mr. Nottingham. Being young in appearance as he had stopped ageing too soon, it was difficult to deceive the humans, and he had appointed another vampire, who was older to look at.


    "She''s the new customer, who came in yesterday and is upying the ol¡ª"


    "What?!" the actual Mr. Nottingham''s eyes widened.


    He ran to the room of the vampire customer, hoping the girl was still alive and breathing, that nothing had happened. She had been ced in the far corner of the motel corridor that he had not expected for a vampire customer to order her as a meal.


    Appearing in front of the room, Mr. Nottingham pushed the double doors with force, and it opened with a loud sound. And though he had been hoping for the human to go untouched, his eyes went wide when he saw blood on the ground.


    But then he saw the vampires on the floor, coughing blood, while the girl had her back leaned against the wall with spots of blood on her, with her eyes wide.

 Chapter 113 - Hocus Pocus In The Dungeon

    <h4>Chapter 113 - Hocus Pocus In The Dungeon</h4>


    Julie stared at the vampire as well as the vampiress, who were lying on the floor. They were still alive and coughing blood out from their mouths, like a fish that had been pulled out of the water and was struggling to catch its breath.


    She was shaken by the sight of what had urred a few seconds ago before the servant boy had pushed the room''s door open. One minute, she had seen the pale blue and white light that surrounded them, simr to the fragments that had earlier appeared with the Corvin, and the next second, the blood-sucking creatures had been thrown away from her. She felt like all her energy from her body had been drained out. Unable to stand any longer, her knees gave away, and she slowly slid down the wall before sitting down.


    "F-fucking shit!" the vampire cursed. "What the hell was that," he spoke between his coughing as blood dripped down from his lips. The vampiress slowly pushed herself from the floor, staring at the human. No, she wasn''t a human, thought the woman to herself. She questioned her partner,


    "Do you think what I am thinking?"


    "There''s no fucking way.. I thought all of them were dead after being killed by us vampires or the hunters," spat the vampire, and he red at the girl, who was in front of them. "Fucking bitch, did youe here to kill us?!"


    Saying this, the vampire started to move to where Julie was, ready to snap her neck. But before he could touch her, a wooden stake pushed through his back, and he threw up more blood, and his body started to shrivel like a corpse that looked like many years had passed since he died.


    "What the hell do you think you are doing!?" demanded the vampiress, and she pulled the wooden stake that was sticking on the vampire''s back, who was in the process of turning into aplete corpse. She had a look of rage on her face, ready to pierce the wooden stake at the servant. "Are you involved with her? Don''t tell me you are working for someone."


    The young boy, Mr. Nottingham, had a serious look in his eyes, and he said, "I am working for someone,? and you made the mistake of trying to have a meal that was never to be on the menu."


    The vampiress'' face, consumed with anger, and she quickly dashed towards Mr. Nottingham at full speed, and she tried to stab him. But the boy was quick to jump on the other side of the room, dodging her attacks, and he picked up an iron rod that was next to the firece.


    Julie felt pain erupting from her body, and her face scrunched while watching what happened to a vampire after a stake was rung through their heart. There was light steam that passed out of the body once the vampire stopped moving and was dead. The body looked fragile, as if, if someone would try to lift it, the body would crumble into dust.


    She heard the sh of the iron rod hitting the wall, and right in time, the young boy sessfully pushed the iron rod into the woman''s stomach before running the wooden stake through her chest. Julie guessed that it was easier to kill the vampire and vampiress because of the blood they had lost earlier from their bodies because of her.


    When the young vampire boy turned to look at Julie, she had fallen sideways and had lost consciousness.


    The older vampire, who had been attacked by Julie earlier near the counter, arrived in front of the room''s door, and his eyes widened. The two customers were dead, and the human was unconscious.


    "What happened here?" asked the man, his mouth wide open as he didn''t understand what went down.


    "I have no damn clue," replied the boy, Mr. Nottingham, and he then said to the man, "Get this ce cleaned, Brook. Also clean the bodies up in here. Add them to the firece."


    The servant named Brook moved his eyes from the two corpses of the vampires and then turned to look at his master. He asked, "Did you kill both of them, Mr. Nottingham? It is going to cause trouble for killing the vampires in here." It was because Rose Veil was a ce that was supposed to be a haven to the vampires, where they were safe.


    "I know. We''ll deal with itter," said Mr. Nottingham, making his way towards where Julie was. He put the girl''s hand around his shoulder and picked her up. He then took her back to the room where she had been residing since yesterday and ced her on the bed. But realizing he hadn''tpelled her, as she had fallen unconscious, he shifted her to the chair and bound her hands and legs with ropes.


    When Julie regained her consciousness after a couple of minutes, her eyes opened, and she saw that she was back in the room. Did she have a bad dream? But when she tried to move, her hands and legs felt the prickle from the rough ropes, and suddenly she was wide awake.


    "Easy there, miss," came the voice from behind her and Julie froze.


    Julie turned to her side, and soon the servant boy walked around the chair where she was sitting, and he came to stand in front of her.


    "Why am I tied?" asked Julie, and she stopped moving, and she stared at the boy, who had a curious yet serious look on his face.


    "Well, to begin with, you saw things that you were not supposed to see. I need to make sure to see that your memory is clean without a single hint of worries which I can see now on your face," said the boy. "But before that, I want to hear what happened in that room. What did you see and how two of my customers were found lying on the floor, coughing blood."


    Julie had hoped to be not caught by any vampires and to stay here for some time before she would leave as if she hadn''t noticed anything or seen anything bizarre. Right now, this person in front of her believed that she had just found out about the existence of the vampires. Was she supposed to scream for help? But that would be too dramatic, thought Julie in her mind. Not to mention, who knew if this person would snap her head for yelling for help.


    The only hope was that this person knew Roman.


    Julie pleaded, "I don''t know. Please, get me out of these ropes."


    "Soon, miss. Soon," and the man stepped closer to her.


    He ced both his hands on the armrest, near to where Julie''s hands had been tied. Staring right into her eyes, he said, "Whatever you saw in here, I want you to forget it. You being attacked, me killing those two and they trying to drink from you. No red eyes, no fangs and you saw no blood spill¡ª"


    "Achoo!" Julie sneezed right on his face.


    When Julie looked at the boy, the vampire had a frozen expression on his face, as he hadn''t expected her to sneeze when he was in the middle ofpelling her. He took a deep breath before he started to repeat what he was saying before, "I want you to forget everything that happened in that room, and also about you stabbing one of my employees."


    Julie internally frowned while having a poker face so that it looked believable that thepulsion was working on her. Wait, employee? She realized what was going on in here. This boy was the real owner of the motel.


    "Now let''s run a quick test," said the boy before questioning her. "How has your stay been in Rose Veil so far?"


    Bloody. Dark. Almost turned to someone''s dinner were the thoughts that passed in Julie''s mind.


    "Good," replied Julie, staring right into his bright red eyes.


    "Good," said the original owner of the motel.


    As if he had got the confirmation that the human wouldn''t step out of the motel and call murder, he slowly started to unbind the ropes that he had earlier tied around Julie''s body. "Now don''t panic. You won''t remember that you were tied with the ropes. Make sure to give good reviews to our motel so that we can get more customers. You can advertise it to your friends."


    Julie decided to stick with one-word answers, "Yes," she replied to him. It was the safest way from not being caught with her lies.


    Mr. Nottingham wound the ropes around his hand so that he could carry it out. But when he turned around, ready to leave, right at the same time, Roman appeared right in front of the room. When Roman''s eyes zeroed on Julie, he noticed the spot of blood on her face, and his eyes quickly snapped to look at the younger boy, who raised his hands as if to surrender.


    Mr. Nottingham whispered quickly, "There was a little mishap a couple of minutes ago, but we are all good now and I have erased her memory too. It is good to se¡ª"


    But Roman''s fist greeted the boy, and Julie flinched at the sound. She made hand actions as if not to hit him more.


    The young boy rubbed one side of his jaw, "That''s a new way of greeting. I knew I was going to get that." Looking at the human, he turned back to Roman and said, "Brook didn''t know she was your guest, and ended up agreeing to one of the customer''s requests. But I took care of it and everything is under control. Let me go and tell the maid to prepare something warm for you to drink."


    The young vampire quickly stepped out of the room and left.


    With just the two of them, Roman stood at the door and Julie on the opposite side of the room.


    Julie stared at Roman as if she hadn''t seen him for weeks when in truth, it hadn''t been that long. His ck hair was disheveled, and there was a frown on his face. He closed the room''s door and made his way to where she was.


    She felt her heart skip a couple of beats with every step he took towards her, and a smile threatened to break on her lips. It was as if he was a dream, who came alive with every step towards her.


    Julie walked towards him, "I thought we weren''t going to see each other for the next six da¡ª"


    Roman pulled Julie into his arms, hugging her tightly. A smile appeared on Julie''s lips, and she put her arms around his waist to hug him back. He said, "One day is too long, six would be hell."


    Though Julie had worn the clothes that belonged to him the previous night, having him like this was better than that. She took a deep breath, and everything faded around her with just him here.


    "Did they hurt you?" He pulled away from her, taking a look at her neck and face.


    Julie shook her head, "I am good, Rome." The smile didn''t drop from her face. But worry was quick to hover in her mind when she wondered how Roman was out of the cell. Did he break out of the dungeon? Her brown eyes met his red eyes, "What about Donovan and the others?"


    Roman brought his hand to Julie''s face, caressing her cheek, and for a moment, she closed her eyes to savour the feeling before opening her eyes. "Donovan got me out. He decided to cut my time in the dungeon."


    "Just like that?" questioned Julie with a small frown.


    "Not just like that," Roman tucked Julie''s hair behind her ear, letting his finger linger a little longer on the back of her skin. "Let us not worry about it right now." When his hand picked up one of her hands, he frowned, "Your hands are cold."


    Julie looked down at her hands, "It has been like this for a few minutes, but it is getting better. Do you know that boy personally?" she asked, her eyes moved to look in the direction of the door.


    "Emerson?" questioned Roman, "Yeah, I do. I sometimese here."


    "I thought so," replied Julie.


    Roman''s hand then moved to touch Julie''s face, where two drops of blood had sttered. The blood had dried and needed water to remove it. "Why do you have spots of blood on you?" he asked her, his eyes subtly narrowed with a grim expression on his face.


    "That..." Julie''s voice trailed before she exined to him what happened.


    After listening to her, Roman said, "Your abilities of being a witch must be manifesting."


    "I guess, this morning the mirror turned into a portal and thankfully the Corvin was here¡ªOh crap," Julie''s expression turned one to dread. "Corvin."


    "What is it?"


    "I... I thought you would be in the dungeon and told the Corvin to hand the letter to you. I hope it senses that you aren''t there in Veteris and wille back," she murmured in the end.


    Roman brought his hand forward, cing his hand on the side of Julie''s head, and he petted her, "It is good to know that you weren''t alone here and hadpany. Did you eat?"


    He asked her, his eyes looking behind her, noticing the food had been left untouched on the table.


    "I always have room for food," Julie let him know, and Roman was d to hear that she was doing fine not just physically but also mentally.


    "Let me take you out for dinner then," stated Roman, and Julie immediately agreed to it.


    "Give me two minutes," said Julie, and she went to the sink to wash her face. When she was done, Roman took a closer look at her face. "Better?" she asked him.


    "Mm," hummed Roman, lifting Julie''s face with his finger under her chin. His thumb caressed her jaw, and he was about to lean in when the young vampire named Emerson appeared, pushing the door with a tray in his hand.


    Emerson Nottingham had carried the tray without the maid''s help so that he could rectify the little incident that had taken ce with Julie. Julie was quick to clear her throat, and she looked in the other direction, while Roman looked annoyed. He sent a death re to the person at the door.


    "Ah ha ha ha, I uh, brought some refreshments. I didn''t know you were busy. Should have locked," said Emerson.


    "We''re going out. You don''t need to trouble yourself with it," remarked Roman, and he slipped his hand into Julie''s hand.


    Emerson''s eyes fell on their hands, "Out?"


    Roman walked to where the vampire boy stood, and he used his free hand to pick up one of the sses, drinking the blood until thest few drops and cing it back on the tray. He responded, "Yeah, you can refill the blood in the sk or in the canster."


    Emerson''s eyes subtly widened because he had onlypelled the girl, and Roman had openly spoken about blood. But then noticed no change in Julie''s expression, and he internally frowned. "Are you nning topel her again?"


    "Julie cannot bepelled," stated Roman, and the young vampire''s eyes widened in shock.


    "That''s not possible!" He narrowed his eyes, and he looked at the human in suspicion.


    Neither Julie nor the young vampire had expected Roman to expose them like this. Julie offered an awkward smile to the boy named Emerson.


    Roman didn''t pay attention to both of them and questioned, "Why did you give her a shabby room?"


    "I-well, I wasn''t expecting a guest of yours to be visiting here, and all the rooms had been upied. It was thest one we had," Emerson exined to Roman and proposed, "Now as one of the rooms is free with the two customers gone, I can have your things shifted to that room."


    Roman turned to look at Julie, and she said, "It is fine."


    She didn''t want to remember seeing the corpse of the two dead vampires by staying in the room.


    Emerson couldn''t believe that the girl couldn''t bepelled. This was almost impossible, he thought in his mind. Noting Julie''s response, the younger vampire offered, "I will tell the servants to change the sheets and to add extra logs of wood in the firece."


    "Sure," replied Roman. Turning, he tugged Julie along with him, away from the corridor and then from the motel.


    The weather outside was windy and cold, but with Roman next to her, Julie didn''t mind even standing near moltenva now. After walking some distance, they stepped into one of the diners.


    They walked to thest booth at the back, and Julie noticed the diner wasn''t as empty as the first one they had visited a few days ago. Julie was the first one to slide in to take a seat. But instead of Roman taking a seat on the opposite side of the table, he took a seat right next to her.


    When the waitress took their orders, Julie asked him, "This is an unusual town. How do you know about this ce?"


    "The motel and some other buildings that were constructed more than a decade ago, my father was responsible for it. The Nottingham''s are distant rtives of the Moltenore family," mentioned Roman in a nonchnt tone.


    "Does that mean you and that boy are rtives?"


    "Far cousins," replied Roman and Julie quietly wowed at this.


    Julie took a look ahead of them, where the waitress was taking the order from the table in front of them. With no one near to listen to their conversation, she asked,


    "Did he turn into a vampire in Veteris too?"


    "No, it was in this town. After the massacre took ce in Veteris," replied Roman, and Julie''s curiosity peaked. He exined, "He was some time after that, and his body stopped growing in two years after he was turned. He''s been living far longer as a vampire than I have as he never stayed in the casket like some of us. The Queenstorm has more vampires than the humans, and he caters to the night creatures, some of the customers demand."


    Last night, Julie hade to believe that the boy was one of the servants in the motel, but who would have guessed that he was the actual owner of the ce.


    "How are things in Veteris?" inquired Julie, wanting to know if something had happened during her absence.


    "Quite interesting. Griffin is spending some quality time in the dungeon by himself," and hearing Roman''s words, Julie''s eyes widened. "The management has decided to arrange a body check up for the students. To catch the person who is involved in the water contamination. The Elders are busy with it, so it is all good."


    At least that was what they thought.


    Same time in Veteris University, where the dungeon was located, Griffin paced back and forth in the small cell, while his temper only rose with every passing minute. He wanted to crush Roman because he knew it was Roman who was responsible for throwing him in here.


    While the vampire walked back and forth, the Corvin appeared behind him without letting him know of its presence. The creature disliked vampires as they were the main reason for causing chaos in this world while erasing the evidence of the destruction they caused. It didn''t understand why the girl was fascinated by this vampire, a kind who killed others.


    It pulled out the letter that Julie had written for the vampire and dropped it on the ground.


    Hearing the sound of something drop behind him, Griffin turned around, and his eyes narrowed when he saw a folded paper on the ground. He looked at the space outside the cell and then at the window to see if someone had thrown this at him.


    The Corvin was about to disappear from there, but when it saw the vampire''s face, something didn''t seem right. Thest time it was here to drop the letter, the boy was someone else. Who was this person?


    Griffin stared hard at the paper and was ready to pick it up. But just when his hand reached for the paper, out of nowhere, twigs appeared in front of him, and the next second, both the twigs as well as the paper disappeared from in front of him.


    He blinked a couple of times before snapping his head left and right to see what just happened!


    Back in the town of Queenstorm diner, where Julie was sitting with Roman on her right, they continued to speak, where it was Julie who spoke a lot, while Roman listened to her voice and watched her.


    Julie said, "I was thinking about visiting my house. Not my uncle''s, but the one where I used to live with my parents. The Corvin said that there is a possibility that my mother hid my abilities in a safe ce, so that I could live a normal life."


    "When do you want to go?" questioned Roman. "The monthly weekend holiday isn''t too far."


    Julie nodded her head, and she sighed.


    Roman had let her know that Donovan wanted to meet her, and she would have asked why. But then the answer was obvious. The Elder vampire wanted to see if she was suitable to stand next to Roman. Somewhere Julie felt as if she was going to meet her future mother-inw, or maybe in this case worse than that.


    By what Roman said, Donovan had said he wouldn''t harm or kill her. But it made her wonder what had changed the Elder vampire''s mind. There was a catch, wasn''t it?


    "Do you think it is a hunter, who tried to contaminate the water?" asked Julie in a low voice.


    Roman''s gaze was steady, and he said, "It can''t be. If it were a hunter, we would have been found out by now and there would have been bloodshed in Veteris. I thought it was Griffin, but it seems like I was only half right."


    "I hope there won''t be any bloodshed like in the past," came Julie''s small voice, knowing one could only hope, but no one could change the inevitable, especially with the Elder vampires awakening.


    "Don''t worry about that," said Roman. He ced his hand on her head and gently caressed it. "Dante and the others have always tried to keep the ce peaceful," though he couldn''t guarantee it.


    When Julie''s eyes raised from the surface of the table, she turned to look at him, and she saw how ck Roman''s eyes were. It reminded her of what the Corvin said about not being able to detect his emotions and that it was hollow. But she could sense them, his feelings reaching her.


    Sitting alone with Roman at the back booth, where the booth next to them was empty, Julie''s eyes shifted from his eyes to look at his lips before looking back at him.


    "Did the coughing get better?" whispered Julie, and Roman hadn''t moved his hand from the back of her head. He yed with her hair with his fingers.


    "It did," responded Roman, looking at her innocent soul through her eyes, which he could tell was slowly tainting because of him and the world she had stepped into. "It got better after drinking from you."


    Julie noticed Roman''s eyes fall on her lips when she parted it, and they leaned closer to each other. His lips parted, and just when they were going to kiss, someone called her,


    "Julianne?" It was a male''s voice, which was filled with surprise.


    A sliver of annoyance appeared in Roman''s eyes for interrupting his kiss with her for the second time. Julie turned her head, and her eyes widened. When she saw the person, and the girl, who stood next to him, the colour of her face paled slightly.


    The girl offered a smile to Julie and said, "I thought I would never see you again, Jules."


    "Natalie," Julie uttered her ex-best friend''s name, who stood with the boy, whom Julie once had a little crush on in the past.


    Was the world turning small, or was she travelling too much to meet people she didn''t want to meet? Julie questioned herself.

 Chapter 114 - Threat Of The Vampire Boyfriend

    <h4>Chapter 114 - Threat Of The Vampire Boyfriend</h4>


    More than a year ago...


    Julie was carrying notebooks of the students from the ssroom to the staffroom as asked by her teacher. She tried to keep her eyes forward as she was still getting used to wearing the sses. It had only been a week since she had started to wear them, and she was still trying to get used to it when it came to climbing down the stairs. It was because the distance from looking below the ss frames and then through the ss felt different.


    "Oh, look who is here. Is it the maid of our ssroom?"ughed one of the two girls who were climbing down the stairs while making their way past her.


    "I never knew it was possible for one to get even uglier than they already are,"mented the other girl and Julie stared at them.


    She didn''t know that people turn more stupid than they already were, Julie thought to herself, and while still ring at the two girls who walked ahead of her, she ended up missing one step, and the books from her hands scattered on the ground..


    The girls snickered, ready to pass anotherment on her, but they stopped seeing one of their ssmates, who was walking by. The person eximed, "Julianne!" The girls left as if they didn''t see her, while the boy named Keith came to where Julie was. "Are you alright?"


    "Yeah, I am fine," replied Julie, and she started to pick up the books from the ground. She couldn''t believe that she had tripped and fallen right when he was around. She saw him pick one of the books, and when her eyes moved up to look at the boy, she noticed his blonde hair that was neatlybed, and he wore his formal shirt.


    "I didn''t know you started to wear sses. Which one is it?" Keith asked her.


    Julie tried to move her lips before she answered, "Shortsightedness."


    "I see. So that''s the reason why you didn''t wave back at me," heughed at the thought. "I was wondering if something happened."


    Julie didn''t respond to it, and she picked up thest notebook before carrying them all in her arms. The reason why she hadn''t waved back at him earlier was because Natalie was with him. Didn''t he hear how Natalie had tried to embarrass her in front of everyone in the lunchroom?


    "Let me carry it for you," Keith offered, but Julie took a step backwards.


    Julie had considered Keith to be her friend, even though he was friends with Natalie, and it was because of the soft corner for the person. He had always been good to her, and every time they saw each other, he spoke to her. But it wasn''t the same when Natalie was present in the area. Her ex-best friend was hell-bent on making sure that she felt isted and no one spoke to her.


    "That''s fine, I can carry it myself," said Julie, not wanting one of Natalie''s new friends spotting them together as the girl would turn her life here worse than hell. She started to walk past him, when Keith called her,


    "Julianne," he paused for a second before he said, "I am sorry for what happenedst week. I wouldn''t have let that happen if I was there."


    Her face turned red, realizing he had found out how someone had poured their cold soup on her. Of course, it didn''t stop there, and Julie, in return, had sshed her soup on the person''s clothes. This had ended up with both the students at the principal''s office.


    "Keith! I thought we were going to watch that movie with me!"


    Hearing the girl''s voice, Julie and Keith turned in the direction where Natalie stood, who was at the end of the corridor.


    Julie noticed the sudden torn expression on Keith''s face, and she offered him a small smile, "I should get to the staffroom before Mr. Frank wonders where I went with the books."


    Keith smiled back at her, noticing how Julie was trying to avoid being near him, and she walked away from there.


    "You both looked quite chummy with each other,"mented Natalie, making her way to where Keith stood. She hooked her hand around his arm and said, "Anything important?"


    Keith shook his head, "Nothing. She just tripped and fell."


    "She must have purposely done it after seeing you nearby," Natalie sighed before saying.


    "She isn''t like that, Nat. What happened between both of you?" he asked her, and Natalie rolled her eyes.


    "I don''t even want to talk about it. Come on. I don''t want to miss the beginning of the movie."


    Julie''s thoughts came back to the present, where she was sitting in the diner with Roman. She cursed at her luck, wondering what her ex-ssmates were doing here.


    "It is so good to see you, Jules!" Natalie had a broad smile on her lips as if she was happy to find her here. "We were so worried as you suddenly stopped attending sses. We then heard what happened to your parents. Sorry to hear that."


    When Julie had moved away with a heavy heart and grief, she was also happy to be moving away from this person.


    Natalie opened her arms wide as if she was waiting for Julie toe forward and hug her, Thankfully, Julie was sitting on the corner and near the wall, and it was Roman, who was sitting near where Natalie stood.


    Seeing Julie make no effort to move from where she sat, Natalie dropped her hands, but her smile didn''t leave her face.


    "How are you?" Natalie''s tone was friendly. A person who saw them from outside would wonder why Julie was rude by not responding to the girl. But Julie was well aware of the true nature of her ex-best friend, as she knew Natalie''s facade was only for deceit. "Keith was worried about you, weren''t you?" she turned to look at the boy, who stood next to her.


    Julie''s eyes shifted from Natalie to look at Keith. It had been a while since shest saw them, or him. After her parent''s death, she had cut all the possible contacts with people whom she knew.


    Roman, who was sitting there and watching the little reunion with his backid back, noticed Julie smile at the boy. The expression on his face was barely fazed.


    Julie said, "I am good. What are you doing here?"


    To this, Natalie replied, "We were passing by and thought to have dinner before hitting the road again. But what a surprise to finally be able to meet you here."


    Julie let out a falseugh and responded, "Sometimes, fate is really funny."


    When Julie''s eyes met Keith''s eyes, she gave him a small smile, and he returned it.


    Keith spoke to her, "I am sorry about what happened to your parents. You should have called me," there was a hint of regret in his voice.


    Roman''s eyes subtly narrowed at the boy, who was being a little too nice with Julie. Not that he minded people being nice to her, but there was a look in the human''s eyes that told him that he had a thing for Julie. On the other hand, while Julie and Keith were exchanging a few words between them, Natalie''s eyes fell on Roman.


    "That is true," agreed Natalie, "It must have been such a difficult time.


    At first nce, the boy who sat next to Julie looked like a delinquent, but on second look, Natalie realized he looked like a handsome hunk. His entire attire was ck, and she noticed the ear cuffs on his ear and tattoo''s that peeked out from his shirt.


    The girl couldn''t help but wonder what this good looking person was doing with a person like Julie.


    Natalie looked at Julie and said, "It has been many months since west spoke to each other, you don''t mind if we sit here with you, do you?"


    At Natalie''s obvious enthusiasm, Keith looked a little torn as if he wanted to, but at the same time, he didn''t. Julie went to refuse,


    "Actually, we are¡ª"


    "Sure."


    On hearing, Roman agree, Julie''s eyes widened because she knew Roman didn''t like people''spany in general; then why was he inviting them to join their booth?!


    A bright smile appeared on Natalie''s face, and she pushed Keith to get inside the seat before she followed him and sat down, right in front of Roman.


    While the two newly joined people waited for Julie or Roman himself to introduce, he didn''t bother with it and remarked, "How do you know Winters?"


    Keith had been busy staring at Julie, who had turned way too prettier than thest time he had seen her, which was why he hadn''t taken note of the person whom she was with. His eyes fell on Roman, a slight frown appearing on his face, as he had the same question as Natalie on what this rowdy boy was doing with Julie.


    He replied to Roman''s question, "Julie, Natalie and I were once ssmates. We used to study in the same university. How do you know Julianne?"


    "I am her senior in the university," Roman gauged Julie''s ex-ssmates.


    "Where did you switch to, Jules?" asked Natalie in intrigue.


    "In Nevend," came the quick response from Julie, as she didn''t want Natalie to join Veteris even by ident next year. Hearing Julie''s answer, Roman''s lips twitched. He wondered if she was always like this, cute.


    Natalie stared at Julie for two seconds before she burst into chuckles, "You are funny. Are you not telling it because you feel the university is lower than the one we are studying in? You don''t have to worry, we won''t judge you."


    Keith, sitting in front of Julie, advised her, "You should try to apply back to join our university, Julianne. I am sure the management will reduce the fees and other expenses if it''s requested."


    Both Natalie and Keith believed that Julie was studying at a local university and probably had night sses. As the Julie they knew, she would never skip sses.


    Roman''s eyes subtly narrowed at the human''s persuasion to have Julie back. He put his arm behind Julie''s seat.


    Julie''s eyes turned to look at Roman, who didn''t bother to respond, and she said, "It is a good university," which was run by vampires. She added thest bit in her mind. When she realized this was one of the golden opportunities to smack Natalie with something, Julie finally replied, "It is Veteris University."


    Natalie and Keith''s eyebrows rose in surprise, while the girl''s expression was more of a shock than surprise. The smile that was on Natalie''s lips faltered, and she said, "Veteris that has the highest cut off and that has been ranked number one out of most of the university?"


    So this was how satisfaction felt like, thought Julie to herself.


    "Yes, the same one," Julie offered Natalie a smile. She then started to brag about it, "The education there is of high quality, and the dorms, it is like living in a five star hotel with the best food. You should see the people there," some are weird, said Julie in her head.


    There was a hint of doubt in Natalie''s eyes as if she didn''t believe Julie and that she was only bluffing.


    Julie could tell that Natalie was internally breaking her head in wonderment of how she had ended up in a university like Veteris. The answer was quite simple now, thought Julie. Be rted to the Corvin and go to ces.


    The waitress of the diner arrived at the table, "Is there anything you would like to eat?" she asked Natalie and Keith.


    Keith had lost his appetite, but he still decided to order something, "I would like to have a passion fruit lemonade." The waitress then looked at the girl.


    "I would like to have a burger with rare cooked steak in it," smiled Natalie with a smile on her face. When she turned to look at Julie, she noticed a small frown, and sheughed, "I changed my tastes a little. Do you want to try it?"


    "No, thank you," replied Julie. She then muttered, "Looks like you finally learned to share."


    If there was only Julie and Natalie, thetter would have scoffed on the face. Before Natalie coulde up with something, Keith asked Julie,


    "How are you managing the fees of Veteris? It must be quite expensive," he didn''t miss the way, the delinquent had ced his hand behind Julie''s seat.


    "I got it because of their admission test and my previous grades. There''s a concession in the fees to the students who have good grades," replied Julie, and Keith nodded his head in understanding.


    "Looks like all those years of studying in the library finally paid off," he smiled at Julie.


    "That''s what she used to like doing since the beginning, isn''t that right, Jules?" asked Natalie, and she then turned to look at Roman.


    If he was studying in Veteris, it only meant that he was wealthy and he looked too fine in her eyes. When Julie was studying in the same university, Natalie had never allowed Keith to mingle with Julie, trying to keep a tight leash. Natalie had left Keith just as he was while putting up a good front so that he would nevere to hate her directly, at least.


    She knew Julie had an inkling towards Keith in the past, and it had also spurred Natalie to get closer to him.


    Natalie coyly asked Roman, "She must be always busy staying behind the racks of the library."


    She stared deep into Roman''s eyes, where the pupil dted, and she tried topel him. But she noticed it didn''t work; she wondered what was wrong. There was hardly anyone who could resist her, but this person didn''t reply to her right away, and he held a look as if he was bored by the few words she spoke to him.


    Julie could already feel that Natalie was trying to make her move on Roman with her octopus tentacles, the same as she had done with many of them. It brought the familiar feeling of anxiousness as she had felt in the past. But Julie realized this was not anyone but Roman Moltenore to be swayed by Natalie''s acts.


    Roman remarked, "You are right. She''s always behind the back of the library rack¡ª" Natalie was going to smile further, but he added, "¡ªwith me, where no onees. We have some really good times together, don''t we?" He turned to look at Julie with a small smirk.


    Julie''s cheeks turned red at Roman''s words. He had purposely phrased his words that way so that it would sound as if they were up to no good.


    It had been a few minutes since the two strangers had joined the table, and Roman had heard the way the human boy showed his concern and worry for Julie. At Roman''s words, the look in the human''s eyes hardened as if he were unhappy hearing it.


    Roman had caught the look in the boy''s eyes the moment it fell on Julie. Surprise, and regret in the human''s eyes, but Roman didn''t care about it as the boy wasn''t someone he cared about. His phone started to ring, and he said to Julie, "I will be back in a minute."


    Julie nodded her head with a smile, and Natalie saw this little exchange. Once Roman left the table to take the call, Natalie remarked, "Who would have imagined that you could be a hoe."


    "Natalie," Keith warned her to stay quiet and not to create a scene.


    "What?" asked Natalie as if she hadn''t been rude. "Seeing how she has been living, I thought she was going to remain a virgin. How interesting to see the type of people whom you are associating yourself with."


    "It is better than the people whom I had when we were studying," Julie replied to Natalie.


    Neither Natalie nor Keith had expected Julie to p back at Natalie.


    "Looks like she''s including you too Keith, so much for taking her side," smiled Natalie, and Keith turned to her and said, "Stop it, Natalie."


    But Natalie had found Julie after a very long time, and she taunted, "I see you have dropped those sses and the shabby sweater. Did going to Veteris make you brave?"


    Julie picked up the cold drink, removing the straw before she took a sip from it. She then said,


    "Maybe. Or maybe it''s because I don''t have an insecure person like you to study with."


    This time Natalie''s face turned red. She ced her hands on the table and leaned in Julie''s direction, with her eyes narrowed, "Don''t think just because you are studying in some prestigious university you are above us now. Does this person whom you are with know how much of a coward you are?"


    Julie held onto the ss that still had half of the drink in it, "You must be talking about yourself, because the only coward I see is you. Does it hurt? To think that I am doing better than you."


    Natalie huffed, looking away before holding on to her own ss. She said, "You wish. You are still that scared little thing, and I can prove it to you. Just because you have dropped your pathetic looking attire, doesn''t mean anything has changed."


    "That''s enough, Nat. Cut it out," scolded Keith, but Natalie rolled her eyes.


    "Whatever. I am going to use the restroom," Natalie got up from her seat and walked away from the table.


    An awkward silence filled the table, and Julie turned to look through the window, staring outside at a car that just arrived at the drive-through.


    "I am sorry about that," Keith apologized to Julie on Natalie''s behalf. "I¡­ also want to apologize for not intercepting when things went wrong."


    In the past, Julie had a soft corner for Keith, but she didn''t anymore. He had done nothing but standby, watching things go haywire with her while not realizing what Natalie was doing to her in the past. Not wanting to create any more ufortable atmosphere around them, Julie said,


    "What happened is in the past, Keith," Julie''s brown eyes met the boy''s, and he stared back at her with his blue eyes. "I have moved forward from the past and I am happy where I am right now. You don''t have to apologize for it."


    He nodded his head, "I am happy to hear that."


    While Julie was sitting in the booth with her old ssmate at the backside of the diner, Roman was on a call with Maximus, "No, I won''t be...no. Yes, I will being tomorrow with her... Sure."


    He cut the call, and when he turned towards the backdoor of the diner, Roman caught sight of Julie''s ex-best friend leaning against it.


    Natalie had a smile on her face, and she said, "That was quite a long call. I was worried it would take a long time."


    Roman stared at the girl, already aware of what she was. He didn''t respond to her, his expression holding boredom, and he started to make his way towards the door. When he grabbed the door handle to open it, he was suddenly pushed against the wall, and Natalie had her hand on Roman''s shoulder as she came close.


    Natalie used her vampire strength to keep Roman against the wall, knowing there was nothing that she couldn''t get. Onepel, and that was all it took for her. She said,


    "We should try to meet sometime when you are free. You seem to be quite interesti¡ª"


    Roman''s hand was quick to catch hold of Natalie''s neck, his strength took her by shock before he pushed her against the wall. His ck eyes changed into a darker shade of red, and Natalie''s eyes widened.


    "Y-you are a vampire," she blurted.


    "At least you have the brain toprehend it," deadpanned Roman, looking at the girl with annoyance in his eyes. "I don''t like repeating myself so I will tell this only once. Get the fuck out of here and stop bothering Winters."


    Natalie tried to loosen Roman''s hand from her neck. She hade across many vampires, but this was the first time where she had been caught off guard, "I see now. You are feeding on her, which is why you have kept her near," she choked in the end when Roman squeezed her neck, and fear appeared in her eyes.


    "What are you doing here?" questioned Roman, and when she didn''t reply, he squeezed her neck for the little push of motivation she needed to answer him.


    Fear continued to rise in her eyes, "I-I, I am here to meet a vampire as this is a vampire town."


    "For what reason?"


    "Just like that because I was aske¡ª" Roman squeezed her neck further before pushing her to the side, and she coughed while touching her neck.


    Natalie''s eyes had gone wide as the saucers and she stepped away from him.


    "Touch me or her again, and you won''t have a head on top of your body," he threatened her in a low voice, as he red at her. "I have seen a lot of people like you, drunk in power, but let me tell you something. I have also sent them to their graves. Don''t think I won''t do that with you."


    Saying this, Roman made his way inside the diner, and his eyes narrowed at the boy when he heard the words of the boy to Julie,


    "If you ever need anything, you can always call me."


    Roman walked back to the booth, and he noticed the human''s hand that was going to ce on Julie''s hand that was on the table.


    He went straight to grab Julie''s drink, which had the human retrieve his hand back to his side. Bringing the ss to his lips, Roman directly took a sip from it, and he sat down next to Julie.


    Roman noticed the way the human boy subtly red at him, unhappy with his presence next to Julie. He ced the ss next to Julie and put his hand around her shoulder.


    Roman turned his gaze to look at Julie and said, "Your food has turned cold. Do you want to order something?"


    Julie shook her head, "That''s fine. I can still eat it. Everything alright?" she asked him.


    "Mm, it is now," responded Roman, looking straight into her eyes while ignoring the boy as if he didn''t exist.


    "Anything to take back to the room? The ce closes in three hours."


    Julie nodded at him, "Yeah, I would like that." It was always good to have emergency food.


    The human boy, who sat in front of the couple, watched the expression on Julie''s face where she appeared to be happy and when she smiled, his eyes subtly widened. It had been a while since he had seen her smile because of what Natalie had done. His eyes hardened, noticing how the boy next to Julie was marking his territory as if indirectly telling him to back off from her.


    Natalie appeared at the booth, looking a little shaken, when she took a seat next to Keith. Her eyes caught the way Roman had his hand around Julie''s shoulder, and she gritted her teeth.


    The waitress returned, "Is there anything else you would like to order?" Both Natalie and Keith shook their heads.


    "We are good," murmured Keith, and the waitress then turned to look at Julie and Roman.


    Roman picked up the menu and said, "Onerge fries, a chicken burger with extra cheese and another burger stuffed with rare steak. One chocte milkshake, two rolls of wrapped chicken and don''t add mayo and switch it with mustard sauce." He then turned to Julie and asked, "Did I get it right?"


    "Yeah," replied Julie, feeling the eyes of Natalie and Keith on her.


    "All of them are for take away," Roman passed the order to the waitress, who gave him a nod. "We''ll take it at the counter," and the woman left.


    After five minutes, the four of them stood up from their seats and walked to the counter. Julie noticed Natalie had turned much quieter than the time before she had gone to visit the restroom. She wondered if something happened because Natalie''s eyes kept darting towards Roman without looking at him directly.


    Keith paid the bill for what they ate, and before they left, he said to Julie, "Doe and visit when you are free."


    Julie nodded her head, a small smile on her lips, and she asked, "Where are you going from here?"


    "Natalie wants to meet someone. We''ll first go there and then head back home. What about you? Are there no sses today?" Keith asked Julie.


    "We do, but we are skipping sses today," replied Julie, and Keith nodded his head, even though he didn''t understand how Julie had changed so much. She had never been one to skip ss, less be in thepany of a guy like this. Knowing he had no right toment as time had passed, and he said,


    "I see. We should get going, it was nice to meet you," said Keith, and he stepped forward to hug Julie.


    Roman''s eyes narrowed, and if there was a beam ofser in his eyes, the human would have turned into ash now. Before the human could get closer to Julie, who stood on Roman''s right, he intervened by stepping forward. He turned and took the hug for himself.


    Julie''s eyebrows raised, wondering what exactly Roman was up to.


    Keith was engulfed in Roman''s hug, and he felt himself being squeezed and crushed, which he didn''t think was possible. In a low yet threatening voice, Roman said to the human,


    "Stay five steps away from her and speak. It will be good for your own health." He crushed the boy further in his arms before releasing. "It was a displeasure meeting both of you, and I would like to not see you hover anywhere near her again. There isn''t anything that I haven''t heard about what happened in the previous university where she studied."


    Roman''s words were direct, and Keith held a look of guilt in his eyes while Natalie ced her hand on the human boy''s hand and said, "We should leave."


    Natalie spared a look at Julie before she and the boy left the diner. Julie saw them walk out of there and leave in a car.


    "You scared them," murmured Julie.


    "Did you prefer otherwise?" Roman pulled out a piece of chewing gum from his pocket, bringing it in front of her. Seeing her shake her head, he unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth and started chewing on it.


    "I never said not to," responded Julie, and she turned again to look at the direction her ex-ssmates had left. Natalie looked like she had seen a ghost, and it brought a goofy smile to her lips.


    [Music Rmendation: Come back my love (Spotify)]


    "He seemed too interested in helping you," remarked Roman. The person at the counter had left to go to the kitchen, and Roman walked forward, cing his hands on the counter as they waited for their order to bepleted. "Did you have a good chat with him?"


    "It was a little awkward," she responded, and a quick frown appeared on her face. She whispered, "She''s turned too?"


    Julie saw Roman give her a nod, "I believe most of the past students turned against you because shepelled them to do so. I wonder why she didn''tpel this one. Did you get your closure over what happened between you and them?"


    Was that why Roman had agreed to having them join them at their booth?


    "I guess it was just a bit awkward to see them here after many months," replied Julie with a thoughtful look on her face. "It is strange. Things that once used to bother me, they seem insignificant now."


    "That''s a good thing to hear,"mented Roman, cing one side of his head on the counter. The expression on his face was serious, and he watched her. "And if you want to hear what I have to say, I think you are perfect the way you are Julianne Winters."


    "You are using my full name," murmured Julie.


    "What matters is what you think about yourself and not what others have to say, because in truth they don''t have a say in it. You might have a few cons like staying true to your name, troublemaker, but I think you are better than most I have met," stated Roman, and Julie smiled.


    Usually, peopleplimented someone with positive things, not cons, thought Julie to herself. This was Roman''s style.


    Roman paid the bill for what they ate and the takeaway food, which he picked up in his hand. When they stepped out of the diner, drops of rain had just started to fall from the sky. Which soon started to increase. Both Roman and Julie ran towards where Rose Veil''s motel was located.


    When they stepped inside the motel, both Roman and Julie were nearly drenched and right now, they could hear the sound of the rain pouring outside the motel. Behind the counter stood the man Julie had earlier stabbed, and he offered her and Roman a bow.


    "Would you like me to get the firece and the hot water filled, Mr. Moltenore?" asked the man.


    "Yes," replied Roman, and the man quickly left the ce where he had been standing.


    At the same time, they walked to the room that Julie had been given yesterday, and Roman unlocked the door.


    Julie rubbed her arms as she hugged herself. While Roman ced the food on the table, she saw a maid enter the room with a bucket of hot water poured into the bathtub, repeated two more times before bowing her head and leaving the ce.


    Roman walked to the door and locked it so that no one would enter the room like what had happened earlier.


    Julie went to the cupboard to pick the dried towels, and when she turned around, she saw Roman pulling out his shirt from his body.


    This was the first time where Julie and Roman were sharing a room. The bathroom was not exactly a room but was in the same room, which was separated by a wooden divider.


    Julie pulled the cupboard door and picked the towels. When she turned around, Roman stood right in front of her, and her heart tumbled in her chest.


    Roman stared at her, "Do you have ns to catch a cold?"


    "No," Julie breathed the words.


    "Good. It would be better to get inside the water when it''s still hot," said Roman, taking the towel from her and walking behind the wooden divider.

 Chapter 115 - Am I The Vampire Or You Are?

    <h4>Chapter 115 - Am I The Vampire Or You Are?</h4>


    Julie''s mouth opened to ask Roman if they were going to take turns to take a bath or if he meant they would get into the bathtub together. When she saw him pull down his jeans, she turned to look the other way while her cheeks were quick to turn red.


    It wasn''t like she hadn''t seen him in his boxers before, but Julie doubted that Roman was nning to get into the bathtub wearing it. She heard the rustle of the clothes, and she softly gulped. They had been going out for quite some time now, so it shouldn''t be too bad, she said to herself. And they had stripped their clothes in front of each other, the only difference this time was that they were stripping all the other pieces of clothing on them and getting in the tub naked.


    Her virgin heart was going to explode, and she took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart that was thundering out of nervous excitement.


    There were shes of light outside the room''s window and soon a thunder struck from the sky, shaking the room''s windows. The room had a soft golden glow because of the lit candles on the stands fixed on the walls. Some light emitted from the firece, and it felt as if, for this moment and time, she had gone back in time when Roman was human.


    Julie heard the sound of water running in the bathtub that had hot water in it.. She realized she was being an idiot by standing here, doing nothing.


    When her nose tingled, she sneezed, "Achoo!"


    Julie''s mind started to run wild with images, and she shook her head as if to bring her mind back to the present and not to space out while keeping Roman waiting for her to join him.


    Roman stood on the other side of the room, behind the wooden divider that separated the bathing area from where the bed and dressing table were. His eyes moved from the wavering water to look at Julie through the carved hollow designs of the wooden divider. His face was expressionless, that didn''t let out his actual emotions slip out from his mind.


    His ck eyes flickered between two colours before they settled to his vampire eyes that were red. He took in the way Julie''s wet clothes clung to her skin as she was drenched. Her hair was wet, and her skin appearing pale because of the wetness and the cold weather.


    Some pieces of her hair stuck to her face and neck. Roman could tell she was nervous. She didn''t dare to look in the direction of the bath.


    Roman bent to check the temperature of the water and turned off the faucet so that the cold water filling in? wouldn''t overflow and spill out of the bathtub.


    After gathering enough courage, Julie finally removed her blouse. When her hands went to reach for the button on her jeans, her fingers lightly shook. She wasn''t sure if it was because of the cold or because of the obvious anticipation of what could happen in the bathtub.


    As her jeans were wet, it felt as if they had shrunk in size, and she tried to get them off her legs. While doing so, her back hit Roman''s cold chest, and a gasp escaped from her lips.


    "Need help with that?" offered Roman.


    Julie''s jeans were half pulled down, and she was in an awkward and embarrassing position. Her lips parted, and her small voice came out, "It got tight."


    "I can tell,"mented Roman, and he walked around her. Julie noticed he was in his boxers. He bent to her level, his hands reached for the fabric, and he pulled it down, "Lift your leg."


    Julie did as she was told, and she then lifted her other leg forward, and Roman pulled it down. She finally stepped out of it, and he stood up and said, "Turn around."


    She wondered if he had turned impatient with the way she was dawdling earlier.


    Julie turned her back to face him while she stared at the mirror that wasn''t too far from where they stood. She watched their reflection and saw Roman had a concentrated look on his face. When his cold fingers touched her back, Julie closed her eyes to stop her body from shivering. Roman heard Julie''s heart hitch when his fingertips touched her.


    She quickly pushed her wet hair on both sides over her shoulders to cover her breasts. Roman unfastened the hooks of her bra, and soon the fabric loosened its hold on her bosom.


    Before Roman would ce his hands on her waist, Julie whispered, "I-I will do the rest."


    Roman''s eyes met hers in the reflection of the mirror, and he said, "I will be in the bath."


    Julie nodded her head and watched Roman walk back to the other side of the wooden divider.


    Once she dropped her bra to the side, she pulled down her underwear, pushing it next to the bra. Her feet moved slowly, one step at a time. Nervously, she made her way towards the bathtub where Roman was already sitting.


    Roman was sitting on one side of the bathtub, and he had chosen to sit on the side where he was facing her now. His eyes watched the way her brown hair looked darker and the way she held her hands in front of her chest.


    As much as Julie tried to be brave, Roman saw through her expression, noticing anxiousness filled in those big brown eyes. Her body was petite but with the right amount of curves on it. Her thighs were pressed against each other as if trying in hope to hide what was between them, with her legs crossed.


    Unlike Roman, who boldly watched Julie without blinking even once, Julie didn''t dare to look below the surface of the water, where the sight of his lower body was blurry. A few candles had been lit around here, giving out enough light one needed to see things around them.


    If Roman wasn''t looking at her, maybe Julie would have let her eyes roam at him too.


    As much as Roman wore a passive expression on his face, there was something very dark that lingered in his eyes, as if, if she tried to run away now, he would pin her down and devour her.


    Julie quickly walked, and lifting her legs one after another, she got inside the bathtub and sat down, sitting opposite Roman. She noticed that apart from the candles on the stands, there was one candle, which Roman had kept right next to him. The light that spilt on him gave a tanplexion, looking like an Adonis with his muscles and inked body.


    "There are no bubbles," murmured Julie, realizing how clear the water looked now, where one could see their lower halves below the surface of the water. Thankfully it was nighttime, else everything would have been more visible than now, she thought in her mind.


    "There''s soap, but that will take a while to make bubbles and personally I prefer to see you without the bubbles hiding you," came Roman''s unfiltered words, and blood rushed up Julie''s neck, and it came to settle on her face.


    Julie''s legs touched Roman''s legs as the tub wasn''t too big but of moderate size. "Maybe I should put on some music on my phone," she thought out loud while feeling Roman''s intense gaze on her.


    Roman raised his hands towards her, stretching them for her to take, and Julie ced her hands in his. He quickly pulled her towards him, which she hadn''t expected as she thought he had only meant to hold it. Water sshed out from the bathtub, which in turn lowered the amount of water in it.


    Julie ended up sitting right in front of Roman, her face near him, her hands were on his chest to support her body. She stared into his red eyes.


    Roman brought his right hand towards her face, caressing her cheek with the back of his fingers before letting it down. He said,


    "There have been too many distractions today," Julie felt her heart shudder when he moved forward and ced his hand on her back, sliding it around her waist. Roman pulled her in a way where she was sitting on his legs, facing him.


    They sat skin to skin. Julie''s body temperature rose, and her heart began to pick its pace. Roman didn''t look away from her.


    "I never thought I would one day be annoyed with the fact that you once had remote feelings for another person," the hold of his hand on her waist turned firm so that she wouldn''t move back while he brought his other hand near her neck.


    "I don''t like him the way I like you," replied Julie, watching him staring at her neck. "Not even in the past was I fond of him the way I am with you."


    "I know. I can tell that," responded Roman. "But for some reason it still irks me, even though I have no control of it as it was in the past."


    She did have an inkling that he was jealous, but she didn''t know that it had bothered him. It was because he hadn''t said anything. Her eyes fell on his inked chest, and she said, "I don''t think he or anyone for that matter will ever be able to amount to the person you are and how much I like you."


    Julie looked up at him.


    One side of Roman''s lips curled, and the look in his eyes changed to something that she had noticed only on rare asions. He pushed one side of her hair that had been resting on the front of her shoulder behind.


    Julie blushed, and when her hand went to touch her hair, Roman caught hold of her hand and said, "Let it be."


    Roman stared at Julie with his undivided attention. One hand of his weaved through her hair, and he said, "Part your lips, love," as he angled his face.


    When Julie parted her lips, Roman dived in, and he covered her mouth with his. The world around her melted. His lips moved against her, and just as she thought, he devoured her little by little as if he was savouring her.


    With the water around them and sitting on Roman''s legs, Julie lost herself to him. She moved her lips against his, keeping up with his actions and returning his feelings. There was something very exhrating about the kiss, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if it was because of the little distance they had shared recently.


    Their tongues rubbed against each other, their lips sucking each other now and then, and Roman''s kiss overpowered Julie as he sucked and nibbled on her lips. Even though they had eaten a little in the diner, it looked as if they were both hungry for each other to consume the other person.


    Julie wound her hands around Roman''s neck before she weaved her fingers through his thick hair. Roman''s hands were sensual, moving from her shoulders to touch her back, bringing her closer to him, where they both dissolved in each other''s touch.


    The rain continued to pour, numbing the other possible sounds from outside the motel while leaving Roman and Julie in their own world.


    Julie had folded her knees, and with Roman, who had pulled her closer, she felt Roman''s member touch her, and it startled her. The blush on her face came in full force. He didn''t let her go and continued to steal her breath until he had her breathless in his arms.


    Roman didn''t stop there, and his lips peppered kisses down her neck until he reached near the swell of her bosom.


    Julie trembled under the touch of his lips even though it wasn''t as cold as the first time their lips had touched. His lips grazed and hovered above her skin. A blissful sigh escaped from her lips when he pressed his lips for longer than a second, and he pulled away from her so that he could look at her.


    Roman''s red eyes stared at Julie''s bosom, and he pushed her hair which had been lying on the left side of her shoulder so that he could look at her body under the warm candlelight. He could hear her heart beating faster.


    He used the back of his fingers to brush the tips of her breast, noticing her shiver and a soft gasp escaping from her lips.


    Julie knew Roman had been with several girls before her, but it didn''t bother her or make her doubt if she was enough, as much as he thought she was. It was because he looked and treated her like she was the one in his life.


    She wondered if this was how it felt, to surrender emotionally and physically without any barriers and to be epted wholly as who you are.


    Roman''s expression was one ofplete seriousness. His gaze was simr to stoking and fanning the coals in her until she was burning bright and red in fire for him.


    Roman looked up at Julie, where she was looking at him as if taking pleasure by the touch as well as the sight of what he was doing. Earlier she had looked somewhere between a scared bunny and wanting to be brave, and now that the veil of shyness had been discarded, her emotions were turning bare for him to look at.


    He brushed her tips torturously slow with his thumb this time, and he saw Julie''s eyes dte in pleasure. Her lips parted, breathing through it and fascinated by her reaction, he repeated his action and heard the way how her heart hitched. The soft tips were quick to turn hard because of his cold hands.


    Using his other hand to hold her back, Roman lowered his head towards Julie''s chest, and he captured one of the tips in his mouth. He sucked the hardened bud into his mouth, hearing Julie take a sharp breath and her hands came to settle on both of his shoulders.


    These sensations were new to Julie, and her eyes rolled back. Her body would have moved back if it weren''t for Roman, who had his arm around her waist.


    She felt Roman''s lips pull and rub, nibble and suck her nipple until she didn''t know what to do with the overwhelming arousal that hit between her legs. A moan escaped from her lips when Roman tugged it with his teeth. He gave the same attention to the other breast while his hand moved to the other breast, which he had treated to toe-curling pleasure, cing it on the side of the curve.


    When he bit hard, she flinched, "Rome..." his name spilt out of her lips, which was heavily coated with desire.


    Hearing his name from her lips only pushed Roman further, and he sucked harder, where her body arched backwards.


    At the same time, Julie lowered her body unconsciously such that she felt Roman''s manhood right between her legs, and the little rub of friction felt like an invitation to Heaven. But at the same time, she was embarrassed.


    The thought of Roman turning aroused because of her made her chest puff up. That she was able to elicit simr emotions in him and she didn''t feel left behind.


    "Ah!" a small cry escaped from Julie''s lips.


    Roman had bit into her skin at the top of her bosom, his fangs sunken into her skin, and Julie''s nails dug into his shoulders. The skin where he bit was more sensitive than her neck and hands, and she hadn''t expected Roman to take a bite there.


    Roman sucked gentler than he had with the tip of her breasts, and once he drank enough blood from her, he pulled his mouth away from her. Julie saw his tongue peek out and lick the skin where he had bitten a few seconds ago.


    "Did that hurt too much?" Roman asked her, and Julie stared at him, where her face had turned bright red.


    If her body wasn''t running on such high pleasure because of him, it would have been painful, like two syringes pricking her skin.


    "Let me show you," said Julie. The best way to exin was a demonstration, she thought in her mind.


    Julie moved her arms over his shoulders while leaning towards him, and she went right at his neck and bit him. Roman''s teeth clenched because Julie seemed to want to make her point known, but he didn''t oppose, instead he was intrigued by it.


    Julie had chomped on his skin, marking it with her teeth. When she released his skin from her teeth, she leaned again and ran her tongue on the skin, simr to the way he did it. She could tell by his hands that tightened around her waist that he felt it.


    Wanting him to feel the same way he made her feel, Julie''s hands moved across the length of Roman''s shoulder.


    She kissed him up to his neck while also noticing the mark she had left on him. Julie asked him, "Will it heal soon?"


    "Do you want the mark to stay?" questioned Roman, running his hand from the nape of her neck down her lower back that dipped into the water in the bathtub.


    Hisrge hand came to settle on the side of her bottom before it moved to feel the roundness. And though Julie was in the water, she stood on her knees to match his height while he was sitting; it gave him easy ess to her.


    "I guess, else I will be the only one with¡ª"


    Julie''s words fell short when Roman squeezed one side of her bottom. Until now, she hadn''t done things like these. Thankfully, her face was hidden from his sight, and to return his action, she bit into his ear lobe. She heard him hiss at the bite.


    Roman''s eyes narrowed, and he remarked, "I wonder if between the two of us it is you who is a vampire."


    Hearing Roman''s words, Julie grinned, and she pulled herself back to look at him. The more minutes they spent together like this, the morefortable she started to feel. She was d that he was taking it slow with her and grateful that he was considerate of her feelings.


    Curious, Julie asked him, "Rome," while looking into his eyes.


    "Hm?"


    "Can vampires drink blood from other vampires?" It would be like cannibalism, or here to rightly be said, vampirilism. If that was a word, thought Julie in her mind.


    "The Elders can, and a few handful vampires," Roman answered her curious question.


    "Have you ever been bitten by Donovan or anyone else?" she continued to ask him, feeling both his hands settling below her bottom. She bit her bottom lip.


    "No. Though most of the turned vampires were once bitten by vampires when they were humans, I haven''t," replied Roman, "And vampires prefer to drink human blood rather than another rotten vampire''s blood. Seems like you wanted to ask something else."


    Did he notice it? Julie asked in her mind. Hershes lowered to the tattoos that were inked on his chest and stretched to his hand.


    She asked him, "I, um, you did things and I was wondering if I could do them for you too."


    Roman stared at Julie, wondering if she really meant what she said or if she was only saying it because he had pleasured her, and she felt like she had to repay it. He brought one of his hands to ce it below her chin, holding her entire attention, and he said, "And why do you want to do that?"


    "W-what kind of question is that?" Wasn''t it obvious? She asked herself.


    "Answer it," stated Roman, his red eyes swirling in its darkness as he felt his blood lust surfacing up, and he curbed it down, pushing it away while watching Julie trying to frame her answer as if she was answering an exam.


    Julie cleared her throat and then said, "Because I want to?" her cheeks turned even warmer than before, and she wanted to drown herself in the bathtub. But with all the moving they had done, the water level in the bathtub had decreased, and it would need to be refilled.


    Roman''s hands then held her waist while he stood up in the bath along with her. Leaning forward, he kissed her soft lips, and he said,


    "Alright."


    "Okay," came out Julie''s whisper.


    While Roman was curious to know what Julie had on her mind, on the other hand, Julie told herself that this was the time to use all that extra research that she had done which was out of the sybus.


    Catching hold of her hand, he said, "Let''s move this to the bed."


    Picking up the towels they had brought in here earlier and dried themselves a little before making their way towards the lonely bed, with their footsteps imprinting on the floor with water.


    Julie saw Roman sit on the bed, and she finally took the courage to look at his manhood that looked big and had turned hard. Oh God, she whispered in her mind.


    Roman brought his hand forward to guide her, and she was thankful that he wasn''t forceful or dived into things immediately. She ced her hand in hisrge hand, which ensped and tugged her between his legs.


    The look in Roman''s eyes was serious as he said, "I know this is your first time, so if you ever feel you cannot do it, you stop. Okay?"


    As eager as Julie was, thest thing he needed was her feeling overwhelmed by it. She nodded her head.


    He whispered on her lips, "I am all yours."


    He let go of her hand, letting her do whatever she had on her mind, while he ced his hands on the surface of the bed.


    It was true that Julie was eager to please Roman, but in her mind, the setting was less intimidating than it was right now. There was too much space around and between them, and they were both naked, one sitting on the edge of the bed and the other standing in front of the bed.


    Julie then took a step closer, cing her hand on Roman''s shoulder, she pushed him to get on the bed and followed him. Roman sat with his legs stretched on the bed and his back against the four pillows that were ced against the headrest.


    Softly gulping, while a little bashful, her hand slowly went to hold his throbbing manhood, which was indeed warm and hard.


    She felt it pulse, and while she was getting familiar with it, and sensed his gaze on her. When Julie looked up, she saw he was staring at her. For a moment, she was frozen, not because she didn''t know what to do, but because his daunting eyes had stopped her mind from functioning right.


    If she was a system, she was sure she would be beeping with ''system error''.


    She came out from her thoughts when Roman ced his hand on hers. She turned red and more aware of what she was doing, but Roman helped her continue. He moved her hand along with his. Same like he had guided her with many other things, he tried to help her, "Move it up and down."


    Julie saw his eyes had turned ck, but on a closer look, it hadn''t. It was just that his red eyes had turned darker, making it appear ck.


    Her eyes lowered down at his manhood, noticing how Roman was blessed when it came to his built body.


    "Not too firm," guided Roman, and she did as she was told.


    Roman let go of her hand. She tried to get familiar with the way his manhood felt in her hand as she continued to move it.


    Roman had gone back to leaning against the headrest, while he watched her trying to arouse him further. When Julie felt like she had moved it enough, she gently ran her thumb at the tip of his hard member. It felt soft, she thought in her mind. She ran her finger again over it, and heard Roman hiss. And when her eyes met his eyes, she noticed his eyes had subtly narrowed.


    "Looks like you have indeed studied the anatomy," murmured Roman, and Julie blushed at his words. He said it because she had once told him how she knew things through the help of Google.


    Remembering how it was done and being a little braver, she lowered her head while moving back.


    Coming face to face, she gave the manhood''s head a little lick and she heard a hum of approval appear from Roman. It seemed like so far, she was doing it right and Julie once again wrapped her hand around his manhood, moving her hand while feeling his hard member continue to throb in her hand.


    Julie then put Roman''s member in her mouth, starting it with little by sucking it, and she heard him hiss. She took a quick look at him, and noticed his face was slowly sinking itself with pleasure. It had always been her, who had lost herself in this aroused state and to see him like this, there was something very intimate about it.


    Once she wasfortable with the head of manhood, she then took it a little more of him into her mouth. She sucked it, feeling the soft and hard member that had a hint of saltiness to it.


    Roman''s jaws clenched, feeling Julie''s sweet mouth wrap around his member. It was nothing like he had ever felt before. He wondered if she knew how hot the scene was in front of him with the way her innocent eyes looked up at him. He wanted to pull her up and kiss her senseless before leading her to the dark side of desires with him, where he would have her cry and moan in pleasure.


    Soon, said Roman to himself.


    While she was working on bringing him to his climax, she felt Roman weave his fingers through her hair, pushing it to one side. When her eyes met his, he stared at her. She caught the erotic expression on his face. When her tongue peeked out, giving another lick to the tip, Roman cursed through his gritted teeth,


    "Fuck!"


    There was something very alluring yet dangerous with the way Roman looked at her right now. Julie''s heart skipped a beat, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered when did she turn so brave.


    Julie pulled away from Roman''s manhood for a moment, as if she had taken a pause while they stared at each other without any words. She then tilted her head before running her tongue from the base of his shaft to the tip of manhood''s head. Her hands had moved to ce it on Roman''s legs for support, before trying taking him back into her mouth.


    She bobbed her head up and down, and she realized the faster she moved, the more she heard curses and hisses escape from Roman''s lips.


    Roman could feel his arousal hitting its peak, and he said through gritted teeth, "That''s enough, sweetheart."


    Julie saw Roman run his hands through his hair as if she was slipping his control away from him.


    "Pull away, Winters," he warned her, but Julie continued and just when she pulled her face away from him, Roman released the arousal she had caused in him.


    Julie sat upright, and though her jaws hurt a little, seeing Roman with his head thrown back with his eyes closed while he softly heaved, the pain was worth it.


    When Roman opened his eyes, he looked at her. Words didn''t have to be spoken, as they were conveyed through their eyes. Pushing himself, he moved to where she was and kissed her, a kiss that was slow and soft.


    His hand came to her face, wiping the small spot of liquid that had fallen on her cheek. She couldn''t help but blush over what she did, a shy smile on her lips, while he stared at her.


    Julie was ted just seeing Roman''s satisfied look on his face, and when she was ready to get down from the bed to get back and finish their bath, he caught hold of her wrist to stop her. She turned to look at him with a question in her eyes.


    Roman remarked, "Not yet. I want to try something."

 Chapter 116 - Twisted Sheets Of The Bed

    <h4>Chapter 116 - Twisted Sheets Of The Bed</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Burst into mes - Cavale


    ¡ª


    Julie felt Roman graze his thumb against her wrist, where he still held her. At his words, her heart skipped a beat, and she wondered what Roman had on his mind. She felt him pull her towards him, and he said,


    "Stay here. I will be back in a second."


    Julie watched Roman get down from the bed while she sat down with her knees folded, and she looked at Roman''s taut back.


    Her eyes followed him, staring at his shoulders and the back muscles that moved when he went to pull the cupboard. His firm body tapered towards his waist, and she had held on to him earlier when they were in the bathing tub. She saw the way there was some sort of writing on the back of his body. She watched Roman pull out drawers in the room, rummaging through the things while searching for something. She wondered what he was looking for..


    Roman then turned to look at the clothes Julie had wornst evening before leaving Veteris, and his eyes fell on her scarf. He picked it up and came back to where Julie was on the bed.


    Her throat went dry on seeing it, where she already had a faint idea of what he was nning to do.


    "Your hands," said Roman. The look in his eyes had changed to something dark and serious, and he said, "Don''t be scared."


    Julie brought her hands forward, and he tied the scarf around her hands, binding them together as if he was going to kidnap her. Maybe kidnapped to pleasurend, the thought passed by her mind.


    The chiffon scarf had dried, and Roman tied both her wrists so that it wouldn''te loose while leaving the ends long.


    "Too tight?" he asked her.


    Julie shook her head, "No," she whispered.


    Roman gauged Julie''s expression, noticing the curiosity as well as anxiousness in those eyes of hers. Her hair had dried at the top, while the ends were still wet. He suggested,


    "Let us get you to afortable position, shall we," he picked her up in his arms and brought her to ce her near the headrest while letting hery t on the bed. Pushing the pillows away, he raised her hand to ce it above her head before tying the long ends of the scarf to one of the bars of the bed. He then put back the pillow so that she wouldn''t end up hitting her head on the metal rodter.


    In the meantime, with her body spread on the bed and her hands stretched back, her heart softly continued to beat in anticipation, watching Roman''s face. His features held a shadow along with the golden glow of the candles and the firece, noticing his sharp jaws and his eyebrows looked darker, along with the eyes under it.


    When the red eyes met the brown ones, Julie heard Roman''s words, "It might hurt a little."


    "Are you going to bite me again?" asked Julie, not knowing which part of her skin he was nning to bite next.


    "Yes, but something better than that," replied Roman, his words were calm, but his eyes looked like they held a fire that was soon going to unleash. "Rx and feel it. Okay?"


    Julie nodded her head, "Okay."


    Roman bent down and kissed her lips, drawing her out of her shell more. Julie tasted Roman lips, feeling his tongue rub against her until she felt as if she was melting, while not knowing he was only getting started with the way he wanted to love her. He pressed his lips against her cheek and then to her jaw. His lips slowly grazed against the surface of her skin, travelling from her neck, moving downwards to the valley of her breasts.


    Julie''s body flinched, not because his actions were painful, but they were ticklish, and she tried not to move too much. Roman left wet kisses on her chest, not leaving the opportunity to show his love towards her. His mouth enclosed one of her breasts, sucking it before blowing air at it.


    A gasp escaped from Julie''s lips, feeling the change in the sensation that had switched from his hot mouth to the cold air.


    Roman''s hands slowly moved on both sides of her body, tracing soft lines with his fingertips that felt nothing less to a feather-like touch. His hands moved to settle on her waist, feeling the curve of her body, while he continued to kiss her on the underside of her breast before going lower. When Roman''s lips touched her stomach, another gasp escaped from Julie''s lips, and her chest heaved up and down with the thrill that he was offering her.


    Julie''s hand stopped her from moving.


    Roman pulled his head away from her, with his legs ced on either side of her body as he stared at her. Their eyes met, and he asked her, "Good?"


    "Yes," replied Julie, her cheeks had turned pink, and her lips parted.


    When Roman was with her, there was something about him that made her feel as if she ran a mile because he often left her breathless.


    His hair looked tousled, and his gaze transfixed on her. He moved below his hand below her stomach.


    Julie''s stomach was quick to dip when she felt his fingertips draw out lines on her skin, evoking sensations that had her body pushed back towards the surface of the bed.


    It was like a hurricane in her stomach, and she bit her lip when Roman continued to torture her by running his hand over and over again until she finally called out his name,


    "Rome!"


    "Mm?"


    When her eyes met his again, she felt as if a devil possessed him, or he was the devil himself, who had personallye to torture and please her at the same time. It looked like he was enjoying seeing her tremble and shake under his wicked touches. And he did. Roman watched Julie writhe on the bed, naked for him to look. He doubted there would be anything ever this beautiful he would ever get toy his eyes or hands-on ever in his life again.


    His hands moved down, and when he cupped her sex, Julie''s lips parted more.


    Some parts of her skin had turned red because of Roman''s nibbles, and some sides of her skin on her back held lines that were caused by his nails. Her skin was sensitive under his touch, and it was quick to respond to him.


    Julie tried to keep her eyes on Roman, but it was impossible to look at him when his finger ran across the length of her sex, and her chin raised while her eyes momentarily closed on feeling it.


    She heard Roman say, "You don''t have to hold yourself back in here. No one will hear you."


    She looked back at him when he pushed her legs away from each other, and she saw him sitting between her legs. He continued to rub his finger against her wet core, and the more he did it, the wetter it turned, and she was losing the ability to think anything other than what she felt. Julie was aroused, and she felt an ache build between her legs.


    When Roman''s finger lightly probed her entrance, Julie''s hands tried to pull, and her heartbeat quickened. Her toes dug into the surface of the bed when she felt him press his finger further.


    "Breathe, love," Roman tried to calm her, and hearing the word of endearment from him turned her putty in his hands.


    Julie took deep breaths, trying to calm her quivering body from the burst of sensation she felt from Roman''s finger, which had gone back to rubbing her between her legs. And while she was doing that, Roman pushed his finger inside her wet sex.


    "Ah!" Julie whimpered, her back arched at the sudden intrusion.


    It felt strange to have something inside her, and she gripped the iron rod above her head. Her eyes moved to look at where Roman was sitting. She saw him pull his finger out of her, which was covered in traces of her blood. His eyes met hers, and he brought his finger in front of his lips, and he sucked it in his mouth.


    Julie''s eyes widened. The sight in front of her was too erotic and hot for her mind to be able to process.


    "Is it too painful?" Roman asked her, his voice deep and sensual to her ears. He believed it was better to prepare her beforehand instead of having him directly without any prior preparation.


    She said, "You know when the doctor says he''s going to count till three but he skips two numbers?"


    Roman''s lips subtly twitched at Julie''s words, "Better than prolonging the fear," he stated, and ced both his hands on her smooth thighs, spreading them apart while stretching them.


    From where Julieid, she watched Roman and the daunting expression on his face. With the way he looked at her, her body started to tingle with desire and need.


    The scent of her blood wafted and surrounded where Roman sat, and without waiting anymore, he dived towards her warm sex that was waiting for him to taste her.


    A few days ago, when Roman had pleasured her in the lonely and darkroom behind the back theatre, she didn''t believe it could get better than that. But she was wrong. Because when Roman''s tonguepped on her wet sex, that pain she felt earlier was quickly reced with pleasure.


    He ran his tongue top the arousal that hade to pool between her legs before he kissed and nibbled on it. Julie had started to pant, a subtle amount of fog escaping from her lips. He pushed his tongue inside her throbbing core.


    "AH!" another moan spilt out from her lips.


    Her back had arched itself, and Roman brought his hands to hold the sides of her bottom, keeping her in ce.


    He continued to lick andp over her entrance, tasting the blood because of the earlier probe. She tasted sweet, and he was addicted to her. Putting his mouth over her wet sex, which only turned wetter because of her arousal, he sucked her and heard Julie''s moans and sighs filling the room.


    Julie closed her eyes, the sensation of Roman''s tongue pushing her to a blissful state. Her feet raised themselves, unable to keep her body, and it trembled at his touch. Her feet dug into the bed, pulling it near her as she dragged them backwards, feeling fireworks ready to explode in her body.


    When he lightly nipped her skin, her eyes flew open, feeling the pain that was quick to rece itself with pleasure again.


    She felt Roman''s grip on her bottom turn firm as he continued to suck and lick her, swirling his tongue around her wet sex while leaving her puffing for air.


    Her legs started to tremble, and she could feel that she was going to climax soon. Julie wished her hands were free so that she could weave her fingers into Roman''s hair and let him know that she was going to relieve herself soon, as she couldn''t form proper sentences in her mind to reach her lips.


    "R-Rome-ah!" Julie stuttered, but Roman didn''t pay attention to her words, and he continued to suck her, eating her out; and it took a couple of minutes before her sexual arousal hit the spot, and she finally came.


    But Roman didn''t pull away from between her legs, and he continued to lead her to another orgasm. He didn''t go easy on her, and the movements of his lips turned fiercepared to thest few minutes.


    Julie''s throat had be dry with all the sighs and moans that had spilt from her mouth. As Roman pushed her towards another orgasm, she didn''t have control over her body, and soon she reached another climax.


    She panted, her eyes were closed, and her chest heaved up and down as she floated in the feeling of being in the clouds. Her body hummed with the two orgasms she had¡ª


    Julie''s body shook when Roman''s tongue swirled at her entrance before he pushed it in. She gulped at the thought that he wanted her to go for the third time.


    "Rome?" her voice came out as a whisper, which was painted in her sexual arousal.


    Roman slightly raised his head, his eyes focussing on her while his tongue continued to work on her. This time it was her heart that trembled her chest, as the aura that he exuded right now was of pure sexual masculinity that wanted to conquer her.


    He raised his head further up, where his tongue peeked out, and Julie blushed, seeing him run his tongue over his lips.


    "Did you forget what I told you before?" he asked her.


    There was something dangerous and wild the way he looked at her, and he moved his lips towards one of her legs which had folded. He ran his lips against the tender skin on the inside thigh.


    "I haven''t," Julie breathed the words out of her lips.


    When Roman had told her he liked it rough, she didn''t gauge that he was going to sexually torture her. And something told her this was only the beginning. She felt the torture of the continuous orgasm until her body felt spent. She doubted she would be able to survive another one.


    "What if I fall asleep because of exhaustion¡ª" Julie''s eyes closed when Roman sunk his fangs in her tender flesh.


    Another whimper was heard from Julie.


    "I have my ways of keeping you awake," he said, licking her skin, and Julie wondered if she would end up with bite marks all over her body the way Roman was. His pushed his finger into her throbbing sex, and Julie threw her head back, feeling him push it in and out a couple of times, which waster reced with his mouth.


    Her mind turned hazy as she couldn''t think straight anymore, and though her body was feeling worn out, her wet sex continued to ache for Roman''s touch and attention. She didn''t know how many minutes had passed since they had gotten on the bed, or how much time had passed since her second orgasm.


    Roman picked up both her legs, letting it rest on either side of his shoulders as he continued to please her. Her body trembled with the sexual release and Julie''s eyes closed, her body turning ck on the bed. She tried to catch her breath, and while she tried toe down from her high, Roman finally pulled back his head and used his finger to wipe the corner of his lips before he put it in his mouth.


    Julie''s breath was slightly even, and he decided to stop while she was still conscious. Moving towards the head of the bed, Roman untied the scarf from the rods of the bed and then untied her hands.


    Getting down from the bed, he hooked his hands below her legs and her back.


    Picking her up in his arms, Roman carried her to the other side of the wooden divider, where the bathtub was.


    "I feel like I am floating in the clouds," whispered Julie, with her eyes closed.


    "Soon you''re going to feel like you are in an ocean," said Roman, and he ced her in the tub before joining her in it.


    Roman had her back lean against his chest, where she was still feeling the effects of the orgasms. He ced his chin on her slender shoulder and wrapped his arms around her, keeping her close to his heart. "Was it too tiring?" he asked her before kissing her shoulder.


    To Julie, it was hard to say yes when he was being this nice, and she smiled, "What about you?" Opening her eyes, she turned her head to meet his eyes.


    "There''s nothing to be tired of when you enjoy doing something to someone," Roman''s eyes looked directly into her eyes, and she noticed the darkness that she had seen in his eyes before had disappeared. She wondered if it was his vampire side that had made its presence known.


    The warmth in the water had reduced, and it had turned cold. But it was bearable with Roman holding her. With the way they had spent their time intimately with each other, she felt like she had gotten closer and morefortable with him.


    Roman picked up one of her hands, taking a look at her wrist to check if the scarf had left any marks on them, knowing how Julie had tugged on it before. His thumb brushed against the skin of her wrist, and he brought it to his lips before pressing his lips on it.


    If Julie''s heart had wings, it would have flown out of her chest by now. She felt it flutter over his gesture, and she internally felt warm over his actions.


    Right now, Julie didn''t want to think about tomorrow because she knew they would have to return to Veteris as Roman had been asked to return quickly.


    Julie hoped everything would be alright, and even if it didn''t, she knew she could count on Roman with her. Her life wasn''t as lonely as it was a few months ago. It had gotten better. She was no longer a nobody, but someone important to one person, and she had made good friends. Life was better than before.


    Roman''s fingers intertwined with her fingers, and Julie watched the difference in the length of their fingers.


    "What time are we heading back to Veteris?" asked Julie.


    "Maybe in the evening. There''s something I want to check before we leave from here," replied Roman, gently squeezing her fingers between his fingers. "The girl said she was here to meet someone. She''s probably nning to turn the boy into one of my kind, probably why she didn''tpel him. Once a human turns into a vampire, the previouspulsion breaks like a broken spell."


    Julie continued to look at their fingers, a small worried frowning to her face.


    "I don''t think he would be happy once he finds out that she''s been lying about things," her voice was low, and with the rain that had stopped outside the motel, everything around them had turned quiet.


    Julie wasn''t exactly Keith''s friend as before, but she didn''t want Natalie bringing him harm.


    "In general, not many wee the thought of vampires. We aren''t as magnificent as some humans try to portray us," hummed Roman, and he continued, "Let us see what the girl is upto, and which vampire she''s dealing with."


    Julie nodded her head. Though she didn''t mind some of the vampires like Roman and his friends, turning the humans into vampires was something that didn''t sit well with her. It was because she knew some of the humans had been turned against their will.


    "Is there anyone who is responsible for handling and controlling the vampire poption?" asked Julie.


    "That has been under Donovan. Many years ago, it used to be another person, named Avice Swan. But neither I nor anyone from Veteris has seen her. We know her only by name, and it is only the Elders who have seen and met her. I heard from Dante that she had been staked and is now resting in the casket."


    "I see," murmured Julie, before asking him, "Isq Mr. Nottingham, the only rtive alive?"


    "I guess so. Donovan likes to consider me as his family," Roman''s lips twitched, and Julie smiled at his little joke.


    Her smile faltered, and she confessed, "I am nervous to go back to Veteris."


    "Don''t be. He won''t eat you," responded Roman, kissing her neck and then behind her ear. "I am the only one who is allowed to do that."


    When Julie''s stomach grumbled, she heard a soft chuckle escape from Roman''s lips. He said, "Let''s get you out of the tub so that you can eat something quickly."


    Both Roman and Julie helped each other take bath, rubbing the bar of soap on each other''s body and washing it off by taking turns. Once they stepped out of the bathtub, they dried themselvespletely and stepped back into the area where the bed was located. Julie wore the clothes that belonged to Roman, which she had borrowed, and she got on the bed.


    She saw Roman in his pants, where he hadn''t bothered to wear a shirt.


    When Roman went to pick up the bag of food, Julie heard the snapping sound of twigs, and her eyes moved in the direction of it. Her eyes widened, realizing she hadpletely forgotten about Corvin, who now appeared in front of the bed. She gave the creature an apologetic smile and bowed her head.


    "I am so sorry, I forgot to summon you back," Julie felt guilty for forgetting about it after seeing and being in Roman''spany.


    Hearing Julie talking, Roman turned and looked at where she was looking, but he saw nothing but emptiness in there. But when he looked at the reflection in the mirror, he finally saw the infamous Corvin, which had a wooden bird-like face and wore a long ck robe.


    When he turned back, this time, he didn''t need the mirror to see the creature as it stood in its creepy glory.


    ''It''s okay. My ability seemed to have stopped, had to walk all the way here,'' said the creature in its dull tone.


    "I am sorry about that. I didn''t know Rome was going to be let out today, you seemed to have missed each other on the way," said Julie.


    On her words, the Corvin turned its wooden bird head to its right, where Roman and it stared at each other.

 Chapter 117 - Stones Of The Witches

    <h4>Chapter 117 - Stones Of The Witches</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Every Ending Has A Beginning- Tyler Bates


    ¡ª


    Noticing Roman looking in the direction where the creature stood, Julie asked, "Can you see the Corvin?"


    "Skeleton head of a raven''s bird," answered Roman, walking towards it before he came to stop his feet, two steps away from it. "Looks like we finally meet," he said to the creature associated with the witches.


    Julie wondered what had changed, that Roman was now able to see the Corvin.


    ''The son of the darkness,'' the Corvin spoke in its raspy voice, and Julie heard the snapping of the creature''s fingers as if it was stretching it, readying itself to push its hands into Roman''s heart with its hand alone.


    ''It would have been better if you stayed in the cell instead of being around her.''


    Julie''s eyebrows furrowed at the Corvin''s words to Roman, letting him know about its distaste towards the night creatures.


    "You should already know by now that what you want is not going to happen.. Seeing how your body is unstable, I don''t think I can entrust herpletely in your care," stated Roman, his eyes holding a hollowness in them while looking at the Corvin.


    The cracking of the woods increased, and Julie looked at Roman and then the Corvin. The next second, the Corvin raised its hand towards Roman, its wooden fingers turning sharper. At the same time, Roman brought his hand forward, and a red ball of fire appeared just above his hand that glowed brightly.


    The bird-like creature stared at Roman before dropping its hand down, and Julie''s mouth was left hanging. She quickly scrambled out of bed and stood between them, where the fire that had appeared from Roman disappeared.


    She said, "Let''s not fight, okay? You both are on the same team."


    ''Death ising, near one dies,'' said the Corvin in its whispering voice and both Julie and Roman stared at the creature. ''A wave that''s going to wash. Always do.''


    "And when is that?" questioned Roman.


    ''I don''t know. But I sense it,'' informed the Corvin. It then moved its head, its beak pointing towards Julie as if it was speaking to her and said, ''Not toote, stay away from the vampire.''


    Roman''s eyes narrowed, and he said, "If you think having her run like how the other witches did in the past is better, think again. It isn''t going to work. They will eventually find and kill her."


    Realizing Roman was able to speak to the creature, Julie asked him, "How are you able to see and understand him?"


    "Vampires and witches go way back in time. The Elders were around during the witches'' existence and they acquired the knowledge about the creatures that the witches were acquainted with," exined Roman. "But the choice lies with the Corvin, if it wants to show himself in front of a person or hide. But once it shows itself to a person, it cannot hide again."


    So that was how it worked, said Julie in her mind.


    She then turned to look at the Corvin and said, "I am sorry for giving you the trouble of sending you to Veteris."


    The Corvin bowed its head, ''I am at your service. It is what I have to do now.''


    Roman stared at the creature and then questioned it, "Since when are you around?"


    The Corvin didn''t respond to Roman. Julie said to the creature, "You can answer Roman, Corvin."


    The Corvin then replied, ''Since a few years. Decades.''


    "Do you know the exact year?"


    The creature shook its head to Roman''s question, ''Don''t remember.''


    "It is rather strange that you have been around for years, yet your body has nevere to be stable," remarked Roman.


    Julie said, "He told me that he knew my mother, that he visited me when I was small.''


    "If the creature''s abilities are still intact, it can put itself to good use and retrieve the box that your mother used to keep around. Unless you want to go back to your house and collect it yourself," stated Roman. As no one could see the creature, the Corvin could finish the job sooner. "Do you remember how the box looks like, Winters?"


    Julie nodded her head and said, "It is wooden with carvings on it. This size," she moved her hands closer to each other to show the size and looked up at the creature.


    "There is a possibility that the box might not be there in the house, but it is good to be sure about it. Will you be able to sense it?" Roman questioned the Corvin


    ''Will try to find it.''


    And the next moment, it disappeared from their sight.


    Julie''s eyes looked left and right, trying to find where the Corvin was, but it was gone.


    She then turned to look at Roman and offered him a smile, hearing him say, "It is probably after a very long time that a vampire and a Corvin are working together for a witch''s sake."


    "He despises vampires," murmured Julie.


    "It doesn''t bother me," remarked Roman.


    With the Corvin gone, they got on the bed, pulling out the packed food from the bag. She tookrge bites from the burger as if she had been starving until now. On the other hand, Roman poured the blood from the jug to the ss, the first three sses, and he downed it as if it were air. On the fourth ss, he slowed it down.


    Julie couldn''t help but think about the fire that Roman had brought in his hand.


    Roman questioned her, "Did you ever take a look into this box?" he then took a bite from the burger, which he held in his other hand.


    "There were jewelleries. I remember she used to clip them into my hair," replied Julie with a slight smile on her lips at the fond memory. "But I don''t remember her wearing any of them, I was small back then. I once asked her about it, and she said she was saving them for me. There was this one long chain with a white stone in it, it was very pretty."


    "Gems or stones were often used to lock in abilities or powers. That is why the witches used them," said Roman. "The vampires hold some stones."


    "They do?" asked Julie, her eyebrows raising themselves while Roman took a sip from his ss. "You mean the Elders?"


    Roman gave her a small nod, "It is said in the beginning, some of the vampires stole or borrowed these rare gems from witches. The gems were turned into liquid before being consumed, giving an ability to the night creature."


    "You mean the Elders?" asked Julie.


    "No, not just the Elders. There were some other vampires who also existed that time apart from the Elders, when the witches were alive. With time, most of them are scattered, killed or in the casket. Veteris has turned the main hub for new born vampires toe and learn how to not get caught by the hunters and with thebined force of the four Elders, they stand above than the others," exined Roman.


    From knowing the existence of the vampires, now she was finding that there were vampires who had upgraded themselves with unique abilities.


    "You have the ability..." her voice trailed, and one corner of Roman''s lips pulled up.


    "It''s probably because of Donovan''s blood that courses in my veins," exined Roman, looking at the ss that had blood in it. He swirled the ss and said, "The first few vampires burnt down the information about the witches, as if no one wants their existence or the things my kind did, to be known. Each ability is different from one vampire to another."


    Once they finished eating and drinking the things they had bought from the diner, both of them got under the sheets, lying down next to each other, and Roman put his hand around her waist, pulling her close to him.


    Julie''s forehead was pressed on Roman''s chest, and with the nket covered on them, she said, "Rome."


    "Hm?"


    "I have another idea for your career," said Julie, taking a deep whiff from him. "You can be the perfume maker."


    Roman had tucked Julie under his chin, with his eyes closed, "I will consider it."


    A smile appeared on Julie''s lips, and she murmured in a barely audible whisper as she started to drift into her sleep, "Thank you for this week." It had been a crazy week, but Roman had made it easy for her, her breathing was slowly turning calmer.


    "Goodnight, Winters," Roman kissed the top of her head, and Julie felt like she had turned into a precious person.


    "Hmm," responded Julie, who was quick to fall asleep in his arms after the eventful day she had spent in the noon, evening and then in the night which she had dedicated to Roman.


    Though Roman''s eyes were closed, and he didn''t move so that Julie could have a good rest, knowing she needed it, he didn''t fall asleep. Because he enjoyed holding Julie. This evening, he had only tried to introduce her to what he wanted to do, and by her responses, he could tell she wasfortable enough to try the next things.


    Minutes passed, and Roman heard her breathing. In her sleep, she moved toy t on the bed, and he let her, without the need to smother her.


    Though Julie''s heart didn''t beat in a rhythm along with his, it did fill the gaps when his heartbeat didn''t beat, and it was enough for him.


    Roman opened his eyes to reveal those dark red eyes, staring at the sleeping human next to him. He didn''t have the habit of letting anyone in, and having Julie here like this was as new to him as it was for Julie. His hand gently moved to push her hair away from her face so that it wouldn''t bother her in her sleep.


    ''I am fine by myself,'' Roman heard his own voice in his head, which was from an old memory that his mind had carried with him.


    ''I know you will, but everyone needs someone. Else you will be a ghost,'' said Lady Petronille''s voice in his head. It was a few weeks before the massacre of the town had taken ce.


    ''Maybe I am one.''


    Lady Petronille had smiled, not too wide, but not too small either. ''Maybe I would agree with it if it were in the past,'' she said to him. ''You are anything but a ghost. Maybe not now, but one day, you wille to not just care, but actually depend on someone and even learn to treasure that one person.''


    "I found her," whispered Roman, his words not reaching Julie, who slept sound asleep next to him. "And she''s quite troublesome," his hand came to hover in front of Julie''s face, and he lightly brushed the curve of her nose with one of his fingers.


    When the morning arrived, Roman and Julie got ready and reached the front of the counter. The servant named Brooks stood behind the counter, and Julie looked at the vampire with a wary expression on her face.


    "Where''s Emerson?" questioned Roman.


    "Master has gone out to buy groceries," replied the man in a dull tone. Groceries? Did he mean blood from the humans? "Are you checking out from the room, Mr. Moltenore?" he inquired.


    "Probably in two hours. Ms. Winters and I n to take a tour around the town and will be back soon. "I will take the regr once I am back," said Roman and Brooks bowed his head in acknowledgement.


    Stepping out of the motel, Julie and Roman started to walk, and she asked him in a low voice, "What if they already left the ce?"


    "If the girl hasn''t turned the boy yet, maybe yes. But if she came here in the intention to turn him and the boy has turned, my bet is that they are still here," responded Roman, his eyes scouting the area. His hand slipped into his pocket. Pulling out a cigarette, he lit the end.


    "Are we going to check every ce then?" asked Julie because that would take a lot of time.


    "Not necessarily," replied Roman, blowing the smoke to the side. "One of the Veteris graduates lives here who knows most of the people''s business. He might have an idea if the girl and the boy are still around."


    "Who is that?" asked Julie.


    "You''ll meet him soon."


    On their way, Julie caught sight of some of the people walking on the other side of the street, and they gave a look at her from the corner of their eyes, and when their eyes fell on Roman, they looked ahead of them, going on their way.


    Roman and Julie continued to walk until they reached a dark grey looking building.


    "Howe the hunters are not aware that this is a vampire town?" she asked, keeping an eye around them.


    "The vehicle''s tes are checked, and they have build scanners at the posts to check the vehicles and people, entering and leaving Queenstorm. With every building or shop that is run by a vampire, I doubt any of the hunters would ever suspect that Queenstorm is a residence for vampires."


    Reaching the building, Roman pushed the door made of tinted ck ss that didn''t let one see through what or who was behind the door.


    Julie followed Roman, walking next to him, and in the corridor, they met a bulky and tall man.


    "Good morning, Mr. Moltenore. Mr. Castle is in his study room," informed the man.


    Roman didn''t bother to greet the person as if time was scarce and continued to walk. The corridors inside barely had any light, and the gloomy weather outside the building only turned the ce dimmer. The walls were ck and the ceiling grey, which had low lit bulbs hanging on it. The sounds of their footsteps were heard, and once they came in front of a room, Roman pushed open the door.


    Julie followed Roman, stepping into the room, which was moderately brighter than the corridors they hade through.


    "Emerson told me you were in the town," said a man, who appeared to be in his forties, his physique lean, and he wore ck shades on his face even though there was no bright light in the room. "What brings you here?"


    "To fetch someone," Roman''s words were short. The man turned his head a little to look at Julie. "This is Julianne Winters."


    "Ah, I see," came the man''s response. "It is nice to meet you, Ms. Winters. I am Rickard Castle. You can call me Ricky."


    The name sounded familiar, and she wondered when Roman had mentioned the person''s name to her.


    "Good to meet you, Mr. Castle," Julie responded to his introduction.


    "It is unfortunate that I haven''t been able to find anything about Dous Leighton. The man seems to be quite a hunter, every hunter is but tracing him is taking quite a bit of time," said the man with shades on his face. Julie then remembered this was the same person Roman had called when they were in the forest to know about her father''s whereabouts. "I have put my men near the towns that are around Veteris. So if he tries to make a pass, I will be notified about it."


    "Thanks for that, Ricky," Roman appreciated the vampire''s help.


    "I am just returning the favour, Roman. There''s nothing to be thankful about here," the man smiled, his eyes curious, "I heard the Elders had woken up, Veteris must be lively again."


    "You know how they are," Roman remarked in a bored tone and then said, "But that isn''t the reason why I am here. I am looking for information about one of the vampire visitors who came in yesterday. Natalie. She was here to meet another vampire, do you know anything about it?" he questioned. "If she''s still in town."


    "Give me a moment," said the vampire, walking to the desk where hisptop was, and he tapped a few keys before saying, "She hasn''t checked in to any ce. She''s probably in the barn area."


    "Barn?" asked Julie.


    Roman answered her, "It''s a ce behind this town." He then looked at the vampire and asked, "Do you know who else failed to check-in?"


    "Just that person and her guest," answered the vampire. His eyes then fell on Julie, looking at her keenly.


    Roman''s hand pulled out something from his pocket, and he flipped an old coin that the man caught and smiled. "Always good to offer you services." Before Julie and Roman left the ce, the vampire asked, "Does she know?" his eyes curiously looking at Julie.


    "Thanks for the information," said Roman, and he stepped out of the room. Julie gave a slight bow to the vampire before following Roman.


    Once they were outside the building, Julie asked him, "Are we going to confess to the Elders that I cannot bepelled and know about the vampire''s existence?"


    This was something they hadn''t discussed, and it was better to be done before she stepped foot back in Veteris.


    "For the time being let''s use your acting skills," remarked Roman.


    Julie nodded her head, taking a deep breath and exhaling. She said, "So it''s going to be a secret."


    "Donovan''s head is still running in the direction where he wants to snap your head. He''s agreed to meet you, and I don''t want to give him a reason to kill you," stated Roman. They made their way towards the woods, leaving the buildings behind them.


    Elder Azazel Donovan had more than one reason to kill her, thought Julie in her mind. One, she was a human. Two, she and Roman were in a rtionship. Three, she couldn''t bepelled, and finally, thest one where she was a witch. Acting was good with her, thought Julie in her mind.


    Once they reached the edge of the forest and walked for a certain distance, Julie caught sight of arge barn situated in the middle of the woods.


    Walking near the barn, Julie was going to say something when Roman raised his finger to ce it on his lips. He walked in the front, and she followed him while turning back to ensure no one was following them.


    They stepped inside the barn, and Julie''s eyes widened when she saw Keith on the ground in a fetal position. She was ready to go where he was, but Roman caught hold of her arm and warned,


    "Don''t let your emotions get to you. Look closely, he''s turning¡­ but he won''t make it."


    Julie noticed Keith''s eyes had turned red, and he growled.


    While Julie was staring at the person on the ground, Roman''s eyes moved to the corner, and he quickly pulled Julie behind him. Julie heard the loud gunshot, and she turned around and saw Natalie standing there with a vampire.


    "Looks like we have some humans to turn them into vampires," said the man with a smile on his face. "Are they your friends, Natalie?"


    "The boy is a vampire," announced Natalie, who held the gun pointed at Julie and Roman.


    "Is he?" asked the vampire in doubt and then said, "It is impossible for a vampire to have a beating heart."


    "I was under the same impression until I saw his red eyes. He is a vampire, boss," the vampiress informed the man.


    "So you are the one who is trying to control and turn the humans," stated Roman, his eyes calmly looking at the vampire. When Natalie pulled back the cork of the trigger, his eyes snapped at her, and he said, "Looks like you have a hearing problem. Why don''t you drop the gun so that we speak?" he negotiated.


    Natalie huffed, "Do you think I haven''t met people like you? Who says something and does something else? Also, I think I would rather see her dead than alive."


    Julie, who had been pulled behind Roman, saw Keith continue to growl as if he were in pain and wasn''t himself anymore. She asked Natalie,


    "How could you do this to him? You turned him knowing it could fail."


    Natalie rolled her eyes and said, "Oh my, I never thought you would know about vampires. Who would have thought. Keith was a good guy and I have always admired him being stronger than others. But it seems like he isn''t good enough to be a vampire."


    The boy on the ground was coughing ck blood, and Julie''s frown on her face deepened. "Why?" she questioned Natalie.


    "Why?" Natalie repeated Julie''s question. "Isn''t it obvious? I hate you, I always did and you have always been pathetic. You are really stupid, to think you being nice and kind will make everything okay."


    "S-stop!" Keith tried to speak while his body convulsed in pain. He looked at the girl. "D-don''t do this, Natalie."


    "I love you, Keith," said Natalie, but her voice held no emotion in it. "But it is clear that you will always care for this bitch and not me. Trying to find and know if she has been doing alright. I did so much for you, but in the end, you still fucking choose her."


    Keith threw out ck blood from his mouth on the ground, "You¡­ you don''t mean that. It was never her fault, l-let her go."


    "It''s toote for that," replied Julie.


    Roman put his hand into his pocket, and Natalie quickly pointed her gun at him. But all he did was pull out a cigarette, cing it between his teeth and then bringing out the lighter.


    Natalie''s boss vampire narrowed his eyes at Roman''s gesture, not knowing he was being a fool or if he was being smug about the situation when the gun was pointed at him.


    Keith continued to throw up more blood until his body went still, and he stopped the growls. Julie''s hands clenched at the sight of the person who had turned dead.


    Julie couldn''t believe that Natalie didn''t care about him. When did the person grow so cold and turn into a murderer?


    Seeing this, Natalie''s boss said to Natalie, "Looks like we''ll need to bring in another human as this one didn''t survive. Finish them both quickly so we can get out of here."


    Julie tried to use her hands, pping them in hope to see if any ability would appear likest time out of the dire situation. But apart from the smacking sound of her hands, nothing else happened, and she cursed under her breath. She quickly ducked down while Roman flicked his lighter to light one end of the cigarette as if he was least bothered about the gun pointing at him.


    Julie kept trying to bring out any witchy ability out of her, while Natalie decided to first shoot Roman because of his arrogant behaviour. The vampiress pulled back the trigger, and at the same time, Roman lit the fire from his lighter.


    Suddenly the fire blew up in front of Roman like an explosion without a sound, swallowing every dried hay and twigs that was in front of him in the barn. Julie quickly took herself to hide behind a wooden barrel.


    The mes surrounded the vampires, and? Natalie shrieked, jumping behind because of the sudden fire.


    Roman flipped the lighter and put it back in his pocket, taking a long drag from the cigarette, he raised his head to blow the smoke as if he was enjoying the moment.


    Hemented, "I try to mind my business but someone always has to annoy me."


    The vampire red at Roman, with his eyes narrowed in suspicion. On the other hand, both Julie and Natalie''s eyes had turned wide.


    "You are not an ordinary vampire," whispered the vampire in doubt in his eyes.


    The vampire snatched the gun from Natalie, pointing it at Roman, he started to fire continuously. Roman quickly dodged, and in one swift movement, he caught hold of the armed vampire. While fighting, the gun fell to the ground. They tried to punch and kick, aiming for the other person''s heart.


    The vampire locked Roman''s head in his arm, trying to rip his head. But Roman kicked the person''s leg with force, twisting the vampire''s arm around, and he elbowed the person from behind, who fell on the ground.


    Roman picked up the gun on the ground, and just when the vampire got up, he ced it right on the person''s forehead.


    "Anyst words on why you are trying to turn humans?" questioned Roman.


    After seeing what Roman was capable of, the vampire was rmed with the thought that this person in front of him was one of the old vampires. Because there were only a few among the night creatures who had a beating heart, but he had never heard of this person before.


    "Look there was some slight misunderstanding. The girl was the one who wanted to turn the human into a vampire so that she could lead a happily ever after with him,"ughed the vampire.


    Seeing the unwillingness of the vampire to answer his question, Roman said in a nonchnt tone, "Have you ever thought how it feels if your brain blows out?"


    Earlier, when Roman and the vampire were fighting, Natalie had moved to where Keith was, and she said, "It was good knowing you, Keith. I am sure you will help me with thisst thing as I am thirsty." Her fangs appeared, and she was about to sink her fangs, but something hard hit her head.


    Julie had picked up a wooden log and had used all her strength in swinging the log at the vampiress'' head, who now fell on the ground with a growl leaving her lips.


    "Do you know how much I hate you?" asked Natalie, and Julie nodded her head.


    "I can understand now, after what you have done. You hurt people before, you still do, to never have true friends near you," replied Julie.


    "Think what you may, but I led a better life than you. At least my father, unlike yours, didn''t put a bullet into my mother''s head,"ughed Natalie. "At least I stood up for myself. But you ran away, and you will do it now too. I was saving you forst, but it seems to be pointless to wait."


    "At least I didn''t manipte and force people to like me. Wasn''t that why you did it?" asked Julie, the grip of her hands on the wood tightened.


    From behind, Julie heard a gunshot.


    It was Roman, who had pulled the trigger, and the vampire''s eyes turned empty. Roman noticed that the vampire''s body didn''t start to disintegrate like it was supposed to. Looked like they weren''t silver bullets. Somewhere deep in his soul, it felt good to be able to shoot a person properly than use fists. Turning the cork again, he shot the vampire''s head one more time, and blood sttered to fall on Roman.


    Natalie quickly tried to attack and drink blood from Julie. She snatched the wood away from Julie, opening her mouth wide to bite the human. But Julie used all her strength, and when she pushed Natalie away from her, something glimmered in the air, simr to the way how the mirror''s surface had moved.


    Roman turned around, ready to tear the vampiress'' head from her body, but he noticed something move behind her.


    Natalie stumbled backwards, trying to catch her bnce, but it was toote, and she fell back. She sank into the medium behind her, disappearing in thin air right in front of them.

 Chapter 118 - Hiding The Pet In The Dorm

    <h4>Chapter 118 - Hiding The Pet In The Dorm</h4>


    Julie stared at the ce where Natalie had stood earlier, where now there was no trace of her.


    "What happened?" questioned Roman, and Julie opened her mouth, who was still in a little shock.


    "I, I think I sent her somewhere," whispered Julie in shock. "I am not sure if it is to the past or present, but... I think to Willow Creek."


    Roman''s eyebrows furrowed, and he made his way to where Julie stood. He brought his hand forward to check if he could sense something, but whatever had opened earlier was long gone. He then asked her, "Is this what you were earlier talking about the mirror?"


    "Yes, but that time when I touched the mirror, it wasn''t hard to use the ability. But now," Julie moved her hands in front of her.. She didn''t know what just happened now was a good or a bad thing.


    "Mirrors act like passages, same as a portal to a time that has passed,"mented Roman.


    Julie''s eyes shifted to look at Keith, whose body was in the process of disintegration. Walking to where he was, she watched the boy''s face slowly fall off in fragments of dust.


    "You okay?" asked Roman, and Julie nodded her head.


    "I think I saw too many deaths this week," murmured Julie. But technically, everyone in Veteris saw the dead, thanks to the vampire''s presence.


    For one second, she questioned herself if she was a bad person because she should have stopped Natalie from turning Keith into a vampire. But at the same time, she wondered if Keith also wanted to be with Natalie because despite Natalie''s doings, he had always stood by her ex-best friend.


    As if sensing Julie''s emotions, Roman said, "If it makes you feel any better, I think he wanted to be a vampire." Julie nodded her head and then turned to look at him.


    "Is this how it was in Veteris when the humans were being turned?" asked Julie with mild curiosity. To think that the Elder vampire had turned Roman, knowing full well that Roman could turn into dust if the transformation wouldn''t go as expected, she could only gauge what kind of person the Elder vampire was.


    Roman responded, "Ten times worse. This is just a glimpse of it."


    "Do you think the Elders are going to initiate a massacre? To gather more vampires to their side?" questioned Julie. Her eyes moved from the white dust on the ground and looked at the other vampire, whose body hadn''t turned into ash. "He didn''t change."


    "The bullets weren''t made out of silver and were ordinary bullets, which is why his body still exists the way it is," rified Roman. He looked around for wood and found it on the ground.


    Breaking it into two halves, he walked to where the vampireid. When he raised his hand, Julie scrunched her face, and she saw the wooden stake pierce through the man''s chest before piercing his heart. The vampire''s body slowly started to turn paler with every passing second before starting to turn into dust.


    While they made their way out of the barn, Julie asked, "Why is it important to pierce the wood through the heart when the heart isn''t even beating in a vampire''s body?"


    "Just because the heart isn''t beating doesn''t mean it isn''t important. The heart is still vital in a vampire," exined Roman, as they started to walk away from the barn towards the town. "When a human turns into a vampire, it creates a core inside the heart. It is simr to a battery. New vampires learn about it in the vampire''s textbooks in Veteris."


    So those sses were just about teaching them to protect themselves from the hunters and control their thirst.


    "And though it looks like a stone, it is soft in texture," Roman continued exining it to her. "When you pierce a wood into a vampire''s body, the particles in the vampire''s blood and in the woodbine to create a chemical reaction that is equal to setting a vampire on fire. So you can guess what happens when you run the wood through the heart. There are cases when the vampire''s heart stresses in severe conditions and the liquid in the core starts to ooze out. Throwing up ck blood, hollow eyes that pushes a vampire to the verge of turning into the worst kind of vampire."


    Both Roman and Julie made their way towards the motel Rose Veil. While they were ready to leave, they caught up with Mr. Nottingham, who had just returned after buying things for the motel.


    "It was good to have you both in here, even though it''s only for a short visit," Emerson offered them a smile. Julie noticed even though the vampire looked younger than them, the smile on his face said otherwise, giving away the time he had spent here. "Please visit us again."


    "Thank you for helping me earlier, Mr. Nottingham," Julie offered a small bow.


    "It was a pleasure to host Roman''s interest. It was also a mistake on our side. He never brings people in here so it was a surprise. I hope your stay was eventful here," said Mr. Nottingham. His eyes then turned to look at Roman, and he said, "Keep in touch, Rome."


    Roman gave a slight nod and said, "Later, Emerson."


    They walked to where the motorcycle was parked, and Julie wore the helmet before sitting behind Roman. She ced her feet on the footrests and circled her hands around his waist. Roman kick-started the vehicle, and soon they hit the road, heading towards Veteris University.


    By the time they reached Veteris, the blue sky had turned pink and orange. The sun had started to set itself.


    When they reached the main gates of Veteris, which was closed, Julie, who had been enjoying the cold air on her eyes, quickly pushed the tinted face shield. The guardsman, who guarded the front of Veteris, came to check the visitors who had arrived.


    "Good evening, Mr. Moltenore."


    "Evening, Moses," Roman''s words were curt.


    The watchman''s eyes shifted to look at the human, who sat behind the vampire. He then raised his hand, indicating another vampire to open the gates that had dried creepers curled around it. The gate opened.


    "Wee back to Veteris."


    Roman and Julie entered Veteris, riding inside andter parked the motorcycle at the side. She passed the helmet to him, and he locked it in the motorcycle.


    Julie looked around the ce, where trees surrounded them. Out of nervousness about what might happen, she wrung her hands. As much as she had put her faith in Roman, the faith she had in this ce and the Elders was not even zero, but in negative values.


    Julie wondered what was the worst thing that could happen? She dying at the hands of the Elder, or maybe she fainting and waking up to find she was in Heaven? Which was again after being killed.


    Julie felt Roman ce his hand on her shoulder, "The more you think about being caught, the more apparent it''s going to show up on your face. Believe that no one will catch you."


    She released the breath that she didn''t know she had been holding until now. Breathe, Julie, breathe, she told herself.


    "What time are we meeting him?" asked Julie. Unclenching her hands, she rubbed them against the sides of her pants.


    "Now."


    Leaving the motorcycle behind, they walked towards the main building. When they stepped inside, they met Mr. Borrell, who was at the front office, questioning the woman, Mrs. Hill, about something. Sensing Roman, the teacher turned and said,


    "Ms. Dante isn''t in the office. She''s gone out of Veteris with the Elders."


    "Do you know when they will be returning?" questioned Roman.


    "I wasn''t told how long it would take," replied Mr. Borrell. His gaze fell on the human girl, who had caused a slight tension since thest two days. The vampire teacher wondered if Donovan had tricked Roman into bringing the human just to kill her. Azazel Donovan was an unpredictable person, and one could never fathom what actually went in that old, cunning brain of his. "It will probably be best for you to meet the headmistress tomorrow morning."


    Roman gave a slight nod.


    He and Julie turned around when Julie''s fingers dug into her palms on seeing the creepy counsellor of the universitying from the entrance of the building.


    "Mr. Moltenore and Ms. Winters. What a pleasant surprise to have you back in the university," Mr. Evans greeted them with an evergreen smile stretched on his lips. He walked towards them with his hands in his beige coat.


    The counsellor stared at her, and Julie put up a small smile before greeting him, "Good evening, Mr. Evans."


    "Unfortunately thest time we didn''t get to chitchat. I guess your visit to your family was a good one?" questioned Mr. Evans, his intelligent hazel eyes opening a little wider.


    Julie nodded her head, "It was. I am thankful to Ms. Dante who gave me the permission to go visit them on such short notice."


    "Well, what can I say, Ms. Dante has a heart of gold," a small chuckle escaped from his lips. "Don''t forget that my office is always open for you. If you ever need someone to listen to your troubles or if you have a fight with your boyfriend," Mr. Evans'' eyes then shifted to look at Roman, who looked at him with narrowed eyes.


    "My girlfriend and I don''t want to bother you with such silly things, when I am sure there are other people who need your attention and help," Roman stepped forward, where Julie was left behind, and he spoke to Mr. Evans in a low voice. "Find something else to keep your bored life busy."


    "How rude. I was only offering my help," smiled the counsellor and his eyes sparkled in mischief. "I can help you both. You can stay in Veteris and she can go back home as if she never knew you at all, which solves all the problems. That was Dante''s initial n too. I wonder what you told her that she agreed to, Roman. After all, with the human''s fragile self, how long do you think she is going to live? Eighty? Considering all the pollution and the horrible food one consumes."


    "Who knows, maybe you will be the one reaching that point before her," deadpanned Roman, having no interest to take part in the crazy counsellor''s discussion.


    Dante had appointed Mr. Evans in Veteris to deal with the vampire students, where some were a handful, by getting into trouble. Not to mention, his sweet personality in front of the humans garnered him to be their favouritepared to the more sane Mr. Borrell.


    "That is an interesting thought, hmm," hummed Mr. Evans, and he then slightly leaned to look at Julie, "Did you bring anything from home to eat?"


    Was he asking for souvenirs?


    Julie gave the counsellor an apologetic look, and she shook her head, "I will bring some for you, Mr. Evans."


    She had bought souvenirs that couldn''t be eaten. Her souvenirs were the memories, some that were sweet and some slightly bitter that would fade in time.


    "Excuse me, I need to submit these," Mr. Evans raised his hand that had papers in it, and he continued to walk straight in the corridor.


    Roman said to Julie, "I have something to check. Will you be alright to go to your dorm by yourself?"


    Julie nodded her head, "It''s been a few months since I have been here in Veteris, I will be fine," she offered him a smile.


    "I will see you in the lunchroom."


    She made her way out of the main building and looked around the ce. Even though vampires were living here, it still felt like home to her. As she made her way towards the girl''s Dormitorium, she sensed some of the vampires looking at her with a frown on their face. As if they were shocked on seeing her, wondering what she was doing alive when she was rumoured to be dead.


    While Julie was on her way, someone called her name from the direction of the library. Turning, she saw Dennis jogging anding to where she was.


    "Hey," Julie greeted him with a smile on her face.


    "Hey. Conner told me that you went to visit your family the day before yesterday," said Dennis, looking at her with questioning eyes. "Is everything alright?" he asked her with a concerned look.


    Julie nodded her head, "Yeah, everything is okay. Did something happen?" she asked him back.


    Dennis took a moment before he lightlyughed, "I was worried if there was some sort of emergency, and that is why you had to go home. Especially knowing how strict the rules are here."


    "My aunt was admitted in the hospital," Julie made up a quick story.


    "What happened to her? Is she alright now?" Dennis had a small frown on his face.


    At first, Julie was going to tell that it was her uncle who was admitted, but she loved her uncle. While her aunt less because of the way she was treated.


    "Ah, she broke her knee. She slipped in the bathroom. But she''s going to be alright in a few days of time," said Julie, nodding her head.


    "I see," murmured Dennis before adding, "Good to know that it wasn''t more than that. If you are going to your dorm, let me walk you there."


    "That''s fine," said Julie, thankful for Dennis'' gesture, but she didn''t want him to think that he still had a chance with her. That was if it was still on his mind. "Dennis¡ª" she began.


    "I am not asking for you to return my feelings, Julie. Just a walk to the Dormitorium," Dennis offered his help.


    Seeing Dennis being firm with his offer, Julie pursed her lips. She politely said to him, "I don''t mean to be harsh or rude, but it is the little things that will make it difficult for you to let go of how you feel."


    Dennis looked away from her, looking ten degrees away from her right while staring into space, and he then said, "I know it is hard for you to understand, and I know you might not listen to me, but he''s not right for you. I mean his background is not right."


    Hearing Dennis'' words, Julie frowned.


    Did he know something he was not supposed to know? She had heard Dennis''s displeasure over Roman time and time again, but this was the first time he had phrased something like this.


    "What do you mean?" She tested him.


    Dennis'' lips set themself in a thin line as if he couldn''t say it to her. He shook his head before saying, "I am just... worried for you. There is something I want to tell you."


    Julie nodded her head for him to continue.


    "This month''s weekend, once I go back home, I won''t be returning," confessed Dennis, and Julie furrowed her eyebrows.


    "What aboutpleting graduation?" asked Julie. "Did something happen?"


    Dennis shook his head, "No, it''s just that I think I am better suited for another stream."


    "But you are one of the top students with the highest grades," said Julie, and Dennis smiled.


    "I wish you coulde along with me," said Dennis, the look in his eyes turning serious. "Is there any way where I can convince you?? There are better colleges out there, and you have decent grades."


    Julie blinked while staring at Dennis. Was he really asking her to leave Veteris? She turned awkward.


    "I don''t think so," said Julie, giving him an apologetic smile with a small frown on her face. "You know, it isn''t toote to switch streams in Veteris. I am sure Ms. Dante would be more than willing to help you with it than look for another university outside. Why do you want to leave Veteris?"


    For a few seconds, Dennis was quiet, and heter said, "Staying in the dorms is a little difficult." Julie nodded her head, and he then said, "Can I walk you to your Dormitorium? I won''t be here forever."


    "Okay."


    On their way, Julie said, "I thought you were going topete with Roman for the first position."


    A bitter expression appeared on Dennis'' face thinking about it. Hemented, "You have already picked him to be first. I don''t think I have a chance for it."


    "One day you will find someone you like, who will reciprocate your feelings," Julie tried to encourage him. "Doesn''t it bother you that you have to start everything afresh?"


    Dennis smiled, "It is often like that, isn''t it? We work hard to achieve something and when it doesn''t work out, we start from the beginning."


    "I guess," replied Julie and added, "I don''t think I would ever be able to do that." Studying one time was already a lot. Doing it again was nothing less to torture in her mind. She looked at Dennis, who was looking at her, and he smiled. Maybe he was the masochist type. That could be it, thought Julie in her mind.


    Together, they walked to the front of her Dormitorium, and Julie said, "Thank you for walking me here."


    When she was ready to get inside, Dennis looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn''t.


    "I will see you around then," said Julie, and she walked inside the Girl''s Dormitorium.


    Julie made her way through the corridor, reaching the front of the dorm. When she took out the key from her pocket, ready to unlock it, something shed her mind, and her eyes widened. She quickly ran back towards the front of the Dormitorium''s entrance, but Dennis had already left.


    It couldn''t be, could it? Asked Julie.


    Roman had said that there was someone in Veteris, who wasn''t Griffin, who had contaminated the water. From what Dennis said, he was leaving on their holiday, there was still time for it. Maybe it was best to let Roman know about what she heard from Dennis.


    Getting back to the front of her dorm, she unlocked and stepped inside the room before locking it. When she turned around, Julie''s head hit the back of the door, and she squinted her eyes.


    "I told you not to sneak up on me," said Julie, while looking at the Corvin, who had appeared in her room.


    ''Sorry. I have been waiting for you.''


    "When did you get here?" asked Julie, walking to her table and picking up the bottle to drink water.


    ''An hour ago,'' said the Corvin.


    Julie finished gulping down the water, and when she pulled it away from her mouth, she said, "That was very fast. Did you find the box?" Her eyes fell on the Corvin''s hands, where it had folded its hands against its stomach.


    ''Found nothing in there. No box with magic,'' informed the Corvin. Julie took a deep breath, and she said,


    "My mother must have hidden it somewhere safe, unless my father has already found it and has taken it with him."


    Julie wondered if there was a ce that her mother visited when she was still alive.


    With the Corvin, who didn''t move its hands, and staring at her, she asked, "What is it?" The creature stretched its hands towards her and said, ''Yours.''


    Julie took hold of the picture from the Corvin, seeing it was of her and her mother in it. Months had passed, but her mother''s memories were still fresh in her memory. I promise to visit you soon, mother, said Julie in her mind.


    Looking up at the creature, she said, "Thank you for bringing this to me." She took the photograph and ced it between the pages of her books. "Thank you for going to my ce and looking for the box. Why hasn''t your body stabilized even after such a long time?" she questioned it.


    The creature raised its hand forward, taking a look at it and said, ''Born like this.''


    "I found something strange today," said Julie, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. She looked at the Corvin and said, "I think there''s someone apart from me, who probably knows or doubts that there are vampires in this university."


    ''People eventually find out,'' came the Corvin''s dull response.


    Julie''s lips set themselves in a thin line. She said, "If you don''t have any other ns, can you check what this person named Dennis Mcoy is up to? You will find him in the boy''s Dormitorium. He wears sses andbs his hair this way," she showed using her hands.


    When the creature didn''t respond, Julie wondered if it was tired with all the travelling it had done. She then said,


    "If not, you can rest. I will let you know if somethinges up," but the creature didn''t make an effort to leave, and it continued to stand in its ce. "Is there something you would want to talk about?"


    ''Cannot pass through,'' the creature seemed slightly distressed when it revealed it to her.


    "What do you mean can''t pass through?"


    The creature moved its wooden hand along with its stick fingers to touch the wall. It then tapped on it, and Julie finally realized what it meant. She said, "You are not able to walk through the walls. How about apparating like you usually do?"


    ''Trying since an hour ago when I didn''t find you here,'' the Corvin replied.


    "Did your powers disappear again?" Julie''s eyebrows knit together in concern.? This was not good. It was like she suddenly brought a pet to her dorm, which was quiterge and was half a bird.


    If its ability had disappeared, would it mean people could see it? She couldn''t lead the Corvin through the door as apart from her being caught, it would lead to people receiving heart attacks by the sight of it.


    "It''s okay. You can stay here with me tonight and let us figure this out together. I don''t have many visitors except for Rome¡ª"


    Someone knocked on her dorm''s door, interrupting her words.


    "Did I jinx?" murmured Julie under her breath, while wondering who it could be.


    "Julie, are you in there?" came Mnie''s voice from the other side of the door.


    Julie quickly looked around her room before she opened the cupboard and looked at the creature. The Corvin stared back at her, and though she couldn''t see its expression, she could tell it wasn''t happy with her suggestion.


    She whispered, "If you aren''t able to apparate or walk through the walls,I think people can see you. Let''s not take the risk. In you go."


    When the creature still didn''t move, Julie pushed the clothes that were hanging in the hanger, quickly making space and thankful that there was nopartment on this side. She pushed the Corvin to get it inside the cupboard. Once she was done with it, she said, "Now don''t make any noise. Especially, don''t sneeze," and she closed the cupboard.


    Julie then went to the door. Opening it, she found Mnie standing outside her dorm.


    "I am so d you are back," Mnie seemed genuinely happy, as if she wasn''t here for a week when it was only two days. "Is everything alright back home?"


    "Everything is okay. How are you? How is Conner?" inquired Julie. She took a quick look at the cupboard before looking at Mnie.


    Thest time she was here, she had heard Conner had beenpelled, and Mnie had beenpelled right in front of her. Considering how Mnie wasn''t questioning why she jumped out of the window, she could only guess that one of the teachers had erased her memory of it.


    "I am okay. Conner is still recovering from Reese''s loss," replied Mnie, and she looked a little tired. "It feels terrible seeing him like this, so heartbroken. Though he tells me he''s trying to pull through, I see sadness in his eyes."


    Julie put her hands around Mnie''s shoulders, bringing her to sit on the bed, and she said, "Everyone has their own time to grieve, let''s give him the space he needs. I know it''s hard to see him like this, but it''ll be just for some time. Where''s Conner now?"


    "Not in his dorm," replied Mnie. "He didn''t attend ss yesterday and skipped today too. I found him in the library, buried under books. I guess it''s good that he''s doing something at least right?"


    "Yeah," agreed Julie, "It''s better than staying in the dorm."


    Julie could tell that Mnie wanted to help Conner, but after Reese hade to the scene, she had drawn a gap between them.


    "How are things at your uncle''s ce?" asked Mnie, changing the subject.


    "It''s okay," replied Julie, "At least for now."


    After chatting with each other for close to an hour, Mnie finally stood up and said, "I will let you change your clothes and be in my room. When you want to head to the lunchroom, let me know."


    Julie nodded her head, "I will be quick." Offering her a smile, she saw Mnie to the door before closing it.


    There, thought Julie to herself. Thankfully the Corvin had stayed quiet all the time without stumbling out of the cupboard.


    It would probably be a good idea to sneak outside the Dormitorium today if the Corvin wouldn''t be able to apparate even tomorrow. But what if someone caught it, that would be troublesome. When she turned, she heard another knock, and she opened it.


    Julie''s grip on the handle of her door tightened on seeing Elder Azazel Donovan in front of her dorm.


    She asked herself if it was alright to close the door and jump out of the window now.


    But then there was the Corvin hiding in her cupboard.

 Chapter 119 - Vampire-in-laws Visit

    <h4>Chapter 119 - Vampire-inw''s Visit</h4>


    Julie saw the Elder vampire smile down at her. She doubted it was the kind of smile offered by a person with good intention. Instead, she felt it was more like he was looking down at her.


    "What a pleasant surprise," remarked the vampire, standing tall and proud with his slightly raised chin. His coat hung around his shoulders, which had fur on one side of the cor. "I didn''t expect to see you here."


    So he didn''te to see her? Then did hee to take a look at Roman''s previous room? Julie questioned in her mind.


    "I believe we have met before?" questioned the Elder vampire, the slight smile on his lips not changing even for a second.


    How could she forget, asked Julie.


    She gave a small nod, "You are Roman''s rtive.. We met on the day of the football match."


    "d to know that you remember. It would have been quite troublesome if you didn''t," chuckled Elder Donovan. "You must be¡­"


    "Julianne Winters."


    "Julianne. I am Azazel Donovan," he moved from where he stood as if shifting the weight of his body from one leg to the other leg. But Julie thought he was going to do something and her body stiffened.


    When Donovan''s eyes mildly narrowed at Julie, she cursed for the mistake she made. Shit, don''t react! But wasn''t it normal to be wary of people when they showed up in front of one''s dorm? May the God of deceit allow her to pass through this day, prayed Julie.


    "Is there something you wanted?" inquired Julie, her tone polite, while the vampire stared at her before his eyes moved to look behind her, at her dorm.


    "Yes, I heard that the previous dorm that Roman was using had been given to a girl. I thought I would take a look at it," hummed Donovan, and he said, "You wouldn''t mind inviting me in, do you? It is odd and not to mention rude to make a person stand at the door."


    Julie''s fingernails tried to dig themselves into the wood of the door that she had been holding, but the wood being hard, she finally let it go.


    Earlier, Mr. Borrell had informed them that the headmistress and the Elders had gone out of Veteris in some work, and they wouldn''t be returning any time soon. But it seemed like Donovan had other ns. Knowing she couldn''t refuse the Elder vampire, she nodded her head and stepped backwards.


    Elder Donovan stepped inside the room as if he was the owner of the girl''s Dormitorium, and in his presence, Julie looked small.


    "A woman''s touch sure changes things around," remarked Donovan, looking around the room and the things in there. With the Elder vampire who stood with his back facing her, Julie''s eyes quickly darted to look at the cupboard where the Corvin was hiding. "There seems to be some sort of peculiar smell in here. Hmm. I used to visit this dorm before, when Roman was here and I remember how things were then, which might be why it feels a little odd."


    When the vampire turned around to meet Julie''s eyes, they both stared at each other, and Julie quickly said, "Would you like to take a seat?" Or maybe leave? She thought in her mind.


    "That would be lovely. I have been wanting to meet and chat with you, considering how Roman has been trying to hide you as if I would tell some of his secrets," Donovan let out a small chuckle escape from his lips, and Julie smiled along with him.


    "I wonder about that too," came an awkwardugh from Julie.


    Donovan pulled the chair next to her table and lifting the coat, and he swiftly sat down. He leaned back against the chair, putting one leg over another, and he ced his hands to rest on top of hisp.


    "I heard from the headmistress that you joined Veteris this year. A lucky one to be admitted, even after you arrived a weekte. Why?" His eyes looked curious. The vampire said, "If I am not wrong, the education expenses in Veteris cost a fortune. I went through your grades, and they seem quite...average. At leastpared to Roman''s grades. What brought you here to Veteris?"


    The person in the closet.


    "When I was applying for universities, I thought to apply here too with the others and see¡ª"


    "A ss of water."


    Hearing Elder Donovan''s abrupt words, for a second, Julie stared at him. She then went near the table and poured water into the ss. She tried hard to keep her hands from shaking and spilling the water. The grip of her hand on the ss was right, and she hoped it wouldn''t break.


    Julie returned to where he was, offering him the ss of water. When he took it from her, she noticed the rings on his fingers, one of which had a dull red stone in it. The way he gave a quick look at the water, she was sure he wasn''t going to take a sip from it, and he was only trying to stress her out, even though he didn''t know she knew about him.


    "Do you have something to eat along with the water?" questioned Donovan.


    The Elder vampire was asking her as if she had invited him to her dorm to have tea with her while he held a ss of water. She had a bag of chips in the drawer, and she would have offered it to him, but the drawer was located in the cupboard where the Corvin was hiding.


    Donovan''s head tilted to the side as if he could smell the potato chips wafting from her cupboard and reaching his nose. Her hands had turned cold and numb, and she wanted to clench them to make sure they were still working.


    Please disappear from the cupboard. Please, Corvin, prayed Julie. I will stop eating potato chips for the next one month, wait one year if the Corvin disappears!


    "Ah, let me check," Julie replied with a polite smile, and the man returned it when in truth, he was scanning the human.


    Julie was in her own dilemma, and the Elder vampire stared at the human, and she could feel his eyes drilling holes on her back.


    On the other hand, Donovan watched the big brown-eyed girl, brown hair and maybe a cute face.


    Back when he had met the girl, Donovan hadn''t bothered to spare a look at the human, not because he had mistaken the girl for another one, but because she was a mere human. Roman was indifferent about a lot of things, but when it came to himself and things he cared about, it was a whole different subject. He still remembered the day when the boy hadpletely transformed into a vampire with the help of his blood.


    What a beautiful day it was to see the maddening anger that had not settled in the young vampire''s eyes.


    Julie opened the right cupboard as if she had stored the stash of her snacks in there. Today was the day to show her true talent for acting. She opened the clothes drawer before turning around and said, "I must have finished them."


    Elder Donovan raised his hand, pointing towards the left cupboard, "How about there?"


    He didn''t know, did he?


    She nodded her head, "Let me check there."


    She wondered how long she would be able to stall the Elder vampire. She and Roman parted from the office''s main building, where Ms. Dante''s office and the mailing room were present. He probably went to check the infirmary on how yesterday''s body check-up of the human students had turned out.


    Julie walked in front of the cupboard. She ced her hand on the handle, closing her eyes, she pulled it open while Donovan watched her behind. When she opened her eyes, she was pleasantly surprised to see that the raven''s wooden skull head was not there anymore.


    For a moment, Julie internally was going to let out a sigh of relief, but at the same time, she noticed the ck cloak that was upright in the cupboard in front of her. Her eyes darted to look at the left side, and she saw the Corvin had ced its head away from its body.


    "Well well. What''s that ck cloak?" questioned Donovan, seeing the time on the clock, he had stood up and caught sight of an unusual cloak in the cupboard.


    "That was my costume for Hallow," Julie replied within a heartbeat.


    When her eyes fell below the cloak, noticing the stems of wood, she quickly bent down and threw her clothes on it to hide it. Picking up a bag of potato chips, she turned around.


    Julie tore the bag before offering it to the vampire, "This one is barbecue vour."


    Elder Donovan took it from her hand and went back to sit on the chair. He stared at the bag of chips as if reading what was written on it. Julie stealthily pushed the cupboard door to close, thankful that the Corvin had put its head away from its body.


    Julie watched the Elder vampire continue to read the bag before he popped one of the potato chips in his mouth. There was no hum of appreciation to it, nor was there anyment from the Elder vampire if it wasn''t up to his standard.


    When Donovan picked another chip, he said to Julie, "Now as we have met each other. I think it is time to discuss some things. Sit," he waved his hand that held the wafer, pointing at the bed.


    Julie walked towards the bed and sat down at the far corner to prevent him frompelling her. Till now, she had deceived other vampires, but she doubted she could do it with the Elder vampires without being caught.


    "So tell me, Julianne Winters, what brings you here to Veteris? You told me you were applying for universities, why did you leave the previous university?" questioned Elder Donovan, breaking the potato chip into two pieces and putting it into his mouth.


    "I lost my parents and moved to live in my uncle''s house," replied Julie. In a way, she had even lost the father she once knew.


    "You don''te from a wealthy family, do you? Any important rtives that I might know?" questioned the vampire, and Julie realized she was indeed in an interview.


    She shook her head, "No." The man spoke as if he knew everyone, lying without blinking his eyes, she thought in her mind.


    Donovan folded the potato chips bag, cing it on the side. He then stood up again. When Julie was about to stand, he waved his hand as if telling her to continue to sit. He then said,


    "You see, Julianne, Roman is an important person and I cannot let him mix with the wrong kind of people," he offered her a polite smile, but Julie could see the man trying to intimidate her. "I have always thrived for ss and status, and you must already know Roman is not some ordinary person. He''s one of a kind, and you, dear. You are distracting him, which doesn''t sit well with me. Do you understand what I am saying?"


    "Are you asking me to break up with him?" asked Julie, staring straight into the Elder vampire''s eyes.


    The smile on the Elder vampire''s face faltered before it fellpletely, and Julie noticed the man looked scary without a smile on his face.


    "It would be better for your sake to stay away from him, Julianne. I heard that your uncle, his family are quite small in number. Thomas Winters, who works for a carpany, and then your aunt Sarah Winters, who is a confectioner. Not to mention your cousin, I think I forgot his name," Donovan clicked his tongue.


    "Joel," replied Julie, her teeth slightly gritting, learning this vampire had already looked up the part of her family.


    A slow smile appeared on Donovan''s lips, "I am sure you wouldn''t want anything bad happening to your beloved rtives."


    He probably wouldn''t try looking up to see about her parents as she said that they were both dead. But if he did, it wouldn''t take long when the vampire would kill her for being a hunter''s daughter, or worse, a witch''s daughter too.


    "I wouldn''t like anything bad happening to either of them. It would be unfortunate if it happened. Roman is quite stubborn and it is hard to get him to listen to me. But I am hoping we coulde to an agreement," said the vampire, and Julie stared at him.


    Julie didn''t want anything bad to happen to Uncle Thomas and his family, and as much as she was unhappy with Aunt Sarah''s behaviour, that didn''t mean she wanted her to die.


    She was about to say something when something inside the cupboard made noise, as if something fell. She forgot what she was going to say, and her face turned pale. The Elder vampire''s eyes that were focussed on her shifted to look at the cupboard.

 Chapter 120 - Unknown Bind To The Witch

    <h4>Chapter 120 - Unknown Bind To The Witch</h4>


    Seeing Donovan''s eyes fixed on the cupboard, Julie took a quiet deep breath through her lips. She let out a smallugh and said, "I think one of my things must have fallen in the cupboard."


    "Did it now?" questioned Donovan, as if he was daring her to speak up the truth. "It sounded more like a rat moving inside the cupboard. Are you sure you don''t have one here?"


    That depends on what kind of rat you are talking about, said Julie in her head. She said, "I don''t think I have ever seen a rat since I started studying here in Veteris. The university is very clean and well maintained."


    "If it was a couple of years ago, I would have disagreed with you," stated Donovan. He then took long steps towards the cupboard. When he caught hold of the handle, Julie''s face turned paler, ready for whatever was going to happen today. Maybe it was time to rip the bandaid off. Donovan turned to meet her eyes and said, "Excuse me for opening the cupboard.. But it is always better to take precaution beforehand, to avoiding in contact with any kind of disease or die."


    The word die held a heaviness that made Julie ufortable.


    Elder Azazel Donovan pulled open the door of the cupboard, and he said, "There is this familiar and unfamiliar smell that I am quite unable to point my finger to. What perfume do you use?"


    This was thest question she had expected from the Elder when she had imagined her conversation with him.


    "It''s from Jimmy Choo. A few weeks ago I spilt perfume by mistake in the cupboard and the smell has continued to stay," internally, Julie frowned, her teeth biting into her lower lip because she had no idea what Donovan was looking at right now. She hoped that the Corvin had not decided to fix its head back to its body.


    On the other hand, Donovan stood in front of the opened cupboard, watching the same items he had seen before. There stood the long ck cloak that looked a little shrunkenpared to thest time. His eyes then fell on the bottom part of the cupboard, and he saw the hanger that had fallen.


    Unable to control her curiosity for too long, Julie leaned to the side and peeked at what Donovan was watching. Noticing the hanger that had fallen at the bottom, she said, "Thank god, no rodent!"


    But Donovan seemed a little disappointed.


    As if what he had done so far wasn''t enough, Donovan''s hand reached for the ck cloak, and he said, "Hope you don''t mind if I take a closer look at your cloak, would you?"


    Julie quickly said, "Actually about that, it has sweat and it stinks. I didn''t find the time to clean it and maybe¡ª"


    But Donovan didn''t pay attention to her and pulled the cloak from the cupboard. Julie cringed at the thought that a wooden body or the Corvin''s body woulde to fall or hug him. But nothing like that happened. The vampire pulled the cloak, which was empty inside, and he wrapped it around his shoulders as if to check the size and said,


    "It indeed stinks."


    Julie looked back and forth between the cloak and the cupboard, which looked empty, wondering what the hell had just happened.


    "I told you, Mr. Donovan," said Julie, and suddenly the man''s eyes turned to look at her.


    "It is quite big for a small person like you," he then handed it back to her and said, "Once upon a time, I used to have simr looking cloaks with me. In ck too. But then," Julie took the cloak back and went to ce it exactly the way it was earlier, by picking up the hanger and hooking the cloak around the hanger. She then closed the cupboard. "There were some people who didn''t have originality. They copied my style and it was annoying. So I changed my style to something more expensive while making sure those mongrels wouldn''t be able to copy me," he had a satisfied look on his face.


    Before Donovan could continue to grill her with questions and more intruding behaviour of his, Julie picked up the chips where Donovan had ced, and she ced it on the table, while careful enough to maintain a gap from him, even if it meant it was little.


    She then addressed him in the politest way possible, "Mr. Donovan. I know you care a lot about Roman, but so do I. I am aware that my grades aren''t anywhere near Roman''s grades, and I doubt anyone can possibly surpass him in that matter. But I am working on being better than what I was yesterday so that I can stand next to him. And support him. I request you to give me a chance to get to know me."


    "And why would I do that?" questioned Donovan, his eyebrows raising at her. "There are better girls than you outside, what makes you think you are right for him? Do you truly think you deserve him?"


    The Elder vampire put doubt in Julie''s mind, and she pursed her lips.


    "Yes," replied Julie and Donovan''s eyes narrowed. "Roman isn''t someone who picks people randomly, there must be something in me and I am a likable person. Give me a chance so that I can prove it to you," Julie''s words were firm, and she saw Donovan chuckled.


    For a moment, she was confused if she said something funny.


    "Time is the essence, isn''t it," Donovan clicked his tongue. He looked at the human girl, who had a determined expression on her face.


    Julie didn''t know if Donovan would evere to like her or if he would continue to threaten Roman and her rtionship. She had never guessed that a vampire could be this protective and control freak. She didn''t want the Elder going after her family because they were the only rtives she had in this world.


    She was waiting for Donovan to agree to what she just said, but when the vampire came to stand in front of her, she was startled.


    For a moment, Donovan had considered giving Roman some more time to spend with the girl before sending the girl away from this world. The impact would be more profound, yet at the same time, this girl was a human. A kind that was way lower than his kind, and he wasn''t particrly fond of humans.


    "W-what is it?" Julie asked warily, and she tried to take a step backwards as the vampire stood too close to her liking. She knew if he wanted, he could snap her head in less than a second before disappearing from her dorm.


    "I must tell, you have beautiful brown eyes, Julianne,"mented Donovan, staring right into her eyes as if he was ready to hypnotize her.


    Julie clenched her hands, and the space behind her wavered, simr to how it had happened when she was with Natalie. But the air that had opened up the possible passage didn''t swallow Donovan. It was as if he was immune to its effect, and she became worried.


    "Step away from her, Donovan."


    Hearing Roman''s voice, the sweat that had trickled down her spine disappeared.


    "I was only taking a closer look at her to see if there was something special that I missed about her," said Donovan with a smile.


    Roman stepped inside the room with a re directed at Donovan, and the Elder vampire finally stepped away from Julie. Donovan turned to meet Roman''s fuming eyes while the expression on his face was calm.


    "You don''t have to trouble yourself with it. Winters," Roman called her name, his eyes still fixed on Donovan, who offered him a subtle smile this time.


    Julie quickly ducked away from Donovan and came to stand next to Roman.


    "So protective of the girl. You should havee at least a minuteter," Donovan chuckled and then said, "I should get going. Dante and the others must be waiting for me." He then turned to look at Julie and said, "It was nice talking to you, Julianne. I hope you will consider my suggestion. See youter in the mansion, Rome."


    Saying it, Donovan walked past the medium that Julie''s ability had opened up. The vampire walked in the corridor of the Dormitorium, and the girls turned to look at the man who made his presence known.


    Julie let out a relieved sigh, and her shoulders slouched.


    "Are you alright?"


    Roman hadn''t expected Donovan to meet Julie in her dorm, but he shouldn''t have expected anything less from the Elder vampire to pull tricks like this. Though Donovan had given his word, at the same time Roman didn''t trust the old geezer.


    Julie nodded her head, "I am good. Maybe a little thirsty," she replied, grabbing her water bottle and drinking it until her throat felt less dry.


    Roman walked to the door, closing it before returning to where she was. "Did he try topel you?" his eyes narrowed.


    "It looked like he was about to, but he didn''t," replied Julie. The vampire stayed in this room for a couple of minutes, and if he wanted, he could havepelled, without bothering to talk to her, thought Julie.


    "Fucker!" Roman cursed at Donovan.


    For some reason, Roman''s curse words always sounded hot in Julie''s ears. But at the same time, it didn''t stop her from the subtle frown that appeared on her forehead.


    With Donovan out of her dorm, and the door locked, Julie quickly went to the left cupboard and, using both her hands, and she pulled the doors. Roman, who had already met the Corvin in the motel, was quick to catch sight of its cloak hanging on the hanger and the right its head resting on the folded clothes on the left side of the cupboard.


    Roman''s head tilted to the side, and he asked, "What''s the Corvin doing in the closet?"


    "He said his body is unable to disappear or walk through the walls. I think whenever I use my abilities, even a little, it causes an imbnce in the Corvin''s body."


    Roman stared at the ck cloak while Julie took a step near it, wondering where the rest of the Corvin''s body had disappeared. Soon Julie stepped back when she saw something slither towards the ck cloak, moving from left to right. It was the creeper-like wood that moved into the ck cloak, and soon the Corvin had taken back its form, wearing the cloak.


    The Corvin''s hand moved to pick up its head, and once it stepped out of the cupboard, it ced its head on top of its body as if fixing it.


    ''Vampires,'' the Corvin cursed the Elder Donovan, who had dared to wear its cloak.


    Roman lips set themselves in a thin line before he questioned, "The Corvin was able to disappear and appear before you went to Queenstorm, wasn''t it?" Julie nodded her head, "What happened after that?"


    On Roman''s question, Julie''s eyes shifted to look at the Corvin, and she asked it, "Was it that thing you did in the motel? Is it the cause of your unstable body?"


    The Corvin stretched its hands and legs, moving its fingers as it had been pushed into a cramped ce earlier. Hearing her words, it stopped moving.


    "What are you talking about?" Roman''s eyes narrowed.


    The creature spoke in its raspy voice, ''Don''t have abilities. Because of the passing."


    "Passing what?" asked Julie.


    ''To witches,'' it turned its bird-like face to look at her and said, ''Some have, some useless. Use it for witches.''


    The first ability it had to fix was the way it spoke, thought Julie in her mind. She then asked, "That day when you said I could summon you, you gave away part of your abilities to me. How is that helpful?"


    ''Is not that.''


    Roman patiently waited for the creature to finish speaking. Remembering what he had read before in one of the books he hade across, he said, "You binded yourself to her, didn''t you?"


    The Corvin didn''t reply, this time staring at Roman as if wondering how he knew about it.


    "What do you mean binded?" Julie''s eyebrows furrowed, and she looked back and forth between the Corvin and Roman.


    Roman looked furious at the creature,


    "If you weren''t of any use I would have burnt you to see your ashes on the floor for linking yourself to her." He pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "As you know, in the past, the witches used the Corvins for their own benefit. They linked themselves to these creatures, creating a bond between them. You could tell it was more like a master and servant''s rtionship. But there''s something tricky thates with it. The few witches who had linked themselves with the Corvin, they died quicker than the other witches. It is equal to making a deal with the devil."


    "There should be some sort of logic to it," said Julie because it sounded strange.


    The Corvin looked the other way as if not wanting to talk about it, while Roman continued to re at the creature.


    Roman said, "In the history of witches, most of the Corvins usually end up taking the abilities back or more, and in the process, it drinks the essence or the soul from its master to continue living in the shadows."


    "What?" Julie whispered in shock.


    ''I didn''t do it for it,'' said the Corvin. ''Won''t do it.''


    "If you look at the history of the vampires and witches, they both are the same when ites to nature or character, the things that surround them. We all look to see our own benefits," stated Roman, "I don''t trust this thing. Unbind the bond that you made with her. It isn''t like you are much of a help to her with your weak condition."


    "Why didn''t you tell me when you made the bond?" Julie questioned the Corvin, that looked like it had truly turned into a puppy, who its owner was scolding.


    ''Wanted to help you.''


    "You can help without having a bond," Roman deadpanned.


    The Corvin didn''t move, making it look unwilling. Julie stepped near it and said, "Roman is right. You cannot help me with the way you are right now."


    The creature finally looked at her and said, ''Promise. Promised to her that I take care.''


    "What promise?" asked Julie, staring at it. She had very little knowledge about these creatures, and the Corvin barely spoke unless it was trying to keep her away from the vampires.


    ''Your mother. Timees, I help,'' said the creature.


    Julie rubbed her forehead because things around her were only gettingplicated instead of being simple. Realizing something, she asked, "If the Corvins helped the witches, why didn''t theye to help those witches in Willow Creek?"


    ''Not binded to other Corvins. Were bystanders,'' the Corvin replied. Julie and Roman heard the cracking sound of the Corvin''s fingers as if it was growing its twigs rapidly. ''Some didn''t know how to bind themselves to us. So they didn''t.''


    "Did my mother have a Corvin for herself?" Julie was now curious.


    Roman leaned against the wall, watching the Corvin. Even though he couldn''t see the creature''s expression on its wooden face, he could tell it was nervous to speak about it.


    ''Had. But a bird.''


    "Are you talking about yourself?" asked Julie, and she took the Corvin''s silence to be a yes.


    ''Corvins always scarce, hard to find. Most are birds, not big,'' the Corvin tried to exin to her. ''Can''t unbind once done.''


    "Great," came Roman''s sarcastic words.


    Roman''s mood turned more irritated than when he had seen Donovan in this room. He disliked the idea of anyone else apart from him being closely associated with Julie. And to think that the Corvin bound itself to Julie like a parasite, right now he was more than happy to burn the creature.


    Julie stared at the Corvin, who behaved slightly timid.


    She herself found it a little ufortable that a creature like the Corvin had linked her soul to it. And when she turned to look at Roman, she noticed his eyes were dancing with fire in them, which was ready to set this room on fire along with the Corvin.


    Julie asked the creature, "Why don''t you try to unbind yourself with me? How many other people have you binded yourself with so far?"


    Roman let out a frustrated sigh as if he was trying to control his temper. He said, "You''re probably the first one, considering he was only a bird when you were young. She probably didn''t feel the need to bind herself to a Corvin, considering she was living a life as a human and keeping away from the vampires or hunters."


    "There''s always a first time," Julie tried to encourage the Corvin. "I think it would be better if you have your full energy, not because I don''t trust you, but because this is weird."


    The Corvin stared at her for brief seconds before it said, ''Send the vampire out.''


    "I am staying here," Roman''s words were firm.


    The creature raised its hands, a twig sticking out, which was its index finger. Julie raised her hand, and when she touched it, a spark appeared at the contact of their fingers. The light in the room started to fluctuate in its brightness, while a blue, glowing light and energy formed around them. When the light stretched further to touch every inch of the floor and the walls, it even touched Roman.


    Oning in contact with the light and the medium that had been created, Roman felt his heartbeat get louder, his heart feeling as if it was trying to tear itself out of his chest. With a small cough came a small amount of blood which he coughed on his hand.


    But the faint blue light didn''t stay long, and it was quick to diminish and disappear around both the Corvin and Julie.


    Julie asked, "Did it work?"


    ''No,'' came its dull reply with no emotion in it, and Julie sighed. Before she could drop her hand to her side, the Corvin wrapped its fingers around her wrist. ''I promise to keep my promise. Never hurt you.''


    Julie nodded her head, "I believe you. I guess what''s done is done, and maybe one day when I am able to gain or build my abilities, I can make this right."


    Roman said to the Corvin, "I am surprised you didn''t get caught."


    "I think Donovan sensed it," said Julie, a small worry marring her face. Else why would a person be so suspicious about something.


    "He originally belongs to the same period of time as when the witches came into existence. Though I doubt a witch holds any specific scent, the same cannot be told about this one," Roman jerked his head towards the Corvin. "What did you talk about with Donovan?"


    "About that..." Julie''s voice trailed before she repeated it.


    "He probably came to test you. If he didn''t snap your head, it means you''re good," remarked Roman. "He''s a quick killer. So don''t worry about it." Walking to where she was, he kissed her forehead.


    Julie came to assume that too. She couldn''t believe the person who had killed Reese had entered her dorm.


    "He knows where my uncle lives and what he does," murmured Julie with worry. "Do you think he will hunt them down? He probably hates me." Roman was too perfect with his grades, and maybe she could tell Donovan that her boyfriend got into trouble and ended up in detention, but that would probably make the Elder vampire happy about it, thought Julie.


    "I will take care of it," said Roman and Julie nodded her head.


    After a few seconds, someone knocked on the door, and Julie muttered under her breath, "I don''t think I can take any more visitors than I already have."


    "Let me take it," Roman walked to the door while Julie pushed the Corvin towards the wall, and she stood next to it.


    When Roman slightly opened the door, he saw Julie''s friend, Mnie, who stood outside the dorm.


    Mnie hadn''t expected to see Roman opening the door. She gave him an awkward smile because she wasn''t familiar with the senior, even with the number of times they had sat at the table for meals.


    "Uh, I was going to ask if Julie wants to go to the lunchroom," said Mnie, while Roman stood blocking the view of the room.


    "Give her two minutes," said Roman, his face serious. Mnie nodded her head, and she saw the door close.


    In Julie''s dorm, both Roman and Julie turned to look at the Corvin. The Corvin moved its head left and right, watching them.


    Roman said to the creature, "Stay here and don''t open the door to any one or put your head out of the window." He watched it with a skeptical look on his face. "Can you do that, or should we babysit you?"


    The Corvin didn''t answer Roman, but it did sit down on Julie''s bed and crossed its arms, facing the wall.


    Looks like she would be sharing the room with it as it had made itselffortable, thought Julie to herself. But on turning to Roman and ready to leave, she saw him continue to re at it.


    Stepping out of the room, Julie locked her dorm door with her key while making sure the Corvin or anyone else wouldn''te to find it in here. At the same time, Griffin, who had been let out of the dungeon by Elder Luciano, was walking near the girls Dormitorium.

 Chapter 121 - Truth That Cannot Be Whispered

    <h4>Chapter 121 - Truth That Cannot Be Whispered</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Light of the Seven - Ramin Djawadi


    ¡ª


    The same evening, when Azazel Donovan had visited Julie, another Elder vampire stood in the underground dungeon, staring at the boy who stood behind the bars of the cell.


    There was a deep frown on Elder Luciano''s face, his eyes holding a re towards Griffin. He raised his hand, and soon one of the guards who had followed him to the dungeon quickly took the key and opened the cell''s door.


    Once it was done, Elder Luciano waved his hand, ordering the guard to leave, and the guard left the dungeon, leaving Luciano and Griffin alone in there..


    Griffin looked a little startled, yet at the same time, he was internally happy knowing Elder Luciano hade to get him out of here. "Thank you, Elder Luciano," the younger vampire bowed his head; taking the Elder''s hand, he kissed it to show his gratitude. "I cannot tell how grateful I am¡ª"


    "Embarrass me one more time and I will see to it that I myself put you behind these rusted bars," warned Elder Luciano, his eyes ring at the younger vampire, where a little of Luciano''s blood had been given to Griffin during the process of transformation.


    When Donovan had picked up the Moltenore boy to be his underling, Luciano, on a whim, had picked up Griffin. He had hoped the boy would be a goodpetition as he was one of the first few humans to transform into vampires without much issue. It was considered that the faster the transformation, the stronger the vampire would turn out to be. But instead of being useful, Luciano was pulling the boy out of the cell.


    "Forgive me, Elder Luciano. I won''t repeat it again," Griffin was quick to appease his master, whom he had kept on the pedestal, even though once in a while, his eyes shifted towards Donovan, who appeared to hold more powerpared to the other three Elders.


    "I want you to focus on finding the culprit to see who is behind the contamination. It is time you see how you can redeem yourself in my eyes," stated Elder Luciano.


    Griffin clenched his hands, knowing well Luciano was telling him not to meddle with Roman, which took away the opportunity to get his revenge on what Roman Moltenore had done.


    "It''s been two days and yet no one knows what''s going on. They haven''t been able to find whoever this culprit is. The reports of the students from the infirmary show negative, no one has Silverwater in their body," Luciano started to walk out of the dungeon, and Griffin quickly followed him. "Either the person is still in Veteris, or it was done by one of the students who is dead. There is this vampire, who has gone missing since the day of the Fall Annual, Dante is looking at it right now."


    When Luciano gave a side look to Griffin, the younger vampire nodded his head and said, "I will be right on it."


    "Good," harrumphed Luciano, his lips setting themselves into a thin line before he added, "And get it done before that Moltenore boy finds out who the little rat is. Though I do have suspicions about the girl, who was admitted a weekte."


    Griffin nodded his head, "Maybe I canpel her, and see if she''s hiding anything?"


    "Yes," replied the older vampire. So far, with what he knew, both he and Donovan looked down at humans as if they were dirt. A little harmlesspulsion wouldn''t harm anyone, thought Luciano. His thoughts were disrupted when Griffin spoke,


    "There was something that has been bothering me," he waited for the Elder vampire to pay him attention, and when he did, Griffin continued, "Yesterday I saw something very strange in the dungeon."


    "Stop ying with suspense and speak, boy," Luciano lightly red at Griffin.


    "Ah yes. It wasst evening, a few hours after I entered the cell. I saw a paper fall on the ground," Griffin''s facial expression looked as if he was telling a horror story, which he didn''t have answers to. "The paper fell and then it disappeared!"


    Luciano rolled his eyes, "It is probably because of your low blood intake. Vampires often hallucinate things when they turn extremely thirsty."


    Griffin, who already knew that the Elder would react like this, said, "I wasn''t hallucinating. I don''t even have that kind of blood lust as Moltenore has and I had already drank blood before I was caught and put in here. I saw these broken twigs that looked like they were about to drop on the ground, but instead, whatever it was, it took the paper and disappeared."


    A slight frown appeared on Luciano''s face on hearing Griffin''s words because this seemed familiar, "Nothinges and goes in thin air, Griffin. Stop hovering around me and get to the job."


    Griffin gritted his teeth, but he didn''t know how to prove it.


    With Luciano, who dismissed him, walking in the other direction, Griffin wondered where the Elder was headed. He himself made his way towards the centre of the University. He headed towards the lunchroom of the university, with a doubt in his mind now if he was hallucinating because of his thirst for blood. On his way, he met one of hisckeys.


    "Yo, Griffin! Where were you? I have been looking for you since this morning," asked one of the vampires to him.


    It seemed that no one had heard about him being in the dungeon, and his chin lifted itself higher than before. Griffin said, "I was busy with Elder Luciano. You know how it has been since the Elders have woken up."


    From the other side, someonemented, "I don''t think the Elder would be pleased if he finds out that you included him with you in spending time in the dungeon."


    When Griffin turned with a scowl on his face to see who had spoken, he noticed the red hair. It was one of Roman''s friends.


    Simon had a crooked smile on his face, while he had a girl next to him.


    "Buzz off from here," warned Griffin.


    "No need to be defensive. I think it''s fantastic to be spending one night in the dungeon, helps in keeping up with the reputation, doesn''t it?" chuckled Simon, and he walked away from there with the girl clinging on his arm.


    The boy, who earlier spoke to Griffin, turned back to look at him, whose expression had turned hard. Not wanting to cross him, the vampire said, "I heard Moltenore was released from the dungeon and he returned back to the university, which is why this one is talking."


    "Where did he go?" Griffin raised his eyebrows, demanding a quick answer.


    "Who knows, I saw him earlier with the human. Must have gone to keep her somewhere safe from the Elders," informed the boy.


    "Do you know where he is now?" Griffin continued to look for answers while he looked around the campus from where he stood.


    "I don''t know about him, but a few minutes ago, I saw the girl walking with a four eyed boy towards the girl''s Dormitorium. Do you¡ª"


    Griffin didn''t stay around to hear the rest of it, and he quickly made his way towards the girl''s Dormitorium. Fucking Moltenore was the reason he was thrown in the dungeon, and he was going to see that Roman''s precious human wouldn''tst in Veteris for long. When he reached near the girl''s Dormitorium, he noticed Roman and Julie heading out of the Dormitorium building.


    He quickly moved behind a tree, watching the couple leave. The human girl turned to look at the Dormitorium with a slight worry, and Griffin turned suspicious.


    He looked back and forth, making sure no one was watching him. He made his way near the window of Julianne Winters dorm. Using his hands, he tried to pull open the window, but it seemed like it was tightly locked. If only he could get a look and see if this human was trying to hide something in there.


    While Griffin hovered in front of the same window that Roman often used to jump in and out of the room, the Corvin was quietly sitting and minding itself. Waiting for Julie to return to the dorm.


    The Corvin raised its hand, watching the twigs grow, and when it saw a small leaf appear, it used its other hand to pull the leaf out of its hand.


    The room was quiet, and it was dark as the light had been turned off so that no one would bother toe by looking for her. The Corvin''s feet, which were made of roots like toes, increased in length as if it were ready to dig into the floor and stay there. Its memory moved back to a couple of years ago, when Julie was small and her mother was still alive.


    The birds had perched on the spacious ground, which was clear except for some grains that the woman had thrown for them to eat. One of the birds flew and came to sit on the bench next to the woman, watching her and then the woman''s daughter, who sat on her heels watching the ck birds.


    "When I sit like this, everything around me feels so easy andfortable. Like nothing from the past matters, but at the same time, my heart grows heavy for what she has to go through in theing future," said the woman, her eyes watching little Julie, who was right now watching the birds.


    ''Cannot tell her,'' croaked the raven that sat next to the woman.


    "I am aware of it," sighed the woman, who was a witch and who could understand what the raven was talking. "I wish I could lower the impact, but I know it will only alter things, wouldn''t it? I wish I could protect her. Knowing I won''t be around for long, promise me that you will watch over her, Corvin. I don''t have anyone else I can count on. When the time is right, and when you can,e to her aid."


    ''I try,'' the raven croaked one more time, it hopped, moving its feet so that it could get closer to the witch.


    The woman held a grave look on her face, and she continued staring at the ravens that now surrounded the little one.


    "Mama!" The little girl came back to the woman''s side, and the bird moved away, this time towards the edge of the bench, but it didn''t fly away from there.


    The raven watched the little girl interact with the woman, where the witch ced her hand on the girl''s head and ran her fingers through the girl''s hair lovingly. "Are you done watching the birds eat?" asked the woman.


    "Uhm," the little girl answered, and she held her mother''s hand while the woman stood up from the bench.


    She then said, "I forgot to give thest portion of the grains," and she ced it in little Julie''s hands. "Come let''s feed them together before we leave."


    They walked towards where the birds were, and after throwing the grains towards the birds, where the girl''s attention was quick to upy by their sight. The woman saw the Corvin following them from behind. Some of the people walking nearby looked at her and her daughter with a strange look on her face. She knew she wasn''t supposed to be here, interacting with the ravens, but she couldn''t help it.


    She said to the Corvin, "From now on, I won''t being here anymore. It isn''t safe for me, nor is it for her. If you have anything to tell, you cane and meet me at my house."


    The Corvin croaked, and the woman turned back to look at Julie, who observed the birds. "Come dear," said the woman, "It is time to get back home, honey. Your father mighte home early as he said he''s finishing work soon."


    Holding each other''s hands, the woman gave a look to the Corvin before leaving from there to head back home.


    The Corvin returned to the present, where it sat in the darkroom, and the only scarce light that passed through was from below the door that came from the corridor of the Dormitorium. Some light came inside through the hazy window, where the curtain hadn''t been drawn. On hearing scratching noises near the windows, the creature slowly turned its body and head to look at a silhouette that stood behind the window.


    The sound on the window was nothing less to a cat scratching on it, and the creature moved closer to the window.


    On the other side of the window stood Griffin, who was still trying to open the window. He suddenly heard a noiseing from the other side of the window, caused by the Corvin''s beak hitting the hazy ss.


    Griffin suddenly stepped back as if the couple had returned to the dorm, but then the light had never been turned on. His eyes narrowed, wondering if someone was in there right now? He questioned in his mind.


    Stepping closer once again, this time, the vampire ced his forehead to touch the surface of the window while he used his vampire eyes to see through the hazy ss.


    Back in the room, the Corvin wondered who it was, and it turned curious.


    Its wooden stem, and twig-like fingers elongated, reaching for the window and ready to protect the girl''s dorm from any possible intruder. The lock of the window clicked, and Griffin, who had been waiting to open it, he put his fingers to the side, ready to pull it¡ª


    "Looks like staying in the cell yesterday and today was not enough time."


    Griffin quickly pushed the window that he was about to pull backwards, and he stepped away from it, his eyes meeting Veteris'' counsellor. He wondered what this freak was doing here.


    "I thought I saw something in there and wanted to check," Griffin fluently lied. The smile on Mr. Evans'' face didn''t fall, and he said,


    "No lights in the room and with that kind of ss, I wonder what you saw. Your eyes must have gotten better since Luciano is here."


    Griffin gave a brief look at the window before deciding to leave the dorm alone, making his way to where the counsellor stood. "I don''t have human eyes, Mr. Evans," the way Griffin said the vampire''s name, there was a hint of spite in it. "What are you even doing around here?"


    "Me?" Questioned Mr. Evans, the smile on his lips stayed intact, and he said, "I was taking a walk when I caught you trying to take a peep into a girl''s room. How was your time in the dungeon? Such a short time, I doubt it had any impact on you or Moltenore''s behaviour."


    "Did you find any suspects?" inquired Griffin. Mr. Evans stared at the boy, and he said,


    "If I found the person, I wouldn''t be here talking to you, would I?" Mr. Evans tilted his head, his eyes turning small as he offered Griffin a smile that brought the crows feet at the corner of his eyes. "You should stop sneaking around if you don''t want to pay another visit to the dungeon."


    Griffin quietly red at Evans, because for a fact, everyone knew the vampire counsellor didn''t do what he preached.


    "I have something else to do," Griffin walked past the counsellor, who stood there in the same spot. Mr. Evans'' eyes followed the vampire who was under Elder Luciano''s care and protection, and once the boy disappeared from his sight, the smile on his lips slipped down as if it was never there. His eyes shifted to look at the girl''s dorm, where Griffin had been hovering around, trying to open it.


    A secondter, the counsellor finally walked away from there.


    At the same time, away from the campus, one of the Elders continued to walk in slight haste, the cloak behind him flying above the ground to provide it with some sort of shelter from the darkness present in the forest.


    The forest was quiet and deserted, where none of the students were to be seen. Elder Luciano walked with great pride in every footstep he took, his red eyes stark against his pale skin and blonde hair parted from the side. He walked towards the East side of Veteris to check something.


    When he walked for a few minutes, Luciano met with another Elder vampire, Elder Castiel, who looked surprised on seeing him.


    "Taking a stroll in the woods I see,"mented Castiel with a peaceful expression on his face.


    "Not exactly," came the curt response from Luciano, and he said, "I came to check one part of thend. Something very interesting came to my notice." Castiel raised his eyebrows in question. Luciano continued to say, "I came to see if Willow Creek has finally reappeared."


    For a moment, Castiel was taken aback by the mention of the town which had disappeared many years ago. He sorted his thoughts and asked, "Willow Creek has ceased to exist centuries ago. Why the sudden interest?"


    "To take a look at it," Luciano''s words sounded arrogant. He then decided to speak, "Griffin mentioned about seeing something appear and disappear in the dungeon."


    "The young vampires always have hallucinations when they are deprived of blood," Castiel said the same thing that Luciano had told Griffin.


    "He saw twigs, stems that appeared and disappeared," Luciano let Castiel know, and thetter frowned.


    Castiel turned to look at the direction of where Willow Creek once used to exist, and he said, "It is impossible for Willow Creek to show up, when it hasn''t shown up in these many years after the curse."


    "That is exactly what is interesting, isn''t it?" Luciano parted his lips to speak again, "The younger vampires aren''t aware of it, for them to make up things like these. There should be some sort of exnation, unless Griffin is a whisperer, who is gifted."


    Castiel, who was well aware that Luciano''s boy had no extraordinary gift, agreed, "Let''s take a look then." The two Elders headed towards the ce that once belonged to Willow Creek, which had nowe under Veteris.


    When they came to one side of the forest, the Elders jumped over the thorns and the bushes using their vampire ability. Even though not much time had passed since the time of dusk, fog crawled on the surface of the forest ground.


    "The ce looks the same as west saw it to be,"mented Castiel, his eyes scanning the surroundings before they continued to walk. When they reached a particr spot, he said, "Wasn''t it supposed to be somewhere here? Looks like it''s not shown up even after these many years."


    Luciano had a look of suspicion in his eyes while the dim light that fell on the ground from the moonlight.


    "Let me see. The ce still holds that same smell like it used to," said the blonde vampire, and he walked towards a spot that had ck markings on the ground, which was now covered with dried leaves. "One would think that the curse would have weakened or broken after these many centuries. To think the witch even hid the stones, while letting it disappear with the town."


    "Opaline La Fay was considered to be one of the smartest witches. I wouldn''t expect anything less from her," murmured Castiel and Luciano turned to look at the other Elder vampire with a sneer.


    "I sometimes question whom you are vying for, Castiel. It''s not good to ce your feet in both the boats. The witches weren''t worth anything except for their stones. Most of them only caused damage to us," Luciano didn''t look happy as he remembered about the time when he hade across some of the witches.


    Castiel walked to the opposite side of where Luciano stood. Bending down, he looked at the ground before sitting on his heels. When he was about to get up, his eyes fell on something. A faint frown appeared on his face, and his hand reached for the ck feather on the ground.


    "A bird''s feather?" questioned Luciano,ing to stand next to Castiel, who stood up straight.


    "A raven''s feather," replied Castiel.

 Chapter 122 - Bug Of Veteris

    <h4>Chapter 122 - Bug Of Veteris</h4>


    In the lunchroom, Julie and Roman sat at the table with their friends. Everything seemed just like how it usually was, where the vampire students camouged in the crowd of the human students.


    The stares that Julie had received earlier had decreased as Roman was sitting right next to her. Also, the news about her in the circle of vampires was quick to turn into a piece of old news, as word had started to spread that it wasn''t just Roman who had spent his time in the dungeon but also Griffin.


    "Did you meet Donovan?" asked Maximus, sitting on Roman''s immediate right at the table.


    "I did," responded Roman, his eyes quickly falling on Griffin, who had just entered the lunchroom. "How were things in here yesterday?"


    "The checkup for the humans went smooth and clean. Nothing out of the blue was found," Maximus shook his head and then said, "I thought you were going to take her away from here," he looked at Julie, who was talking to Mnie right now.


    "Donovan and I came to a little agreement so that he doesn''t try to kill her," stated Roman, picking up the blood can and bringing it to his lips to take a sip from it.


    "What kind of agreement was it?" asked Olivia, who was listening in to their conversation like the other vampires at their table.


    Roman''s gaze turned serious, and he took another sip without revealing anything more. He had done what he thought was the best in their current situation because keeping Julie safe was his top priority, and apart from it, nothing else mattered to him.


    Though he had made a deal with Azazel Donovan, he would have to find a way to get out of it or go through it. There was no other way when it came to dealing with the Elder.


    "We are going out to the town in less than a week," mentioned Roman, reminding Maximus, and the other boy sighed.


    Maximus looked tired just by hearing it and muttered, "I thought we would be having more vacation time before we do that." He wasn''t looking forward to meeting the hunters.


    "It''s either they attack us first or we attack them," stated Roman, watching Griffin take a seat at the same table where his friends were. For a second, their eyes met to sh with each other. "It is always better to attack the enemies first, this way we know what we are up against. Thest thing we need is bringing their attention to Veteris."


    "It makes me wonder why the hunters haven''t shown up, if their intention was to use Silverwater and expose us," Victoria put her thoughts forward in a low voice.


    "Possibly a warning?" asked Simon, while his eyes were fixed on a ck-haired human, who sat on the other side of the table.


    Mnie was exining to Julie about one of the sses that she had missed yesterday. She said, "The beginning process of the dissection is something that always makes me flinch. Thankfully it''s just the beginning few seconds of going to the specimen."


    Julie smiled at Mnie''s words, "You don''t like the sight of blood and you picked this stream?"


    "It wasn''t me, but my parents who wanted me to pick this and also..." Mnie''s voice trailed as her eyes shifted from Julie to look at Conner, who was quietly having his meal without talking to anyone. "Fate just happened."


    "I can rte to it," replied Julie. She then called her other friend, "Conner?"


    The curly brown-haired boy looked up from his food, "I am sorry? I was thinking about something."


    Conner had spaced out as if in deep thought with a nk expression on his face. She wondered how long it would be like this before he would be able to recover from Reese''s death. Right now, it looked as if someone had forced him toe and sit to have lunch. She said,


    "We were talking about the courses and how Mnie didn''t want to study another course."


    Conner put up a smile on his lips, "Yeah, she should have chosen art or something, but I think at that time, all the seats for the art ss had been filled. And though she wanted to, Mr. and Mrs. Davis didn''t want her to join it. You could have chosen another university if you wanted to study arts."


    Mnie awkwardlyughed, with Conner''s eyes on her. She said, "Well, Veteris is a reputable university, and Iter realized I probably don''t have the talent for art work. I just need to pass through the initial fright and stop freaking out with blood." She then turned to look at Julie and said, "I swear, tomorrow when you start the ss, you would feel the same."


    Conner nodded his head in encouragement, "You have always seeded inpleting what you have started, Mel. You will get through it."


    "I hope so," replied Mnie, watching him take a bite from his meal. As if sensing someone''s gaze on her, her eyes moved to look across the table, and she saw Simon''s green eyes looking at her with a smirk on his face.


    Mnie didn''t know why Simon looked at her as if he always knew something about her. She wanted to stick her fork into his eyeballs just to stop him from smirking at her. Trying to ignore him, she turned back to look at Julie and continued to speak about the sses.


    After a few minutes, while Mnie and Conner were talking, Julie felt her chair being pulled to the right. She turned to see Roman, who was drinking his coke. Her eyes fell on Roman''s lips that had a light tint of pinkish-red on them, which was quick to disappear when he ran his tongue over his lips.


    "You''re not eating," Roman pointed out, where Julie had barely touched the food that she had bought from the lunchroom counter.


    "Neither are you," a smile appeared on Julie''s lips. She had been busy speaking to Mnie, and somewhere, shecked appetite. It was because, in the back of her mind, she worried about the Corvin, who was in her room.


    She couldn''t allow the Corvin to stay in the dorm forever because who knew how long it would take for the Corvin to regain its abilities. That was if it was able to regain them.


    Donovan had dismissed the Corvin''s presence once, which was only because his focus was on her. Thankfully Veteris didn''t have an actual signal, else she would have been worrying about her father with the rest of the things going on.


    Roman leaned towards Julie and said, "My meal is right here." She saw him send her a wink with that serious face of his and her cheeks turned warm. He lifted the coke can and shook it in front of him before saying, "I am here. Let me take all your fears and worries, so that you have to think less about them."


    Julie nodded her head, bringing the meal closer; she took two bites before whispering only for him to hear, "I thought Veteris had good quality food for both."


    "I ate the meals a few times in the beginning before deciding to stick to something more direct," responded Roman. He watched Julie twist the fork in her hand, and then ce the fork with the green vegetable in her mouth.


    Julie chewed her food, where some of the sauce smeared on the side of her lips which she didn''t realize as she continued to eat.


    "Winters," Roman called her, and Julie gave him a look as if to ask what. He brought his hand towards her face, rubbing the corner of her mouth with his thumb, before putting his finger in his mouth.


    Roman''s friends caught sight of it but didn''t respond and continued talking within themselves, as if they were getting used to it, knowing well Roman did what he wanted to do. But out of them, if there was someone there toment, it was their red-headed friend, who murmured,


    "I wonder how Donovan would react if he saw this."


    "Probably jump in the well before hees out like the girl in The Ring movie to haunt Julie?"? Maximus replied with a low voice with a possibility of what could happen.


    Julie quickly twisted her fork in her sd bowl and brought it to Roman''s lips, which was nothing but leafy vegetables. Roman lightly red at the fork before looking at her, "You don''t feed grass to a wolf, Winters. Did you forget the difference between a carnivore and herbivore? It''s a bunny''s food."


    Julie shook her head, "But if a wolf wants to be friends with a bunny, won''t it try to eat it?"


    "Does that mean a bunny will eat what a wolf would?" Roman''s eyebrows raised, and Julie opened her mouth to speak. He took the fork from her hand and said, "Here, why don''t I do the honour."


    Roman brought the fork near Julie''s lips, and her cheeks turned slightly red. She opened her mouth while watching him stare at her lips. She quickly ate it and saw a hint of a smile appear on his lips.


    In between her chewing, Julie took back the fork from him so that others wouldn''t see Roman feeding her like a child.


    "So shy, especially after what we did," remarked Roman.


    "We did that in private, this... the lunchroom has many people," Julie cleared her throat.


    "Mm," responded Roman, and he said, "I like taking care of you, Winters, and I don''t care if it''s in front of people or in private. Even if it means in front of the old man."


    Julie''s eyes looked up at Roman, "It''s going to take time for me to get used to it."


    "Take your time," responded Roman. His hand that he had rested behind her chair came to pet the back of her head, lightly weaving his fingers into her hair. "There''s no hurry for it."


    There was something that Roman had been looking for since he had found out about Julie being connected to the lineage of witches. He was trying to find how long a witch lived if they were immortals like the vampires.


    But so far, most of the witches who had appeared in history, they were all dead or killed. It would be a lie if he said that it didn''t bother him. With the witches and vampires feud, no one had ever turned a witch into a vampire, and he doubted it was possible to do it.


    Though a vampire could use the witches stones, the vampires weren''t of any use to the witches.


    Roman wanted Julie next to him, and he didn''t want her to leave this world or him.


    When they finished eating, Conner and Mnie were the first to leave the table along with Julie while Roman and his friends stayed behind in the lunchroom.


    "Do you want to take a small walk?" asked Mnie to both Julie and Conner before they would head to their respective Dormitorium.


    "Okay," replied Conner. Julie wondered if anything would happen in those ten or fifteen minutes in her dorm.


    Turning to look at the lunchroom entrance, Julie saw Roman and his friends weren''t out yet. Earlier, Julie had locked the dorm door and window, so hopefully, the Corvin would be safe.


    Julie nodded her head, and Mnie smiled before the three of them started to walk together. They walked in the direction where the main gates of Veteris was located. On their way, they saw some of the students taking a stroll like them, some on the campus area, while some near the forest.


    "The weather is cold, isn''t it?"mented Mnie, even though she had worn a cardigan.


    "It does feel like winter is here, as if we have skipped a month," said Conner, his eyes moved to look at the corners before he asked, "How was your visit, Julie?"


    For a moment, Julie''s mind turned nk, but gathering her thoughts, she said, "It was alright. Has everything been okay here?" she asked without bringing up Reese.


    Conner offered an assured smile as the girls had a worried look, "I don''t know. I feel empty, but then at the same time, I feel like I am missing something which I don''t know about. Like there are gaps."


    Julie lightly frowned, wondering if thepulsion didn''t work properly on him.


    She heard Conner say, "I wish I could go back home and not have to deal with sses. Having to go to the sses reminds me...But then we are going to have exams in two months and I need to prepare my sculpture."


    Julie had heard from Mr. Evans on how the vampire had erased Conner''s thoughts about visiting Reese''s family and being present during her funeral. From what she had seen and heard, the news about Reese being dragged into the woods by the wolf seemed to have hushed down, which was now reced with different versions to it and had now turned into a rumour. This had led to the human students not knowing how exactly Reese had passed away.


    "I am d I have you guys here," said Conner and Julie offered him an encouraging smile.


    "We''ll always be here with you," Julie said to him, and Mnie nodded her head.


    "Julie''s right, Conner," agreed Mnie.


    "Yeah," replied Conner, but the smile didn''t reach his eyes as worry weighed on his mind. He took candy from his pocket, and before throwing it in his mouth, he asked, "Do you want it?


    When Mnie nodded, Conner put his hand in his pocket and offered them one of each. Mnie quickly put it in her mouth, feeling the orange vour burst on her tongue, while Julie held it in her hand.


    They continued to walk for a few more minutes, picking up topics. While speaking, Mnie said, "The month''s weekend holiday isn''t too far either¡ª" but upon hearing about theing holiday, Julie''s thoughts quickly moved to what Dennis had told her, and she furrowed her eyebrows, "¡ªmaybe we can leave early to save more time¡­"


    Julie zoned out from the conversation, and her footsteps stopped.


    Conner turned to look at Julie, "Did you forget something?"


    "I just remembered something. I will catch up with you guyster," said Julie, and she ran back in the direction of where the lunchroom was. Her thoughts had been upied with the worry of Corvin and the Elder vampire, which made her unintentionally forget about what Dennis had told her.


    If Dennis was really behind the contamination, then it was possible that him telling her that he was going to leave during the holiday had only been a story and that he wasn''t going to wait till that day. And he had mentioned about the holiday only to know her answer.


    She saw Roman standing outside the building, talking to Simon. As if sensing her presence, he turned to look at her. At thest step, Julie almost tripped and fell if it weren''t for Roman, who caught hold of her in his arm.


    [Music Rmendation: Into the fire- Marco Beltrami]


    "What happened, Winters?" questioned Roman, looking behind her to see if someone was chasing her. Julie panted for air because she had run as fast as she could to find Roman, hoping he was still here.


    Taking a deep breath, Julie looked at Roman and finally said, "It''s Dennis."


    Simon, who stood nearby, didn''t know why the four-eyed human''s name was being brought up, wondering if the boy had tried to hit on Julie again.


    Roman''s eyes narrowed as if connecting what Julie was talking about, "How are you sure about it?"


    "I met him before I reached my dorm," huffed Julie, catching her breath in between her words. "When we were speaking, he mentioned that he was going to leave this ce."


    "Did he tell you when he was leaving?" Roman turned his head to Simon, "See if Dennis Mcoy is in his room right now."


    Simon, who didn''t have an idea of what was going on, looked at Roman with a question in his eyes. But without asking, he quickly left the front side of the lunchroom.


    "What else did he say?"


    Julie''s face scrunched as she didn''t know if she should mention something more than what she had told him.


    "Winters," Roman demanded an answer from her, his eyes slightly fluctuating between ck and red.


    "He seemed a little concerned and wanted me to leave the university with him," Julie informed Roman. She saw the way Roman''s eyes narrowed and filled itself with pure annoyance. "I don''t think he''s going to wait until the month holiday."


    "Of course, he isn''t," responded Roman. Dennis had always hovered around Julie, in a way where Roman had only assumed the human to be someone who wanted Julie''s affection. But that had camouged what Dennis was exactly doing. He turned his head in the direction of the restricted forest. "If Simon returns, tell him I am in the west side of the forest that leads towards the road."


    Julie''s eyebrows furrowed, and she asked, "Aren''t there guards posted at the border of the university?"


    "Not enough," remarked Roman, and he quickly left her side, making his way behind the building and then towards the forest, until Julie could barely see him as he disappeared behind the trees.


    It had been a while since Julie and Roman left the dorm, which possibly gave Dennis enough time to escape and head towards the forest to find a route towards the road.


    In the inside parts of the forest, Dennis ran as quickly as he could, where he had taken the path through the restricted forest. Once in a while, he turned behind to make sure no one was following him.


    He noticed the guards standing outside of the tall walls of Veteris. He used the path of the forest rather than making use of the road. He continued running, but after a couple of minutes, he caught the sound of someone''s feet on the ground not too far behind him.


    Just when he turned back to see who it was, Dennis came in contact with Roman''s fist that flew right into his face, which led the boy''s body to roll until it hit the nearest tree.


    But even though the blow was hard, Dennis quickly stood up to face Roman, and he looked at Roman through his cracked sses.


    "I have been waiting to do this for quite some time now," stated Roman, stretching his fingers before he turned them into a fist.


    "I could tell," replied Dennis. He pulled his sses from his way and took a look at it. He then threw the sses on the ground and stamped on it. "Took you quite some time to figure it out. How did you find out?" He touched the corner of his lips and looked at the blood.


    "It was quite pathetic to think Julie would listen to you and follow you out of Veteris," said Roman, before raising his leg to kick right into Dennis'' stomach, and the boy fell on the ground.


    A small smile appeared on Dennis'' lips, "So it was her who told it. I must be an important person if she wanted to bring it up this soon with you. After all, we were friends before you decided to sully her mind."


    "You mean while you are still her friend or maybe not even that," taunted Roman, and he picked up Dennis by holding his cor. "It gives me pleasure knowing it was you who was behind it. Which hunter are you working for?" He questioned the boy, but the person didn''t reply to him and just stared at Roman.


    "The Elders should rot and so should all of you. Maybe it couldn''t happen this time, but there''s still time in the future," said Dennis, a smile appearing back on his face. "Does Julie know who you are? Poor thing will go into trauma, when she finds out that her boyfriend is a blood sucking vampire, who is even worse than the worst."


    Roman continued to kick and punch Dennis, mming Dennis'' head against the bark of the tree. He said, "She isn''t as narrow-minded as you."


    Hearing Roman''s words, Dennis, who coughed blood, stared at Roman while cing his hand on the tree''s bark for support.


    A deep frown appeared on Dennis''s face, and he wondered what Roman''s words actually meant. He said, "You think just because you have trapped her with your charms andpulsion, that you will be able to keep her in your web of lies?"


    "For someone who tried to contaminate the water in Veteris and stop the Elders from waking up, I must confess, you''re rather slow. But I can only expect so much from number two, isn''t it?" questioned Roman.


    As much as he wanted to beat the living light out of the boy, he would have to be taken to the dungeon so that the Elders could question him.


    Dennis quietly red, looking behind Roman and then behind him, "Humans have never epted blood sucking creatures like us. Movies and books, sure. Do you think they would prefer to keep a leech next to them?"


    He wasn''t a human, was he? Roman questioned himself. Dennis was not a hunter but a morm.


    "Who are you working for?" question Roman, and at the same time, he heard footstepsing not too far from where they stood.


    Dennis chuckled, his mouth slightly bloody, and he said, "What makes you think I''ll tell you? You people sure are conceited."


    Seeing that he wasn''t a human but a morm, Roman didn''t see a reason for holding himself back. He caught Dennis one more time and punched him again, hearing Dennis groan in pain. When Roman was going to leave another blow, someone fired a gun, and it was aimed at his head.


    Roman''s eyes quickly moved in the direction where the trigger was pulled, and he saw the bullet approaching too close to him. He quickly stepped away, where a series of guns was heard echoing where they were.


    Two men in masks continued to aim at him and then at Simon, and one of them hit Simon''s arm, making him hiss in pain. A smoke-like vapour started to escape where he was injured. Roman ducked down while Simon went to stand behind the tree to take a look at his arm.


    "How the fuck did they get in here?!" Simon looked pissed after being shot.


    Roman raised his hand, where a ball of fire appeared, and Simon shook his head, "Rome...You''re going to light up the entire forest on fire."


    The ball of fire burned brighter while one of the people, who had been shooting them, helped Dennis stand up, as he had been beaten by Roman. Even though a morm had a better strengthpared to a normal human, it still wasn''t enough when it came to a vampire''s strength.


    The other armed person continued shooting where Roman and Simon stood behind two different trees. Roman said, "Let it burn then," and he stepped away from the tree.


    He quickly dodged the bullets using his vampire speed, but the person kept aiming at him while slightly being distracted with the fire in his hand. The fire had a life of its own, as if able to fly, it headed in the person''s direction.


    The gunshots continued, and Roman was hit by one of the silver bullets, but instead of slowing him down, it only turned his eyes darker red. As if realizing the bullets weren''t enough, the person ran, following the other two people. The fire slithered on the ground, leaving a trail of red and orange as the dried leaves caught fire.


    Dennis and the other person moved towards the road where the wall of Veteris stopped. Before thest person could follow, the fire that belonged to Roman wrapped itself around the person, and screams were hearding from the person as it tried to burn him.


    When he got hold of the person, who was slightly charred, he caught the person from the ground. But as he lifted, ready to torture him, another gunshot was heard, this time hitting the guy whom Roman was holding, and the guy dropped dead on the ground.


    It was Dennis who had shot his own man. Roman picked up one of the stones nearby and threw it at the morm, who staggered away to the vehicle that waited for him to get in. By the time Roman made his way to where they were, the vehicle started, and Dennis turned back to look at him with a smug smile.


    Simon came to where Roman was on the road, huffing softly while holding his arm.


    "Killing his own man to stop the person from speaking," Simon clicked his tongue while watching the gap between them and the car increase. "They escaped."


    "Not yet," said Roman, and the fire on his hand returned, this time slithering like a snake on the road.


    When the trail of fire reached the vehicle, it moved beneath the car before the fire turnedrge as if spreading its wings wide. Simon brought his fingers to close his ears while Roman raised his hand and snapped his fingers.


    One flick and the vehicle blew up, catching fire.


    "Now we are even," deadpanned Roman.

 Chapter 123 - What Are You Hiding?

    <h4>Chapter 123 - What Are You Hiding?</h4>


    The vehicle continued to burn, leaving smoke to escape into the air. Simon said, "I don''t think they are of any use if they are dead."


    "They are morms and vampires, they will be fine," Roman responded while making his way towards the burning vehicle, which had toppled after being engulfed by the fire, where the fire had now extinguished itself.


    Walking to one side of the toppled vehicle, Roman pulled out the badgered door before pulling out the morm from there. He dragged Dennis from his seat, and Dennis red at Roman while blood dripped down from his head.


    Roman said, "Did you think I would let you escape right in front of me?"


    "Do you think capturing me will give you anything?"


    "Sure," responded Roman, and he raised his hand before saying, "Night night, Mcoy," and the fist flew right into Dennis'' face, knocking him out.


    Simon walked to the other side of the vehicle while a part of his arm continued to produce smoke like Roman''s chest, where the silver bullet had been shot. Opening the door, he pulled the person and checked him. He then said, "This one''s dead.."


    "Good," replied Roman with a dull voice while watching Dennis, whoid on the ground.


    "The morms are often a hassle," said Simon, and he took a look at his wound before staring at Dennis. "They behave like humans, eat like humans while their intake of blood is low, making it difficult for the vampires to identify them. Who would have thought that this one would turn into a morm," he chuckled at the end of his sentence while looking at Dennis.


    "Let us get this cleaned up before we have any possible people passing through this ce," said Roman. Simon pulled the bodies back into the forest by stepping back into the property that belonged to Veteris. Roman pushed the vehicle to the other side, hiding it away from immediate sight so that it could be taken care of by one of the guards of Veteris.


    Once the bodies were taken back to the dungeon, along with Dennis, the Elders and the other staff of Veteris came to the dungeon to look at the intruder who had caused amotion a few weeks ago.


    "I thought the management made a thorough check of the students background before admitting them in,"mented Luciano, taking lead in the matter. The Elder stared at the slightly burned people. Dennis was put in the cell as he was still breathing. Luciano turned to look at Ms. Dante in question, "Looks like you aren''t as good as you think when ites to managing Veteris, Eloise."


    "He joined the university during his freshman year like any other human. He''s been having excellent high grades, which gave less reason to suspect him," replied Ms. Dante.


    "This is why you can''t count on students who have higher grades," remarked Luciano. "You never know who turns their back, when."


    "Funny how it was the student of Veteris who found and brought the culprit," Donovan responded to Luciano''sment. He stepped forward to take a look at the two dead bodies and said, "Maybe if it was some other students, I would have agreed, Luciano. Good job, Rome," the Elder vampire praised Roman, whereas Roman was barely interested in receiving praise.


    Castiel, having heard enough of the two elders trying to show their superiority in the room, asked the headmistress, "What do we know about this Dennis boy?"


    "That he has human parents, andes from a struggling family," replied Ms. Dante.


    "Makes up for a good sob story,"mented Donovan, his eyes turned serious while looking at Dennis in the cell. "Don''t think I have ever seen him before."


    "That''s alright, isn''t it. Thankfully your beloved boy hasn''t killed him and gave ast thought to keep him alive," stated Luciano.


    "No need to be salty about it, Luciano," Donovan turned to look at Roman and asked, "Is that the right usage?"


    The other three Elders looked confused by the word, while the other people in the dungeon didn''t know if this was the time to be doing this when there was something more important to be dealt with.


    One corner of Roman''s lips subtly pulled up while he replied in his nonchnt voice, "Yes."


    Castiel said, "What''s important is that we have finally caught the culprit," and he offered Roman a nod of appreciation, and Roman epted it with a slight bow. "The boy will regain his consciousness soon and let us leave it to Evans to get the information out of him."


    "With pleasure," Mr. Evans offered a bow, where the smile on his lips lit up like a bulb receiving a high voltage of electricity.


    Ms. Dante questioned Roman with curious eyes, "How did you find out that it was him?"


    With the question asked, Simon suddenly turned busy looking at the wound on his arm, which continued to sizzle as he or Roman didn''t find time to pull it out. This way, no one was going to be asking him questions he didn''t want to answer, thought Simon.


    Most of the people''s eyes fell on Roman.? Even though Donovan believed in Roman''s intelligence, at the same time, he was curious. Roman''s eyes met his maker''s curious eyes looking at him whilst waiting to hear about it.


    "Instinct."


    Roman''s answer was nothing short of the way he often spoke. Though some took his word, some in the room had their doubts, which included Donovan. He didn''t want to have their focus on Julie because something told him not to.


    "I will have these people''s pictures run through the information desk and see what it leads to," Ms. Dante told the Elders, and she stepped out of the dungeon while being followed by Mr. Borrell.


    "What''s the matter, Remy?" questioned Castiel, seeing the other Elder vampire staring at the boy, who was inside the cell.


    Remy felt like he had seen the boy somewhere before, but he didn''t remember where. It was as if he knew the answer, which was close to his reach, but at the same time, he couldn''t figure it out. "Nothing," said the Elder.


    On the other hand, Luciano''s eyes were sending quiet daggers at not one but two people. One to Elder Donovan, and the other directed at Griffin for his ipetence.


    Griffin looked at the cell, not knowing when this even happened. He had been hovering around the girl''s Dormitorium before heading to the lunchroom, nning to get hisckeys to search. Which was why he didn''t know when Roman had disappeared from the lunchroom and caught Dennis escaping.


    After Castiel finished speaking to Remy about something, Castiel turned around and said, "Why don''t you boys go get your wounds tended? We''ll take it from here," he offered them a polite smile.


    Roman stepped out of the dungeon with Simon and Maximus, and Griffin, too, left the ce, not wanting to take the wrath of his Elder tonight. Castiel then looked at Mr. Evans, who was in the dungeon with them.


    "I will be right outside," said the counsellor, who had been given the job to grill and torture the morm for the truth, which he could barely wait. "Let me fix these," said Mr. Evans politely and followed the guards, who carried the two men who were brought in by Roman.


    With just the Elders, and the unconscious boy in the cell, Donovan questioned, "What''s the matter, Castiel? Something wrong?" he raised his thick eyebrows at the other Elder.


    Castiel held a grim expression on his face, and he nodded, "Luciano and I found something on the East side of the forest."


    "Which area?" questioned Donovan.


    "The one near where Willow Creek used to be," replied Castiel, and hearing the name, the Elders'' eyes narrowed.


    "What about it?" questioned Donovan, his head slightly tilting to the side.


    Castiel turned to look at Luciano, and the blonde Elder raised his chin, "Griffin mentioned to me that while he was in here, he saw something that we believed to have stopped existing."


    "People withmon sense?" asked Donovan, and Luciano''s eyes narrowed. "I don''t like suspense. What is it?"


    "Corvin," revealed Luciano.


    "The Corvins of the witches?" Remy tried to make sure, as he hadn''t apanied the two Elders to the forest earlier.


    Castiel nodded his head, "Yes, the very same creature. Isn''t it a known fact that the Corvins originated from Willow Creek before scattering to the othernds? I found this," he put his hand in his pocket and brought the feather out to show them. "Feather of a raven. Not any kind. If you look closely at the barb and the area of the after feather, you will see the red vein like line. It''s very light, but visible."


    Donovan took the feather from Castiel''s hand, bringing it in front of his face, and his eyes narrowed. He said, "It can be an old feather that was washed back to that ce. The dirt on it makes it evident," he hummed.


    "The smell around the ce where Willow Creek was is as strong as when the town existed. We all know that a Corvin''s life first starts with a raven before they growrger in size and shed the feathers before they take their full form," remarked Luciano. "It makes me wonder if any witch came by which is why the smell of the town lingers in there."


    "Centuries back, Opaline cursed the people as well as the town, to have them disappear and never appear. What makes you think that it showed up?" questioned Remy with a frown on his face, "It''s impossible for something like that to happen out of the blue."


    While the three Elders were busy discussing, Donovan continued staring at the feather that he held his hand.


    "Griffin is sure about it," stated Luciano, with a grim expression on his face.


    "Are you certain that it is what Griffin saw?" Donovan''s eyes turned to look at the blonde vampire. "Because Opaline died along with her family members. All children of hers were burnt or beheaded. Unless she sent one of her children''s offspring away from there without anyone''s knowledge and we now have a descendant of the witch Opaline La Fay."


    "Do we have any information on that?" asked Castiel, a deep frown on his forehead.


    "Nothing. Everything that was there, it was in Willow Creek, which was hidden," replied Luciano. Remy turned his head to where Dennisid in the cell. He made his way towards the cell. Opening the cell''s gate, he stepped inside.


    Walking towards the morm, Remy knelt next to Dennis and then ced his hand on the morm''s head.


    "He''s not recently turned," murmured the Elder.


    Elder Remy moved his hand over Dennis'' forehead, trying to find more information. The vampire had the ability to know when a person was turned from being a human to a vampire or a morm. "It''s before the time we went to rest in the caskets in the chambers."


    "So he''s obviously not with the hunters, unless they have their little organization to bring us down and threaten us," stated Donovan, and he looked at the other Elders, "Question is, who in here pissed who in the past, that now we are having this silly game being yed."


    "Out of us four, you are the most probable person to do that. I think you should try to remember it," remarked Luciano and Donovan clicked his tongue.


    "Let me think," hummed Donovan.


    Castiel stepped away from Luciano and Donovan, and he stepped into the cell,ing to stand behind Remy. He asked, "Can you find out who turned him?"


    "An ordinary vampire," replied Remy. Standing up, he turned to face others and said, "It''s easier to find vampires than morms. It would be better to get Dante check every student''s profile, just to be sure. Or I can do that myself on the count of morms we have in Veteris."


    "But before that, what are we going to do with Willow Creek?" questioned Luciano.


    "The town doesn''t exist and even if Griffin did have a slight glimpse of the Corvin, we cannot do much unless wee across one ourselves," Castiel looked at the feather that Donovan held. "If the Corvin showed up here, it will show up again. Creatures like that don''t leave their roots."


    The other Elder vampires agreed on this while wondering about the possible Corvin''s existence, on when they would catch sight of it.


    Far away from the dungeon and the forest, Julie was in her dorm in the girl''s Dormitorium, standing in front of the Corvin.


    "Did your powers return?" asked Julie, looking at it with a slight anxious look as she hadn''t heard from Roman since she had left the lunchroom. She had waited for Simon to return beforeing straight to the dorm.


    The Corvin shook its head, ''No.''


    A sigh escaped from Julie''s lips, and she wondered what to do. The timing around them was far too perfect, where every problem had aligned itself to head towards her. She wanted a break to breathe and spend time studying or maybe spend time with Roman like they normally used to do in the library. She missed it.


    "By the way, before we met near Willow Creek, did youe by my dorm?" questioned Julie, taking a seat on the chair while the creature sat on the bed.


    The Corvin nodded its wooden head, and Julie nodded too. So it wasn''t a dream after all


    . "Were you always around? I mean you did push my application in here," said Julie. The creature sat like a statue except for its feet that looked like it was slowly growing and then reduced the length.


    ''Sometimes, to fulfill promise.''


    "What did you and my mother speak about when you met?" inquired Julie, pulling her feet to ce her heels on the edge of the chair while she hugged her legs with her arms. "What kind of abilities did she have?"


    But all Julie received was silence before the creature said, ''Great witch. Put herself forward to save. Loved you.''


    Somewhere, Julie felt as if the Corvin was hiding something from her. She asked directly, "What are you hiding from me?"


    ''Cannot speak. Forgive me,'' the Corvin said quickly, making Julie pursed her lips. She wondered how this master and servant bond worked between a witch and the Corvin. ''Some things not to be touched. Known. Else causes imbnce.''


    "Okay, I won''t. But if Ie close to the truth, will you tell me then?" asked Julie, her brown eyes looking at the hollow eyes of the raven''s skull. "Okay?"


    ''Okay.''


    "Why don''t you take a seat here so that no one can see you?" asked Julie, getting up from the chair and cing it in the corner. The Corvin did as it was told, while she opened the window and took a peek outside to see if she could hear anymotion, even though she had the ability to hear like the humans.


    Once she was done peeking outside, she pulled the window close and drew the curtain to cover it. She wondered when she would hear from Roman. She wanted to go to the forest to check if he was still there or if he had caught up with Dennis, that was if Dennis was the culprit.


    But she had the Corvin to look after.


    ''You worry,'' came the raspy voice of the Corvin, who was looking at Julie.


    "I am," confessed Julie. "Do you ever sleep?"


    ''No.''


    "Maybe I can introduce you to something called a movie and we can have our own night out in the dorm," proposed Julie, trying to look at the positive side.


    At least she knew no one would harm her once she would be sound asleep. She looked at her hand and said, "I think I saw the stone that belongs to the witch. The Elder had it on his finger. Did you see it?"


    ''Yes. Red ruby,'' replied the Corvin.


    "Do you know what ability it holds? I thought the stones had to be liquified and drunk by the vampires, to be able to use its ability,"mented Julie from what she knew.


    ''Possible without drink,'' replied the Corvin, and Julie turned her body to face it. The creature said, ''Red ruby to travel.''


    "Travel?" questioned Julie, before her eyes widened and she asked, "Do you mean to say that he can apparate like you?"


    ''Yes. Apparate,'' the creature said as if it was a new word and trying to remember it.


    That was a very tricky ability, and it made her worried. Julie questioned, "So he can travel anywhere he wants? Does that mean he can go anywhere at any time?"


    The creature stared at her before answering, ''Yes.''


    "Holy crap, this is not good," Julie started to freak out. She ran her hand through her hair while trying to figure out what to do.


    ''Won''te here now,'' said the creature and Julie turned to look at it with her furrowed eyebrows. ''Stones inactive, take time to work as awake now.''


    "And how long does it take for it to be activated?" asked Julie.


    ''A week.''


    "Okay. I think we can work with that," said Julie. Though it would be funny if Donovan appeared in the dorm while both she and the Corvin were enjoying a book. Imagine that, thought Julie in her mind. Thest thing she needed was Donovan meeting the Corvin. "Is there a way to avoid¡ª"


    ''Master,'' the Corvin interrupted Julie, ''Stones were for witches. Cannot apparate to you.''


    "Thank you for telling me before I fainted with anxiety," Julie thanked the Corvin while the Corvin brought its stem-like hand to scratch the back of its head.


    Julie opened her mouth to speak about something, and the Corvin suddenly disappeared from one spot to another inside the dorm, as if it was able to apparate, and a smile appeared on her lips. "Looks like you only needed some rest," she said to it. "Maybe you should stay here a bit longer so that we are sure that you won''t end up getting caught by someone on your way. Where will you go?"


    ''Near Willow Creek.''


    She nodded her head and said, "Okay. Feel free to stay here if you want."


    The next second, the Corvin disappeared from her sight without speaking another word, and Julie looked around inside her dorm, a small sigh escaped from her lips. At least one of the problems was fixed, thought Julie in her mind.


    Julie turned to look at the clock, seeing it was nearing ten o''clock. Having an hour more before the curfew would turn effective for all the students of Veteris, she wore her sweater and picked up the keys of the dorm. Stepping out, she locked the dorm before heading out of the Dormitorium.


    Though Julie wanted to check on Roman, she didn''t know where exactly to look for him now.


    He could be in the forest, or he could be at the dungeon, or he could be elsewhere. She bit her lip in thought while trying to figure out which way to go. At the same time, she saw one of Roman''s friends walking from the other side, heading towards the next girl''s Dormitorium, which was for vampiress.


    Julie wondered if she should ask Victoria, but she seemed busy, talking to another girl without looking at her. The two girls walked past her, and Julie decided to check the lunchroom when she heard Victoria call her.


    "Julianne."


    Startled, Julie turned to meet the girl''s eyes, who walked towards her. "If you are looking for Rome, I advise you not to. You have already caused enough problems for him," said the vampiress, who had found out somehow on the deal between Roman and Donovan. "If you are nning to see him now, he''s busy."


    Julie pursed her lips, but she asked, "Do you know where he is now?" ignoring Victoria''s words, who stared at her.


    "He''s hurt and needs to rest," said Victoria, and hearing this, Julie frowned.


    "Infirmary?"


    "I don''t think you will be able to see him now," said Victoria, because thest few minutes she had been there, Isolde had closed the door with Simon and Roman inside.


    Julie didn''t wait, and she ran towards the infirmary while the vampiress clicked her tongue, "Humans," she muttered under her breath, knowing she could have withheld the information if she wanted to.


    As Victoria didn''t look worried, Julie concluded that Roman wasn''t severely injured. Her feet moved on the ground, and her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn''t help bute up with possible scenarios of what might have happened in the time when she hadst seen him for him to visit the infirmary.


    When she reached the infirmary, the corridor was empty, with a dim light lit in the ceiling. The corridor looked deserted. She tried to take a peek into the room when she caught Olivia stepping out of one of the rooms.


    "Olivia!" Julie called the girl, and it had the vampiress turn, who was walking about to walk on the opposite side.


    Olivia turned mildly surprised by Julie''s presence at this hour in the infirmary building. "Julianne," greeted the vampiress with a small, polite smile. "Are you looking for Doctor Isolde? She''s busy with a case. Is there anything I can help you with?"


    With the way Olivia looked at her, Julie could tell that the vampiress was trying to divert her attention.


    "I heard Rome was hurt and came to see him," said Julie, noticing Olivia''s blue eyes that didn''t have a hint of red in it.


    Olivia was a little torn in lying to Julie because Roman had warned them not topel her so that she could continue living without being manipted.


    "Yes, Rome is hurt, but there''s nothing to worry about," Olivia offered Julie a smile. "But he does need rest tonight as said by Doctor Isolde."


    Julie''s hand clenched. Vampires had a higher tolerance level when it came to pain and also when it came to healing. She wondered how hurt he was that he wasn''t going to leave the infirmary tonight or now.


    "Will it be alright if I see him before I leave?" asked Julie.


    Before Olivia could say something, Simon appeared out of one of the rooms, "Liv, Isolde is calling you."


    Olivia offered Julie a smile before walking away from there.


    Julie stood there, watching Olivia''s back, and she saw Simon walking from the other side. Simon said to her, "He''s hurt below his shoulder, and is currently in the restricted room, whiches to the left after the end of the corridor."


    Did that mean no visitors?


    Simon''s green eyes watching her curiously with a smile on his lips. "I guess you can take a peek. Isolde is busy." He then offered her a can of coke, "For you. I should go back to the room before I am caught lurking in here," and he disappeared into one of the rooms in the corridor.

 Chapter 124 - On The Other Side Of The Veil

    <h4>Chapter 124 - On The Other Side Of The Veil</h4>


    Julie stared at the cold can of coke in her hand before looking up and staring at the room where Simon had disappeared. Somewhere, her face turned pale at the thought that Simon knew that she knew. From what she had heard from Roman, a human was not supposed to know about the existence of the vampires, which was why they werepelled to erase what they found out.


    But she was no more a human but a witch. Though the rule was to erase human memories, there was no mention of the witches knowing the existence of the vampires.


    Without giving a chance for someone to catch her standing in the corridor, Julie stealthily made her way towards the end of the corridor, she took a left. Reaching the room where Roman was, she caught a glimpse of him through the window, where the curtains had not been drawn.


    She saw him sitting on the other side of the room near the window, with one leg ced on the window sill while the other rested on the ground. As if sensing her presence, Roman turned to look at her, and Julie smiled at him.


    Roman dropped his leg on the ground, and he made his way towards the door before opening it for her.


    "I wanted to make sure you were¡ª" Julie felt Roman pull her into the room and lock the door, "¡ªokay."


    "You are not supposed to be here," stated Roman, cing his hand on the door and next to her. And even though he said that his actions spoke otherwise.


    Julie''s eyes fell on Roman''s bandaged chest, and her eyebrows furrowed, "You got shot?"


    "Mm," responded Roman. He walked to the window, pulling the curtain so that no one would see her in here with him. "We caught the culprit. It was Dennis."


    A shudder escaped from Julie''s lips because she had hoped that the culprit wouldn''t be him. She had known Dennis for quite some time since she had been admitted in Veteris, and they had meals and conversations with each other.


    "Was it him¡­ who shot you?" Julie''s eyebrows furrowed, staring at Roman''s bandaged chest, where she noticed the red stain as if the bleeding hadn''t stopped. She also realized it was close to his heart and her worried eyes met his red eyes.


    "It was another person with him, hispanion. Two of them must havee to pick him up, but it didn''t work out. Dennis is in the dungeon now," Roman let her know. He made his way towards the bed and sat at the edge of it. Julie followed him and sat next to him.


    "Did he tell why he was doing it?" asked Julie.


    "Not yet. He''s unconscious and Evans will be dealing with him, but I don''t think it will be easy to get information from him. He''s a morm, simr to Caleb."


    Julie noticed how Roman''s face looked subtly in pain when he used his hand to support his body and moved back so that he could lean against the wall.


    "Does it hurt too much?" Seeing Julie''s worried face, Roman raised his other hand, cing it on her head, and he patted her.


    "It will get better by tomorrow morning. Silver bullets made by hunters are in different varieties," Roman''s eyes fell on Julie''s hand, which held a can of coke. His hand reached out for it, picking it and bringing it to his nose. "Don''t tell me you went to the lunchroom and bought a blood coke for yourself," his red eyes fixed on her.


    Her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and she shook her head, "It wasn''t me, but Simon gave it to me."


    Roman gave a nod, pulling the ring of the can and bringing it to his lips. He drank it until there were only a few drops left in there. His tongue peeked out of his mouth, and he ran it across his lips as if to savour its taste.


    Even though there was no light inside the room except for the light that came from the window where Roman had been earlier sitting next to, Julie caught sight of the way his eyes glowed in the minimal darkroom.


    "Olivia said that you were not allowed to have visitors. Simon too," said Julie, watching Roman crush the coke can as if he was trying to control something.


    "The silver bullets that Simon and I were shot with were mixed with another harmfulponent. It is nothing like we havee across. When Isolde tried to remove the bullet, only a small fragment of it was found," stated Roman, while staring at the wall that was in front of them. Julie looked a little confused about what he meant. He said, "For some reason, the bullet dissolved itself."


    "Dissolved?" Julie was baffled by this information. "Metal cannot dissolve in the body."


    "Yeah, but these are special ones. Isolde and the others are trying their best to find out what it is, which is why they have us, me mostly under observation," replied Roman. He coughed, his face flinching subtly before he turned his head to look at her and said, "You should get back to your dorm now and get some sleep."


    Though Roman gave her the option, Julie wanted to stay as if it wasn''t just him, but even her, who was falling head over heels for him, where she wanted to stay around him.


    Julie shook her head, "I will stay a little longer." There was still forty minutes left for the curfew to start, and she wanted to stay here until then. "The Corvin was able to leave the dorm. It regained its abilities."


    "Something good to hear," said Roman, his hand reaching for her hand that was resting on herp. Intertwining his fingers with hers, he held it. "At least you don''t have to babysit that thing."


    "Are you angry with the Corvin?" asked Julie, and a sliver of annoyance passed Roman''s face.


    "I would have considered if it had told you beforehand, before it binded itself to you, but the creature is sneaky as fuck. As if it is hiding something and is waiting for a good time to drop the bomb and blow up the ce," Roman''s words ended with distaste in his mouth.


    "It didn''t have any ill intentions. I think because of the bond the Corvin created with me, strangely it allows me to sense its feelings," said Julie and Roman pursed his lips, his jaw clenched as if he was displeased by the very thought of it, but Julie was stuck with the damn creature.


    "What do you feel from it?" asked Roman in a nonchnt tone, when in truth, he was intrigued to hear more about it.


    It wasn''t that Roman was trying to be unreasonable about the situation, but the thought didn''t stop to irk him, which he tried not to think about.


    "Sometimes troubled, like its anxiousness when I ask it something. But most of the time, it feels empty. It is a little ufortable feeling because I don''t think I have ever felt that way," said Julie, watching her small hand that Roman held. "It''s like a dark room that is cold and dead."


    "Guess it reflects its true nature to you," remarked Roman. His words made sense as it was said that Corvin''s were witches who were experiencing their afterlife.


    Roman felt a sudden pain strike his body, and he turned his body away from Julie. Julie felt her hand being squeezed by him as if it was going to be fractured with a second more. But Roman let go of her hand, and he coughed beforepletely turning away from her.


    Pain wrecked in his chest, and he brought his hand to cover his mouth, coughing as his eyes suddenly turned darker.


    "Rome?" Julie called him in worry. She turned herself to watch his back. She noticed the way his body shook when he coughed, wreaking havoc. "Do you want me to call doctor Isolde or Olivia?"


    "No, I will be fine. I think it''s gettingte...You should get back to your Dormitorium," suggested Roman, without looking at her.


    Julie pursed her lips because she didn''t feel right to leave him in this condition where he appeared to be in pain.


    Julie noticed Roman shake, and seeing him not turn back to look at her, she ced her hand on his shoulder. But right when she did it, Roman turned around and pushed her back on the bed.


    A soft gasp escaped from her lips when she noticed the prominent colour of his eyes. Roman hovered above her with his hands on either side of her head. A growl escaped from his throat, and Julie gulped.


    Right now, Roman didn''t seem like himself as the expression on his face looked untamed as if he wanted to tear her apart. Veins around his eyes had surfaced, looking like the roots of a tree. When his lips parted, it showed the dangerous carnivore like fangs.


    Away from the infirmary, outside one of the buildings, where the main office stood, was Donovan, Castiel and Ms. Dante.


    "What have you found, Eloise?" questioned Donovan. His hands slipped into his trouser pockets as he waited.


    "As per the documents that were submitted to us, he belongs to a human family. But on further inquiry made by Piper, we found out that the family has been dead for quite some time now," Ms. Dante had a frown on her face. "We are trying to trace who had submitted the documents so that we can find something from it."


    "Well, thanks to Remy we already know we won''t get information on the boy as he was turned years ago into a vampire,"mented Donovan, lightly scoffing. "Make sure the morm doesn''t die. Maybe after we get the answer."


    "If the boy wanted, he could have tried to attack us while we were in the chambers," stated Castiel, but Ms. Dante shook her head. "Someone who didn''t want us to wake up?" he questioned himself.


    "The chambers have been kept away from every person''s eyes and knowledge, except for some of the staff who know about it," said the vampiress. "It''s good that Roman caught the morm before he could disappear. Earlier Isolde informed me that the bullets that were used were different."


    "How different can it be? Hunters and vampires have been making use of the same methods and things to kill each other," said Donovan. "By the way did you see any shower of raven''s feathers from the sky?"


    Dante''s eyebrows furrowed, and she turned to look at Castiel for a little help, as she was not interested in ying any guessing game with Donovan.


    "Have you heard any news of the Willow Creek in these years?"Castiel asked, and Dante shook her head.


    "Nothing. I have walked these grounds plenty times and never came across it," replied Ms. Dante. At the same time, Piper stepped out of the building with a printed sheet in her hand, which the headmistress had earlier asked her for. "Thank you for this, Piper," Ms. Dante appreciated it, and Piper gave a nod. "You can go and rest for the night."


    "I am going to check on the kids to see if they are alright," informed Piper and offering bows to the Elder vampires. She started to walk when Donovan stopped her.


    "Ms. Piper, you wouldn''t mind me apanying you, do you?" the Elder vampire offered her a charming smile. The woman nodded her head. "I will see you both tomorrow then," and both Donovan, as well as Piper, headed towards the infirmary.


    Back in one of the infirmary rooms, Julie felt her heart tumble at the sight in front of her, as she hadn''t expected to see this side of Roman.


    Another growl erupted through Roman''s mouth, and his hands on the surface of the bed twisted and tightly held it, which ended up with the crumpling of the sheet as he tried to regain his control. But the fresh smell of blood pulsing through Julie''s veins that invited him to take a taste, a bite to quench his thirst.


    When he leaned closer to her neck, he used the other hand to slide beneath her head. Weaving it through her hair before pulling it back so that he could get more ess to her neck. Julie felt her heart beat loudly in her chest, and she tried to calm herself.


    Julie tried to bite down the pain when Roman''s fangs sank into her neck. His other hand slid to her waist. His grip on her was tight and like a predator as he sucked her blood.


    Julie''s eyes were closed while Roman continued to take his fill which didn''t look like it would finish soon. When she felt he was done with drinking her blood, as he pulled his fangs away from her, he took another bite below her neck, and she let him until she started to feel faint as if she was being lulled to sleep.


    "Rome," Julie whispered his name, but Roman didn''t pay attention to her and continued to suck her blood as if this was hisst meal.


    Not knowing how else to bring back his attention, where she could hear her heart beating in her ears, Julie used her hand that was ced on his shoulder. It moved to the back of his head before she weaved her fingers through his hair, and she tugged on it.


    Her action earned Julie an angry growl as he pulled away from her. She was torn if she was supposed to feel hot and excited or if she was supposed to be scared for her dear life because the vampire in front of her looked extremely hungry.


    "Don''t eat me," Julie said to him with an anxious look on her face. "I will go and get you coke cans."


    To Julie, the look in Roman''s eyes felt like he wasn''t in his right sense. As if he had changed into someone else, like being possessed by his vampire side. He ran his tongue over his lips one more time. She didn''t loosen her hold on his hair, and even though Roman was stronger than her, as he stared at her, she could tell that he was trying to hold himself back.


    The wildness in his eyes didn''t disappear, but it turned intense, and he got back to her. This time capturing her lips in his, and he bit right into it, and Julie''s hand gripped on Roman''s hair that only rose the fire in his eyes, and he moved his lips against hers, ready to swallow her.


    "This is the infirmary, Rome," Julie whispered on Roman''s lips and between their kisses.


    "Good, thest ce for anyone to bother us," Roman''s voice sounded coarse, holding an edge to it. His warm tongue slipped into her mouth, rubbing against her and trying to melt her. His actions were aggressive, the movement of his hands turning impatient.


    Roman''s hand wrapped around her neck as if memorizing how delicate it was. He then noticed a breathy sigh unconsciously escaping from her lips. He traced his fingers on the column of her neck.


    Julie saw his fangs that looked more fatal than she had seen before. Letting go of the grip of her hand that she had on him, Julie brought her hand to ce it on Roman''s cheek. Her fingertips gently traced the raised veins like markings that had appeared on his face. They looked nothing less than a delicate art that showed the traits of him being a vampire.


    Roman tried to control his thirst and his craving for the girl''s blood, where he felt the substance of the silver, affecting him differently. Wanting to run his nails through the flesh and tear it,? his fangs wanted to sink in and drew the blood until there was nothing left. His vision started to blur while he growled.


    Almost around the same time, Ms. Piper and Donovan stepped inside the infirmary building. The presence of an Elder held a strong force letting the nearest person to experience it. On hearing the echo of footsteps that belonged to Donovan, Isolde, who was with Olivia inside the room while checking Simon''s wound, a deep frown appeared on her face.


    "Olivia dear, please check who is outside. I think it would be better if we lock the gates so that no more studentse here at this hour of the night," muttered doctor Isolde under her breath.


    "It might be some of my admirers, Isolde. You shouldn''t shoo them away that quickly," Simon smiled at the vampiress, who held a dull and tired face.


    Olivia went towards the door, and when she stepped outside the room, she offered her greetings to the people with a slight bow. She informed the doctor,


    "It is Piper and Elder Donovan."


    Simon, who had a smile on his face, was quick to lower down, and he was quick to change his tune. "I think you are right, Isolde. We should not have visitors at this hour, no one at all," he whispered to the woman, who wasn''t looking at him.


    "Wee to the infirmary, Elder Donovan," Isolde bowed, and Donovan stepped inside with a polite smile on his face.


    "I am here to see how our young vampires are doing. I hope they are in your good hands?" questioned Donovan, looking at the university''s doctor.


    "They will recover in one or two days. The silver needs to get out of their body. The bullet didn''t go too deep in Simon''s case and I was able to get it out. Therefore the less collusion in the blood," informed Isolde.


    Simon, standing behind her, didn''t know why the woman was bothering herself with giving information about him when the Elder was clearly here for Roman. The little problem was that he had sent Julie to Roman''s room. And out of nowhere, this unofficial father of Roman had decided toe and see him.


    Earlier, when he had given the blood coke to Julianne, he had noticed the way how her eyes had slightly widened. As if she knew what was there in it. Speaking to Roman about Dennis, it seemed like she was well aware of the things going around in Veteris. How interesting and unfortunate, thought Simon and his eyes met Olivia''s eyes while the three adults were speaking.


    "His vampire body functions differentlypared to Simon, which is why I think his body reaction to whatever was in the bullet was different. I have collected the blood samples from both of them, just to make sure and have tests run," informed doctor Isolde.


    "I would love to know the result of the tests, Isolde. Don''t forget to let me know about it," hummed Donovan, and the doctor bowed her head. "Let me go and see how Roman''s doing."


    Back in, infirmary room, Julie gently caressed Roman''s jaw and concerned, she said, "You are hurting too much." She looked right into his eyes, noticing how the temper in those red eyes was trying to push through.


    Pushing herself to sit upright on the bed, she held Roman''s face where the rage hadn''t calmed down, and she felt the vibration of the growl appear from his chest. She looked at him as if they were both in trance, and she said,


    "I wish I could take a part of your pain away from you," to see him like this in pain, it tore her heart.


    She closed her eyes, and while concentrating, the pale turquoise light appeared between them. It started to turn bigger, and she opened her eyes. She saw the markings around Roman''s eyes slowly start to disappear. A smile appeared on Julie''s lips, watching Roman''s features turn back to his usual self, but everything had an effect.


    The light around them disappeared, and Roman heard Julie''s heartbeat racing in her chest.


    The pain that Roman had been feeling in his body, Julie took it away where she fell unconscious and fell in his arms.


    At the same time, suddenly, the room''s door opened. At the door stood Donovan, and behind him was Piper, who had an apprehensive look on her face.


    "I should have known that you were going to havepany," remarked Donovan, his eyes slightly narrowing by seeing the girl, who leaned on Roman''s chest, appearing to be fast asleep. "Piper, why don''t you be a doll and get us some refreshments? There is something important that I would like to discuss with Roman."


    Piper gave a look at Roman. When their eyes met, Roman gave her a nod, and she stepped away from the corridor.


    "How are you feeling?" questioned Donovan, his eyes tearing away from the girl to meet Roman''s eyes that had turned red again.


    "Fine."


    "Hm," said Donovan, walking inside the room. He took a seat on the spare seat. "Is there something you would like to discuss with me, Rome?"


    Roman and Donovan stared at each other, and a heavy silence filled the room.


    Far away from the infirmary building, in a different ce and time, a girl walked in the forest, which was dark and quiet, except for the asional hooting of the owl or the sound of the crickets. She couldn''t help but curse at Julianne, not knowing what exactly had happened to her. One moment she was in the barn, and the next second, when she woke up, she was in the middle of nowhere.


    Not knowing where she was, she kept walking for several minutes until she finally saw smoke moving up in the air from some distance. When she tried to run towards it, it felt like her body had slowed down. After a few minutes, she finally stepped out of the forest and came to see houses and buildings. Her feet stopped when she noticed women and men, who were dressed differentlypared to her.


    She noticed the way everyone looked at her. All Natalie wanted to do right now was go back home and have some fresh blood to drink. Maybe she could find someone here to quench her thirst before finding her way back home. But when she ran her tongue over her fangs, her tongue pressed itself over her canine teeth, and her eyes narrowed.


    Natalie quickly looked around, noticing a bucket of water near a well. Going there, she leaned in front of the bucket to look at her reflection, where she had human teeth, and her eyes were brown, that refused to change to her vampire self. What the fuck happened!?


    Some of the people in the town noticed the strangely clothed girl, and they whispered between themselves. It was because she didn''t belong to their time.

 Chapter 125 - Burn The Witch!

    <h4>Chapter 125 - Burn The Witch!</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Kein DeLorean- Ben Frost


    ¡ª


    Natalie couldn''t believe what she just saw in the reflection of the bucket of water. It had been more than a year since she had been turned into a vampire, and she had lived her life sumptuously. Compelling the humans, who were beneath her where most of them did her bidding.


    Life had been nothing less than living in a paradise to the girl, but now that she saw her fangs missing and the colour of her eyes not changing, she started to panic.


    "This can''t be happening," murmured Natalie under her breath in horror. "No," she whispered to herself..


    Once a human was turned into a vampire, there was no way to reverse the situation. Then did this mean this was her afterlife? She questioned herself. But she felt no pain, thought Natalie to herself, and she looked at the front side of her shirt, which was spotless except for some smudge of the smoke that the vampire had used some sort of magic on her..


    The newly turned human from vampire turned extremely anxious, noticing more people staring at her as if she was some kind of alien in here. The women started gossiping, murmuring amongst themselves.


    "What a strange girl, to wear clothes like men and in such a way,"mented one of the women with disgust in her eyes.


    Natalie, who heard this, her eyebrows furrowed and not used to others looking down at her, she demanded, "What are you looking at? There''s nothing to see here, go do what you were doing."


    But Natalie seemed to be forgetting that she was not a vampire anymore, and she didn''t have the ability topel. A nearby man who stood not too far from where she was, said, "What a rude woman. Not only does she wear clothes that are probably worn by men, but she''s shrill."


    Natalie turned angry, her hands clenched into fists, and she gritted her teeth. Where the fuck was this ce, and what was going on?!


    "How long is the nearest city from here?" questioned Natalie, and more people stepped out of their house to see what the littlemotion was about. "Is someone going to tell me?"


    "What''s going on here?" Someone''s voice came through.


    Natalie saw a man who had a round belly with a belt tied around his waist to keep his loose pants from falling. He made his way through the crowd that had gathered around her. The men and women were quick to give way for him, and Natalie wondered who this cartoon character was, who had a thin moustache above his upper lips and with slightly narrowed eyes."Who is this intruder?" asked the man, who held a slight shrill in his voice. "Causingmotion at this hour of the night."


    Natalie looked at the man from head to toe, and she said, "I was asking where the nearest city is. And actually where is this damn ce?"


    Hearing the girl''s curse, the people around her gasped in shock, and Natalie wondered why people in here were being so overdramatic as if they had never heard anyone curse until now.


    "City? What city? This is a town and the next ones you will find is one more town and then viges that are far," replied the man, while he looked at her. "This is the town of Willow Creek. Where do youe from?" He looked at her with suspicion in his eyes.


    Willow Creek? Natalie asked herself, who had never heard the name before. Her eyes widened, and she quickly asked, "Is this ce near Queenstorm?"


    "Queenstorm? Where is that? I don''t think anyone has heard about it,"mented the man.


    Natalie felt like she was losing her mind, and she said, "Who is the authorized person of this ce? I would like to talk to that person."


    "You are looking at that person. I am the magistrate of Willow Creek. My name is Alberto Shephard. What is your name miss?" the magistrate asked her, and Natalie stared at him.


    Magistrate? The ce where she came from, there were no magistrates. But as seconds started to pass by, she slowly started to realize, and she went into a sudden denial. It was not possible, not nature wise, as it was impossible for something like this to happen!


    Natalie''s lips parted, and with difficulty, she tried to move her lips while trying to say, "D-do you know what year this is?"


    "You are a rude woman, aren''t you. We are in the year of sixteen hundred and seventy four," huffed the magistrate, staring down at her.


    Natalie''s face turned pale. She had heard from some of the vampires that the older vampires had unique abilities, but she doubted anyone could wield time. It was impossible to do something like this, to send someone into a period they didn''t belong to!


    While she was trying to cope up with the reality that she had been thrown into, the townsfolk who had gathered themselves around still looking at her, wondering if she was a witch.


    "Do you think she is one of them? Which is why she is behaving like this?"


    "She''s probably wearing those clothes to receive attention. Only cheap women try things like that," whispered another woman to the one who stood next to her.? "Look at that tight thing hugging her legs, even men don''t wear them," she said, staring at Natalie''s jeans.


    She was screwed, Natalie thought in her mind.


    "Why don''t youe to the magistrate''s office and we can speak about it. Or would you rather prefer I take you to the physician, as you seem to not be in your sound mind right now," proposed the magistrate.


    "No, I am good," replied Natalie, and when the man stared harder, she added, "Thank you."


    "Hmph," came the magistrate''s reaction, and he walked away from there. When he was joined by one of the guards of the town, he ordered the guard, "Keep an eye on that woman. She is acting in a very suspicious manner."


    "Would you like me to check her feet, tongue for any evidence? The townsfolk were thinking that she might be a witch, shall I prepare her to be burnt?" asked the town''s guard.


    "Do it, make sure to check properly before you put her up in a wooden pyre," replied the magistrate. By turning back, he took a look at the townspeople before he headed to his luxurious house.


    Natalie, who had been standing next to the well of the town, was suddenly hounded by the guard, who said,


    "Remove your shoes, miss."


    "What? Why?"


    "Do it, else I will have to do it myself," threatened the guard in a rough tone, and Natalie red at him as if she was ready to push him into the well.


    Seeing how the townsfolk anticipated her action, where she had nowhere else to go tonight, she slowlyplied. She removed her shoes and showed her straight feet, where her toes were painted in red nail polish.


    "What''s that? Blood?" questioned the guard.


    Natalie rolled her eyes. When she didn''t answer right away, the guard caught her by holding the back of her hair, dragging her away from where she had been standing.


    "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Natalie screamed at the guard, where she felt her scalp hurt as her hair was roughly being pulled. She tried to get rid of his hand from her hair. "That''s nail paint! Let go of me you asshole!"


    "It looks like you are a witch with blood. Get the logs and the fire ready!" The man shouted to someone, and some of the people there were quick to help, wanting to watch the witch burn alive as it had been a long time since they had burned one of those vile creatures.


    "I am not a witch! Stop it!" screamed Natalie. She started to panic because this was not how she had expected herself to die! She couldn''t die. The guardsman painfully held her hair, and it reminded her of the time when she had done something simr to one of her ssmates. "I am a human! It is just a colour paint!"


    "We''ll see that when you burn in the fire," stated the guardsman and Natalie''s eyes turned wide in shock, and she gave a pleading look at the people. Her hands iled for help so that they could help her.


    But karma was handing it back to her twofold when it came to eliciting fear in her.


    The fear that she had instilled in others, by reigning through the school''s corridors bypelling most of the students and teachers, and people near her house, came back to her, making her feel worse than that. She wanted to bring out her fangs, to rip off this guardsman''s head from his shoulder, but since she had arrived at this ce, she had lost it. As if her body had reset back to its original self without a trace of her being a vampire.


    She was dragged to the centre of the town, where a pole stood on the ground and logs of wood ced around it.


    "W-what are you thinking of doing?!" asked Natalie, being scared for her life.


    "Just how the witches are supposed to be treated. To burn them alive so that we don''t have any witches to cause more death," said the guardsman to her, where the magistrate had told him to handle her. Natalie"s eyes widened, and she started to scream.


    "Please, help me! I didn''t do anything! I am not a witch!" screamed Natalie, while two men started to make arrangements so that they could burn her.


    It was often said that when a person''s death is near, he or she experiences the things that they had done so far in their life. The good and the worse, and right now, Natalie saw shes of images, like the pages of a book being flipped continuously in front of her eyes.


    When she saw a torch of fire being brought forward that burned brightly, that had turned parts of the ground bright, Natalie tried to pull her hand away from the guardsman''s hold. She realized how weak and helpless she had turned in a span of a few hours.


    "What proof do you have that she''s a witch? Only her clothes look strange," came someone''s voice from behind. The guardsman turned, and so did Natalie, feeling a spec of hope return to her that she wouldn''t die.


    It was a man who appeared to be in his early thirties.


    "Do you know this woman, Sullivan?" questioned the guardsman, his hold on Natalie''s arm tight.


    The man nodded his head and said, "I think I saw her in the other town two weeks ago. I doubt she''s a witch. Painting the nails isn''t umon if you check with the women and men of the theatre."


    "This red? It''s blood!" the guardsman clicked his tongue and raised his eyebrows in question.


    "May I check her before you burn her?" asked the man named Sullivan, and he came to stand in front of Natalie, who looked like she was about to burst into tears. He knelt and picked up the girl''s feet while the other people of the town craned their necks to the side to see what was going on. The man scratched Natalie''s toenail. Removing the nail paint, he showed it to the guardsman. "It''s a coated color for the nails."


    But the guardsman was still not satisfied. Having the girl turn, he caught hold of Natalie''s jaw, taking a look at her teeth and then into her eyes before pushing her away from him. Natalie fell to the ground, and she ended up scraping the palms of her hand, but at the same time, she was thankful for not being burnt in here.


    The guardsman warned her, "I am going to keep an eye on you. And don''t think we are fools here."


    Once the guardsman left the scene, along with the other men, slowly, the people of the town started to return to their houses with murmurs of disappointment, as they had been deprived of watching a possible witch.


    Natalie let out a sigh of relief, grateful for being saved and for the very first time, she understood what fear meant. Her lips barely moved as she was still in shock, realizing people were going to burn her just because they ''thought'' she was a witch.


    "T-thank you," Natalie thanked the man.


    The man was a handsome looking person, with blonde hair and his sharp features, where he looked at her now.


    The man responded, "You shouldn''t thank me. Follow me, someone is waiting for you."


    Natalie turned startled, as she didn''t know which person was waiting for her or if she was being mistaken to be someone else.


    "W-ho is it?" questioned Natalie.


    The man didn''t respond to her, and instead, he started to walk. She quickly got up from the ground and followed the person, not wanting to be left behind and attacked again. Once when they reached a house, the girl turned to look behind her, where silence mostly filled around, and the light chirp of the crickets that surrounded them.


    The person walked through the door and stepped inside the house, and even though Natalie looked apprehensive, she followed him inside the house. She was greeted with the candles that were lit around the room.


    She saw a woman sitting in the living room on a chair with her hand ced on her stomach, arge baby bump. The woman was speaking to a small girl, who asked,


    "Mama, tomorrow can we go out near the bank of the river?"


    "Of course. Your sister must be on the way and once she''s here, she''ll take you there," the woman fondly said. The girl giggled before dashing out of the living room. The woman''s eyes then fell on Natalie, who had stepped into the living room. Her eyes fell on the girl''s clothes, taking in her appearance before she said, "You stand out with what you are wearing. Sullivan," she said the man''s name.


    And the man didn''t have to exin with more details, as he bowed his head and went inside the little corridor of the house. Natalie could hear the voices of people talking further inside the house. She asked, "T-thank you for helping me."


    "It looks like you aren''t from around here. Outsiders aren''t usually weed to Willow Creek," said the woman, using her hand to support her while standing up. One hand was ced on her back, and the other ced on her baby bump. "What is your name, girl?" she asked the scared young girl in front of her.


    "Natalie," replied Natalie, staring at the woman who had dark brown eyes.


    The woman appeared to be in her thirties, and she looked beautiful in the glowing light from the firece and the light from thentern that was ced on the side of the table.


    "Natalie," repeated the woman, her eyes staring at the girl, and she finally said, "You don''t belong to this time. How did youe here?"


    Natalie wondered if this woman knew anything, but it looked like she was a human-like herself. She said, "I don''t know. I was in a barn with some people, and then the next second, I woke up and saw that I was surrounded by trees. Please, I want to go back to my home."


    "I don''t think I can help you in that matter," said the woman, her expression calm. But her eyes looked wiser and calm that barely wavered. "Natalie. I don''t know how to do that, but maybe in time we can figure out something. But until then, it would be better for you, if you don''t speak or wander around."


    "Y-you can do that?" questioned Natalie, hope rising in her chest.


    "Try. This is my house, and you have a shelter here," the woman assured her, and Natalie nodded her head. At the same time, the man named Sullivan returned to the living room, holding clothes in his hands. "Wear these clothes so that you don''t stand out like a sore thumb. You must be hungry. Sullivan will guide you."


    Natalie was thankful that this woman was keeping an open mind in this ce, but something told her that the woman knew that something was up. She asked the woman, "May I know your name?"


    The woman smiled, "I am Opaline La Fay. This is my home and family. Sullivan."


    "Please," said the man to Natalie, who nodded her head, and she quickly followed the man inside the house.


    As hours passed by, Natalie met the other people of the family, who were mostly females, with just two males in the house, one of them included the servant named Sullivan. After having a meal that she was not used to having, she was taken to a room that was shared by two little girls, and she fell asleep.


    More than an hour passed, where everyone had gone to sleep except for the woman named Opaline, who sat at the table with antern burning next to her. She was sewing a sweater for one of her children. Though she looked young, as if there wasn''t much gap in age with respect to her elder daughter, the woman was older, making people believe as if they were sisters.


    The me flickered, and the house servant of La Fay arrived at the room, and he came to stand at her side without speaking a word. Once the woman was done finishing one piece of the woollen sweater, she finally spoke,


    "How is our guest?"


    "Asleep, mdy," replied Sullivan. "Why do you think she''s here?"


    "We''ll know only when the timees, Sullivan. Truth and fate doesn''t reveal itself beforehand and we need to wait patiently. Something grave ising and we need to be careful," stated Opaline, her eyes staring at the me that danced, and it flickered.


    The woman then said, "Keep an eye on her and also on the magistrate. We don''t want him getting suspicious. Did you hear anything about the visitor who was supposed to being to meet the magistrate?"


    "I overheard one of the magistrate''s men say that it has been set up for next week," replied Sullivan, and the woman gave him a small nod.


    "I see. Make sure we know when it happens, so that we avoiding across any of the outsiders. Let them believe that we are just like any other normal humans," said Opaline with a grim-looking expression on her face.


    The woman then ced her hand on her stomach, running her hand over the baby bump, gently caressing it as if she was caressing the baby that was growing inside her. Something didn''t feel right to Opaline.


    "I wonder if everything will go well," whispered Opaline, looking at her stomach.


    Back in the present time of Veteris university, in one of the buildings where the infirmary was, Roman and Donovan didn''t break their gaze, staring at each other as if one of their gaze would overpower another and the person would submit. But it didn''t happen.


    "Isolde told me that you were throwing up blood, simr to when you were turning from human state to a vampire. That the silver with other elements like holywater''sponent has colluded in your bloodstream," stated Donovan, his eyes falling on Roman''s bandaged chest. "Do you feel as good as I see you to be?"


    "Yes."


    A few seconds ago, his vision had turned dark, and then he saw the light, which was Julie''s doing.


    The Elder vampire nodded his head, "That''s good to hear. How did she fall asleep in such an unusual ce like here?" his bright red eyes fell on Julie, who still rested on Roman''s chest.


    "She was tired. It was a long day, thanks to you," remarked Roman, and he tore his gaze away from the Elder vampire, cing Julie on the bed in afortable position while letting her head rest on the pillow.


    Donovan''s lips threatened to pull up, and he said, "Looks like you''re annoyed that I went to your old room to see her. Don''t worry, I did give you my word that I won''t harm her."


    "Is that why you decided to y mind games on her and threaten her by mentioning about her rtives?" Roman turned to look at Donovan, who held a subtle hint of amusement in his eyes.


    "I believe it is always good to have many options. We still haven''te to the part of you fulfilling the deal, which I am eagerly looking forward to. Also, Luciano and Castiel havee to believe that the path for the Willow Creek had been opened for possibly the briefest seconds before it closed," said Donovan, in an even and calm tone. His hand slipped into the pocket, and he said, "They found this feather," he raised his hand.


    Roman''s eyes fell on the ck feather that belonged to a raven. "What about it?" he questioned.


    Donovan brought the feather near his nose, taking a sniff from it. He said, "If I am not wrong, it holds the same smell that I smelt earlier in the girl''s room." Roman knew Donovan was way too perceptive, and there was something he had caught on to, which was why he was here.


    Roman then said, "Okay, let us talk."

 Chapter 126 - Overreacting Elder

    <h4>Chapter 126 - Overreacting Elder</h4>


    Donovan''s eyes subtly narrowed while still holding a twinkle in them. Roman stared back at the Elder vampire with a look of indifference, but Donovan knew Roman well. It was the murderous look in his eyes as they smouldered in anger.


    "What do you want to know?" questioned Roman, his eyes slightly cautious, and Donovan started to tell..


    "How about you tell me if you know why the girl''s cupboard smelt very simr to how this feather smells?" questioned Elder Donovan, his red eyes keenly looking at Julie, who seemed like she was fast asleep. Her heartbeat was calm and peaceful.


    The feather in Donovan''s hand quickly turned itself into a cloud of smoke that dispersed into the air of where he sat. Roman''s ability wasn''t as same as his maker, but it was close as the ability was derived from him. Where Donovan could engulf things into smoke, Roman could burn things instead.


    Roman already knew that one day Donovan would get a whiff of who Julie was.. Because of the Corvin''s carelessness of showing itself to Griffin in the dungeon.


    Roman cooly said, "You forget that before the dorm got assigned to her, it once belonged to me. I still have some things of mine in there that weren''t shifted. Because I didn''t know Dante was going to put a new student in there."


    Donovan''s head tilted to the side, his eyes subtly narrowing at Roman, "Ironic that you fell for the same human who ended up there."


    "Must be fate," Roman remarked, and Donovan''s lips twitched.


    "Fate can be bent and changed, Rome. I am sure you are already aware of it. Once upon a time, people of this very ce thought they were going to continue living their human lives in peace, but instead, some died, while some live as vampires now," stated Donovan, his eyes narrowed, and he continued, "Don''t y me for a fool. You might have done it once, but if you cannot tell me the truth, I don''t think I can keep my word. Not to mention, I can tell that your body is still weak and it is trying to recover from all that harm from the gunshot."


    Roman red at Donovan, "Julie has nothing to do with this or you."


    "Maybe," remarked Donovan, and then he said, "But she has something to do with you, and that concerns me. So what is going on? Because it wasn''t just from her cupboard, I thought I smelt something very familiar, but it has been a while since I walked past the Willow Creek to understand it had the same smell. Something very earthy, like the smell of wet soil. Are you sure she''s not hiding something from you?"


    "If you didn''t find anything when you were at the dorm, probably not," responded Roman, and he could tell that Donovan''s curiosity only piqued.


    When Donovan raised his hand, the ck smoke appeared, and Roman stood up, ready to deflect it. But before he could do anything, the ck-cloaked creature appeared in between them, the Corvin, held a bone-like staff in its hand.


    Donovan stared at the Corvin, and the corner of his lips pulled up, "My my. Look at what we have here," his eyes shone for a second before the expression on his face turned dangerous. "So it is true. The Corvin doesn''t show up until its master is in danger," and his eyes fell on Julie, who was asleep.


    Roman got pissed both at Donovan as well as the Corvin for not knowing when to do what and doing whatever they pleased.


    "I thought I taught you better than this, Rome," said Donovan, his eyes turning darker, and so did Roman''s eyes. "I would have considered her, if she was a human, but you picked someone far worse. A witch."


    Roman''s eyes narrowed, and he said, "You are overreacting, Azazel."


    "I am overreacting?" questioned Donovan, raising his eyebrows at Roman. A scowl appeared on his face, and he said, "You chose to fall in love with a witch.? Do you think she won''t hunt you down and kill you if you don''t kill her first?"


    "We are no longer living in the period you once belonged to. Julie didn''t have a clue until a few days ago, before this thing showed up," Roman jerked his head towards the Corvin,? who looked like it was ready to strike the Elder at any moment. Roman''s hand moved as if he was ready to deflect Donovan''s attack if he were to attack Julie.


    Donovan stared at Roman and then at Julie, "That cannot be."


    "It is what it is," stated Roman and a me appeared in his hand when he had raised it. "We can do this two ways. Either we speak or fight, but that doesn''t mean it will end well with the second option."


    "Isn''t that wonderful," stated Donovan, "It looks like I have the perfect reason to kill her now. If there''s one thing I despise, it''s the witches, and they despise us, too. So it is equal."


    "I think you are forgetting something," Roman said, and Donovan''s already narrowed eyes red at the boy, who was supposed to be on his side. "And what is that?"


    "You aren''t the person who was in love with her, but it was me. Which means I am the one who will be living with her, and your opinion holds no value in this matter," stated Roman, and he moved to Julie''s side as if to protect her.


    "I am very much intrigued by it now," said Donovan, and he brought his hand forward for the smoke to increase in its density. The smoke looked nothing less than a dark cloud that would soon bring out lightning to electrocute someone.


    Roman''s eyes turned serious, and he pointed out, "For someone who said you will keep your word, how disgraceful of you to change it."


    "Unfortunately, I turned into a vampire and my values went downhill," retorted Donovan, where his eyes fixed on the witch, who continued toy unconscious. "Since I woke up, my word nowes with terms and conditions, especially when it involves a witch. Trust me, I am doing you a favor."


    "And I asked for none," stated Roman, the me in his hand turned brighter, and it was enough to brighten the entire room where the lights had earlier been turned off. "You can take back that favour of yours and pour it on someone else. I have no interest in it."


    "What a rude brat you turned out to be, not to mention unfilial,"mented Donovan.


    "I took it from my maker. Probably my terms and conditions changed too once I turned into a vampire," Roman threw back the same line, and he could tell it was nothing less than stepping on Donovan''s nerve.


    And if it was someone else, Donovan would have killed the person right after torturing, but Roman had always upied a soft corner because of his unfiltered behaviour.


    "Julie hasn''t caused any harm," Roman didn''t know if he would be able to talk sense to the Elder. "And if something happens, it is on me."


    Donovan quickly disappeared from the spot he was standing in, and he appeared near Julie''s head. At the same speed, Roman''s hand moved towards the Elder''s chest, "Stay away from her. I won''t say it again."


    The Elder''s hand had already moved near Julie''s neck as if he was ready to squeeze the very life of her, "I am only checking her pulse," said the vampire, and Roman''s eyes narrowed at Donovan. "I might not kill her because of the word I gave you, but I will never ept the kind she is."


    "What doesn''t seem precious to you, is precious to me. So you either ept it, or you can move to the side, because I don''t care," came Roman''s words.


    Donovan had killed many people in the past who had gone against him, far worse than one could imagine. And even though he did it, he was the Elder vampire with specific values, one of them was not going back on his word. Donovan gritted his teeth at the thought that he had thoughtlessly given his word to Roman. But that didn''t mean there was no other way to fix it.


    "Do you want her to turn into someone without a family, Rome? No parents, no uncle, no aunt and no cousin," Donovan felt the pulse of the girl, and he stared at her. Who would have thought that a witch was living in Veteris.


    Donovan''s threatening words caught Roman''s attention. The Elder vampire continued, "She might be swayed by her feelings for you, because she''s more humane than how you are. But you should already know how it feels, to lose your entire family and the pain thates after it. Do you want her to suffer and go through the same fate as you did? How heartless."


    "Keep her family out of this," warned Roman, and the smile on Donovan''s lips returned.


    "Precious to her, aren''t they? Even if I don''t do anything to her, do you think the others would be happy about her being here or even existing?" questioned Donovan and the smoke that had followed behind him disappeared.


    All this while, the Corvin stood nearby, with its staff pointed at the Elder vampire, and Donovan took a look at the Corvin''s cloak, his face scrunching in pure distaste at the thought that he had earlier worn something that belonged to this.


    "Then you don''t speak about it," Roman tried to bait Donovan, "Not everyone is as quick and smart as how you are, to catch up on something like this. They are usually wrapped up in their own conceited self to notice something as silly as this."


    "I am not sure if you are praising me or insulting the older vampires," Donovan passed a subtle re to Roman before he smiled to say, "I knew there was something very funny with the way the cloak smelt when I was in the room. Break it off with the witch."


    "In your dreams," deadpanned Roman.


    "It is either you leave her, or you can keep her while she learns how you were the reason for her only family to be dead. She''s not going to stay here, not when I am here," Donovan was firm with his words. "None of us likes the witches. We have been up against each other for years. Getting the abilities in the past was a way of keeping peace between the two, but that went downhill."


    Donovan''s eyes then fell on Roman''s hand, the golden me holding a tint of blue outline to it, and it reflected the intense power the younger vampire held in his body.


    "That shouldn''t be a problem, should it? I will take her away from here with me," replied Roman, the solutioning out to be simple.


    "Now that would be possible if you didn''t make a deal with me, which you are yet to fulfil," there was a faint smile on Donovan''s lips as if he was up to no good. "You cannot expect me to keep my word, when you don''t keep yours."


    Roman''s eyes shifted from Donovan to look at Julie, who still hadn''t regained her consciousness. Maybe if his heart had not started to be affected by the silver that had been heavily running in his veins, Julie would have been able to face the Elder, depending on how strong or weak the vampire was, but right now, she wasn''t in the condition to protect herself.


    "I never said I wouldn''tplete it," said Roman, the me extinguishing from his hand and by cing his hand on Julie''s face, he caressed it.


    "Great!" Donovan pped his hands together, excited about what they were going to do together. "We were nning to attack the hunters sooner, and now that I think about it, why not today? Let me tell the others about it, so that everyone''s ready." His eyes then fell on Julie, and he said, "She will be alright, considering she has the creature with her."


    Roman clenched his fists. He didn''t want Julie hurt, and to stop his heart from corrupting itself, she had tried to take it into her, which left her exhausted.


    "You won''t bring up anything you know about her," said Roman, and Donovan nodded his head.


    "Sure. But if the others find it out by themselves... The best advice I can give here is, break her heart and send her away from Veteris, and run as far as she can to stay away from the vampires. Because you never know who is going to hunt her down," Donovan''s eyes sparkled.


    The deal with Donovan was nothing less than a double-edged sword, but Roman was willing to walk on it for Julie.


    "I will see you outside," Donovan then stepped outside the infirmary room, and the Corvin waited for a while before the staff from its wooden hand disappeared.


    "You really had to blow her cover, didn''t you?" Roman red at the Corvin, as its bad decision had dragged Julie into light.


    ''Vampire hurt her. I kill,'' replied the Corvin and Roman checked Julie''s neck to make sure the Elder had made no marks on her skin.


    "You seriously think that you would be able to take him down? To think like that when your body is unstable," Roman turned back to look at it. "Donovan was only testing to see if you would show up or not and you did. Now Julie''s under his radar thanks to you. I could have built a story around to divert him."


    The Corvin stayed quiet, staring at him and then it moved its bird head to look at Julie, whose consciousness had still not returned.


    "Julie said you were not going to lurk in the forest. What are you doing here?" Roman questioned the Corvin.


    ''Felt danger. Came here,'' said the Corvin. ''She hurt?''


    Roman pursed his lips, watching Julie rest, and he ran his fingers through his hair in slight frustration. "Do you know what happened to her?" he asked because he doubted a regr doctor could help Julie.


    The Corvin moved its body and came to stand next to Julie''s bed. Bringing its bony hands, it swept it across Julie''s head before settling it there. After a few seconds, it said,


    ''Absorbed pain,'' and the creature turned to look at Roman. It said, ''Your heart hollow and dark. Why?''


    Roman''s jaw subtly clenched, but he didn''t react more than that. He said, "Stay here with her."


    At the same time, Simon and Olivia came near the room''s door, where Donovan had left it open. Olivia looked worried, and she quickly made her way to where Roman was, noticing Julie lying on the bed.


    "Did Donovan do something?" asked Simon, not knowing what had happened in the matter of a few minutes.


    "Almost," replied Roman, and he then looked at Olivia and said, "I want you to make sure no onees here. Keep her safe for me, Liv. Can you do that?"


    Olivia stared at Roman, trying to find an answer before she nodded her head, "Okay. I will stay here. But where are you going?" she asked him with a frown on her forehead.


    "Donovan wants to attack the hunters who are nearby," said Roman with a straight face.


    "He must be joking," said Olivia, the frown on her face deepening. "You got shot with a different kind of bullet and Isolde would not rmend you going out in this state."


    "It''s his word against Isolde," said Roman, and he pulled the nket to put it over Julie. "Take care of her for me," he told her, as Simon would be put back under observation.


    Olivia was going to say something to him, but Roman had already left. She didn''t know that a Corvin was staying in the room that both Olivia and Simon couldn''t see.


    "This is not good," whispered Olivia, seeing Roman walk by the window and disappear from the corridor. "His heart is weak and the bullet has affected him too much. It''s going to make things worse."


    "I don''t think he cares about it, Liv,"mented Simon, and his eyes shifted to look at the human whoid on the bed. "He cares only about one thing."


    "I know that. But he''s badly injured as the bullet dissolved into his bloodstream more than it did in your body. Have you forgotten what Donovan is trying to make him do? He''s pushing him to turn him into the worst vampire!" said Olivia, and Simon nodded his head. The smile that was often etched on his lips was not there. His face was serious.


    "You think Rome does not know about it. We can only hope there''s not much damage caused to his body," said Simon. "And that he stays the same." While both of them knew that it would be hard to do, considering Roman''s condition.


    The three Elders and their three younger vampires stood outside the mansion, away from the infirmary and near the Elders'' mansion. Elder Remy had decided to stay back at Veteris instead of joining them. The headmistress and Mr. Borrell stood there, where Ms. Dante said,


    "As discussed, all of you will be splitting into three teams. From the information that was gathered, the hunters will be out in a few minutes, roaming near the edge of the forest to hunt down the vampires. Borrell will be leading you to the spot from where you can take your position."


    "Do you know how many hunters we are going toe across tonight?" questioned Castiel.


    "Around fifteen or twenty, Elder Castiel," answered Mr. Borrell, and then he said, "News is that they are trying to move into this side of thend to catch hold of the vampires, cing traps to catch the night creatures."


    "Twenty fragile humans will be easy to kill. We should be done in five minutes," harrumphed Luciano. "I don''t see why there''s a need for so many people to go in there."


    "Catching the hunters isn''t as easy as it used to be, Elder Luciano," stated Ms. Dante, giving them the required knowledge as she wasn''t going to go with them. "The kind of weapons they have¡ª"


    "There''s nothing that can stop the Elder vampires, Eloise," Luciano interrupted, moving his eyes to look at the headmistress, who stared back at him. "We aren''t ordinary vampires and instead, we have abilities and strength that is greater than the rest. How about instead of wasting time, we go ahead and finish this?"


    Ms. Dante pursed her lips before she said, "The vehicles are waiting for everyone to take you out of here."


    "Good," Luciano started to walk away from there, and Griffin was quick to follow the Elder vampire.


    Dante stared at Luciano''s back from behind. She pursed her lips, wondering if there would be a day when she would make the Elder vampire eat his words for being this arrogant. She turned to look at the others, where Castiel offered her a smile. She quickly looked away to meet Donovan''s eyes.


    Donovan said, "Luciano is right, we have abilities and it won''t be that difficult to catch those hunters and to bring them here to turn them into our own kind. What better punishment than turning them into the kind that they despise?" Even he started to walk, following the same path where Elder Luciano went with Griffin.


    At the same time, Ms. Piper appeared where they stood. Roman noticed her holding a gun.


    "You''reing too?" questioned Roman, staring at Ms. Piper, who smiled at him.


    "The more the merrier," said Ms. Piper, before turning her head to look at the headmistress. "I have made all the arrangements and the weapons have been loaded in the cupboard."


    "Thank you, Piper. At least we know if an attack does happen, we will be prepared with even less people in here," stated Ms. Dante.


    "What are you preparing the weapons for?" asked Maximus, raising his eyebrows.


    "It is only for precaution, Maxi," said Castiel, cing a hand on his nephew''s shoulder. "For so long the hunters haven''t found out about this ce, and with the recent activities that took ce tonight, whoever has sent that boy to study here, we don''t know if someone wille looking for him. We are just being cautious."


    While Castiel and Maximus were speaking to each other about it, Ms. Dante turned her gaze to look at Roman, who had worn a clean shirt than thest time she had seen him. She asked him,


    "What are you doing here, instead of resting in bed, Roman?"


    "Donovan has a hard time parting with me," replied Roman with a dead tone.


    A grim expression appeared on the headmistress''s face, and she said, "And he thinks you will be able to manage in this condition after being hit by a dissolving bullet?" Ms. Dante was baffled, wondering how many screws were loose in Donovan''s head.


    "I will be fine," replied Roman, exhaling air through his lips before he started to walk away from there.


    "I will keep an eye on him and his back," said Ms. Piper, but Ms. Dante wasn''t convinced that everything would go well.


    "Is there something else we need to keep a look at when we are there?" questioned Castiel looking at the headmistress and Mr. Borrell.


    "The weapons the hunters are using are advanced and it isn''t like anything before. I would like to tell everyone to be careful. We have already seen how things turned with Roman and that morm," exined Ms. Dante.


    Castiel gave her a nod, "We should get going now. Remy will be here if you need any help."


    "It isn''t the first time I have been here without the support of the Elders," stated Ms. Dante over Castiel''s words, her features seriouspared to Castiel, which was calmer, and he smiled at her.


    Giving a nod to her, everyone followed where the two Elders had disappeared to, getting into the vehicle and the vehicle left. Dante looked around the buildings and the trees where she stood, and she raised her hand for one of the nearby guards to appear. She ordered,


    "Tighten the security, and turn on the CCTVs that are ced everywhere. I want aplete report. Even if there''s a slight movement from a bird. Do you get it?"


    "Yes, mdy," the man bowed his head and went to inform the other guards about it.


    Back in the infirmary, Doctor Isolde visited Simon''s room to see it was empty, and when she went to see Roman, he was missing. She found Olivia, Simon and a human girl in there. "Why do I get the vampires as my patients when they aren''t even going to listen to me," muttered the vampiress under her breath.


    "Rome went with Donovan," informed Simon.


    "What happened to her?" questioned Isolde when she entered the room, and her eyes fell on Julie, who continued to stay unconscious.


    "She''s probably tired. I will take care of things here, Isolde," replied Olivia.


    "Simon, I would prefer you to take a rest in your own room so that I can monitor what''s going on in your body," said the older vampiress and Simon offered her a smile.


    "I think I''m doing pretty great and it''s quite boring to stay in the room by myself," replied Simon in a rxed tone.


    "Do you think I care if you are bored or not? Next time avoid getting shot," Isolde scolded him and jerked her head in the direction of the corridor, and the vampire sighed.


    "I guess I will have to leave Olivia here all by herself with the girl," said Simon, giving Olivia a look before following the doctor outside the room.


    While Olivia stayed in the room, she watched Julie''s face, which was calm and rxed. Her breathing was low, and to make sure she was fine, the vampiress ced her hand on Julie''s neck. Her eyebrows furrowed.


    "Why is your body temperature cold?" asked Olivia. She tucked the girl properly with the nket that was provided for the patients in the infirmary rooms.


    Walking towards the window, she drew the curtains closed, and when she turned, she saw Elder Remy walking in the corridor. Olivia quickly walked towards the door, and she met him there.


    "You haven''t gone to the Dormitorium to sleep yet?" asked the Elder vampire, his expression holding slight boredom as if he didn''t want to be bothered, as he was here making a quick round.


    "I am looking after one of the patients," replied Olivia, and the man gave her a nod. "Did you see the reports that Isolde got so far?"


    "I don''t think I have. I was with Luciano to check something. Now that they are gone, finally there is peace around here," replied Remy, and he then asked her, "What is it?"


    Olivia looked a little worried, and she asked, "Roman didn''t seem like himself. Is it because of the silver?"


    Elder Remy stared at her with his calm expression, and he said, "Silver often affects a vampire''s body, but I will need to see what else is in there. Do you know where these reports are?"


    Olivia turned to look at Julie, where she was safely sleeping. And the room she had to lead the Elder was in the same corridor. She said, "Let me go and get them for you."


    "Mm, I wille with you," said the Elder vampire. Olivia pulled the door of the room and closed it so that no one by mistake woulde to disturb Julie.


    A minute passed, and someone walked into the corridor, walking towards the room where Julie was resting. The uninvited person opened the door of the room, entered the room. Walking towards the bed where Julieid.


    When the person approached closer, a bone-like staff came in between, stopping the person from getting near to where the girly.


    The person was none other than Veteris'' Counsellor, Mr. Evans. His eyes moved up to look at the length of the boney staff. He saw the creature with its ck robe and head, which was bird-like.


    ''Evans,'' the Corvin spoke in its raspy voice and put its staff down. ''Sullivan Evans.''

 Chapter 127 - Witchs Strings Of Spell

    <h4>Chapter 127 - Witch''s Strings Of Spell</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Industry- Mire Kay


    ¡ª


    Mr. Evans stared at the Corvin, watching it closely as it stood right next to Julie. He said, "Looks like you know my name, Corvin. You aren''t good at hiding yourself. Showing yourself to others would lead to creating more trouble for the girl."


    ''Protecting the girl important. What you doing here?'' questioned the Corvin, the staff from its hand disappeared, showing only its twigs-like fingers, as it moved.


    "I have been looking for her for quite some time, but it seems like I finally found her," replied Mr. Evans, and a smile spread on his lips. "I am here for the same reason as you. For her," his gaze moved to look at Julie..


    ''She is not safe here. Vampire knows,'' the Corvin informed, and the counsellor checked Julie''s pulse, noticing her skin had turned cold.


    "She''s not safe outside either," replied Mr. Evans, and he slipped his hand into his pocket and took out a small blue ss vail. Opening the lid, he poured the liquid inside it into Julie''s mouth. "This ce is closer to the original home where her family once lived. It is safer for her here than outside, where there''s going to be bloodshed."


    The Corvin stared at the man, its emotions filled with suspicion, and it asked, "You a vampire. How you have potion?"


    Mr. Evans closed the ss vial and slipped it back in his pocket, "I have carried it with me for a very long time. For years so that it woulde to some better use."


    The smile on his lips slowly slipped away from it, and he said, "Don''t do something stupid like by letting you being seen by more people. You are lucky that Azazel Donovan didn''t kill her, and it wasn''t for her sake but because of the other vampire who was with him."


    "The vampire with hollow heart," said the Corvin in its raspy voice, and Mr. Evans turned to look at the creature. "The boy''s heart is corrupting. Was going to be corrupted."


    "She must have tried to absorb it into her¡­ That exins why she''s in this condition," replied Mr. Evans.


    ''Sullivan Evans,'' the Corvin called the counsellor''s name and said, ''You took too long.''


    Mr. Evans stared back at Julie. He had been waiting for far too long, and he wasn''t even sure in the past if his mistress had opened the right path for him. When the deaths of witches took ce, where the night creature had set them up to kill them, where a curse was ced in Willow Creek, the portal had been opened, and three people had been sent to different periods of time.


    His thoughts went back to his time in the past to which he originally belonged, to the family and the woman he served lived a quiet and peaceful life. He now understood what it meant for the youngdy to appear from another period.


    Year 1674


    Heavy rain poured in thend of Willow Creek and the ces around it. The sky had turned dark, and the clouds rumbled, leaving thend wet and in puddles of muddy water. Most townsfolk had either returned to their houses or had taken shelter under another person''s roof, which was only a very few of them.


    And in the rain, a carriage rode into the town, the sound made by the wheels, along with the horses'' hooves. When the carriage stopped in front of the magistrate''s office building, one of the guards who was going to burn Natalie quickly ran out of the building, holding an umbre in his hand.


    The umbre was quickly opened, and when the coachman opened the door, two men stepped out of it. And another servant of the magistrate appeared to hold the opened umbre above the visitor''s head.


    The two visitors started to walk towards the building entrance, with their clean ck shoes sttering with mud. The magistrate came to stand at the front, ready to greet them.


    Magistrate Alberto deeply bowed his head, and he looked up at the two visitors who wore expensive clothes and the material of it made out of fur and silk, "It''s so good to have you two in Willow Creek. I have been eagerly waiting for your arrival. Mr. Donovan and Mr. Enoch."


    Donovan held a serious-looking face, where he only moved his eyes without moving his head much to look at the magistrate, who had a round belly. He said, "You have invited us when it''s raining and there''s puddles on the road."


    "My apologies, my sire. I never thought it would be this bad. The soothsayer must have mistaken when he took the readings," replied magistrate Alberto. He offered a smile, but Donovan didn''t smile back at him, and neither did another man named Mr. Enoch. "Why don''t we go inside to take a seat, so that we can serve you some of the best tea that we have? Please."


    The two vampires followed the magistrate as he led them through the inner corridor before opening a room that had been prepared beforehand so that they could discuss things in there. The magistrate was unaware that he was dealing with a pair of night creatures while only believing that these men were wealthy, and he aimed to be one of them.


    Once they were seated and tea was served to the two visitors, Mr. Enoch, who had brown hair and green eyes with a peaceful looking face, questioned the magistrate,


    "Did you hear any news about the witches?" He took a sip of tea from the teacup, drinking the tea slowly as if it was bitter.


    "So far we have heard nothing about it, Sire," answered magistrate Alberto. "All the people who are living in this town, they are people who have been born, and have lived here. There is no sign of any deaths, or any voodoo magic anywhere around the ce, as you have exined about it. Thest time when one of the women was caught, she was burnt in the middle of the town, she was an orphan." He chuckled softly and said, "After all witches and their families often get burnt or killed. As a matter-of-fact, they usually end up alone, isn''t it?"


    Donovan stirred the spoon in the teacup, doing it deliberately slow. He finally looked up at the human and said in a cold voice, "I thought we were very clear when we spoke in the beginning that before you kill any witches, you should bring them to us first."


    The magistrate looked at Mr. Enoch and said, "T-that, it was Mr. Enoch who said to do it."


    Donovan''s re shifted from the magistrate to look at the vampire, who had apanied him. Mr. Enoch spoke, "The woman whom Alberto picked was of no value as she held no stones or information. Apletely useless witch."


    "I don''t care if the person holds no values. I want the witch to be brought in front of me before you do anything. I will decide on what has to be done to the witch," ordered Donovan, his eyes ring at the magistrate.


    "Of course, Sire. I will do as you want from next time," agreed the magistrate, bowing his head. He then looked up at Donovan and said as if he was telling a secret in a low voice. "Two weeks ago, there was a youngdy who showed up here. Very strange appearance, and she had arrived here during the time near to the evening or night I believe."


    "Bring her here," ordered Mr. Enoch, "Mr. Donovan and I would like to take a look at this girl who has entered the town."


    The magistrate quickly turned to look at one of his servants, who stood at the door, ready toply with the beck and call of the magistrate as well as the two wealthy men, and he ordered, "Bring the girl right this instant."


    The servant bowed his head and left the spot where he had been until now standing.


    In the meantime, in the house that belonged to Opaline La Fay, the family members had taken their seats in the living room, near the firece, where logs of wood burned brightly, same as their worry that was guing in their mind.


    The Elder daughter of Opaline La Fay sat right next to her mother, with her young son sleeping in her arms. She spoke in a hushed tone, "The magistrate has turned suspicious. His men keep following us when we leave and enter the town."


    "It''s probably because of this one," said another daughter, jerking her head towards the human, who now sat with them. "We were fine until she showed up, mother. Why don''t you send her away from here?"


    Natalie, sitting on the other side of the room, turned ufortable as she heard them speaking about her. Two weeks had passed since she hade here, and she didn''t know how to get back to the year that she actually belonged to. She was scared to step outside these four walls of the house because when she did, she could feel people''s eyes suspiciously follow her.


    But that wasn''t all. It was onlyst week did she get harassed by a few men and women, being dragged while she screamed for help. After being rescued by Opaline, where the woman scolded them to leave her guest alone, Natalie had been too scared to ce even a foot outside the house.


    It was as if someone was waiting to kill her, and she had to constantly keep watching over her back, even though she was a human. The constant fear of people ready to set her aze kept guing her mind.


    "We don''t abandon people when they are in need, Gwenyth," said Opaline with a small frown on her face. "You don''t have to worry about it. We have been living here in peace and it is what will continue."


    "And what if someone catches the hint?" asked another daughter of Lady Opaline La Fay.


    "When we stay together, nothing? wille to harm us. You should remember that all of you are my children, and belong to the family of La Fays," said the elderly woman, who didn''t look to be the one by appearance while she carried a child in her stomach. "Bad things happen to bad people, not to good people."


    "But she was one of them, wasn''t she? The night creatures who suck blood and are trying to cause us trouble. Disgusting vampires," said the second eldest daughter.


    Natalie was too scared to side with anybody, and knowing La Fay''s had offered her shelter, and she was grateful to the woman. She quickly said, "I would never side with them. Please believe me."


    The third daughter stared at the human and said, "You look like someone who would like to lie right on the face. Truthfully mama, I don''t believe her. Can you honestly say that you have led your life being pure, without causing anyone trouble?"


    Natalie turned anxious, and worry came to hover on her face. She didn''t know how to reply to the question asked to her.


    Opaline''s third daughter continued to speak, "Obviously if she is here, there must be a reason for it. What did you do to end up here?"


    Natalie''s eyes lowered down in guilt, she squeezed her hands that were on herp. She had already answered all the questions that the woman of the house had asked her in private, and she didn''t want to repeat it again in front of everyone. The more she thought about her past actions, the more embarrassed and terrible she felt about it.


    "Stop trying to scare the poor girl,right now there are other pressing matters to think about," said Opaline. She got up from her chair and walked towards the mantle and pulled out one of the bricks, and she took out the wooden box carved with intricate designs. "Sullivan," she called the servant of the house, and the blonde man stepped forward. She said, "Take this with you and keep it in your room. Even if theye to check, they will check only the belongings of the females of this family. It will be safer in your hands."


    "Yes, mdy," Evans bowed his head, taking the box from her, he took it away from the living room and kept it in the room that belonged to him.


    While the witches continued to discuss the matter within themselves in a whisper so that no one could hear them over the sound of the rain, someone knocked on the main door. The knock on the door was equal to the thundering sound produced by the clouds in the sky.


    The people in the house turned startled, and they turned to look at the door. Sullivan returned from his room, and he quickly went near the front door. Opening the door, he saw one of the magistrate''s guards, who held an umbre over his head.


    "How can I help you?" the servant offered the magistrate''s man a polite smile.


    "Magistrate Alberto asked me to bring your guest to his office,to whom you have given shelter. He has a few questions for her," informed the man, and his eyes looked behind the servant of the house, noticing some of the family members appearing in the corridor to see who it was.


    "Is there any reason why? It''s raining quite heavily and maybe it would be better for the youngdy to visit the magistrate when the rain stops," proposed Sullivan, but the man wasn''t ready to take a no for an answer.


    "It is the magistrate''s wish to present the girl in front of the two visitors to make sure she doesn''t belong to any witch''s family," the man finally saw the girl, the same girl whom he had earlier dragged towards the centre of the town to burn her alive.


    Before Sullivan could speak anything, Lady Opaline appeared from behind, and she ced a hand on her servant''s back so that he wouldn''t speak anything more. The servant moved to the side, and the woman said, "Tell the magistrate that she will visit the office in five minutes. I don''t know about you, but it would be rude to let a youngdy out in an unpresentable attire outside a house."


    The man stared at Lady Opaline, not wanting to be rude to the woman, he finally nodded his head and said, "Five minutes it is then."


    "You cane inside and sit in the living room where the firece is," offered Lady Opaline, but the man gave her a slight look of suspicion.


    "That''s fine. I will be waiting right here."


    "Suit yourself," said Lady Opaline, and she closed the main door.


    Before her daughters or her sons could speak, Lady Opaline raised her hand as if to stop them from uttering even a single word. She walked away from the door, walking past her children and went to where Natalie was, who looked like she was about to faint by the pure thought of being killed.


    Lady Opaline ced her hand on Natalie''s shoulder, and in a firm tone, she said, "You might have been a vampire in the time where you came from. But you should remember that right now you are not a vampire, nor are you a witch. A human is what you are, and you have no reason to fear," she offered the human an encouraging smile. "Now go and get yourself dressed to a presentable state."


    Natalie involuntarily dragged her feet away from there to go to her room and quickly changed herself.


    Sullivan asked thedy, "Would you want me to apany the girl to the magistrate''s office, mdy?"


    "No," replied Lady Opaline with a grim expression on her face, and the worry in her mind increased. "This is one way of her repenting for what she has done in the past. Like the fools vampires are, she took matters into her own hands. Sending her alone, we can also judge if we can trust her on what I have on my mind."


    "And what is that?" questioned Sullivan, his dull eyes staring at the woman.


    "In the future, if things turn worse, I will need your help," said Lady Opaline, turning her gaze to look at her loyal servant, who had been serving her dedicatedly. "I will tell you when the timees. It is also important that you don''t reveal yourself to many people, especially the night creatures, who havee here."


    Even though Sullivan Evans was a human, he had been saved by the woman when he was a small boy. And since that time, he had served the witch while knowing that if other humans found out about him siding with the witches, they would burn him along with them."


    "They often used toe and leave from here after they were done with their work. What do you think they are looking for? The stones?"


    "Probably," replied Lady Opaline. "The vampires are always greedy in nature, never satisfied with what they have and it is better to maintain a low profile in front of them."


    After two minutes, Natalie stepped out of the room, dressed like any other youngdy of Willow Creek and the year she had been thrown into. Before sending the human out of there, Lady Opaline said to Natalie,


    "Don''t be scared. Remember that they only want to check if you are a witch. Put this in your mouth," she offered a leaf. "I would have given you Silverwater to drink, but it would be troublesome if they would like to take a bite from you."


    Hearing about the word bite, Natalie''s eyes widened, "How do I protect myself then?"


    "You y along with them. Don''t let them know that you know about them, and listen to them. If you fail I don''t think I can help you in any way to keep your head on your shoulders," said Lady Opaline.


    So far, Natalie had been the only one to bite the humans, and back then, she had never expected that one day she would be thrown on the other side, where she would be a prey to someone.


    Natalie gave a nod and then stepped out of the house, where the rain continued to pour. She took her umbre given to her by Lady Opaline for her use, and opening it, she ced it above her head before following the vile man, who had earlier pulled her hair. She quickly put the leaf that Opaline had given her inside the corner of her mouth.


    On reaching the building where the magistrate''s office was located, she folded the umbre and followed the guard. Natalie was led by the man towards the room where the magistrate had been waiting with the two night creatures.


    "Magistrate Alberto, the youngdy is here," informed the man, and saying it, he left the front of the room.


    "Wee to the magistrate''s office, pleasee in. Mr. Donovan and Mr. Enoch are eagerly waiting? to meet you," said the magistrate, and Natalie shifted her gaze from the chubby man to look at the two men who were sitting on the plush chairs.


    It was obvious by the looks that these were no humans, and right now, she was in thepany of two vampires. In her mind, she prayed to God to show mercy on her for the sins she hadmitted when she was a vampire. She didn''t want to die here! The panic got to her while she tried to maintain a calm expression on her face.


    One of the men, who had tinum blonde hair stood up from his seat, and he made his way to where Natalie stood.


    He didn''t waste a second, and his hand was quick to shoot up to hold the human girl''s chin in a firm grip.


    "W-what do you want?" questioned Natalie, feeling chills run down her spine.


    "I have a few questions for you, you wouldn''t mind answering them, do you, mdy?" asked Mr. Enoch, his eyes turning red, and Natalie noticed the pupil of his dte, trying topel her. "She doesn''t look like a witch," he said, letting go of her face, and for a brief moment, relief flooded in her mind. "Come sit," ordered the vampire, and Natalie obeyed the man and took a seat on the empty chair.


    "What? made you think she''s a witch, Alberto?" questioned Donovan, his eyes sweeping at the girl, where he noticed nothing unusual about her.


    "When she came here, she had these red colours on her toes and I was sure it was blood," on hearing the magistrate''s words, Donovan subtly rolled his eyes.


    "She had no features of being a witch. None at all," stated Donovan. He ced the cup on the table. He then turned to look at the other vampire, "We should rece this magistrate with someone better. He seems unfit for the role, especially when it''s a simple job like this."


    The magistrate let out an awkwardugh, "Mr. Donovan, the witches sometimes transform themselves into people or things. It is hard to know who is who."


    Mr. Enoch turned to Natalie and questioned her, "Where did youe from?"


    "From a city," Natalie replied truthfully, and this earned her a stare from the vampire.


    "A city?" questioned Mr. Enoch.


    "Yes."


    "The girl looks like someone who has lost her mind. She speaks of things that don''t even exist, and everyone already knows that she''s a crazy youngdy, who was probably thrown out of her house by her family," exined the magistrate. "The first day she kept on asking questions, and thankfully she''s finally stopped asking."


    The vampire who was inquiring questioned, "Do you know any witches?"


    "Witches?" asked Natalie, and when she closed her mouth, her tongue felt the small leaf that had been given to her, which would stop her from beingpelled. "Are there witches here?" she could feel her voice trying to threaten to crack at the end of her sentence.


    "Looks like she doesn''t know anything after all," said Mr. Enoch.


    "How pointless to be here. I will be leaving," stated Donovan.


    "I will join youter, Azazel," said Mr. Enoch, and Donovan stepped out of the room.


    Donovan stepped outside the building, lighting up his cigar. Seeing him, the coachman got wet while cing the umbre above Donovan''s head. Donovon looked at the rain that continued to pour around, took a drag, blowing the smoke through his lips.


    His ck eyes turned red, scanning through the ce around him as if he would try a little harder, he would know. He felt someone looking at him, his eyes snapped to his right, but there was no one there.


    After a minute, Donovan got into the carriage and left the town of Willow Creek.


    Back in the magistrate''s office, the vampire, Mr. Enoch, continued to stare at Natalie. His eyes keenly looked at the human''s neck while he could hear the light pulse. "Come here, girl," said the vampire, and Natalie came to stand near him because she had no other choice if she wanted to see the next day.


    The vampire took a bite from her neck, drinking her blood, while Natalie tried not to wince, and she dug her hands into her palms. The pain was too much, as the vampire was not subtle with his actions. When he was finally done drinking from her, he pulled himself away from her.


    Hepelled her, "Forget we ever asked anything with you, and you only had tea with the magistrate. If someone asks you about the mark on your neck, tell them how you have been a bad youngdy. I want you to keep your eyes and ears open, because I know there''s a witch in here. If you find someone behaving suspicious, youe meet the magistrate. Clean that neck and leave this ce," he dismissed her.


    Once Natalie left the room, she quickly ran away from there. She felt goosebumps rise on her neck, feeling how close she had escaped death. She remembered the fear that she had tried to instil in people around her in the past.


    When she came out of the building, the bitter taste of the leaf had filled her mouth and she spat it out of her mouth. The leaf fell on the ground that was covered in rainwater, which let the leaf float.


    During the evening, Lady Opaline sent her servant to fetch Natalie, who then came to know on thedy''s door. "Did you ask for me, Lady Opaline?"


    "Yes, close the door, Natalie," said Lady Opaline, "Close the door."


    Natalie didn''t understand what was going on, but she did as she was told. When she went near the woman, who was sitting on the chair, Lady Opaline stood up. The witch asked her, "Natalie, there is something important that I want from you. A favour in return for letting you stay here. Do you think I can trust you with it?"


    "Yes," the girl nodded her head. This was the only remote ce that Natalie believed that she was safe. She didn''t have anywhere else to go.


    "How sure are you with your answer?" asked Lady Opaline, her gaze serious and staring at the human. "If you aren''t, I will have to ask you to find somewhere else¡ª"


    Natalie quickly knelt on the ground; with her head bowed, she said, "I would never betray you. I promise to never expose you or your family to anyone. Please let me stay here. I will always remain grateful for letting me stay here, and saving me. This is like my second life and as I said before, I am very much ashamed of what I did to others in the past. Please don''t let me die."


    Opaline La Fay stared at the human. After a few seconds of silence passed between them, she finally said, "Give me your hand."


    Natalie raised her head, looking at the woman, who had stretched her right hand forward. She did as she was told, and the woman held her hand. Her eyes widened when she saw green strings of light appear from nowhere, and it looked like threads that were being sewed into her and the woman''s hands.


    "You shall not speak of what you have seen here or try to change the course. When the time is right, I will give you something. You shall not forget what happened here no matter what the time is," stated Opaline until the strings of light disappeared, and she let go of the girl''s hand.

 Chapter 128 - Willow Creeks Curse

    <h4>Chapter 128 - Willow Creek''s Curse</h4>


    Lady Opaline La Fay sat on the leaning chair in front of the firece, all alone by herself, while listening to the faint crackling sound made by the burning of the log of woods and also the soft sound of the rain from outside the house.


    Her hand was ced on her baby bump, gently caressing the child growing inside her belly. She worried for the safety of the child. Worried by thinking that her child wouldn''t be able to see the world, which in one way was good because of the filth and gore that surrounded the ce. But at the same time, she wished to hold her child in her arms and to love it unconditionally.


    But the world where they lived, especially for the witches, wasn''t safe.


    She pushed her body from the chair and made her way out of the living room after watching one of the candles extinguish itself. The servant of the house, Sullivan, had not fallen asleep as he was guarding the house against any possible surprise attack that could take ce.


    He watched the witch when she made her way towards her room, and a few minutester, she came to meet him where he was in the room, near the hall. Opaline said,


    "Take this, Sullivan.. This helps in keeping your memories intact no matter what," and she handed a few ss vials to him.


    "Is everything alright, mdy?" asked Sullivan. "You should get some rest, it will also help in the growth of the baby."


    "Sleep is only for the fortunate ones. For people like us, especially for the witches, it is deprived and we can only hope for that," replied Lady Opaline. She opened thetch of the wooden box that she had brought with her. She picked another ss from inside it and offered it to him. "I have drawn out some of my powers and poured them into this. It will help in quick recovery if you ever turn weak. If you ever need it, use it."


    A frown appeared on Sullivan''s face, and he asked, "What will I do with this, mdy?"


    "I know it wille in use at some point in time, not now. But maybe in the future, when the time is right. There is something I would like to talk to you about," said Opaline with her eyes holding utter seriousness, and the servant nodded his head. She was quick to tell what her n was to him and when she finished her word, Sullivan''s eyes widened in shock.


    "I am sure all of us can escape from here. Why not do it now? It isn''t toote for it," suggested Sullivan.


    Lady Opaline shook her head, "That''s not how things would work, Sullivan. If we all move from here, it is nothing less to suicide. The better way is to prepare ourselves for the worst, and when ites we can try our best to face it, but the main problem is some of the vampires want to consume the witches'' powers. Not knowing how toxic it is for their bodies. A vampire cannot mix too much magic in one vessel. No one has that kind of capacity. You have heard of the story about a couple who killed a hen for more golden eggs because they were greedy for more. Humans are nothing less, when ites to greed. You give a finger as help, and they will take more than a hand."


    "I am sorry about that, Lady Opaline," Sullivan bowed his head, understanding the witch''s worrying words.


    "I don''t mean you. You are the hope I have, that I can hold onto for the survival of the witches," stated Lady Opaline. She then pulled another vial which was bigger than the other vials. "Get me the bowl."


    The servant was quick to leave the room; going to the kitchen, he brought a t bowl in his hand. The witch took the bowl and ced it in front of therge oval mirror. She poured the liquid from inside the vial into the bowl and then started to whisper some incantations. The liquid in the bowl started to vaporize, but the vapour didn''t evaporate upwards. It moved towards the mirror that was in front of her. Soon the surface of the mirror started to waver, simr to how it would be when a person touched the surface of still water.


    The candles around the ce softly started flickering as if affected by the power that was emitting from the witch.


    Opaline looked at her reflection in the mirror, staring at old self now. Her hair wasn''t purely dark anymore, and it was mixed with ck and white hair.


    Opaline took a step forward, getting closer to the mirror, and she finally ced her palm on the surface of the mirror before she entered the mirror. Sullivan''s eyes subtly widened by seeing the power that the witch held, where she tried to follow the path of non-violence, trying to hide her family and trying to live as humans.


    When the witch submerged herself in the wavering mirror, she opened her eyes to see the other side of the world. The ce in front of her looked familiar, and her eyes moved around. She finally saw her daughter. She was beautiful. Opaline''s heart warmed at the thought that her daughter was indeed safe. The only thing was her future was subjective to many conditions, and time was the essence of everything. One mistake and this would probably not be the future, Opaline thought to herself. While looking at her daughter, she saw another person approaching her, and her eyes narrowed.


    "A night creature," she murmured under her breath. But this person looked different from the usual ones. Her eyes widened at something, and a deep frown appeared on her face. "Is this how it is going to be..."


    After a couple of minutester, Opaline pulled herself away from the mirror, and she took a step backwards. The mirror made a crackling sound as if it was fixing itself until the surface of it turned hard again.


    "Did you see her, mdy?" asked Sullivan, noticing the witch who was in deep thought.


    "I did," replied Opaline, with a soft smile on her lips, and she said, "One can never tell what the future holds. To think there is a possibility," she murmured in the end. Turning to the servant, she said, "I cannot send you from here at the same time as the human girl. It will be different."


    Sullivan agreed to what she said, and he bowed his head, "I am ready, mdy."


    A few days passed, where Natalie continued to stay under the witch''s roof, learning the basic things she needed from the woman so that she could survive. But soon, things got worse, as one of the guards captured Opaline''s third daughter and one of her sons.


    "I am a human!" screamed Opaline''s daughter while trying to free herself from the two guards, who had caught her in the forest and dragged her and her brother to the centre of the town.


    "Leave her alone!" shouted Opaline''s son, gritting his teeth while being held by two other guards.


    "Let go of me!" The young witch tried to pull herself back to free herself, but the more she struggled, the worse the situation turned, and one of the guards pped her across her face, hard enough, and she fell on the ground.


    The truth was that young witches didn''t hold power, and it was only after a certain age that the witches could use magic. They were simr to humans, except for the rare urance of their scaly skin, which appeared when they were angry, or their emotions were not under control.


    One of the guards harshly gripped the girl''s hair and dragged the girl towards the pole. The magistrate stepped out of the building with the vampire, Mr. Enoch.


    "Magistrate Alberto! A dead body had been found in the forest and we found these two witches standing near the body!" informed one of the guards who worked under the magistrate.


    "Who is it?!" questioned the magistrate, making his way towards the scaffold and taking a look at who the witch was.


    "It is one of Opaline''s daughters!" said the guard, and the magistrate''s face twisted into a sneer.


    The person who came with magistrate Alberto was none other than the same vampire who hade to visit Willow Creek a few days ago. Mr. Enoch watched the girl with his sparkling eyes, and he ordered, "It is good to see that atst someone found the witch and her coven, who have been hiding here for years. Bring them all here!"


    The guards immediately made their way towards La Fay''s house, and they started to pull the people in the house. Once they were brought to where the magistrate and the vampires were, Opaline''s sons were beaten by the guards with wooden logs.


    "Where is the other woman? The one who was pregnant?" questioned the magistrate, noticing the absence of the woman and her servant.


    "She and her servant weren''t in the house, Sire," informed the guard.


    The magistrate clicked his tongue in distaste and then ordered his guards, "The good for nothing witches. They will leave their own kind to save themselves. Find them and bring them to me!"


    One of the vigers spoke, "I saw them earlier heading towards the forest!"


    "Bring the witch to the burning pyre!" shouted one of the vigers, and the others started to shout along with him. "We don''t want the witches in here! Burn them! Kill them!"


    The magistrate turned to Mr. Enoch and said, "We should inform Mr. Donovan about this. He did say that he wanted to look at the witches before we could burn them."


    "That won''t be necessary," said the vampire, who stood next to the magistrate. "You see Donovan is busy with other important things and it would be stupid to keep the witches alive when they can bring unexinable harm to us. All those deaths that happened in the other viges were caused by them. Why don''t you take care of the matter here and I will go to the witch''s house to check if the witches have ced any traps in their house."


    The magistrate, being a dimwit, agreed to the vampire''s words, and he turned to his guards and ordered, "What are you people waiting for? Bring those escapees back to this ce!" The guards quickly left the ce, moving in two directions.


    Away from the centre of the town, Opaline, her servant, and her guest stood in the forest amid the trees surrounding them.


    Opaline made a sound in her mouth, simr to the sound made by a bird, and soon one of the ravens appeared there. Flying to where she was, and it perched on her extended hand. The witch then said to Natalie,


    "This is a Corvin. You might find one or more of themter, and they usuallye to help the witches. Extremely faithful and they will try to protect you."


    "This small bird?" asked Natalie with a frown.


    "Don''t judge anything by what you have seen. Appearance can be deceiving and you never know what height a Corvin can reach. It depends on its master," stated Opaline, where they were surrounded by silence. "The potion I gave you to drink this morning will allow you tomunicate with the Corvin. It will keep youpany and it will guide you."


    Natalie was happy to hear that she was returning to the period and ce that she belonged to. This wretched ce was filled with nothing but narrow-minded people! The only good thing was that she finally started to appreciate people''s help after being turned back to her human self.


    "There they are! Catch them!"


    The three of them turned to look to their right and noticed two guardsing running towards them.


    A deep frown appeared on Opaline''s face, and she said, "Sullivan, now''s the time."


    Sullivan Evans stepped forward, ready to guard the witch and to protect her. He picked up a piece of broken log of wood to stop the guards from trying to attack them, and instead of the guards attacking them, he attacked them back.


    Opaline held Natalie''s hand, and she said, "We don''t have much time. Give me your other hand."


    The human girl did as she was told, letting the witch hold her hands while hearing incantations of whisper uttering by the witch Opaline. Natalie saw a glowing blue light that started to spread around them, engulfing the three of them and the guards who fell on the ground while staring at the light with baffled expressions on their faces. It gave Sullivan the opportune time to hit their heads.


    Opaline continued the incantation, and she noticed the skin on her hands had shrivelled because of the usage of her ability. Her appearance has turned to her original self, where she looked like a woman in her fifties. On the other hand, Natalie stared at the witch with a gobsmacked expression on her face. It was because not only did the woman''s appearance change, even the baby bump of her stomach had disappeared.


    Where did the baby go?! Natalie questioned herself in her mind.


    The wind speed around them increased, and it tried to pick up the dried leaves that had fallen from the nearby trees. As more seconds passed, Natalie felt as if everything around her was turning bigger, and she slightly felt dizzy.


    "W-what''s going on?" Natalie asked Opaline in worry.


    "Don''t panic, Natalie. I am just saving you from being burnt or beheaded like some of us who are about to go through it. To a much safer ce," assured Opaline, who was trying to speed the process of what she was doing. She then turned to her side, raising her hand, she waved it in the air, and it caused something like wavering. Natalie felt like she was going to be dizzy again. "The Corvin will apany you on your journey. Make sure you remember not to speak about what you know to others apart from the Corvin. If you do, it will only bring in misfortune."


    Natalie looked back and forth between the witch, the guards, where another one had joined. She nodded her head, feeling the knife of death hanging above her head.


    Opaline said, "Go now," while staring at the young girl, who had right now turned into a child. The human finally stepped into the medium of air that Opaline had opened, disappearing in thin air.


    Not too far away from Opaline stood, Sullivan, tried to beat up the guards, pushing them away from them. He came to stand near to where Opaline stood, and he noticed the witch had taken her original form, where she didn''t look young anymore.


    "Now it''s your turn, Sullivan," said Opaline, where she used her other hand to open the portal.


    Sullivan turned to look at the guards, who had turned weak and lying on the ground. He then turned to look at the witch and asked, "Why don''t youe with me? I am sure you can work it out. Please!" He pleaded, his voice holding anxiety in it.


    "Willow Creek has secretly belonged to the witches for a very long time. I cannot abandon it, and even if I wanted to, I don''t have that power. I could send only one, and I am sending you to fulfill the purpose," stated Opaline, and when she opened the portal, they heard the screams of people, not knowing what the other side held. "Take utmost care."


    Sullivan looked at Opaline with an unwilling expression on his face. He had served Opaline for far too long, and parting away from here ached his heart, knowing what was going toe at the witch.


    "You could have saved yourself. Fixing it by going to the past again," said Sullivan, knowing how great of a witch the woman in front of him was.


    Opaline offered him a kind smile, "I will forever be grateful for your service, Sullivan. For standing next to me when I am alive," and after my death, the witch thought in her head.


    Sullivan wanted to stay back, but at the same time, he didn''t oppose Opaline''s words.


    "You have the box with you?" asked Opaline, and Sullivan ced his hand on the bag. "Go before they catch you. I cannot keep the portal open for too long."


    Sullivan offered Opaline a deep bow, "I will not forget your kindness."


    "I know," replied Opaline.


    The medium next to them continued to waver, and Sullivan finally stepped forward, hearing the scream that came from the other side of the medium. Once he stepped inside the medium, the portal closed, and Opaline finally dropped her hand. She felt dizzy, as if someone had sucked her soul.


    The guards who had fallen on the ground earlier slowly tried to push themselves up while a few more guards arrived at the spot. Seeing her, one of them shouted,


    "Come back to the town, Opaline. Your children have been caught and it is time for you toe with us," and soon they dragged her out of the forest, where the witch didn''t show any resistance.


    Back in the centre of the town, the magistrate and the others waited, and when they saw Opaline, who had aged, the magistrate started tough.


    "Look who we have here,"mented the magistrate while looking at the guards who were dragging Opaline. "Here I thought you and your family were one of us, but it seems like you never were. Filthy looking witch who kills us humans, and God knows what else."


    "Let my children go. Neither I nor they did anything to ever harm anyone in here. You don''t have to do this," said Opaline, her calm eyes fixed on the magistrate.


    "Tch," the magistrate responded, "It is enough reason knowing you were hiding here in the town while we were looking everywhere for the existence of the witches." He then turned to look at the guards, "Where are the other two?"


    The guards opened their mouths, but they didn''t know how to exin it, "They disappeared, Sire."


    "Go fucking search for them. I want them to be burnt here along with these ones!" shouted the magistrate, and the guards quickly left the ce. When the man''s eyes met Opaline''s eyes, she stared back at him as if he was lower than her in status and not the other way round. "Set the witch on fire! Get the others on the tform."


    "Stop that right now, unless you want to face the wrath of the witch, Alberto," Opaline warned, but the magistrate was not ready to listen to her.


    Soon one of the guards brought the torch and set the third daughter of Opaline on fire. Screams of the young girl filled in the ce, burning and dying in agony. Opaline was dragged near to the scaffold, where she saw her sons'' heads were already ced on the slightly raised tform, with the executioner ready to behead them.


    The town folks soon started shouting and cheering the burning of the witches, and Opaline heard the screams and pain of her children. Her youngest daughter had tears running down her face, and she turned to her, calling for help. But the humans set her on fire too. The sight brought in agony and pierced through her heart.


    "Stop it!" shouted Opaline, her eyes starting to burn simr to the fire.


    "Kill them! Kill the witches!" shouted the people.


    Each and every scream that left from her children''s mouths increased the rage in the witch''s mind and the pity on humans lessened. She caught sight of the vampire, Enoch,ing towards the ce with empty hands after he was done searching her house. Smoke moved up, and the smell of the burning bodies of Opaline''s family started to spread around the ce. Some of her children continued to scream, and it tore her heart, anguish filled in her chest. She noticed the vampire who looked angry as if the things he hade to look for weren''t there anymore. He made his way to where she was, and he questioned her,


    "Where are the potions of melted gems?"


    "In a ce where you will never be able to find," Opaline calmly replied.


    "Do you think I cannot find it? I will find it," the vampire said in a low voice only for her to hear.


    Opaline smiled at him, which confused the vampire. "That is if you are able to leave this ce, isn''t it? You killed my beloved children who have never hurt even a fly, who have been nothing but kind. Today I will curse this ce, for burning a mother''s innocent children," said Opaline, her eyes ring as she whispered.


    But the townspeople didn''t give any attention to it, they only mocked her,ughing and jeering at the witch, "Willow Creek will not be the same anymore. May death gue it for the wrongs that have beenmitted."


    "Behead the witch!" ordered the magistrate.


    Soon her head was pushed on the slightly raised tform. The guard who carried the axe raised his hand before bringing it down on the witch''s head, severing it away from her body.


    The crowd of people around the scaffold cheered for the witches being killed, while in truth, they didn''t know that the dead bodies of the humans they hade across wasn''t the witch''s work but the vampires.


    Blood leaked out from the beheaded bodies, coating the surface of the scaffold where the members of the La Fay''sid. A minute passed, soon, the air of the Willow Creek started to turn heavy, and the humans suddenly felt like they couldn''t breathe anymore, as if they were suffocating.


    "What''s going on?!"


    "What happened? I can''t breathe! The air!," people started to scream.


    The vampire, Mr. Enoch, who wanted to look for the gems, decided to look for themter. He started to walk from there, making his way towards the carriage. He ordered the coachman, "We are leaving now," after saying that, he got inside the carriage.


    "Yes, Mr. Enoch!"


    The coachman started the carriage, and soon they left the town. But when they reached a certain ce, ready to pass through the next trees, the carriage wheel suddenly crashed. The vampire who was sitting inside the carriage fell to the side, and he sneered. He got down from the carriage and saw the horses had fallen on the ground, and so did the coachman.


    "What happened?" demanded Mr. Enoch.


    The coachman stood up, and he shook his head, "I don''t know. It was as if there was a wall in the front. The vampire''s eyebrows furrowed, and he walked to the front, but when he tried to walk further, he couldn''t. He stretched his hand forward and felt an invisible wall. He quickly tried to check how far the wall was blocked, but it was never-ending.


    "Fucking bitch!" Mr. Enoch cursed the witch because he knew she was the one who had trapped him in this dying town.


    The town of Willow Creek closed and disappeared to the sight of the people outside of the Willow Creek, filled with lots of dead bodies that were more than the La Fay''s family.


    [Music Rmendation: Broke Sleep- Agnes Obel]


    In a timeline ahead of the time that Sullivan actually belonged to, he was thrown in one of the forests, his body falling hard on the ground. He quickly pushed himself from the ground, looked around and noticed from a far distance the glowing fire and smoke that moved up in the air under the night sky.


    Sullivan Evans walked to the town, noticing people running and some screaming around the ce as the night creatures sucked blood from the humans.


    He didn''t know why Lady Opaline had sent him to this ce, but he tried to understand the situation. Hearing a sound from behind him, he turned around and was attacked by a vampire, who bit into his neck. The vampire was too strong for him, and it took all of Sullivan''s strength to push the creature off of him. He picked up a? nearby stone and hit the vampire''s head before picking a wooden log and pushing it through the vampire''s chest. He huffed, feeling dizzy as he had lost too much blood from his body, and somewhere, the vampire had pushed his hand into his stomach.


    Sullivan thought he had to keep himself alive for the sake of the job that Lady Opaline had given to him. He pulled out the log of wood from the vampire''s body, whose body was slowly turning cold along with the blood. Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward towards the vampire''s body, and when he pulled away, his mouth was covered in blood, as he had drank the vampire''s blood before he could die.


    As the blood started to mingle in his body, something changed within him. As if someone had flipped the lights, turning the mind intoplete darkness.


    Sullivan slowly lost his consciousness, as the human side of him died next to the vampire, while the vampire''s blood in his body started to bring him back to life.


    After some time, when the chaos in the town stopped, one of the Elder who was checking the bodies noticed Sullivan''s body that had turned into a vampire.


    "This ce had turned into a wretched grave,"ined Luciano.


    "Throw this vampire into the pyre, I will be taking this one to the mansion," came Elder Remy''s dull voice as he dragged Sullivan''s body, who was soon one day going to be the counsellor of Veteris.


    "I don''t want to touch this filth," stated Luciano, while taking a look around.


    Remy didn''t turn back, but he said, "The hunters mighte around." Gritting his teeth, Luciano caught hold of the dead vampire''s body, who wasn''t properly killed and dragged it to throw it in the fire.


    In another timeline, which was way ahead of the ce where Sullivan Evans had been thrown into, Natalie fell on the hard ground, and she winced in pain. Hearing the sound of vehicles, she felt relief filled all over her.


    The roads were nearly empty. She stood up, ready to walk back to her home. But when she reached her house, that looked slightly different, and the trees around it were scarce. Walking to the front of the door, she knocked on it. When the door opened, she noticed it was her grandmother, but she looked awfully young. Natalie felt too short right now, and she wondered if it was because of the time travelling she had done.


    "Yes?"


    "Grandmother¡ª" Natalie started, but a little girl came inside the house, interrupting the woman.


    "Is this your friend, Margaret?"? her grandmother asked the little girl, and Natalie''s eyebrows furrowed. Margaret? The little girl was her mother? Remembering her mother''s old photographs when she was small, she realized it was her.


    "I don''t know her, mother," said the little girl, getting close to her grandmother.


    "Who are you looking for dear?" asked Natalie''s grandmother.


    Natalie stuttered, "M-my house¡­"


    "You must have forgotten where your house is. What is your name? I can ask someone and see if we can take you back to where your parents are," offered her grandmother, but Natalie''s head started spinning. She heard a croak, and she turned behind, noticing the raven sitting on the mailbox.


    She shook her head, "No, it is fine," and she quickly left from there. Turning back, she looked at the door that now closed. Reaching where the Corvin was, she asked it in panic, "Why am I in the wrong time period?!"


    ''Helping Lady Opaline La Fay,'' replied the Corvin, and Natalie didn''t make out what she had to do next.


    "What am I supposed to do now? I have no home to go, the home that is mine¡­ I am not even born yet," Natalie panicked, feeling anxious. No wonder she felt everything around her had turned big in her eyes, it was because she was around the same age as her mother right now.


    Days passed, and Natalie had nowhere to go, and she tried to get food for her to survive. The witch wanted her to survive, but she didn''t know what to do. Everything had moved too quickly because of the guards'' arrival to attack them.


    Natalie roamed around until she met a family, who came to a stop by in front of her.? She was drenched in the rain, where the others had ignored her. The couple came forward, with a young boy next to them.


    "What are you doing here? Where are your parents or family?" asked the man.


    Natalie didn''t have an answer to it, and she shook her head. Right now, she looked pitiful while she carried a small bag with her.


    The woman stared at her husband, and then she asked, "What''s your name, dear?"


    "Na-I¡­ Harriet," replied Natalie, because the life she once had was gone, and this was a new one that was gifted by the witch. To redeem herself while being not burnt alive by the humans.


    "Harriet, why don''t youe to our home with us. I am sure you are hungry and need a shower too," the woman offered a polite smile, cing a hand on Natalie''s shoulder, and Natalie nodded her head. The woman noticed the little girl staring at her son, and she smiled, "Let me introduce my family to you. I am Samantha, and this is my husband, Heath. Heath Winters. And this is my son Thomas."


    On hearing thest name, Natalie''s face turned nothing less to a ghost.

 Chapter 129 - What Karma Is Like

    <h4>Chapter 129 - What Karma Is Like</h4>


    Music Rmendation- Into the Fire- Marco Beltrami


    ¡ª


    Natalie, who went by the name of Harriet now, stood in front of the window, staring at the road. The same road that was located in front of her original house where she actually belonged, where right now she was growing parallelly to her mother''s age. The first few weeks, Natalie was in a mixture of emotions, where she wasn''t able to figure out how to cope with the new situation she was in and how to feel about it.


    After spending two weeks in the past, right now, everything in her life had changed upside down.


    She didn''t have a family of her own anymore, as they didn''t recognize her, and even if they woulde to see her face again, there was no possibility of them remembering her. The witch, Opaline La Fay, had made sure to take extra care before she had sent her here by changing features of her face to look like another person. Maybe even prettier.


    Nobody wanted to have Natalie, thankfully she was taken in by the Winters family, adopted to be part of their family. She couldn''t believe how karma worked, and it hade to bite her right at her bottom with no mercy. She now had a brother, Thomas Winters. Somewhere, she found it hard to let go of her past, and she had tried to cling to it by befriending her mother, spending time with her.


    Weeks had changed to months and months to years, where Natalie grew up under the Winters'' household as their own daughter. When the time came, she was proposed to by Dougs Leighton, and it was enough of a shock, noticing how everything was fixed and though she was an extra piece from the future, it didn''t change the course of life. During her school time in her previous life, Natalie had tried to find out why Julie had stopped attending sses, as she had missed bullying her ex-best friend, wanting to make Julie''s life miserable.


    Her thoughts went back to the past...


    ''Did you see Julianne today?'' questioned Natalie to one of her ssmates.


    ''Nope. Don''t think I saw her in a while now. She''s probably scared toe here after tripping down from the stairs,''ughed the person whom Natalie had questioned.


    ''Of course, she should know well to not appear anywhere near here. Maybe it would be better if she just left this ce. How pleasant would that be,'' smiled Natalie, a smirk appearing on her lips.


    ''I thought you both were best friends. What happened? Did she do something to piss you off?" chuckled the girl, who stood next to Natalie. ''You used to always stick to her.''


    Natalie''s expression was quick to turn sour, and she sent a re at the girl, ''It wasn''t me who used to stick to her. It was her, always trying to follow me wherever I went. She is an eyesore,'' she huffed. ''She should be thankful that I even let her stay around the ss and didn''t bother myself with her. If I could, I would have pushed her, but it looks like someone was more annoyed by her presence to push her from the stairs."


    ''Well, if you say that, then she must truly be an eyesore. I mean she doesn''t even have any friends of her own and she looks like she''s not fit to be here, it is quite pitiful. Have you noticed her wearing the same sweater over and over again?'' asked the girl.


    ''Of course, I have seen it, something so ugly is hard to not notice,'' Natalieughed, and at the same time, the boy whom she liked, in turn, liked Julie, appeared in the corridor, walking towards her, ''What''s wrong, Keith?'' She noticed the deep frown on his face.


    ''Did you hear what happened to Julianne?'' questioned Keith, and Natalie rolled her eyes.


    ''How would I know, she''s probably locked herself somewhere,'' responded Natalie, but the frown on Keith''s face didn''t leave his face.


    For as long as Natalie could remember, she, Julianne, and Keith had been together. She had caught on to the way Julianne had looked at Keith, and somewhere she sensed Keith liked Julie too. But Natalie wanted him to look in her direction, and she had tried to push Julie away from Keith out of spite which slowly turned to jealousy and rage towards the girl who once was close to her.


    Keith said, ''Julie''s parents, her mother was found dead and it was Julie''s father who had killed Julie''s mother and then went to attack Julie. We should probably go to her house and check how she''s doing. She''s probably hurt.''


    Natalie ced her hand on Keith''s arm and said, ''She probably needs some time to deal with it. I am sure there are many of them who might be hovering around her and she doesn''t need us or you too doing that. You know how sensitive she is. Let us give her some time and we can go soon.''


    Keith looked slightly torn, but he nodded his head and left the corridor with a heavy sigh. Once he was gone, the girl with whom Natalie was talking said in a low voice, ''That''s so messed up. Why would her father kill her mother? Did you hear anything about it?''


    Natalie shrugged her shoulders, ''Who knows. Maybe her mother did something to annoy her father. Frankly speaking, she keeps clinging to my mother, and it''s really weird sometimes. Anyways, I have something else to do¡­''


    Coming back to the present, Natalie gripped her hand on the iron rod of the window, thinking about the uing death that was right around the corner. She was no more the young, naive girl but a woman who had a daughter.


    As hours passed, she heard the croaking caws near the tree through the window. Natalie''s eyes looked in the direction where the raven moved closer to her.


    "Is there no other way that I can fix this without having to die?" Natalie''s voice sounded desperate, as the thought gued her mind since she had been married. Every human died after a certain period of time, and maybe she would have been alright if she didn''t know how and when or by whom she was going to be murdered.


    The bird moved its wings as if it was making it right after flying around, and it said, ''Cannot change the course of life. Need to follow the pattern. Else chaos.''


    Natalie shook her head, "I have repented for what I have done, but I cannot do this anymore. It''s killing me slowly every single day, and I am terrified to sleep in the same bedroom with him. I keep looking over my shoulder when he''s around, not knowing when he has nned to kill me."


    The Corvin didn''t reply to her and instead stayed quiet until it flew away from the window.


    Natalie heard the footsteps of someone, and she left the room to check who hade back home. Her eyes fell on Julie, who had returned from her sses, and she looked down the staircase.


    "How were your sses, dear?" asked Natalie, feeling thorns of the pain pierce through her heart.


    She noticed the way Julie tried to hide her hands, and she realized what day it was. It was the time when her former self had slit Julie''s wrists. She could sense the hurt and pain in Julie''s eyes, and it wasn''t the first time she had noticed it. Natalie felt her heart squeeze. Julie often returned home with bruises, and she knew it was caused by her, but she couldn''t fix the mistakes she hadmitted.


    To think that Julie''s actual mother was Opaline, the powerful witch, it had taken her time to understand. The witch had put magic in a way where, it was Natalie who had conceived the baby. Natalie had tried to make Julie an outcast, and now that she thought about it, she didn''t know what to do.


    Julie put up a smile on her face as if everything was alright, and Natalie behaved as if she didn''t notice it.


    "It was good, mother. I have a test next weekend, so I was trying to find some references and it gotte to get back home," added Julie to make it sound more convincing.


    Natalie nodded, "I understand. Why don''t you freshen up and I will cook you something good and bring it to your room? You must be hungry."


    "Mm," Julie nodded her head with a smile, and she said, "Thank you, mom," and she disappeared inside her room.


    The smile on Natalie''s face died, and she shook her head. The most ironic thing was that she had cursed Julie''s mother in the past, to now know she was cursing herself. Was this why people said to be careful when cursing or wishing something upon others?


    To make it up to Julie, Natalie did everything she could while not trying to let ite in between what Opaline wanted. She tried to love Julie, offering her everything she could, and raising her right, so that she would never turn like her.


    Days continued to pass, and one night after having dinner, Julie went to her room while Natalie sat in the living room, watching television. She heard a sounde from inside the kitchen. Turning alert, she turned off the television and left to take a look.


    The lights in the corridor were turned off, and her hand reached to turn it on. She made her way towards the kitchen, but there was no one in there. Natalie could feel her heart beating loudly as if it was going to jump out of her throat any second now.


    She tried to pick on the possible noise, but there was nothing, and Natalie wondered if she was turning paranoid. After all, thinking about her death every day had taken a toll on her mind and body. Not to mention, she had been forced to act as if everything was perfect around her. After looking around the other corridors of the house, and the rooms, she was returning to the living room when she caught sight of a shadow in the kitchen.


    Before she could turn on the switch, her husband stepped out of the darkness.


    Natalie quickly put a surprised smile on her lips, but it subtly faltered, "You are home early. I thought you were going toe homete and didn''t keep the cold food out."


    Dous Leighton stepped forward, cing his hands on the centre ind of the kitchen, and he offered her a sweet smile that only scared Natalie more. She didn''t want to die! She wanted to live and look forward to spending the rest of her years. But at the same time, it seemed like her life had been marked since she had started to torture Julie.


    "I wanted to give you a surprise," replied Dous, and he asked, "Where''s Julianne?"


    "She''s in her room studying."


    Dous nodded his head, and he said, "You look a little pale, darling. Is everything alright?"


    Natalie nodded her head, "It is, now that you are home," she continued to offer her sweet smile that she had perfected over the years. "I just thought that someone broke in. I-I didn''t see you walk through the front door."


    "If I did, it wouldn''t be a surprise, would it, honey?" questioned Dougs, and Natalie felt perspiration form on her forehead and her back. "By the way, I found something," and he ced an envelope on the kitchen b.


    "What is it?" Natalie asked cautiously.


    "There is a woman''s picture in there, she looks exactly like you. I didn''t know you had a twin. Same face, nose, hair colour and so far she has this scar on her left hand. It was quite surprising to see something like that. Also her name is Harline," said Dous, his eyes on her and Natalie softly gulped while trying not to panic.


    "It must be as I don''t remember much of my childhood," replied Natalie, and she asked him, "Do you want to drink something?" There was no way it was possible, he was only trying to scare her. But how did he catch on to her? All this time, she had done everything right.


    "Maybeter once we finish talking. Anyways, what I wanted to talk about is, where did you keep that wooden box that you brought from the store a month ago?" asked Dougs, and Natalie felt her hands clench. "It seemed like you were going to gift it to me, as you quickly put it away in the cupboard," he smiled.


    "What about it?"


    "I was wondering where it is. I spoke about it to one of my colleagues whose wife is interested in those antique items and thought to take a picture of it to show him," said Dous and Natalie nodded her head.


    "That box was old and delicate. A week ago, it slipped and fell on the floor. I had to throw it away. I guess I shouldn''t buy things from the flea market,"ughed Natalie, but Dougs didn''t find one bit of humour in it.


    "How strange," Dougs said out loud, and he questioned her, "Are you hiding something from me, Harriet? You know you can tell me anything, and I am always here to listen to you. We have always been open since we got married, haven''t we?"


    Natalie shook her head as if she didn''t understand what he was talking about to her right now, "Why would I ever need to hide anything from you? You must be overthinking about it. Let me get you the bottle of beer." She pulled the fridge door and picked up the cold beer bottle, but when she closed the door, Dous held a gun in his hand, and it was pointed at her.


    She wanted to fight her fate so badly so that she could save her life, but she remembered the witch''s words to her before leaving that old town. Opaline had told her that she was not supposed to change the course of events.


    But Natalie couldn''t help but want to save herself. From being a human, she had turned to a vampire, while somewhere hoping that things would work well, but she had been pushed into the past where people wanted to burn her alive. She couldn''t stay there, and if she had to survive, the only way was to follow the witch''s words.


    "What''s going on, honey?" asked Natalie, confusion and fearing to hover over her face and her entire demeanour.


    "Since the beginning when I first met you, there has been this peculiar smell around. And do you know what I found out?" asked Dous, continuing to point his gun at her. "You are a witch, aren''t you?"


    Natalie shook her head, "This is absurd, Dough. You must be tired, let me draw you the bath¡ª"


    She stopped speaking when she heard the sound of the gun as he had pulled the cork back, and her heart continued to beat faster than it ever had before. "Stay right where you are. Whom are you working for?"


    "No one, I swear. This is a misunderstanding," Natalie''s voice was low and soft, not wanting to alert Julie, who was in her room. "Please put the gun down," she begged him in a frightened voice.


    "I found a bunch of dried mistletoe in one of the stashes of the cupboard. What are you doing with it? I have heard that the witches make use of the dried mistletoes in their mouth so that they are notpelled. Did you know that, darling?"


    "Listen to me, Dough. I am a human, just like you or Julie. The stash was given by one of our neighbours. I don''t know what you are talki¡ª"


    Natalie didn''t get the chance toplete her sentence because the very next second, Dous pulled the trigger, and the silver bullet pierced through the centre of her forehead. The life that she had, turned smaller and smaller like her vision. Darkness started to creep from the corner of her eyes before the pain that she felt from the bullet vanished.


    Her body fell on the ground, blood slowly seeping out of her head, coating the cold floor with her warm blood, where sheid dead.


    Dous shot her two more times, to make sure that the witch was dead, footsteps were heard from the other part of the house, in the corridor. It was Julie, who had heard the sound of gunshots and hade to check where the sound came from.


    Dous Leighton couldn''t believe that all these years, he was married to a witch. Harriet hade from the Winters family, and he had never expected that they had raised a witch under their roof, and now he had two of them. He should have known, thought the hunter with disgust in his eyes.


    Julie found her mother''s dead body in less than a minute, and Dougs could tell she was a vile witch. Soon he started to chase her around the house, trying to get a shot at her, but she somehow escaped. When he tried to pull the trigger one more time, he noticed the bullets were over, and he followed her, where the little witch entered and mmed the door shut.


    Dous used his hand to bang the door, "Julianne! Open the door!" he shouted, but the girl didn''t open it.


    Julie made use of every lock she could on the door to protect herself from the inside of the room while she heard her father continue to bang the door. When the banging stopped, her father tried to coax her to open it.


    "Open the door, Julianne. I can exin," said her father from the other side of the door.


    But Julie was in shock, and her head started to reel with what she saw in the kitchen. Her hands trembled, and it reached for her phone. It took a couple of tries to get her hands steady and her mind straight, which felt like it was running a mile a minute.


    Dialling the number, Julie heard the door thunder as if threatening to break down at any moment. Getting up from the floor, she quickly moved to her desk and pushed the desk to the door. Bringing the phone to her ear, she heard the number ring, and when the person picked it, she looked back at the door that her father was trying to break.


    "What''s your emergency?" asked the person from the other side of the line.


    Julie''s lips parted, but her throat had turned dry, and she couldn''t speak for the first five seconds.


    "M-my, my m-mother was shot dead," tears spilt down from her eyes as she said this, realizing her mother was dead, not knowing the reason why it happened.


    She suddenly felt the door being pushed forward, creaking the desk slightly¡ª


    Julie''s eyes flew open, where she was now surrounded by the slight darkness of the room, as the lights of the room had been turned off. She closed her eyes, squeezing it before trying to push herself from the bed.


    She felt tired as if she had been travelling, and her body was now exhausted. Her eyes widened, remembering what had just happened before she had lost her consciousness, and she looked around the room, her eyes searching for Roman. But instead of Roman, her eyes met Mr. Evan''s eyes, and she was ready to shriek.


    "Had a good sleep, Ms. Winters? How do you feel?" questioned Mr. Evans, and Julie didn''t know what she was supposed to reply. Where was Roman?!


    But then she saw the Corvin in the room, that stepped out from the shadows, and Julie''s eyes shifted from the creature to the vampire.


    "I-uh, I am okay I think," replied Julie, stepping out of the narrow bed and ready to start running from there while also signalling Corvin to follow her.


    The Corvin said, ''Sullivan here to help.''


    Did the Corvin decide to call itself as Sullivan? Not that she minded whatever name it chose for itself.


    "I think she''s very confused at the moment and we don''t have much time," said Mr. Evans, and Julie''s eyes would have fallen out of her eye sockets at the counsellor''s words.


    "What?" asked Julie, wondering if she heard it right.


    Mr. Evans turned to look at the door, where Olivia returned, and she looked startled by the counsellor''s presence in the room. He said to Julie with the same twisted smile on his face, which was usually present, "As we discussed until now, I am hoping you will reconsider not exerting yourself by thinking about the tests. Children are supposed to enjoy and? live, it would be sad if one died out of stress, don''t you think? Don''t be shy if you ever need to speak to someone about anything. You know my counsellor''s office door is always wee."


    The vampire started to head towards the door of the room, while the Corvin had disappeared from where it had been standing until now.


    "Ms. Trosney," Mr. Evans noted and Olivia, who held a guarded expression on her face, gave a slight nod of greeting.


    Julie''s eyes followed Mr. Evans, while she felt like she needed to take another round of sleep to make sure she wasn''t seeing or hearing things.


    Olivia quickly walked to where Julie was and asked, "How are you feeling? Rome said you passed out."


    "I am okay," replied Julie before asking, "Where is he?" Thest time she saw him, he had lost his control, and she had seen him turning into a feral being. She looked at Olivia in worry, where the vampiress had a slight frown on her face.


    "Roman had to leave to attend something important.. He will probably return by tomorrow morning," replied Olivia, not sure if Roman would be arriving the same way as he had left.

 Chapter 130 - Gunshots And Blood In The Forest

    <h4>Chapter 130 - Gunshots And Blood In The Forest</h4>


    Away from Veteris, a group of vampires started to make their way towards one far away town. They had heard about hunters being gathered and trying tobine forces to hunt and attack the vampires.


    The number of vampires being killed had risen, where the humans had started to outsmart the night creatures after years and years of their family or friends being killed.


    In one of the car''s sat Roman, Maximus, Piper, and Griffin. While in the other car travelled the three Elders and Mr. Borrell, who sat with his back straight without leaning on the seat.


    The two cars were not loaded with any weapons, and they hade empty-handed as they were vampires, who had a higher speed and abilities, which the humans didn''t hold.


    Roman sat next to the window with his legs crossed and his eyes looking at the trees that passed one after another. His mind was upied by Julie, where he had left her in the infirmary.


    "You alright?" came Piper''s voice, who sat next to him.


    Roman turned his head. His gaze turned to look at Piper, who was looking at him. He asked, "Why do you ask?"


    "It would have been better to get Olivia with us now, considering your current health status," stated Piper. Her eyes fell on Roman''s shirt, where there were faint spots of blood on the left side of his shirt. "Why didn''t you refuse Donovan from this mission?" she inquired.


    Griffin, who was in the car, his ears sharpened to listen to the gossip while his eyes fixed on the trees outside.


    "I wasn''t in the mood to hear his whining," Roman''s words were casual, and Maximus, who sat right in front of him, his lips quirked up. Piper could tell that it was more than that.


    "What are you even doing here?" questioned Roman, an expression of annoyance crossing his face, and Piper smiled.


    "I thought to be more useful than being just Dante''s assistant and handling the delinquents in the university," the smile on Piper''s face widened as she saw Roman stare at her.


    "The hunters are highly equipped. You have nevere to one of these things until now, have you, Piper?" he asked her. He remembered when he had caught his brother, Tristan and Piper, sneaking out of the town to spend time with each other in the past.


    "I might have not got the chance to be your sister-inw in full public, but I did promise Tristan that I would look out for his family," replied Piper, to hear Roman let out a small sigh.


    "I think more than looking after me, I will be the one looking after you today," stated Roman, his lips set themselves in a thin line.


    Piper rolled her eyes, "Don''t underestimate just because it is my first time. I have carried guns before with me." In the group of the vampires, she was the only one with a weapon." How is Julie doing? Everything good?"


    "Good," replied Roman, his eyes shifted to look at Griffin, who was looking at Roman through the reflection on the window, and he averted his eyes. "You should watch your back today. Because I won''t hold back if you are near and you will wish that you were in the dungeon."


    Griffin scoffed, turning back to meet Roman''s eyes. He said,


    "Do you think I am scared? You are the one who needs to be admitted in the infirmary and not me, to be worried about being beaten. This is why you are weakling, a half-bred vampire."


    "That''s enough both of you. You can show your manly vampire self in front of the hunters," ordered Piper, looking at Roman and then at Griffin.


    As if two wasn''t enough people to argue, Maximus joined, "Griffin, you must be lucky that the warden called the Elders right on time. Else you would be rusting and rotting in the coffin now. Especially after what you did."


    "Hmph," huffed Griffin, "Always talking on behalf of Roman, looks like he likes to make you do his dirty work. A pity that even though you were once one of the Lord''s sons, yet you take orders from a half vampire."


    "I think you should check about it with yourself rather than decide about me," smiled Maximus, ying with the pin that was pierced in his tongue.


    "What did you do to piss off Rome?" questioned Piper, who had not heard the details from the doctor nor the headmistress.


    Just remembering the fear that Julie had gone through because of Griffin''s methods was enough to bring out the simmering rage back in Roman''s eyes.


    "At least I know I am the Lord''s son," said Maximus, before adding, "Looks like you haven''t forgotten the way your mother was treated by your father. Pitiful, isn''t it? You behave like a whiny little bitch."


    Griffin''s hand turned into a fist, and he tried to punch Maximus, but instead, the punchnded on the seat, and Maximusughed. "Get over yourself, Griffin. You should be lucky that if it weren''t for Julie, Roman would have beaten you to death."


    "I think Moltenore has other concerns than me right now. Especially how Donovan hates humans. I don''t even have to do anything, because that little human''s days are numbered and sooner orter, she will die by Donovan''s hands," Griffin smirked, looking forward to the day when Roman would crumble from his pride.


    The vehicles stopped at the edge of the forest, a few distances away from the entrance of the town.


    "I think it is time to split up now," informed Mr. Borrell, while the Elders looked around the ce.


    Maximus and Ms. Piper were discussing something while Roman tried to pick up noise from the forest.


    "Some parts in the forest ground has hunters'' traps, while they have made sure to nt from which the silverwater is made. The air can be prickly. They have been too smart and have been drinking Silverwater to avoid themselves from beingpelled," exined Mr. Borrell.


    "At least the pathetic humans know what they are up against. But I doubt they are expecting us Elder vampires in here today," remarked Luciano with an air of authority. "I cannot believe that you brought an injured vampire, Donovan," hemented, looking at Roman.


    "Luciano, it seems like you have a short memory. Roman is one of the best. It is better to have him here instead of some weakling, I prefer quality over quantity," Donovan''s words were proud, his chin up. "Let us go in a pair of three per team."


    "Maximus," Castiel called his nephew, wanting to make sure to have the boy next to him to help while at the same time protect him.


    "Roman," Donovan said in an obvious tone.


    "Griffin and Borrell" Luciano selected his discipline, which left Ms. Piper.


    "Piper," said Roman and the three teams had been formed.


    "Let us go now," said Donovan and they split up in different directions so that they could catch and kill the hunters. Donovan moved forward, as he was here to take a stroll while knowing not bothering Roman as he knew the boy could look after himself.


    The vampires carefully walked in the shadows of the forest, trying to catch the scent of the humans in the dark and quiet ce. While Roman and Piper continued to walk, their eyes and ears alert, he asked her,


    "I thought you weren''t keen on harming the humans. If I remember, spilling blood is something you haven''t enjoyed."


    "You worry for nothing, Rome. I am a vampire remember¡ª"


    "You know what I mean," Roman interrupted her words.


    "And what about you?" questioned Piper, raising the gun in her hand, ready to pull the trigger at the slightest movement. "Have you thought about turning Julie into a vampire? There are people in Veteris who follow Donovan''s words and she''s there without you?"


    "I am hoping she will be able to stand her ground," muttered Roman, knowing the Corvin was around her. Right now, only Donovan had an issue with her and not the others. "Donovan gave his word that he wouldn''t touch her."


    "I find it hard to believe," murmured Piper under her breath, and one corner of Roman''s lips pulled up.


    "By the way, I forgot to thank you," said Roman and Piper''s eyebrows raised.


    "I wonder if I turned deaf. What is it about?" her eyes briefly moving to look at Roman with curiosity.


    "For helping Julie that day," he was talking about the y on the stage. "And also for being there here. I know you want to run away from Veteris."


    "I didn''t know it was obvious, but somewhere, I think I like bossing the children," she chuckled before her expression turned serious.


    "Both of us have lost our family, we have seen blood¡­ on our hands. I was a human when that happened, and maybe the shock and trauma I felt tried to wash away when I turned into a vampire. But it won''t be the same for you, Rome. I don''t want you going through the same loss of what I felt in the past. Not even remotely."


    It had torn her from inside. She was one of the few humans who had quickly turned into a vampire without any trouble. And that had allowed her to see Tristan''s dead body with a wide hole in his chest, watching him put into the casket.


    "I won''t let anyone harm her," promised Roman, his words firm. "I won''t let it happen."


    Piper nodded her head, "I know you won''t. I wonder why I didn''te out of Veteris during these times to hunt before, it feels much more refreshing than being cooped in there. Reminds me of all those good times that happened in the night."


    "You mean the time when you and Tristian used to sneak out of the mansion to meet each other?" deadpanned Roman, and Piper had a grin on her lips.


    "They are the sweetest and wonderful moments of my life," said Piper. When they continued to walk, Roman''s ear picked up the slight sound that came from above in the tree, and he quickly pushed Piper to the side, and soon a gunshot was heard.


    A secondter, more gunshots were heard, and the hunters started to make their appearance known by jumping down from the trees and aiming at the vampires, who had entered their territory. Roman quickly got hold of one of the humans, holding the person''s hand while the hunter tried to punch him.


    The Hunters were smarter than the average humans when it came to dealing with the vampires, and they had the ability to stand their ground for a long time because of the intense training that they had received to be a hunter.


    [Music Rmendation: Warehouse Smack Down]


    "There are more vampires! Bring backup!" shouted one of them, and Roman realized the person wasn''t speaking to hispanions present here, but he was talking on the phone.


    Donovan apparated from his ce toe and stand right behind the hunter. "Who do you think you are speaking to, when you have guests to entertain?" asked the Elder vampire by getting close to the human''s ear.


    The human ducked down before Donovan could take a bite into his body and rip his head off. Another human threw gas like bombs at the vampires, and the forest was quick to fill itself with a light tinge of green smoke.


    "What the fuck is this?" Luciano questioned in annoyance as his skin started to burn and melt.


    "It is a bomb that has the extracted properties from the Silverwater," Mr. Borrell promptly educated the Elder vampire.


    "What a bunch of idiots. Why wasn''t this mentioned earlier?" demanded Luciano before he got hold of one of the hunters and tore the arm. If Mr. Borrell wasn''t someone who had the patience of a monk right now by dealing with the delinquents of Veteris for years now, his nerve would have popped up in his forehead over the Elder vampire''s words.


    Gunshots were fired, and the arrows were released in the air, but the vampires did their best to dodge the weapons. Though they had initially expected to face not more than twenty hunters in the forest, there were more of them. It was as if the hunters had already expected the vampires to attack them.


    The gunshots echoed deep in the forest while the fight between the vampires and the hunters continued. On one side, one of the hunters was looking for the vampires, looking back and forth when Castiel jumped down from a tree. The hunter was young and was startled. He aimed his gun at the vampire to kill him, but Maximus bent the nozzle of the gun with a pleasant expression on his face.


    "It isn''t polite to point your gun at your Elders," stated Castile and the human pulled out the silver daggers, attacking the vampire. But Castiel kept dodging it by moving backwards or sideways.


    "What are you doing with him, Uncle?" questioned Maximus, who was in the middle of the fight with one of the humans.


    "I thought I would keep him upied for sometime, maybeter give him an offer to change himself into a vampire," said Castiel, because the hunter seemed quite capable in his style of using the daggers. "I think I am quite enjoying this."


    On the other side of the forest, Piper used her guns, shooting two hunters right at the back of their heads, and Donovan turned to look at one of the hunters falling on the ground. "An impressive skill you have in there," heplimented her before he got hold of another hunter, tearing the person''s head, where blood dripped on the ground.


    Roman tried to look for the person who was the main person in this group of hunters while he fought one of them. The Silverwater gas made it hard to look around, as it felt nothing less than suffocating, pricking not just his skin but also his insides as he breathed the air in.


    His hand went right at the person''s neck, but at the same time, someone used a metal rod to hit his head, and he lost his grip on the hunter in front of him.


    "How many blood sucking creatures are in here?!" questioned the hunter, who held the metal rod and took the chance to aim his gun at Roman''s heart.


    "Looks like they came here with their coven. Our men should be here soon!" shouted the other hunter. Before the person could pull the trigger, Roman caught hold of the human''s leg, pulling him down.


    When the other person tried to shoot the vampire, Roman turned his back on the ground while using the human as a shield. This ended up with the human getting shot by his own man. Even though the hunter got one shot wrong, he didn''t stop himself and continued to fire while aiming it at Roman.


    The human, who Roman had been using to block the bullets, threw up blood before he died because of the continuous bullets hitting his body. Using the same dead person, Roman threw the body at the other hunter, who took out another gun right now. This time the gun was much more advanced, and not wanting to take the risk, Roman used his fire ability at the man.


    Thanks to the green gas, it camouged the person who was using the fire, and the hunters turned confused as to where the fire came from.


    "Use the stakes!" shouted another human, and soon the sharpened wooden stakes came flying at the vampires. "Where is the fireing from? Jonathan?!"


    "How pitiful," scowled Luciano, who let Griffin fight the hunters all by himself, as he felt the boy needed to learn to be good at something at least. While asionally, the Elder threw the pests from one corner to another corner of the forest. "Are we going to fight the entire human poption today itself?" came the sarcastic words from the vampire.


    "There are many Hunters here, and if we don''t get rid of them all, one of them will inform the other. Actually they must already know," stated Mr. Borrell as this was not the year of eighteen hundred, but they were in the two thousand.


    While the fight between the two groups went on, Roman dealt with two other hunters, who were more persistent than the ones he hade across until now. They didn''t seem like the usual humans, and somewhere he started to believe that these were vampires. And he was right. Though the two hunters didn''t show their true identity right away, Roman took note of their dead hearts.


    "Working for the humans, who wants to kill you?" Roman''s face was without an expression as he questioned.


    "What a smart vampire, it is very hard to find ones that have decent brains," said one of two vampires with a chuckle.


    "Sadly it looks like someck in that aspect," remarked Roman, and the one who spoke turned irked by Roman''s words.


    "It will be satisfying to kill someone like you," said the vampire, who looked like they had sided with the hunters.


    Roman didn''t bother to reply to them, and he blocked the vampire''s hand, ducking down from the first vampire and twisting the persons'' hand. From afar, Donovan turned to look at where the young boy was, and his eyes shone as if a diamond was shining in its brilliance.


    When Donovan heard a sound from behind, he turned his face to the side.


    "How many of you are in here?" questioned the hunter, ready to pull the trigger any moment.


    "What a funny thing, I had the same question in my mind, gentleman," replied Donovan, and the next second, the human lost sight of the vampire who was in front of him.


    Donovan appeared behind the hunter, catching the human''s head and said, "Now, where were we? How many of you are here?"


    But the Elder vampire didn''t stay in the same spot, and he stepped away as another hunter pulled the trigger, ending up shooting his fellow hunter. The man screamed in pain, "AHHHH!"


    "What a melodious sound," said Donovan.


    Away from him, at a distance, Roman continued to fight the two vampires. He kicked one of the vampires away from him, whose body hit hard against the tree. He caught hold of the other and pushed his fingers through the vampire''s chest.


    The vampire, whom he had earlier kicked, came back, attempting to pierce his vampire nails into Roman''s back to get to his heart. Roman felt the piercing pain. He used his leg, kicking the person from behind, and tackled him down.


    "I don''t think I noticed it before, but your heart seems like beating too fast¡ª"


    Roman didn''t allow the vampire to speak as he first crushed the vampire''s fingers before pulling the person''s heart out. "So fucking noisy," he said, annoyance in his eyes.


    The vampires continued to clean the forest from the hunters, while the green gas of the Silverwater didn''t wholly disappear. The vampires were scattered around, trying to kill the hunters.


    Once when they killed almost every hunter they had met along with the few vampires, who had joined with their enemies, the ce turned quiet.


    "What would you like to do with the human dead bodies?" asked Mr. Borrell to the Elders.


    "I don''t think I want to ride with them back in the car. They barely seem presentable," remarked Donovan. Castiel nodded his head and said,


    "I think it would be better to have all the bodies burned, unless we have a few moreing to deal. Though this was needed as we discussed, this is going to create an uproar and more hunters are going toe sniffing. Everyone will need to clean up our tracks wherever you go."


    "Wonderful," remarked Donovan, with a smile on his face. The fewer the hunters, the easier it is for the vampires. "Let us get this over with so that we can get back. The scent of Silverwater is irking me."


    Still in the forest, Roman moved to the side, coughing some amount of blood as if his body was going through what he felt a few hours ago after taking the bullet.


    [Music Rmendation: Light of the Seven- Ramin Djawadi]


    "Did Isolde tell you how long it''s going to take for the silver to flush out of your body?" asked Maximus,ing near to where Roman was.


    "Probably two days," Roman wiped the blood that had smeared over his lips.


    "Do you want to go somewhere else after this? Probably the diner?" asked Maximus, knowing Roman needed blood and not canned ones. Fresh blood.


    "Where are you both nning to go?" asked Piper, making her way there, and she ced the gun to hook it behind her back.


    Roman looked at Piper, who only had a few bruises on her forehead and arms. And though he didn''t say anything to her, Piper could tell that he had been worried about her, and she smiled.


    "I saw you fighting with that one hunter, and I must say I liked the punch you gave him," Maximus openly praised Piper.


    "I used to be a badass when I was a human too, very brave. I knew I could do it," replied Piper, raising her hands to emphasise it. Her eyes fell on the blood that was on Roman''s chin. "We should hurry back to Veteris. I don''t know what that damn old bat was trying to do by pushing you into this."


    Roman rolled his eyes, "You''re annoying, do you know that, Piper?" he asked her. Being Tristan''s brother, the vampiress had always looked out for Roman, like they were family. And maybe they were even though the opportunity to announce Tristan''s and Piper''s rtionship had nevere.


    "Yes, you have told it several times," chuckled Piper, and she came to stand in front of him. "Time to get back to Veteris so that you can rest. Julie must be waiting for you," there was a warm smile on her face, d that they had got rid of the hunters.


    While they were speaking, suddenly, out of nowhere, a gunshot was heard, and Roman winced at the tear of his arm''s muscle. Maximus'' eyes fell on Roman''s arm where the bullet had grazed.


    They looked at where thest surviving hunter of the group stood. Donovan was quick to appear in front of the human and pulled his heart out. And while everyone''s focus was on the human, Roman noticed Piper smiling, where she didn''t move.


    When he looked down at her chest, he noticed red liquid starting to spread.


    -


    [NOTE: Physical copy giveaway revision:


    Top 10: Hardbound of LTR and slipcase, ''The Crown''s Obsession'' of Vol1 and Vol2, bookmark


    Top 11-40: Softbound of LTR


    A few LTR copies will be handed out to readers out of the list for their support.. The list will be taken tomorrow at reset.]

 Chapter 131 - Welcoming The Darkness

    <h4>Chapter 131 - Weing The Darkness</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Dr. Ford- Ramin Djawadi


    ¡ª


    The bloodstain that was on Piper''s shirt continued to spread until most of her shirt drenched itself with dark blood. The smile on her face stayed intact until the pain in her body started to crawl in her body, like the blood on her shirt, and the smile finally faltered.


    Before Piper could fall on the forest ground, Roman quickly caught hold of her body. He supported her body weight. His eyes widened, and he called her name rmed, "Piper!"


    "She''s losing a lot of blood," stated Maximus, who was in shock, as none of them had expected for it to happen.


    "Bring the car here!" shouted Roman, and Maximus quickly ran towards the edge of the forest.


    "I thought we got all the hunters in here, how did this little weasel escape?" questioned Luciano with a deep frown on his forehead while he looked around the ce where they stood.


    "The coward must have been hiding and waiting to take us out," responded Castiel. He and the rest made their way to where Roman was. Roman didn''t wait for the vehicle, and he could tell the bullet had probably grazed close to Piper''s heart, which was why she was coughing blood.


    Roman picked up Piper in both his arms before he could head towards where the vehicles, Mr. Borrell said,


    "I don''t think she has much time left. It would be better to keep her here, until she''s ready."


    Roman''s eyes filled itself in anger. He gritted his teeth and said, "She''s not a hunter or a rogue vampire that I am going to leave here to die. Isolde will know how to treat her and see if anything can be done."


    Piper coughed out more blood, and her facial features looked like it was morphing from a human''s appearance to the vampire''s characteristics.


    "The bullet has hit too close to her heart and with the amount of blood that she''s throwing up, she won''t be able to survive this one," Luciano''s words were blunt, while his eyes looked at the vampiress convulse.


    Roman ignored the Elder vampire''s opinion because he was going to save her. He was going to keep her alive and make sure that she would always be around. Everything had been fine, but in less than one second, the hunter had found to shoot her.


    "Are you not going to tell him anything?" Castiel turned to look at Donovan in question, and the Elder vampire held a serious look on his face. Donovan didn''t utter a word, and Castiel said, "Let us get this ce cleaned up before we have more hunters showing up here."


    Roman reached the edge of the forest, and he heard Piper speak, "Rome."


    Her hands tried to grip on the front of his shirt, but her hands were weak.


    Roman ran in haste while making sure they didn''t lose even a second. The expression on his face was serious, and he said, "You are going to live. I am going to make damn sure about it."


    Piper used all her strength to hold on to Roman''s shirt, getting his attention. She said, "W-wait. Stop."


    Hearing her words, Roman''s eyebrows furrowed. He said, "The car is right here. We''ll reach Veteris in a couple of minutes."


    But the truth was that they had travelled for more than forty minutes, and Piper didn''t have that amount of time. "I am taking you to Veteris and we are going to make sure that you will get better," assured Roman before cing her in the back seat of the car.


    "I aming with you," dered Maximus, not wanting Roman to deal with this alone by himself, because somewhere he already knew what the oue was going to be.


    The driver of the car, who had driven the car earlier, looked in the direction of the forest where the Elders had earlier disappeared into. The driver asked, "Are the others noting?"


    "Not now. You will need toe back after dropping us. Now get the car moving!" ordered Maximus, and the driver quickly obliged his words.


    In the backseat, Roman called out the vampiress'' name to keep her conscious, "Piper, don''t fall asleep! Damn it, Piper!" his words sounded frustrated when she didn''t reply to him right away.


    "It must¡­ probably be the first time I have seen you this angry," murmured Piper, and Roman gritted his teeth. "I am d¡­ I was able to protect you in the end. My promise to Tristan was fulfilled."


    Though Maximus had decided to apany them in the car, his heart ached at the sight of seeing Piper in pain. Maximus had been one of the regrs in the detention room, and he had been well acquainted with her. Roman said to her, "You are an idiot, do you know that?"


    A weak smile appeared on Piper''s lips, her eyes were closed, opened to look at him. ck blood had smeared on the corner of her mouth, and some had fallen on her shirt and a little on the seat of the car.


    "Where does it hurt? Tell me so that I can take a look at it," Roman stared into her eyes to check if the size of her pupil had changed. Piper shook her head.


    "I am fine," her words came out as a whisper. "I am¡­ Stop looking at me like that."


    Roman closed his eyes, trying to control his temper that was surfacing quickly, and he wanted to punch and tear the human who had shot at Piper''s back. But he couldn''t get the satisfaction of doing it, as Donovan had already stepped forward and had killed the hunter. His hands clenched into fists before he opened his eyes.


    "I am going to remove the bullet," announced Roman, and he said, "Max, help me turn her around in the seat."


    Maximus did what Roman had asked from him, helping Piper turn as slowly as possible,ying her on her front. The vehicle continued to move, but that didn''t deter Roman, as his hands were steady, and his vision was clear to see things.


    He tore open Piper''s shirt from the back, noticing the blood that had oozed out was now slowly drying on her skin. Pulling the rings like a pendant that hung around his neck, he turned it into a sharp metal de. Turning the light on the ceiling of the car, he looked for the bullet. He used his lighter to heat the metal before using it on her skin.


    But at the same time, Piper coughed out more blood, unable to hold in the pain as she felt as if her insides were being ripped apart. Her body trembled as if it was going to have fits. In a vampire, this only happened when the body was undergoing corruption.


    Roman finally found the bullet, and he changed the metal to thin tongs. Piper winced in pain, feeling the bullet press on her unbeating heart, and she gritted her teeth.


    "We are almost there," Roman tried to encourage Piper, pulling out the silver bullet. But as the bullet had been stuck there for a long time while grazing near her heart, it was rapidly deteriorating Piper''s condition.


    Maximus looked up at Roman, noticing how he was trying to keep Piper alive. Roman bit into his wrist and poured his own blood into the wound of the vampiress'' back.


    "Is that going to work?" questioned Maximus because until now, he had never seen any vampire pouring their own blood into an existing vampire''s body.


    Right now, Roman was ready to sacrifice a human to keep Piper alive, and he hoped his actions would work. Pulling his shirt, he tore it before tying it around her body so that she wouldn''t lose any more blood than what she already had.


    They carefully ced Piper to turn and rest on her back, where her eyebrows had furrowed. She continued to throw up ck blood that didn''t seem to pause even for a moment. Roman said, "Drink this," he brought his wrist towards her lips.


    But as much as Piper tried to drink the blood from him, she threw up the same amount of blood from her mouth. As if her body wasn''t able to digest the blood anymore.


    Roman gritted his teeth, turning his head to look in the direction of the road, and he demanded, "Drive faster!" But the driver was already driving as fast as he could, where for a vampire, the speed felt like it was nothing.


    Piper pushed Roman''s hand away from her, "I-I cannot." It took a moment for him to realise that his blood had silver in it.


    "Max, your blood," stated Roman, and Maximus was quick to give his blood to Piper, wanting the woman to live as much as Roman wanted, but even his blood didn''t make any difference.


    "No more blood," Piper pushed Maximus'' hand away from her while she tried to catch up with her breath, which seemed to be losing quickly. "Fucker sure found the right time to shoot," she cursed the hunter and Roman''s eyebrows deeply furrowed. She had started to sweat now, her chest heaving for air as it moved up and down. "H-how long until we reach Veteris?"


    "Probably five minutes," lied Roman, without blinking his eyes, and Piper smiled.


    "Y-you know¡­ there have been m-many times," Piper seemed exhausted just to get those words out, and in the process, she coughed some more blood as if her body was going to push out all the blood from her. "I always¡­ wondered how I would die, by the hands of the...humans. How it would be."


    "Shut up, Piper," Roman didn''t want her to lose her energy until they reached the infirmary of Veteris. "Please."


    The smile that Piper tried to bring on her face failed, and she said, "I apologise, Rome. W-would it be alright to ask you to hold my h-hand?"


    Roman picked up Piper''s hand resting on the car seat, using his other hand, he enclosed itpletely and felt it turn colder. The vampiress spoke, "I thought it would be by someone trying to stab me with a wooden stake, but this seems quick and not so bad."


    He didn''t stop her from speaking. As much as Roman wanted Piper to live, the odds were against them, and time was scarce. Piper stared at the car''s ceiling, trying to not move her body, which was hard to do as the car sped up towards Veteris.


    "Rome," whispered Piper.


    "Yes."


    "Don''t let my death break you," she said to him, and Roman tried hard not to clench his hands as it held Piper''s hand. "Your life¡­ now that you have someone who cares for you, someone who loves you, don''t let it break you. I was hoping I could live until both of you were married, but it seems like¡­ I didn''t take this into consideration. Being shot."


    "You will still be able to attend it. You haven''t died yet and you still have a chance," stated Roman, his voice turned hard and emotionless with every passing second.


    "Mm," hummed Piper, a cough erupting through her chest, and she threw up more blood. Roman pulled out the tissue paper in the car and wiped her lips.


    "You will be fine," said Roman, and a soft smile appeared on her lips. "It wasn''t just you, who was supposed to protect me. It was me, who had the responsibility of keeping you safe."


    "Rubbish," wheezed Piper, her face scrunching in pain, and she closed her eyes for a second before taking deep breaths through her mouth. "I am the older one. Children need to sit tight and listen."


    The rest of the ride, Roman made sure Piper was still alive and holding on to the little life that was still there in her. When the vehicle entered the university''s gates, Piper''s lips had turned paler, and it looked like her body was drying up.


    Piper moved her pale lips, saying something that Roman understood. His lips set themselves in a thin line. He said to the driver, "Pull over at the side."


    Getting out of the car, Roman carried Piper in his arms. He started to walk into the forest, and Maximus followed him from behind. Maximus wasn''t sure if it was because of Roman''s blood that was poured into the vampiress'' back earlier in the car that had extended a little more of her life.


    Roman continued to carry the feeble vampiress in his arms. The more corruption Piper''s body went through, the weight of her body turned lighter. They walked through the forest, crossing the edge of the unrestricted area where the human students were free to walk before they stepped into the restricted side of the forest.


    As it waste in the night, the curfew had already taken effect on the grounds of the Veteris for the students to stop them from roaming around.


    Soon they entered the cemetery. Roman walked past the quiet and deserted ce until he came to stand in front of the coffin that was building to Piper, which was right next to Tristan''s coffin. He ced her down, letting her back rest against the headstone.


    Roman had brought Piper to Veteris, hoping she could be cured, but her condition had worsened. It was obvious by just looking at her that nothing could be done. And right now, all they had left was to count the seconds or minutes they had with her.


    He sat down on his heels in front of Piper, "Is there something you would like?" he asked, pushing the woman''s matted hair to the side because of the sweat on her skin.


    Piper''s eyes met Roman''s, and she shook her head, "Everything I wanted, has already happened. I don''t think there is anything left," a heavy sigh escaped from her lips. "Mm, maybe¡­ my mother and I¡­ we had gone to Lady Getrude''s shop and had gotten my wedding gown prepared beforehand."


    "Did your mother know about you and Tristan?" asked Roman, as this was the first time he was hearing about it.


    A soft yet painful chuckle escaped from Piper''s lips, and she started to cough one more time, this time, she threw up more blood. She took a deep breath, and with her eyes half-opened, she said, "No, she didn''t. She was going to get me married to this other man, but I went along with it. Just so I could use the gownter.... I didn''t get to speak much to Julie, but if she will¡­ I would like to hand my wedding gown to her. I think she would look lovely in it."


    Roman nodded his head, unable to keep a straight face anymore as the heaviness in his chest grew, and his lips twisted. He looked at the headstone that was next to where they sat, which belonged to his brother.


    "I wish you were stronger than this," remarked Roman, his words bitter because of the death that was approaching Piper.


    "You have done everything you could, Rome. And you have already done far better than most of us expected. Tristan, your mother, your friends, you havee a long way," said Piper with a soft smile on her lips. "W-we vampires, like the humans, have our time, and.... I have spent it well. Is there something you would like to pass to your brother or your parents?"


    Roman''s jaw clenched, and he stared at Piper, whose eyes were turning hollower.


    "I-It''s okay. I will¡­ let them know," said Piper, as she knew how Roman wasn''t someone who openly spoke about his feelings to others.


    A secondter, Piper''s body started to convulse, falling on the ground as if she was being possessed by something.


    Her body started to shrivel, and every second that passed with Roman witnessing Piper inching closer to her death, the sight was not just painful, but it slowly started to increase his rage for the hunters, who were responsible for her death.


    Even though in recent times, when most of the vampires who followed the protocols didn''t purposely harm the humans, those vampires were usually the ones to die first. Piper had always been like his big sister to him, covering for him when he got into trouble, having his back after his brother had passed away. And now, the very light in front of him started to dim.


    He wanted to help Piper, but he felt powerless, because corruption couldn''t be fought. It was the vampire''s disease. His eyes moistened with unshed tears in them.


    Darkness started to inch in closer to his heart, along with the dissolved silver bullet that coursed through his veins.


    Maximus, who stood behind, watched Piper''s life leave her body, and while that happened, he heard an increase in Roman''s heart rate and his eyebrows subtly furrowed. Piper''s body finally went still, her eyes opened, with her neck slightly twisted and her body turned pale as a corpse.


    The tower card of progress that Roman had made all these years tried to shake his mind and body.


    "Do you know where the shovel is?" questioned Roman.


    "It''s at the backside of the fences," replied Maximus, watching Roman stand up and make his way near the fences, before he picked up the equipment and returned.


    He pushed the lid of the casket grave and ced Piper in there. Staring at her, and Maximus, who had plucked a nearby flower, ced it in her hands. The lid of the casket was pushed back to close the grave, and Roman finally stood straight, not moving from his ce.


    Maximus decided to give Roman the time he needed to mourn Piper''s death, and he said, "I will tell Moses toe and clean this ce."


    Roman continued to stare at the graves of his family members. What happened, slowly started to sink in his mind how Piper would never be returning, and the darkness continued to wrap itself around him. And as if one of the cards in the tower had been flicked out, his eyes turned redder and something flipped inside of him.


    When Maximus was about to leave, Roman stopped him, "That won''t be needed." He turned around to meet Maximus'' gaze, where the other vampire clenched his jaw. Roman said, "They are just graves with dead bodies inside it.. It would be pointless."

 Chapter 132 - Ripper In The Grounds

    <h4>Chapter 132 - Ripper In The Grounds</h4>


    Maximus watched Roman walk away from the cemetery as if he hadn''t been standing there in front of Piper''s grave and quietly mourned for her. He had noticed the look in Roman''s eyes, which looked hollow and cold as if whatever was there earlier had vanished. Like something had broken, which was now hard to fix.


    This was not supposed to happen, thought Maximus to himself, and before things could get out of control, he quickly made his way out of the restricted forest. When he reached the infirmary, he entered Dr. Isolde''s office, looking for Olivia, but there was no one in the room.


    When he reached one of the rooms in the infirmary, Maximus finally found Olivia in there.


    "You are back early," Olivia spoke in a low voice to Maximus. She made her way towards the door of the room while turning behind to check where Julie was asleep.


    "Yeah," Maximus''s reply was short, and there was a heaviness in his voice.


    Olivia''s eyebrows subtly furrowed, and she asked in concern, "What''s the matter? Did something happen?"


    "It''s Piper," Maximus voice broke, and he shook his head, "She was shot with a Silverwater, too close to her heart and her heart started corrupting. We couldn''t save her."


    "Where is she? Maybe we can try to inject the medicine," said Olivia, but seeing the expression on Maximus'' face, her eyebrows furrowed deeper.


    "Rome and I buried her in the cemetery in the restricted forest," replied Maximus, while Olivia processed what she just heard. Piper was not supposed to go to the hunt with the others tonight. The vampiress had never been to an official hunt before, and with the number of Elder vampires in the group, there had been no necessity for her to take part in it.


    Olivia was aware of why Piper had gone in the first ce. It was to keep an eye on Roman, to make sure he wouldn''t be attacked, as he had earlier been shot. Her eyes shifted back to look at Maximus, and she asked,


    "Where''s Rome?"


    "I am hoping to find him in his dorm and nowhere else," Maximus let out a frustrated sigh before he informed her, "He snapped."


    "How bad?" asked Olivia, knowing this was going to happen. The trauma on Roman would have been less if he wasn''t under the influence of Silverwater substance in his body, which had weakened his body as well as his mind.


    "Worse," answered Maximus, "I think you should go and meet Dante, let her know about what happened. I will go look where Rome is."


    Olivia shook her head, "I am looking after the girl. Evans had appeared for who knows what reason. We can deal with thatter. First, let me convey this to Isolde."


    "Alright," replied Maximus, and he was about to leave when Olivia stopped him.


    "Max," she ced her hand on his arm, stopping him. "Are you okay?" her blue eyes stared into his eyes, and he offered her a faint smile.


    "I am good, Liv. Don''t worry about me. I will go and find Rome before Donovan finds him and takes him to celebrate about Roman turning into a ripper," said Maximus and Olivia let out a frustrated sigh.


    Once Maximus left the corridor, disappearing behind the wall, she quickly checked the room''s windows before closing the room''s door where Julie was sleeping. With Julie''s heart beating steadily, that let the vampiress know that the human was asleep and wasn''t pretending.


    Olivia made her way to meet Isolde, looking for the university doctor, and while she was at it, she met Elder Remy, who was in another room, going through documents. She knocked on the door to gain Elder Remy''s attention, and the vampire looked up from the documents that were in his hands. He noticed the vampiress expression that looked slightly out of the usual.


    "Elder Remy," Olivia spoke, her hands cold over the news she had received. "Piper¡­ she was killed."


    The Elder vampire''s expression didn''t change while he stared at her, "Did everyone return?" he questioned her.


    Olivia shook her head, "No, it is just Maximus and Roman who returned. The rest of them must be on their way."


    "I see," replied Elder Remy, unaffected because death wasn''t umon in the life he had lived through until now. Humans and vampires died one way or another, and the pain of going through every single time had washed itself to a cold state, where nothing barely passed through him. "Let me go see Dante."


    Elder Remy stood up from his chair, cing the documents that belonged to the students of Veteris.


    Olivia pursed her lips before she asked, "Is there a way to switch a vampire''s humanity back to its usual self?" She didn''t know how Roman was going to live through the thought and knowledge that Piper hade to join the mission only for his sake. And if he hadn''t been injured, she would have still been alive.


    "There''s no proper guide on how to return from being a ripper to a regr vampire," stated Elder Remy. "I went through Roman''s file. There''s anotherponent apart from the substance of Silverwater. It looks like some sort of chemical reaction took ce in his body and there have been signs of corruption in his heart."


    Hearing the Elder''s words, Olivia''s jaw clenched, and she wished it wasn''t too true. But Remy Oscar, in the past, was a doctor before he had turned into a vampire.


    "Is there a way a blood transfusion can help?" asked Olivia. Remy walked to where she was,ing to stand right in front of her.


    "Vampire''s bodies are not like the human body, Olivia. Even if you try to make a transfusion, the things there will only continue to multiply, and who knows how fast. Probably if we get some of the tests run, I will get to know about his condition," he watched Olivia stand there still, consumed in worry, before he walked out of the room, heading towards the headmistress'' room.


    Olivia returned to the room where Julie was, watching the human still sleeping while she had no idea what the future would be for Roman or Julie. She hoped that Julie would be that one person, who would be Roman''s anchor, to be able to bring him from the darker side so that the little humanity that had been there would be preserved.


    Away from the infirmary, Maximus searched everywhere for Roman. He first went to Roman''s dorm, but the room was locked, and he couldn''t feel Roman''s presence there. He wondered where else Roman could be. He continued searching for almost half an hour and noticed the two cars that had left Veteris had not returned with the Elders in it.


    "Are you nning to get detention by idly standing there to get caught, Marudas?" asked one of the vampire students, who was sneaking back into the boy''s Dormitorium.


    "Have you seen Rome?" questioned Maximus because he had looked for every possible ce, but he didn''t know where Roman could possibly be.


    "Moltenore?" asked the vampire. "I saw him going to the lunchroom," replied the vampire before slipping into the Dormitorium so that he wouldn''t have to go and attend the detention tomorrow.


    "Thanks," Maximus whispered before he ran towards the lunchroom.


    When he stepped inside the ce, most of the lights in there had been turned off, except for two lights. One behind the counter, and one on the ceiling, right below where Roman sat on the chair. But he wasn''t alone. There was a girl in his arms, and his face buried in the crook of the girl''s neck.


    The girl had beenpelled, and Roman had chosen to sit in a ce where anyone who was breaking the curfew time or the human staff would be able to spot what he was doing.


    Roman had his hands wrapped around the human''s waist. He continuously sucked the blood out from her neck, drinking the warm liquid as he looked thirsty. His fangs dug deeper into the human''s neck, hearing not a singleint from her as he hadpelled her.


    "Rome," Maximus dared to disturb him, and he ignored the person. "Rome, you are going to kill the girl."


    Maximus had known Roman since his childhood and when they were humans. Though Roman appeared cold and detached, it was only people who were close to him who knew that his emotions ran deeper than what he showed and maybe more than what others had. He had always been good at covering his emotions, and Maximus wasn''t sure if it was to guard himself against the words he had heard from people talking about his mother and her rtionship with Lord Malcolm.


    Maximus heard the human''s heartbeat turn lower and lower, and in the next few seconds, there was no sound of a heartbeating from the girl. The human had died.


    When Roman pulled away from the girl''s neck, his mouth was smeared in blood, and he ran his tongue across his lips, savouring the taste of it and wanting more of it. His eyes had turned dark red, and his own heartbeat was low, as if the heart was in doubt if it should or shouldn''t beat in the chest.


    "I understand what you are going through right now and I might not able to be fullyprehend it, but this is not the way to handle it¡ª"


    Roman raised his hand to stop Maximus from talking as if Maximus'' voice was too loud for him and his eyes shifted from the human to look at Maximus. "I don''t know what you''re talking about, Max. Everything is perfectly fine. We are vampires, and a true vampire has to live the way they are meant to be. Not behave like the humans."


    Realizing that Roman''spassion or any human emotions had been turned off, Maximus said, "Let us get back to the dorm and speak."


    "For what? You seem to be worried for nothing. Calm down," said Roman, and the human dropped to the ground.


    "And I am not done yet. I am only getting started."


    Maximus grit his teeth. At this rate, Dante and the others would have to lock Roman in the dungeon. And maybe it wasn''t a bad idea, but the problem was that there was another person who would more than happily bring Roman out in the light, to be his weapon and for his own excitement. Everyone knew Donovan would not lose this opportunity.


    Many vampire students had been expecting Roman to flip his switch, and they hade to believe that it would be the death of the human girl that would break him. But no one would have guessed that Piper''s death would bring him to this state, and as Roman said, he was only getting started, and Maximus could see it.


    "Fine," replied Maximus, "I will get the blood arranged for you, but you cannot walk around rampant by picking up the humans as if they are flowers in the garden."


    A light chuckle escaped Roman''s lips, and he said, "Stop worrying, Maximus. How about you go and spend some time with Liv? I am sure she will be ecstatic about it." If Roman wasn''t his friend, Maximus would have staked the person who stood in front of him.


    There was a thin border when it came to a vampire who was going through corruption and a vampire who was a ripper. It was only one step away from each other.


    "Do you think Julianne would be happy if she saw you in this condition?" questioned Maximus, holding thest straw that was in his hand right now.


    "Julie will be fine. She''s smarter than she looks and she''s well aware of my appetite," remarked Roman.


    Maximus''s eyebrows subtly frowned, did the human know about the existence of vampires? It was possible.


    Roman patted Maximus'' shoulder with a smile on his lips, and he made his way out of the lunchroom. Some drops of blood dripped down from the girl''s neck. His eyebrows furrowed when he noticed the bite mark on the girl didn''t look like a pinprick, but instead, it looked as if a feral animal had dug its sharp canines into the girl''s neck.


    Maximus looked in the direction where Roman had disappeared, and his gaze returned to where the humany before it fell on the morn behind the counter, who was sitting on the ground.


    "Why didn''t you stop him from drinking from the human in here?" questioned Maximus, slightly irritated.


    The man turned around, and he showed the bruise on his face, "It is hard to make him listen to any reasoning once he sets his mind on something. I tried and ended up getting punched right at my face," the person who looked after the lunchroom, grimaced in pain.


    Maximus wondered what to do as he bit his tongue, which had the pin pierced in there.


    Same time in the main building of Veteris university, inside the headmistress'' office, the four Elders took their seats in front of the desk while Dante stood in front of them with her arms crossed.


    "How could this happen?" asked Mr. Dante with a look of shock and disbelief on her face.


    "There was a hunter who had been hiding. No one took note of it, until he appeared and pulled the trigger at Piper, Ms. Dante," exined Mr. Borrell.


    Dante had a scowl on her face, and she was nowhere impressed with the turn of events. Piper was the one person she trusted, and she was someone who had been there throughout her time in Veteris as her assistant. Her heart ached and mourned for the woman, and she stared at the three Elder vampires in disbelief.


    "I thought you would protect the people who hade with you," Ms. Dante''s eyes red, trying to control her anger.


    "It was something very unexpected, Eloise. When we go on any mission, casualties are not umon, and people sometimes get either injured or they die," stated Donovan, staring at the vampiress, who stared at him.


    "You are the Elder vampires with abilities. You could have saved her from getting hurt!" Eloise ced her hand on the table, gripping it, and she sighed.


    "Careful there, Eloise," Luciano''s eyes narrowed at the woman. "We did what we are best at, it isn''t like we put a target on Piper, so that she would turn dead."


    Dante was well aware that the Elders had little to no sympathy towards anyone. They didn''t care about Piper or anyone for that matter. What they did care about was their greed and their pride.


    Ms. Dante raised her hand near her face, her fingers rubbed her forehead, and she asked, "Where is she? Her body..."


    This time, Remy answered the headmistress'' question, "Her body was already buried in the grave of the cemetery."


    "Mr. Borrell, I want you to make proper arrangements so that we can bury her with proper respect and for her soul''s peace," ordered Ms. Dante and Mr. Borrell nodded his head, bowing his head to the Elders and he left the room.


    "Where is Roman and Maximus?" Dante questioned the youngest vampire in the room.


    "They came here to bring Piper to the infirmary. Considering she''s dead, they werete,"mented Luciano, his lips twisted before he said, "Let us consider that her life didn''t go to waste as we were still able to get one rat out of the hiding."


    Someone knocked on the door hurriedly, "Come in," said Ms. Dante, and the person looked like he was beaten recently. "What''s going on?"


    "I-uh," the person stuttered, not expecting to see all the Elders in the room this closely.


    "Well?" asked Ms. Dante, raising her eyebrows.


    The person said, "I think we have a vampire rampant on the grounds of Veteris. Found one human on the¡­."


    Dante didn''t know why everything had fallen out of ce on the same night. She had a grief expression, and she said,? "Find out which vampire student has been leaving a body recklessly when it was clear to not kill them. Bring the person in here."


    "Yes, Ms. Dante," the man bowed his head.


    "Children are supposed to enjoy once in a while, Eloise,"mented Donovan and Ms. Dante tried not to re at him.


    "At this rate we will be building less of a ce to study for the students with peace and harmony, and more of a burial ground which can be turned into a graveyard," replied Ms. Dante..? On the other hand, Elder Remy didn''tment about the possibility of who the vampire student was and stayed quiet as if he had no idea.

 Chapter 133 - Should We Restrain Him?

    <h4>Chapter 133 - Should We Restrain Him?</h4>


    After discussing the matter about the hunters with the Elders, the older vampires left the room, and along with them, left Mr. Borrell and Griffin. Now that Dante was alone, she sat down on her chair. She ced her hand on her face, still in disbelief that Piper had died, and she shook her head.


    Pulling her hands away from her face for a moment, she then rubbed her forehead before cing them on the surface of the desk. A sigh escaped from her lips.


    After a minute passed, someone knocked on the door, and Dante didn''t know what other bad news to expect. "Come in," she said, and she saw Maximus step inside the room.


    "Ms. Dante, there might be a problem," Maximus spoke slightly in a hurried tone, and Dante stared at him for a second. It didn''t take long for her to connect, seeing the missing person next to Maximus.


    "Where is Roman?" questioned Ms. Dante.


    "Still in the campus," replied Maximus, and then he said, "We have one death in the campus and I took the person to the infirmary."


    "Looks like this night has nothing but problems to offer," spoke Ms. Dante, letting out a frustrated sigh. She stood up from her chair and grabbed her coat. "Do you know where he is exactly?"


    "I think he went to take a walk around the campus," replied Maximus and Ms. Dante, who finished wearing her coat, stepped out of the office room, followed by Maximus.


    "Let us hope that there''s no more deaths, because I don''t want to be dealing with it now," said Dante, and they stepped out of the building, searching for Roman.


    After looking around, Maximus returned to the infirmary building to meet Olivia and let her know what had happened. While in there, he caught sight of Roman sitting on the bed of one of the rooms, and for a moment, he shook his head in disbelief as if he was daydreaming.


    Stepping closer to the room, he saw Roman with Elder Remy and Isolde. His arm was injected with a syringe to draw out blood, which was transferred into four little ss tubes, which wereter ced in a box.


    Maximus had a look of confusion in his eyes, and he heard Roman ask Isolde, "Will that be all?"


    Isolde replied, "Yes."


    Roman was chewing gum, and he stood up, pulling out the IV, when Isolde asked Elder Remy, "Why don''t we keep him in here tonight for observation? I am sure Ms. Dante and others would appreciate it, instead of him walking on the university grounds¡­"


    "Don''t worry, Isolde. I won''t be snapping your neck to drink blood," said Roman, and a frown appeared on Isolde''s face.


    Roman walked past Maximus, disappearing from the corridor to go to another corridor, and thetter stepped inside the room. He asked, "Elder Remy, what was the blood for?"


    "Olivia mentioned that he''s turned into a ripper and I said I would run a few tests on his blood samples so that we canpare it with the previous ones. It would be better to know why his body is getting affected this much," stated Elder Remy.


    "If it weren''t for you, Elder Remy, it would have been hard to bring him in here," said Isolde, shaking her head. Elder Remy could heal a person to a certain extent. Many times in the past, he handled corrupted vampires as well as the vampires who turned into rippers, trying to slow it down.


    Though when it came to the vampiress case, Piper Martin''s case, Elder Remy wasn''t able to help or remotely regte it as he hadn''t joined them for the hunt.


    "I cannotpletely stop or reverse the changes taking ce in Roman," said the Elder, looking down at the box where the blood had been collected. "But with thetest discoveries in science, I hope we can figure out most of it so that we know how we can stop a person from turning into a ripper. We already have three variations of his blood. When he was normal, shot with the silver bullet and the present condition."


    "Do you think it would be better if we lock him inside the dungeon?" asked Maximus.


    "What''s going on?" Simon entered the room from behind Maximus, wondering what the discussion was about.


    "It is about Roman. He''s turned blood thirsty¡­ Piper is no more," informed Maximus, not liking the fact that he had to keep repeating it to people. Piper was a good woman, and she had always been someone one could go up to and speak to freely. She wasn''t stuck up like the other vampires, but then it was possibly because of her humble background.


    His eyebrows subtly furrowed by this information.


    Elder Remy interrupted them by speaking, "Restraining a ripper vampire is not a good approach. As much as it seems it is the right thing to do, by keeping an uncontroble predator away from people, so that he or she won''t harm people, it only makes the person more restless or agitated and could worsen things."


    "I am sure Liv would now see me in a better light," murmured Simon under his breath, a sigh escaping from his lips. It was because, if there was someone in their group, Simon was the one who had a higher count of kills and was reckless when it came to fooling around with the humans.? As Roman consumed too many cans of blood, people''s attention had shifted away from Simon and fell on Rome.


    "What do we do now?" asked Maximus to Elder Remy.


    "Right now, keep a watch on him so that he doesn''t fall into the category of a murderer with many deaths on his hands," answered the Elder vampire. "Keep the girl around him, it might help."


    "You mean the human?" asked Isolde, and she shook her head. "I don''t think it is advisable. Roman''s thirst for blood runs higher than the other vampires. Or any vampires for that matter and it has been like this since the time he transformed into a vampire. Keeping the girl next to him is nothing less than a side snack or full course of meal that would only make things worse."


    Elder Remy''s face held a grim expression. His slightly droopy eyes stared into space.


    "It is risky, but probably the most effective one in our hands right now. If you don''t want the boy''s heart to turn worse, which has the possibility of getting corrupted, you will need to do damage control before it will be hard to fix things up. The girl might live or she might die by his hands," came the emotionless words from Elder Remy, where his tone barely seemed fazed.


    Like the other Elder vampires, Elder Remy didn''t care much about things like this, and his emotions ran on a surfacial level of the water rather than diving too deep into it. And if there was someone he remotely cared about, it was none other than the girl he had given his blood. Olivia Trosney.


    While they discussed, away from there, Roman made his way to another room where Julie was sleeping. When he came near the room, Olivia stood outside, with her back leaning against the wall.


    Olivia''s eyes met Roman''s blood-red eyes, and she said, "I heard about what happened. My condolences to you, Rome."


    Roman stared back at Olivia, "Thanks. Piper will be happier on the other side than staying here," he replied to her. "There was nothing much here except for the rusty memories. At least she wouldn''t be crying over how she misses Tristan and can be with him."


    Olivia tried to evaluate Roman''s words, wondering how much he was affected by Piper''s death and so far, it looked controlled. Maybe there was a way to get him back to his usual self, thought Olivia to herself.


    Roman didn''t bother to make small talk with her, and he went straight to where Julie was fast asleep. When he leaned closer, with his hands near the girl, Olivia turned a little wary, and she said, "She slept a few minutes ago. Let her sleep."


    But Olivia''s words fell on deaf ears. Roman stared at Julie, noticing her breathing was calm. His eyes took in a quick look around the room, noticing the Corvin wasn''t here.


    Julie looked delicate, her lips slightly parted, and in her sleep, one of her hands had moved to ce near her chest. She looked innocent with her hair sprawled around her head. Her neck was outstretched to the side, allowing him to view her fragile and smooth neck.


    Roman could hear the pulsing of her heart rate while smelling the sweet scent of her blood, inviting him to take a bite from her.


    He picked her up in his arms by hooking his hands under her knees and then her back before lifting her.


    Olivia turned slightly rmed and asked him, "Where are you taking her?"


    Roman walked towards the room door, carrying Julie in his arms, who subconsciously snuggled her head close to his chest. Somewhere even in her sleep, the scent of Roman drew her near to him.


    "Somewhere away from people''s prying eyes. Thanks for looking after her, Liv," said Roman, and Olivia nodded her head while being wary of what Roman had on his mind.


    Obviously, Roman cared a lot for Julianne, but the question was if that was enough to keep her alive and him back to being his usual vampire self.


    Roman carried Julie out of the room, making his way through the corridor. He stepped out of the infirmary building. Instead of taking Julie to the girl''s Dormitorium, which the female warden was a hassle, he took her to the boy''s Dormitorium, where his dorm was.


    The male warden of the boy''s Dormitorium saw Roman carrying a girl inside the building, but he didn''t stop him. Instead, he quietly sat there watching the vampire climbing up the stairs. As much as there were rules to be followed for the students in Veteris, not all rules applied equally to everyone.


    Julie snuggled until she felt her body slightly sway and her eyes slowly started to open, and her mind slowly started to pull out of her sleep, and she hummed.


    "Where are we?" asked Julie, pulling her head away from his chest, to look up at Roman, who held a serious expression on his face. She looked around, realizing this didn''t look like the girl''s Dormitorium, as her dorm was on the ground floor.


    "Boy''s Dormitorium," replied Roman, and Julie quickly shook her head to get rid of the sleepiness in her head.


    Julie had been too exhausted earlier, especially sending Natalie possibly to Willow Creek, which had drained most of her energy. She had tried to stay awake, but while waiting for Roman to return, her tired eyes gave up and had automatically closed earlier.


    "B-boy''s Dormitorium?" asked Julie in surprise, while also admiring the fact that Roman was strong enough to carry her in both his arms without much difficulty.


    And while Julie was busy admiring things about Roman, she failed to notice the new look in his eyes, which was filled with a raw wilderness, which had turned dark.


    The incandescent bulb lights in the corridor had turned dim, leaving only a little glow such that Juliepletely failed to notice the subtle changes in Roman while not knowing something had snapped inside him.


    "I am taking you to my dorm," stated Roman, his eyes looking down at her, where she looked a little apprehensive about it.


    "But¡­ the rules say a girl and boy aren''t supposed to spend time in the dorm after the curfew," Julie felt her heart race. It wasn''t that she and Roman hadn''t spent their time together in her dorm, but they had never spent the entire night together. Roman usually left her dorm before dawn, sneaking out of the window.


    But in her case, if she tried to sneak out of the window, her being caught was more guaranteed. Not to mention, their rtionship status had moved a notch higher than what it was when they werest in Veteris. Though it had been only yesterday, where she had felt Roman''s hands tease her, his lips brush against her skin, the memory was still fresh. She said,


    "I can walk."


    "That''s fine," remarked Roman, his response short, and Julie wondered if there was something important that he wanted to speak to her about. The corridor, as expected, was quiet, and when they finally reached the front of his dorm, he let her stand on the ground.


    Julie looked to her right, watching the lonely corridor, which gave a feeling as if she was back in the past when this was Marudas'' mansion. Her hands wrung together, slightly worried that they would be caught by someone and also hoping Donovan wouldn''t show up in front of Roman''s room. That would be more embarrassing than thest time.


    Once Roman unlocked the dorm''s door, he pushed it open before turning to look at Julie, who was staring at the room. "After you," he said to her, his eyes taking note of how her lips parted, and she took a deep breath as if gathering herself.


    Roman probably brought her here so that Donovan would not show up in her own dorm, thought Julie. She took a step forward into the room and asked him, "Olivia said that you went on a mission with the others. What was it about?"


    When Julie took one step forward, Roman ced one hand on her lower back, and he followed her before closing the door behind him. He turned on one of the lights in the room, which lit up the room but not too bright.


    When Julie turned around to look at Roman, she noticed how his eyes were quick to move to meet her gaze without wasting even a second from her. What she didn''t notice earlier, she finally felt something very different about him. It was very subtle, yet at the same time, it was obvious as if something had changed.


    Roman watched her quietly, before he strode towards the fridge. He opened the fridges door, picking up one of the blood cans from there. He said,


    "We went to kill the hunters who have been causing troubles to our kind, the night creatures," said Roman, letting his back lean against the table.


    "Did everything go well?" asked Julie, watching Roman bring up the blood can to his lips while his gaze continued to stay on her. She decided to lean against the wall.


    Roman took another mouthful of sip, and once he gulped it down, he ran his tongue across his lips. He gave her a nod, "We killed all the hunters. There will probably be an increase of hunters looking for us. The hunters will now know what to expect and not to go killing our kind for no reason."


    He skipped mentioning Piper''s death, his memory on it turning hazy as he didn''t want to remember it. He shook the can of blood that was in his hand and then drank the remaining blood in it.


    "Earlier, you fell unconscious. You should get some rest," stated Roman, but Julie doubted she would be able to rest here.


    "You need it more," said Julie, and she noticed the slight tear on his arm. "You''re hurt."


    "Mm," hummed Roman, taking another can of blood, he pulled its ring. "Got it when we went to hunt."


    "Don''t you need to tend to it?" because the wound seemed painful.


    "It doesn''t hurt," replied Roman, and once he was done drinking the blood in less than a few seconds, he crushed the can and threw it in the bin.


    Julie doubted there was anything to be shy about, as they had already done more than just sleep, but then this was his bed. Roman Moltenore''s bed, thought Julie in her mind.


    When she started to walk towards the bed, Julie turned and found him standing just one step away from her. A small startled gasp escaped from her lips, and she said, "That scared me," and sheughed. "When we were in the infirmary, you didn''t seem like yourself. Is everything okay now?" she asked him, even though there seemed something very odd with the way Roman was looking at her.


    "Why wouldn''t it be?" questioned Roman, bringing his hand up to push a piece of her hair behind her ear.


    There was something off! Thought Julie to herself. It wasn''t that Roman wasn''t romantic before, but this had a little bit of danger as if a lion was patting its prey before it would pounce on it. But then it felt like that before she knew he was a vampire.


    Julie felt his finger trail down on one side of her neck before he dropped his hand back to his side.


    "You seemed to be in too much pain and earlier you were also coughing blood," Julie looked into his eyes, which seemed hauntingly attractive because of the redness. "I don''t know what happened after that. When I woke up, you were not there."


    "You lost consciousness. It looked like you tried to heal me and in the process lost your energy. Don''t ever do that again," remarked Roman, while he walked to his bed, and he removed his shoes. He looked at her as if waiting for her toe and join him. "Let us get you some good rest."


    Julie removed her shoes before climbing into the bed, and she moved towards the side of the wall. Roman joined her, slipping into the covers while pulling it over both of them.


    "What are you doing that far?" he questioned her, the expression on his face unamused. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him.


    "Rome?" asked Julie.


    "Hm?"


    Julie ced her hand on Roman''s chest, and she asked him, "Did something happen back in the forest when you went to the mission with the others?"


    One corner of Roman''s lips pulled up, and he said, "Why do you ask?" He pushed her hair behind her shoulder while his fingers trailed on her neck.


    "You seem a little odd¡­" replied Julie before realizing the way she phrased it. "I mean, not weird, but it feels like something happened and I don''t know¡­" she lifted her head, craning her neck, she met Roman''s eyes, which had been fixed on her neck, before snapping to look into her eyes.


    "How so? I forgot to mention, Donovan knows about you," Roman let her know. Julie''s eyes widened, and her lips moved.


    "W-what? How did that happen?" questioned Julie, and Roman lips twisted in distaste.


    "It was because of your beloved Corvin. It likes to drag you into situations you are not supposed to be in. Why don''t you discard it, like now," said Roman, and for a moment, Julie didn''t understand until her eyebrows furrowed.


    Roman turned behind him, with his hand stretched forward, and when his hand lit a ball of fire, Julie noticed the Corvin standing in the room.


    "Did something happen?" Julie asked the Corvin, a little startled and somewhat embarrassed because it hadn''t made its presence known, and she believed it had only been Roman and her in this room. Her eyebrows drew closer and she sat up right on the bed.


    ''No stay here. Not him,'' warned the Corvin.


    The Corvin was back to hating Roman''s presence around her, and Julie pursed her lips, "It is fine, Corvin. We have already gone through it several times before about this."


    ''Death. Death lingers around him,'' said the Corvin, looking at Roman.


    Roman sat up too, turning his body, where he pulled one leg towards him and ced his hand on his knee. "How annoying," remarked Roma. He used his other hand to bring out the ball of fire, which turned intense.


    "Both of you stop this!" said Julie because it was like having two children bickering with each other.


    Julie''s eyes widened, and she quickly went to scramble out of the bed. But before she had the opportunity to put both her legs down on the ground, Roman caught hold of her hand.


    "Rome, you cannot burn¡ª"


    Julie stopped her words, when she saw the changes in Roman''s face. His pupil turned nothing less to an abyss of darkness contained in them, and his fangs were visible that looked lethal. But the most prominent feature was the little roots like imprints around his eyes.


    "Stay here, Winters."


    ''Death hangs around him¡ªson of darkness. Not same anymore,'' the Corvin let her know. ''Not safe. Ripper.''


    For a moment, Julie''s mind froze. She blinked her eyes, before looking at the Corvin with confusion, and she looked at Roman. Ripper¡­.?


    Julie wasn''t unaware of what the term meant in the vampire world, but it was not possible. Roman did have some distinctive characteristics, but he couldn''t be a ripper¡­ thought Julie in her mind.


    She didn''t know if it was the time to be scared or worried about Roman. Was it because of the effect of the silver bullet that had dissolved in his body, that had turned him into a ripper?


    "What is the Corvin talking about, Rome?" Julie asked and Roman looked annoyed at the creature, wanting to burn it in mes.


    "The Corvin likes to overthink that I might harm you. You know I wouldn''t do that, love, don''t you?" Roman asked her, his eyes meeting hers. He then turned to look at the Corvin, "She''s mine and she doesn''t go anywhere. Not near you at least."


    The Corvin was not happy, and it brought its hand forward, where the shape of its finger started to change as if it was ready to kill Roman.

 Chapter 134 - Scheming Elder Vampire- Part 1

    <h4>Chapter 134 - Scheming Elder Vampire- Part 1</h4>


    Today''s chapter is small. Spent the day in the printing office.


    ¡ª


    Julie, who had been missing out on the news that had taken ce when she was asleep, now stared at the two people in the dorm. With the way they stared at each other, both Roman and Corvin looked like they were ready to tear the other one apart, each of their hands stretched in front of them. One with sharp wooden fingers, and the other had a ball of fire in his hand, which now held a tint of ckness in it, ready to engulf anything that woulde in contact with it.


    "Lately, you have been getting on my nerves," remarked Roman, his eyes ring at the Corvin, who made a hissing sound. "Time to fry the bird."


    ''Stay away from her,'' warned the Corvin.


    "Can you both please calm down already!" asked Julie, feeling Roman push her behind so that she wouldn''t end up getting hurt by the fire. "I am going to be just fine!"


    The Corvin brought its hand right near Roman, but at the same time, the fire in his hand turned bigger, engulfing the Corvin''s wooden hands, and it caught fire for a few seconds before the creature blew out the fire and regrew its fingers.


    ''You supposed to be dead,'' stated the Corvin, a hissing sound appearing from it. It said to Julie, Stay away from him.''


    "She''s not going anywhere. Winters, stay right here," Roman didn''t appear like he was going to tolerate the Corvin anymore as the me increased. "She''s mine."


    ''Vampire and witch never together,'' came the words from the bird-like creature.


    "Rome," Julie tried to get his attention, where he hadn''t let go of her wrist as if someone would take her away from him. "Can we please talk? You too Corvin?"


    The Corvin taunted Roman, ''A corrupt heart in the making. No soul, no emotions. Darkness ising to cloud rapidly and will engulf everything near you. Not fit to be with her.''


    "For a dead bird, you sure like to talk a lot," remarked Roman, who was provoked by the creature''s words. The mes in his hands turned bigger, making Julie look away for a moment. At that moment, Roman directed the mes at the Corvin, and the Corvin caught fire, its body and cloak burning started to burn.


    Not knowing how to stop, as Roman looked more than pissed at the creature, and the Corvin seemed trapped in mes, Julie said, "Rome, for a long time now, there is something I have been meaning to tell you."


    Though Roman didn''t look away from the Corvin, she noticed the sliver of annoyance pass through his features.


    The Corvin made gibberish noise as if it was in pain, and with Roman not responding to her words, she said, "I have been promised to marry a boy named Tomas Frewell."


    Roman turned to look at Julie, his eyes narrowing at her, and he said, "You aren''t good at jokes, Winters."


    Julie shook her head, noticing the way the me in Roman''s hand wavered and reduced in its intensity. She said, "Why would I joke about such things?" her frown leaning on worry. "I didn''t know how to say this before and only recently remembered it."


    "Stay quiet now. I will talk to you once I am done dealing with this thing here," stated Roman, looking at the Corvin, who fell on its knees on the ground.


    At this rate, she would be sweeping the Corvin''s body in a few minutes, which would be nothing but dust. She had never met and dealt with a ripper before, and she didn''t know how exactly to handle the situation.


    "Tomas has pale blue eyes, dark hair and is as tall as you. We met when we were young and when I was in school. My father wanted it to happen..." said Julie, and Roman gritted his teeth before swishing his left hand that blew out the fire, and he turned to look at her.


    Somewhere, while concentrating on the Corvin, Roman had let go of Julie''s wrist, and she now stood there holding it close to her chest.


    When Roman took a step forward, she took two steps back. It wasn''t that Julie was scared of Roman, knowing deep down in her heart that he would not hurt her, but the wild look on his face turned her wary.


    Suddenly out of nowhere, the Corvin used its hand by extending the wood and ready to pierce Roman, but he caught it in time.


    "Tell this little pet to leave so that I can speak to you. Alone," said Roman to her, and he then snapped the wood of the Corvin before throwing it on the ground.


    ''Will not leave you alone with him,'' the Corvin was fearless as ever, wanting to keep her away from him.


    "Can you take a step outside and wait for me?" asked Julie to the creature, who hissed at Roman. "Roman doesn''t mean to hurt me."


    ''Ripper always kills. Ripper not good, downfall of witches,'' replied the Corvin.


    "Did you not hear what she said? Out," Roman''s words were blunt with not a spec of emotion in it.


    The creature turned to look at Julie and then finally stood up, ''I be out.'' Julie nodded her head, watching the creature pass through the wall of the dorm.


    When she turned her head to look at Roman, he had already moved closer to her, lessening the gap between them. He ced both his hands on the wall trapping her there. He brought his right hand up to her face, holding her chin before he lifted her head.


    "Where can I find this Tomas?" Roman questioned her with his eyes narrowed at her.


    "In my imagination¡­" Julie''s voice trailed, feeling a little relieved that nobody was fighting anymore. She could sense that Roman''s emotions had intensified, and he moved closer to her.


    "Let us hope he''s not real. I will fucking kill any person who will try to take you away from me," his eyes looked straight into hers, "You know that right." His thumb brushed against the length of her jaw, and Julie nodded her head.


    When Roman finally let go of her chin and took a step back, an inaudible sigh escaped from her lips. She closed her eyes, taking a moment before opening them, to find Roman in front of the fridge. He pulled out another can of blood. She heard the harsh sound of the ring on the can being pulled before he gulped down the blood down his throat.


    Roman ran his tongue across his lips, watching her, and Julie saw his gaze on her.


    "Will you tell me what happened?" she asked him, noticing his deamour appeared tooid back and it was hard to know what was running on his mind. Not that it had been easy before. "You¡­ you turned into a ripper. What happened during the time when I was asleep?"


    Roman stared at Julie, the look in his eyes as hollow as the presence of light in the dark tunnel.


    "Piper is dead," Roman said in a curt tone, and Julie''s eyebrows furrowed.


    She was dead? Julie felt her hands turn cold and numb. She found it hard to believe that Ms. Piper was dead. She had always liked her. After a few seconds of silence, she said, "I am sorry about it, Rome¡­"


    Roman brought the can back to his lips and sipped the blood, "That''s the only news that you have missed. Now you are up to date with it."


    Julie didn''t know how to lessen what Roman was feeling, but the problem was that he wasn''t feeling anything. His words and the way he behaved appeared nonchnt as if it wasn''t a big deal. Her heart ached for him, knowing how he was close to Piper as she was his brother''s love. There was an obvious switch in his behaviour, as if his heart had suddenly turned cold over the matter. Walking to where he stood, Julie put her hands around him.


    "You''re sad,"mented Roman, he ced his hand on the back of Julie''s head, and petted it. "Don''t be."


    How could she not, questioned Julie to herself. The person who was close to Roman had died, and she could tell the emotions that the emotional switch inside him had turned as if he hadn''t been given enough time to mourn for Piper''s death.


    She heard the light growling from Roman''s chest vibrate. When she pulled away from him to look at him, she saw the look on his face had changed. His fangs had appeared, and his breath was heavy. The ripper made its appearance known, and now he looked at her with hunger in its eyes.


    "Does it scare you, that I might suck you dry any moment now?" Roman questioned her with a hint of re in his eyes.


    Julie shook her head, "I don''t think you will do that to me."


    "Why not?" Roman tilted his head to the side, "I killed a person beforeing here. What makes you think that I don''t want to suck that warm blood from your throat," his hand reached to ce it on the crook of her neck.


    A shiver ran down Julie''s spine when one of his fingers grazed on her skin. Did he kill people before meeting her? Even though the person in front of her was Roman, there was a certain edge to the way his eyes raked over her appearance.


    "Are you trying to scare me?" asked Julie, not batting her eyshes.


    "Are you scared?"


    "Not today," came the quick reply from Julie. The back of Roman''s fingers grazed Julie''s skin before he dropped it down. "I just trust you too much, knowing you wouldn''t do something to hurt me."


    "Did you know that promises are hard to keep up along with expectations?" questioned Roman, and Julie didn''t know what he was trying to get at. "Your Corvin believes I will suck you dry."


    "What do you believe?" asked Julie, watching Roman step away from her and he removed his shirt.


    "I think there''s a possibility," responded Roman, and Julie pursed her lips. Her eyes fell on the wounds that he had received tonight. One on the arm and the other on his shoulder. The wound on his arm seemed to look in a worse condition. She noticed simr imprints like the roots of a nt stretching away from where his heart was located.


    When Julie went to touch his chest, Roman caught hold of her hand with a re, "Don''t."


    One minute he was sweet, and the next second it felt like he was creating distance between them. She felt her heart squeeze, but then this was only the ripper side of him talking to her.


    Before they could exchange more words, someone knocked on the dorm door outside, and a look of irritation passed through Roman''s face. He walked to the door, and opened it. Julie, who stood behind, noticed Elder Donovan standing there with a pleased look on his face.


    "What do you want?" questioned Roman, without bothering to be polite to the Elder vampire.


    Roman''s words didn''t affect Donovan, and he said, "I wanted to grieve with you for the loss of one of your close friends. What kind of person would I be, to not be there for you, when you need me?"


    "I will pass," came the curt reply from Roman.


    Donovan lightlyughed, his eyes falling behind Roman, where Julie stood in the room. His eyes then shifted back to Roman and he said,


    "Why don''t I take you out. It has been a while since both spent some quality time together and I can treat you to wonderful drinks," the word wonderful had a double meaning which Julie didn''t miss, and she frowned. This was what bad influence meant, she thought in her mind. "What do you say, Ms. Winters? Don''t you think he needs to take a break away from here?"


    Julie didn''t know what to reply when she heard her name being called, until the Elder''s gaze turned to look as if he was drilling holes into her head.


    "He needs time to..." she said, and Donovan nodded his head.


    "There, let us go now. I have already arranged the vehicle for us. You cane with us too, Ms.. Winters," Donovan had a generous smile, and Julie wondered if the Elder vampire had something up his sleeve.

 Chapter 135 - Poison

    <h4>Chapter 135 - Poison</h4>


    Julie watched Donovan leave the front side of the dorm with a pleasing look on his face. Her eyes then shifted to look at Roman, who turned back to pick up a fresh T-shirt from the cupboard. Once he was done wearing it, he picked up his jacket.


    "Sleep here tonight," said Roman to her, and Julie furrowed her brows.


    "You''re going?" she asked in worry.


    Roman stared at Julie. Seeing her turn anxious, he said, "Maybe the Corvin is right. It would be better if I quench my thirst before having you around me. This dorm is the safest ce for you to stay and no one wille in or try to disturb you. Sleep in peace and keep that useless bird nearby."


    Julie''s hands clenched, and she said, "I aming with you."


    She didn''t trust Donovan even for a fleeting second, and it was obvious that the Elder vampire was scheming something by making use of Roman.


    "Stay here, Winters," said Roman, ready to step outside the room, but Julie quickly followed him.


    "I am not staying back here while you go with him," Julie said, her eyes meeting his dark red eyes that looked fiercer because of the ripper features.


    "I am telling it for your own benefit," stated Roman, raising his hand. He caressed the side of her cheek.


    Recently, she had been so used to having him around her that the thought of him turning his back on her internally tore her heart.


    "We don''t know what more to expect from the night as so much has already happened. I am sure there will be something that might not please your eyes," Roman''s words were as blunt as before, and Julie could tell he was warning her.


    "I still want toe," responded Julie, her words were firm, and he gave her a nod. He might have told that he had killed a person, and she knew if he came back to his usual self, he would hold himself guilty over the innocent life. She didn''t want him to carry that burden.


    "Alright. If that is what you wish," said Roman and Julie stepped out of the dorm. While Roman locked his dorm''s door, the Corvin appeared from one side of the walls as if it was hiding in there.


    "I am going out of Veteris with Rome, do you want toe with us?" asked Julie, and the creature stared at her. She didn''t know where Donovan was nning to take Roman, but she wasn''t going to let things turn worse. She hoped she could send people to a different ce. That way, it would avoid conflicts.


    ''Summon me,'' said the creature, it turned in Roman''s direction, who put an arm around Julie''s shoulder. Julie didn''t make out if Roman was being jealous of the Corvin or if he was purposely taunting it.


    "I will do that," assured Julie, while also remembering she had to tell Roman about Mr. Evans knowing about what she was, where he had seen her with the Corvin. Right now, it didn''t seem like the right time, she thought in her mind.


    The Corvin disappeared from their sight, and Roman said, "Come."


    They walked down the stairs, and when they stepped out of the boy''s Dormitorium, Julie noticed a sleek, long, shiny car standing right in front of the building. Outside the car stood Donovan, who had his hand ced on the car''s bo, "I saw this picture in a book and ordered Eloise this morning to buy it here as quickly as she could. Lovely, isn''t it?"


    It was a limousine, and Julie had never sat in one until now. Forget that. She had never even stood next to one.


    "Are you nning to hide bodies in it?" questioned Roman, with his dry humour, and Donovan chuckled.


    "It is a multipurpose vehicle, isn''t it? In the past, it was absolutely hard to hide a body in the carriage and we had to make the dead person look like he or she was only sleeping," responded Donovan. Standing straight, he walked towards the door that had been pulled open by the driver. Donovan stepped inside the limousine, and Roman walked towards the door while Julie followed him from behind like a cat that wasn''t ready to leave its human.


    But before Roman could get inside, he stopped and turned to look at Julie, who almost crashed into him if she didn''t stop her feet.


    "You first," said Roman, taking a step backwards and looking at Julie with his keen eyes.


    The driver took a few steps backwards as Roman had moved to his side. Julie wondered what that was about, and she quietly got inside. Soon, Roman followed her, and they sat next to each other while Donovan sat on the opposite side.


    The driver closed the door and then soon started to drive it outside Veteris.


    During their journey, Julie noticed the Elder vampire staring at Roman, while Roman had turned to look in the other direction. Donovan''s eyes then moved to look at Julie, who turned guarded.


    "How are you doing now, Ms. Winters? I met your little pet earlier, who seemed very fond of you,"mented Donovan, pulling out a bottle of wine from the side of his seat.


    "Good. Thank you for asking, Mr. Donovan," Julie tried to be polite, unable to believe that he had found out the truth about her this soon, and it was all because of the Corvin.


    "I thought I smelt something very familiar in your dorm, and I am d that my intuition was somewhere right. You sure liked to try to fool me," a small smile stretched on Donovan''s lips. He then continued, "Is he yours or does he belong to someone else?"


    Julie pursed her lips before he answered, "He found me."


    "Donovan knows a lot about the witches. He was there when they reigned a fewnds in the background," stated Roman, watching Donovan pour the wine into the ss and hand it over to Roman. When Donovan poured another ss, he offered it to Julie.


    "Take it," said Donovan with a smile, and there was something very eerie in the atmosphere here that Julie feltpelled to take the ss of wine from him. "You can drink it," he nudged her. He then continued to say, "The Corvins aren''tmon creatures, and you won''t find them hovering around people unless it wants to kill someone."


    To think that Donovan could have answers to her question, Julie was intrigued to continue their conversation, even though she didn''t like him.


    Donovan said, "If the Corvin hase to you by himself, it means he is yours to keep. Like a loyal pet, though it isn''t easy for someone to bind the Corvin to themselves. They are very loyal. Just like Roman is loyal to me."


    At Donovan''s words, Roman rolled his eyes, "People have odd wishes and expectations."


    Julie noticed how Donovan wasn''t offended by Roman''s words. Instead, he only smiled as if he enjoyed Roman''s rude remarks.


    "What''s your mother''s name?" questioned Donovan, running his thumb around the rim of the wine ss. His eyes subtly narrowed, staring at Julie.


    "Harriet Winters," replied Julie and Donovan tried to recollect if he ever had heard this name before. But the name didn''t ring a bell in his mind, and his lips twisted in disappointment.


    "We aren''t fond of witches, because of how tricky some of them are. I met one and I don''t think I have ever met anyone like that. I have a huge distaste when ites to your kind,"mented Donovan, and Julie was about to say she was sorry that he felt that way, but he continued. "I would have at least considered you with a grain of salt if you were a human, but a witch¡­ I won''t lie, it makes me want to pierce a wooden stake right in your heart."


    Roman''s eyes turned to look at Donovan, with annoyance in there.


    "I don''t think it would go well," said Julie and Donovan became intrigued by the girl''s reply.


    "Did you discover something already? I have seen witches holding immense abilities, and also some witches who have bluffed to hold power. It makes me curious to know what you can do. Have you already found it?" Donovan brought the ss to his lips, and he took a sip from it.


    "Stop talking, both of you," Roman muttered under his breath.


    "Looks like you are more annoyed than usual today. I am sure when we reach the ce I have nned, your mood will turn brighter than the sun itself," chimed Donovan, and he questioned Julie, "So Ms. Winters, how many other witches do you know? I heard your father shot your mother, which will make sense if he found the truth about her. Which in turn makes him a hunter, doesn''t it?"


    "Do you always go through people''s backgrounds?" asked Julie, a little braver than usual because she had Roman sitting right next to her.


    Donovan chuckled at her question, "Usually yes. It is always better to know when to pull out the strings. It''s nothing but acquiring knowledge."


    "People now call it one having stalker tendency," remarked Roman, taking Julie''s ss from her hand and downing the wine.


    "But isn''t that fun? To be able to collect and then use it when the time is right?" questioned Donovan. His eyes moved from Julie to look at Roman before it fell on the ss. The faint smile curled his lips. "How about your uncle and aunt, their son? Are they witches too?"


    "I am not sure," replied Julie, feeling Donovan''s continuous creepy gaze on her as he didn''t look away from her.


    To think that he had killed Reese thinking it was her¡­ she wondered if Donovan was waiting to get an opportunity to kill her. Maybe push her down the stairs and then go ''Oops!''? Somewhere, the sliver of doubt and worry hung in the back of her head, and she told herself not to drop her guard down.


    The rest of the ride, Julie tried not to look at Donovan and every once in a while, her eyes moved to the corner to see Roman, who had a nk expression on his face. When the ride came to an end, Donovan questioned the driver, "Is this the ce, Smith? I will be very disappointed if you brought me to some trashy ce."


    The driver bowed his head from where he sat and replied, "This is the ce, Elder Donovan."


    They stepped out of the limousine, and Julie was thest one to step out. She saw the crowd in front of them. She quickly looked around the ce and saw a huge line of people in front of arge building.


    "This is the ce for the night creatures," said Donovan to Julie with a smile. "With all the cameras and tight security, it makes it hard for vampires to be able to enjoy themselves. Hence there are certain ces which are owned purely by vampires. You should be careful dear," said the Elder vampire before he started to walk towards the building.


    Julie could feel a slight headache in her head. She couldn''t believe that Donovan had brought them here, where the chance of her being a potential snack for people was high.


    She noticed the way some of the people, who were in the line, turned to look at them. Some looked at the vehicle, and some looked at her and Roman. A few vampires ran their tongues across their fangs as if the waiter had finally brought their meal.


    Even though she was a witch, who could send people into another time or ce, it didn''t mean that the vampires'' presence didn''t bother her.


    When she moved closer to Roman, he said to her, "Stick close and don''t wander around by yourself."


    Julie nodded her head, and they made their way towards the entrance door, where Donovan spoke to the bouncer and stepped inside the building.


    "Mr. Moltenore," the bouncer greeted Roman and he unhooked the chain to let Roman pass. Julie followed Roman, but the person put his hand in front of Julie to stop her from passing through.


    "She''s with me," said Roman, and the person picked up a tag and said,


    "We''ll need to have her name so that it can be added to the list of guests. This will also help," said the man and Roman stepped in front of the counter, pulling the book towards him and he wrote Julie''s name. Roman took the tag and put it around Julie''s neck. The person then said, "I would advise not to remove it, if she''s your guest."


    Roman and Julie stepped inside, and it took a couple of seconds to adjust her eyesight. When they walked past the corridor, she saw blue lights randomly moving from the ceiling which was directed on the floors.


    The whole ce had a gothic touch to it, making her wonder if it was done out of purpose, to throw the hunters off their tracks. If it weren''t for the constant moving lights and the lights in the ceiling that came from the private booths and bar counter, the ce would have looked nothing less to a bat cave, thought Julie in her mind.


    As they walked past the crowd, where the floor was filled with people dancing, and the music ring, Julie caught some of the vampires who had their mouth ced on the other person''s neck as if they were leaving a hickey, but Julie knew that these peeople were like leeches, sucking out blood.


    "Moltenore," came a voice, from the side over the music, and Julie turned and saw a couple who made their way to where she and Roman was.


    "Greysen and Aliana," said Roman.


    Roman, who often didn''t like to be in people''spany, he exchanged hugs with the couple and Julie wondered who they were. Somewhere, she came to realize that this part of the world he was part of, she wasn''t well versed with it.


    "I never expected to see you here. What are you doing here?" questioned the boy who had blonde hair and both his ears pierced with rings.


    "Donovan was feeling lonely and needed some time before he would turn depressed," responded Roman and the boy chuckled.


    "So it is true. I thought I heard some rumors that the Elders are awake," replied Greysen.


    "If you are here, does it mean you are here to have some good time?" asked the girl named Aliana, who was a brte with a choker tied to her neck and her eyes pale grey in colour.


    "If you were a human, I would have thought about drinking your blood, but I will pass," said Roman to the girl with little to no interest, where the girl was obviously trying to flirt with him. Julie pursed her lips, not because she didn''t trust Roman, but he had turned quite chatty since the time he had returned to Veteris after Piper''s death.


    Julie''s eyes subtly narrowed, scanning the vampiress from head to toe, when the person named Greysen asked, "Is this your meal for the night? Didn''t you hear that outside beverages aren''t allowed in here anymore?"


    "I am not a beverage,? but a person," muttered Julie under her breath.


    "This is Julianne Winters. She''s mine so keep your ws off of her," Roman introduced her to the two vampires in front of them, who raised their eyebrows.


    And there, just like that, the little jealousy that had bubbled in her mind, simmered down.


    "Since when did you start making girlfriends?" asked Aliana, and this time she was the one to examine Julie from head to toe. Compared to the clothes that people wore in here, Julie''s attire stood out like a sore thumb. "Is it the term used for blood bags these days?"


    "She looks cute and small," replied Greyson, who suddenly seemed interested in Julie after Roman''s words.


    Roman put his hand around Julie''s shoulder, pulling her closer, he said, "Later then." He took her away from there, making their way to the booth which had already been reserved by Donovan. Or more rightly to be said, the previous customers, who were sitting there, had been kicked out.


    Once Julie and Roman left to walk towards the booth, the two vampires stared at Roman and the human, Alianamented, "I thought the Elders disliked humanpany. Surprising, isn''t it?"


    "Oh, I am sure he still does," Greysen nudged his chin in the direction where the Elder vampire was sitting. "He doesn''t look too happy with herpany. He probably brought them here so that it would be easy to kill her."


    "Might be so," said the vampiress, before her eyes shifted to look at Roman''s handsome face. "Do you think Donovan would mind if I go and greet him?"


    Inside the booth, Julie sat on the plush couch, and the waitress arrived with menu cards in her hands. The woman had a bright smile stered on her face, and she looked at Roman and Donovan. When her eyes fell on Julie, she ignored Julie as she appeared to be a human.


    "What would you like to have this evening?" the waitress politely asked the two vampires.


    "What do you have to offer, darling?" asked Donovan, putting a charming smile on his face.


    The waitress said, "We have the drinks with the twists as you know, and there are some direct drinks if you would like to order it either here or in the private sitting rooms. We have various varieties and you might quite enjoy them."


    "Do you know what I would probably enjoy the most?" Donovan raised his eyebrow and Julie wanted to cringe too hard but she tried to not do it in front of the Elder vampire. "Are you on the menu there?"


    "I would willingly step into the casket now," Julie heard Roman mutter under his breath and she was d to hear that they had the same feelings on this matter.


    And though Roman and Julie cringed, the waitress found Donovan''s words quite pleasing to her ears. She returned the smile and coyly said, "The waitress and waiter are off the menu, Sir. I think I know quite well, the drink you might enjoy."


    Donovan leaned his back and gave a nod, "I cannot wait."


    The waitress then turned to look at Roman and asked him, "What would you like to order?"


    "Poison."


    "That would be one Silverwater mixed with blood?" the waitress tried to get the order correctly. "I will need you to sign the waiver for the drink," and she handed the notepad to him. For a moment, Julie believed that Roman was being sarcastic, but did the drink really exist? Her eyes moved to look at him with evident worry in her eyes. He signed on the form, which clearly states that he was having the drink willingly.


    "Anything else?" asked the waitress, while ignoring Julie''s presence.


    "What do you have in non-alcoholic drinks?" asked Julie, wanting to keep a sane mind, as she didn''te here to drink.


    "None," answered the waitress, her tone slightly on the clipped side, which Julie didn''t pay any attention to.


    "I will have a ss of water then," replied Julie, with a polite smile.


    "Get something to eat which doesn''t have blood mixed in it," Roman ordered the waitress, who gave him a smile.


    "Of course. I will be back with your orders soon," and the waitress left.


    "How impolite to not be drinking with us, Ms. Winters. You seem to be very¡­ nice,"mented Donovan, the smile on his lips had disappeared. "You even got Roman to drink your ss of wine. Seems like you don''t want to put any effort in bonding with me."


    Lies, thought Julie in her mind.


    "Hm? Did you say something?" asked Donovan and her eyes slightly widened.


    "I didn''t move my lips," replied Julie and Donovan''s eyes narrowed subtly before he looked away from her.


    When the waitress brought the? drinks to their booth, Julie saw the Silverwater which was ced in a small shot ss on the tray, and next to it was a ss filled with blood. The Silverwater looked very simr to liquid mercury.


    Julie asked in a concerned tone to Roman, "Why are you drinking it when you''re still recovering from the earlier gunshot?" her voice held worry in it.


    "A little silverwater won''t cause any disruptions with my current condition," responded Roman, his hand that had been outstretched behind her, he ran it on the back of her head, gently petting her.


    "Roman is right. It''s the same as drinking medicine. They tone down the level of toxicity in here and it isn''t harmful," came the casual words from Donovan before he added, "And the blood is mixed with different substances so it will be nothing."


    "You don''t mind if I take your drink, do you?" asked Julie, before she picked up the little cup and gulped down the silverwater in her mouth.


    Donovan''s eyes narrowed at Julie''s action, not pleased, while Roman stared at her with a subtle frown.


    "If you wanted to drink, I would have ordered you another one, Winters," remarked Roman, bringing his hand to her face and caressing his thumb across her chin. She could feel Donovan''s gaze on her, while also realizing Roman was romancing her in public and in front of his maker.


    "I don''t want you harming yourself," she whispered.


    "The Silverwater that you drank is tampered with alcoholic contents that are purely made for vampires, and not for humans," said Roman while staring into her brown eyes.


    Huh? Thought Julie to herself.

 Chapter 136 - Tell Me If You Are Hurt

    <h4>Chapter 136 - Tell Me If You Are Hurt</h4>


    Julie stared at Roman. For a moment, her mind turned nk before an awkward smile appeared on her lips. She had believed that it was normal Silverwater, and to stop Roman from drinking it, she had gulped it like water. Though there was a difference in its taste whenpared to the taste of water, she wouldn''t have felt much difference if she didn''te to know what she was drinking.


    While Julie was still processing her thoughtless move, Roman turned to look at the waitress, whose eyebrows had raised.


    "Four sses of water. Now," ordered Roman, and the waitress bowed her head and immediately left their booth.


    On the other hand, Donovan rubbed his chin, watching the young witch who was sitting in front of him, as he hadn''t thought the girl would gulp down the liquid.


    "If you really wanted to have a drink, you should have asked me, Ms. Winters. How about I pick you something that you might like, I did mean it when I said that I wanted to bond with you,"mented Donovan, and Roman turned to look at the Elder vampire with a re.


    "Don''t try to push my buttons, Donovan," Roman threatened the Elder in a low voice, as he was not in the mood to listen and enjoy the Elder vampire''s jokes.


    "She isn''t a normal human, and it won''t affect her as the Silverwater and the substance in there is tempered. Also, I would like to listen to her thoughts and to see if she can hold herself. No one should leave this ce without my permission. We came here to have a good time," said Donovan, humming a tune under his breath even though the music was ring from the speakers. "Rx and enjoy. How about I order you another drink that you would like? I can tell you''re thirsty," the faint smile that was on Donovan''s lips broadened.


    Donovan raised his hand as if to signal a nearby waiter toe to him. When the man in the waiter''s uniform appeared near the Elder vampire, the vampire said something to him in a low voice, as if it was going to be a surprise.


    "Don''t forget I want the drink to be exactly like this one," smiled Donovan.


    Julie noticed the waiter''s gaze on her for a swift second before he left the booth to bring the ordered drink. She started to feel hot as if suddenly she was sunbathing, and she took a deep breath before stretching her fingers.


    "How are you feeling?" questioned Roman, his eyes though they looked cold, they had concern for Julie, and Donovan noticed this.


    He wondered why Roman was so much attached to this girl. His eyes narrowed, and he continued to rub his chin with a thoughtful expression on his face.


    "Good evening, Mr. Donovan," came a vampiress'' voice, and Donovan shifted his gaze to look at the girl.


    "Was there a change with the waitress who was serving us?" questioned Donovan, watching the vampiress, who looked slightly offended by his words before she smiled.


    "No, I am not one of the waitresses here. I am one of Roman''s friends. Aliana is my name and this one," she turned around and introduced the person who stood behind her. "This is Greysen, my brother."


    "Acquaintance," corrected Roman, his eyeszily shifted to look at the girl with a hint of annoyance on his face.


    "What brings you here, Aliana?" Donovan noticed the girl''s interest in Roman, but Roman''s interest was in the witch. He picked up the toothpick with the olive in it and put it in his mouth. "Why don''t youe and join us? The more the merrier."


    When Greysen came to sit next to Roman, Roman warned him, "I prefer people staying and sitting more than two seats away from me now."


    Greysen quickly moved from there and sat next to his sister Aliana, who sat next to Donovan, whose facial expression looked like his favourite show was going to be disyed at any moment now.


    The waitress brought sses of water and ced them on the table, and before Julie could pick up one, Roman took hold of the closest one and offered it to her.


    "I can pick it up, you don''t have to do that," whispered Julie, being embarrassed by the open disy of affection that Roman was showing on her in front of others. She felt it too much because she felt everyone''s eyes were fixing on them.


    "I wouldn''t have done that if you had not drunk the Silverwater drink," Roman lightly red at her and then he said, "Keep drinking water so that it would be flushed out of your body."


    "I will be fine," muttered Julie, feeling very light right now, as if, if she would jump from the top of the roof, she would fly.


    "Your cheeks are turning flushed," noted Roman, and with the back of his finger, he gently caressed her cheek.


    Unconsciously, Julie moved closer towards him, her eyes slowly started to close before sheposed herself to sit still in her ce.


    "You better stick to me, and don''t go wandering around looking for trouble," stated Roman, and Julie looked into his eyes.


    "Why would I do that, when trouble is staying right next to me," Julie mumbled to herself, but Roman heard it, and he narrowed his eyes.


    "Finish the ss so that you can drink the next one."


    Aliana stared at Julie before her eyes moved to look at Donovan, who was looking at her, "We sometimes like to visit this ce when our uncle isn''t here to look after it," she smiled politely. "I have heard so much about you."


    "And what might that be?" Donovan continued the conversation.


    "You and the other three Elder vampires saved Veteris," Aliana praised him, "I wish I was there to witness it."


    "You would have been one of the dead victims resting in the coffin. There was nothing much to be saved there. Most were dead bodies," remarked Roman, turning to look in their direction. Julie, who had held the ss of water near her mouth, continued to drink it so that it appeared she was busy.


    "Isn''t that a little rude? I heard Mr. Donovan was the one who had saved you from being dead, by turning you into a vampire," said Aliana, watching Roman.


    "Roman wasn''t happy when I had turned him. He preferred to be dead than turning into something that killed his family," Donovan crossed his legs and got himself into a rxed position. "But I know he doesn''t mind it now."


    "Why wouldn''t I?" questioned Roman, his eyes holding boredom when he looked at Donovan as if he was staring at a wall. "I wouldn''t be here if that was so, would I?"


    The waitress returned with another tray of sses that held blood in it, and while cing it, the waiter with whom Donovan had spoken earlier returned with a girl behind him.


    "What do you think, Sir?" asked the waiter and Julie, who had turned slightly dazed, lifted her eyes and saw a girl who had a simr hairstyle like her and probably holding features that were closely simr to her.


    Was this what Donovan had murmured earlier to the waiter? Julie wondered if Evans should take up Donovan as his possible client once they returned to Veteris.


    "Oh wow, I see another me now," said Julie, and she gulped down the water in the ss that she was holding. But even after drinking two sses of water, she continued to feel hot, and she now wished to jump into a pool of water.


    "Look Roman, I arranged something more edible as we don''t want you taking a bite from Ms. Winters. Aren''t I nice?" asked Donovan and the human whose features looked simr to Julie stepped closer near to the seat where Roman was sitting.


    "And I thought you couldn''t get any more annoying than you already are. Get this girl away from me before I decide to snap her neck," warned Roman, because he wasn''t interested in anyone else, but the one with whom he was interested was busy sipping water.


    "Roman''s acquaintances, would you ever refuse such a delicious drink? Warm blood, fresh and untouched?" questioned Donovan as if he was slightly offended by Roman''s rejection.


    Greysen only offered a small smile because he had already known about Roman''s temper, and today he seemed to be on a little edge than usual. Not to mention, Roman seemed quite taken by the human girl sitting next to him, and he was sure that if he tried to touch even just the replica of the human, it would still earn him an entry in the death list.


    "I think we should all toast, to wee the Elder vampire who is finally back after taking his rest," said Aliana, and she picked up one of the sses that was on the table. Donovan raised the ss that he already had in his hand, where he had barely taken three sips from it.


    When the so-called drink moved closer to Roman from the other side while he sat with his back leaning against the seat, Julie''s eyebrows furrowed. The girl raised her hand to ce it on Roman''s chest, but at the same time, Julie caught hold of the girl''s hand to stop her from going any further.


    "Don''t," said Julie, her eyes slightly hazy because the little amount of alcohol intake had hit her body, and somewhere she was in the state of being sleepy, and she wanted to throw the water on the girl.


    The other girl looked at Julie, and she politely said, "Let go of my hand, Miss."


    "Do you promise to keep your hands off of him?" asked Julie, her words came out to be innocent, and the girl''s lips twitched in annoyance.


    "I am here to only serve the customers. Now please allow me to do my job," said the girl, and Julie stared hard at the girl.


    "Okay, I want to have a te of french fries. You can make yourself useful," on hearing Julie''s words, the people in the booth stared at Julie.


    "Did she get drunk already?" Aliana asked in disbelief.


    Donovan picked up the slice of meat from the te and popped it into his mouth while he looked barely bothered with the things that were happening around him.


    Julie''s grip tightened on the girl''s hand, and before anyone could say something, Roman said, "Let go of her hand, Winters."


    "You want to drink from her?" asked Julie, with her eyes widened. W-what happened to those words of him where he had told her that he wasn''t going to drink from any girls? She knew rippers were extreme vampires but did he have a memory loss?!


    "I need to drink from someone, because the blood in these sses are stale to my taste,pared to the fresh running blood," remarked Roman, and his words made Julie look like nothing less than an abandoned cat.


    The girl sitting next to Roman smiled at Julie as if she knew this would happen because she had already met normal vampires and rippers before.


    "Then drink from me."


    Donovan finally spoke, "I wouldn''t advise on it, Ms. Winters. As you know, Roman isn''t in his usual state of mind. He will probably drink from you until he feels full enough and someone like him is never full."


    "I know," replied Julie while staring right into Roman''s eyes. "I am a much better drink than her, or anyone else," she confidently said and tried to convince him. Roman noticed her anxiousness, and to him, it seemed like if he would say anything more, she would start to cry.


    The corner of Roman''s lips curled, and he turned to look at the other girl and said, "You heard her. Scram. She wasn''t joking when she said something about saving your neck."


    Roman stood up from his seat and then pulled Julie to stand on her feet, which slightly staggered, and he put his hand around her waist.


    "We are supposed to grieve and share our pain, Roman. Where are you going?" questioned Donovan, who had been hoping to see Roman snap the girl''s head so that Julie''s trust in Roman would break, but nothing that he had expected had happened.


    Roman stared at Donovan, "Go cling on to someone else tonight. I am taking her to one of the private rooms."


    "Well since Ms. Winters has decided to offer herself as a meal to you, I will tell the waitress that you don''t need any drinks," said Donovan, and he watched Roman leaving the booth with Julie.


    Roman didn''t bother to reply and holding Julie''s hand, and he took her away from there.


    Julie felt the sound of the music had stopped, and everything around her turned slow for a moment. When some of the vampires'' eyes around the ce turned to look at Julie, Roman''s eyes were quick to meet theirs with annoyance, and they were quick to look away from her. Making their way through the floor, they finally came to a corridor with fewer people''s presence in it.


    "Mr. Moltenore, how can we¡ª"


    "Do you have a spare room? One where no one woulde to disturb us," said Roman and the person in charge there nodded his head.


    "You will find it up in the top floor, room one eight," he bowed his head.


    As Julie followed Roman for a second, she pulled his hand and stopped him from taking another step forward. When he turned to look at her, she said, "Rome..." her words came out breathy, and Roman''s jaws clenched.


    "You are such a troublemaker," muttered Roman under his breath.


    "Then why did you order Silverwater to drink when you know your heart is getting corrupted? I wouldn''t be in this state, if you hadn''t ordered it in the first ce¡ª"


    Roman took a step back towards her, "Do you know how flushed you look right now? Don''t show this face to anyone. I am annoyed enough with Donovan''s presence."


    "Are you saying...I... you said you wanted to drink blood from that girl! Will you drink blood from anyone?" asked Julie, a frown on her forehead. Her head has already muddled because of what she had drunk, and she was angry. "I am all for understanding about my boyfriend being a vampire, but it''s like you have forgotten things."


    Roman stared at her, and he brought his right hand near her face, but instead of caressing her cheek, he flicked her forehead, "Do you really think I would drink the person''s blood?"


    "You said you killed one of the students back in Veteris, didn''t you?" asked Julie, internally rolling her sleeves and ready to fight.


    "Do you prefer me killing you while I am drinking blood from you?"


    "Do it, "Julie provoked him, but Roman didn''t look one bit amused. "I know you are hurting but... you can not shut yourself like this¡ª"


    Roman ced his hand on her lips so that she wouldn''t speak more.


    "What do you want me to do, Winters?" questioned Roman, his eyes turning redder, and he closed the distance between them. "Or what do you like me to say?"


    "Tell me how you really feel so that I can help. Just the way you have been there next to me," said Julie, pursing her lips in the end.


    Roman looked behind Julie before he caught hold of her hand and said, "Let''s go to the room."


    Julie frowned further, and without a word of protest, they walked through the dark corridors, taking the lift before reaching the top floor. She turned to look at one person, who wore the uniform like the other waiters and waitresses.


    They stepped in front of the room, and Roman opened the door with a key in his hand. Once they stepped inside the room, he locked it, and Julie wondered if he was going to kill her because of his uncontroble thirst. Of course, she knew that he would never hurt her, but he wasn''t himself right now since she had woken up from her sleep.


    Roman made his way towards the fridge, pulling out cans which she believed to be blood. Quietly, she took a seat at the edge of the bed, looking at the room. She heard the sharp sound of the can''s ring being pulled open, watching Roman chug it down. And this continued with the next six cans until he finally turned to look at her.


    "All you had to do was to stay back in the dorm and rest," said Roman, picking up a bottle of water. He picked up something else beforeing to stand in front of her.


    "Hold the bottle," said Roman, and Julie, who had believed that they were here to talk, stared at him.


    "I am not thirsty," replied Julie, where the intoxication hadn''t disappeared from her mind or body.


    "You''re heating up, Winters. I have had a bad day, so let us go one step at a time. Alright?" stated Roman, and Julie wondered if him saying ''bad day'' meant somewhere his humanity was still intact. She held the bottle in her hand, where Roman removed the cap.


    He cut the lemon and squeezed it into the water bottle, "Drink it. It will help." Caring Roman always melted Julie''s heart, even in his ripper state. He took a seat next to her, leaning towards the table and stretching his hand to pick up another can of blood.


    For a few seconds, silence filled the room. She asked him, "How do you feel?" Basic questions seemed one way to approach the matter, thought Julie in her mind.


    "Hungry," deadpanned Roman, and Julie nodded her head.


    "I mean¡­ feelings," Julie rephrased the sentence, and she turned to look at him. Watching him take a sip of blood from the can.


    "Piper wants you to have her wedding gown," came Roman''s words as he stared at themp that glowed brightly in the room. Julie''s eyes widened. "Like an idiot she had gotten her wedding gown stitched so that she could wear it when she would marry Tristan. I believe the gown that you wore on the stage was something she had nned to wear when Tristan would introduce her to my parents. She didn''t want it to go to waste."


    Roman''s expression was nk and void of any emotions, as if he couldn''t feel or sense anything.


    The only reason why Roman had even bothered to keep Julie safe now from the other vampire''s eyes was that she was thatst remaining thread that still connected to his past emotions.


    "Was...was it too painful for her?" Julie''s words were careful. Everything had happened so fast, receiving the news one after another, that she hadn''t found enough time to process things around her.


    The wall that Roman had pulled up in his mind after putting Piper to rest in the casket, he saw glimpses of the vampiress, as if the wall was holding cracks.


    ''Tristan isn''t here,'' came his dull voice from the past.


    ''I know, that¡ªbut wait! Roman, I wanted to ask you something,'' said Piper''s voice in the back of his head. A memory that existed before he or she turned into a vampire.


    ''What?''


    ''Tomorrow is his birthday, do you think he will be able to sneak out for sometime or is his day and night busy?'' asked Piper.


    Roman had given her a hard stare, ''Mother has ns for him. And father wants him to meet the people who work with him, so that Tristan can take up the title in the near future.''


    Piper''s face slightly fell, but she nodded her head with a smile, ''Ah, I see. That''s fine," she waved her hand, and said, ''Thank you for telling me.''


    As Piper took three steps away from him, ready to walk in the direction of her home, Roman called her, ''Lady Piper.'' Piper turned around, wondering if she had forgotten something. He pulled out a card from his coat pocket and offered it to her. ''The celebration starts at six in the evening.''


    Roman remembered the memory, because it was one of the first few times he hade across the vampiress.


    "I think she handled it with grace even though she was in pain," replied Roman, taking another sip from the can before he lowered the can for a moment and brought it back up to his lips to finish it.


    "Is there no way to bring back a dead vampire?" asked Julie, wondering if there was a witch''s book that had spells of secrets.


    "There would be a poption explosion if that were to happen, wouldn''t it?"mented Roman, the outline of his red eyes turning slightly ck, making them look more prominent.


    Julie ced her hand on Roman''s hand, which was on the bed next to her. She curled her fingers so that she could his hand, offering him quietfort.


    "It''s okay if you don''t want to talk about it," said Julie, knowing how painful it was to lose someone dear. When her mother had passed away, all she had done was cry and shut herself in the room, not wanting to talk to anyone. "We can sit here, like this," she offered.


    Unlike the time when they were in his dorm, Roman didn''t seem like he was trying to scare or push her away from him, and it was a silver lining. He stared hard at the wall, silence filling the room once again, but Julie watched him from the corner of her eyes.


    "Do you want my blood..." asked Julie, and Roman''s gaze shifted from the wall, to look at her.


    "As delicious as you are, I like you alive with blood in your body," responded Roman, and Julie noticed the sliver of sadness that passed on his face.

 Chapter 137 - I Am Here For You, You For Me

    <h4>Chapter 137 - I Am Here For You, You For Me</h4>


    Music Rmendation: I know It''s Isn''t love. Nevertheless, ¡ª Ong Sung Eun


    [NOTE: Physical copy giveaway revision:


    Top 10: Hardbound of LTR and slipcase, ''The Crown''s Obsession'' of Vol1 and Vol2, bookmark


    Top 11-40: Softbound of LTR


    A few LTR copies will be handed out to readers out of the list for their support. The list will be taken tomorrow at reset.]


    ¡ª


    Julie saw Roman turned his face away, bringing his hand up, he ran his fingers through his hair as if in frustration. She was d to see that a part of his feelings still remained inside of him, even if it meant that he was hurting now. Seeing him in this state, her heart ached, and she wished she could be more helpful to him.


    But after a person died, there was very little anyone could do but ept the fate handed down to a person.


    "Why do you want me to feel it?" a sigh escaped from Roman''s lips as if he was tired and didn''t want to deal with anything more right now, except for his blood lust.


    "Because it makes you who you are," replied Julie. Letting go of his hand that she was holding until now, she stood up from the bed, and she came to stand right in front of him.


    Roman, who had slightly lowered his head, raised it to meet her eyes, "You''re worrying for no reason, Winters. I am fine."


    But Julie shook her head, "When my mother passed away, I shut myself in the room for hours, days, and I didn''t want anybody''s help. I wanted to be swallowed because I felt there was nothing left for me¡­ people whom I believed in didn''t exist, because my mother''s death was caused by my father. But I slowly started to change, because my mother wouldn''t want me in that miserable state."


    "What makes you think I am miserable?" deadpanned Roman, and Julie bit the inside of her cheek.


    "You shut down your feelings, Rome¡­ It''s okay to mourn, and to feel grief. It is what makes us still alive even if there are some things that tear us down," Julie ced her hands on his shoulders. "You can take as much time as you want, and I will just be here. Right next to you, waiting."


    "And what if I don''t want to? If it ain''t broken then don''t fix it," replied Roman, his cold gaze piercing through her heart, and she tried her best to keep her ground.


    "Why don''t you want to?" Julie''s words were barely above a whisper, and she continued to stare back into his red eyes while the room held a golden glow that spread from the bedsidemp.


    Roman''s lips parted, irritation and anger filled in his eyes, and he took a second before he said, "Because sometimes you get too attached to things or people, and when they are gone, it leaves a void. The void never fills and it leaves a hole of darkness."


    Julie understood what Roman''s words meant. He had lost his biological mother when he was very young, and then he had lost the family who had taken him in. As if that wasn''t enough, he now had lost Piper, the woman who was connected to his brother, someone who had his sibling''s memories.


    She stepped closer and came to stand in between his legs. She circled her arms around him. She knew the pain Roman felt was too deep, and he had buried it. But by doing that, it could suffocate any person¡­ and change that person, just like how Roman was turning into a ripper.


    Julie doubted Roman had turned into aplete ripper, a full-fledged one who goes rampant and kills people on a whim. There was still the old him, the one she had tripped along their path, fallen for him, and he had caught her. Saved her in many ways, and she drew courage from him.


    Roman didn''t move for a few seconds, and when Julie felt like he didn''t want to speak about anything, she was about to step back. But right at that moment, he put his arms around her waist.


    "Don''t move. Stay," said Roman, and Julie smiled.


    "I will always stay," replied Julie, moving her body closer and hugging him while Roman hugged her back.


    To Julie, it was alright if he didn''t want to speak about how he was feeling, but she wouldn''t just stand on the sidelines and watch him go downhill. She wished she could disappear right now, just Roman and her, far away from Donovan. It truly did feel like she was dealing with a jealous mother-inw.


    "She threw up too much blood, she tried to hold on as long as she could," Julie heard Roman speak to her, while they didn''t move away from each other. "I think the gunshot was meant for me, not her."


    Julie''s eyebrows furrowed at this. Someone was aiming to kill Roman tonight?


    "Piper just happened to be standing in front of me, and she kept moving left and right. It must have confused the badgered human hunter. And the bullet hit her," stated Roman, the grip of his hands tightened around her waist, and Julie now understood the weight that he carried in his chest. "She was never meant to die. She was foolish toe and join the mission tonight."


    "She cared about you," whispered Julie, and she ran her hand on the back of his head. "Like you¡­ to her you were thest connection to the memory of the person she treasured. She wanted to be there."


    "Doesn''t make her any less foolish," responded Roman, there was anger beneath the surface of his voice. "I was hoping she would live as long as I did. And I never wanted to be the one to bury her in the casket."


    Julie didn''t protest when Roman buried his face in her waist as if he needed a ce of his own, and she was the ce right now. A safe haven where he could be himself.


    "I am here, Rome, and I will not let you go. No matter what happens or what the future holds, I will continue to stand by next to you," Julie''s words were firm, and the intoxication that she had felt earlier has started to dull down, and she felt more like herself and less impulsive.


    Julie ran her hand over Roman''s head, "She is in a better ce now¡­ Sometimes we miss the ones who have left us, but they are often in a better ce. Peaceful than the time they spent here. Ms. Piper was a woman none of us will ever forget. Her scolding students in the detention room, her being loud while looking at some with annoyance like an older sister. And no one will ever forget the person she was when it came to being fair, and kind. Someone who was filled with life¡­"


    Now that she thought about it, Julie wondered how lonely it must have been for the vampiress to have lived through a life of being a vampire with no one. Even Roman had been woken up only a few years ago, while she was there the entire time Veteris had turned into an education institute.


    "Why are you so sweet," murmured Roman, and there was tenderness in his voice, and it warmed Julie''s heart. As if she was able to see glimpses of the person who he truly was.


    "How can I not be," asked Julie, "You are the only person I have¡­ and can be like this with."


    "Are you not scared that I might kill you? I feel very thirsty, like all I want to do is sink my fangs into a person and drink them until there''s no more to drink. As if there''s a void that I am not able to fill no matter how much I take," confessed Roman, a sigh escaping from his lips. His head felt a little clearer than before, but the ache in his fangs didn''t disappear, and his thirst felt like it had been multiplied.


    "You might drink my blood until the veryst drop in my body¡­ but the way you feel¡­ it won''t disappear. I am here for you, Rome," whispered Julie, and she finally felt Roman pull his head away from her waist that he had earlier buried himself in while the hold around her waist loosened.


    Julie looked down at Roman, noticing him look up at her. Even though Roman had not shed tears, she noticed the rim of his eyes that had turned slightly red over his skin.


    Her hands cupped his face, and she bent towards his face, kissing his lips tenderly. Roman''s eyes closed for a fleeting second before he opened them when she pulled away, to see her brown eyes that stared back at him with faith in him.


    Roman pulled her in his arms that led to Julie sitting on hisp, and he hugged her. Julie hugged him back, putting her arms around him as if, this time, it was her who was being consoled.


    In the span of twenty-four hours, so much had happened, and it felt like they were finally able to breathe. Even if Donovan was somewhere in this building, neither of them cared about it because right now, all that mattered was them being here together with each other.


    Once they had spent enough time, Roman said, "I should get her better flowerster. I think Dante is arranging for a proper goodbye for her."


    "Do you want to attend it?" asked Julie, and she pulled back to meet his eyes again.


    As much as Roman had calmed down, Julie sensed the despair of not being able to do anything. He said, "I frankly don''t want to." But he didn''t stop there and continued, "When my family passed away, I didn''t get to attend their funeral. To say goodbye to them because I was changing into a vampire. Even when my birth mother passed away, I was not allowed to see her onest time. Everything was done in a hurry, to wrap things as quickly as one could and hush that she didn''t exist before orter. I didn''t want to attend before, but I want to be there tomorrow for Piper. It is the least I can do."


    Julie was d to hear it, and she said, "I wille with you. I would like to see her onest time and say my goodbyes to her."


    Roman''s fingers gently rubbed Julie''s back, and he gave her a nod, "She would appreciate that from you."


    His other hand went to hold her hand that was resting on herp. He intertwined his fingers with hers, and Julie felt safe, knowing that there was nothing she had to worry about with Roman next to her. Be it in his ripper or non-ripper form.


    "How do you feel now? Drink the water with the lemon and it will try to tone down the fuzzy feeling you had earlier," said Roman, picking up the bottle from the ground, which Julie had earlier ced.


    He handed it to her, and Julie took a couple of sips, where few drops of water spilt down from the corner of her lips. She raised her hand, reaching for her lips, but Roman was quicker, and he wiped it with his hand.


    "Don''t go drinking things that you don''t know. Some of the liquids are harmful to the witches and though most vampires have forgotten about the existence of the witches, it doesn''t mean your life is free and without any trouble."


    "I didn''t want you harming yourself because of Donovan," replied Julie, feeling his thumb caress the side of her jaw, rubbing it gently, and her heart skipped a beat.


    "Donovan is annoying as fuck, and if you follow him, he will pull you into the pit of hell which would be hard toe out from. He''s just testing me, and let''s try to ignore that he exists," stated Roman, and Julie slightly raised her eyebrows.


    "Is that a possible thing to do?"


    "No, that''s wishful thinking. He''s like an annoying fly that will keep hovering around," said Roman, and he pulled her by her waist, such that Julie nowid her head on his shoulder.


    "Why is he so enthusiastic about having you as a ripper? Isn''t he sufficient to work alone?" asked Julie to Roman, staring at themp on the bedside, where the light reflected on them.


    "He''s a lonely vampire and needs someone to kill time with," Roman rolled his eyes, tucking Julie''s head under his chin. "He wants someone of his own par, to stand next to him. You could say he has high standards when ites to people and he''s annoyingly clingy," a light, frustrated sigh escaped from his lips.


    Turning to her, he kissed the top of her head and said, "You must be sleepy. Do you want to sleep here?"


    Julie shook her head, and she snuggled closer to him, "I don''t want to sleep," she said, even though her eyes were slowly turning heavy. "There was something I wanted to speak to you about before but I didn''t know when to bring it up."


    "What is it about?" asked Roman, running his hand to pet the back of her head.


    She pursed her lips before saying, "It is Evans¡­ The Corvin knows Evans and trusts him."


    "The counsellor of Veteris?" verified Roman, a small frown appearing on his face, and Julie nodded her head.


    "Mm. He had visited the room when I was in the infirmary. I didn''t get to talk to him as Olivia was there, but he seems to know about who I am. I think he has answers," said Julie and the frown on Roman''s face deepened. It was because Evans was a vampire, someone who had been turned at the same time when most of the people from Veteris had been turned. It made him question if they had missed a connection. "Do you think it would be alright to get back to Veteris now?" she asked him.


    "Yeah," replied Roman, and they stood up. "Give me a second," and he turned to the fridge before pulling out the cans and drinking them one after another and Julie''s eyes widened, wondering where the blood was going.


    When Roman drank enough so that he wouldn''t end up drinking or killing anyone in front of Julie, he ced the can and ran his tongue across his lips.


    They left the room, walking down the stairs, and when they reached the ground floor, with the music turning louder and louder, waking Julie out of her possible sleep, she felt Roman slip his hand into hers as if it was something he subconsciously did.


    The wildness in Roman''s eyes hadn''t reduced, and the way he looked at people around him was nothing but of pure annoyance as if they were an eyesore except for the one he held on to.


    They reached where Donovan was sitting with the siblings, and they both looked extremelyfortable, as if something had happened. The Elder vampire had a smile on his face, and he appeared to be rxed as if he was having the best time here.


    "Oh well, you are back, Roman," remarked Donovan, and he looked at Julie, who stood behind Roman. His eyes fell on their hands, and he looked up, "Looks like the lovers quarrel was short lived. And here I thought I would be able to see something interesting."


    "How long are you nning to stay here?" questioned Roman, without looking at the sibling vampires.


    "I haven''t thought about it. Why?" Donovan raised his eyebrows.


    Roman looked at Greysen and said, "Put Donovan''s bill on my tab. I will make the payment," and he then looked at Donovan, "I am bored, we are leaving."


    He didn''t wait for Donovan''s approval and tugged Julie''s hand, pulling her away from the booth and then the crowd before they stepped out of the building. There was still a long line of people outside the building, where vampires and a few humans, who didn''t know about this ce, stood, waiting to get inside the club.


    A person quickly hurried outside from the building, with a note in his hand, and he called, "Mr. Moltenore!"


    Both Roman and Julie turned back and they saw the man jogged towards them.


    "Mr. Donovan sent this one for you," and he handed the note to Roman.


    Roman took it from the person, and the man went back inside the building. When he opened the note and read it, he rolled his eyes.


    "What does it say?" asked Julie.


    "Donovan wants to see how we''ll get back to Veteris without the car because it''s his," he crushed the paper and threw it in the nearby bin, which went perfectly inside it. "Good thing that he is still catching up with the current time."


    They walked to a certain distance before booking a cab and headed back on their way to Veteris. The ride was quiet, where Julie held his hand and her head leaned against his shoulder.


    Julie fell asleep, while Roman looked at the road ahead of him. The color of Roman''s eyes fluctuated between ck and red, as if the ripper traits were trying to push through but after a few seconds, his eyes turned to his usual ck ones.


    When the cab reached Veteris, Roman was about to carry Julie, but she woke up before that. They stepped out of the car, and he offered his hand for her to take.


    While Roman and Julie started to walk, he felt as if someone was watching them.. His eyes quickly moved to catch sight of a woman, standing not too far from the edge of the forest, staring at them with a grim expression on her face before she disappeared as if she was never there.

 Chapter 138 - Something Wrong With Your Heart

    <h4>Chapter 138 - Something Wrong With Your Heart</h4>


    A yawn escaped from Julie''s lips as she walked to her dorm with Roman next to her. She was d to be back, ready to drop in her bed as she couldn''t keep her eyes open any longer. Roman unlocked the door, and she went to sit down on the edge of the bed.


    Roman hadn''t closed the door, and she asked him, "Do you have to go somewhere?"


    "I am going to look for Evans about what he knows. Summon the Corvin if you need to, so that it can watch over you," said Roman.


    "You''re not going to rest?" asked Julie, and a tender look appeared in his eyes.


    Roman walked to where she was, and he sat down on the floor and in front of her on his heels. "I have some things to look after and check. Once I am done with it, I wille back to you, like always."


    Julie nodded her head, her eyes searching for something in his eyes, and when she didn''t find the blood lust as potent as how it was earlier, she said, "Don''t kill anyone..."


    "I won''t kill any undeserving ones," said Roman and Julie pursed her lips.


    "Don''t get caught," Julie knew and understood that in this world in which they were part of, death was inevitable, and one had to do it to protect themselves before someone else would attack them. "Are you doing okay?"


    "Great," responded Roman, and he picked up Julie''s hands in his. "How about yourself? You should drink at least one more ss of water before heading to bed. We don''t know what side effects you might have tomorrow."


    Julie felt Roman graze his thumb across the back of her hand, and that little action was enough to skip her heartbeat.


    She was d to see that Roman was trying to get back to the way he was this morning and not giving in to his ripper tendency. "Everything will be alright, right?" asked Julie, somewhere worried about where Roman was nning to go.


    "Why won''t it be?" asked Roman, gently squeezing her hands before bringing one of them to his lips, and he kissed her fingertips. She felt goosebumps rising on her skin, and they were the good ones, and her cheeks warmed over his actions of treating her like this. "You are here and I am here with you. Isn''t that all that matters?"


    Julie slid away from her bed, and she came to sit in front of him while wounding her hands around him to hug him, and he embraced her. "I cannot help but be worried. Sometimes it feels like everything around us is changing too soon and I have no control over it, as if everything is spiralling," she whispered, and Roman stroked the back of her head. "It feels like it has been years since we... wrote letters to each other."


    Like a decade had passed. Since the Elders'' arrival, everything had gone out of control. Her simple life had only her trying to avoid receiving detention which has been the only problem. She would dly attend detentionpared to dealing with the deaths and the Elder vampires, especially Donovan.


    "I am sorry that I pulled you into something like this," said Roman, a subtle frown appearing on his face as he continued to run his hand on her head.


    Julie shook her head.


    She couldn''t imagine her life without Roman now, knowing how lost and alone she would be. It felt like they were destined to meet each other, and she pulled away from him, and their eyes met.


    "Some things were meant to be¡­"


    "And as bitter as some things are, I wouldn''t have it any other way," remarked Roman, looking at her brown eyes. "Let us go back to how things were before our lives were disrupted by the unwanted guests. Tomorrow morning when you wake up, there will be a letter waiting for you to open." He looked behind her at the window which he was used to opening and leaving her letters. "Just like before."


    He brought his hand to her face and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, and Julie couldn''t help but lean towards his touch. These little things were the ones that brought happiness to her, and she smiled.


    "I will make sure to read and write back to you," replied Julie, and Roman''s lips faintly curled up.


    "I cannot wait for your response," he leaned towards her, pressing his lips on her forehead, and she instinctively closed her eyes. "Get to sleep, my love. There will be a lot of things tomorrow, but we''ll try to solve it together."


    They both stood up, and Julie saw Roman first make his way towards the door. Her heart softly ached because of the distance, but she assured herself it was only for a few hours so that she could rest tonight. Roman didn''t step out of the room. Instead, he closed the door. She was a little surprised when she saw him turn back to look at her.


    "If we are doing things the same way as before," said Roman, looking at her while walking towards the window, "Let me get out of your dorm through the window."


    This increased the smile that was previously present on Julie''s lips. She asked him, "Won''t you get caught by one of the teachers?"


    "They will let me off on mention of Donovan''s name," answered Roman, and he pushed the window ss up. He jumped out of the dorm and then turned back to look at Julie, who now came to the window, and leaned forward to see him.


    "Goodnight, Winters," he wished her.


    "Goodnight, Rome," Julie saw Roman disappear from her sight, and she then closed the window so that she wouldn''t have any unwanted visitors in her room when she was asleep.


    Roman walked on the grounds of Veteris, making his way towards the building where the counsellor''s office was. When he reached the front of the office, the door was locked, and he sensed no one on the other side of the room.


    The corridor was empty as it waste in the night. It was past two in the morning, and he made his way out of the building.


    "Roman," the headmistress called him from the other side, and Roman turned to see the woman walk to where he was. She stared hard at him. "You had recklessly killed a human," a sigh escaped from her lips because she knew what might have forced him to do it.


    "My apologies for it. I will take care of that matter," Roman offered her a slight bow.


    Dante frowned before she said, "You better take responsibility for it. I am not going to sit here and clean up every mess, every single one of you make. Where is Donovan?"


    "In Grimsbane''s club. Drinking," replied Roman, and Dante wasn''t sure if she should be happy that the Elder vampire wasn''t in Veteris or worry that he could bring back more trouble.


    A few seconds of silence filled between them, and Dante finally said, "I am sorry about Piper."


    "Same here," Roman was still not good when it came to handling the grief that he felt after seeing Piper''s life leave her body.


    "The ceremony will be held at seven in the morning, in the cemetery of the forest," Dante informed him, giving him the option to decide if he wanted to attend it, knowing he and Piper were close.


    Roman gave a small nod.


    "I thought you were going to keep Ms. Winters away from Veteris. Do you have faith in that old bat that he won''t cause any trouble?"


    "He''s good at keeping his words, even though most of the time he tries to wiggle his way with other methods. I can handle it," said Roman and Dante nodded her head. She didn''t want any more deaths in the ce, and right now, she wanted to quit working as the headmistress. "There is something I would like to talk to you about, Ms. Dante."


    "What is it?" asked the vampiress, a look of wariness appearing in her eyes. Though Donovan was crazy and unpredictable, Roman was nothing less to the person who had turned him into a vampire.


    Roman looked around the ce to make sure there was no one around to listen to them before he asked her, "Do you know if there were any books or information about the witches in the past?"


    "I have already told you before, everything was burnt down. I heard Castiel speak about Willow Creek, but they haven''t found anything of value. Your best bet is still Donovan," replied Ms. Dante. "If I knew it I would have told you about it by now. Why do you ask?"


    Roman''s lips set themselves in a thin line, where he held a grim expression, "I want you to change the address of Julie''s family in the university''s documents or records. Her parents, her rtives. Whatever is in there."


    "You worry Donovan will go after her family," murmured Ms. Dante, which was a high possibility.


    "No, I don''t want anyone backtracking her from there to here. To find her," said Roman. "Julie has now entered this side of the world, and I don''t want her to get caught in the crossfire even by mistake."


    The vampiress'' eyes narrowed, and she said, "I don''t think I am following you."


    "Do you think she deserves to die?" Roman''s question was blunt, and Ms. Dante wasn''t sure why this sudden question was thrown at her.


    "I don''t think any innocent soul deserves to die. It is just that sometimes we are forced to do it. What are you getting at?"


    "I need your word that you will keep her alive. That you won''t let any harme to befall on her," Roman stared at the woman. "Take her under your wing. You are old enough to sire someone on your side. You don''t have to turn her. I will offer her my protection, but even though the Elder vampires saved Veteris, you are the one who runs this ce."


    Ms. Dante smiled, and she then said, "Are you asking me to adopt Ms. Winters, Roman?"


    "I know you are a smart woman, and you must have already figured something out about her," stated Roman, and the smile on the woman''s lips faltered. "Haven''t you?"


    "Isn''t that one of the reasons why she had run away from Veteris two days ago," replied Ms. Dante, and she said, "I don''t think she needs any kind of protection, Roman. You are more capable than me or the others. After all, it is Donovan''s blood that courses through your veins," as she said this, there was a distant look in her eyes when shepleted her sentence.


    "Everything alright?" questioned Roman, and Ms. Dante looked slightly torn.


    "There has been something bothering me for quite some time now," said Dante, her eyes looking around the ce before she turned back to look at him. "Do you remember how vampires are made?"


    "Isn''t it the basic subject that we are studying here? For us vampires to know about it," questioned Roman, his eyes holding mild curiosity over her words.


    "But not everything is put into the sybus, to make us understand and give the answers to our questions," said Ms. Dante. There was something that had been bothering her since she had tried to try to understand herself when it came to vampires thoroughly, but something just didn''t fit in the right. "How deep was your wound when you were a human? Do you remember it?"


    "Because remembering how much your chest has been opened up is the priority when you are dying," deadpanned Roman.


    "I am serious," said the headmistress, who was looking for answers.


    "It was quite deep and Donovan never bit me, he directly poured his blood which reached my heart faster before I could pass out," responded Roman. For a moment, both of them paused speaking when one of the staff, who was making rounds, caught sight of the two people there.


    "Everything alright, Ms. Dante?" asked the person, and she nodded her head.


    "Take a look on the West side of the restricted area of the forest. Check if you see anyone roaming around near the road," ordered Ms. Dante, and the person nodded before he left the ce.


    Once the person was out of sight, Dante got back to the subject, and she asked Roman, "Do you remember what Luciano said when you hadpletely transformed into a vampire?"


    "That I was dead. Yeah, I remember that," said Roman, remembering the old days when he and Donovan had gone hunting for food, and he had surpassed everyone''s expectations. He knew somewhere Luciano regretted his decision of having to pick a weaker vampire like Griffin whenpared to him.


    "Luciano said he didn''t feel anyone''s heartbeat when he came to check the Moltenore''s mansion. With the number of people who had died, he had checked every single one of them and that included you Roman," said Ms. Dante with a serious look on her face. "You didn''t have a heartbeat when he was there."


    "The vampire whom I fought, his blood must have probably entered and mixed in my system before I fainted. Isn''t that how the transformation usually takes ce?" said Roman. The night his family and the town had been massacred, one of the vampires had run his hand into his stomach, which was the reason why he had passed out in the first ce.


    "No, Roman. Vampires need actual blood to be running in the right ce in the body. You know about it better than anyone else," Ms. Dante had this doubt for a long time, and she had been keeping a close watch on Roman, knowing he wasn''t like other vampires. "You were dead and then alive, being pulled to the building which is now the library. Fighting the human hunters who hade to kill the vampires. This dead and alive and dead.... it isn''t normal."


    "Are you telling me that I am some God''s child to be saved, Dante?" questioned Roman. Truthfully, that night he had been filled with nothing but pain, seeing the people he cared about die in front of his eyes, and everything else had gone non-existent.


    "I have a theory."


    "Go ahead."


    "What Donovan had done is probably kickstart something dormant. That you possibly consumed some kind of vampire blood or already had it in you," exined Ms. Dante, knowing it would sound absurd the first time, but if thought carefully, it was possible.


    "I am the son of Lord Malcolm Moltenore and Lena ckburn. Neither of them were vampires, pure one hundred percent humans. And I have already verified it," exined Roman, and he put his hands in his pockets. "The Moltenore''s mansion didn''t serve any vampire blood in there. If they did, my family would still be alive, Dante."


    "I am very much aware of it, Roman. But how you had turned and your condition of beating heart where you stand out from the rest of us, makes one question about what exactly had happened to you that night of the town''s massacre," the vampiress exhaled before saying, "I believe you are much stronger than anyone else in Veteris, maybe as strong as the Elders, which you are already aware of. I can see that in your eyes...If it makes you still feel that Julianne might need me, I will talk to her."


    Roman gave her a nod, "Thanks for that."


    "No problem. It''s what we got to do when ites to handling insolent vampires,"mented Dante.


    "Who are these insolent vampires?" came the question not too far away from them, and when they turned, they saw it was Castiel.


    "I should probably leave. I have other things to do," stated Roman to Dante, giving a slight nod to Castiel before leaving the ce.


    Castile had a pleasant look on his face, and he stared at Roman''s back, "Seems like he''s in a much better condition than from what I heard."


    "So far, yes," replied Ms. Dante and Castiel''s gaze shifted from Roman to look at the vampiress, who had a slightly worried look on her face. Then she asked him, "Did you find anything about Willow Creek?"


    "Nothing so far. It is as nk as it was years ago with no trace. Remy and Luciano went to take a look at the ce, but I doubt they know where to even begin," replied Castiel before he asked, "What were you talking to Roman about?"


    "He worries for the girl. Donovan is sly, and overbearing," replied Dante, her own eyes holding annoyance. "He wants me to take her under my wing."


    "But that''s not possible, is it now? The rules of the vampires clearly states that an average vampire cannot take in another vampire or human to give protection. Unless you want to do it the human way, adoption was it?" questioned Castiel, the tone of his voice calm.


    "I will figure something out," sighed Dante. "I should go get some rest. I will see you tomorrow."


    Dante took four steps when Castiel called her, "Eloise." She turned back to look at him with a questioning look. "Would you like to have a drink with me?" As warm as his features appeared to be for a vampire, the look in his eyes was cold, and it was something the vampiress noticed the first time her eyes had fallen on him. "It has been many years now, and we both are vampires. Things have changed."


    The vampires smiled, "Nothing has changed, Castiel. It''s still the same. Thank you for the invite, but I am too tired today. Goodnight," saying this, she walked away from there.


    Castiel stood there in the same ce, watching the woman, who once stole his heart before disappearing from his eyes, only to find her married to someone elseter on. It was true, thought the Elder vampire in his mind. Eloise Dante had not changed one bit after her heart had frozen.


    Hearing the sound of the vehicle, he turned his head and noticed the limousine that came to a stop in front of the building. The driver hurriedly stepped out and opened the door, and Donovan came out wearing his expensive furry coat.


    "What are you doing standing there, Castiel?" questioned Donovan, whose eyes were quick to fall on Castiel. "Did Eloise perhaps ask you to stand here to guard the ce as punishment? That''s one way to earn a woman''s affection."


    Castiel barely seemed fazed by Donovan''s teasing words, and he said, "Looks like you had quite an evening."


    "Mm, I wouldn''t say that. I took Roman along with me to cheer him up, but he was too intent on bringing the little one with him. Seems like a hard thing to keep away from the girl where the toy can be broken anytime," hummed Donovan, and he smiled back at Castiel. "Children these days are too hard on their parents."


    Castiel shook his head, "I can tell you take being Roman''s maker very seriously. His ripper side is fluctuating."


    "It is now, but it will eventually settle on one side,"mented Donovan, who didn''t look bothered if Roman was going to turn into a ripper or stay as a vampire. "He was built differently. Did Evans find anything from the morm yet?" questioned Donovan, the smile lowering from his face.


    "Nothing so far. The morm is still unconscious and is useless at this time," replied Castiel. "Do you think we know the person who has hands in this?"


    "There aren''t many who know that we were here, and if there''s anyone, they are the people who once used to be our ally and have now turned into enemies," stated Donovan. He straightened his coat, and as if finding a speck of dust, he tried to dust it away with his hand. "Morms mixing with humans and vampires has always been an issue."


    Away from the centre of the Veteris campus, Roman made his way through the forest beforeing to the dungeon, where Evans was with Dennis. Stepping inside, he noticed Evans, who stood in front of the cell.


    "Are you here for Dennis, Roman?" questioned Evans before he turned around and asked, "Or are you here to see me?" there was a smile on his face.

 Chapter 139 - A Walk With The Witch

    <h4>Chapter 139 - A Walk With The Witch</h4>


    "Julie told me you knew about her and the Corvin," said Roman, making his way to where the vampire stood.


    Mr. Evans had a simple smile on his lips, but seeing his smile, one could easily tell that he knew more than what he had led other people to believe. "I expected that she would mention it to you. Where is she? Even after you have started turning into a ripper, I am hoping she''s still alive."


    Roman would have never guessed that Mr. Evans, the counsellor of the Veteris, was aware of Julie''s lineage. No one knew anything about Julie''s background, and it made him question how far and how much Evans knew about witches. There had always been a doubt in his mind about how Evans had ended up in their town. It was because he had never seen the man before him being turned into a vampire. The most information he had gotten was that Evans was a traveller and just came to visit the town but had ended up in the crossfire of the fight between the humans and the vampires.


    Before Mr. Evans could say anything, Roman raised his hand to stop the vampire from speaking. His eyes briefly took in Dennis''s body, who was tied to a chair inside the cell.


    He walked to the door in front of the cell, unlocking it before he stepped inside where Dennis was. He came to stand in front of the morm, lifting the person''s head upwards, and said, "You might be good at faking your consciousness to others, but don''t think I wouldn''t notice it."


    Roman raised his hand and punched right at the morm''s face, and Dennis'' face scrunched itself in pain.


    "I thought you were also one of the foolish ones in here like the others, who would not notice it, Moltenore," muttered Dennis under his breath, while feeling as if his skull had been dropped on the ground and was split open because of the pain he felt. "Keep on hitting me and you will only get into much more trouble. Not just you, but everyone in Veteris."


    "Threats like those don''t scare me, Mcoy. You should know that better," said Roman, and he raised his hand again, turning it into a fist before he dropped another punch right across the person''s head, knocking him to the ground along with the chair he had been tied into.


    "I must tell, Moltenore, your hearing ability seems to have gotten quite better," Mr. Evans'' words sounded slightly impressed, while the expression on his face remained unfazed. "Is it because of the ripper characteristics?"


    "Probably," replied Roman, and he turned to look at the counsellor and asked, "How do you know about Julie? I thought you were eagerly looking forward to waking up the Elders, while knowing how much they hate the witches and the humans for that matter."


    Roman stepped out of the cell, and Mr. Evans said, "Don''t be impulsive, Moltenore. You should know by now that we both expect nothing but the best for Julianne. Where is she?"


    "In the dorm. Resting," replied Roman, and Mr. Evans nodded his head.


    "That exins why the Corvin had disappeared so quickly from the shadows. I didn''t know that she had told you about what she was, or if she knew about the vampire''s existence," Mr. Evans'' lips twitched, and his eyes looked clearer than before.


    With Dennis, who was knocked unconscious, it was just Roman and Mr. Evans in the dungeon. But Roman heard something crackle behind him, and he noticed the shadow that spread on the ground. He turned around, and he saw the woman whom he had seen earlier near the forest.


    "It was you," remarked Roman.


    Her dark brown hair had been tied into a bun with a middle partition of her hair. Her features were serene and calm, while her eyes looked brighter than the me of the torches fixed on the walls.


    "I wasn''t sure if what I saw was right or if I wanted to see, but I had decided toe and pay a visit again. More properly," said the woman, who wore clothes that looked nothing to this time of the decade.


    Roman stared at the woman for a few seconds before he said, "Opaline La Fay."


    "This is the young vampire whom I was talking about, Lady La Fay. Roman Moltenore," informed Sullivan, and the witch nodded her head.


    The woman stared back at Roman. A faint smile appeared on her lips, and she said, "It''s good to know that some vampires are smart, but it should be expected for who you are, Roman. I saw you were with Julianne before. Don''t you know that vampires and witches don''t get along? We are nothing less to sworn enemies."


    "I thought it was only in the past and things have already changed now," responded Roman, his eyes fixed on the woman in front of him.


    The witch smiled, stepping away from the shadows, which left a slight mist behind her. She said, "I think that depends on what your answer to my question will be, Mr. Moltenore. What''s your rtionship with Julianne?" she questioned him.


    "What''s your rtionship with her?" asked Roman, knowing that Julie was probably rted to this woman as a descendant. But he didn''t understand what she was doing here now. If his memory served him right, she was killed along with the rest of her family members when the curse fell on Willow Creek.


    "You will need to answer my question first before getting an answer from me. Don''t you know the rules of trade?" asked Opaline, her eyes slightly narrowing at the vampire.


    She had never been fond of vampires because of their greed, and this was clearly changing into something else. "I learned to not give away any information freely to anyone. You never know what it will be used for," Roman returned Opaline''s question, and there was a curious look in her eyes. Then he said, "She''s important to me. If that is what you wanted to know. I hope you aren''t here like the Corvin, who wants to keep her away from me."


    Opaline slightly furrowed her eyebrows, and her lips were set into thin lines as she weighed the vampire''s words.


    "Would you give up your own life to protect her?" questioned Opaline, and this time it was Roman who smiled.


    "What do you think?"


    Opaline finally said, "Julianne is my youngest child. My daughter, and I won''t allow a vampire to get close to her if I sense even a speck of doubt or ill intention."


    "Julie''s mother is already dead," replied Roman, not knowing what this witch was talking about.


    "She was only a surrogate to Julie, just a vessel and nothing more than that," replied Opaline.


    "Exin it to me," said Roman, and Opaline, who had pursed her lips, said,


    "Julie holds simr powers as me, being my youngest child, I had carried her for a longer time than the rest of them. So that I could protect her and make sure no harm would evere to fall on her. Recently, she sent a girl back to the time when I was still carrying her in my stomach," stated Opaline and this time, it was Roman who furrowed his eyebrows.


    "Natalie," he murmured.


    "Yes, that''s the girl. I believe it was unintentional, and she didn''t expect for it to happen. I sent Natalie back to another time, simr to how I had sent Sullivan to the time when your town was having a massacre," said Opaline, her eyes shifted to look at Sullivan, who stood a few steps behind Roman. "I have visited Sullivan twice now, this being the second time, and I wanted to see my daughter."


    Roman took more than a couple of seconds to wrap his head around this matter where Julie''s real mother was the powerful witch, Opaline La Fay, while Natalie was her surrogate mother. The same girl who had tried to hit on him and who had made Julie''s life miserable.


    "I had to make sure Sullivan would not bete when it came to waking up the Elder vampires," stated the woman and Roman''s eyes narrowed.


    "And why would you try to wake up the creatures that you aren''t particrly fond of?" asked Roman, his head tilting to the side.


    "I am not particrly fond of them, but I am worried about people going after Julianne for their benefit. I havee ahead of my own time, while learning I will be killed soon," replied Opaline, and she turned her head to look in the direction of the passage which led towards the outside of the dungeon.


    "Why didn''t you take your family and move to another ce, when you already know that your family was about to be beheaded or set on fire," remarked Roman.


    Opaline shook her head, "That''s not how it works. Though there are some things that can be manipted, there are some that are out of our control, Mr. Moltenore. Time is a tricky subject that cannot be yed with by anyone. Sometimes it causes more than an imbnce and destruction. Like a butterfly effect that doesn''t know that it has the ability to create a tornado. We witches, we are not allowed to y with time, because it changes a lot of things, and it only brings us destruction."


    "You said you are worried that people are going to target Julie. Do you know who they are?" questioned Roman.


    "There are a few vampires who have always wanted to gain more abilities than what they already have. To level higher from the rest so that they can dominate thends and more control," exined Opaline, "Thest vampire who was in Willow Creek, it was Enoch. I don''t know what exactly he was looking for, because he could have made an alliance with us witches, like how many other vampires had done, but for some reason he believed that killing my family was the right thing to do."


    "From the days that I have counted and reconfirmed, the deaths isn''t too far," said Mr. Evans, and Roman frowned.


    "What does Julie have to do with all these things apart from her being your daughter?" questioned Roman.


    "Everything," said Opaline. "The Corvin have mentioned that you and Julie have already been there, near Willow Creek. She''s the key to open it. There are things in there that belonged to the witches and her power lies in there. I took away most of her abilities, but it seems like every time Willow Creek makes its appearance, some essense leaks out and reaches to her."


    "Do you n to meet and talk to her?" questioned Roman because he knows this was something Julie would like, but he didn''t know if Opaline was looking forward to it.


    Opaline shook her head, "I think it would be best if we don''t meet." For a mother, who had sent her daughter to the future, and who had not been able to see her daughter grow up, she seemed quite level-headed.


    "I am not sure if I will being here again to talk to you or to Sullivan, but if you have any questions, you can ask him. He knows most of it and also," the witch paused for a moment, and she said, "I am entrusting my daughter in your hands, Mr. Moltenore. I have seen how you didn''t sink your teeth into her even though I could sense your raging thirst for blood."


    "You seem to know quite a lot of things," remarked Roman, and a faint smile appeared on the witch''s face.


    "It must be because of the years I have spent studying about vampires," replied Opaline, then she said, "You seem to be in a bad condition."


    "It was because of the Silverbullet. Nothing that won''t pass," said Roman in his nonchnt tone, but Opaline didn''t seem convinced as she stared at him.


    "Do you care to join me out on a walk, Mr. Moltenore?" asked the woman, and Roman faintly realized how she would be his future mother-inw.


    "Sure."


    "Good job, Sullivan. I hope to see you again someday," said Opaline, and she received a bow from Mr. Evans.


    "It has always been a pleasure to serve you," said Mr. Evans, while Opaline and Roman made their way out of the dungeon.


    The night was cold, the fog around the dungeon and around the grounds of the forest had increased, making it look like there were clouds in here. Roman quickly took a look around them to make sure no one was lurking before he joined the witch, walking next to her.


    "What did you want to talk about?" questioned Roman, his voice was steady, but his fangs had started to ache. He bit into the inside of his cheek to draw blood, feeling the pain that spread across his cheek for a moment to distract him.


    "Your heart. It is different," stated Opaline, her long gown sweeping across the little twigs and leaves with her.


    "Looks like everyone is interested in my heart today," murmured Roman under his breath with one corner of his lips that had quirked up. "I was turned differently."


    "How so?" questioned Opaline, her head turning to meet Roman''s bright red eyes.


    "I was attacked first and then my maker poured his blood directly into my heart," answered Roman, without going too deep to exin it.


    A frown appeared on the witch''s face as if she was thinking about something too deeply, "I don''t think I have ever encountered this before. Did your maker ever try to turn anyone else before that?"


    "He''s picky. I would have been happier if he could, at least I would get him off my back,"mented Roman, hoping Donovan would stay in the club forever and never return to Veteris. But then, it was only his wishful thinking.


    Opaline stopped walking, and she then turned to face Roman. She said, "You wouldn''t mind if I checked something, would you?" Her hand raised up to his chest, beneath where his heart continued to beat slowly.


    A white light appeared from her hand, glowing the ce around them, and she quickly snapped out of it, and the light disappeared. She then looked up at him, "You are different. It looks like your heart has been corrupted for quite some time now. And it isn''t something that happened recently. Like years ago, and the corruption, which is like ck threads, inking your heart has wrapped itself around you. Who is your maker?"


    "Azazel Donovan," replied Roman and Opaline''s face turned a little serious.


    "I see, he''s still around..."


    "What does the different coloured light mean? Julie has a light blue light when she does something," stated Roman and Opaline smiled at his words.


    She shook her head, "It isn''t of much difference. Every time I carried a child, I drank a potion, just to make sure they could digest and protect themselves when the time would be right. But I don''t think it worked. My other daughters and sons, I had to take their powers away, just so that they could grow up normally. But I don''t think witches could ever live normally. The vampires will either use you or kill you. That''s how it has been. I drank the sapphire for far too long to keep Julie in my womb and to dy her froming out quickly."


    Roman would have urged Opaline to escape with her family from Willow Creek, but that would change every event, not just for Julie but for him and the people who were connected to each other.


    "If Natalie and Dous weren''t her parents, and you are her mother, who is her father?" questioned Roman. If Julie wasn''t going to get the chance to meet this woman, he thought he would just ask the questions on behalf of her.


    Opaline didn''t answer Roman''s question, and she stared at him, her eyes slowly averting to look in one direction of the forest.


    "Maybe some other day, if time ever allows," she said, and she continued to walk like a ghost, where Roman apanied her.


    "Before I leave, I would like to thank you. I heard from Sullivan that you have been taking care of her. It seems like I can leave this ce in peace and have less to worry about what her future might hold. All the answers she''s looking for are right at her reach."


    They took the inner route of the forest, which the other patrollers of the night weren''t aware of, and it made it easier to speak to the woman.


    "It is pitiful that I couldn''t see my daughters married, with no grandchildren or my sons too. I had a very different life and most of them have different fathers," confessed Opaline and Roman''s eyebrows subtly raised.


    "Looks like you spent your youth well, Lady Opaline La Fay," remarked Roman, and the woman''s lips twitched.


    "One does what one has to do to survive," replied Opaline, and she held the sides of her dress so that she could walk freely and step forward. "We witches lived our lives better than the humans, and I hold no regrets over my actions."


    "You know who Julie''s father is though," Roman''s words were neither a question nor a statement.


    "I do," her eyes held a distant look in them, and she said, "Some love is hard to let go and at the same time, not meant to be. What happened tonight to get your vampire side to snap further? If you weren''t corrupted earlier where your heart has slowly gotten used to it, which is one of the reasons you might suffer from constant thirst for blood, then you might have turned to something worse. If it were so, I would have killed you myself so that my daughter doesn''t die in your hands."


    They then entered the cemetery where the deadid, resting in their graves. The witches continued to walk while Roman''s footsteps slowed down as he had been here a few hours ago.


    "Who died?" asked Opaline, turning behind, her eyes met Roman''s eyes.


    "Everyone dies."


    "They do¡­ but something seems very odd. Like someone is alive in here," murmured the witch, looking around the grave, and it took a second for Roman to remember that one of Griffin and Mateo''s friends had been put back into the casket, which waster locked.


    "You can leave the person be. He''s more useful with him inside the casket than outside," responded Roman in a dead tone, and Opaline looked in the direction of a particr casket.


    "Looks like you hold very littlepassion towards people."


    "He wanted to expose and kill Julie," stated Roman and Opaline''s expression turned grim.


    "I guess as he''s a vampire he should be able to survive," came Opaline''s change of words as this was regarding her only surviving daughter in the future. "I can smell death sometimes, Mr. Moltenore."


    "You can call me Roman," said Roman and Opaline gave him a nod.


    "I smell the fresh death, and it is," Opaline walked until she came to stand in front of Piper''s grave. "Here. I am sorry about it."


    As if sensing someone was about toe, Opaline said, "It was good to meet and know you for these few minutes, Roman. Let Julie not know the truth now, I know she will be confused and consider everything to be a lie of what she has lived until now. Her memory of the grown up Natalie as her mother is more important than me."


    Roman stared at the woman, "It was a pleasure talking to you too, Lady Opaline La Fay. I promise to keep her safe."


    "I know you will," replied Opaline, and her hands reached for something around her neck before she unhooked the chain and handed it to Roman. "Let this be something of mine, that she can keep with her as long as she wants to."


    He took the thin silver like a chain with a sapphire stone in it, slipping it into his pocket.


    Opaline then raised her hand and waved her next to her, which created a slight change in the medium, as if the air had turned into water.. With onest look, she stepped back inside the portal, and Roman stood alone in the cemetery.

 Chapter 140 - Opening Of The Mist

    <h4>Chapter 140 - Opening Of The Mist</h4>


    Roman stood in the middle of the cemetery, amid the graves of the dead, and soon he noticed one of the staff of Veteris headed towards where he stood. It was Mr. Borell, and he walked with his back straightened and his chin slightly lifted up.


    "Moltenore," said Mr. Borrell on seeing Roman standing a few steps away from Piper Martin''s grave. "I didn''t see you after you had left the forest with Maximus and Piper."


    "I thought to spend some time away from people," replied Roman, and he noticed the bottle in the vampire''s hand. "Is that for Piper?"


    Mr. Borrell nodded his head, "Yes. Dante wanted to rebury Piper in a few hours from now."


    "I heard," said Roman and he stepped back while Mr. Borrell bent down in front of Piper''s grave and pushed the lid away from the cemented lid. Roman watched the vampire pull open the lid of the bottle and then before pouring the liquid into Piper''s mouth, where her face had turned hollowed as if her body had been immensely dehydrated.


    Roman didn''t look at her for more than a second and he looked away, looking in the direction from where Borrell had walked in earlier.


    He could feel his heart ache and pull, as if the corruption was trying to squeeze his heart while he tried to take deep breaths. Once Mr. Borrell was done, Piper''s body appeared to be more human and less like the corpse she had turned into because of the bullet that had passed through her chest.


    Roman didn''t stay around and he walked away from there, making his way to Julie''s dorm. When he reached there, she was fast asleep while the Corvin stood on the other side of the room.


    Seeing Roman inside the room, the Corvin disappeared instantly, giving them the space they needed in each other''spany. He walked to where Julie was lying on one side of her body. Removing his shoes, he climbed on the bed andid next to her, putting his hand around her waist while pulling her back snuggly at him.


    A sigh escaped from Julie''s lips as if she was half awake and she murmured, "You''re back."


    "I said I would," Roman whispered into the crook of her neck.


    He couldn''t help but think about the witch, whom he had met a while ago. To think that he had met Julie''s mother, where Julie had no clue about. Opaline La Fay turned outpletely different from what he had expected her to be. From what he had heard, witches were often perceived to be as cruel and selfish as the vampires. It was said that they used their beauty to trick men and women, to aplish their work, and when the time was right, they killed the very same people to remove any evidence.


    But Julie''s mother seemed to be way ahead of her time. Unlike the one who was in his arms now, pressing her back closely into his chest as if not wanting to leave even a small gap between them. This one was shy and sweet, while Opaline looked like someone who had experienced everything that she could before her death.


    "I thought you were fast asleep. Have you been awake all this time?"


    "I don''t know," murmured Julie, turning around in his arms, with her eyes slightly parted as it was still heavy with sleep, but she tried to keep herself awake. "I guess I just hoped to not fall asleep out of worry."


    "And what is it, that had kept you awake," he asked her, gently caressing her cheek with his finger before pushing her hair away from her face, that she hadn''t bothered to tie. "Are you worried that something bad will happen again?"


    Julie didn''t speak right away, and before Roman would misunderstand her silence, she said, "It''s not that." She paused for a moment before she said, "It''s just that there have been so many deaths within just one week. I worry that... there will be more deaths in theing days." First it was Reese, then it was Keith, and now it was Ms. Piper and they have no idea what else was going to happen.


    "The world''s burden doesn''t rest on your shoulders, Winters," said Roman, taking her in his arms, and he gently rubbed her back. "There are some things, even if we want to, we can''t do anything about it, because it is out of our control. But for the things that are under our control, we should take one step at a time, rather than taking a huge leap."


    Julie knew Roman would be there for her and it gave her the assurance to close her eyes without having to worry if someone woulde to do anything and cause harm.


    "Sleep now. I will be here until you need me," said Roman and Julie nodded her head, feeling him pressing his lips against her forehead.


    "Do you ever dream of anything?" asked Julie, instead of sleeping.


    "Sometimes," replied Roman. He tucked her under his chin, "I don''t think it would be right to call it as dreams, but sometimes, I like to think back about my past, and it probably turns into a possible memory that could have happened."


    "Like Tristan and Piper''s wedding?" Julie''s voice was small and Roman hummed, his chest vibrating because of the sound.


    "Yeah, something like that. But as much as I want people to find their peace, I realized things wouldn''t be the same as now. I might have probablyid like this now in the room," said Roman, pulling her closer to him. "All by myself and a memory you wouldn''t have known."


    Julie''s hand gently curled around his shirt, into a loose fist as if not wanting to let go of him and she slowly drifted to sleep.


    When morning arrived, Julie woke up by herself where Roman was long gone. The gentle rays of sunlight passed through the cracks of the curtain. A letterid next to the window, when she pushed the curtain and she picked it up, that read¡ª


    ''I am going to visit the dungeon to see if everything is alright and I set the rm for you. If you still n to join me and the others at the cemetery.''


    A smile appeared on her lips, and she folded the letter before cing it on the table. She saw her phone that was on the table, and just when she reached for it, it started to beep. Turning the rm off, Julie got ready so that she could attend the funeral. Wearing an all ck attire, she left the Dormitorium.


    When she reached the cemetery of Veteris, which was hidden from the regr students, she noticed some of the people were already present there. Like the headmistress, the counsellor, physician, and Mr. Borrell. Apart from them stood Roman and his friends, and the only Elders present there were Remy Oscar and Castiel Marudas.


    Mr. Borrell''s eyes narrowed on seeing Julie, wondering what she was doing here. "Students are not supposed to step on the restricted side of the forest, Ms. Winters."


    "That''s alright, Borrell," said Ms. Dante and the vampire turned to look at the vampiress with a slight frown on his face. "Let her pass."


    Julie quietly walked towards where Roman was,ing to stand next to him, while she felt everyone''s gaze momentarily shift to look at her. The priest had been called, who carried a book in his hand, while everyone was dressed in ck. She noticed Piper, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully and she had been dressed in a presentable manner.


    It felt unbelievable to think that Piper was gone. Because somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear the woman''s voice, scolding the students around her. She hoped wherever Piper was, she was happier than now. The casket was ced in its assigned ce and soon the lid was closed before everyone came forward to quietly grieve and ce flowers.


    Roman pulled Julie closer, kissing the side of her temple before hugging her as if silently telling her that he couldn''t afford losing her.


    "Did you find out anything from the boy, Evans?" Ms. Dante questioned Mr. Evans, who was talking to Isolde.


    "He seemed very unwilling to reveal any information, but I was able to get a name out of his mouth," replied Mr. Evans and Ms. Dante raised her eyebrows.


    "And that is?"


    "Mortimer," replied Mr. Evans and Dante frowned.


    "I don''t think the name has evere up before," remarked Dante.


    "Actually it has," came the response from Castiel, who had subtly eavesdropped on their little conversation. "Mortimer was one of the first few original vampires like ourselves."


    "So we have vampires trying to collude with morms and trying to set us on fire or on the map with the hunters?" questioned Dante, her lips setting themselves in a thin line. "What would he probably want? Did something happen in the past?" her voice had lowered, while they stood on one side and the younger vampires stood on the other side.


    "There was some feud between Mortimer and Azazel. Though I don''t know about what exactly it was," exined Castiel.


    "Why am I not surprised that it has something to do with Donovan," Dante clicked her tongue, looking in the other direction before she turned back to look at Castiel. "So this Mortimer can try to drop a word with the hunters anytime and burn the entire Veteris down."


    "If he wanted to do it, he would have done it a long time ago, Eloise," stated Remy, thezy look in his eyes didn''t leave. "Mortimer will look at the gains and try to use Veteris for his own good. Using something that someone had built, thend of Veteris connects to Willow Creek and it is quite resourceful to bring it to a hunter''s radar. It would be best to know his locations and try to disappear the feud that pulled people who were not into it."


    "I don''t think Donovan would go to speak to the man. He would prefer Mortimer toe to him, than the other way round," remarked Castiel, "But let me go and talk to him."


    Dante nodded her head, "Borrell, you can try to run traces if we find this person named Mortimer."


    "Why not ask this boy who is in the dungeon?" questioned Mr. Borrell, as it seemed the easiest thing to do.


    The counsellor spoke, "He doesn''t know. The morms would not know about such crucial information of where the puppeteer is."


    Away from them, Julie stood next to Roman, and he slipped his hand into hers before asking, "You okay?" It was because she had been extremely quiet.


    Julie nodded her head, "Yeah, I am okay. You?"


    Roman nodded, "I am okay."


    Julie''s eyes moved to look at the others, where Roman''s friends had cold expressions on their faces, sad for the woman''s death. Maximus rubbed Olivia''s arm, while he hugged her.


    "Come let us walk," said Roman, and he tugged her hand so that she would follow him, and he did without exchanging another word.


    When the couple left, Victoria questioned, "I thought humans were not supposed to step into this part of the forest."


    "Eventually, she will be turning into a vampire,"mented Simon and Maximus nodded his head. "She''s with Roman now, and there''s no going back."


    Roman and Julie walked past the trees in silence, and he led her towards the East side of Veteris to get some peace from others. "There is something I would like to tell you about, Winters."


    Julie''s eyebrows slightly furrowed and she asked, "What is it about?"


    "If you had information about me, and you are not supposed to speak about it with me. What would you do?" questioned Roman. "Something that might change and affect people. One point you want to tell because you believe you deserve it, but another side you don''t want to. Because you know it will hurt me."


    "What kind of truth?" asked Julie, a little worried.


    Roman''s lips pursed and he pulled out the silver chain with sapphire pendant hanging from it, "I was told to give this to you."


    When Julie touched the chain and then the pendant, the stone turned nothing less to a mist as if her skin breathed it inside her. "W-what was that?" she asked with a startled expression. Her gaze moved back to look at Roman, "Who gave it to you?"


    "Your mother," replied Roman, not wanting to hide things from Julie, while also knowing neither of them would try to alter things.


    Julie shook her head as if trying to wrap her mind around what Roman just said, "My mother? You saw her?"


    Roman gave her a nod, "I met her a few hours ago."


    There was a sense of relief in Julie''s eyes and also eagerness of wanting to meet her mother. She looked left and right, wondering if her mother would show up any moment now. But there was no one but them on this side of the woods.


    "Where is she?" Julie asked anxiously.


    "She left," replied Roman and a frown appeared on Julie''s face. "Her time was limited, and she wanted me to give this to you."


    Julie looked down at the chain in her hand, and she ran her fingers across it. She regretted sleeping now, wishing she wasn''t that exhausted to miss her mother.


    "Is she okay? Was it her ghost?" questions popped up in her mind and Roman could tell that the dream that Julie had built about her surrogate mother would break if he uttered one word about it.


    "No," replied Roman, taking the chain in her hand and then putting it around her neck before letting it rest there. "She came from the past. From the beginning and wanted to make sure you were safe. Don''t be sad about it, she said it was for the best."


    Julie nodded her head, a sigh escaping her lips and she then asked, "How did you find her? What did you both speak?"


    Roman offered a faint smile, "She was worried about her adorable daughter. If you were safe and noticed you are in a vampire''spany. She wanted to make sure no harm woulde to you." He paused for a moment and then said, "She was nothing like I imagined her to be."


    A smile appeared on Julie''s lips and she said, "Yeah, mother is very kind and sweet. She was always polite to people and would never hurt anyone."


    Hearing Julie speak fondly of the person, who in truth was not her mother, Roman didn''t know how to take it but notment on it. That the mother who was beloved to her, it was the same person who had turned her life a living hell beforeing to Veteris. How ironic, thought Roman to himself.


    While they continued to walk and speak, Roman raised his hand in front of her to stop her from walking further. "The fog," said Roman and for a moment, Julie didn''t notice what he meant, but soon a mist-like fog started to crawl on the ground of the forest and the air suddenly appeared to look thicker.


    "What''s going on?" asked Julie, feeling the temperature drop and a shiver ran down her body.


    "It''s the pendant that mingled with you. It must have caused some sort of a reaction," said Roman, his eyes suddenly switched from ck to red.


    "I am hearing something creepy, Rome," said Julie, moving closer to him as the fog got too much and she heard whispering that was faint, but it was getting louder.


    "Stay close, Winters. Where are you?" he asked her, and Julie turned around, as if realizing his voice suddenly turned distant. She noticed she was standing next to a tree and she said,


    "I am still here. I think there''s something in the fog," Julie let him know.


    "Stand where you are," said Roman, "I am getting there."


    But even though Julie''s voice sounded as if she was right next to him, she wasn''t there. There was nothing but an empty spot. Not having the patience, Roman brought his hand forward, where the ball of me increased as if it was ready to burn down this side of the forest.


    When the me increased, the fog around him reduced, as if making way for him to look around, and his eyes finally fell on where Julie was.


    "Rome!"


    But Julie wasn''t standing anywhere close to him, but on the other side of the bridge.. Before either of them could cross to the other side of the bridge, the bridge disappeared along with Julie.

 Chapter 141 - Ghosts Of Willow Creek

    <h4>Chapter 141 - Ghosts Of Willow Creek</h4>


    Before Julie knew it, the bridge in front of her disappeared, and her mouth was left hung open. "Where did the bridge go?!" she muttered under her breath, and she quickly tried to look for it by walking straight ahead of her. But the more steps she took, she was greeted with nothing but more trees.


    "You must be kidding me," said Julie, turning behind her, where there was still thick fog, and soon the fog started to wrap around her. "Rome!" She called Roman''s name, but the only response she received was the echo of her voice. "Crap."


    What was she going to do now?


    Julie was sure she had been standing right next to Roman and hadn''t moved too much to end up on the other side of the bridge subconsciously. Her eyebrows furrowed deeply, and she looked around her before deciding to move to a spot filled with less mist.


    She started to walk from there, and when the density of the fog appeared to be lesser, she noticed a board that hung not too far from where she stood.


    Though she had been curious to find out the truth and see what trulyy in Willow Creek, this was not how she had expected it to go.


    Willow Creek was a ghost town. Because it had been cursed for so many years and continued to stay cursed for the people who once used to live there, and no one from the other side was able to find it.


    "Okay, let me think," thought Julie to herself. There should be a way to get out of here, right? But what if there was no way out? She doubted herself. Even though Julie came from the same lineage as the great witch, who had cursed this ce, she doubted she had the powers to stable the bridge that appeared only when it wanted to and disappeared.


    Her stomach growled, and she ced her hand on her stomach. She was not only lost, but she was also hungry.


    She wondered if there were any trees that she could pluck fruits from to eat. She brought her hand forward, hoping it could create some kind of time loop where she could go back in time, but even Julie knew that it was nothing but wishful thinking of hers.


    After walking around the forest aimlessly without stepping inside the town, Julie finally noticed a tree with berries hanging in one of its branches. After jumping with her hand raised, she sighed and wondered if it was time to climb the tree. God only knew how long she would be stuck in here, and she could feel a light headache approaching her because she had been starving since she woke up.


    Looking at the bark of the tree, which looked sharp, Julie pulled the sweater that she wore to cover the palms of her hands before she tried to climb the tree. Desperate time calls for desperate actions, she told herself.


    Her leg hit a stone where the dried leaves hade to settle around. After two more tries, she finally climbed the tree, and her hand reached for the berries on the branches.


    Julie stretched her hand, which iled to reach towards the berries, while she tried to hang near the bark so that she wouldn''t end up slipping and falling on the ground. But she had failed to notice the thorns, and just as when she went to grab the berries, which was closer to her reach, she ended up grabbing the thorns that dug deep into the palm of her hand, and she cried in pain.


    "AH!" her eyes squinted, and she took a deep breath while internally cursing herself.


    She tried to pull her hand away, but she had wrapped her hand tightly in an attempt to grab the berries. She slowly uncoiled her fingers, and while doing so, drops of blood fell on the ground.


    She finally pulled the berries from its ce and slowly slid down from the tree before jumping on the ground.


    Bringing her hand in front of her, Julie tried to look at her palm, which looked like it had holes and the wound was fresh. She looked around the ce, wondering if she could find a stream of water or perhaps a river so that she could wash her hands and drink water.


    After entering Veteris, Julie had tried to understand how people could have coped with living in the past without any technology or immediate ess to things. Julie kept walking until she found a stream of water. She washed her hands and felt a slight pain from the wound before she wiped her hands on her sweater, which left red spots on it.


    While she had knelt, her ears picked up on something, a simr whispering as if someone was speaking a secret and no one was supposed to know about it. She suddenly turned her head to the side, as if someone was whispering in her ear, but she was all alone there.


    Even though it had been morning in Veteris, where the atmosphere was warm and pleasant, this ce here though¡­ it was gloomy. The sky was filled heavily with dark clouds, making it appear as if it would rain anytime soon. But there was no thunder, nor was there any lightning. The only thing she could feel was the mist and the air that gently blew across where she was.


    Standing up, Julie tried to find an exit one more time by going back to the same ce she came from, but the bridge was nowhere to be found.


    It was obvious that she was going to be stuck here for a while, and she turned back to look in the direction of the path that led inside the town. Somewhere she was scared that she would end up meeting ghosts of people whose souls probably didn''t leave. Why else would she be hearing all those whisperings?


    Her hand clenched, and when she clenched it tighter, the wound that she had received from the injury made her wince, and she loosened her hands.


    Julie started to walk, walking past the board that hung, softly creaking before the gentle breeze shook it.


    She had to push through the branches and the bushes that seemed to have grown without any care, obstructing her path. When she finally stepped into the town, her face turned pale, and it wasn''t because she saw ghosts in here. Her brown eyes slowly moved from left to right, taking in the scene, and she softly gulped.


    It was as if Willow Creek was celebrating its own Hallow day, where she caught sight of people, standing there frozen, or sitting on the ground, some leaning, and some as if frozen in their movement. And they were all skeletons, with no flesh as if dried and withered in time.


    She wondered what kind of curse had been put in here. It didn''t look like people had died because of some gue or famine. It looked like their time had stopped. The town, though having many skeletons around, felt deserted and quiet.


    Julie walked around, looking at the skeletons, and while she was doing that, she caught sight of a few skeletons that were loosely either tied to the burnt wooden post or had fallen on the ground. There was one skeleton that was on the ground and in front of the gallows. As if the person was on his or her knees, with their forehead touching the ground.


    Her gaze moved up from the person on the ground to look up at the gallows, where she noticed a small wooden tform, on which skeletonsid with the heads that were severed andid next to the bodies.


    Julie pursed her lips, staring at the skeletons for a while. She remembered Roman mentioning what happened here, the curse of Willow Creek ced by the witch.


    As if a sudden strong wind blew across the town of Willow Creek, Julie brought her hand towards her face to stop her hair froming to fall all over her face. She heard something creaking, and her eyes fell on the skull at the edge, which fell right on the ground.


    Snow started to fall from the sky, and Julie looked up, watching the snowkes make their way, moving gently in the direction of the wind. She pulled the ck sweater that she had worn closer to her body while fog escaped from her lips.


    When the town of Willow Creek had been mentioned to her, she had believed that it would be empty and dry, with not a soul, and the sight right now made her remember a movie which she had not dared to watch again.


    She stepped away from the gallows, walking backwards before she heard the croaking of a bird, and she looked in the direction of a ck bird. A raven. She walked towards it, wondering if it was a Corvin, she spoke,


    "Do you know how I can get out of here?"


    The bird stopped croaking, but it didn''t speak to her, nor did it move from its ce. It stared nkly at her, tilting its head and Julie wondered if it was just a regr bird. She felt like pulling her hair because she wasn''t sure how to open the portal to the other side of Willow Creek.


    While Julie was trying to figure out what to do, back in the ce where she had earlier climbed on the tree and hurt herself, something or someone moved. The stone with the dried leaves on it, which she had earlier stepped on, slightly moved.


    The wound Julie had received earlier had spilt the blood on the vampire and the fresh scent of blood woke the vampire.

 Chapter 142 - Memories In The Snowflakes

    <h4>Chapter 142 - Memories In The Snowkes</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Buck Twenty- Thomas Newman


    -


    While Julie was stuck in the town of Willow Creek, on the other side was Roman, whose eyes earnestly looked for the bridge. He brought his hand forward. The me of the ball in his hand increased in its size and intensity before it disappeared.


    Roman gritted his teeth, not knowing what this meant for Julie, and he thought she wasn''t safe in there all by herself. The fire in his hand increased, where the nearby trees that were dry were quick to catch fire.


    "Looks like you are having a busy morning,"mented Donovan, who was taking a stroll and caught sight of the fire. "What''s going on?" questioned Donovan, looking around the ce.


    "It''s the Willow Creek," remarked Roman, who didn''t like the idea of Julie being somewhere where his eyes couldn''t see her and his hands couldn''t reach her.


    Donovan''s eyes slightly narrowed, and hemented, "Did it finally open up? Was it Ms. Winters? Looks like La Fay''s true descendant has finally appeared to open the mysterious town."


    "Do you know how to get through it?" questioned Roman and Donovan shook his head.


    "If I knew I would have already gotten in there and had returned with all the precious things that had been locked in there," replied Donovan. His eyes looked in the direction of the bridge as if he knew where the town was like he had walked in and out of it several times before. "Willow Creek is a cursed town of witches, at least that is what we know. But there might be a way to open the gap¡­" his voice drawled.


    "How?" Roman had no time to y Donovan''s games because he wanted to get to Julie''s side as quickly as he could right now.


    "Well¡­" Donovan raised his hand and looked at his nails, and then he said, "There''s a witch I know of, though not from the same line of family, but the person might have an idea about it."


    "Where is she?"


    "About that¡­ the person is in hiding after trying to kill me once, so we aren''t exactly on speaking terms," replied Donovan, dropping his hand to his side.


    "Are you testing me, Azazel?" Roman red at the Elder vampire, who offered him an innocent smile.


    "Pray, tell me. Why would I ever do something like that? I have other important things to do," Donovan put his hands in his pockets, his coat standing on his shoulders as proud as him. "You know, witches and vampires. While we vampires thrive to get into the light, ironically, the witches usually hide in the shadows, knowing that''s the best for them."


    "I don''t care about yours or any other vampire''s feud with witches. I want to know if you can or can''t open the path to the bridge," questioned Roman with the burning expression in his eyes, and the fire that was there on his palm disappeared.


    Donovan''s lips twisted, and he said, "Whatever curse that was put on the town of Willow Creek, it has been hard to remove. Many vampires and witches have tried to crack the mysterious case of the town, hoping to see what lies inside it but no one has been able to catch even a glimpse of it. For the bridge to appear right now, it must mean that the girl is closely rted to Opaline La Fay."


    When the Elder vampire said this, there was a glimmer of curiosity and the intrigue in his eyes increased.


    Roman didn''t care what would happenter because he was only worried about Julie right now. Not knowing in what state she was in there. As his mind raced, his eyes slightly narrowed, and he left the spot where he had been standing until now.


    "Where are you going?" questioned Donovan. "I haven''t even given you the information of the witch yet. Really, children are impatient these days ," he murmured in the end.


    The witch Opaline La Fay wasn''t here, and the next person whom the witch trusted was the crazy counsellor of Veteris. Surely, Evans would have a clue about it.


    Back inside the town of Willow Creek, Julie walked around the quiet town, which had turned darker and gloomier than before. And even though years had passed since the town had been cursed, Julie noticed that some parts in the town made it look like there were still people living in here.


    Julie noticed the smokeing off from the charred logs of wood that were on the ground. It wasn''t just in one ce, but there were other ces where the smoke continued to drift up in the air before it disappeared from her sight.


    She walked on the grounds that looked wet and dark, but there was no hint of water on the ground. The town of Willow Creek was quiet enough for one to hear the sound of the creaking windows, doors, and even the rustling of the dried leaves. She came to stand in front of one of the skeletons tied to a pole, and there were coals that only emitted smoke with no hint of fire. As if ever since the people who resided here had died, time had been paused, and it seemed that only a few minutes had passed since that awful day.


    Suddenly, the skeleton''s arm loosened and fell on the ground, and Julie quickly took a step backwards, a little startled by the sudden event.


    ''Ahhhhhh!'' She heard the distant scream of a female, and it left a spine chilling reaction in her mind.


    The atmosphere around the ce was turning colder.? Maybe Julie hadn''t noticed it earlier, but it rose goosebumps on her skin, and she shivered. The sweater that she wore was no more sufficient, and she soon understood why. A lone snowke glided in the wind from the sky,ing to move right in front of her, which her eye caught hold of.


    But it wasn''t the snowke that caught her attention, it was the figure behind the snowke, where a hooded creature stood near one of the broken houses. Julie''s eyes snapped quickly to look at the hooded person, who disappeared by walking away from there.


    In her case, curiosity had never led to anything good, and she wasn''t sure if she was supposed to follow or not to follow the person. But then she thought that she was here all alone, by herself. What if the person could help her to get out of here? But if the person was not trapped here, why would the person still be here?


    ''Save me, mother!''


    ''Help me!''


    ''Let go of my sisters! They have nothing to do with it!''


    ''Burn the witches! Kill them all!''


    The voices echoed from where she stood, and she turned behind to look at the gallows. It was like this ce continued to contain what had happened in here, reflecting it now and then.


    Turning back to the spot where the hooded person was earlier standing, Julie quickly made her way to look for the person. The snowkes continued to fall and a light fog-like mist sprawled on the ground where she walked.


    "Wait!" Julie shouted at the person when she caught hold of the hooded person not too far away from her.


    Instead of stopping, the person quickly continued to move away, and when she got a hold of the person, Julie ced her hand on the person''s back, but the hood slipped away from the person''s head. She was greeted with the bones of a raven''s head. It was a Corvin, but at the same time, it was different from what she was familiar with. This creature had markings on its skull, like incantation spells that were carved on its bones.


    She quickly retreated her hand while the creature stared at her.


    "Corvin?" Julie uttered the word, her brown eyes turned slightly wide, where more snowkes drifted in the wind, and some fell between them like a veil.


    Considering its dull-looking bones and the carvings, Julie could only assume that this creature was the parent of all the other Corvins. The creature didn''t speak to her, and not knowing if it was well versed with her spokennguage, she asked,


    "Do you know how I can get out of this ce? To go back to the ce where I belong?"


    Instead of replying to her, the creature brought its twig-like hands towards her, and for a moment, Julie froze. She felt the creature move its fingers near her face as if it was trying to caress her cheek. The surface of the wood was coarse, and it left a slight sting on her skin.


    ''You are where you need to be. This is where you belong,'' replied the creature.


    Julie was relieved to know that the creature was able tomunicate with her. She asked, "How do I get out of here? This ce doesn''t have the bridge, it has gone non-existent."


    ''Stay here,'' replied the Corvin and Julie shook her head. ''The bridge opened because it was meant to be opened for you, for you toe here and to see what had happened here.''


    Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the creature, and she said, "I know what happened in here¡­ a witch cursed this ce after the humans had killed her family."


    The creature turned its body to the side, starting to walk, and Julie quickly followed it. She asked again, "Do you know the way out of this ce?"


    ''No,'' came the simple answer to her burning question. ''I do not have such powers, like her. But if you are truly the person, then you should be able to get out of here too. You will find a solution to it. There''s more than death that took ce.''


    "What else happened?" asked Julie, pulling the sides of her sweater and hugging herself closely. They walked in the narrow alleys of the town; the creature''s long cloak glided across the ground, which it must have done for a long time now as the ends of the cloak looked dirty and torn.


    ''Thesends, they belong to us witches, the Corvins¡­ and most importantly to you,'' replied the creature without looking at her. ''That is before the witches in here had let the humans live with them. But over time, the humans outnumbered the witches, and with the exploitation of the witches'' powers, the witches were forced to go hiding. The vampires tortured and killed the witches and turned them into ves to do their bidding.''


    And even in the monotonous, dull voice of the creature, Julie could sense the distaste it held towards the night creatures.


    "Are you the only Corvin in here? What happened to the others?" questioned Julie. She heard a creaking noise not too far from where they were walking, and she moved closer to the creature, and it put its hands around her as if to shield her.


    ''Some were around before, but they perished. The Corvins don''t stay forever, even though they are the afterlife versions of the witches who were once alive,'' replied the creature, and Julie, out of curiosity, asked it,


    "Does that mean even my mother might have turned into a Corvin too? Do you know where she is now?" The Corvin didn''t reply, and it seemed to be a verymon thing for creatures like these to skip answering some questions, thought Julie in her mind. She then asked, "Do you have a name?"


    The creature moved its beak, and it said, ''Knox.''


    "Knox," Julie murmured the creature''s name. She was d to hear that it had a name, unlike the one in Veteris with her. Another thing that she noticed was that this creature seemed moreposed, and it wasn''t just its speech but also its knowledge and the air around it that seemed like it had lived for many years now. "How long have you been here?"


    ''As long as thesends havee into existence,'' replied Knox, and it took a left from the narrowed alley. Julie followed Knox, her eyes catching sight of signs of living because smoke now emitted from the chimneys of a few houses. ''Don''t be mistaken by the light inside the houses thates to touch the transparent windows, or the smoke that feels warm and hot.''


    "Why is it like this?"


    ''When the witch put her curse on the town, it not only affected the people of the town but also her and her family who were in the process of being fully executed. Some part of the curse tried to rebound from her as she was part of this ce and it caused some sort of phenomena, where some things have paused and it runs in a time loop. Probably simr to how I have been stuck here.''


    "And you don''t know how to make the bridge appear again or lift the curse," murmured Julie, but the creature caught on to her words.


    ''Maybe you will, one day,'' whispered the creature. ''And if you don''t, it''s alright. People here deserved to rot until the end of time.''


    "But isn''t cursing a whole town with probably some innocent people wrong?" questioned Julie. Though there might have been some misfits, it was impossible to believe that every person in here was evil.


    ''You are like your mother¡­ to think the world is good, and redeemable until she finally realized it was never redeemable. And she realized it toote when the time of her death knocked on the door and was pulling her,'' said Knox, bringing its hands to hide in the long-sleeved cloak.


    "You knew my mother," murmured Julie, d to know her mother was popr among the Corvins. But then she thought if the creature had never left Willow Creek, and her mother had never entered Willow Creek, how and when did they meet?


    The creature said, ''The curse isn''t about being a witch or the fight with the humans, it was the pain that caused this ce to be the way you see it to be now. It was a mother''s curse on the injustice that was caused to her family, for stealing their lives right in front of her eyes.''


    "Why are you marked like that, your face I mean, it looks different," Julie pointed out, and the creature finally turned to look at her as if she had said something rude.


    Knox said, ''It''s the imprint of spells on me, that lets me stay here for as long as I chose to stay. I cannot die that easily unlike the other Corvins.''


    "Do Corvins have a time limit, I mean to stay on this side of the afterlife? I thought it was forever," stated Julie.


    ''No,'' replied Knox, ''Everything is meant to die one day, even if it means it lives the longest in any possible way. There''s a bnce, where creatures, even the ones we call immortal beings, have to die one day. That''s how this life and the world has been designed. Let me tell you a story¡­''


    "Wait before that," said Julie, stopping Knox, and the creature tilted its head to look at her. "I am hungry."


    She didn''t want to bnce on the trees and hurt herself again. Julie wanted something good to eat, and she knew beggars couldn''t be choosers, but there was barely anything in here to eat as it looked nothing less than a desert.


    The creature stared at her as if not understanding what she had just said before it started to walk again.


    "Knox?" Julie called the Corvin, but it continued to walk. Having never seen a Corvin eating something, she followed the creature until they stepped into the forest. The Corvin came to stand right in front of a tree, where bright red apples hung on the branches.


    ''This is all I could think of,'' said Knox, and Julie nodded her head.


    "Thank you," said Julie, ready to jump from the ground and try to get hold of one of the branches of the tree. But just when she raised her hand upwards, stretching it, Knox caught hold of her wrist, wrapping its twig-like fingers around her wrist.


    ''Wait.''


    Knox then used its other hand, where its wooden fingers grew like creepers, that was quick to wrap around the fruit before bringing it down for Julie. Hungry, she quickly took a bite and heard it say,


    ''You trust too easily. The fruit could have been poisoned.''


    Julie turned to look at Knox, and she smiled, "If you wanted to kill me, you could have done it before." She was too hungry to think straight and needed more food. "Do you eat these too?" she curiously asked.


    ''No,'' came the dull reply from the creature. ''What we eat is something that is best left to be unknown by you.''


    She followed the creature out of the forest, making their way back to the quiet and dead town that had nothing but skeletons. She wondered how the souls of the dead felt, to know that they had tried to kill the witches and had instead died, where their skeletons had not been given a second of rest and were left out in the open.


    "What have you been doing here all these years?"


    ''Waiting for the right time,'' replied Knox, and as the creature moved forward, Julie could hear the light whisper its cloak left on the ground and behind it.


    "You said you were going to tell me a story¡­" Julie''s voice drawled. At least this was one way of skipping boredom and breaking her head that she was unable to leave this ce until she figured it out.


    ''It''s the story of the witches,'' replied Knox.


    In the middle of the silence they were surrounded in, she heard the sound of the tower bell that echoed the sound across the town and the possiblends. She felt every vibration of it as if it passed through every cell of her body.


    The Corvin said, ''When the witches came to thesends, there were many of them. There were a lot of resources avable in thesends, or originated from thesends. It is why many years ago, before the ability of stones were passed to some of the vampires, this ce was filled with witches.''


    "But only one family was found to be witches while the rest were humans," Julie pointed out, and Knox shook his head.


    ''No. Some of the families were burnt and killed when the humans sniffed them, or the vampires framed them. Sometimes witches were pitted against each other, and it built some sort of survival among them. To offer peace, a truce was made between the witches and the vampires that they would try to help each other out. One for peace, and the other to gain a higher power,'' exined Knox, and they continued to take a stroll through the roads and inside alleys of the town.


    The snowkes continued to fall from the sky, and it left a slight amount of whiteness on the ground and on top of some surfaces that were part of the town.


    ''But this is not the story about the vampires in it entirely,'' said Knox and Julie turned her head to look at the person. ''It is about a witch. A witch who was the brightest of them all, powerful, and had the ability to turn things into dust. But she didn''t. She was the same witch whose body now lies on the gallows in the middle, the witch who cursed the entire town.''


    "Opaline La Fay," Julie murmured the witch''s name. "Do you belong to that time line? When the truce took ce."


    ''Yes,'' responded Knox, its voice dull and emotionless. ''Ie from the time when there was peace, but I have also seen witches being set up on death trials, where people have not bothered themselves if the person was innocent and didn''t bring any harm to anyone. I have seen both of them, good and bad.''


    It continued to speak, ''Though Opaline was powerful, she never misused her gifts, and she tried to keep things peaceful. That was even after people around her, the ones whom she cared about had died, she always tried to keep peace, even until the time where the witches had to hide. She was against the idea of hurting the humans, but not the vampires. Vampires and witches have been under conflict for a long time now.''


    Julie wondered if Opaline La Fay''sst remaining patience had dissipated the day when she ced the curse on this town.


    "How was she? The great witch," asked Julie, hugging her arms around her. She had started to shiver, and she doubted she would be able to handle the weather if she stayed a few more minutes here.


    ''Beautiful and kinder than most. An extraordinary witch,'' uttered the Corvin in its same monotonous voice. ''When she was young, many were charmed by her beauty. It is said that her one gaze could control tens of people, and she could stir chaos around her.''


    "She sounds like an interesting woman," responded Julie, and the creature made a strange sound in its throat. "What story were you going to tell me about her?" she asked Knox.


    ''Opaline was born in this very vige, unlike some who migrated here. She stayed here until she was neen before going out to look at the outside world. To learn everything she could possibly learn. I knew her closely, and her carefree attitude often got her into trouble, but she was smart enough toe out of it,'' the Corvin stopped in front of one of the houses and stepped inside as if wanting to inspect something in there.


    Julie followed the creature, watching it and running its hands on the objects.


    ''She met a man, the same kind as her, whom she madly fell in love with. And he equally loved her back. She conceived her first child, a daughter, and everything seemed alright. But in truth it wasn''t. The vampires hade to know about the stones that hold abilities which only a witch can offer to the vampire with free will,'' exined Knox, and it continued, ''The witches didn''t bow their heads to the vampires who threatened them, and one day, the person, with whom she had tried to build a family with passed away. Killed by the hands of a vampire. It forced some of the witches to offer their support to the vampires, most of them unwilling.''


    ''She was in grief, the witch, who had shown peoplepassion but that didn''t deter her,'' Knox turned to face Julie after it was done looking at the objects. ''Do you sense anything here?'' it asked out of the blue.


    Slightly startled, Julie looked around the ce before she shook her head. She asked, "What are you looking for?"


    ''Nothing,'' came the dull response from it. It stepped out of the house, and Julie stared at the creature''s back.


    "Did she ever find out which vampire killed her lover?"


    ''Husband. No,'' said the creature. ''But she met other people, and had children with them. But those rtionships neversted long. She always left with her children, taking them with her as she couldn''t bear to part from them.''


    While Julie was with the Corvin named Knox, in the campus of Veteris, Roman made his way towards one of the buildings before he came to stand in front of the counsellor''s office. Not bothering to knock on the door, he pushed it open.


    "Mr. Moltenore, what a pleasant surprise to have you here this early in the morning," greeted Mr. Evans, even though it had been only a few minutes since they hadst seen each other at the restricted forest near the cemetery.


    "Do you know how to open the bridge?" demanded Roman, share no pleasantries with the other vampire, not that he would have exchanged with this crazy vampire even if he was free.


    "Bridge?"


    "The one to the Willow Creek," stated Roman, "It opened up earlier and something happened which trapped Julie in there before the bridge disappeared." The smile on the counsellor''s lips faltered, which was a rare urrence, considering how he often had a poised appearance and expression on his face.


    "How long did it happen?" asked Mr. Evans, getting up from his desk.


    "A couple of minutes ago. Do you know what''s going on?" demanded Roman, the slight temper simmering in his eyes. "She was absolutely fine until yesterday and now she''s disappeared into a town that literally doesn''t exist."


    "Don''t look at me usingly, Mr. Moltenore, I am only a vampire like yourself and not a witch," replied the counsellor, and he said, "Why don''t we go take a look together?"


    At the same time, in Willow Creek, Julie, walking next to Knox, asked, "Were you a Corvin when Opaline La Fay was still alive?"


    ''I was alive for some time before I turned into a Corvin. It took a couple of years,'' replied Knox, and they came to stand in front of another house.


    "I have met a Corvin before, but its face¡­ It looks different. Was it Opaline who did that to you?" Julie wondered if this creature had bonded itself with the great witch to be her personal Corvin.


    Knox raised its hand to touch its face, running its twig-like fingers across its face.


    ''Yes, it was her.'' Its words were slow as if it was remembering something before it dropped its hands next to the side of its body. "After a few years, Opaline returned to Willow Creek with her children. Her daughters and sons, wanting to have a quiet life. But while she lived here, something happened.''


    Julie''s brown eyes looked at the creature curiously, "What happened?" Waiting for Knox toplete its words while snowkes fell from the sky.


    On the other side of Willow Creek, where Donovan stood, the Elder vampire decided to walk back to the campus of Veteris. While he started to walk, he noticed the way the fog on the ground had increased. He stopped walking, and his eyes moved from one corner to another before his eyebrows furrowed. Because suddenly, the next moment, he stood on the bridge and the passage closed, as if the town of Willow Creek had pulled him inside it.


    Near one of the houses of the Willow Creek, Julie stared at the Corvin.


    ''How much do you know about how Corvins are born?'' it questioned her.


    "The basic things", replied Julie, "About Corvins being witches in their previous lives, and they turn into birds before turning to¡­ Corvins." She now looked at the creature with curious eyes, "Were you one of Opaline''s? husbands?"


    It was strange to even think about it, thought Julie to herself.


    She saw the Corvin take a step ahead, and the another step before it said,


    ''Something that happened, it has never happened before in the past. But when Opaline found out about me, she wanted to keep me near her and I wanted to be near her. In any possible form,'' said Knox, taking a few seconds before it added, ''She carried my child. Herst child before she was executed and this town died.''


    Before Julie could try to understand and question the Corvin''s words, they both heard a light growl.. And not too far away from them stood an old, thirsty vampire.

 Chapter 143 - Protective Father

    <h4>Chapter 143 - Protective Father</h4>


    Julie caught sight of the vampire, whose eyes were blood red and skin as pale as the snow. And though the vampire looked as if he was weak, she could tell by seeing the clothes that he wore that this person here was no ordinary vampire.


    ''Run from here,'' whispered Knox, and Julie turned to look at the Corvin, with whom she had been speaking to until now. ''My powers are very limited and I cannot protect you right now. I will try my best if I can find something that might be of use to you.''


    She could feel dread starting to fill up her whole body, and she took one step backwards before she started to run, hearing the sound of footsteps that were quick to follow her, that belonged to the vampire.


    Julie hadn''t expected toe face to face with a vampire in here. That was thest thing she had been worried about when she found herself stuck in here. She didn''t run in a? straight line and instead moved left and right, hoping to distract the vampire who was on her heels. Her eyes quickly looked for a possible wooden stake, but the adrenaline coursed through her veins made it hard for her to focus her attention on searching for a piece of wood.


    She brought her hand forward, smacking both of them as if trying to get her ability started, but nothing happened. The vampire was quick to get a hold of her, cing his hand on her shoulder and having her turn around. But at the same time, she used her hands to push the person''s face, trying to avoid being bitten.


    A sudden st of light appeared in Julie''s hand, which was blue, and it caused an impact on the vampire, causing the night creature to fall on the ground.


    It wasn''t enough to kill the vampire, and the creature lifted himself while baring his fangs at her. The vampire was a coachman who had smelled Julie''s blood that drifted in the town''s stale atmosphere.


    "B-blood," the vampire raised his hand towards her, and Julie tried to bring back the blue light before it emitted from the palms of her hand. The vampire screamed, but at the same time, he came right at her, putting his hands around her neck and pushing her against one side of the wall of the building.


    Knox, the Corvin, quickly came to her side, trying to use his hands to stop the vampire from squeezing the very life from Julie. It was as if his hands passed right through the vampire, and he was unable to touch the night creature.


    Julie used her hands to push the vampire from the bottom of his jaw, using all her strength, and suddenly the vampire blew into pieces, sttering on the white, snowy ground around her.


    "Well well well, I was wondering whose blood was this sweet and? tasted divine, I didn''t know there was another witch alive in here," said a voice from above the building where Julie stood. She raised her head to notice a vampire, whose clothes, even though faded, didn''t take away the dignified air around him. He looked as if he was an important figure in the past.


    He quickly jumped on the ground, and Knox tried to push Julie behind him protectively, even though it was of no use as the vampire could still get to her effortlessly.


    "Not to mention, we have a Corvin here," stated the vampire, showcasing his sleek fangs.


    "Who is this person?"


    ''Enoch. Enoch Mortimer,'' Knox murmured the name, which Julie was quick to catch.? She leaned to the side to look at the vampire, who possibly held the politest smile she had evere across until now.


    The creature had a calm looking appearance even though it held an obvious look of thirst in his eyes that betrayed his true intention since all he wanted to do was sink his fangs into her. He had blonde hair, and his nted eyes gave aid back appearance to him.


    "And who might you be, Corvin? I thought I kept hearing rustling sounds,? even during the time of my unneeded slumber. I should have known that the witch would have left something to guard the town," Enoch smiled at them. "You don''t appear to be someone I have ever seen here before," the vampiremented, staring at Julie.


    Julie noticed the way the vampire''s tongue ran across his lips as if he had just tasted blood.


    ''Stay away from him, he was the one who ordered the La Fays to be executed, to set them up,'' Knox warned Julie.


    "Don''t listen to the Corvin, little witch. I am a gentleman who would never harm anyone, let alone a witch," chuckled Enoch. "You Corvins are such prudes. We gave the witches our blood in return for the offerings you made us, just so that your kind could live in the afterlife, and this is how you repay us?" he clicked his tongue.


    "Blood?" whispered Julie, as this was something she had never heard about.


    "Hm? You don''t know?" asked Enoch, and he started to make his way towards her.


    The Corvin, without waiting, went straight at the vampire, intending to stop him, but as much as Knox wanted, he only ended up being incorporeal, and the vampire walked past him.


    Julie quickly stepped backwards, but the vampire, even after being stuck here for decades and hadn''t drank blood, was still more agile. However, before he could get too close to her, something came flying right between the two of them, stopping the vampire from stepping one more step forward.


    "I thought I sniffed another vampire in here, the stench of betrayal was too strong to not notice."


    Julie turned in the direction of the voice, and she noticed it was Donovan standing not too far away from where they were.


    "And I thought I would not be seeing your face for the next few years," replied Enoch, and Julie quickly ducked and went to stand back near the Corvin.


    "Mm, disappointment is heavy in the air just like I am with you. I was wondering why I didn''t find you all these years. I should have known that you were stuck in this ce,"mented Donovan, and he made his way to where Julie stood. On his way, he noticed the bits of the vampire that now inked ck on the snowy ground.


    Julie was more than surprised to see Donovan in here, and she asked, "How did you get in, Mr. Donovan?"


    Donovan straightened his coat, where the sides of ck fur ruffled gently because of the wind. "Just like you did. One moment I was about to leave and the next? moment I was in this lost town. Maybe if Roman was still there, he would have been here now, but he got tired of waiting for you."


    Julie''s eyebrows furrowed. She heard the Elder vampire say to her, "It has been three years now, since you have been stuck in this ce." Three years?! She panicked at the thought of it, it was only a few hours since she had got in here, did time not go hand in hand with this cursed town and the world outside it?!


    Donovan enjoyed the girl''s panicked reaction, somewhere he liked the fact that he could make the girl''s mind run, and she would blindly have to believe him. Call him petty, but he didn''t like the fact that Roman was deeply involved with this girl.


    Ignoring Enoch''s presence, Donovan continued with his little chit chat with Julie, "Roman has beening to the East side of the forest for a while, I mean he used to until he finally realized it was a lost cause. It''s not like we know any witches or rtives who can help in opening the path to the bridge. I am the headmaster of Veteris and was taking a stroll, when this little mishap happened."


    Julie wondered if Donovan was making up stuff, but why would the Elder vampire even bother with it. Unless he was bored, she said in her mind.


    "Your lies never seem to end, Azazel,"mented Enoch, slightly annoyed by the fact that Donovan had interrupted his time with his meal. He said, "The witch is mine. I saw her here first, and she is my meal."


    "I don''t know which year you are living in, but we are in an era where I need everything in writing. Show me proof and I will let you have the girl, what do you think, Ms. Winters?" Donovan raised his eyebrows at her. His eyes fleetingly moved to look at the Corvin, who protectively stood next to Julie. His eyes subtly narrowed before he went back to look at the other vampire.


    "Looks like your mind has turned rusty, but whoever catches the prey first, the person bes theirs. That''s how the vampire''s rules have been and it stays forever. What? Are you also keen on the little witch?" questioned Enoch, but the very next second, he zapped something from his hand that seemed like a thunderbolt that made a shattering sound.


    Enoch went right at Donovan while the Elder vampire stepped forward, bringing his own hand forward for smoke-like clouds to appear. Soon both of the vampires started to fight with each other, where there were shes of their two abilities, and some of the walls and buildings were damaged because of their fight.


    "You could have easily greeted me, Enoch. We were friends weren''t we?" questioned Donovan with a pleasant expression on his face.


    Enoch was no different when it came to concealing his emotions, and his face was calm. He said, "Don''t think I didn''t know that you had something to do with the witches in here before I decided to attack them. We were supposed to acquire the jewels and you knew they were right here, didn''t you?"


    Donovan''s hand moved quickly in the air, and at the same time, Enoch jumped backwards to stop the other vampire from attacking him.


    "I have no clue what you''re talking about, Enoch," came the tant lie from Donovan''s lips.


    "You stole the jewels and kept them for yourself. You think I don''t know about it? I could sense they were here," Enoch''s eyes narrowed at Donovan, and from where he stood, he used the lighting to strike thend, and it shook the ground, cracking some parts of the soil. "Why don''t we try to settle it with sharing as we always have."


    "Staying here in thend of witches must have rusted your mind with theck of blood in your body to not get the fact that I have no idea what you''re talking about through that thick head of yours. I believe the sole reason why we even entered this town was to catch hold of witches, but what did you do?" questioned Donovan. "What did you do that you ended up in here for decades? How pitiful that a vampire like yourself couldn''t even step out of the curse."


    Donovan''s words angered Enoch, and the vampire continued to use the bolts of lightning against Donovan, which the elder vampire jumped and hopped away with ease.


    While the two vampires fought each other, Julie turned to look at the Corvin, and she asked him, "What did the person mean when he spoke about vampires offering their blood to the witches?" Was there some sort of voodoo or sacrifice that had been done?


    ''Let us go from here, far away from the vampires, the better. Especially the ones that wield abilities,'' the creature''s hand reached out for Julie''s hand and tugged her along from there.


    "Wait, what about Donovan?" she asked.


    ''He can take care of himself. If not, good that he''s dead,'' came the blunt response from Knox and Julie followed the creature. ''You need to stay safe and have more protection than the others.''


    "Why are you not able to touch the vampires?" questioned Julie, her eyebrows furrowed.


    ''It''s a curse formitting a sin that goes against nature.''


    "What do you mean?" questioned Julie because the conversation that had taken ce earlier had left her slightly confused.


    ''Let me show you,'' said the Corvin, and it entered one of the houses, which Julie was quick to follow. The house was old, and it was filled with dust. Enough to let one know that the town hadn''t gone quiet recently, but it had been many years.


    She watched the Corvin''s hand reach for the cupboards, and it pulled out a vessel filled with a shimmering liquid. There wasn''t enough liquid, and when it dipped its hands into the vessel, it was as if its wooden fingers absorbed the liquid, and when that happened, the Corvin''s appearance started to change into a human.


    Julie''s eyes widened, noticing the brown hair and brown eyes that stared at her right now.? She drank in his eyes that held a seriousness in them and the grim expression on his face. He was no longer a Corvin, and her lips parted in surprise.


    "I once used to be a witch. A witch who fell in love with Opaline La Fay," said Knox, pushing the vessel away from him, which had no more liquid in it. "Unfortunately, when the witches turn into ravens and Corvins they lose some parts of their memory, so I don''t know much about my past life, but some things have continued to remain intact. When I turned into a Corvin, Opaline was quick to recognize me. And she tried to find a way to bring me back¡­ temporary measures, but it took half of her existing life. The abilities and the powers that a witch has, it has consequences."


    So that was how he was able to consummate his rtionship even after death, thought Julie in her mind.


    "But there''s more than that¡­" the man stared at Julie before he said, "I have been wanting to see you for a long time now. To meet you, Julianne."


    "You did?" asked Julie, a slight surprise in her voice.


    Knox nodded his head before he said, "Yes. Both your mother and I, we were curious to know how you would turn out to be because of our curious case."


    It took a second for Julie to wrap the words around her head, and she blinked, "My mother and you?"


    "I don''t know if Sullivan told you, but Opaline is your true mother," Knox dropped the ball for Julie to stare hard at him. "And I am your father, Julianne."


    For a spare second, Julie didn''t react before she smiled, "That''s not possible. My mother''s name is Harriet. Opaline can be my great great ancestor, but she cannot be my mother, or you¡­ my father."


    But they had simr hair and eyes, and it felt as if Julie''s stomach dropped to the ground. All these years, she had grown up knowing Harriet Winters and Dous Leighton to be her parents, how did she end up having her parents switched?


    Knox picked up the vessel and ced it back in the cupboard as if it was something precious, and he said, "Your mother wanted to keep you safe and knowing no one would evere to track you, she sent you with the girl, who hade from the future. The girl''s name was Addalie. No not that," there was a rasp in his voice even though he had turned into his human-like appearance.


    Julie''s face turned pale because the memory of what happened in thest two days was still fresh. She asked, "Natalie?"


    "Yes, that was the name."


    No, that was not possible, thought Julie to herself. Natalie couldn''t be her mother, this was some twisted joke.


    While Julie tried to understand what exactly was going on, away from Opaline La Fay''s house, Donovan and Enoch continued to fight and ended up crushing the skeletons that were out in the open.


    "Aren''t you getting a little too worked up about the prey? Or are you worried that you won''t be able to get out of this ce and will need something to survive on?" questioned Enoch with a hint of re in his eyes.


    "No, I am just annoyed with the fact that you are still alive. If it weren''t for you, this town would have continued to thrive," came the cool words from Donovan. "I might as well kill you now than drag the inevitable."


    "How about we both join hands like before and try to bring out the little witch''s abilities?" proposed Enoch.


    "As enticing as the offer is, I will have to pass. Maybe if it was another witch I might have considered," the smoke from Donovan''s hands suddenly spilt on the ground, and the things it touched were quick to engulf any matter, and it included the snowkes that hade to settle on the ground.


    "Hmph!" Enoch''s face slowly turned into a scowl. He threw the bolt at Donovan, where the Elder vampire''s smoke engulfed it. "Looks like you want to use her for your own use. Or is it something else?"


    Donovan smiled at the vampire, "Not for my own use, but there''s someone who wouldn''t be happy if a single strand on the girl''s head went missing."


    Enoch sensed something to be wrong as if Donovan had grown powerful or he had grown weak. Knowing it wasn''t wise to fight now when he was in need of blood, he used one attack that stopped Donovan from moving forward, and he disappeared from there.


    After a few minutes, in La Fay''s house, the door suddenly opened, Julie and Knox turned to look at the door. There stood Donovan, dusting his coat, "Enoch ran away somewhere and it''s boring to be out here alone. I thought I could use somepany."


    Thest person Julie had wanted to get stuck in this ce was Donovan, and she wasn''t sure what he was up to now. How did he get inside the town while Roman couldn''t? Questioned Julie in her mind.


    "Greetings to you, Knox. It has been a while since Ist saw you, thought I saw your dead body," remarked Donovan, and he casually stepped inside the house through the door.


    "I was," replied Knox with a straight face, his emotions barely changing. "I can tell you haven''t changed much."


    Julie looked back and forth between the two people, "You know each other?" she asked them.


    Donovan stared at Julie and then Knox. He asked, "I do. I once used to know him. Is this a witch''s gathering with the old witch?" He looked at them curiously, and when no one replied, he said to Julie, "Now that the other vampire has been chased away, how about we try to get out of this ce, hm?"


    When the Elder vampire went to reach out for Julie, Knox put his arm in between to stop Donovan from advancing.. The Elder vampire''s gaze moved to the Corvin, where both the males stared at each other.

 Chapter 144 - Hes Yours...

    <h4>Chapter 144 - He''s Yours...</h4>


    Music Rmendation: The Cheek of Night- Abel Korzeniowski


    ¡ª


    Julie noticed the crackling energy between the two men in the room. Knox, who imed to be her real father, stared at Donovan with a grim expression on his face, while the Elder vampire had a look of curiosity in his eyes.


    "Did Opaline ask you to look after the girl, Knox?" questioned Donovan, his hand inching closer to Julie so that they could get out of this cursed town.


    Knox''s hand was quick to pull Julie behind him, and her footsteps staggered slightly while being pulled away from Donovan.


    "Keep your hands off my daughter, Azazel," Knox didn''t look like he was interested in discussing it, and his im on Julie being his child was something that had Donovan raise his eyebrows.


    "Daughter?" Donovan looked more than intrigued now. The faint smile on his face faltered, and he asked, "If I am not wrong, I thought you had only one child, unless you have decided to im that all of Opaline''s children are yours. Taking them in and giving them shelter. How noble, but it is sad that they are all dead now."


    The Elder vampire''s words didn''t faze Knox, and he responded, "This one is also mine and Opaline''s. Thest child of hers and mine. I couldn''t protect them at that unfortunate time, because I didn''t have the powers back then to stop the humans. But that doesn''t mean I won''t protect my child."


    Donovan pulled his hand back that he had earlier stretched, a smile came to appear on his lips before he said, "I find it hard to map things, considering you died way before, but then you are a Corvin now. Hmm," he hummed in the end. His eyes shifted to look at Julie, who stood behind Knox. "I knew she was rted to Opaline, but I would have never guessed that she was her direct child. A love child between the living and the dead. Interesting indeed."


    With the way Donovan phrased it, the reality sunk further in Julie''s mind. Though outwardly, she looked calm, internally, she was freaking out with the amount of information she had received in just a short amount of time.


    First, she was pulled into the cursed town, and then she was attacked by an old vampire. Then she was told that her father was a dead person. Then what did it make her? Was she half dead and half alive? And the person, whom she believed to be her mother until now, whom she had loved and cherished all these years, was the same person who had turned her life into hell by pushing her into a corner?


    Her thoughts went back to when her mother smiled at her kindly and loved her dearly. There were times... when Julie caught her mother staring at her with pain behind her eyes, but she had always brushed it off as if it was nothing but her imagination.


    All this time... her mother knew the truth but had held it back from her. Julie felt her heartache, not knowing whom to believe anymore or whom to trust. The world was full of secrets that were kept away from her until now. She frowned, remembering Roman had mentioned his meeting with her mother before she ended up here. Did he meet her real mother? The witch, Opaline La Fay?


    Julie needed to sit down because she felt like everything she believed was now crashing, but it went up in mes.


    "Sit down, Julie," Knox instructed her, as if able to sense the turmoil in her mind. And she did what she was told to.


    "A Corvin as one of the parents, I wonder if you hold more abilities than the normal witches, Ms. Winters," remarked Donovan, a chuckle escaping from his lips, and he said, "I guess it is good that you have escaped death."


    Hearing this, Knox''s eyebrows furrowed, and he demanded, "Keep your hands off my family, Azazel. Your kind had already done enough damage to not just me or Opaline, but the entire lineage of witches."


    "Don''t me the entire race just because of a few bad apples in there," replied Donovan. When Knox continued to stare as if his looks could kill the vampire, the vampire said, "Maybe a lot of them, but you should know well that I was good friends with your wife."


    Huh? Julie blinked, staring at Donovan, who caught her expression.


    "You were friends with the witch?" questioned Julie, it still felt strange to call Opaline her mother, as she had believed that her mother was Harriet... who was Natalie. She felt a slight amount of headache appear in her head. "I thought you didn''t like witches."


    "He doesn''t like witches." It was Knox who replied to her, and Julie saw Donovan make his way on the other side of the room and take a seat on the couch of the living room.


    When Julie turned to look from Donovan to Knox, she noticed the slight irritation in the Corvin''s eyes, a thought that he didn''t like emerged from his memories.


    "Azazel once had something with Opaline," came the quiet but clear words from Knox and Julie''s eyes almost bulged out of her eye-sockets.


    "I think I need some water," muttered Julie under her breath, and she wondered if she could find some.


    "Looks like you are still bitter about it, Knox," remarked Donovan, the pleasant smile on his lips not leaving him. He then said, "Opaline was a charming woman, and a woman I didn''t know was a witch and you can tell sparks flew the instant we met. She was someone of great calibre and it took me several years before I was able to find someone. Your father is bitter that she was about to choose me. But then I should be the bitter one as in the end she chose her own kind. Witches tend to be like that, who like to betray others for their own kind."


    Julie wished Roman was here to handle this amount of crazy information.


    And during this, Knox stayed quiet, his lips set themselves in a thin line. He then finally said, "Opaline might have chosen me, but she cared about you. The vampires had risen to the point that they stubbed the witches."


    "I care less about it now, Knox," Donovan put his hand in his pocket, and he pulled the cigar case before cing it in between his lips and lighting the end of it. "It was good that she chose you and I got to work on my abilities. When she gave me the ruby stone, along with another stone to make use of my abilities as a vampire," he dragged the smoke between his teeth before blowing the smoke into the air.


    Julie took note of the way Donovan words seemed nonchnt, but the look in his eyes, it held something that quite didn''t reach his lips.


    "Is that why you kept lurking around her?" questioned Knox, and this was the first time where Julie saw someone equal to Donovan, where he stared at Knox.


    "My dislike for the witches stems far before and after I met Opaline, Knox. Witches in general are a race that I don''t trust. People might think that we vampires drove the witches into a corner, but do you think there haven''t been witches who tried to pull a stunt by using vampires?" Donovan calmly questioned Knox, and he brought the cigar back to his lips. "It was all about survival of the fittest and we chose our own kind in the end, after all it was safer. Opaline knew what was awaiting her, and she probably deserved it."


    Knox, standing near Julie, was quick to leave the spot and appeared right in front of Donovan, his hands wrapping around the vampire''s neck, but the vampire didn''t move an inch, staring back at the Corvin.


    "You could have saved her, and the rest of them," Knox''s words were sharp, and his brown eyes looked like burning coal.


    Both of them stared at each other. Julie wondered how Knox was able to get a grip on Donovan and not on the other vampire she had earliere across. Were there some sort of limitations? The atmosphere in the room turned so thick that one could cut it with a knife.


    "I didn''t know Enoch was tracking and trying to kill her and the others," Donovan''s words were calm as he said it.


    "You were always with him, you wanted to see her die," retorted Knox, and Julie saw how his fingers tried to squeeze Donovan''s neck.


    "I came to Willow Creek again only to find her, while Enoch came to find the witch''s jewels, to acquire more abilities. My orders were clear and she had blended too well in the town in order to make it impossible for one to know she was here, Knox. You know better than anyone, I wouldn''t have let any harme to her if I knew that her life was in danger," there was an icy atmosphere in the room, and Knox''s hand slowly uncurled from Donovan''s neck.


    Donovan knew how much Knox despised him... Even though Opaline had chosen Knox, the Corvin who now stood in front of him, he was well aware that the witch and himself shared something deeper than other people. Even though they didn''t stay in touch with each other, they had decided to remain friends, or at least neutral against each other without trying to bring harm to the other.


    Opaline had been a silent ally to Donovan, and as much as he had been upset with the witch in the beginning, he had let go of it, looking out for her and her family. And the truth was that he had tried to look out for her during hisst visit to Willow Creek, but Enoch had got to her sooner than he had.


    "So¡­ is there a way we can get out of this ce? The only witch here is Ms. Winters and you, Knox, are dead so there''s no point in asking for your assistance," came Donovan''s words where the smile had returned to his lips.


    "I think it would make more sense to know how you were able to walk through the bridge without being blocked," said Knox, moving away from Donovan. He went near the cupboard, and his hand reached for the handle pulling it to open the cupboard as he tried to go through the empty vials stacked in there.


    "Are we the first ones to ever be able to pass through?" questioned Julie, leaning against the wall, and she held her hands together.


    "There once was a young boy, who by mistake must have stumbled in here, but he died out of hunger," stated Knox.


    "Did you eat him upter?" questioned Donovan, his eyes burning into Knox, while the smile on his face stayed intact.


    Julie''s eyes widened, and it was quick to look at Knox''s back, that looked stiff now. She might have been slow in a few things, but that didn''t mean she didn''t understand what Donovan''s words meant. The Corvins used to eat the dead, didn''t they?


    She cleared her throat, not knowing how to react to it.


    "Uh, there is something I would like to ask you," said Julie to Knox, and the man nodded his head. To think he was her father¡­? This was going to take some time for her to adjust to the idea of it all. Her eyes shifted to look at Donovan, who stared at them with curiosity in his eyes.


    "Don''t stop your family discussions on my ord, please feel free to speak," said Donovan and Julie wondered why out of everyone, he had to be the one who ended up with her. Though he was now all nice, he was also the person who had snapped Reese''s head without a second thought.


    Knowing it would be hard to get the vampire away from them, Julie asked, "Do you know what abilities mother had? Or what abilities did you have before you turned into a Corvin?"


    "The abilities of the witches don''t pass down to their children? because they are rted. Most of the time it is different, and Opaline¡­ She liked to lock away all her other children''s abilities to make them seem more human. If you want to know, she had the ability to waver," said Knox, pulling one of the empty vials, which were empty, and he closed the cupboard shut. "Maybe that was the only thing you both shared inmon."


    "Waver?" asked Julie, and the man nodded his head.


    "Yes, it''s the ability to send people or themselves to a certain ce in time. You have it too, don''t you?"


    "Sending the person into the portal?" asked Julie, feeling her palms sweat. Natalie¡­ "Do you know how to work with these abilities? I don''t think I know how to use them."


    "I can teach you," replied Knox, and he suggested, "Take a seat at the table," and they moved there, sitting next to each other. "Bring your right hand forward, open your palm."


    Julie did as she was told, and she noticed his hand looked fragile because of theck of life in him. Or was it because the person in front of her was dead.


    "This might feel a little odd, but try not to flinch," came Knox''s words, and Julie wondered what he meant by it while he ced his hand on top of her hand, that felt ice cold.


    For a moment, Julie felt nothing but cold before suddenly she felt something pierce through her chest that started to spread across her body. Her vision started to blur, and in a slight panic, she asked him,


    "W-what is going on?"


    "It is the fastest way for you to be able to ess and use, instead of waiting for weeks and months," came the patient voice of Knox, which could make one question if he was truly her father.


    Her vision continued to blur until everything around her turned dark, but as her vision adjusted, she realized it wasn''t dark.


    "What do you see, Julie?" She heard Knox''s words even though she couldn''t see him.


    "A dark room," replied Julie, turning around and seeing no exit. "Where am I?" she asked him.


    "You have to figure that out yourself. Most of the witches spend years to find their abilities by relying mostly on the potions and spells. Because finding the ability within yourself is hard, and if ites, it is usually in sudden, unexpected bursts which is never stable," Julie heard Knox''s words. "Your mother''s ability was precise, and so was mine, I can only believe that you are the same. Try to find your way back."


    Saying this, Knox pulled his hand away from Julie, noticing her eyes that turned slightly dazed as if she was lost and not in the room now.


    Donovan tapped the end of the cigar before dropping it down and trampling on it, "Do you think it is a good idea? Sending her to tap the energy soon? I thought some witches get stuck in there and fail to return."


    "I don''t have much time with her," murmured Knox, his eyes serious. "I have stayed here long, hoping she would one day return to where she belongs. So that I can fulfill the promise that I made with Opaline before my time ends."


    "For a father you sureck emotions, apart from stopping me to get to her," came the casual words from Donovan and Knox''s eyes sent a light re to the Elder vampire.


    "You seem to be familiar with my daughter. Is there something I need to be aware of, Azazel?" questioned Knox and Donovan, stood up from where he had been sitting until now, and walked around the living room.


    "Your daughter is in love with someone, someone who is quite important to me. I almost killed her once," said Donovan, the smile on his face had disappeared, but his appearance was one where he looked unbothered.


    "You have the nerve to tell it with a straight face," stated Knox, without looking too ruffled, but his eyes narrowed, whilst he nced at Julie, who appeared to be in a trance state. "If I could I would burn you right this instance."


    "Lucky me then," said Donovan, bringing his hand up and checking his nails. "I am sure there have been instances when you wanted to kill me and maybe you could¡­ but sad that you ended up dead before it."


    Knox brushed off Donovan''s words, and he asked, "Who is this person you mentioned with whom my daughter is in love with?"


    Donovan''s lips twisted, "What if I said it was a vampire? History is trying to repeat itself."


    Knox looked unhappy by this information. The love of his life had once been too close to this vampire, and though they hadter settled on being helpful acquaintances, he still didn''t trust Donovan.


    "You know the person, don''t you," asked Knox, somewhere not liking the fact with the way Donovan was smiling. Nothing ever good came when the vampire who stood near him smiled, and Knox held a dry look on his face.


    Though Knox had been alive in his Corvin form all these years, where he had watched the woman, the love of his life, die right in front of his eyes, he couldn''t step out from this ce to follow his daughter. His first daughter had been burnt, and he couldn''t do anything because he didn''t hold powers like the witches. Opaline had taken away the powers of the Corvins, sealing them away so that they would not turn into vengeful spirits and harm the living.


    His eyes moved to look at Julie, and he noticed how they shared some simr physical characteristics. He knew the joy of raising his child with his wife, but to think that Julie had to grow up in a ce where she didn''t belong, it brought slight difort in his chest.


    He was happy to see her, and the rare smile that had graced her lips, it reminded him of Opaline''s smile. He wanted to hug Julie, but at the same time, he didn''t know if he should refrain himself as he wasn''t going to be there with her for a long time. His time was scarce, and it was quickly ticking away. Growing bonds right now which was going to end, it would only end up causing heartache.


    "I do. He loves her and threatened me to keep my fangs and ws away from her," responded Donovan, dropping his hand to his side while the Corvin stared at him. "I am not sure if you would like him though."


    "Why?" came the simple question, and a smile spread on Donovan''s lips.


    Back where Julie was, she was still in the dark, and she wondered how to get out of this ce. Though Knox has sent her here, she didn''t know how to get out of this ce to the present. Was she supposed to draw out her ability from this ce?


    "Julie!"


    She heard someone call her from behind and when she turned around, she noticed it was her mother¡­ or the person she thought was her mother until now. She knew this wasn''t real, and it was only part of her imagination.


    She felt a sting in her heart, and she said, "I don''t think I am ready to talk to you yet."


    "Are you upset with me?" asked the woman, and Julie pursed her lips.


    The word upset couldn''t cover the emotions she felt. "What are you doing here?" asked Julie. "I must be imagining things."


    The woman shook her head, a tender smile on her lips, and she said, "I am a piece, a part of soul that has been hidden deep within you. I have carried you with me for years, and that is the piece that I gave you as we parted. To help you with the key to unlock your abilities," said the person.


    "You aren''t a witch¡­ you have always been a human," whispered Julie. It was a bitter yet sweet moment, as she had never got to say goodbye to this woman, a surrogate mother. The shock had been too much. "You could have told me¡­ you could have protected me."


    A sad smile came to settle on her lips, and she said, "Believe me when I say that I have wanted to tell you the truth, and it has always been at the tip of my tongue, but I couldn''t. I was not supposed to speak about it. Your mother made sure I didn''t."


    Julie clenched her hands, clenching her jaw before releasing it, "Why?... Why did you do that to me?"


    Natalie lowered her gaze. As if slightly dazed, she replied, "Take it to be my insecurities that acted upon you¡­ the foolishness of my young age. I wish I could take them back, the things I did to you and I can only tell that I have repented it. Everything I was, and everything I did¡­ I know it''ste and time has passed¡­"


    Julie didn''t know if she had it in her to forgive. The humiliation and pain¡­ Natalie had made sure to break her down, and it had taken months before she stood up for herself.


    "As much as we didn''t start on the right foot, I wanted to let you know that you have been the most precious person I could evere to love and know. And it was truly an honour. I know I cannot call you my daughter¡­ not when you know the truth now, but I loved you with all my heart, Julie," Natalie stared at Julie while Julie took a deep breath.


    If it was possible, the existing silence only made her emotions more profound.


    "Okay¡­" whispered Julie after some time, meeting the woman''s gaze. "I forgive you¡­"


    But the woman''s face turned sad as if sensing Julie didn''t mean it.


    Julie looked around the ce before she asked, "You spoke about abilities, do you know how to gain them?"


    The woman nodded her head, "I think I do. You will find it within yourself," she said. "You seem upset with me."


    "How can I not be," whispered Julie to the person. "I feel like my entire life has been a lie. You lied to me. You aren''t my true mother, and the person who is trying to hunt me down now isn''t my father. My parents arepletely different people, whom I never knew until today. I don''t even know how much was the truth. How can I not be upset about it?"


    "I am sorry that you feel betrayed," murmured the woman.


    Seeing Natalie''s face, Julie bit the inside of her cheek because she sensed the pain, and she looked away. Closing her eyes, she tried to contain her emotions. As angry as she was after finding the truth, at the same time, she couldn''t help but empathize with the other person''s situation.


    Was there a point in holding something against a person who was gone and was only part of her deepest memory? Julie asked herself.


    Turning back to the woman, who stared back at her, Julie said, "You have loved me, and been there when I needed you as I grew up¡­ and that means something. I won''t hold it against you."


    And just when she said this, the dark atmosphere around her started to change from ck to white. Light emitted beneath the ground where she stood, and Julie''s eyes widened. She heard Natalie say,


    "Opaline said that magices within you and only the ones who holdpassion deep within their heart and have the ability to forgive, deserve to hold those abilities. You have passed your test, Julie¡­"


    Julie saw the woman''s body starting to fragment into little crumbs before it started to disperse upwards, and she offered her a smile.


    Back in Willow Creek, the bridge had appeared once again and Roman and Evans made their way there. Roman took the opportunity to run past the bridge without thinking about the consequences to reach where Julie was.


    Evans was soon to follow him, and while making their way into the town, Evans felt something move from the corner of his eyes, and he turned his gaze, but not finding anything, he followed Roman.


    By the time Roman found where Julie was, he noticed her sitting on the chair, and her body swayed as if she was losing consciousness. Both Knox and Donovan were talking to each other when Roman barged inside the house along with Evans, who closely followed him.


    Roman went to Julie, while Evans, on noticing Knox in there along with Donovan, bowed his head in greetings.


    "Is the town amodating more people now?" hummed Donovan. "At least it will be less boring here."


    Knox''s eyes shifted to where his daughter was, noticing a young vampire next to her.


    "Winters?" Roman checked Julie''s pulse, relieved that she was alright.


    Knox''s eyebrows furrowed, and his expression only turned grimmer. It was too evident, but his eyes picked up the subtle details. His lips parted to murmur, "He''s yours."


    Donovan didn''t respond to Knox''s words, and his eyes watched Roman take care of the girl.

 Chapter 145 - Finding Our Way Back

    <h4>Chapter 145 - Finding Our Way Back</h4>


    Roman was utterly worried as he quickly checked Julie''s pulse and then lifted her from the chair in his arms. She swayed to the side when he took her to the couch in the living room. He didn''t care about the looks he received as it was something he was used to, and he didn''t pay any attention to it.


    "What happened to her?" demanded Roman, his blood-red eyes shifting from Donovan to look at the new person, whom he had never seen before.


    "Julianne is fine, she was just lightly channeling her abilities," replied Donovan with a smile. "How were you able to get here through the curse?"


    "The curse on the town is unstable and no longer as strong as it used all these years. Recently it''s been turning feeble in certain times," replied Mr. Evans, his demeanour had slightly changed to something tamer,pared to the wildness that his eyes often tried to contain, which made him look like a sociopath. "It must be because Ms. Winters stepped into thend and Lady Opaline''s blood courses through her veins. It must have created an imbnce."


    "That doesn''t sound good at all," remarked Donovan, and he clicked his tongue. "If Enoch knows or finds out about it, it will be problematic."


    "Enoch?" questioned Mr. Evans.


    "The vampire who was the main reason for shutting down this entire town in the middle of the day," exined Donovan in a nonchnt tone, his eyes falling on Julie, who was now unconscious.


    Knox''s eyes continued to stay narrowed, and he looked genuinely disturbed by the fact of seeing the young vampire, who stood next to his daughter. He would have approved of anyone else standing near his beloved daughter, but to think that out of everyone, this was the person his daughter had chosen, his jaws lightly clenched.


    Donovan noticed it and said, "Knox, how about we two? go? and take a look at where our dear old friend Enoch is. It would be rude to leave him unattended, especially when he''s been lonely "behind in the care of the young vampire, and his eyes moved to look at Mr. Evans, who gave him a slight bow, indirectly letting him know he was going to be here.


    Roman''s eyes didn''t leave Julie, and he ignored everything around him, focusing all his attention on her. He heard the footsteps of people leaving the room, and he moved closer to Julie, pushing her hair away from her face.


    "Who was the person in here earlier?" questioned Roman, his eyes finally leaving Julie, which fell on Mr. Evans.


    "That''s her father," replied Mr. Evans because there was no point making up lies when Roman had already met Opaline the previous night. "He died years ago, before being reborn as? a raven, andstly turning into a Corvin."


    "Does every witch turn into a Corvin after their death?"


    "No. Only a few are? born into ravens, and then take time before taking the form of a Corvin," replied Mr. Evans,? while walking towards one side of the room and starting to clean. As if old habits die hard, after all, he was the servant of the La Fay''s and had taken care of her family members along with their belongings.


    "Lady Opaline, had tried to build a peaceful family and maybe Master Knox was one of the few people, who held her heart, that ended up being broken."


    "What happened? How did he die?" questioned Roman,ing to sit next to Julie, where there was space on the couch.


    "As usual there was a feud between the vampires and the witches. Thend where Lady Opaline and Master Knox had nned to raise their first daughter, it seemed to hold humans, who had been manipted bypulsion, voiding every treaty. It was also the time when some of the witches had offered their abilities, and in return, they took the vampire''s blood that held elements of immortality in it. It is why the Corvins exist even after death. Maybe not in the right form, but they continue to live," exined Mr. Evans, his eyes falling on the floor. Walking towards one spot, he bent down and knocked on it to hear the hollowness in it.


    The servant of La Fay''s family continued to speak, "One could tell that it was a good deal, but somewhere, neither of them were satisfied and thedy was caught in its web. Master Knox was killed by the vampires. It took me a while to figure out who was possibly behind it."


    "What''s the person''s name?" asked Roman, watching Evans run his fingers on the floor before he put pressure on the ground and the floor opened with a patch of square.


    "It was Joaquin Mortimer," replied Mr. Evans, his expression grim.


    "I don''t think I have ever heard the name being brought up before," remarked Roman, and Mr. Evans nodded his head.


    "Most of the older vampires have got back into the shadows, without actuallying up in the front and running the show through someone. Joaquin used to send his brother Enoch, someone Mr. Donovan is aware of, because the man used to work with him. Master Knox was killed and Lady Opaline moved away from thend with her daughter, and we did the best we could to protect ourselves," said Mr. Evans, and his hand pulled out a box that he had ced in there before he was sent to another timeline. "I have tried to find both of them, but it looks like Enoch has been trapped in here, while his brother, he''s the one targeting Veteris."


    "Mm," Julie subconsciously winced as if she was in pain, and she moved her head and opened her eyes, gaining both Roman and Evans attention.


    "Julie," Roman''s hand reached her, carefully helping her sit up and having her back lean against the couch.


    "Take this," said Mr. Evans, handing a vial to Roman that had something green inside it. "Liquify it and have her drink it. She was recently in touch with her inner self and she has a slight distortion with her vision."


    Roman noticed used his ability to heat the vial, and soon the green substance turned into liquid.


    "Rome," Julie whispered his name, slightly breathless, where she felt her body was on fire and anxiousness filled in her chest.


    "I am right here," replied Roman, "I am here, don''t worry," he petted the side of her head, noticing how fast her heart was beating right now. "Drink this," and he brought the ss vial near to her lips, tilting it.


    Julie felt something cold being ced near her lips, and hearing Roman''s words, she parted her lips and felt something warm trickled into her mouth, and she gulped it down her throat. She wondered if it was water that she was drinking.


    "I-I feel too hot," Julie mumbled against the ss vial, and Roman''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "Is this supposed to be normal?" Roman questioned Mr. Evans, and the man had a grim expression on his face.


    "It''s probably her body trying to blend the abilities that she tapped into. There''s ake not too far from here," suggested Mr. Evans. "Are you able to see now?"


    Julie nodded her head as light started to seep into her vision, and it took a few seconds before she caught sight of Roman''s worried look. Even though her body was going through different reactions, she was relieved seeing Roman in front of her and a second, she put her arms around him.


    Roman pulled Julie into his arms while Mr. Evans murmured under his breath, "I will go take a look at the condition of the house and see if I find anything important that Lady Opaline might have left behind." Saying this, the vampire left the couple in the living room.


    Julie held on to Roman as she felt too emotional. It indeed felt like years had passed by. For a moment, when she heard Donovan say that three years had passed since she entered this ce, her heart squeezed.


    "Don''t leave me," whispered Julie, her eyes moistened and her voice slightly shook.


    "I would never do that," Roman ced his hand on the back of Julie''s head, patting her head, "We were away for two hours, and it feels like an eternity has passed since Ist saw you."


    "Donovan said three years passed," mumbled Julie, closing her eyes, she took a deep whiff of Roman''s expensive cologne that she identified to be his scent alone.


    A sigh escaped from Roman''s lips, "Somewhere it felt that long, but you should know... even if a hundred of years pass, I will alwayse to find you. I will never let you go."


    Julie''s hands clutched on Roman''s shirt, clinging on to it, while her body shuddered. Even though there were people near her earlier, she had missed Roman terribly, and all she wanted was him to be next to her. She felt overwhelmed with the amount of things she had heard and seen, known.


    Roman sniffed the smell of salt, and he quietly held her, offering her all thefort she needed.


    "Why did she end up being my mother?" came the quiet question from Julie, where her eyebrows were furrowed.


    "Some things are unexinable and it needs to run its course to reach the final destination," Roman pulled Julie even closer, wanting to protect her from the truth that had been dropped in his absence. He hadn''t mentioned it because Opaline didn''t want Julie knowing about it, but the truth had been quick to reach her.


    "I have a Corvin as my father," whispered Julie, and she pulled away from Roman''s embrace beforeing to meet his eyes.


    Roman noticed the tear-streaked cheeks, Julie. Bringing his hands up to her face, he gently wiped them away before cupping her face. A Corvin as a parent? He didn''t let surprise reach his face and instead put Julie''s emotions first.


    "Did you speak to him about it?" he brushed her cheeks with the back of his hand.


    Julie shook her head, "We didn''t get the time to discuss it... I didn''t know what to say to him..."


    "It''s okay," responded Roman, and he could tell that she was confused with the current situation, even though she understood the truth. "I am sure he will be around, and you can catch up with him. At least we know the pathetic human is nowhere rted to you."


    "I feel very hot, Rome,"ined Julie, her breathing a little on the heavier side, and it felt like the heat was getting to her.


    But Roman noticed how Willow Creek was snowing, and there was no way Julie could feel hot if it weren''t for the reaction of her abilities.


    "Let us get you to thekes that Evans spoke about," suggested Roman, and he was about to put his arms behind the back of her knees and pick her up, but Julie ced her hand on his arm.


    "Can I get a piggyback?" asked Julie, and Roman tilted his head. He turned around, and Julie put her arms around him before he hoisted behind him.


    "Worried that your father is going to catch you with a vampire holding you intimately?" questioned Roman, his words holding a hint of tease in them and Julie''s legs tightened around his waist. "Easy there."


    It took Julie a second to realize what Roman meant, and her cheeks burned bright. She felt his hands grip firmly on her legs so that she wouldn''t fall. Her arms tightly circled around him, and she felt the safest right now. She would wish to be nowhere else but here with him, in any form or time.


    Her body hadn''t stopped reacting, and when she sighed softly, her breath let out a fog from her lips.


    "I don''t know how to act around him," whispered Julie, while she let the side of her head rest on his back.


    "By the looks of it, I can tell he feels the same way with you," replied Roman as he carried her on his back. The Corvin, who was, in reality, Julie''s father, held a stern expression on his face as if his emotions were dead. "I am d to see that you are alright and nothing bad happened to you."


    "I was worried," whispered Julie, and Roman felt her hands grip firmly around his shoulders.


    "Did the bridge open to this town?"


    "We saw the opening that glimmered and leaped in so that we wouldn''t miss it," replied Roman, and he said, "I guess it is your presence that''s changed the impact of the curse here. You hurt your hand."


    "Mm," hummed Julie, feeling a little exhausted after being sent to wherever her father had been sent to discover her abilities. "I was trying to pluck out fruits because I was hungry. I didn''t know what to eat and ended up¡­ and the vampires sniffed my blood. But I am fine," she added when she noticed him turn his head to look at her. "I found something."


    "What is it?" asked Roman, and Julie pursed her lips before saying,


    "My mother was familiar with Donovan¡­ before she married my father," she filled him in, and Roman didn''tment on it.


    "She''s probably the person whom he despises the most. But in a bitter way,"mented Roman, and Julie stared at the snowkes that fell from the sky. And even though the weather had turned icy cold, Julie didn''t feel it.


    "Did he mention her before?" asked Julie, and Roman hummed at it.


    "A couple of times in the past when witches were brought up in the conversation," replied Roman. "What did he say?"


    "It was Knox who mentioned it, and it seemed like Donovan and my mother turned into friends, more like acquaintancester¡­ This morning, when you said you had? met my mother, did you mean the witch?" asked Julie, and she heard him sigh.


    "I didn''t mean to keep it away from you, but your mother believed it was for the best that you didn''t know that she was your mother and not¡ª"


    "Natalie," Juliepleted his sentence. "I met her¡­ in the remote side of my memory of her or something that hadtched on to me,? maybe her own memory probably."


    "Are you okay?"


    "Mm, I think so," replied Julie, and they came to stop near theke, where Roman got her on her feet. "There was a time when I used to be angry at Natalie. For making my life difficult and humiliating me and making me feel like I shouldn''t exist¡­ but after hearing how she ended up being my mother," she shook her head, "I couldn''t hate her anymore."


    "I am d that you were able to speak to her, even if it was in a way you didn''t imagine it to be," remarked Roman, knowing Julie had been heartbroken after seeing her mother''s body lying cold on the floor.


    Julie felt a pain run down her body, and her knees were about to give away, but Roman caught her in time, stopping her from falling. She softly wheezed and said, "I feel like I am having a fever."


    Roman ced his hand on Julie''s forehead, feeling the temperature of her body had increased.


    "You are burning up," replied Roman, and with no one around, he picked Julie in his arms. He carried her to theke, stepping in and helping her body submerge in the water, and Julie held on to him.


    "The clothes feel ufortable," murmured Julie, feeling her head-turning slightly dizzy.


    Roman wondered what happened that the tapping of abilities had ended with her burning with a fever. "We''ll get out of here soon," he promised to her, but Julie shook her head.


    "I cannot leave¡­ if the curse again goes back in ce," replied Julie, and Roman stared at her. "I think the ability of touch and seees from my father. Knox. I want to see how things were in here¡­ my mother and the other people who used to live here. Also¡­ Natalie."


    "I understand," replied Roman, without tiring her by making her speak more. He finally was able to figure out why Julie couldn''t bepelled. It was because she had the Corvin''s abilities running through her, and the dead couldn''t bepelled.


    Once Julie had calmed down, where her body temperature got back to normal, they both stepped out of theke.


    Far away from theke, Donovan and Knox searched for Enoch.


    "I cannot sense him around anymore," said Knox with a displeased look on his face. "He must have escaped."


    "If I knew the bridge was going to open again, I would have hunted him down," murmured Donovan under his breath. "I feel like this is going to cause some serious damage in the near future."


    After a few seconds, Knox remarked, "I would have never expected it from you."


    Donovan turned his gaze away from the woods to feel Knox staring at him. His eyes didn''t waver, and they appeared to be rxed, "Why? Is it that surprising?"


    "You never seemed to be one to care about others, let alone have a family," Knox raised his hand, noticing the tips of his fingers had turned hard and into twig-like wood as if the liquid he had soaked himself with was slowly starting to wear off. He wondered how much time he had in here.


    The smile on Donovan''s lips spread wide, and he said, "I should have known that you have keen eyes. Things that others don''t see, you see them more clearly."


    Knox'' jaw clenched, and he stared at Donovan, not liking this little development. He said, "It''s good to know that there''s someone who has been able to tolerate you than yourself. "


    A chuckle escaped from Donovan''s lips, "His mother doesn''t live as she passed away from illness and he''s all I got now."

 Chapter 146 - Meeting Her

    <h4>Chapter 146 - Meeting Her</h4>


    Several years ago¡­


    The sky was clear and bright; the clouds had drifted far away from each other to the corner of the horizon, allowing most part of thends to receive sunlight. It was the time of the afternoon, where a young woman carried arge pot of water, cing it on the side of her waist while making sure the water didn''t spill.


    Her shoes were slightly tattered and the soles slightly jagged, which wavered her footing on the ground as she walked.


    "Lilian!" a woman who was not too far from where the young woman was walking called her. "Mr. William was asking if you coulde in early today. We''ll be needing to stay there as we are having guests."


    The young woman named Lilian nodded her head, and she walked to her house. She wiped the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand.


    Lilian made her way towards the inn with the same clothes and shoes.


    "Good morning, Mr. William," Lilian greeted the owner of the inn, who was a tall and lean man with a thin moustache above his upper lip.


    "We are having three guests, who are of great importance, make sure to change the sheets from the main drawers and put the best one from the lot. They will be staying here for a day or two and I would like to make sure that their stay has been pleasant," ordered Mr. William with a stern look on his face. His eyes then fell on her shoes.


    "Borrow someone''s shoes that are presentable so that they don''t think you are getting low wages."


    "Yes, Mr. William," replied Lilian, offering a small bow, and she saw the man take his leave from there.


    A fellow maid was quick toe to Lilian''s side, and she whispered, "Looks like Mr. William is in quite a mood today. Fernando already got scolded earlier for wrongly cing the sign at the front door."


    "That''s fine," replied Lilian with a smile, and she then said, "Let me go and see if I can fix my shoes, Eden."


    "Will that help?" asked the fellow maid, her eyes falling on Lilian''s shoes. It was obvious to know that it had been repaired way too many times as it had too many patches on it.


    "I have spare shoes at home. Maybe you can use them, instead of looking for new ones," offered Eden.


    Lilian was about to refuse, but she knew she didn''t have that much money or time to find the shoes quickly. She gave a nod while smiling in appreciation, "Thank you, Eden." Somewhere she was embarrassed by the fact that people noticed it, letting one know in what financial state she was in.


    "Don''t worry about it. I will have someone quickly ask my son to bring them here, this way we''ll be able to finish the other jobs of the inn," replied Eden.


    After an hour, Eden''s son brought the spare shoes for Lilian to wear. But when Lilian tried them on, the shoe was bigger than her actual size.


    "Oh my, I didn''t realize you had smaller feet than mine," Eden lightlyughed, while turning towards the window when they heard the sound of the wheels of the carriage and the hooves of the horses on the ground, which came to a stop right in front of the inn. "I think the guests are already here. Maybe you can wear an extra pair of socks to fit it in?" she quickly suggested.


    "Eden and Lilian,e quickly to greet the guests. Mr. William wants us all in the hall," came the hurried voice of another maid, who hade by the door of the room the two maids had been standing in. "Hurry now!"


    Lilian looked down at her shoes that belonged to Eden, they were clean, unlike hers that had patch work on them. "It''s okay, I will manage it," she said to Eden, "It''s not like someone is going to look at my feet to take a look at my shoes."


    "Alright, let us go in the hall of the inn lest we want to face the wrath of Mr. William," and saying this, both the maids quickly moved to join the other staff of the inn.


    Lilian straightened her skirt, making it right while she stood straight and in line with the others. A false smile appeared on Mr. William''s face when the door of the inn opened wide, and in came three guests.


    "Wee to our humble inn!" Mr. William greeted the three tall men, who wore expensive clothes and appeared as if they belonged to wealthy families.


    "Good morning, Mr. William," greeted one of the men who had pale grey eyes.


    "I hope it wasn''t too hard for you to be able to find our inn," smiled Mr. William, trying to be a hospitable person.


    "Well thankfully it wasn''t us who was pulling the carriage, but the coachman. I think you should ask about it to him more than us," came the words from another man, who stood tall and proud, his eyebrows thick that was raised and a look of arrogance in them.


    Mr. William didn''t know if the guest was joking, and he said, "I will be sure to enquire it, Mr. Donovan," and he bowed his head to make his words known.


    "I am sure you will also enjoy speaking to the horses who pulled the carriage," remarked Donovan, his eyeszily taking in the space they stood in. "I hope your services are as good as you had mentioned it to be."


    "Of course," Mr. William continued to smile, "The rooms have already been arranged and our kitchen staff will be more than happy to cook you whatever you want."


    At the human''s words, the other vampire who was shorter than the two other guests who had entered in here, his eyes shifted to look at Mr. William with an utterly bored look on his face, but at the same time, it looked patient.


    "Curtis, why don''t you take the luggage from the carriage," Mr. William instructed one of the servants. He then looked at the guests and said, "Please allow me to lead you to your respective rooms."


    Lilian, who stood in the line, like the rest of them, didn''t dare to look up at the people who had arrived. Mr. William''s inn often had guestsing in on a daily basis, and the staff here had been trained to look after the guests with utmost care. While also making sure to know that they were nothing but servants, who were not supposed to meet gazes with these said guests.


    But when the guests started to walk, Lilian didn''t know why but her lowered gaze didn''t stay low, and she looked up, meeting one of the guests'' eyes. The person stared right at her, and she quickly lowered it as if it usually never happened.


    And though the eye contact had been short, Lilian had taken in the sight of the pitch-ck eyes and the midnight ck hair of the man.


    As hours passed, Lilian continued to work with the rest of the inn servants to keep the ce working and make sure the guests were satisfied with their stay there. When the evening pulled itself, she had been sent to the dining room to serve food. Mr. William believed that having a woman''s touch when it came to the dining room was much more pleasing than having men walk around.


    "Will you be staying here for a few more days, Mr. Marudas?" Mr. William politely asked the men, who sat at the average-sized long dining table.


    "Hm, probably for three or four days. But it will just be me, Mr. Donovan and Mr. Oscar has somewhere else to be," replied Castiel, spreading the napkin on hisp and picking up the fork and knife in his hand. "I must tell, I think I like the dining room the best out of everything that has been prepared."


    "I always make sure that everything is perfect, Mr. Marudas," Mr. William lightlyughed, even though no joke had been cracked at the table. "We always make sure to have only the elites in here. This way it keeps the ss and etiquette."


    "Mm, that is true," hummed Donovan, who was looking at the maids entering the room, while they carried containers that contained dinner. "It is always good to have division so that the filth doesn''te to you."


    "Of course," replied Mr. William. "If I may ask, Mr. Donovan, what business have youe here for? If you need any assistance I would be more than willing to offer the people''s names, contacts I mean. I know some of the Dukes and the Lords who are still around and haven''t left or the ones who will visit."


    "How kind of you, Mr. William. I will be sure to let you know," Donovan smiled, his eyes twinkling in the light of the candles that stood not too far from him on the table. His eyes fell on the young woman, whose blonde hair looked like the warm glow of sun. Her features were delicate, but watching her carry the big container with a stoic expression on her face, he could tell she was used tobour.


    While the other men spoke to each other at the table, Donovan''s eyes continued to follow the woman, who left the room and reentered the room with another container this time. There was something very odd in the way she walked, and his eyes moved to look down at her feet that were covered in shoes.


    "No, I have never been here before," replied Remy, answering something that Castiel asked.


    Lilian walked towards the table, waiting to ce the container on the table. And during that time, she could sense one of the guests eyes on her being fixated. The guests often didn''t look at the maids unless they had something to ask or to do.


    The more unnerving the gaze turned, the more stoic her expression turned as if her face had frozen. Somewhere between the intense stare, the shoe that she wore moved slightly in a different direction, and her hand slipped where she ended up touching the hot bottom of the utensil. The food has been prepared only a few minutes ago to keep it fresh, and the heat now transferred right into her palm. Lilian bit the inside of her cheek, feeling her heart stumble over the pain.


    Donovan caught the entire action, a faint smileing to form on his lips whilst he watched the woman behave as if nothing had happened. He saw the young woman ce the utensil at the table and ready to leave, probably to tend to her wounds, but she stopped when Mr. William spoke,


    "The meat was hunted this morning, especially knowing all of you wereing to stay here. I hope the cook has prepared it to your taste."


    "I hope for the same, Mr. William," remarked Castiel with a polite smile on his face, and this had the inn owner hold a perplexed expression on his face before he brought the polite smile back on his lips.


    "You can start serving our guests now," ordered Mr. William, and the three maids in the dining room started to serve the food to the three guests, who were vampires.


    Lilian felt the burning sensation on her hand, and she wanted to ce it under the cold water to ease the burn, but knowing how refusing work would cause her harm, she picked one of the bowls while going to each of the people who were seated at the table.


    When she came to stand in front of the dark-haired man with dark eyes, she asked, "Sd?"


    "Mm," hummed Donovan, his eyes falling on the woman''s hand that clutched tighter on the bowl. Lilian''s eyes fell on Donovan, and his eyes met hers. His eyes shifted from her to look at Mr. Williams, to ask him, "With suchrge inn for people from the wealthy family, and so many servants, you must be spending quite some money on the people who work here, isn''t it, Mr. William?"


    Lilian''s eyebrows were quick to furrow, and she quickly turned it passive.


    Mr. William smiled at Donovan, "I make sure that they get just enough wage for what they work in here."


    "Is that so, I wonder if the maids in here would agree to it,"mented Donovan with a full-blown smile on his face.


    "I am sure they will," replied Mr. William with full confidence.


    When the owner of the inn got busy with something Castiel was talking about, Donovan tilted his head to the side, staring at the young woman''s shoes and questioned,


    "Did you borrow those?"


    Lilian stared at the man, wondering why he was being nosey, and she replied, "No, they are mine."


    "Did you think you would grow bigger and bought it for future use?" Donovan continued to question her, and Lilian could feel Mr. William''s intense reing from the other side of the table.


    "I usually wear socks with them, but today seemed to be awfully hot," Lilian replied in her quiet voice, staring right into his eyes that Donovan didn''t find many doing.


    Thest one who did it was the witch, who had cursed the town of Willow Creek, and no one knew where it had disappeared along with the people who once used to reside there. He had watched her from afar until now, but now as she was this close, he noticed her pale green eyes stare at him for a few seconds more before she lowered her gaze to look at the vessel in her hand. And he doubted it was because she was shy, but only because she didn''t want to involve herself in this mess.


    "You can leave, Lilian, Eden and Andrea will take care of the rest in here," Mr. William dismissed the woman from the room.


    Lilian was more than happy to do it, and she bowed her head before stepping out of the dining room.


    A couple of minutes passed where the dinner continued and finally came to an end. Mr. Williams had asked the servants to stay back so that they could offer help in the inn, and right now, Lilian stood in front of the sink in the kitchen, with water being collected in the ss to pour it on her burned palm.


    A shuddered gasp escaped from her lips, and she brought the palm forward to take a look at it. The skin had turned pink and red, the skin painful.


    "That looks tender," came ament from behind her, and Lilian turned her head around to look at the guest who had questioned about her shoes.


    Lilian quickly hid her hand by taking it back to her side, and she asked, "Is there anything I can help you with, Mr. Donovan?" Mr. William didn''t like tardiness when it came to the servants who worked for him, and he didn''t mind kicking them out from the work, where there were many who would happily want to work in the inn.


    The pay wasn''t much, but it was decent, especially for the women.


    "I was looking for a drink, but I couldn''t find the right one. I thought you could help me with it," remarked Donovan.


    Lilian noticed how the man had discarded his coat and was now in his nightclothes, a pair of ck cks and a loose shirt that hung around his shoulder.


    "Is there something specific that you are looking for? I can ask Eden to help with it as she''s more proficient with it," replied Lilian, and her nonchnt way of replying was something that had brought Donovan to the kitchen, looking for her with mild curiosity.


    "I was hoping you would. Is there anything you are good at Ms..." Donovan drawled to get herst name.


    "Lilian."


    "I mean in the kitchen," added Donovan, a faint smile on his lips.


    "Will water do?" asked Lilian, and the smile that was on Donovan''s lips reached his eyes. Amusement filling up in there.


    "Is that what you like to drink, Lilian," he tested her name on his tongue and noticed the way there was a change in the young woman''s expression.


    "It is what I can afford, Mr. Donovan. People like me try to not look for something that might entice us, we prefer to stick to something that is affordable," replied Lilian, and she pressed her palms on her skirt to remove the drops of moisture from them.


    "I guess I will taste how it feels to drink just water," said the man, and Lilian didn''t know what the man wanted by showing up in the kitchen where there was no one.


    Without uttering another word, Lilian went near the cupboard, taking out a cleaned ss. She then poured water from the pot of water and walked to where the man stood, as he hadn''t made an effort to move from where he stood.


    "Thank you," said Donovan with a polite smile on his lips, watching the young woman''s guarded expression. Without taking a sip from it, he asked her, "How long have you been working here?"


    "Since the time Mr. Williams opened this inn. Two years," said Lilian and Donovan brought the ss to his lips, sipping the water whilst he stared at her. Lilian waited for Donovan to finish drinking water so that she could take the ss back, but the man took his own sweet time to drink it.


    "How''s your hand?" questioned Donovan, and the maid stared back at him. Because the guests never paid attention to the servants.


    "It''s fine," replied Lilian, and once he was done drinking the water, she took the ss from him.


    Donovan offered a polite smile to the young woman, and he then left the kitchen to head towards his room. On his way, he met Remy, who stood in front of the window in the corridor.


    "Waiting for the town to sleep?" questioned Donovan, putting his hands in his pockets.


    Remy turned his gaze to look at Donovan, "There''s nothing in here. The resources for the medicines are bleak."


    "It''s a small town, or maybe calling it a vige would be more right," stated Donovan, before he added, "Maybe it would be better to travel with Castiel to his town. It seems to be flourishing better with the Lords and the Dukes in there."


    "The one where the town of Willow Creek disappeared," noted Remy, his expression grim-looking where he appeared to be bored and wanting to get back to where he came. Donovan didn''tment on this, wondering if there was truly nothing in this ce.


    When morning arrived, Donovan, who was taking a stroll, noticed the maid he had metst night. She didn''t seem to be staggering with her shoes and was walking fine. His eyes swept across her feet, and he noticed the patch-like shoes.


    By the time of noon, when Lilian was walking in the corridor of the inn with folded clothes in her hands, one of the male servants called her,


    "Lilian," and she turned to look at the person bringing a box to her. "These are for you."


    "What are they?" she asked him, and the person shook his head.


    "I don''t know. Here let me take those," and the man took the clothes from her hand and reced it with the box.


    When Lilian opened the box, she noticed a pair of shoes and her eyebrows furrowed. Her lips set themselves in a thin line, and she wondered who could have sent them to her, somewhere having an idea, she took them to one of the guest rooms.


    The room door was already open, and Lilian went to the door before knocking on it. Donovan was wearing his coat when he heard the footsteps before the knock on the door.


    "Good morning, Lilian. Come here to pick up clothes?" questioned Donovan.


    "Did you get these?" asked Lilian, and the man stared at her.


    "Hm?" Donovan had a confused expression on his face. "Are they yours?"


    "You don''t have to buy me things, Mr. Donovan. I appreciate the gesture¡ª"


    "I don''t know what you are speaking about, but I think it is quite rude to not greet the guests. Especially when the guests greet you first, isn''t it?"


    Lilian wondered if she had perhaps misunderstood something here, and she pursed her lips before slightly bowing her head, "Good morning, Mr. Donovan. Lunch will be served in a few minutes and the carriages have been prepared for your journey."


    "Wonderful," responded Donovan, staring at the young woman who looked like she didn''t know what to say, and she took her leave from there.


    The carriages had been readied, both Donovan and Remy Oscar got into separate carriages, and they left the front of the inn. Lilian changed her shoes to the new ones, which surprisingly fit her feet perfectly.


    When the evening was nearing, the inn''s front door opened, and Lilian was about to greet the person when Donovan entered the inn. Mr. William''s who was present there, he caught sight of Azazel Donovan and said,


    "Wee back, Mr. Donovan. Did you forget something?"


    "No. I thought about staying here for a few more days," said Donovan before adding, "The water here seems to be quite different than the other ces."


    -


    For readers who have beenining about updates rudely-


    I have a stye, an eye infection with my upper eyelid swollen and irritated because of the continuous screen type. More screen time= more irritation on the eyes.. I do understand the impatience, but I would be happier if you could see the possibility that the author is having some issues, instead of leaving rude remarks.

 Chapter 147 - False Rumour About The Maid

    <h4>Chapter 147 - False Rumour About The Maid</h4>


    Lilian was cleaning the dining table when she heard evident footsteps that reached the dining-room door. Behaving as if she didn''t hear it, she continued to clean the surface of the table spotless, and she heard the person speak,


    "Do you have a family here?"


    Her hand paused, turning her head. She saw it was Mr. Donovan at the door. She shook her head before she said, "No."


    "Does it mean that they are dead or you ran away from your home, when you were younger?" questioned Donovan. "After I left the inn, I went to meet a man to discuss something, and the name of the ckburn family came up. Lilian Lena ckburn."


    Lilian''s hand gripped on the cloth, and she asked, "Is there something you would like to speak about, Mr. Donovan? I have work toplete."


    The smile on Donovan''s lips broadened, and he shook his head. When Lilian turned back to resume her work, the vampire interrupted her, "Actually I do. You didn''t thank me for the shoes," he poked her.


    Earlier, when she had confronted Donovan, where he had refused anything to do with the shoes, Lilian guessed it was from him. She had worn it after he had left in the carriage, not expecting him to return to see her wearing them. She turned around, directly meeting his eyes this time, and she bowed her head, "Thank you for the shoes."


    At that time, when it came to the human maid, Donovan didn''t expect his mild interest was going to increase. He had met many women, been with many women, which often didn''tst more than a day, and he had considered this woman to be the same. Believing he was only feeding his boredom with something to do.


    Back in the present, Knox and Donovan walked near the bridge that continued to exist, which only disappeared for a few seconds before it returned to its original ce.


    "She was a beautiful woman, and there was probably nothing much with her except for the way she looked at me. Always guarded and careful, unbothered by my status," stated Donovan, speaking about Roman''s mother.


    "And here I thought you wouldn''t be able to have a family of your own," murmured Knox, his eyes moving to the corner to look at Donovan, who had pulled another cigarette to smoke.


    Donovan chuckled at Knox''s words, "I never had any intention to impregnate the woman and have a child. It came as quite a surprise when I found out about Roman. The circumstances and situations wereplicated. Maybe if I knew about it, I would have got rid of the child when he was still in the woman''s womb, but I wasn''t there."


    "Thought so," remarked Knox, because that was the kind of person Donovan was.


    Knox had known Donovan for a long time, knowing the vampire was selfish, self-centred and cared very less about people who were around him. This was one of the reasons why Opaline and Donovan had never worked out in the past, though they had been acquaintances, they still stayed away from each other because of the way the other lived. While Donovan was into killing people, Opaline tried to save as many lives as she could.


    Knox noticed that there were subtle changes in Donovan''s behaviour, where the vampire had tried to save his daughter from Enoch Mortimer.


    On the other hand, Donovan''s thoughts went back to those nights where he spent his time with Lilian on the warm bed. They had met a couple of times before he decided to cut off ties with her and not meet her ever again, deciding it himself without considering her because she was a human, one that was fragile.


    Somewhere Donovan had cut off ties because it was after a very long time did he feel attached to someone.


    "Who was that person you were talking to?" Donovan questioned Lilian when she had entered the room.


    "Mr. Rowe?" asked Lilian, her features had softened, and her guarded words and actions had dropped the veil, turning her more feminine than before.


    Both Donovan and Lilian''s rtionship had been kept a secret, and she didn''t question him. She was satisfied to have him around every once in a while, and that was more than enough for her.


    "He was asking about the house that I live in. He asked if it needs to be fixed," replied Lilian, walking around the room and moving towards the firece to add more logs of wood in it.


    "He sounds nice," came the short words from Donovan, not liking the fact that there was someone else eyeing her, and at the same time, he knew it was probably the best for her to have a normal life with a person of her own, a human. "He must be in a high position."


    "I guess one could tell that," replied Lilian. "He often helps people around. And he''s more than willing to do it without any cost."


    "Not taking money from others or just you?" asked Donovan, his eyes fixed on her.


    Lilian turned to look at him from where she was. She stood up, walking to where Donovan was standing. She said,


    "I make sure to pay him back for the help he provides, lest he thinks I am letting him do it for another purpose."


    "You shouldn''t worry about it and let people dote on you. Don''t stop on my ord¡­."


    Though Lilian''s face appeared to be stoic, it turned even more rigid. But internally, she felt a thorn pierce in her heart, knowing what she had with this man. It was only a dream and nothing more than it.


    Donovan pulled her towards him by her hand, kissing the back of her hand and Lilian felt her heart squeeze.


    "I know. I am aware of it," replied Lilian, a small smile on her lips, and Donovan returned the smile to her.


    The next morning, the man had left the inn, and at that time, Lilian didn''t know that it was thest of seeing him ever again. And maybe if she knew it, she would have asked him to stay for a little longer, even if it were only a few minutes more.


    The next day, the inn had another set of guests, who were passing by the ce and had decided to take shelter.


    One of the guests who had arrived at Mr. William''s inn was one of the Lords, Lord Malcolm Moltenore. During the Lord''s stay in the inn, Lilian continued to work as one of the servants there, helping with the staff andpleting her work before returning to her house.


    One of the evenings, they were short of one maid, and Lilian had been asked to stay and help in the kitchen. It was past eight in the night when supper had been served and had been at the dining room with Mr. William.


    "Make sure you get the bottle of wine from the cer and have it brought to the guests rooms. Lord Moltenorees from an old and wealthy family. Make sure he doesn''t feel adequate." Mr. William instructed Lilian, and she bowed her head.


    "Shall I get it to his room right now?" she tried to confirm, and the man nodded his head.


    "Yes, do it now," said Mr. William, giving the keys of the cer to her, and Lilian quickly left for the cer with thentern in her hand.


    Walking towards one side of the walls, Lilian picked up one of the bottles mentioned by Mr. William before locking the room and making her way up to where Lord Malcolm Moltenore''s room was located.


    On her way, she felt slightly dizzy and nauseous. She wondered if she had eaten something that she was not supposed to eat today because she had been feeling this way for a few hours now. Coming to stand in front of the room, Lilian raised her hand and knocked on the door.


    "Come in," came the firm words from the other side of the door.


    Lilian pushed the door and said, "Mr. William would like to offer you one of his finest wines."


    The man nodded his head and moved his hand towards the table as if telling her to keep it there while he sat at the desk.


    "Can you add some more wood to the firece? It seems a little dry and the chimney isn''t working that well," said Lord Moltenore, and Lilian nodded her head without exchanging too many words.


    She went to check the cupboard where the logs of woods were often stacked for quick use, and she added it. "It should be fine now," she said to him.


    The man nodded his head, and Lilian made her way out of the room before closing the door, and she started to make her way through the corridor. But her head slightly started to spin as a headache rose, and she stopped walking. At the same time, she heard the door suddenly shut sharply, making her turn behind to look at the corridor. She had made sure to close the door when she left the Lord''s room.


    A little suspicious, Lilian made her way back and hesitantly raised her hand to knock on the door. But before she could knock on the door, she heard something fall from the other side, and worry was quick to appear between her eyebrows. Her hand quickly moved to the handle, and she pushed the door open to find another man in the room.


    She found the Lord and the man on the ground, where the stranger whom she hadn''t seen before had his hands around the Lord''s neck with a rope, trying to tighten it.


    Lilian turned startled, and she warned the person, "Let Lord Moltenore go!"


    But the intruder didn''t let go of the Lord''s neck, who was trying to push him away while being strangled with the rope. Lilian looked around the room, not knowing what else to do, and she picked up the statue on the side. Coming behind the intruder, she quickly struck the hard object on the person''s head so that the person wouldn''t turn around and hit her back.


    But Lilian had used too much force that the intruder''s hand loosened around the Lord''s neck, and he fell t on the ground.


    She felt slightly breathless, and she asked in a shocked voice, "Are you alright, Lord Moltenore?"


    "Yes," the man ran his hand around his throat, feeling his vision slowly starting to return to him because if Lilian hadn''t appeared right now, he would have been sessfully strangled to death. "Are you alright?" he questioned her.


    Lilian nodded her head, "Let me go call Mr. William, who will see him behind the prison."


    "No," Lord Moltenore shook his head, stopping her from taking a step outside. "I don''t think it would be a good idea."


    The young woman frowned and said, "This man is an intruder and he will be punished for trying to harm you. You do not have to worry about it. Sometimes people trespass¡ª"


    "It wouldn''t have been a problem if the man was still alive," said Lord Moltenore, and for a moment, she didn''t understand the man''s words. Her green eyes shifted from him to look at the man whom she had struck hard. Her eyes widened on seeing red liquid starting to ooze out and smear the floor that was near to his head.


    Lilian''s hands turned cold, and so did her mind, frozen in shock at what she had just done.


    Lord Moltenore quickly moved towards the door so that no one woulde to see the crime of what took ce. Even though he was the Lord, he wasn''t the one who had struck the person, and it was Lilian, a maid, who had done it. Thew was stricter for the poor than the wealthy members of the towns and viges.


    Before he could close the door, one of the male servants hade to check if Lord Moltenore needed anything more for the day. The male servant caught sight of Lilian''s back, and he also caught Lord Moltenore, who appeared to be in haste to close the room''s door.


    Lord Moltenore''s action seemed too suspicious, and it had the male servante to believe that something was going on between Lilian and the Lord. The man blocked the path so that the dead man''s body couldn''t be seen lying on the ground.


    "Good evening, Lord Moltenore," the servant bowed his head and raised his head to ask, "Mr. William wanted to make sure that you are well settled and to let us know if you need anything."


    Lord Moltenore offered the servant a polite smile, but his eyebrows were slightly tense. He said, "Thank you for the hospitality. I think your owner has well equipped everything that I need for the night. If there is any need, I will make sure to reach out for it."


    "Of course, Lord Moltenore," the servant bowed his head, and the man offered a slight nod, watching the servant leave the corridor. He finally closed the door shut before going to the intruder and bending down to check his pulse.


    "I-Is he dead?" asked Lilian, feeling the strain in her body and mind. She hadn''t meant to kill the person and had only tried to get the person away from the Lord.


    Lord Moltenore''s hand didn''t leave the person''s neck before he moved it, cing it in front of the man''s nose, where there were no signs of breathing. He turned to look at Lilian and shook his head.


    Lilian staggered backwards, bringing both her hands to her face to cover her mouth. Her lips trembled.


    If people were to know about this, they would throw her first in prison and question herter. And maybe by the Lord''s words, she would escape the prison, but her name would be tarnished, and she would be given no job, nor would she have any peace anymore.


    "I-I didn''t mean to kill him," Lilian whispered in shock. Why was this happening? "Maybe¡­" she went to the dead person, bending down, and she tried to push the person''s chest up and down in hopes of reviving the person. But the body was turning cold. "W-what do I do? I didn''t mean to kill him."


    Lord Moltenore had a grim expression on his face, and he said, "Please calm down. It wasn''t your fault and you were only trying to help me." He looked around the room and then walked towards where the jug of water had been ced. Pouring water into it, he handed the ss of water to her. "Here, drink it."


    Lilian''s hands shook in fear, trembling before she brought it to her lips and took not more than one sip from it. Unable to hold the ss or swallow the water, she quickly turned around, moving to the open window, and she threw up.


    At that time, Lilian and Lord Moltenore believed that she had thrown up because of the presence of the dead body in the room. But the truth was that this was the effect of the deed she had made with Azazel Donovan, whom she had no clue that he was a vampire.


    She took a deep breath, drinking the half ss of water that had spilt from her hand.


    "Allow me to handle it so that you don''t have to worry about it. You saved my life, Ms," said Lord Moltenore. "The least thing I could do to repay your kindness and bravery is by making sure you don''t get caught into this."


    Lilian shook her head, and she then said, "If the magistrate or even a single soul finds out about this, they won''t let the matter stay still."


    "I am aware of it, mdy," replied Lord Moltenore, and he stared at the dead person before saying, "I will have the matter settled by taking the body from here and you can help with the floor. Will you be able to do it?" he asked her.


    Lilian was in a daze, and her head had started to spin, but she tried to stay as calm as she could without screaming or crying over what she had done. Everything had been so perfect with Azazel Donovan here, and she knew if he was here, this wouldn''t have happened.


    "What do you n to do with the person?" asked Lilian, somewhere the guilt was already starting to bury her, and she reminded herself to take deep breaths.


    "You don''t have to worry about that part. All you need to remember is that whatever has happened in here right now, and what I am going to do, it stays as a secret just between us," stated Lord Motlenore, and Lilian nodded her head.


    "O-okay. I will clean this u-up," she said to him.


    There were many people who wanted to kill or attack him as he was the Lord in Veteris, and people had issues with the steps he took in betterment of the town. He didn''t know how the intruder had even got inside, as he had been busy reading the parchments that had been signed by another Lord.


    They both decided to stay there together, in the room until everybody would go to sleep and wouldn''t catch Lord Moltenore dragging or carrying the body from the room. And while they spent their time there, the male servant went to meet Mr. Williams to ry what he had spoken to the Lord while also rying the information of Lilian being in the room.


    "I told her to send the bottle there, not to stay in the room," Mr. William didn''t look pleased that one of the servants of the inn was getting involved with the Lord of Veteris, who had a high reputation not just in his town but also the nearby ones.


    "I think Lord Moltenore was looking forward to herpany. Like he was closing the door and hiding it," ryed the servant, and Mr. William held a grim expression on his face.


    "Well if that is how it is. At least we know Lord Moltenore will be visiting us again thanks to her presence," and this little conversation was heard by another maid, which was passed until everyone in the inn came to know about Lilian spending the night in Lord Moltenore''s room.


    One of the female servantsmented, "Lilian should just settle with one of them, don''t you think? It feels like every guestes here to end up wanting to spend time with her."


    "Be careful with what you say," Eden pursed her lips. "They just happen to dote on her, she''s a kind young woman who keeps her to herself."


    "But really don''t you think she should just snag the man, it''s not like any of us are getting younger. Especially when you''re spending the night together while everyonees to know about it," said the first maid, raising her eyebrows.


    "Who knows, maybe this Lord Moltenore will take her with him by the end of his stay," said Eden, while she wiped the utensil dry with a dry cloth.


    "I wish someone would take me with them. It must be nice to be doted on by men. I thought Mr. Donovan had an interest towards her, considering he liked her serving him. But then I heard from Mr. William that Mr. Donovan is travelling to a differentnd. Somewhere far for work and wouldn''t being here anymore."


    "That''s how most of the wealthy men are," replied Eden, "They are busy."


    Three hours passed when Lord Malcolm Moltenore took the dead body of the person who had tried to kill him in his carriage, taking it far away from this ce to the forest where no one woulde to see what was going to happen to the body.


    When they reached the forest, the trusted coachman of the Lord took the body towards the centre of the forest.


    "Have it buried in a way where no one wille to find out," instructed Lord Moltenore, and the coachman bowed his head.


    "My apologies, milord¡­ but wouldn''t it be easier to let them know that it wasn''t you who killed this person?" asked the coachman.


    "If it was, I would have done it by now. I will be right here," said the Lord, and the coachman nodded his head before dragging the body away from there.


    Back in Mr. William''s inn, Lilian continued to wipe the floor that had not been an easy task for her. To clean the blood of a person where she had murder on her hands, she was starting to lose her peace.


    She pulled the bucket of water, soaking the cloth in the water before using it on the floor in hopes that the blood wouldn''t leave any stains on the floor. When she was done getting most of it, she dropped to the ground, sitting t with her legs crossed. She stared at the floor where the body had been lying until now. The feeling of nauseous returned, and she tried hard to hold it in so that she wouldn''t throw up one more time.


    After nearly two hours, Lord Moltenore finally returned to the room and Lilian, who had been anxious, quickly stood up.


    "Everything has been managed. You do not have to worry about anything," Lord Moltenore assured her, but it wasn''t enough to ease her mind.


    "What if someonees looking for the person?" she asked in worry.


    "The person who died¡­ he was someone who was involved in wanting to kill me. He probably came here without people''s knowledge which is why you shouldn''t worry about it. Nobody will ever question you about it, and we shall not speak anything," said Lord Moltenore, and he walked to the cupboard. Pulling the door, he rummaged through his things before pulling out a bag and handing it to her. "Take this. If you want you can start your life new and leave everything that happened today behind."


    Lilian stared at the velvet bag that hung in the man''s hand. She shook her head, "I don''t need it," she whispered to him.


    She knew running away was easy, she had done that before, but running away from the memories wasn''t something she had been able to do. Even though a few years had passed by, she missed her family, and if she left this ce, the memories of the man and the man himself would haunt her. It was always the good memories that came to haunt a person.


    Seeing the young woman''s resolve, where she held no interest in the bag of coins, he lowered his hand. He then said,


    "I apologize that you had to do and see something like this tonight. But I want to let you know that I appreciate what you did for me tonight, and hopefully¡­ one day I will be able to return your favour."


    "I didn''t do it to gain any favour," whispered Lilian, her heart heavy with the guilt of the murder in her hands.


    "If you didn''t do what you did today,ing to save me, I would have been dead by now," Lord Moltenore let her know. Lilian''s eyes slowly brimmed with tears, and a shuddered breath escaped from her lips. "Please let me know how I can help you, and I will do my best."


    The tears welled up in her eyes. Lord Moltenore, not knowing what else to do for the young woman, who was somewhere in shock and looked terrified, he carefully moved towards her and ced his hand on her shoulder.


    "Thank you for doing what you did for me," said Lord Moltenore before adding, "Do you want me to take you to your home?" Because he had heard of how some of the servants and maids who worked here didn''t always live here unless it was of requirement.


    "I am okay," Lilian nodded her head, wiping the tear that had escaped from her eye.


    "I promise to not bring this up, and make sure that no one will evere to suspect you about the murder of that man," Lord Moltenore gave his word once again, letting the woman know that she was safe. "You should go and get some sleep."


    Lilian went to take the bucket from there, but the man stopped her, "I will take care of it. Thank you for helping me here."


    "What is your name?" Lord Moltenore asked her.


    "Lena¡­ Lilian Lena ckburn," she responded, and she finally left the person''s room, making her way towards her assigned room before crawling on the bed and crying herself to sleep. Her night had turned sleepless at the memory of the man lying cold and motionless on the ground.


    When morning arrived, she quickly washed her face, and while doing so, one of the maids who had been talking to the other maid named Eden caught hold of Lilian''s skirt that had a red stain.


    "Oh my, Lilian. You must have quite a night yesterday,"mented the woman in a sarcastic tone, who was slightly older than Lilian.


    Hearing the maid''s words, her hands froze, and so did her face. Her lips moved, "W-what?"


    "Now don''t behave that you have no clue. Everyone heard about it and you are going to be the talk of the town," said the woman. She then looked at Lilian''s skirt, jerking her chin towards it, and she said, "I think you should get your skirt changed, unless you want everyone to know that you have bloodstain on it."


    Hearing the word blood, Lilian''s face paled.


    "What?" whispered Lilian, her expression more guarded and the fellow maidughed.


    "You and Lord Moltenore I mean, you must have quite some wonderful time together and look at you being more on guard. He''s a handsome man, so I would have had a hard time resisting him,"ughed the maid, and Lilian finally realized what the person meant.


    She quickly went to her home and changed her clothes. Neither the Lord, nor did she speak about what happened that night, or where the person''s body was buried.


    When it was time, Lord Moltenore left the inn without Lilian, while the gossip about them continued. The nauseous feeling didn''t leave Lilian, and she continued to throw up, not knowing what was wrong with her, until Edenmented in surprise,


    "Oh my¡­ you must be pregnant."


    Another maid expressed her excitement, "You and Lord Moltenore are having a baby..."


    Unconsciously, Lilian ced her hand on her stomach.. No, she thought to herself, this was not Lord Moltenore''s baby.

 Chapter 148 - Turn Of Life

    <h4>Chapter 148 - Turn Of Life</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Princess Margaret - Rupert Gregson


    -


    Lilian ced her hand on her back while she had her body lean forward, and she continued to throw up next to a tree. Lately, she had been feeling too sick, due to which she had to cut down her working hours at the inn. That didn''t go well with her situation, as she had to use the money that she had saved until now.


    "Looks like you aren''t feeling that well," remarked Eden,ing to stand behind Lilian and patting her back soothingly.


    Lilian continued to throw up. Her throat felt dry and eating even the softest food felt harsh on her throat. She took deep breaths, her eyebrows furrowed before she tried to stand straight, and Eden helped her stand straight.


    "Is this normal¡­?" Lilian asked Eden, cing her hand on her baby bump that had grown over the past few weeks.


    "Women who are pregnant often experience sickness, and throwing up is a verymon thing. Maybe we can go and visit the physicianter if you are still feeling unwell?" On hearing Eden''s suggestion, Lilian shook her head.


    "No, that''s fine. I will manage it," replied Lilian, taking the water that Eden offered her. She drank it in little sips.


    Eden had a worried look on her face, and she stared at Lilian, who looked exhausted. The young woman had been trying to bnce working as well as taking care of her all by herself.


    "You know¡­ it isn''t bad to contact the baby''s father and let him know that you are pregnant. At least you won''t have to work this hard to make ends meet," came the concerned words from Eden. "Lord Moltenore, he might have a family of his own which most of us were unaware of, but from what I saw, he seemed considerate about you. Maybe he will consider supporting you."


    Lilian shook her head again, "No¡­ I don''t want to do that," she said in a low voice.


    The thing was that Lilian did want to reach out to the father of her child. To let him know that she was carrying his child. But the problem was that no one knew the whereabouts of Azazel Donovan. He and the other men, who hade with him, had disappeared from here like ghosts. On one side, people gossiped about how a married man had knocked her up, and then there was another side where she couldn''t bring up Donovan''s name.


    Since she had found out that she was carrying a child, with hope in her eyes and heart, waiting for Donovan, waiting, that once he woulde to find out about the child, he would be happy about it.


    Lilian didn''t know much about Donovan regarding where he came from or what he actually did because she could tell that what he showed was not the truth. By nature, she was a quiet woman who observed the people around her, trying to understand them.


    "Are you worried that Lord Moltenore''s name will be tarnished? What about him leaving you in this condition?" questioned Eden, slightly frustrated because she had caught Lilian a couple of times staring through the window of the inn. As if the young woman was waiting for her lover to return, but he never showed up ever again.


    Lilian''s gaze that had lowered staring at the ground, she said, "I think it is best if his family doesn''te to know about my condition. I appreciate your concern, Eden, but I would be thankful if no one ever contacts the Lord about my condition."


    In the incident that took ce a couple of weeks ago, Lilian had desperately tried to forget that she was a murderer. The memory still haunted her, but more than that, there were other things that troubled her, which was the time she had spent with Azazel Donovan, and her heart broke¡­ knowing he was not going to return. The time she had conceived the child, she had turned her child into a murderer along with her.


    At first, she had been sad, which was then reced with quiet anger where she refused to try reaching out to him by finding out where he was.


    A tired sigh escaped from Lilian''s lips, and she said, "I should probably go home and rest."


    Eden nodded her head, "Yes, that will be better. I will let Mr. William know that you are feeling sick."


    "Thank you, Eden," Lilian replied in a low voice, a tired smile on her lips, and she made her way to her empty home.


    Eden went back to work, walking to Mr. William''s inn, and when she met her employer, she let the man know. But Mr. William wasn''t pleased with the fact that one of his maids was taking such frequent time off from work.


    Mr. William''s eyebrows furrowed, and he said, "Looks like it would be better to bring in another maid to fill her spot to avoid going under staff here."


    The maid''s eyes widened, and she tried to convince him, "B-but Lilian has been working here for a long time, Mr. William. Do you n to kick her out of her only job?" The young, pregnant woman didn''t have anyone''s support, and it worried Eden.


    "She can continue her job. As much as I want to remove her from the job, so that I can save my money and use it on something more useful," said Mr. William with a grim expression on his face. "I will give her a few more chances, and if she turns utterly unfit for work, maybe yes, I will have to consider recing her for good. Go back to your work now before I find someone to fill your own spot."


    Eden offered a bow, her lips set into a thin line, and she turned worried for Lilian.


    Two more weeks passed, and Lilian turned even sicker. The physician who hade to her house with Eden to check her health, after examining her, he said,


    "These symptoms of difort aremon in women who are pregnant. It would be better for you to rest your feet and try not to do any heavybour as it will not only affect you, but also the baby that is growing inside you."


    Lilian was sitting on the edge of the bed, and her face looked as if she had been barely sleeping.


    "Mr. Emerson¡­ Lilian has been throwing up blood," Eden informed on behalf of Lilian.


    "Blood? Do you mean traces of blood? That must be because the tissues in her throat have been torn and that''s the reason. There''s nothing to worry about. I will write down what she has to eat and what she should avoid eating, this might help reduce the pain in her body, and also throw up," exined the physician.


    "But do keep in mind that you rest, at least until the baby is born and a few weeks after that."


    Lilian was told to sleep on her back, and shey on the hard and cold mattress, pulling the nket over her and staring at the ceiling. The season of Winter had appeared, and the weather was cold. She gently ran her hand on her baby bump.


    Eden and the physician together left the room and stepped out of the house, so that Eden could get the medicine that the physician had mentioned for Lilian.


    Once they stepped out, the physician spoke to Eden in a low voice, "She looks very pale and weak. Though as I said, it is verymon during the pregnancy period, she appears like a ghost."


    "It is why I requested you toe see her, Mr. Emerson. Lilian refuses to seek help¡­ and it might be because of the amount of rumours that has been spread around," replied Eden, and the man nodded his head.


    "I can understand," replied the man, where his eyebrows were furrowed. "If you ever need any help for her or for yourself, let me know about it. I would be happy to offer my help."


    "Thank you, Mr. Emerson. Lilian and I are very thankful for it," the woman bowed her head, and so did the man.


    Back in the house, Lilian let out a soft sigh, where fog escaped from her mouth. When she felt the baby''s kicks, she closed her eyes. Feeling her stomach, she whispered to the baby,


    "Calm down, little one. I won''t let anything happen to you, nor will I let you feel alone while I am here with you," Lilian promised her baby. It had be a habit to talk to her child, letting it know that they had each other, and it didn''t matter if the others were there or not. "I will always love you. The physician says it''s only a few more weeks before I get to see you¡­ I love you very much, and cannot wait to meet you."


    One would think that after delivering the baby, Lilian''s health would improve. But it didn''t. It was as if conceiving the baby had weakened her body, and the physician had no answer to why her health was affected this much. Some believed it was because of her faith in the man who had fathered the child, who had broken her spirit.


    But the truth was that Lilian, a human, had carried a vampire''s child in her womb before giving birth to the baby boy.


    She had stopped waiting for Donovan toe to meet her, to learn that he had a son. Somewhere between the sadness and the anger in her mind, she had made peace with it, happy to have her son with her. Even though her health had deteriorated day by day, she loved the boy with every fibre in her body until her veryst breath.


    "What do we do about the boy?" questioned one of the men from the vige while a few of the people quietly cried over the woman''s death.


    "I thought you were helping her, Mr. Emerson. Did she run out of money for the medicines?" questioned another fellow viger.


    The physician looked genuinely upset by the words, and he said, "I never took any money from her. The woman has helped in the household work on a few asions and I was returning the favour. She just seemed to have a weak health."


    "Isn''t he Lord Moltenore''s son? Maybe we should write to him and let him know about it," suggested another one.


    "Do you think the Lord will ept him as his son? He''s note here to see the woman for many years, I doubt he would want to do anything with the boy at all," stated another viger before muttering, "What a terrible thing to happen. Maybe Mr. William could take the boy to work for him, he did help Lilian with the work, didn''t he?" and the man clicked his tongue before looking in the direction of the coffin that was on the ground.


    A small boy sat next to his mother''s coffin, watching her fast asleep for quite a few hours now.


    The boy was around six, his hair midnight ck, and so were his eyes that were fixed on his mother. He didn''t cry, nor did he sob, but he continued to stare at his mother''s face.


    Only a few of them, who closely knew Lilian, hade to attend her funeral, while most of the vigers had skipped it, not wanting to look at the woman who had conceived a child out of marriage. They couldn''t believe how the woman had been irresponsible, and they frowned upon her.


    "Roman?" Eden came to ce her hand on the small boy''s shoulder, but he moved away from where he sat as if repulsed by the idea of someone wanting to touch him. The woman didn''t take any offence, as she had seen him grow up. "It is time for you to tell your mother goodbye. We need to bury her while she''s still beautiful."


    The boy''s eyes moved from the woman to look at his mother, having an idea that his mother would never wake up again. Nor would she smile and run her hand across his head to pat him.


    "Go on, dear," Eden nudged him with her gentle words. Lilian had always been nothing less than a younger sister to her. And now that she was gone, she wanted to look after Roman.


    The young boy moved closer to his mother''s coffin, bending down, his hand stretched to touch her face. Hoping she would wake up, but even after seconds had passed, she didn''t. Leaning even closer, the boy brought his lips near his mother''s face, kissing her cheek to say his goodbyes.


    The sight was heartbreaking because anyone could tell that the woman who had passed away was the boy''s world. The only person he knew whom he could trust and believe, and love him dearly.


    Eden, who noticed this exchange, quickly blinked her eyes so that she wouldn''t break down. She had known Lilian since she hade to stay in this vige, befriending the young woman who had an icy appearance when it came to her emotions, which only a few were able to breakthrough.


    Young Roman stepped away from the coffin, and soon the coffin was carried and ced on one corner of the vige cemetery, where the ground had been dug. The priest spared a few words before the lid of the coffin was closed. Mud was pushed to the hollow pit until the coffin waspletely buried in the ground, and the people around slowly started to leave from there to carry on with their lives.


    The young boy and Lilian''s friend, Eden, were thest people who stayed behind so that they could continue to mourn for Lilian''s death, who was dear to them. After a couple of more minutes passed, Eden spoke to the boy,


    "Let us get back home now. You can alwayse and visit herter."


    She wondered if the boy understood what happened because the expression on his face was serious and barely showed any emotions.


    The young boy turned around, and so did Eden, leaving the new grave that was upied.


    The boy didn''t go to Eden''s home and instead went to his home, where he and his mother lived together until the early morning hours. Lilian''s friend made sure to send him meals, while Mr. William took pity and let the boy work in the inn with the small tasks.


    A few days passed, and the news about the woman''s death, Lilian Lena ckburn, reached the ears of Lord Malcolm Moltenore. He came to the vige to see how things were, meeting the woman named Eden.


    "How did this happen?" questioned Lord Moltenore with a grim-looking expression on his face.


    "Lilian''s health has been going downhill for quite some years now. We thought it would get better once she gave birth to the boy, but she never bounced back, Lord Moltenore," replied Eden, not knowing how the man hade to know about Lilian''s death. "She turned very quiet and didn''t speak much except for¡­ your son."


    Lord Moltenore was taken aback by this information, and there was an evident surprise on his face.


    "My son?" questioned the man.


    Eden nodded her head, the atmosphere turned awkward, and she said, "I have asked Lilian to talk to you about it, to at least write a letter to you, letting your son''s existence be known but she never agreed¡­ I think you already know why. It has been hard for her and her son, Roman."


    Lord Moltenore didn''t know how he fathered a child when he hadn''t even touched the woman. The only interaction they had was the night the woman killed the person who hade to kill him.


    Still confused, he wondered if this woman named Lilian had by mistake told people that he was the father of the child. He cleared his throat and then asked, "Do you know where the boy is? I would like to meet him."


    Eden quickly nodded her head, "Of course. Let me take you to him," and she took him to the other side of the vige, where some children were ying, running and talking.


    But the small boy for whom they hade for wasn''t mingling with the other children, and instead, he sat on one side, staring at the children with a nk expression on his face.


    "That''s him there," Eden pointed out the boy, and Lord Moltenore''s eyes fell on the small boy. "He has your ck hair," added the woman, and the Lord wasn''t sure how to perceive this right now.


    Lord Moltenore walked to where the small Roman sat, who wasn''t doing anything in particr. He was too small, and Malcolm pitied the boy for losing his mother at this young age, without any knowledge of the true father.


    With years that had passed by, Lord Moltenore had forgotten one of the attempted kills on him. But he hadn''t forgotten the kindness the woman had shown him, by putting herself in danger to protect him, when they were nothing but strangers. He had wanted to repay her, but she had refused the money as if it were worthless to her.


    He knew what happened to children who didn''t have a family or the right roof above their heads. The world was cruel, and if he let the boy go unattended, it would only turn his chest heavy with guilt.


    His eyes fell on the boy''s clothes, which looked slightly matted. As if sensing his gaze, the boy turned to look at him with his pitch-ck eyes.


    "I am Malcolm Moltenore¡­ your father," the Lord introduced himself.


    The small boy continued to stare at him, where the Lord could tell that the boy had heard and understood him, but he was trying to understand what he, the lord, was doing next to him.


    "What''s your name?" inquired the Lord, and the boy stood straight, standing face to face while there was arge difference in their height.


    "Roman," came the clear words from the boy before he added, "Mother calls me Rome."


    Lord Moltenore nodded his head, "I see. What would you prefer I call you?"


    "Rome."


    "Mm. Rome," Lord Moltenore called the boy''s name, noticing he had a simr facial expression to his mother. Almost icy and guarded, as if he didn''t want to be bothered. "I gave your mother my word, and I would like to take you home with me, if you would like to."


    "Why?"


    Such a simple yet difficult question thought Lord Moltenore in his mind.


    "You are my son now, Rome, and being the Lord''s son, I would like you to be in the right ce where you will have a family and not be alone in this ce. You will be well taken care of," Lord Moltenore answered the boy''s question.


    For a small boy, he seemed a little too mature, thought Lord Moltenore in his mind.


    Eden, who was nearby, quickly moved towards them, and she coaxed the small boy, "Your father wants to take you home with him, Roman. You will not have to live alone in the house."


    "Alone?" questioned Lord Moltenore with furrowed eyebrows.


    Eden looked a little embarrassed before she replied, "He doesn''t like living with us, and prefers to stay in the house where he used to live with his mother. We tried to keep him in our house, but it''s like having a wild cat that doesn''t want to stay," she lightlyughed. "In the end, we just let him be and give him space. Uh, also, milord, he isn''t fond of anyone touching him. Even lightly."


    The Lord nodded his head, "Is there a certain reason for it?"


    "No, he''s been like this since he started to walk. Only Lilian was allowed to touch him, but that''s because she was his mother," replied Eden, looking at the small boy, who turned his head to look at the children ying. "I think it''s wonderful that you have decided to take him with you, he will finally have a family since his mother passed away."


    Soon the small boy''s things were packed from the house, and Lord Moltenore took the boy along with him to his town, to take him to his home.

 Chapter 149 - Acceptance

    <h4>Chapter 149 - eptance</h4>


    Many years passed by, but no one ever found out the truth about Roman not being Lord Malcolm Moltenore''s son. The Lord stayed true to his word when he had offered to repay the young woman, who had saved his life that night. Otherwise, he could have died.


    The people in the town of Veteris and the nearby towns gossiped and spoke senselessly about the matter, but the man didn''t even try to correct it or say a thing about it. People usually spoke what they wanted, twisting things, and the man had more important things to do than feed people''s idle minds.


    His wife Petronile took his action to heart, and he knew she was hurt by his words and actions. Bringing another woman''s child under their roof, especially when everyone believed the boy was his illegitimate child, didn''t sit well with his wife, who had not spoken to him for many days. Upset with him, she came around and had finally epted Roman into her heart as her own child. The woman he had married was kind and humble, respectful, and the epitome of elegance.


    While Roman grew up in the Moltenore''s household, far away, in the vige he hade from, visitors who hadn''t appeared there for many years had now arrived. The Elder vampires were travelling to Veteris, as Castiel Marudas wanted to propose something to his brother and family.? On their way, the Elders had stopped by the vige.


    Four carriages appeared in front of Mr. William''s inn before each of the coachmen pulled the reins of the horses to halt the wheels of the carriages.


    The Elder vampires stepped out of the carriage, one after another, while the blonde vampire whose hair was parted from the side had a scowl on his face. "Is there a reason why we are staying here and not to mention if this inn is fit for us?" questioned Luciano.


    "It''s a decent ce," replied Elder Remy with his bleak-looking eyes, which held the same boredom, and possibly more than the previous time he had stepped foot in here.


    Donovan stepped out of the carriage, his features even prouder than before and his eyes? jet ck under his thick eyebrows, where one of them was slightly raised. "It''s not too bad to mingle with the lower kind, Luciano. Who knows you might rather enjoy the atmosphere of this ce,"? a smug smile on his face, but Luciano wasn''t impressed with it.


    Thest time Donovan had left this ce here, he had told himself that he wouldn''t return to this ce because of the woman¡­ But here he was. He could have avoideding to visit this ce, as he had already imagined that she was married to one of the humans and now had a family of her own. Donovan wondered if he was somewhere a masochist toe here, even though he could have directly gone to Veteris.


    Even though years had passed, he couldn''t get Lilian Lena ckburn''s memory out of his mind, and the woman still held a special ce in his dark heart.


    He knew he couldn''t offer her the life that she wanted, and he had let go of her. It was probably the best decision at that time to cut off things while they were still young so that the woman wouldn''t turn into a drawback of his. A weakness, thought Donovan in his mind, while his intelligent eyes looked at the inn.


    Would Lilian still be here? Working in this inn, or had she given up on work to tend to her family? Donovan asked himself as he made his way inside the building and the other three Elders followed one after another.


    The inn owner, Mr. William, who now had peppered ck and grey hair, quickly came to the hall to greet us. His thin moustache continued to rest above his lips.


    "Good evening, gentlemen. It is so good to see you here, I would like to humbly wee you," Mr. William bowed and raised his head to greet them. He said, "If I knew that you were visiting us, I would have made prior arrangements."


    "If you don''t, we could always leave," Remy''s words were dull, and he was already tired of everything. If it weren''t for Castiel''s request, he would have never tagged along in the journey, especially when Donovan and Luciano were around, because tolerating even one of them was hard.


    "Of course not," Mr. William lightlyughed and weed the gentlemen into his inn. "Lewis, take the luggages of our guests and have them ced in the top rooms. We have made a lot of changes since yourst visit here. I hope you will find it to your taste."


    Donovan made his way through the hall, and his eyes fell on the few servants who were around. And though his eyes carefully looked at each of them, the face he wanted to see wasn''t her. It was the same during the time of supper when the maids had changed shifts.


    "How long are you staying here, Mr. Donovan?" Mr. William asked the man, who was sipping his wine.


    "It depends on how our work will go, Mr. William. Unfortunately, it is going to be a shorter visit than the previous one," responded Donovan. Then he said, "Mr. Oscar and Mr. Sterling are here to sight see, while Mr. Marudas will be going to visit his rtives in the town of Veteris. I am here just to apany them."


    Mr. William nodded his head, and then shifted his gaze to look at Castiel Marudas, whose grey eyes were fixed on him already.


    "Looks like your inn has been faring quite better than before, Mr. William. Have you decided to branch to another town to expand your business?" asked Castiel.? Mr. William puffed his chest as if he felt proud to receive the subtlepliments from the wealthy man.


    "I was thinking of getting one set up in Queenstorm town, but acquiring thends and receiving approval to start the inn is quite hard. I have tried to negotiate the matter, but it has been tough. One of the Lords used to be our patron here, but now he refuses toe here. Getting his time is hard," exined Mr. Williams before he added, "Not to mention, I will need to recruit more servants and this ce has shortage with it."


    "Looks like you have reced the servants whost used to work here," remarked Donovan in a nonchnt tone.


    Mr. William gave a nk look, and he shook his head, "I think we have almost the same staff, Mr. Donovan except for three or four people. I have even increased the people''s wages by more than two coins."


    Donovan''s finger lightly tapped on the wine ss, but he didn''tment anything further on the matter.


    When the time stretched further into the night, where most of the servants had gone to sleep, and most of the guests in the inn had disappeared into their rooms, Donovan walked in the lonely corridor. His footsteps were quiet; his footsteps left a trail of shadow on the ground because of the dimly lit candles ced on both sides of the walls.


    Unable to contain his sheer curiosity, Donovan made his way to the room where Lilian used to meet him in the past. He took a deep whiff of the air, but her fragrance had disappeared from the room as if this ce was washed off clean.


    With his coat that hung around his shoulders, where he didn''t bother to slip his hands into his sleeves.


    The night was cold, and his body turned nothing less to a silhouette because of theck of light. Making his way towards the house, he came to stand in front of the door. The house where Lilian used to live when she wasn''t working at the inn, a ce where he had held her in his arms.


    Donovan didn''t forget the scent of the woman, her soft voice and her gaze that looked at him.


    He knew how many years, months and days had passed since he hadst seen her or had left in the carriage, giving her onest look. And it annoyed the vampire that a human could hold such an effect on him, he despised the very idea of it. Yet here he was, standing in front of her house like the past lover who wanted to take her back.


    The expression on Donovan''s face didn''t change, and he stared at the door for several minutes, not bothered with the time that was ticking by. But time had slipped through his hands fingers, which he would soone to find out.


    He raised his hand, reaching for the surface of the door, ready to knock at it impolitely at this hour when the door moved by itself.


    Donovan''s eyebrows subtly narrowed before he pushed the door and stepped inside the house. The house was empty, and it looked smaller than thest time he had been here. Having the woman here, he hadn''t noticed it. The house was empty as if the woman had moved to another ce. He wondered if she moved to her husband and children, and at that thought, his jaws slightly clenched.


    When morning arrived, Donovan spoke to one of the servant''s who hade to serve him early morning tea. He sat on the plush chair with his legs crossed. With the teacup in his hand, he said,


    "There used to be this scrawny woman who used to work in the inn before. ck hair, lean figure. Patchy shoes, do you know where she is?" his words were nonchnt, that made the servant believe that the former maid had something.


    "Do you mean Sne?" asked the servant, and Donovan''s eyes were fixed on the servant.


    "No, not that one. Another one¡­. The guarded one, who didn''t speak to anyone and kept to herself. She was here thest time we came to visit,"mented Donovan, and it finally dawned on the servant.


    "Lilian?" asked the servant, and Donovan hummed in response. "Lilian doesn''t work here anymore, Mr. Donovan."


    "Why not?" came the curious question from Donovan. He knew he shouldn''t indulge in questions about her, but he couldn''t help but be curious about what she was doing and how she was.


    He had held the fragile human in his arms, learning everything he could and knowing how delicate she was despite the cold walls she had around her.


    "Lilian passed away a couple of years ago," the servant let him know, and Donovan, who had for a moment shifted his gaze to look at the firece.


    "What do you mean she passed away?" Donovan questioned the servant, the look in his eyes turning serious.


    The servant said, "Lilian was suffering from some sort of sickness. She was weak in health after giving birth to her son. The stress must have gotten to her, I mean the father was missing and she had to support her and her son all by herself."


    Donovan''s eyes narrowed, and he ced the ss of wine on the side table so that he wouldn''t break it by the pressure of his fingers.


    "What do you mean no father?" questioned Donovan, his eyes narrowed considerably, and it was near to ring.


    The servant wasn''t sure what happened, but the man in front of him had suddenly turned intimidating, and he wanted to bolt from the room.


    "Ah¡­ Lord Moltenore and Lilian had a thing and they had a love child¡­" the servant found it hard to speak because of the way Donovan was ring at him. "Lord Moltenore never came for her or their son, and it must have taken a toll on her. It was only after a week of her passing did Lord Moltenore return for the boy and took him with him."


    Donovan was not happy with this information, and he wanted to rip this Lord''s head off for leaving Lilian stranded. He had hoped that she would find herself the right man to marry and settle down, but this is what happened? But something clicked in his mind, and he turned his gaze back on the servant.


    "How old is the boy?" demanded Donovan.


    "Uh, I am not sure, Mr. Donovan. He was probably around in his teenage years. When the boy died, he was around six, I remember it because Eden kept worrying about it," said the servant.


    "Bring me this woman named Eden," ordered Donovan, and the servant was more than happy to bolt from there and bring the maid named Eden, who had been Lilian''s friend.


    Eden was brought to Donovan''s room, and she bowed her head, "Good afternoon, Mr. Donovan. Did you ask for me?"


    "Yes," replied Donovan, who had his back facing her while he stood in front of the window. "How closely did you know Lilian, Eden?"


    "Lilian?" Eden repeated the name of her friend. "She was a dear friend of mine." She wondered what the man wanted to ask about.


    "I heard that the father of her child didn''te to visit her, is that true?" questioned Donovan and Eden pursed her lips.


    "It is true," this was something everyone already knew in the vige. This was no hidden secret, and she said, "Lord Moltenore didn''te here until a month after Lilian passed away. He came here and took the boy with him."


    "Do you know around what time she turned pregnant?" Donovan continued to question the maid.


    Eden tried to remember, but all she could point to were the years, "Mr. Moltenore hade here only once and it was probably during the time of fall? Or maybe after fall. Ah!" she eximed before saying, "It must be after your visit, Mr. Donovan."


    Donovan stared at the window, and he questioned, "Do you know what the boy''s name is?"


    "It is Roman Moltenore. Lilian used to fondly call him Rome. I am just d that the boy was able to reunite with his family and must be having a decent life now. Because it wasn''t good here," Eden shook her head.


    The Elder vampire turned around, and he looked at the woman in her eye, "What do you mean?"


    Eden had a look of sadness in her eyes, and she said, "People spoke a lot about Lilian, and it was very hard on her because of her weak health." Donovan''s eyes hardened on hearing this. Humans and vampires¡­ it was hard to get along with, and a human trying to conceive a vampire''s child was something that often didn''t end up well. He had been careful with her, and his jaws clenched. "Not to mention the boy¡­ we couldn''t keep him idle and Mr. William decided to put him up for working here."


    "Work?" Donovan''s eyebrows raised, and Eden nodded her head. She quickly turned behind her as if to make sure they was no one to listen to what she was saying and said,


    "Mr. William was harsh on the boy, and seeing such a young one have to work with no parents or rtives, it was truly heartbreaking. I am just d that the boy was taken with his father."


    Donovan didn''tment on it, and he raised his hand, waving at her as if to dismiss her. His chin tipped up as he took a deep breath before letting it go. Lilian was no more alive...she was gone before he could take another look at her. His eyes turned slightly cold as the thought sunk into his mind. But that wasn''t all. He now had a son.


    Picking up his coat, he made his way down the stairs.


    When he made his way down, Castiel was speaking to Mr. Williams, and his carriage had arrived at the front of the inn.


    "Are you going somewhere?" asked Castiel to Donovan.


    "Mm, I heard that there has been some animal attack in Veteris and decided to take a look around. It is the least help that can be provided," replied Donovan, and Castiel nodded his head. His eyes then shifted to look at Mr. William, and he said, "I was wondering if you would like to join me, Mr. William, for a short ride."


    Mr. William was taken aback by the sudden invitation. Nheless, he dly epted it with a smile on his face, "Of course, Mr. Donovan. Let me get my coat."


    Castiel passed a curious look at Donovan, "Did the man do something?"


    "Some doesn''t cover it. I forgot how humans tend to be annoying," remarked Donovan, and Castiel didn''tment on it. The Elders never tried to step into the other one''s business.


    "I have told Remy and Luciano to join uster," Castiel filled him in, and Donovan gave a short nod. He was more interested in other things than just sightseeing right now.


    Castiel got into his own carriage, while Donovan and Mr. William got in another carriage. And though the journey started with three people travelling, only two of them reached the town of Veteris.


    When Donovan''s eyes fell on the young boy, he recognized him immediately.


    At first, the idea sounded absurd, and he also wanted to kill the boy. Because he was a weak human, unlike his vampire self. Though they didn''t have the striking resemnce, it was the air around the boy that made him stand out. He reminded him of Lilian, the simr air of aloofness, but the boy was more than the woman.


    For a young boy, he looked rather annoyed and didn''t bother to hide that he didn''t want to be hovered.


    To think that Lilian had carried this boy while she continued to fall sick, yet the boy was a simple human. Something didn''t seem right, thought Donovan in his mind.


    Donovan was still contemting on what to do when the town fell under rogue attack by the vampires.


    "Do you think someone followed us?" Castiel asked in a hurry.


    "Someone must have been tipped that we are here. This is not good," Remy murmured with a deep frown on his face.


    "Let us get the rogue vampires before the hunters sniff that there are vampires who have stepped on thesends,"mented Donovan, and they went to pick the rogue vampires off thisnd.


    When the town went quiet, Donovan''s eyes looked for the boy.


    "Most of them are dead," Luciano let Donovan know as he came out of the manor that belonged to the Moltenore''s family.


    A few minutester, Donovan found the boy in one of the vacant buildings, surrounded by the hunters, while Roman tried to fight one of the men''s hands from stabbing him. Roman''s heartbeat was weak and a little errant, something the Elder vampire found to be strange. The boy was a vampire''s child, which meant the dormant side of the darkness was slowly going to awaken, and he didn''t have to be bitten. Something that would prove that he was his son.


    A smile appeared on Donovan''s lips at the thought that he would keep the boy alive no matter what.

 Chapter 150 - Death Around Donovan

    <h4>Chapter 150 - Death Around Donovan</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Volmer''s Lab- Benjamin Wallfisch


    ¡ª


    Julie and Roman sat next to each other on one of the old broken benches. They were both drenched because of dipping in theke earlier, and Roman supported her by having his arm around her shoulder.


    Roman stared at the ground, which had now been covered by the snowkes. He looked like he was in deep thought, while his eyebrows were furrowed subtly. His eyes then turned to look at Julie.


    "You''re freezing," murmured Roman, noticing Julie shiver and fog escaped from her lips.


    "I feel like something is wrong with my body," Julie murmured, and she moved closer to Roman. For a vampire, his body felt warmer, and his clothes were drying faster than hers. At first, her body felt like it was undergoing heat, and now it felt as if she had fallen into ake of ice.


    "Were you able to see what abilities you have?" asked Roman, and Julie shook her head.


    "Knox said I will be able to use the previous abilities I have been able to use before, that had been fluctuating before," replied Julie, and she felt Roman drop his hand from her shoulder, and he stood up. She looked up at him.


    "Let me heat you up before we try something. Thest thing we need is you catching a fever, especially in this weather," stated Roman, and he raised both his hands forward before bright mes appeared in his hands.


    The mes surrounded Julie as if they were walls, almost as if it was enveloping her while it didn''t harm her. Julie felt the heat, and she felt warm. Soon her clothes started to dry, and the water droplets that stayed on her skin started to evaporate.


    "All better now," said Roman, and the mes from his hands slowly reduced and disappeared. He offered his hand to Julie, and when she ced her hand on his, he pulled her right into his arms, hugging her. "This ce¡­ there is something very strange in this ce that makes me a little worried that it will take you away from me again, Winters."


    Julie felt Roman''s hand gently pet the back of her head, and she hugged him back, "I am not going anywhere, and you already promised if I do, you will find me."


    "Fuck right, I will," Roman held her even closer, and at the same time, his eyes picked the sound of footsteps.


    When he looked ahead of him, he noticed it was Donovan and the Corvin, who was Julie''s father Knox here. Roman noticed the way Knox''s eyes held irritation in them on seeing Julie being hugged by him.


    "Julie," Knox called his daughter, and Julie turned slightly startled at the mention of her name, which didn''te from Roman.


    When she pulled away from Roman''s embrace and turned, and saw Knox standing not too far away from them with a grim and unpleasant look on his face. Julie cleared her throat. Though they didn''t share a father and daughter bond until now, it didn''t reduce the awkwardness in the air.


    "There is something I would like to talk with you alone," said Knox, and though his words were for Julie, his eyes were on Roman.


    Three steps away from the Corvin stood Donovan, who had a rxed expression on his face. Julie nodded her head, and she took one step away towards where Knox was standing when Roman caught hold of Julie''s arm.


    Julie had a startled expression on her face, and she wondered what happened.


    But next second, Roman''s action had Knox''s eyes narrowed at the young vampire while Donovan raised his eyebrows.


    Roman had pulled Julie to give her a quick peck on her lips, and she blushed as if they were sharing a kiss for the very first time. He said, "I will be here, waiting for you."


    Julie nodded her head,posing her face so that Knox or Donovan would not see her red face. As Roman let go of her arm, she felt his reluctance, and she said,


    "I will be back soon."


    Julie walked to where Knox stood, noticing the frozen expression on his face, which turned harder than before. "Follow me," said Knox, and he led her away from there.


    Donovan, who had earlier slipped his hands in his pockets, now took them out, and he walked to where Roman stood. He said, "You seem to like provoking her father. Do you think it is a wise decision?"


    "It must be something I acquired," responded Roman, his eyes still on the father and daughter, who continued to walk further into the forest.


    "Mm, I can tell that," Donovan''s eyes sparkled in mirth, and he said, "Not that I mind. I have always wanted to provoke him, but it was usually hard to do it."


    "Because of Opaline?" questioned Roman, and he walked back to where the bench was. Taking a seat, he took out a pack of cigarettes, and he lit one end of it before flicking the lighter in one snap.


    Donovan''s eyes stared at Roman, intrigued by Roman''s question, and he asked, "Did the little witch say that to you?" A smile appeared on his lips, and he said, "Opaline and I, we had a veryplex rtionship. But don''t worry, I didn''t father any children of hers so it shouldn''t be something you or your beloved should freak out about."


    The Elder vampire came to sit on the bench next to Roman.


    Roman took a long drag from the cigarette and blew the smoke right into the air while staring ahead of him.


    Donovan sensed there was something going on in Roman''s head, and he asked, "Is there something you want to talk about, Roman?"


    "Depends on what you can speak about," responded Roman, and the smile on Donovan''s lips widened.


    Donovan stared at Roman and then asked, "How much did you hear?"


    Roman didn''t shift his gaze to look at Donovan, instead, he continued to stare ahead of him with a vacant expression on his face. His right hand rested on his knee and his wrist ck which continued to hold the cigarette between his fingers.


    The younger vampire responded with, "Enough to curse my ability to hear things far away from me."


    "It slipped out of my mind that you had a good hearing abilitypared to the other vampires. The best. How silly of me," hummed Donovan, his voice held no remorse and no guilt on his face.


    "You should know that I have no interest in talking to you right now. It would be appreciated if you leave my side and find something more useful to do," remarked Roman in an uninterested tone.


    "I thought you would like to speak to me about it. Maybe you can ask me questions so that I can answer¡ª"


    "Not interested."


    Donovan was surprised by Roman''s response and the detachment his tone held. It made him wonder if it was the ripper side of him that was talking right now.


    "Are you sure about it?" questioned Donovan, as if trying to provoke Roman, who turned his gaze to look at the Elder vampire, where his eyes were emptier than his words.


    "What makes you think otherwise?" Roman questioned him back, and Donovan nodded his head, a little surprised, because he believed the conversation would be more heated and not this cold like a dead fish. "I am going for a walk and check what Knox is talking to Julie about," saying this, he stood up and walked away from there.


    When Roman disappeared from his sight, Donovan tilted his head and said, "What a rude boy. It makes me wonder if he got it from me or her with such aloofness."


    Donovan knew exactly what Roman was talking about, and he wanted him to speak it out loud, but the boy was stubborn and guarded, just like his mother. But he could tell the temper in there was uncoiling, and he wanted tosh it out, which was at the moment being kept under control.


    Away from Donovan, Roman took another drag from the cigarette as he walked past the trees with an uncaring attitude. His ck boots left an imprint on the snow-covered ground, and thought Veteris was not experiencing snow, Willow Creek took its liberty when it came to holding its own weather because of the curse.


    Roman stopped walking, and though there was still a little more of the cigarette bud left, he dropped it on the ground, which was quick to fizzle out.


    Roman punched the tree that was next to him. The tree shook because of the force, and the snowkes that had settled on the leaves and branches fell on the ground. His eyes had turned blood red in anger, and his fangs appeared as he wanted to rip the Elder vampire''s head off.


    Roman''s breathing was heavy, and his hands shook in anger.


    He was annoyed with the fact that out of all the people, it was Donovan who had turned to be his biological father. His rage was taking over, and all he wanted to see was blood. When he pulled out his hand from the tree, it left arge hole in it, and his knuckles had been left bruised, drops of blood sliding from his hand to fall on the white ground.


    Roman had a slight inclination that something had gone amiss. It was because Lord Malcolm Moltenore was a man of honour, and he was the kind of person who valued his family the most. It was why him taking in a lover when he had a wife had been something that had never been able to sit well in his mind.


    Roman hadn''t meant to hear it, it was not something he was supposed to hear, the conversation between Donovan and Knox were meant only for them, but his ears had picked up the little words before he connected the dots.


    When he turned around, he caught sight of Donovan, who was making his way to where he was. This obsessive vampire, he cursed the vampire in his mind. It now made sense why he was this attached to him, worse than a chewing gum stuck in the hair.


    "You have the nerve toe here acting as if nothing happened,"mented Roman, whose temper had surfaced, and Donovan blinked at him.


    "I told you I was ready to talk, but you seemed like you didn''t want to," replied Donovan.


    "Just get out of Willow Creek, before I try to char you until the very bone," threatened Roman, who didn''t want to see Donovan''s face right now.


    "How rude. I am being polite and you want to roast me. There''s a bird in the town, maybe you should roast the Corvin and you might have better odds in keeping the little witch to yourself. We''ll also have something worthwhile to eat," Donovan tried to provoke Roman, and the other red at him.


    "I will do that once I am done with you," said Roman, and the fire quickly appeared in Roman''s hands before he directed it right at Donovan.


    The elder vampire was quick to dodge it with grace, a smile on his face, and he said, "You cannot harm me with fire, Rome. Your ability stems from me. Don''t be hasty."


    "I am aware of it. But you forget that I can do more damage to you than you to me," red Roman, and fire erupted in the forest as if it was the wind that was sweeping past the trees where they stood.


    "So much temper, I really enjoy seeing it. It makes you alive, as if you carry the wrath of two people," Donovan tried to keep moving away from the fire before he brought out his own ability, and dark smoke-like fog appeared from below his feet. "You know we both can sit down and talk to each other calmly."


    "I think it''s quitete for that," replied Roman, and before Donovan knew it, Roman had sneaked between the fire, and he came in front of the Elder vampire to punch him. Donovan caught hold of Roman''s hand, but that didn''t stop the younger vampire from taking another punch with his hand right into the Elder vampire''s stomach. "You know you deserve it for the things you started."


    Hearing Roman''s words, Donovan let go of Roman''s hand, and he took in the punch right at his face that had him stagger a few steps away from Roman.


    The maddening rage was taken at Donovan, and noticing how he didn''t fight back, Roman caught hold of Donovan''s cor, "Aren''t you pathetic to not even fight back?"


    Another punchnded into Donovan''s face, and he ran his tongue on the corner of his mouth, "Your punches be stronger one after another. I am taking in the punishment for what I did. And who better than my¡ª"


    "Don''t even dare," Roman stopped Donovan before he would openly admit how they were rted to each other. "I am Roman Moltenore, and no one else. I will acknowledge the fact that you turned me into a vampire, but that is all you get."


    "Roman Donovan doesn''t sound so bad," stated Donovan, and the re in Roman''s eyes didn''t lower down, instead the Elder vampire was only trying to provoke Roman so that he would spill out all the anger that had suddenly appeared.


    "I will fucking kill you," Roman sent another re before he turned his head away, and the fire and the smoke slowly settled down and disappeared in thin air.


    Being rted to Donovan had been enough of a headache as the person who had turned him, but knowing it was more than that, it irked Roman. He ran his fingers through his hair and dropped it to his side.


    "When did you find out about it?" questioned Roman, turning his gaze back at Donovan.


    "A few hours before I met you."


    Roman''s jaw clenched. He questioned,


    "So what made you run away from my mother, that you had to find another man topel to take care of her son? Or were you too busy with other witches who were a better fit than the human whom you impregnated and decided to leave to fend for herself."


    "In my defence, I had no idea that she was carrying you. Had I known, today would have been different," stated Donovan, his eyes fixed on Roman.


    "Would you have killed me or her?" Having Donovan this closely always hovering around him like a buzzing bee and Roman being someone who observed people, he knew exactly what would have gone down in the Elder vampire''s mind.


    "I won''t like that it hurts somewhere," epted Donovan, and a huff escaped from Roman''s lips.


    "You and hurt don''t go in the same sentence, maybe hurt someone else," deadpanned Roman.


    Donovan nodded his head, "I do agree that it was my very first thought when I found out about it. But that''s only a hypothesis now, isn''t it?" he questioned Roman. "We cannot be sure what my reaction would be if I were to have found out about Lilian carrying you, my son, in her womb. If I would have killed you or both of you... or if I would have taken her with me."


    "So what stopped?" The anger had slowly started to simmer in Roman''s eyes, but the annoyance continued to stay there.


    "Your mother and I... we were together when I came to visit the vige where she lived. Lilian was aware that I was someone who couldn''t provide her with an actual rtionship, that what we had was fleeting. I have my reasons for pushing her away from me¡­ But I had no idea I woulde there after years to find out that she had passed away and that you existed," replied Donovan, and a smile appeared on his lips. "I dide with the intention to see how you looked or how you were... the boy Lilian and I made together. For a spare moment I wanted to kill you..."


    "You should have," muttered Roman under his breath. "It would have avoided me knowing that we were rted by blood."


    "That was a passing thought, but you were nothing like I expected you to be. You remind me of your mother, so guarded. Lilian meant a lot to me," Donovan didn''t like speaking about his emotions or feelings, especially when it concerned the woman, who was a human and he had tried to keep distance from her. "I apologise for noting to take care of your mother."


    "Do you know what she had to go through? You truly are some sort of man... At least Malcolm Moltenore was more of a man than you can meet it up to be," Roman''s lips twisted in distaste.


    "You are allowed to be angry at me, and it is justified¡ª"


    "Don''t get involved in my matters, Azazel," Roman''s words were sharp and cold. "You couldn''t be there for her before, so you don''t have to feel guilty by making it up to her by staying near me. I was fine without you before, and I will be fine after it too."


    The smile on Donovan''s lips ttered as it dimmed from his lips. A drop of darkness started to spread in his eyes, and he said,


    "I didn''t know about your mother''s condition. While I was here, she was dear to my heart, and you are my treasure, Rome. Like it or not, you cannot change that I am your father."


    "Only by blood," replied Roman, his eyes turning cold.


    "And I am trying to fix things."


    "There''s nothing broken to be fixed. You don''t have to fix it," deadpanned Roman, turning around, he walked away from there because he doubted he could bear to stand anywhere near Donovan. At least not for the next few minutes.


    He wondered if today was father revtion day, where both Julie and he were being told who their biological parents were.


    Mr. Evans, who had been taking a walk by himself, overheard Donovan and Roman''s conversation, and heard Donovan say,


    "How long do you n to stand there, Sullivan."


    "I didn''t want to intrude, Mr. Donovan," Mr. Evans stepped away from the tree, a small polite smile on his lips.


    "It was annoying knowing you were here when I was having a family discussion. Next time walk in the other direction," ordered Donovan and Mr. Evans gave a slight bow.


    "I will be sure to keep that in my mind," replied the counsellor of Veteris.


    "Does Dante know that you have been working with the Corvin?" questioned Donovan.


    "No, Sir. I was under orders to not speak to anyone about it by the madam," answered Mr. Evans, and after two seconds, he said, "She told me to send you her greetings."


    "How very polite of her," responded Donovan, his eyes subtly narrowing. "When did she send the greetings?"


    "Yesterday."


    "Was that all?" questioned Donovan and the counsellor stared at the Elder vampire before he stepped towards him. Mr. Evans pulled something from his pocket, and he handed it to Donovan.


    "Lady Opaline said you might need this. She said she couldn''t give it to you before," said Mr. Evans, and Donovan''s subtle frown turned to slight surprise.


    "I thought she would never be able to do it,"mented Donovan, and he took the lean and curvy looking ss vial in his hand.


    "She made it right after you entered the town and left. I think she wanted to give it to you, but never was able to find you alone or safe to approach at that time," Mr. Evans let the Elder vampire know.


    "I thought I saw someone that day... before the curse fell on the town," hummed Donovan, and he brought the vial ss in front of him, looking at the crystal clear liquid inside it. That evening after Donovan had stepped out from the magistrate''s office and away from Enoch, he had sensed someone''s gaze, but because of the rain that was heavy, it had been hard to be sure of who it was. "Did she make any more of this?"


    "I wasn''t given much information about it, apart from having to pass it to you."


    "Do you know when you will be seeing her again?" questioned Donovan, and Mr. Evans pursed his lips.


    "ording to the timeline of when she came to meetst night and what time it was there in the past, I don''t think we''ll be seeing her," replied Mr. Evans.


    "What a shame that I cannot thank her," said Donovan, and he turned the ss vial in his hand.


    "Mdy has a reply for it, Mr. Donovan," on hearing the counsellor''s words, the Elder vampire''s eyes shifted to look at Mr. Evans. "She said it was a repayment for the past, and a promise for the present and the future. That you can put your faith back to what you have lost."


    "Always the ever perfect witch," the corner of Donovan''s lips pulled up. "Do you know what this is, Sullivan?"


    "No," came the prompt answer from Mr. Evans. When Opaline was making the potions, Evans was usually guarding the house, making sure no one woulde in to take a peek at what was going on,


    "This is a potion to reset a person. A vampire, a witch, or whatever that is out there that we are unaware of, everything will turn back to its original state. A human," Donovan smiled, and he slipped the ss vial into his pocket.


    Away from everyone, Knox had led Julie further into the forest, where she could hear the sound of gushing water as if there was a waterfall nearby. The leaves had stopped rustling because of the amount of snow that had fallen on them, making it difficult for them to walk. It was afortable silence, which was peaceful while she was looking around, she saw Knox finally stop walking.


    Julie stopped too, and she saw the Corvin turn around to meet his distant eyes with her brown ones.


    "Julianne," started Knox, and there was something very mncholic with the way he called her name. "We haven''t spent much time together, and you barely know me. But I want to tell you that you are every bit of my daughter and Opaline''s, even though your mother had to send you away from us."


    "It''s going to take a few more hours for me to¡­ but I am getting there," Julie offered an awkward smile.


    "I know you are. Your mother... She said she saw you. And that you are beautiful," said Knox and Julie''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "She saw me?"


    Knox gave a slight nod, "Before she died, she wanted to see you and she said something about¡­ she wished she knew it was you."


    "What do you mean?" asked Julie, not understanding his words.


    "Frankly I am not sure myself. Opaline... your mother had the habit of speaking things in riddles, of leaving things nk for the other to fill it up," replied Knox, and his gaze stayed on her.


    He knew he was going to miss her, but at the same time, he was grateful that he was able to see her before he would leave.


    "I was one of the few who was able to fill her nks, maybe that is why I was still around and she put effort in making me like this," Knox raised his hand, and Julie noticed his fingertips had changed into the wooden twigs, and it was slowly inching towards his wrists now. "I could change it only twice. To appear to be more human than the dead. And I chose it right away, when I was near her. I loved her dearly. But every one has to die one day, and the time is never too far when ites to having to leave."


    Julie''s lips pursed, and she could feel the heaviness starting to grow in her chest. Her lips parted, and she asked, "Do you... need to go now?"


    "In a couple of hours. Hours is all I have, my dear child," said her father, and the distant look on his face didn''t make it easy for Julie.


    To first learn about her parents, and then to learn that the person was leaving her, it didn''t give Julie much time to process, and she stared at Knox.


    "What will happen after a couple of hours?" asked Julie, pausing her breath as she waited for an answer.


    "I will wither away into ash, and more snow wille to fall before it turns to water and take me away from here."


    "Is there no way to keep you alive? To keep you here... next to me?" Julie had lost her parents, and now that she had found out about her real father, she wanted him to stay and not leave her.


    Knox stared at her, and he said, "There''s a way, an hical one than the others you have known. But I prefer not to do anything close to it."


    "What kind?" asked Julie, seeing hope to keep her father. The so-called father, on the other side of Willow Creek, wanted to hunt her down. She wanted a normal family, to have a family... She said, "I am a witch now who has ess to things, isn''t it? Maybe I can try and help you with it."


    "Do not offer help without knowing what the help is about, Julie," advised Knox, "Sometimes it will cost you quite heavily."


    "But you are my father," replied Julie, and she saw the man smile.


    As he continued to smile, she noticed one of his eyes turn hollow without an eyeball in it. Just like the Corvin''s eyes.


    "Did you forget what the vampire spoke about me?"


    A frown appeared on Julie''s forehead while she tried to remember the conversation, and it finally dawned on her, "You will have to eat the dead...?"


    "No," came the calm response from the man, and he said, "A Corvin... it can extend its life. By bonding with the witch, sometimes like a parasite to leech the soul and energy. A Corvin has the ability to drain the living force from the witch, by killing the witch and consuming thest of the witch''s soul."


    Well... that didn''t sound good, thought Julie in her mind, and her thoughts reflected on her face.


    "Does that mean you killed mother before the people in here killed her?" asked Julie, and Knox nodded his head. "Is that why... mother cannot be a Corvin? Because of her soul being consumed."


    "I am not sure. The history of witches, it is unclear who turns into a Corvin and who cannot be turned into one. This is something that has been hard to figure out. But so far, I haven''t been able to sense any Corvins in here apart from me," exined Knox. "It has been nothing less than a mystery."


    "I wish you coulde with me, away from this ce," said Julie, and the man gave her a kind smile.


    "It isn''t good to wish on something that will never happen. You are only going to increase the pain and ache in your heart. And this includes your rtionship with that vampire," stated Knox, the smile left his lips. "The boy doesn''te with good luck."


    "Because he is a vampire?" asked Julie.


    "It is more than that," replied Knox, his eyes shifted to look at the trees that were around them, and he said, "He will bring death to your doorstep, Julie. And because of this, your rtionship is not going to work."


    "Roman and I love each other, we would never harm the other person," Julie tried to make it clear to him. She wanted Knox to ept Roman, and she said, "Mother epted him yesterday. You only need to spend some time with him."


    This struck a nerve in the Corvin, while the expression on his face stayed the same.


    "It is because of the lineage hees from... you might call it to be orthodox, or superstitious, but sometimes, some of them hold curses and it spills or sprinkles on the ones whoe near them. Your mother must have not known about his lineage, but now that I have, I cannot help but worry about you," a grim expression came to settle on the man''s face, while he continued to stare elsewhere before his eyes shifted to look at Julie, who had a confused expression on her face.


    "What kind of lineage are you speaking about, the curse I mean," she wanted more details and proof so that she could rify it.


    "The kind that brings death wherever the person goes."


    Julie stared at Knox for a few seconds, her own expression reflecting his, and she said, "That''s a little stretched, isn''t it? Roman doesn''t kill anyone, I mean he does but for certain reasons only." She doubted that it came right, and she tried to exin one more time, "He would never try to harm me¡­ father."


    Maybe pulling a father and daughter card would help to ease the man''s worries, thought Julie in her mind.


    Knox''s face did soften at Julie calling him as father, and so did his heart, but that only made his worry for her more prominent.


    "Can you tell me that the people whom he deeply cares about and is attached to are all alive? That there hasn''t been any death near him?"


    "People die out of strange circumstances or sometimes because of being attacked, but that doesn''t mean the person brings bad luck," Julie tried to exin to him while rooting for Roman.


    "That doesn''t answer my question. What about his mother? Or other rtives," questioned Knox, pursing his lips, he then said, "Your mother didn''t see it either and she just turned lucky because the person wasn''tpatible, but I have noticed it."


    Huh?


    "Mother didn''t see it?"


    "The boy''s father¡­ he is simr to it," upon hearing her father''s words, it finally dawned on Julie. No wonder, she said to herself in her mind. "Your mother had brothers, but they died around the same time when the vampire entered her life. All killed¡­ The root cause always stems from them. Donovan probably knew about the effect his presence had around people, and he didn''t stay around the boy''s mother. Some things cannot be reversed and it will only bring you misfortune and death."


    "That''s not true," murmured Julie under her breath. "Sometimes, things happen, you cannot say it is a curse¡­"


    "Can you really say it? About the boy who was the reason why his mother''s body weakened and it was never the same as before," Knox''s words were much more gentle than before. He walked to where Julie stood, and he ced his hand on her shoulder. "I know it''s hard to ept, but some things are not meant to be."


    .


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 Chapter 151 - Loose Vampire

    <h4>Chapter 151 - Loose Vampire</h4>


    Julie pondered over Knox''s words about Roman and Donovan. The silence around them grew, and she felt a hand on her shoulder that Knox had ced now.


    He said to her, "As your father, I can only advise you. It is for you to decide, if you want to bring down others around you. If I am not wrong, death is already here."


    She pursed her lips and then said, "Every curse can be broken with the right presence and words, father. Rome and I are not parting away from each other," and she shook her head.


    There was a slight frown on her father''s face, and a sigh escaped from his lips, "If that is what you want." It was quite apparent that Knox was unhappy, but she and Roman had decided that they would never split up and that they would stick to each other, no matter how harsh the situation would turn out to be.


    "Did mother ever try to break this curse?" asked Julie, and Knox shook his head.


    "No. I don''t think she did. I would have known if she had tried to do it. Curses are never easy to break," said Knox, and he turned his head in the direction they hade. "You were able to break the curse here because it was your mother who ced it, and before her death¡­ her heart must have yearned to see you once. All she wanted to do was protect you. Have you been well?"


    Julie nodded her head, "I wasn''t in the beginning, but I am now. I have people who care for me, and love me."


    "I am d to hear that," replied Knox, and he looked at the sky, where the snowkes had started to fall from the sky. "Your mother was worried, also sad¡­ that you had to go through hardship. She heard it from the girl, who carried you."


    "I see," replied Julie, realizing how her mother knew most of the things about her before she had evene to exist. Until now, she had only heard about Opaline La Fay, her mother. And she wished she had got to meet her.


    Both Julie and Knox returned to the centre of the town, and Julie, who had learned that Knox''s time was scarce, tried to stay with him. Donovan was the first one to return, and he was speaking to Knox when Roman reached where she stood.


    "You okay?" questioned Roman.


    Julie nodded her head, a smileing to form on her lips, and he stared at her before a small smile appeared on his lips. She asked him, "You?" Though Roman had smiled, Julie noticed there was something that seemed to be on his mind. But before he could speak, her eyes fell on his knuckles, and her eyebrows furrowed, "What happened to your hand?" her words came as a whisper.


    She quickly took his hand in hers, taking a look at his bruised knuckles.


    "It''ll heal soon," said Roman, and Julie looked up at him.


    "Did you get into a fight with him?" her eyes shifted to look at where Donovan was, who was speaking to her father, and their eyes met each other. He offered her a polite smile, and Julie''s eyes returned to Roman.


    Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around Roman''s waist. He wrapped his arms around Julie, and he murmured, "Seems like we both had an eventful day today."


    And Julie couldn''t agree more about it.


    Knox still looked unhappy, and he muttered, "I thought you hated witches and would keep her away from him."


    "I did¡­ but I think I changed my mind. What better way to get back to you but get the girl on my side," Donovan smiled at the Corvin, who lightly red at him.


    "Being rted to you is thest thing I am looking forward to," Knox deadpanned, and Donovan chuckled.


    "Then it''s good that we won''t be seeing you around after a few hours and you can rest in peace," said the Elder vampire. The smile on his face evened, and he said, "Julie seems to be different from the other witches, and I think it''s already proven, considering she''s a baby of a witch and a Corvin. Why are you worried?"


    Knox didn''t respond to Donovan''s question, and he turned to look at Roman and Julie. He said, "His soul¡­ it feels empty," the frown turning deeper. "Like an empty shell yet his heart beats only because your blood runs in his veins."


    The vampire named Enoch Mortimer walked away from Willow Creek as quickly as his feet could let him. But with theck of blood in his body and his thirst for blood high. While he continued to look for a way out, his eyes fell on a human boy, and he seemed to be fresh. The vampire''s fangs ached, and he made his way near the person, who was a student.


    Enoch''s hand reached the boy''s shoulder while the curly-haired boy turned his head in time. The student, on noticing the pale looking man asked,


    "Are you alright? You look sick."


    Dodging and escaping from that annoying Azazel had taken up all his energy, which was why he was now unable to stand still but stagger.


    "Come closer," whispered Enoch, feeling the rays of sunlight too harsh on his eyes.


    "What?" asked the student, who hade out in the woods to get some fresh air and away from people.


    The boy was none other than Conner, who had a bad dream and was here to clear his head. His eyebrows furrowed, and he stepped closer while trying to hold the man''s arm. "Let me go and call one of the guards or the staff."


    Enoch shook his head, and when he got near Conner, he opened his mouth wide to show his fangs.


    For a moment, Conner went nk because he hadn''t expected the fragile man to have fangs in his mouth before he turned shocked. The nightmare he had dreamt of was one where Reese''s body had been dragged into the woods by a couple of people who didn''t look human.


    Before Enoch could sink his teeth into Conner''s neck and draw out blood to regain his energy, Conner used all his force to push the vampire away from him while his eyes had gone wide.


    Enoch turned feral, with the sight of blood right in front of him but unable to get a hold of it.


    "Holy crap this cannot be true," mumbled Conner, and he took a step away from the vampire, who was quick to follow him.


    The vampire tried to get a hold of him, but he dodged it, stumbling backwards on the ground before he quickly stood up.


    "Why is the sun not hurting you?!" questioned Conner, his eyes falling on the man''s hands and the empty neck. Picking up the nearest stick, he threw it at the vampire before fleeing from there as quickly as he could.


    While Conner left Enoch in the woods, he sprinted towards the boy''s Dormitorium but quickly turned around.


    "I have to find Mel and Julie," he said to himself and headed towards the girl''s Dormitorium.

 Chapter 152 - To Leave

    <h4>Chapter 152 - To Leave</h4>


    Conner''s breath was harsh because earlier he had? run as fast as he could, and now he was half sprinting and half wheezing while trying to look around the ce. He made sure to see that the damn creature hadn''t followed him and his brown eyes held a frantic look in them.


    He stepped into the girl''s Dormitorium, making his way quickly towards Mnie''s room. He harshly knocked on it, while waiting for the door to open. When the door didn''t open, he made his way to Julie''s room and knocked on the door? in the same way, but it seemed like both the girls were not in the room.


    Conner had to let them know as quickly as possible so that they would be on alert and not be attacked by that person. All this while, he had believed vampires had existed only as a myth and made up fantasy for people to make fun of.? Who would have known that he would be encountering one of them? One who now wanted to sink his fangs in his neck.


    The curly brown-haired boy quickly dashed towards the lunchroom, and he finally caught Mnie, who was talking to one of her ssmates.


    "Mel!" Conner called Mnie, and the girl turned her gaze to look at him.


    "What happened to you?" asked Mnie in a small frown. He looked as if someone had tattletaled on him.


    Conner jerked his head to the side and said, "There is something I need to speak to you about. Come with me," and he caught hold of Mnie''s hand so that she would follow him.


    "Conner, wait! I am still discussing the project that I need to finish up. Give me ten minutes," said Mnie, who turned to look at the other girl she was speaking to until now.


    There was no point in discussing the project if none of them were going to live! Thought Conner in his head. Who knew where that creature came from and how many more woulde pouring in to suck the very blood and life out of their bodies!


    "This is urgent, Mel!" Conner tugged Mnie''s hand harder this time, and Mnie turned startled making the frown on her face deeper than before.


    "Conner, what''s gotten into you? You know how important the project is," Mnie offered her ssmate a quick apologetic smile while grabbing her bag that was sitting on the chair as she was being dragged away from where she had been standing earlier .


    "I will exin everything to you, but right now, I need you to¡ª"


    "Looks like some of you are in a hurry," came the interruption from Simon, who was standing in front of them, holding a ss that was filled with a strawberry milkshake. "Where are you going?"


    Simon''s eyes fell on Conner''s hand that was holding Mnie''s hand, and the faint smile on his lips widened, his eyes shifting to look at the human girl.


    Mnie felt the searing gaze of Simon''s eyes and the ever etched smile on his lips that made her ufortable. She pulled her hand away from Conner''s hold.


    "Oh good, you are here Simon. Where are the others?" asked Conner, and Simon raised his eyebrows subtly.


    "Is there something going on that I am unaware about?" asked Simon with a polite smile on his lips.


    Conner went to open his mouth, and then he closed it. Something like this¡­ telling people that a vampire is currently roaming in the university would only result in him being sent to receive possible shock treatments. But then Simon was someone who had always been a nice guy, helpful and? patient, thought Conner in his mind.


    The red-haired vampire wondered what had gotten Conner tongue-tied, it was because usually, the human was quick to blurt out things. Simon said,


    "The others have gone to their sses I think. I am just here looking for you guys so that I can have my lunch together. But I guess I will have to look for someone else as it seems you are busy," thest few words were said while looking at Mnie, and she quietly red at him.


    One of the students walking past them in the lunchroom said to Simon, "Did you hear what happened to Ms. Piper? It is sad to see her leave this soon."


    Simon gave a nod, "Indeed it is," he murmured.


    Hearing this, Mnie asked, "Is Ms. Piper moving out of Veteris?"


    Oh, darling, more than that, said Simon in his mind.


    "Haven''t you heard about it? Ms. Piper passed awayst night," said the other student, and Simon turned to the student, sending a chilling smile as if telling the person to shut up and leave.


    "Ah haha, I just remembered I have to go meet Mr. Borrell. I will see you peopleter," and the student quickly escaped from there.


    Conner had a look of horror on his face because he came to believe that Ms. Piper was attacked, possibly by that vampire or something simr to it. "Everything alright?" questioned Simon, and the human turned to look at him.


    "There is some very grave information that I need to let you guys know, and it is not supposed to be shared with anyone," Conner said in a low voice. He looked at both Simon and Mnie with a serious look on his face before he asked Mnie, "Where is Julie?"


    "She went out on a walk early in the morning and we haven''t seen each other since yesterday," replied Mnie and this worried Conner.


    "Seriously, what is going on, Conner? You''re freaking me out now with the suspense,"ined Mnie.


    "I will tell you guys outside, follow me," and they left the lunchroom.


    Simon, who walked behind Conner, with Mnie next to him with a gap, said, "How are you this morning, lovely?"


    Hearing Simon''s soft-spoken words for her, Mnie cringed and turned to look at him, "Whom are you calling lovely?"


    "Who?" Simon gave a perplexed expression on his face and then said, "To your unrequited love of course. He seems quite stressed about something, what is it about?"


    Mnie shook her head, "I don''t know."


    Once they came to stand away from the rest of the crowd, making sure no one would be able to hear them and call Conner crazy, he looked around and over his shoulder. He said,


    "I know this is going to sound strange and absurd, but you will need to trust me on what I saw. And what I saw was very clear and I wasn''t daydreaming in the woods when I went to take a walk."


    Mnie nodded her head, and Simon followed the action with a solemn look on his face.


    "We would never doubt you. You are the sanest? person," said Simon, and Mnie''s eyes slightly narrowed, not knowing why the red-haired boy''s words sounded insincere. But then it always sounded insincere.


    Conner nodded his head and after pursing his lips, he said, "I don''t know how to tell this without sounding like I have lost my mind¡­ I saw something very wild in the forest. I was only taking a walk when this person with a pale face and hollowed looking cheeks appeared in front of me out of nowhere. I swear I thought he wanted some kind of help but," he shook his head and at the same time, the smile that was on Simon''s lips started to lower down. "He had fangs!" he said in a hushed voice.


    Mnie stared at Conner with a serious look on her face. She then sighed, "Don''t you think it''s too early to be bbering things like this?"


    Conner shook his head, "I am being serious, Mel. The person was a vampire, and he wanted to drink blood from me!"


    "And what did you do after the vampire asked for your blood? Where is he?" questioned Mnie, while crossing her arms across her chest.


    "I ran of course. It wasn''t easy because the vampire was fast and it was like he had been starving for years to drink blood. He''s still around here," said Conner quickly and Mnie shook her head.


    "I would be more than happy to look at the vampire that you are speaking about, Conner. But I need to get my project started and I need to submit it within two weeks which will require a lot of research and materials," said Mnie, ready to leave but Conner caught hold of her hand.


    Simon''s eyes fell back on the way Conner held Mnie''s hand, making sure she didn''t leave and he said, "Conner, man. Are you sure of what you saw? People sometimes like to y, there might be a chance that you were mistaken."


    The vampire out of the three people there, wondered who Conner had seen because thest he checked, no vampire students or staff went underfed and they were given a good amount of blood regrly. Who was the vampire roaming in Veteris grounds?


    Conner nodded his head, "I am positive about it," and he turned to look at Mnie, "Mel, you gotta believe me."


    Mnie sighed.


    Simon then said, "If it is true, I think it would be best to let Ms. Dante or one of the staff know about it. I mean what are we going to do by going alone and dealing with it?"


    Conner nodded his head, "Yeah¡­ but what if the vampire already left? And many other students fall victim, or possible victims?"


    Mnie had never considered Conner to be someone to make up stuff in thin air and she decided to believe him, "We don''t know how to even catch a vampire, Conner."


    "What''s there to catch? You break a branch of the tree and run the sharp edge through the vampire''s heart and they just die," exined Conner and Mnie shook her head.


    Simon didn''t want to appear suspicious and he nodded his head, "You are right. Maybe we should see if any students have been harmed."


    "Yeah," replied Conner and the three of them headed away from outside the lunchroom that they had been standing next to until now. Conner took them to the ce where he had met the vampire earlier, his eyes looking for the creature but there was no one there. "He probably ran away from here."


    "You said he had a hollow face and appeared starved?" questioned Simon and Conner quickly nodded his head.


    "If that is true, and if vampires¡­ do exist, then that would mean that he doesn''t have much energy and should still be around here. Let us take a look around," proposed Simon, as if he knew what to do.


    But Mnie, as expected, spoke to oppose Simon''s words and said, "How far are we going to look for this fantasy creature? Shouldn''t we go and get some kind of wood to be sure?"


    "Leave it to the men," remarked Simon with a charming smile and Mnie stared at him, wanting to say something but she pursed her lips, resisting to y Simon''s game of debate.


    Conner walked to one side, and he broke the branch of the tree with great difficulty. He then brought it to Simon and Mnie, and said, "This should do, right?"


    "Yeah," replied Simon and Mnie took one broken piece of? wood from it.


    While the three of them looked for the vampire, Simon tried to keep his eyes and ears wide open, trying to make sure that he would be the first one to get to the vampire, before these humans did.


    Back in Willow Creek, time passed in there as if everything had paused around them.


    Julie now stood in front of the Gallows, where her mother''s bodyid on the tform, and so did her two brothers. Their heads had been severed and it ached her heart, to know that they had gone through something like this. She turned her head to look at her sisters, who had been burned alive and she remembered the screams that she heard, when she first stepped in here.


    Hearing footsteps behind her, Julie turned to find her father, who hade to her.


    "You said you took away mother''s soul, what about the others?" asked Julie.


    "I could take only one of them, and your mother''s soul was the strongest amongst the rest. It was only feasible to take hers, considering I was linked to her," replied Knox. "The ones on either side, they were your brothers. And the ones there," he turned to look at the poles where the skeleton''s were tied. "Those were your sisters."


    Julie pursed her lips. Until now she had been an only child, but to think that she actually had brothers and sisters, where she was the youngest one, who came from a different time than the one she was born into, it was strange how fate worked.


    "I know what you want to do," said Knox and Julie tore her eyes away from the skeletons to look at her father, who was staring at the only woman he had loved his entire life. "Don''t touch the dead unless you are willing to take the pain and their sufferings."


    "What?" asked Julie.


    "You want to touch and know how life was here, which is fine. But I can tell you want to touch the dead, your mother, your other family members and it won''t be pleasant to look at," Knox turned his gaze to Julie, who didn''t deny his words. "I know your heart yearns to know more about the family. To feel more connected, but the question is how much are you really ready for it."


    "Is it that bad?" came Julie''s small voice.


    "The ability to touch will leave asting impression Julie," said Knox, "I can sense the darkness in you, and it feels like ites from the boy. Did you try to heal him?"


    Julie said, "I didn''t know what I was doing, and I wanted to help him. Rome¡­ he was changing too quickly."


    "You should know this, Julianne. A healer, when healing another person, he or she takes the impact and substance into their own body and it takes more than a toll on them. It shortens your own life force and too much of anything is never good, the more you take up something, the more it will start affecting you," Knox warned her and Julie nodded her head.


    When her eyes fell on his hands, all his fingers turned to wood and it was moving in an upward direction.


    "Would you like toe to Veteris?" asked Julie, and the man stared at her.


    "I don''t have much time with me," he reminded her and she nodded her head once again.


    "I understand that¡­ even if it is for a few minutes, or maybe here is fine too," she said to him and Knox gave some thought before asking her,


    "Is there something that you wanted to do?" questioned Knox and Julie shook her head.


    "I just want to make the most time with you¡­ before you leave," she answered him.


    "Come, let us take a seat. It must be tiring to stand continuously," said Knox, leading her towards one spot and they sat down. And though Julie had expressed her thoughts of wanting to spend time with him, she didn''t know what subject exactly to speak about. "I noticed you are wearing your mother''s stone."


    Julie looked down at the pendant that now rested on her chest, "She gave it to Rome so that he could give it to me."


    They sat there for minutes, where Julie heard Knox speak about the family that she had missed, while also speaking about the people she had to be wary about. "If Enoch had sessfully escaped, he woulde back for you as you are Opaline''s daughter."


    "What does he want?" asked Julie.


    "The unbroken jewel," replied Knox, feeling the sensation in his arms turn slightly numb as they were turning into fibers of wood. "There is said to be a jewel that has been rumoured to be the most unique and powerful one anyone has ever had the luck to have their eyeid on. Some say it brings the dead back, and some say that it is a vessel that has the capacity to hold many abilities in it. Some believe that it has the ability to cause imbnce and chaos in the world. There are too many rumours but no one knows what it actually does."


    Julie''s eyebrows raised high and her curiosity peaked, "Something like that exists? You never tried to find it?"


    Knox smiled at Julie''s questions, "No, I didn''t. I think your mother tried to work on it, but then she one day decided to not go looking for it. But the same couldn''t be told about the vampires and a few others, who wanted to have it in their possession."


    "And that is why they killed people here?"


    "Enoch is greedy, but his brother, he is said to be greedier. They wille for you, to have you make them the stone," replied Knox, that had Julie frown.


    "But I don''t know how to make stones¡­"


    "The stones that are created, they are part of the witches, Julie. They don''te from potions or spells, but from the essence of the witches soul and body. Which is why witches cannot create too many of the same thing, sometimes only once or none at all," Knox continued to exin it to her. When Julie fell into deep thought, she felt her father ced his woody hand on her hand that was resting next to him. "You will be fine. I am sorry that we couldn''t spend more time with each other."


    Julie didn''t feel the warmth from his hand, but the little gesture was warm enough for her.


    "I think it''s more than I could have asked for," she offered him a soft smile.


    Knox let her hand go and he stood up from his ce, "It is time."


    Julie followed his suit by standing up, watching her father''s expression slightly crack, where she noticed a glimpse of sadness in there. He stepped forward, putting his hands around her and hugged her close.


    Before Julie could put her hands around him to hug him back, the Corvin that was in her reach suddenly disappeared into mist, leaving not a single trace of its existence. Just like that, the only person who was directly rted to her, disappeared in thin air.


    Julie didn''t know how long she stood there, until she felt Roman''s hand on her shoulder.


    "We should get back. We can return hereter," said Roman, and Julie nodded her head.


    Far away from Willow Creek, near the restricted side of the forest of Veteris, the three students continued to look for the so-called vampire that Conner had seen. Before they could step into the restricted area, Simon stopped walking and suggested,


    "It would be wiser to go inform the staff, than look for trouble." Hearing his words, Mnie gave him a suspicious look and he offered her a sweet smile.


    While Conner was busy trying to get hold of the vampire, Simon stepped near Mnie and said, "You must be wishing that it was just him and you taking a walk in here. Though I must say that you have quite an odd taste."


    Mnie turned her gaze to him, ring at him quietly, "So much space in the forest, and you decide to stand right next to me."


    Simon smiled at her, "You have beautiful eyes, Mnie. Did anyone tell you that?" he said, staring at her.


    Mnie didn''t know if she would ever meet anyone as weird as this person next to her. She saw him continuously stare at her, "I think it is best to drop this little investigation and get back. There''s a lot more to do than y hunt when we are just normal people."


    She was about to step away, when Simon came to stand in front of her, "Let us forget that this even happened," he tried topel her.


    Mnie blinked and muttered, "Having you next to me is like a nightmare that''s hard to get rid of.." She walked to where Conner stood, talking to him, while Simon''s eyes narrowed.

 Chapter 153 - Visit To The Dungeon

    <h4>Chapter 153 - Visit To The Dungeon</h4>


    Simon didn''t understand what had just happened.


    Unlike some of the vampires in Veteris, he was someone who was capable ofpelling any human. So why wasn''t he able topel Mnie Davis? The answer was simple, she must have had Silverwater running in her system, but the question was how? Humans didn''t get ess to Silverwater that easily, and if they did, it was because they were connected to the hunters.


    How amusing, thought Simon to himself.


    "I guess the person isn''t here anymore," said Conner with a frown on his face. "Do you think it is safe? I mean should we alert the cops about it?"


    "If you want a visit to the doctor, sure," replied Mnie, and she lightly rolled her eyes. "Even if what you are saying is true, we still need proof, Conner. Vampires don''t exist."


    Simon walked to where Mnie & Conner stood and said, "Why not? There is a possibility for absurd things to crop up, Mel."


    Mnie slightly clenched her jaw at Simon for not using her full name. She replied back to him, "Vampires, werewolves, and zombies are things that don''t exist. Maybe we can go and inform the headmistress about it and she can do something about it."


    "Just like I have suggested earlier. Took a long time for you to agree upon it," smiled Simon, and Conner sighed.


    "Alright," agreed the curly-haired boy.


    When they started to make their way back, Simon let out a yawn and said, "Mm, I am feeling hungry now. I wonder if I will be missing my lunch time."


    "I am sorry about that," Conner offered Simon a sheepish smile, and Simon chuckled.


    "No worries. We are friends and we should help each other out, isn''t it? I will do something about it," replied Simon, and Conner pulled out some candies from his pocket and offered it to Simon.


    "I usually carry them in my pocket. Do you want some of these?" Conner stretched his hand, which held the wrapped candies. Mnie quickly took two of them as if the candies were supposed to be only hers and not to be shared with Simon.


    "Thanks," Simon picked one candy and yed with the ends of the wrapper.


    Once the humans have parted away from the vampire, he unwrapped the candy and put it in his mouth while making his way towards his room. His tongue sucked on the candy, and when he crushed it between his teeth, there was a burst of Silverwater in it, which was quick to escape down his throat and make him cough.


    He quickly reached his room and threw up the ck blood that emerged from his mouth.


    "What happened to you?" questioned Maximus, who had been sitting on the bed in the room.


    "Silverwater," deadpanned Simon, the smile on his lips hadpletely disappeared. "Tell Dante immediately that we have students, whose parents send them with Silverwater candies here. And because of that thepulsion cannot take ce and one of them has witnessed a vampire on the run. A hungry one."


    "Is it Julie''s friends? Mnie and Conner?" questioned Maximus, and Simon turned his back to the sink and looked at his friend.


    "Mm, Conner caught sight of one of the vampires making a run. Rome did mention they are the hunters'' children, didn''t he?"


    "They will probably be grilled in the dungeon for an answer. Especially with the Elders here, it doesn''t leave much option to the hunters," replied Maximus. "Which vampire do we have on the loose?"


    "I have no clue," shrugged Simon, and he said, "Should we just leave it be?"


    Maximus stared at Simon and said, "Are you trying to protect the hunter''s girl?"


    Simon chuckled, "Why would I ever do that? I think letting the little humans do their work will be interesting and bring more spice to this dull life of ours in Veteris." But Simon also knew that if the humans were dragged into the dungeon, the human girl would not survive it.


    Maximus shook his head as if not understanding what Simon wanted or did not want to do. Sometimes, it was hard for him to know what was going on in his friend''s head.


    "I will go and speak to my uncle about it. There are already too many things going on in Veteris," said Maximus and Simon nodded his head and said,


    "Let me go along with you. It''s boring here."


    In the same building of the boy''s Dormitorium, Conner was quickly packing his things in the trunk. He didn''t find this ce safe anymore, as suddenly everything started to feel gloomy and suspicious. There were certain images that kept trying to break free from his mind as if Reese hadn''t died from a normal death. Instead, it seemed she had a deep gash of wound on her neck.


    He had seen Reese''s body, and though the memory wasn''t clear, he didn''t remember any mark on her skin.


    Out of panic, he continued to pack his things before getting the trunk ready. But then he suddenly paused when the panic in his mind reduced, and a sense of responsibility emerged in his mind. He made his way towards the headmistress'' office. When he came near the building, he saw Simon step out of it.


    "Did you speak to Ms. Dante about it?" asked Conner, who wanted to make sure no one would be hurt.


    Simon nodded his head, "She seemed a little taken aback by the information, but I let her know what you''ve mentioned. Be at ease, Conner. Everything will be fine." His eyes curiously looked at the human before he asked, "The candy, is it homemade?"


    Conner nodded his head, "Yes, how did you know about it?"


    "I have a knack when ites to candies," smiled Simon, and Conner nodded his head. "Do you have more of them? I would like to keep them with me and maybe even share them with others. Tori might enjoy it."


    "Unfortunately those were thest of them. Maybe when I go back home, I will get more," said Conner and Simon offered him a saint-like smile.


    That was if he came back here, thought Simon in his mind.


    Back in the headmistress'' office, Ms. Dante had a grim expression on her face. She sat there behind the table, with Maximus and Elder Castiel in front of her.


    "I don''t want any of you harming the children," Dante''s words were firm. "They might be hunters'' children, and the best way to get rid of them without causing much issues is to kick them out from here."


    "The boy has seen a vampire, Eloise," Castiel tried to reason with her. "And two of them have silverwater running in their body. It will cause problems."


    "Simon said the boy was not sure about it. And another thing, which vampire student has been starved out of blood?" Dante didn''t recollect any vampire being deprived of blood in Veteris. "It should be someone from the outside. Someone who is strolling on ournds without permission."


    "Bring the humans in the dungeon, You know the usual procedures that are followed in here. Wait for the Silverwater to leave their bodies and then wipe the human''s memory clean," ordered Castiel, without raising his voice. "Don''t worry, I won''t let anything bad happen to your precious students, if that is why you are hesitant on sending them to the dungeon."


    Eloise Dante pursed her lips. Often, she would send the students with Silverwater in their body to stay in the dungeon and handle the matter there, but since the Elders had woken up, the fate of the humans was not certain.


    Dante picked up the handle of the phone and dialled a number before someone from the other end picked up, "There are two students who need to be sent to the dungeon¡­" and she gave the details before cing the handle back. "Let me go and check if the starved vampire is still around."


    When they stepped near the forest area, Ms. Dante caught sight of Julie and Roman, walking with Elder Donovan and Mr. Evans.


    "What''s going on here?" questioned Ms. Dante to Mr. Evans.


    Donovan smiled at Eloise''s question, "We were inaugurating the opening of the lost town."


    Castiel, who had apanied Dante, frowned, "Is it Willow Creek?"


    "The bridge finally appeared thanks to my dear and lovely daughter-inw, Julianne Winters," Donovan chimed with a pleasant smile on his lips. Donovan was about to ce his hand on Julie''s back, but Roman pulled her towards him and then had her stand on his other side. Donovan said, "You still don''t trust me with her."


    "You didn''t give me a good reason to do that," deadpanned Roman, but Donovan continued to take no offence for it.


    "What''s going on?" questioned Ms. Dante, who hadn''t been filled with any information about it.


    "Well if you are looking for a short version here, we had a little trip to Willow Creek and had some good time in the snow. It is still snowing in Willow Creek, while it is yet to snow here," Donovan''s words were yful before he added, "We had an encounter with Enoch."


    "Enoch Mortimer?" questioned Castiel, and Donovan gave a nod.


    "That''s the vampire the human boy had seen," murmured Ms. Dante.


    "Oh yeah, he escaped from the cursed town, and must have stepped into Veteris," came the nonchnt words from Donovan like it was no big deal.


    "And you let him escape?" asked Ms. Dante in disbelief.


    "We had other important matters to deal with¡­ like family matters. Isn''t that right, children?" Donovan looked at Roman and Julie, who stared at him.


    Roman turned to Ms. Dante and asked her, "How did you hear about Enoch?"


    "One of the students caught sight of him," informed Ms. Dante. "The search has already been sent to look through the grounds of Veteris to see if they catch sight of him."


    "You should keep a close watch at the dungeon," stated Roman with a serious expression on his face.


    "The morm won''t be able to escape," said Mr. Evans, "He''s been heavily drugged.


    "How did you end up in Willow Creek, Evans? I thought you were filing the papers of the students," noted Ms. Dante, and Mr. Evans smiled at the woman. "I will talk to youter."


    "Yes, mdy," the counsellor bowed his head.


    "Looks like we have more than one problem right now," muttered the vampiress under her breath.


    "They are all connected into one big problem, Eloise. The Mortimer brothers wille to take a look at Willow Creek," exined Donovan while pulling out a cigarette from his pocket and lighting one end of the bud. "Letting Enoch leave¡­ it is an advantage to us as we''ll at least know by the trail of bodies he leaves where his elder brother has been hiding all these years. A few sacrifices will have to be made."


    "You are saying that Enoch will lead his brother back in here where we have innocent people who could be killed?" Ms. Dante''s eyes had widened, not because of the news but because of Donovan''s ways.


    "The Mortimers wille here by hook or by crook. You think they don''t have an eye on Willow Creek or on Veteris? How silly of you, Eloise," Donovan took a drag from the cigarette.


    Dante was about to say something when Castiel ced his hand on her shoulder and said, "Let us sit down and discuss this. Hopefully, we''ll be able to trace back the Mortimers. How is the condition in Willow Creek?"


    "Dusty and old, with the dead. It will possibly need some cleaning up to be done to clear the amount of skeletons that are lying in there," mentioned Donovan.


    "Please don''t move the skeletons," came Julie''s rushed words, bringing everyone''s attention to her.


    Even though her father had spoken to her about not touching the skeletons as it would bring pain and darkness, she couldn''t help but want to touch them. To learn the memories of the ones she had never been blessed to spend time with.


    "Not for two or three days," added Julie, feeling the Elders'' gaze on her.


    "Of course," chimed Donovan, as if he had suddenly turned to be Julie''s ally, and it had Roman look at the Elder with a look of suspicion in his eyes. "I have a few things to look at in there. Once we are done looking through, we can clean it up and bring it as one of Veteris'' property."


    Dante looked at Roman, Julie and Maximus and said, "The three of you should get back to your sses. The Elders will deal with the rest of it."


    Roman''s hand slipped into Julie''s hand, and he tugged her hand to pull her away from there. While they left the Elders, the headmistress and the counsellor behind, Maximus said to Julie,


    "It is your friend who caught sight of the blood thirsty vampire."


    "What?" whispered Julie, a deep frown came to form on her forehead. "Where are they?!"


    "Castiel ordered Dante to take them to the dungeon and¡ª"


    "Can we go there?" Julie asked Roman in haste.


    Roman gave her a nod while looking at Maximus with a slight re, who didn''t know what he had done wrong. Roman asked, "Have they already been taken to the dungeon?"


    "No, Dante had only made the call. She said it would be easier to send them out from Veteris. This way it would avoid any hunters'' children from sniffing around the vampires. They have silverwater candies," informed Maximus, "And it is for the best."


    "You mean kick them out of this ce?" asked Julie, and the vampire nodded his head.


    "I think the sooner the better," remarked Roman, and he said, "Sometimes, thepulsion breaks by a trigger and when that happens, it will make things difficult."


    "I thoughtpulsion was forever," said Julie, and Roman shook his head.


    "No. There are some odd cases where it doesn''t stick forever, which is why we keep the humans in the dungeon for a long time to make sure that everything goes well," replied Roman.


    "... and if it doesn''t?" asked Julie, noticing his lips set in a thin line.


    "Then death is inevitable, Winters. I will see what I can do to keep your friends alive," Roman ced his hand on the back of Julie''s head as if to pacify her growing worries. Julie didn''t have many people she was close to, and he knew the two friends she had made, they were dear to her.


    Julie nodded her head, and they went to visit the dungeon. But when they reached there, it was only Dennis who was locked up in the cell. She had forgotten about him, and he was wide awake.


    "Julianne," Dennis uttered her name, noticing Roman and Maximus follow behind her. "Are you here to see if I am doing okay?"


    Julie was at a loss for words, as she hadn''t prepared to speak to him. Thest they spoke, he had asked her toe along with him.


    She heard Roman say to Maximus from behind, "They haven''t been brought in here, yet."


    "Let me go and see where Moses or the two of them are," said Maximus before leaving from there.


    Before any of this, Dennis had always been polite to her, except for when Roman was brought up in the conversation. They were good friends who shared decent conversations, and Julie walked to the front of the cell.


    Dennis noticed the look of pity in Julie''s eyes, and he said, "Don''t be sad, Julianne. I am fine." Her eyes noticed the bruises on his face and the smudged blood on his skin.


    "Why did you do it¡­" asked Julie, staring at Dennis, who stared right back at her.


    Though Roman wasn''t keen on wanting Julie to spend time with Dennis, he didn''t voice out his disapproval and instead stood behind her, watching them carefully.


    "Why? I didn''t know you were supporting the vampires. Don''t you know that they kill people like you, sucking out blood until there''s none left in the body?" Dennis questioned her back, and he took a step forward as if to get closer to her. "You are too innocent, Julie. Is it because of love?"


    Julie pursed her lips, and she shook her head, "No. It is because of trust."


    Dennis lightly chuckled. He didn''t wear his sses as he usually did because they had been broken and trampled on. "You can never trust a vampire, they will change their skin like a chameleon."


    "Your words don''t answer the question I asked you," said Julie, staring at the boy, whom she once considered to be her friend. But Dennis had tried to kill Roman yesterday, and it was something she couldn''t look away from.


    "Causing disruptions in the awakening of the Elders was something I was sent for. They were not supposed to wake up now, and if things had gone ording to the n¡­ they would have had to wake up after a decade, which would be toote," Dennis''s reply came like liquid, without pausing, and Roman''s eyes slightly narrowed. The boy was too infatuated with the girl who belonged to him. "Looks like Moltenore told you quite a few things about vampires," and he smiled. "I am surprised they haven''t tried to kill you¡­ but then your friend died."


    Remembering she was the reason why Reese was dead, the guilt was quick to build in her chest, and she stared at him.


    "Vampires are not good people, Julie," said Dennis.


    "Aren''t you part of them?" questioned Julie.


    Dennis stared at Julie as if noticing that she knew something more than the usual would know, "Somewhere I am, and somewhere I am not. Love makes one blind, doesn''t it?" he questioned no one in particr.


    While Julie believed that these words were for her in regards to Roman, Roman noticed that the words were meant in regards to Dennis and Julie.


    "You work for Mortimer," said Julie, and Dennis nodded his head.


    "Yes, Sir Mortimer is the one who took some of us in, who didn''t have a roof above our head, and I owe my life to him. He isn''t fond of the four Elders, especially Moltenore''s maker," Dennis'' eyes shifted from Julie to look at Roman briefly before looking back at the girl. "You should leave this ce because soon this will be a ce that will have nothing but death."


    "There are innocent people here. Don''t you have any concern for them?" asked Julie, noticing the person she had known until now, that person''s skin had started to shed to show his true colours.


    The look in Dennis'' eyes changed one to be of hurt, as if unhappy that Julie was viewing him to be like the rest of them. He said, "It is the errors of the humans, which has gotten them to where they are now. The hunters¡­ they killed my family and nearly killed me. I have no remorse for anyone¡­ except for one."


    Roman rolled his eyes and came to stand next to Julie and said, "I think there are more pressing matters, Winters."


    Julie nodded her head, but before she could leave, Dennis asked, "You seem slightly different than usual. Like you have changed."


    She turned to meet his eyes and then asked, "Do you know what ns this Mortimer has with Veteris?"


    "He wants Veteris to be his and the things thate with it. Thend had been promised to him years ago, but¡­ something got lost and right now it''s invalid, considering the times have passed for it to be validated," he was speaking about Willow Creek, thought Julie in her mind.


    When they stepped outside the dungeon, Julie turned to look at Roman and asked, "Is Veteris going to be safe from now?"


    "We''ll get a fix for it so that this ce doesn''t fall back to have the same fate as when we were turned," Roman raised his hand towards Julie''s face, pushing the piece of her hair to tuck it behind her ear. "Most of us built this ce with a lot of work and no one would allow Veteris to fall into another vampire''s hands. We don''t have one but four Elder vampires with abilities. But the question is what the other Mortimer has been up to. Anyways, let us go and check where Maximus is."


    On meeting Maximus, he looked a little worried, and Roman asked, "What happened?"


    "Conner is missing from his sses, and Mnie too. The guards are looking for them through the grounds."


    "Maybe they skipped sses?" questioned Roman, and he turned to look at Julie, who held a worried look on her face.


    "She''s probably in the library. She said she had to work on the project. Let me go and check," said Julie, and she went to the library to find Mnie there at the table, sitting and discussing with another student.


    "Julie! I am d you are here, where were you?" asked Mnie, looking at Julie''s worried look. "What''s the matter? Did you see a zombie?" she joked because Conner had mentioned seeing a vampire.


    "No¡­" replied Julie.


    "Oh, that''s good," replied Mnie and then said, "Are you free to work on the project? I took in the books that might help us."


    It seemed like Mnie was barely fazed by what Conner had mentioned, "Do you know where Conner is?" asked Julie, and Mnie shook her head.


    "Probably in ss. What''s going on?" asked Mnie.


    At the same time, one of the guards at the front of the gates, Moses, appeared at the library entrance. As if hearing the heavier footsteps on the floor, Roman and Maximus turned in their direction. Seeing Roman move, Julie turned her head and noticed the guard making his way to where they were or Mnie was.


    Julie looked back and forth, not sure if Mnie should go through this dungeon because, from what she heard, she hadn''te across Enoch.


    Roman stepped forward, walking halfway to meet the guard and spoke to the person before the person stared at him.


    "Ms. Dante said I am to take her to the dungeon," said Moses, his eyes briefly moving to look at the human.


    "The human was never a witness, so you can skip it. I will deal with it, so there''s no need to go to such length," said Roman, and he added, "If anybody asks, you can tell them I was the one who handled the matter."


    The guard looked a little apprehensive, but he nodded his head, "Okay."


    "What about the boy? Did you find him?"


    "We are still looking for him," replied Moses, and Roman gave him a slight nod.

 Chapter 154 - What Do You Think About Vampires?

    <h4>Chapter 154 - What Do You Think About Vampires?</h4>


    After talking to the guard, Roman returned, Julie stepped away from her friend and asked him, "What did he say?"


    "Mnie will be fine, considering she doesn''t believe in it, but they are looking for Conner," said Roman and Julie took a deep breath before exhaling it out. "Veteris isn''t that big for one to find someone, especially when it''s a human. We''ll go and take a look at where he is, you stay here with her," he added in thest sentence before she decided to take part in the search party.


    Julie pursed her lips because she wanted to make sure her friends were safe and they weren''t going to be tortured. It was as if she was causing a domino effect around her. Her little actions with the butterflies wings were creating hurricanes far away. If she hadn''t broken the curse of Willow Creek today, Enoch would not be let out free, and Conner wouldn''t havee across the vampire.


    Roman took a step forward, putting his hand around the back of her head, and he brought her closer, pressing his lips on her forehead.


    "Trust me, Winters," assured Roman, and Julie closed her eyes for a second, feeling the tenderness of his lips on her skin.


    "Always have," said Julie softly, and Roman pulled away from her.


    She felt his hand let go of the back of her head, his fingertips leaving whispers on the skin of her neck before it went back to his side.


    "Maximus," Roman called his friend, and the two of them walked out of the library building together.


    "Is everything alright, Julie?" Mnie came to Julie''s side as Roman had left now. "You look worried. Why are you looking for Conner?"


    Julie tore her eyes away from Roman and looked at Mnie''s questioning eyes. "Maximus said that Conner wasn''t there in his ss, and it got me worried."


    "Who knows, maybe he went to hunt down that vampire," joked Mnie, and Julie only wished that it wasn''t true. "But that would only end up with him having to visit Mr. Evans'' office. I wonder why he even thought of the possibility."


    Mnie caught Julie''s hand, tugging her towards the table so that they could sit. In the briefest seconds, Julie noticed the way two or three students, who were nearby, turned their eyes to look at her and her friend at the mention of the word ''vampire''. She sat down, trying to keep herself busy until Roman let her know that Conner was safe.


    On seeing Mnie, who had indeed collected all the materials and data for their project, Julie felt bad that her friend was doing most of the work, and she promised herself to be more involved.


    "Here, let me work on preparing the slides and designing them," offered Julie, taking the books and having a look at the little bookmarks that had been ced in the pages.


    "But that''s going to be a lot of work, I don''t mind doing half of it," said Mnie, but Julie shook her head.


    "No, let me do it. I feel like I have turnedzy and have been making you work," that she was relying on and using Mnie''s kindness and Julie wasn''t that kind of person.


    Mnie rolled her eyes and then said, "I am your friend, aren''t I? If not me, who else are you going to rely on?"


    Julie smiled at Mnie''s words and said, "You are, but I can rely on other things. These work, let me share them with you. Maybe we can get them done sooner and I am good at it." She hoped Ms. Dante and the Elders wouldn''t take the step of kicking her friends out of Veteris because they weren''t part of this and were innocent. They were here to study and nothing more than that.


    When the students around them from the other tables left their seats, Julie paused working on the slides and asked Mnie, "Mel, what do you think about vampires?"


    "Hm? They are boring, all they do is suck blood and they have no other powers on TV," Mnie shrugged her shoulders with a nonchnt tone while she was making notes on one of the subjects that had been taught this week.


    "I see," replied Julie, not expecting that would be Mnie''s answer.


    "Why do you ask?" asked Mnie, lifting her gaze from the book and having a questioning look on her face.


    "I guess it was about what Conner told you about him seeing a person like a vampire," Julie''s words were low, making sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation.


    "If you gave me a choice, I would pick werewolves. They are warm and cuddly like teddy bears. Vampires are too cold to my liking," Mnie let her thoughts know to Julie, who gave a small nod.


    "I guess you are right. But aren''t werewolves ferocious and more brutal?" asked Julie, dragging the topic a little more so that she knew what Mnie was okay with. As she was her friend, Julie believed and could even bet that Mnie wouldn''t be harsh and close-minded about this matter, though there was a possibility of her freaking out more than she initially had.


    Mnie hummed thoughtfully, "Then even vampires are portrayed to be cold and ruthless killers. Are you going to rmend some supernatural stories, Julie? We have exams and a lot of studying to catch up to."


    "I do," replied Julie, nodding her head, because having Mnie close to her was nothing less than exposing the vampire world. But then they were already exposed and were living amid the vampires, where the bloodthirsty creatures surrounded them. "Maybe I will bring those stories up after the project work," she smiled, and Mnie nodded her head.


    "Yes," said Mnie, and they continued working together.


    Away from the buildings of the Veteris, Roman and Maximus looked around the forest when Roman heard the voices of two people. They quickly stepped in there to find Conner sitting on the ground with Simon in front of him.


    "Hm? What are you guys doing here?" questioned Simon, and Roman''s eyebrows subtly furrowed.


    "Why aren''t you both in your sses?" questioned Roman.


    When they stepped closer, they found Simon and Conner''s hands were dipped in y mud. Simon said, "I was helping Conner with his project for the exam. We got talking and I thought I would show him where to find the best y to use. The texture of the y here is soft."


    Roman''s eyes slightly narrowed at his friend, noticing the obvious mischief in the eyes of the red-headed boy.


    "Why don''t I help with that one, Simon," offered Maximus, and Simon stood up with a smile on his face and walked to where Roman stood.


    "Can I ask what you are doing or are you going to y fool?" questioned Roman, his eyes shifting from Simon to look at Conner, who seemed calm.


    "The human seemed a little shaken with what he saw and I was trying to get information about his special candies that are filled with silverwater. Also distracting him away from the thirsty vampire who almost tried to get a sip from him," chimed Simon with a sincere smile that only appeared insincere.


    "Did it help?" questioned Roman


    "We didn''t bring it up, or more like he didn''t bring it up and he seems calmer than the first time I met him this afternoon," Simon turned to look at Conner, who was listening to Maximus, who was from the same major as the human. "He did mention red eyes, fangs and an angry person. I don''t think it is something he will be able to erase."


    "Castiel and Dante want him in the dungeon," stated Roman and Simon didn''t seem surprised.


    "Then let us do that," came the nonchnt words from the red-headed boy, and when his head turned, the piercing on one of his ears gently swayed. "I would like to see him behind the bars for some time. I think that would be interesting."


    Simon had brought Conner away from the other students so that he wouldn''t drag his friend and muddle her head. That would be a little troublesome.


    Roman rolled his eyes as if he already knew what was going in his psycho friend''s mind. He had promised to keep Julie''s friends safe, and if Conner was already aware and with the way his eyes kept flickering towards them in doubt, the one thing he could do was bring the boy, maybe not, to the dungeon, but to the dorm.


    "Max," Roman ordered, and Maximus picked it to be his cue and looked at Conner to get his attention.


    "Conner, this will take a moment," Maximus said, and Conner''s eyebrows furrowed in suspicion. He tried to stand up, but Maximus stopped him by catching hold of his hand. He brought his other hand in front of Conner''s face and snapped his fingers thrice. "Sleep."


    Conner''s eyes turned heavy with sleep, but it was only partly closed. His body swayed to the side, and Maximus caught it. The vampire asked, "What do you n to do with him, Rome?"


    "Let us wait for the Silverwater to wear off his body. It is better to not harm the human and just leave him untouched," remarked Roman, pulling Conner upwards so that they could take him back to the boy''s Dormitorium. "How long do you think he will be asleep?"


    "Probably a few minutes. Funny how the humans only have a way to keep away the vampire''spulsion, and not the abilities that have been passed down by the witches," came the dry words from Maximus.


    "Isn''t it going to be the same? To keep the boy in the dungeon or tie him up in his very room?" questioned Simon, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping the mud and dirt from his hands. "If Castiel already know that the hunters children are here¡ª"


    "Dante has already decided to send them out of Veteris. The documents will be readied and sent right when the Silverwater leaves their bodies. They prefer to not keep those two around," replied Maximus, as they started to make their way out of the ce.


    The smile on Simon''s lips faltered, and he stared ahead of him, "Sending them out of this ce, is it."


    Before Simon could voice out his disapproval over the matter, Roman spoke, "As much as it is good for precaution, it would look strange that the students who barely got into trouble are suddenly being transferred out and ced in another university. It would be better to keep them here."


    "Then you better speak to Dante about it," suggested Maximus, his lips set themselves in a thin line. "Seems like things keep on happening and it''s been so since the Elders woke up."


    "Whose idea was it to wake them up again?" asked Simon in a sarcastic tone.


    "Evans, was it?" asked Maximus, and he then said, "How was it? Willow Creek?"


    "The disappeared town?" asked Simon. "Looks like interesting things have been going on while I have been babysitting a human with whom I have least interest in."


    Donovan had revealed Julie to be the key for lifting the curse, which Maximus had obviously caught on to this information earlier.


    "Is our dear sister-inw not a human?" remarked Simon in glee, and a smile started to spread on his lips.


    The ever intrusive vampire in the group had unnecessarily too keen eyes, thought Roman to himself.


    "She belongs to a family of a witch," answered Maximus, while Roman didn''t go to speak much about it. "It is good to see that Donovan is finally epting her."


    "I wouldn''t trust his motives. There are dead bodies in Willow Creek, in their frozen state. From now, it should be open for anyone. It''s also where the starving vampire came from," stated Roman. "He''s Mortimer''s younger brother. Enoch."


    "The one whom Dennis was speaking about? The world is small indeed,"mented Simon while checking his nails for any possible dirt.


    "The older vampires are looking for a gem, a stone that is darker than the others a witch has ever made. I think Donovan has already taken a look at things around and didn''t find anything there. The Elders believe that the Mortimers will return once again to look for something precious in there," informed Roman.


    "But if Enoch has already been there for several years, he should have been able to find something in there, unless it''s just a barrennd of the dead," replied Simon, dropping his hands to his sides.


    "If that were so, the witch of that time wouldn''t have cursed the entire people and thend to disappear from others sight. There''s something hidden, only that it isn''t in in sight," said Roman, while he carried Conner over his shoulder. "It will need magic."


    "Meaning Julianne," said Maximus and Roman, who already knew the answer, his expression turned grim.


    They took Conner to the boy''s Dormitorium, using his room, while sending his dorm mate, a vampire, to another room.


    "So what is the n, do we tie him up?" asked Simon with a slight excitement in his voice.


    "No. Keep him busy here and make sure to see what he eats and drinks. We don''t have to tie him. Once the Silverwater is out,pel and let him be. Thestpulsion was made by Evans, and it wasn''t that long," said Roman and Maximus nodded his head. "I will go speak to Dante about this and see what theye up with on dealing with Enoch."


    "Sure," replied Maximus, and Roman started to make his way towards the door before leaving his two friends in taking care of Conner.


    Julie spent her time in the library with Mnie, making sure her friend was safe. And though she was working on her slides, she couldn''t help but worry about where the vampire was. Hopefully caught by the hunters and killed immediately, she thought in her mind.


    "I will finish the rest of them in the dorm," said Julie, and Mnie nodded her head.


    "You finished faster than I would. We should be done in three days," replied Mnie, putting her things in her bag, and Julie helped her with it before carrying the books that she would do.


    "My father used to work on presentation and I used to like changing things around," smiled Julie, pursing her lips as she realized that man was not her father. Her father¡­ he had disappeared into dust a few hours ago. Things that she believed were lies, and it was reced with something new, and just the thought of it left goosebumps on her skin.


    "Are you worried about himing here? Maybe you can tell the headmistress about it, and there will be no way for him to show up here. This ce is guarded like a prison," Mnie lightlyughed.


    "No, it''s not him that I worry about¡­ it feels like too much is happening too soon," like things were slipping past her fingers, and she had no control over it.


    "I am here to listen anytime, Julie," Mnie ced a hand on Julie''s arm, and Julie nodded her head.


    "Thank you, Mel. We have been speaking only about me. What are your ns for this holiday?" asked Julie, shifting the subject.


    They started to walk towards the main desk of the library to register the books they were borrowing. Mnie said, "Mum said there was some family gathering this time, and they specially shifted it to the dates where Conner and I would be free from sses and university work."


    "Seems like something fun," replied Julie, but Mnie shook her head.


    "Frankly, it isn''t. It''s probably the most boring ce to be around, because everyone is always so serious. And it''s like they have these secret meetings for the adults, which I have never understood why it happens," Mnie rolled her eyes and shook her head. "But mum said that we will be able to attend it this time. But she said thatst time too."


    "My family used to be invited too, to dinner parties and I always stuck to watching tv because I didn''t have anyone of my age and it used to be dull," replied Julie.


    "I would have invited you this week, but it will be boring and you might kill me and yourself after that," Mnie gave an awkward smile.


    "It''s fine," replied Julie, and they ced the books that they were borrowing on the counter. "Roman and I have other ns this holiday and we''ll be spending time together."


    Mnie''s mouth turned into an O before she grinned, "Aha, I see. I hope you two have a good time together."


    Julie opened her mouth as if wanting to correct Mnie''s thoughts because she meant they were going out, but the librarian interrupted them and said, "You cannot take more than two books with you. There''s a limit."


    "Let me see which one''s we''ll need," said Julie, offering the woman a polite smile, who only stared at her and Mnie with a stern look on her face for not knowing the rules of this ce. Picking four of them aside, she said to Mnie, "Let me ce these back in the racks."


    They soon left the library, and reaching the dormitorium, Julie entered her dorm. Her eyes fell on the letter that rested next to the window, and a smile appeared on her lips. Closing the door, she ced the books on the table and then went to pick up the letter.


    Unfolding the paper, she read¡ª


    ''Conner is in his room and is being looked after by Simon and Max. I have spoken to Dante and made sure that they don''t get kicked out of Veteris.''


    Reading that line, a relieved sigh escaped from her lips. The letter then continued to read¡ª


    ''I won''t be able to meet you for dinner. I need to go and see if there are any dead bodies lying on the road or if Enoch went somewhere to find his brother. Sleep early and I will see you by morning, Troublemaker.''


    A sigh escaped Julie''s lips, and she wondered if Enoch would be caught by someone. It would be good if he was caught and killed. She wondered why Donovan had not chased him and hunted him down because it didn''t feel like the Elder vampire was someone to let go of things that easily.


    She wondered if Donovan had any motive by letting Enoch slip out of his fingers.


    The rest of the evening, Julie went back to her student life where she was no witch, or she didn''t know about the vampires, where the only trouble that awaited her right now was to get passing grades.


    While Julie was still working on herptop with the slides, she heard something rustling in her room, and she noticed it was the Corvin. For a moment, she wished it was her father¡­ but then she realized it was her own Corvin, who had bonded with her.


    "I haven''t seen you since noon. Where did you go?" asked Julie, as if she was ready to reprimand the creature.


    ''I was looking for you. I didn''t find you around here,'' replied the Corvin. ''Thought you left and was searching for you.''


    "I ended up in Willow Creek. The town appeared again," replied Julie, and the creature''s face turned in the direction where the town was located.


    ''Opened?''


    "Mm," Julie nodded her head, and she ced herptop to the side and leaned forward. "It looked like a ghost town, so gloomy and dark, the cold weather can pierce through the skin. Did you know¡­ that my father was there?"


    The Corvin stared at Julie before it slowly nodded its head.


    "I see," replied Julie, her eyes lowered, and it fell on her open palms.


    ''Did hee with you?'' asked the creature, and Julie shook her head.


    "He couldn''t. His time was limited," replied Julie, while she continued to stare at her hands that had almost hugged her father, but time had been so scarce that he had disappeared right before she could touch him. "When I met him this morning, he was just a stranger. And I thought I wouldn''t be affected that much by his disappearance. But now that he''s gone, I feel his absence which is so profound and I wished that I had more time¡­"


    There was a hint of sadness in Julie''s voice and her demeanour.


    The Corvin walked to where Julie was sitting on the bed, and it sat down, something it hadn''t voluntarily done. It moved its hand towards her own, grasping it with its twig-like fingers.


    ''I have some things, if you want to see,'' offered the creature, the twigs around Julie''s hand wrapped itself. It wasn''t tight, but it was firm as if the creature was trying tofort her, who knew that a bird would ever do something like this, thought Julie in her mind.


    "What do you mean?" asked Julie, not knowing what the Corvin meant. "You don''t have special abilities, do you?"


    The creature tilted its head down, looking at their hands, and Julie followed its gaze. And it was then she noticed the blue light starting to appear in the veins of its twigs, and the light started to increase in the room, spilling on the floor and the walls.


    ''Some of the energy is shared between us because of the bond,'' and this was when Julie realized that the creature wasn''t having broken English anymore, and it''s sentences were more understandable. ''It isn''t that the Corvins are empty vessels. We are vessels who can manifest abilities, by using the bonds made with the witches. Like activating them.''


    "What did you mean when you said to see?" asked Julie, and the creature stood up from the bed, and it tugged her hand along with it.


    ''Come with me,'' it whispered to her.


    "We''ll be caught. No, I will be caught because you cannot be seen," replied Julie, holding it and her hand back from moving forward. "We already have a vampire who is strolling freely on these grounds. It isn''t a good idea to be roaming in the middle of the night."


    ''No one will see us,'' said the Corvin, and they stepped out of the Dormitorium in her nightclothes. Julie looked back and forth to make sure they wouldn''t be caught, but more importantly, the Corvin wouldn''t slip one more time and show itself to people.


    The creature didn''t let go of her hand, and it continued to lead her into the woods, their footsteps quiet on the ground with the sound of crickets.


    They returned to a ce which wasn''t too far from the town of Willow Creek.


    "What are we doing here?" Julie questioned the Corvin as it let go of her hand, and she brought both her hands together, rubbing them to produce heat.


    The Corvin took two steps ahead of her, bringing its hands forward, and its fingers suddenly started to grow like creepers that fell on the ground. Julie noticed the creepers slither and move towards the two trees, and soon a screen was produced between the trees, which was translucent white.


    "Are you going to tell me what this is?" asked Julie, noticing the surface glimmer. It held a light sheen of light on it, giving out a glow to the ce near it.


    ''Though I don''t have memories of when I was a witch, these are the scarce ones that I still have continued to carry over the years,'' said the creature, stepping away from her so that she could take a look at it.


    "Feels like a witch''s personal television," murmured Julie.


    Julie''s eyes fell on the woman, who she had seen in the motel. The woman, though looked much younger here, and there was a confident smile on her face, her features feminine, but at the same time, there was something in her eyes that let one know that she wasn''t easily to be fooled.


    "Is this my mother?" whispered Julie, feeling her heart grow heavy. Not because she was sad, but she was happy to see the woman who was her biological mother.


    ''She is. The witch, Opaline La Fay,'' replied the Corvin, and Julie nodded her head.


    Though Julie could see it, it was as if someone had muted her television as she couldn''t hear anything.


    "She''s beautiful," murmured Julie, and she noticed the woman walking in the forest, moving into the deeper parts of the wood before she finally stopped. Her face looked serious, and the smile on her face had disappeared.


    Her mother moved her lips, and it was the Corvin next to Julie that spoke, ''This was the time when your mother had conceived you. It was something very unexpected and unknown to any kind, to mix the living with the dead. Nobody had ever done it before, and she came to meet your father¡­''


    Julie caught a note of another Corvin, who appeared in front of her mother on the white screen. Her mother''s lips moved as if she was speaking about what happened with her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and the creature stared back at her, emotions hard to describe or tell because of its wooden bird-like face.


    ''Your mother was worried. She already had your brothers and sisters to look after, to make sure they were alive and that they wouldn''t be caught by the hands of the vampires or the humans,'' exined the Corvin, watching the white screen along with Julie. ''They didn''t know if you were going to be different from the rest of them. If you were going toe out soon, or if you were going to bete.''


    The discussion between her mother and father seemed tense, and Julie slightly turned to look at the Corvin and asked, "Did they¡­ think about taking me away?"


    ''Kill you? No. Your parents were never those kinds of people. Your mother especially, she thrived to have peace and harmony on thends,'' responded the Corvin. ''They decided to raise you in a way where no one would find out who your actual father was.''


    And it was when her father, who was in his Corvin form, touched her mother''s stomach as if to feel their child, and that was her. The Corvin''s hand was gentle, moving across the surface before he embraced her mother.


    ''Your father wanted to be around more, to take care of you¡­ but because of who he was, where even his own living daughter didn''t know about him¡­ he wasn''t able to be around to take care of you the way he wanted,'' the Corvin said in its monotonous voice.


    When Julie returned to her dorm, the Corvin left her side and she locked the door of the dorm. Getting into bed, she pulled the nket andid her head on the pillow.


    Julie wondered how life would have been if everything had gone well. She would probably be somewhere near a well, or river, drawing out water in the pot to take it back home. Or maybe she would be hiding from the hunters from being hunted. Or married to one of the men in the vige at the age she was at.


    Once she drifted to sleep, the Corvin reappeared in the room, watching the girl sleep.. It moved closer to the bed and pulled her nket upward, as if to make it proper.

 Chapter 155 - The Unknown Talk

    <h4>Chapter 155 - The Unknown Talk</h4>


    Author''s note: Apologies for the uneven update, I have been having a stye and the screen time has been irritating it.


    ¡ª


    The vampire limped in the darkness as he made his way away from Veteris and now in the forest. His vision was hazy, and he tried to keep himself up and awake. His fangs ached, and all he wanted to do right now was sink them in a human''s flesh and feel the warm blood seep into his mouth and travel down his throat.


    At a distance, an owl that had perched itself on the branch of a tree hooted while watching the bloodthirsty vampire walk past the trees.


    When he came to a certain distance, he finally caught sight of a lone couple making out in the woods. He took a deep sniff of them from where he stood, and he ran his tongue across his lips.


    "Do you think it is safe to do it here?" the girl asked the boy with whom she hade to the forest. She looked back and forth while the boy cupped her face with both his hands.


    "It''s the middle of the night, do you think anyone would evere to the woods at this time. It is just the two of us here and we have the ce for ourselves," the boy chuckled before he kissed the girl in his arms.


    Enoch''s pale face felt like it was already receiving colour by seeing the two naive humans who were at this time in the ce. He slowly crept up and behind the boy and said, "You don''t mind if I join you both, do you?"


    The couple turned startled at the voice, and they pulled away from each other. Before the boy could turn to see who had spoken, the vampire sunk his fangs into the boy''s neck and ruthlessly sucked the blood out of him while the boy tried to get away from the vampire.


    "AHH!!!" the girl screamed in panic, noticing blood trickling from the boy''s neck.


    She noticed the boy struggle less, and soon his body turned limp. In fear of having to save herself, she turned around and started to sprint from there. Running through the forest with her feet, making a rustling sound every time her shoe trampled on the dried leaves.


    Enoch continued to suck the blood, his hold on the boy tightened, and his face started to fill itself with colour. Once he was done drinking blood from the human, he decided to tear the person''s head away from the body so that no one would know about a vampire being around.


    "Not the best I have tasted, but I am fucking hungry and need more," Enoch said to himself, his gaze shifting away from the dead person.


    Dropping the body on the ground, he took a deep sniff in the air, trying to find in which direction the other human had run, and he quickly followed.


    The human girl continued to run, and in between, she turned to catch sight of the vampire getting close to her. She ran towards the road, and while trying to take another look behind her, she failed to notice the truck that was speedilying on the road. It hit her body, and she fell on the side of the road. The truck driver suddenly stopped the vehicle, and so did Enoch, his eyes staring at the vehicle in wonderment.


    "I told you to keep an eye on the road for the animals!"ined one of the men who got down from the truck.


    "I was fucking looking at the road, and this person jumped out of nowhere! There is the person!" said another man, and the two males went to take a look at the girl, whose head was bruised. He quickly checked her pulse and said, "She''s still alive."


    "What are we going to do?"


    "What do you mean what?! Let us take her to the hospital,e help me carry her now," said the person, and they picked up the injured girl''s body, taking her inside the truck, and they drove away from there.


    Enoch, who stood near the edge of the forest, watched the vehicle leave, and he wiped the blood that was smeared across his lips. He would now have to find a new prey while also looking where his brother was.


    Morning was quick to arrive, but the rays of the sun didn''t touch thends of Veteris as the sky was heavily covered by the clouds.


    Julie woke up with a yawn escaping from her lips while she stretched her body before sitting upright on the bed. Her head turned to look at the side of the window, which was now empty, and she wondered if Roman''s night had gone peaceful.


    Getting ready, Julie joined Mnie to go to the lunchroom to have a quick breakfast.


    "Is Conner skipping breakfast?" Julie asked Mnie as they walked towards the lunchroom.


    "I haven''t seen him sincest noon. I wonder if he''s busy working with his project. He said he had to start his project and with time being scarce in his hands, he''s probably pulling an all nighter on his work," replied Mnie, tugging on the strap of her bag while walking next to Julie.


    "Mm, I see," replied Julie. "I think the students are going to be busy with the approaching exams."


    "Yes, while there are some who still have time to goof around,"mented Mnie, on seeing the seniors, who were sitting outside the lunchroom, while some were busy making out in public. "Did you hear anything from your uncle about your father?" asked Mnie, and Julie shook her head.


    "No phonework remember."


    "Families often make calls to the main office. If there''s any urgency. Maybe everything is fine," said Mnie, offering an encouraging smile while also holding a little worry in her eyes.


    Her father was a whole different subject that Julie had decided not to worry about. But then she corrected herself. That man wasn''t her father. He might have loved her in the beginning, but for him to brutally kill his wife and then try to kill her, she doubted there was even an ounce of love left with him for her.


    While Julie was having her meal, she felt a kiss being pressed on one side of her head, and a smile appeared on her lips. When she turned her head, Roman pressed his lips right on her lips before murmuring, "I missed you."


    "Missed you as well," Julie whispered back, noticing his ck eyes weren''t ck, instead, they were dark red that only appeared to look ck. "How was your night?" she asked him.


    "Not that great," replied Roman, and he pulled the chair next to her and sat down. "How was yours?"


    "It was alright, but much better now," said Julie and Roman''s lips subtly quirked up. Mnie hadpany, who had decided to annoy her, which was Simon, who hade to join the table. Julie took the opportunity to speak, "Mel said this holiday there''s a family gathering."


    "We have our ns already," said Roman and Julie nodded her head. "Pack your things that you need for the three days. We''ll be leaving early as there''s no need for you to ride the bus." His gaze moved to look at Mnie, and then it returned to Julie, and just for her to hear, he said, "They found a body in the forest."


    "Enoch?" asked Julie in a low voice, and Roman gave her a nod.


    "There are no other bodies, so I guess he decided to escape from here and we don''t have to worry about him hovering around here until for the next few days," stated Roman, and he picked one of the french fries that was on Julie''s te.


    "I saw my mother yesterday, father too¡­ The Corvin showed it to me," Julie informed him.


    Upon hearing about the Corvin, Roman''s eyes looked around the ce, and he noticed a shadow that was darker than the others in the room. He said, "You should try to give it a full form, it will be easier to keep the creature around than it appearing to look as if someone punished it to stay away from you."


    "But I don''t think it''s possible," replied Julie with a small frown on her face. "Father told he coulde in his human form only twice, and it was what pushed him to¡­ disappear."


    Roman gave it a thought before he said, "Your father had bonded himself to your mother, who was long gone for years. But your Corvin, you still are living and breathing. And not to forget you are different. Maybe it will work for a much longer timepared to what your mother had tried before."


    "Sometimes I wonder if I can resurrect the dead¡­" whispered Julie, and Roman noticed her lower her gaze, looking at the surface of the table.


    "It isn''t a bad idea.. As long as it doesn''t harm you I am good with anything," assured Roman, taking her hand before intertwining their fingers together. He brought their hands up to his lips and kissed her hand.


    "I won''t," Julie smiled at his words.


    Julie was already being used to Roman''s tender affections, but the same couldn''t be told about the other students, who hadn''t spent enough time with Roman or Julie. Some of the student''s even spilt food from their hands-on, seeing the ck-haired boy, who was an A-listed delinquent in the university, showing loving affections towards the girl.


    "Are you going to attend sses?" she asked him, and he gave her a nod.


    "It gives me a reason to see you to your ssroom. I might stick through my ss though," responded Roman, who had no interest in sitting in a ce with a bunch of idiots around him. "Let''s go grab my drink," he said to her.


    Julie excused herself from the table and followed Roman to the counter, watching him order a coke filled with blood. "Do you need something?" he asked her, and she shook her head.


    "I am full," replied Julie, and she asked him, "How is Conner?"


    "I had Olivia sedate him for a few hours. He''s in his room, resting soundly and Maximus keeping an eye on him so that he canpel him once he''s awake," stated Roman, and Julie let out a relieved sigh. d to hear that her friend was alright. "I told you, Winters. I got you."


    After Roman saw Julie to her ssroom like the doting boyfriend, some of the girls looked at Julie in envy.


    Around noon, the clouds had turned heavier and darker, which took away most of the brightness from the atmosphere. With two cans of coke in his hand, Roman now leaned against one of the graves, while standing in front of a grave that he sometimes came to visit.


    The name on the grave read¡ª ''Tristan Moltenore''.


    The headstone he was leaning against belonged to a man who often liked to look down at people when he was alive, and Roman was least bothered if the headstone had slightly bent with the amount of time he had spent leaning against it.


    All these years, even though he had the slight doubt that Malcolm Moltenore had never cheated on his wife, Roman had continued to believe that Tristan was his own brother. It wasn''t the blood that had brought them close, but each other''s character and nature.


    "I wonder if you are disappointed that I was not able to protect your lover from her death," murmured Roman while staring at the headstone which was in front of him. "Did you ever feel that I was not rted to the family¡­ You always kept hovering around me. I doubt if you ever noticed it."


    Because from what he remembered, Tristan had been excited with the idea of having a sibling, while all Roman wanted was to stay alone.


    Roman now brought the can to his lips, siping the blood until thest few drops and then opened the other can and took more gulps from it. Roman wondered, if not Tristan, did Lady Petronile ever find out about it? He didn''t rte the woman''s change of heart to havinge from knowing the truth because she wasn''t like that. While his mother had loved him dearly, protecting him from the harsh words of the people, it was under Lady Petronile''s influence, did Roman grow up.


    Hearing the sound of footstepsing from behind, Roman''s eyes turned to the corner, and he said, "I believe we''ll have to draw some line on what can and cannot be done. What are you doing here? I don''t remember you having any one here that you can mourn for."


    "I heard you skipped sses, and like a responsible father, I decided toe find you," responded Donovan, his hands in his pockets and his coat covering his shoulders while he made his way there. "Spending time with your second family I see."


    Roman''s face didn''t hold annoyance, but then it held no emotion where he didn''t bother to turn to meet Donovan''s eyes.


    "How responsible indeed," came the sarcastic words from his mouth, and he then said, "The next thing I know you will be sitting down with the staff to check my academic performance."


    When Roman brought the can to his lips, he heard Donovan say, "That has already been done on the second day when we were brought back from the long rest. I knew there was nothing to worry about when it came to you, you have always done well."


    "Thanks," deadpanned Roman, barely affected by thepliment, while he continued to stare at his brother''s grave.


    Silence filled around them, and Donovan asked, "Are you still cross with me?"


    Roman finally turned to look at Donovan, who eagerly waited for his answer, and he asked, "What do you want me to tell you?"


    "That you are not angry with me?" Donovan could be a dangerous person, but he could equally be annoying people. "You can call me, father. Or maybe papa."


    "I must have sinned in my previous life," muttered Roman, for getting someone like Donovan as his father.


    "I have been trying to patch up things between us," stated Donovan, taking a seat on the headstone of the grave that was next to where Roman was leaning against.


    "There''s nothing torn that needs to be patched. You introduced yourself as an Elder to me, and that''s how we started our rtionship," remarked Roman, and Donovan tilted his head.


    "Hm? Are you angry because I didn''t confess when we first met?" asked Donovan before he continued, "Frankly, I was quite in shock myself that I had a son. Do you know how shocking it was to find the woman you haven''t been in contact with has passed away and then you have a boy who is in his teenage years."


    Roman didn''t care about it now. He was angry yesterday, but today¡­ he wanted some time away from people and alone. Except for Julie.


    "I don''t care about it. You should already know that I was content with the Moltenore family," stated Roman, and Donovan nodded his head.


    "Yes, I noticed it. It looked like a perfect family, while the Lord decided to snatch my son," Donovan''s eyes subtly narrowed. Roman rolled his eyes at the old man. "You know¡­ we spoke. The Lord and me."


    This caught Roman''s attention, and he asked, "When was this?"


    "The same day the massacre took ce in the town."


    Roman''s lips set themselves in a thin line for not having a clue about this. "What did you guys speak about?"


    Donovan pushed himself away from the headstone, which ended up pushing the stone forward, which the Elder vampire didn''t bother to fix. He took a few steps forward, and Roman noticed the man''s coat, where the ends of it gently swayed because of the wind.


    "I was only curious, when I first came here to Veteris. You are like your mother. So mysterious and wanting to do nothing with people, ignoring people as if they were nothing," stated Donovan, and he raised his chin as if to get a better look at the scenery that was in front of them. "Of course, you didn''t know about anything, and I was curious to know why exactly the Lord decided to take you from the vige where your mother came from."


    Donovan pulled his hands away from his pocket as if remembering the day when he had appeared in front of the Lord. His thoughts carried himself to that time.


    ''Lord Moltenore,'' Donovan greeted the man in his office.


    Malcolm raised his head from the documents he had been signing, and he gave the person a questioning look.


    ''Yes?'' asked the Lord. ''How did youe here?'' he questioned because the door had been closed, and he had told his assistant not to let anyone in. He wanted to go through the documents and finish signing them as he would be busy this evening.


    ''You ask the wrong question, Lord Malcolm Moltenore. What you have to ask is, if what you did a few years ago was right,'' Donovan smiled at the human, stepping forward, he pulled the chair in front of the desk and sat down.


    Lord Moltenore held a serious expression on his face because the man who sat in front of him didn''t just look arrogant, but his actions were impolite. But he didn''tment and patiently said, ''I don''t think I know you.''


    Donovan nodded his head, offering the politest smile he had to offer before he said, ''I go by the name Azazel Donovan. You must have heard my name, as I have been around the simr line of work as you.''


    Lord Moltenore nodded his head, ''I have. It is good to finally be able to see you in person, Mr. Donovan. How can I help you?'' His words were being cautious as the man seemed to look at him with a smug smile.


    ''The boy, whom you imed to be yours. I wonder if you have any exnation as to why you decided to take him in your house. I am referring to the boy Roman,'' Donovan brought both his hands together, interlocking his fingers while he saw the human''s face turn pale.


    Lord Moltenore had always told everyone that the boy was his, and he did the same this time, ''Roman is m¡ª''


    ''He is my son,'' Donovan openly imed the boy, something he hadn''t done. The vampire didn''t like the fact that this mere human had not only imed the boy as his own but who knew what rtionship he had with Lilian.


    Lord Moltenore''s eyebrows furrowed, and he stared at the person sitting in front of him.


    ''Is this some kind of joke, Mr. Donovan?'' Lord Moltenore questioned Donovan.


    ''I don''t make jokes about these things, Lord Moltenore. Though I am very curious to know why you brought the boy here, and decided to raise him as your own son. I can tell he has quite a certain charm to him,'' stated Donovan, letting his fingers unlock before he ced his hands on the surface of the table. ''Did you have an affair with the boy''s mother?''


    The thought about Lilian in someone else''s arms didn''t particrly sit well with him. It had been his intention to let the woman lead a normal life where she wouldn''t be caught up with him, nor would he be caught up with her. But then why was this sudden urge of possessiveness surfacing now, when she was no more in this world, questioned Donovan in his mind.


    ''You must have already heard what people have been speaking about,'' said Lord Moltenore in a calm voice.


    ''I don''t care what others speak. What I do care is what you have to say, I won''t judge you. Lilian was a beautiful woman, and many had their eyes on her,'' smiled Donovan, but the smile didn''t reach his eyes.


    Lord Moltenore finally revealed about the incident of what happened that night, during his visit to the vige, how Lilian had ended up unintentionally killing a man who hade to attack him.


    ''Hmph,'' Donovan''s lips twisted in distaste. ''And that is why you took advantage of the rumours and brought the boy here?''


    Malcolm pursed his lips, and a slight frown appeared on his face. He then replied, ''I owed my life to the woman, for saving me. When I found out about the boy being an orphan, I decided to bring him here. It was the only way I could think of repaying the woman.''


    ''What an amazing man you are, Lord Moltenore. To ept someone else''s child and also take up the mes. I really apud you,'' remarked Donovan.


    But Lord Moltenore didn''t pay attention to the praise, and instead, he asked, ''Why didn''t you return to the woman or the boy earlier? I heard she had to go through too many difficulties, and she bore it all by herself.''


    Donovan clenched his teeth, not liking being questioned because he had no clue about having a family growing here. ''If I knew I would have been there.''


    ''Then¡­ are you here to take him with you?'' Lord Moltenore held a guarded expression on his face.


    Donovan chuckled; theughter was soft and pleasant. He said, ''I am here only to see how he looks and is.'' As curious as he was about the young boy¡­ he didn''t know how to proceed with it. Because it had been only a day since he found out the truth.


    Lord Moltenore''s frown deepened on his face. He wondered why the man was here then if he weren''t here to im Roman. One moment, he was here demanding why he took in Roman, and then he was saying he didn''t want to do anything.


    ''Can you not let him know then? That you are his father¡­'' Lord Moltenore requested. The man looked slightly ufortable because he hadn''t expected Roman''s actual father to one daye to him and speak to him about this. ''If you have met Rome, you should already know that he likes to keep to himself. He''s quieter than most of the people I have met, and he has had to hear a lot of people talk ill about his mother.''


    ''Are you trying to protect the woman or yourself, Lord Moltenore?" questioned Donovan, raising his eyebrow at the person who shook his head.


    ''I will be fine, Mr. Donovan. I will only be the man who tried to aid the boy, the woman''s family, but it wouldn''t be the same for Rome,'' said Lord Moltenore, his eyes holding concern. ''It is one thing if you are taking him, or epting him as your son. But another thing if you will be unable to provide him a family, where people, once theye to find out about how his mother was left estranged after she was pregnant, where the man never turned back to look at her, it would never be the same.''


    Donovan tapped his fingernails on the surface of the table, and he then said, ''You don''t have to worry about that. I am not here to associate myself with such things and am only here for my mere curiosity.''


    The vampire stood up, turning his back to Lord Moltenore, ready to leave, but he asked, ''Is there anything that you have noticed in him. Rome I mean.''


    It was because Roman was born from a vampire and a human, and there was no way that his body had received only the human side while ignoring the vampire side.


    Lord Moltenore answered, ''Rome is an extremely smart boy. He has a keen interest in medicine and enjoys spending his time at the Trosney''s house, even though my wife isn''t very fond that he spends more time with the dead bodies of the people.''


    ''Of course, he will be smart,'' Donovan lightly huffed, and he then said, ''This conversation, let it stays just between us and no one else knows about it.''


    ''Yes, that would be a wise thing to do,'' replied Lord Moltenore, standing up from his seat. Even though he had questioned Donovan if he was here to take Roman away, he had grown a fondness towards Roman, treating him like his own son, and he hade to believe that the boy was indeed his second son.


    Compared to Tristan''s outspoken nature, Roman was the opposite, and he often replied with nods and certain boredom in his eyes.


    ''I will see youter at the evening soiree, Lord Moltenore,'' Donovan wished the man before making his way out of the room. A soft sigh escaped from Malcolm Moltenore''s lips, d that his family couldn''t continue having Roman with them.


    Returning to the present, Roman, who heard the story from Donovan, just stared into space while not speaking a word about it. He asked, "Do you know what happened the night the massacre took ce?"


    "The rogue vampires attacked the town, you already know that," replied Donovan, turning around to face Roman.


    "Not that. Dante said that she heard Luciano speaking about my heart and the state that it had been found.. Of how there was no heartbeat and it was dead," stated Roman, with a cold stare at the man. "Do you know about it?"

 Chapter 156 - Winters Household

    <h4>Chapter 156 - Winters Household</h4>


    Note: Apart from the 40 readers from the fan list of LTR for the giveaway, 38 readers have been chosen for the giveaway and messages have been sent for being interacting positively in thements which motivated me, some who have put me first with my health than the updates, and for readers who have shown enthusiasm in loving the book.


    The moderators have reached out to the readers and are waiting for some of them to reply. Do check your <Inbox notifications> ^.^ If there''s no response by Sunday reset, the giveaway will be handed to the next readers.


    ¡ª


    Donovan held a calm expression on his face while Roman stared at him, waiting for the vampire to speak more.


    "When Luciano told you that you were dead, I confirmed that you received only your mother''s genes, which was why you died so quickly. It is true¡­"Donovan''s words drawled, and he said, "Once a person dies, there is no way for the person toe back but in your case, it was like you were resurrected from the dead."


    "Aren''t every vampire resurrected from the dead?" questioned Roman, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.


    "Partly true, but then that''s because they have vampire blood in their system. In your case, when I first met you, you showed no sign of being a night creature. You were one hundred percent human," said Donovan. The vampire looked in the direction as if thinking something deeply before he continued to speak, "It took me a while to understand that you possess the same properties as the dark stone of the witch."


    "Stone?"


    Donovan nodded his head, "Yes, the stone that the very first witch made. Frankly, I am not sure if the properties were shared with you, because even though the characteristics appear to be the same. You are obviously different from the rest of the vampires, even myself."


    "So what is it?" questioned Roman, not being particrly fond of Donovan dragging the subject withouting to the point.


    "You must have already heard it from the girl, the little witch about this dark stone," Donovan''s red eyes looked Roman in the eye.


    "The one that vampires are trying to get their hands on?"


    "Yes, that one. You see¡­ strangely¡­ the Mortimer''s and the Donovan''s were distant cousins?" said Donovan with a grim expression on his face. "Though the Mortimer brothers, Avice the female vampiress, and us the four Elders are some of the known original vampires, the Mortimers don''t have a beating heart. The significance of the beating heart is the proof that even after death, we continue to live and it shows strength. We are able to hold the abilities that were given by the witches, who gave us the stones."


    "That''s it?" questioned Roman with a dead expression on his face.


    "Well not exactly," replied Donovan. "See now the stones that we received are differentpared to this said dark stone. I never nevere across the dark stone, none of the vampires have. But when Knox and I were speaking, he had some very interesting things to say about you. He said you are an empty shell, Rome."


    "Care to borate on it?"


    Donovan raised his hand forward, where the smoke was quick to spill on the ground, and he said, "Why don''t you try that ability of yours?"


    Roman finished drinking the blood from the can and ced it on the ground. With one snap of his finger, mes erupted from the tips of his fingers and the palm of his hand. The fire engulfed the smoke, swallowing it until there was no smoke left.


    The Elder vampire then said, "Rome, your body is an empty shell which is hollower than the other vampires or even the dead Corvins. Do you know what it means?" Donovan''s eyes sparkled, and he said, "That''s pure immortality. You won''t die, or can''t die. The stone of darkness resides in you."


    The expression on Roman''s face was of boredom, and Donovan blinked.


    "Aren''t you excited?" asked Donovan.


    "If the properties of the stone didn''te from you, it means that it came from my mother."


    "Yes, that''s what I would assume, but your mother has had a clean human history," stated Donovan, and Roman gave him a long stare. "What? You don''t believe me?"


    "No," deadpanned Roman with his usual tone.


    Donovan stared back at the younger vampire, "You are right, I didn''t. In my defence, I took only the surface of her family of how she had run away from the household that she belongs to. The ckburns. After finding out about you, I spent my time around you and then the rest of the time went in the coffins for years."


    "Do you know why she ran away from her family?" questioned Roman, but Donovan shook his head.


    "She only told me that she didn''t like her family and that they were particr about some things and controlling," replied Donovan, and a thoughtful look appeared on his face. "At that time, I was keeping my distance from knowing too much about her. Now that I think about it, neither of us wanted to speak about our pasts and we spoke in circles."


    "Do the ckburn family still exist?" At Roman''s question, Donovan shrugged his shoulders.


    "I did try getting information while you were undergoing your transformation but the family doesn''t exist anymore. They didn''t live in the ce where they were supposed to be living andter I didn''t find time to explore more about them," exined Donovan, his eyes lightly sparkling, and he then said, "Maybe you should try turning one of the humans into a vampire and see what happens. They might turn into your personal ones."


    "I have no interest in extending family," remarked Roman, his thoughts pondering upon the dark stone and if his mother had something to do with it.


    Roman pushed himself to stand up from where he had been leaning against until now, and staring at Tristan''s grave for a brief second, he started to walk from there.


    "Are you going to attend sses?"


    "No," replied Roman.


    "By the way, this weekend¡ª"


    "I have ns with Julie," said Roman, pausing his footsteps, and he turned to look at Donovan. "You should probably stay here in Veteris and keep a low profile. With Enoch gone and the body found, it will be troublesome if someone gets a whiff about our kind in here."


    "Ah, I am so d to see that you worry for me. I knew we would be able to bond better, especially when we are both dead and are standing on the ground of a cemetery," chirped Donovan with a smile on his face. "Where are you going with Julie?"


    "Somewhere away from you," responded Roman, and Donovan gave a nod.


    "I can tell. We should have a family meeting, it would be lovely, wouldn''t it?"


    Roman stared at Donovan''s face that looked like he was on vacation mode. He then said, "There was something else that I wanted to ask."


    "Hm?" asked Donovan, raising one of his eyebrows.


    "What does my heart have to do with you trying to push me to have a corrupted heart?" The smile on Donovan''s lips faltered at Roman''s question.


    "Your heart has been a little corrupted since the beginning of the time, Rome," said Donovan, and Roman frowned. "Do you remember that day, when you were about to die? While you were surrounded by the hunters and your father, which is me, who came to save you."


    "What about that time?" questioned Roman, and Donovan smiled.


    "You were already long gone at that point as you were dead. It was the corrupted heart that was acting up and for some strange reason, it somehow kept you alive like thest bit of energy. The hunters back then probably noticed you were different. Unfortunately, we never got to wander in the path of what it could lead to. A human doesn''t have a corrupted heart, Rome. It is only vampires who have that," stated Donovan. There was a hint of curiosity and pride in the Elder vampire''s eyes. "You are a different kind of vampire."


    "So it was mere curiosity," deadpanned Roman, and Donovan nodded his head.


    "I want to see what you are capable of. If you will really turn into a true ripper and kill the humans, or if you can return to your normal self. But you know what I found?" asked Donovan, with a smile appearing again on his face. "You''re still in your ripper form, aren''t you?"


    Roman didn''t respond to Donovan''s words, and instead, he continued to walk while raising his hand as if he heard and was leaving now.


    "What an unruly child," Donovan muttered under his breath. If Roman wasn''t the apple of his eyes, he would have snapped Roman''s neck by now.


    When it was Friday evening, with sses that finished, Julie packed her things in the bag for the next three days. Putting her backpack on her shoulders, she locked the dorm door before making her way out of the girl''s Dormitorium. Most of the girls were still packing, while some were dilly-dallying as they were using the Veteris transportation.


    "Are you going to visit your uncle and aunt?" asked Mnie, who met Julie at the front of the girl''s Dormitorium.


    Julie nodded her head, "That''s the n. I won''t be able to see Uncle Thomas next month and I have to catch up with some things."


    Mnie had opened her arms for a hug, and Julie hugged her friend, "I will miss you for the next three days. I really wish I didn''t have this annoying family gathering. I hope you have a good weekend."


    "I hope the same for you too," Julie smiled, patting Mnie''s back before she pulled away from her. "Don''t bete, get on the first bus."


    Mnie nodded her head, "I will. You too."


    Giving another smile, Julie held the straps of her backpack before making her way to where Roman had parked his motorcycle while he waited for her. Seeing her walk, he asked, "All packed?"


    Julie nodded her head, "I think so. Why does it feel like I am going there for a week?"


    "Don''t dread it too much. Enjoy your time, after all, family is important, isn''t it?" asked Roman, taking the helmet that was in his hand to ce it over her head, and he locked it.


    Julie and Roman had been busy since the Elders had woken up, that this seemed to be the perfect getaway from everything and everyone who could cause them trouble. Where there would be no Elder vampires, or Willow Creek, or any witches. They would be in thepany of the humans, she thought in her mind.


    "Hop on," said Roman and Julie sat behind him, putting her hands around his waist and hugging him closed. One because it reduced her anxiety, and two so that she wouldn''t fly in the wind.


    Soon both of them left Veteris, riding on the motorcycle and heading towards the town where Thomas Winters and his family lived. The time taken to travel was much less than when she had travelled in the bus and then taken a cab to reach the front of the house.


    Thest time Julie had met her rtives, it was when Roman was about to kiss her, and her aunt had looked at her as if she hadmitted a murder. By the time they had reached, the colour of the sky had started to change and was heading towards darkness. Getting down from the motorcycle, she rubbed her hands together.


    Roman parked the vehicle at the front, staring at Julie, who looked very nervous right now. He chewed the bubblegum in his mouth and said,


    "We can leave if you are ufortable about stepping in there. Or I can wait outside," he added thest line.


    Julie turned to look at Roman, facing him, and she shook her head, "No. I want you here."


    She knew her uncle and aunt would probably look at her choice in a disapproving manner, but Roman was who he was. He was more than the ripped jeans, tattoos that inked his hands.


    "Uncle Thomas wille to love you. At least by the end of this weekend," assured Julie, more to herself than to Roman.


    "I don''t think I am looking forward to him loving me the way you do," stated Roman, a teasing smile on his face. At his words, Julie''s face turned red, and she chuckled. They liked each other, had probablye to the point where they loved each other, but neither of them had uttered those words.


    "Of course," said Julie, a shy smile on her lips, and she said, "I don''t think I would want that either. Having girls in Veteris ring at me is enough of people," she joked about it.


    Roman stepped away from his motorcycle,ing to stand in front of her, and he asked, "Come let us head inside before the nosey neighbours make more gossip for the week."


    Walking towards the front of the porch, Julie took a deep breath before readying her hand to knock on the door. But before she could ring the bell, Roman took the initiative and knocked hard on the door.


    "Rome!" Julie called his name, startled.


    "It looked like you were having second thoughts about going through it," Roman offered a crooked smile to her. "I will be myself. I am sure the charm will work fine."


    Was that what they had discussed? Asked Julie to herself while her heart was pounding.


    "Here, let me take the backpack of yours," said Roman, picking up the bag as he didn''t want the straps of the bag to leave marks on her shoulders.


    "It''s okay. It''s not that heavy," replied Julie, feeling a little breathless, and she told herself there was nothing to be worried about. She was an adult, that''s right.


    "The bag looks quite big, not to mention the way you are holding it," stated Roman, and while he was adjusting the straps, the main door of the house opened. Julie''s eyes snapped, and she noticed it was her aunt who had opened the door for them.


    Aunt Sarah, who had a weing smile a second ago, it was quick to fall from her face on seeing not just Julie but the boy who stood next to her. Roman had that kind of effect on people, leaving them shocked.


    "I didn''t know you were visiting us today, Julianne," Aunt Sarah gave a tight smile to her, and Julie could already feel the awkward atmosphere building around them. "Not to mention this boy here. Did you tell your uncle about it?"


    "No. Thest time we saw each other, he said toe visit and I thought toe visit as it has been a while," said Julie with a polite smile, and Aunt Sarah returned it.


    "Come in. Your uncle is outside for some work, and he''ll be back in an hour or two," the woman stepped back from the door to allow them inside the house.


    While Julie stepped inside, walking past her aunt, Aunt Sarah took a good and long look at Roman as if he was a species from another. She had a look of disapproval in her eyes, and she couldn''t believe that their niece had brought this person home.


    "Why don''t you take a seat in the living room. I will have something for you to drink. What would you like to drink, Julianne?" asked Aunt Sarah, trying to be hospitable.


    Julie wondered if her aunt had decided to ignore the backpack that Roman was carrying and had decided that they were only here for a visit. "Nothing, Aunt Sarah," she replied, shaking her head in the process.


    "And what would your friend like to have?" asked Aunt Sarah, without shifting her eyes away from Julie.


    Roman stared at the woman, noticing how she was too stubborn to acknowledge that he and Julie were together. He parted his lips, ready to speak, when Julie quickly replied, "Coffee. Roman would like coffee."


    Julie and Roman sat down in the living room, and he questioned her, "Is she always like this?"


    "Sometimes. She isn''t that bad," Julie whispered, and Roman sat, cing one leg over the other.


    "So she''s petty for no reason?"


    "..." Julie cleared her throat, leaning towards him, and she said, "She''s uncle Thomas''s wife. Let us not forget that he is a good person."


    "Are you admitting that the woman is bad?" Roman raised one of his lone eyebrows, and Julie shook her head on hearing her aunt''s footsteps approach.


    "Shall I help, Auntie?" Julie offered, but Aunt Sarah raised her hand.


    "That''s fine, dear. It''s just cookies," responded her aunt, and she ced them on the tea table.


    "Where is Joel?" inquired Julie, not being able to see her cousin around.


    "He''s gone to a camp. Something to do with learning music. Your uncle and I dropped him at the camp this morning. It''s a two day program," replied Aunt Sarah, her demeanour stoic and her lips pursed. "Let me go get the coffee."


    While her aunt left the living room, Julie noticed how her aunt noticed Roman''s posture and his legs as if he was someone who hade to inspect the house.


    "What made you think I would drink coffee, Winters?" questioned Roman as she continued to chew his gum. "Did you think I would ask for her blood?"


    "No, I didn''t think you would ask for blood¡­ but coffee wasn''t a bad option," replied Julie and Roman couldn''t help but notice how cutely Julie''s eyes kept darting in the direction where her aunt had disappeared. He ced his hand on the back of Julie''s head and said, "Rx. You look like a thief who is going to be caught."


    Julie took a deep breath before releasing it. When her aunt returned, she came with a cup of coffee, and instead of handing it near Roman, she ced it in front of him for him to take. Both Roman and her aunt stared at each other, and Julie wondered if the night was going to go down smoothly. Where was her uncle?


    "You didn''t introduce your friend here, Julianne," Aunt Sarah finally looked at Roman.


    Roman turned to look at Julie as if wanting her to introduce him. Though his face appeared expressionless, she had known him for quite some time to know there was amusement dancing in those ck eyes of his.


    "This is my boyfriend Roman Moltenore," she introduced and saw her aunt not attempt to change the expression on her face.


    "Julianne, I thought w¡ª"


    "Sarah?" came Uncle Thomas'' voice from outside, interrupting whatever her aunt was about to say.


    Aunt Sarah stood up and went to greet her husband, "Did you finish the work soon?"


    "Yes, the submission took less time than expected. Whose motorcycle is that at the front of the house?" Julie heard Uncle Thomas ask Aunt Sarah, and before she could answer, Uncle Thomas had reached the living room.


    His eyes first fell on Julie, and the smile appeared ttered on seeing the delinquent next to his niece. He still fixed a smile on his face that was warm, and he weed Julie, "I am d to see you here, Julie," and they shared a hug. "I was hoping to see you this week."


    "Me too, Uncle Tom," Julie returned his smile when they pulled away from each other.


    Uncle Thomas then turned to look at his wife and then said, "Honey, isn''t it wonderful that Julie will be here to taste your new dish."

 Chapter 157 - Witness To The Dark Side

    <h4>Chapter 157 - Witness To The Dark Side</h4>


    Julie stared at her aunt, who obviously looked unwilling to share her cooking skills with the two people who had entered her house, but Uncle Thomas took no ount for it as if he didn''t notice his wife''s reaction.


    "Your aunt has been speaking about this for such a long time and it is supposed to be very tasty. Lots of chillies and with a ss of wine. We thought it would be better to try it when your cousin isn''t here," Uncle Thomas lightly chuckled.


    "Y-yes," Aunt Sarah agreed as her husband had already revealed her special dish, and she offered the three in the room a smile. "I think it would be better if I start cooking it, as I didn''t know we would be having two more people joining us for supper."


    Having already being refused chicken dish once, where her aunt had made-up reasons, Julie said, "You don''t have to trouble yourself, Aunt Sarah, we will g¡ª"


    "We won''t eat much," Roman interfered by stopping Julie from speaking, and Julie turned to look at Roman, wondering what he was doing. "Sharing food is equal to sharing love, that is what Julie had taught me when I spent time in her dorm."


    Oh God, Rome, no! Julie internally shook her head for him to not speak about anything like that.


    Uncle Thomas''s expression looked nk for a moment, and he nodded, while Aunt Sarah''s eyes turned to look at Julie, as if in disbelief that she had let this delinquent into her room.


    "Julianne, why don''t youe and help me in the kitchen. I might need some help," stated Aunt Sarah, with a polite smile on her face, and Julie nodded her head.


    "Excuse me," said Julie, and she followed her aunt. But before they could leave the living room, Uncle Thomas asked Roman,


    "Where are you staying? It is going to bete to get back to the university, isn''t it?"


    Julie turned around, and she told her uncle, "Uncle Thomas, Roman will be staying here with us during this weekend."


    She could tell that her uncle wanted to say something, but he refrained from saying it and nodded his head. "I will see what arrangement can be done so that we can amodate you here."


    "Julie and I can share the room. You don''t have to trouble yourself with that," remarked Roman, and his direct answer was something that Julie''s uncle and aunt had caught off guard.


    "Let us discuss this after dinner," said Uncle Thomas, knowing his wife was going to say something.


    When Julie entered the kitchen with her aunt, her aunt didn''t speak a word about Roman, and instead, she asked her to help her cook for them too. While Julie was mixing the steamed vegetables, Aunt Sarah said,


    "It seems like you grew up too fast."


    Julie turned to look at her aunt, who was right now cutting the meat she had pulled out from the oven. "What do you mean, Aunt Sarah?" asked Julie, not sure if her aunt was cross with her for bringing Roman home even after she knew how her aunt disapproved of the person in her life.


    She heard the sharp sound of the knife hitting the cutter board and her aunt, who continued to slice the meat. Aunt Sarah said,


    "Your uncle and I took time toe and visit you at your university. To make sure you were doing alright, after hearing your father was out and God knows where he is? now. I advised you that the boy was a bad influence on you, people like him are not a good fit with people like you."


    Julie didn''t know what her aunt exactly meant when she said people like her, but she calmly said, "Roman is not how he appears to be, Aunt Sarah."


    A small huff escaped from her aunt''s lips, and the woman said,


    "You are naive to think like that. Boys or men of his age appear to look nice and sweet, use honey words to trap you. But those are only false promises. It will only end up with your heart breaking, and find someone else."


    "Did someone break your heart before?" Julie softly asked, and Aunt Sarah stopped what she was doing and turned to look at Julie with a deep frown on her face.


    "What makes you think that?" Aunt Sarah looked a little red, and Julie wasn''t sure if it was because of the kind of question she had asked or if the question brought some unpleasant memories to her aunt''s mind. "Seriously, Julianne, what even makes you think that I would have ever gone out with a delinquent."


    "I don''t mean to be rude, auntie, but as I have said before and even now, Roman is not how you think he is. My grades have improved because of him and so has my confidence," replied Julie, the movements of her hand with the spat halted. "You are judging him before even knowing the type of person he is."


    "He is not supposed to sleep with you in the same room. Not unless you decide and know that you are getting married to him. When your uncle took you in back then, he promised he would watch over you and make sure no harm woulde to you¡­" Aunt Sarah shook her head.


    "Why is it so hard for you to believe that I have picked the right person for me?" asked Julie, her eyebrows furrowed in question.


    "Look at your hand," remarked Aunt Sarah, and Julie''s eyes fell on the scars on her wrist that she had forgotten to hide.


    With having Roman around her, Julie had let down her guard, and she had stopped worrying about the little things that didn''t matter. But she had forgotten that the world in Veteris was differentpared to this side of the world.


    "You didn''t hurt yourself before, but now. Do you think your mother would be happy to see this?" questioned Aunt Sarah, her eyes slightly wide, and Julie couldn''t help but think that it was a questionable question, what her aunt just asked her.


    Because ironically, it was her mother''s younger self, Natalie, who had given her these scars.


    "I received these when mother was still around," replied Julie, and she covered the scars with her other hand. "They were something from the old ce and nothing rted to Rome."


    Aunt Sarah held a grim expression on her face, and she said, "We just don''t want you to be in a badpany."


    "I am not. Instead, I am in the bestpany than I have ever been in my life," Julie assured her aunt, who stared at her for long seconds.


    "I still do not approve of you sleeping in the same room as him. You both aren''t sleeping in the same dorm, are you?" asked Aunt Sarah, and Julie shook her head and saw her aunt nod. "I know you might find it to be annoying, but it is best we adults make sure you kids are safe. I think the vegetables have been done."


    When it was time for supper, Aunt Sarah''s new duck''s recipe was being served. Julie sat next to Roman, while her uncle and aunt sat on the opposite side.


    "It smells good, doesn''t it?" Uncle Thomas praised his wife''s cooking, and Julie nodded her head. "Here, why don''t you take this, Roman," her uncle suggested to Roman.


    "Sure," said Roman, taking the vessel from the table and using the spoon to put some of the food on his te. Julie was about to take it from him, but Roman stopped her and served it to him. "Want some more?"


    Julie shook her head, "No, I am good."


    She picked up the juice ced and poured it into her ss before turning to Roman and wondering if he would drink a fruit juice.


    "What are you waiting for, Julie?" asked Uncle Thomas, and he said, "Go pour some for him." Why did it feel like her uncle had warmed up to Roman when she was in the kitchen with her aunt.


    "Yes, Uncle Thomas," replied Julie, and she poured the juice into the ss while taking a quick peek at Roman, who had an expressionless face. She hoped that Roman had not tried topel her uncle because she didn''t know how to feel about her uncle''s mind being tweaked.


    "So how''s your studiesing along, Julie?" asked her uncle, "Are you prepared for the uing exams?"


    "Yes, the preparation has been going well, uncle," replied Julie, and she realized she had missed her recent sses and it would take time to catch up with it. She was busy chasing her lineage that the subjects had disappeared from her vision. She wondered if she could get the headmistress to make sure to not kick her out of the university. "We have these projects of presentation and it will give us extra credits."


    "That''s good to hear, make sure you do well. After all, not everyone can get an admission to Veteris," stated Uncle Thomas, and Julie nodded her head.


    "Do you think it would be possible to get Joel in there when the timees?" questioned Aunt Sarah, who was already nning about her son''s future.


    "That will depend on Joel grades and if that is where he wants to study," responded Uncle Thomas, and he then said, "He will have to be as smart as Julie. My niece is brilliant," he praised, and Julie shied from thepliment. It was because she was just an average student, while there was someone more brilliant than her, who was sitting next to her right now.


    "She is quick to pick up on things," agreed Roman, as if ying the perfect boyfriend.


    "So Roman," Aunt Sarah addressed Roman, her fork lightly hanging in the air as her wrist had raised. "How did you get into Veteris? Julie says you are the topper of the university."


    "I am, Mrs. Winters," replied Roman, "But also because my family has connections in the university."


    "Do they now?" asked Aunt Sarah, who hadn''t heard this piece of information before.


    "Yes," confirmed Roman, the expression dead on his face that made the woman slightly ufortable. "My family was one of the founding members of Veteris when it was first started and they keep funding the money for it to run."


    "I see," murmured Aunt Sarah, and she quietly watched Roman.


    The next few minutes of supper went quiet, with just the sound of knives or forks making a sound as it touched the surface of the tes as the family ate at the table. "I am guessing you want to go and visit your mother this weekend? When was thest time you visited her?"


    "It was a few months ago," Julie''s voice was lower than thest few words she had spoken.


    At first, Julie had tried to push the time of visiting her mother because she was in grief. But now, she was a little confused with everything she was learning, and it was as if someone had given her a crash course on catching up with the truth about her life.


    "How far is the cemetery?" questioned Roman.


    "Just four hours from here," answered Uncle Thomas, being helpful, "We didn''t want Julie''s mother to be buried too far from us and not near where their previous house was."


    Roman turned to look at Julie, and he said, "Pick one of the days and we can go and visit." Julie gave him a nod. When they finished eating, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Thomas were the first to get up from their seats. While picking up some of the empty containers and going to the sink, Aunt Sarah turned to look at her husband and whispered,


    "Tom, you aren''t joking that the boy can stay here. Did you see those piercings and tattoos?"


    "Yes, they were ringly obvious and so is your disapproval, Sarah. It''s not like people don''t have it. The boy isn''t so bad, he seems decent," replied Uncle Thomas, and his wife''s mouth fell open. "And he''s going to be a surgeon."


    "He looks like someone who will stab people rather than stitch people''s wounds," came the hushed whisper from the woman with a deep frown on her forehead. "He looks arrogant and pr¡ª"


    "The duck was delicious, Mrs. Winters. We should have more lunches and dinners together," said Roman, who hade from behind.


    Aunt Sarah closed her mouth immediately as if she had been caught badmouthing him, and she cleared her throat, "Yes, thank you about it."


    "Roman, why don''t you give me that. Julie, show him where the bathroom is," said Uncle Thomas, looking as if he wanted to speak to his wife.


    Roman and Julie left the dining room, and when they were alone in the corridor, she asked him, "What did you speak to Uncle about?"


    "Just the normal conversation where he was asking me questions and I was answering," replied Roman, and they entered the bathroom where he washed his hands.


    "You¡­ didn''tpel him?" she asked him, and Roman''s lips quirked up.


    "There was no need for it. He seems more epting than your aunt, who has a strong distaste against people who have inked hands and piercing," said Roman, picking up the dried towel that Julie offered him.


    "Don''t mind aunt, she grew up in a very strict and different family and when she sees things going out of the norm, she frowns about it," replied Julie, taking a towel from him and cing it back on the stand.


    "I wouldn''t have minded, but knowing you have very few rtives to call as your family, I think it would be a great loss to lose them because of these little things," answered Roman, and his words warmed her heart. It was true, the family that she had was gone, and these were the only one''s she was left with.


    When they stepped back near the kitchen, her uncle and aunt seemed to be speaking in a rushed voice as if they were having a small argument.


    "You can go use Joel''s room, Julie," said Uncle Thomas.


    "Keep the door open. It would make all of us feel better," added Aunt Sarah, and Julie turned red.


    "Goodnight uncle and aunt," wished Julie, and her uncle offered her a warm smile. She quickly darted towards the stairs and was followed by Roman.


    Once they reached the room, which was of average space, they kept their backpacks at the side. "When do you n to speak to your uncle?" questioned Roman, and Julie looked at the watch on the wall.


    "Probably tomorrow," replied Julie. "They seem alright and it looks like father hasn''t contacted them."


    "Dougs," Roman said the person''s name. "You don''t have to call him your father. He doesn''t deserve that title."


    "Habit," smiled Julie, and she asked him, "Do you think it''s strange that he hasn''t tried to visit them?"


    "Maybe a little, but then he''s supposed to be in prison for killing Natalie. It would be odd for him to contact your uncle and let himself be caught by the officials," Roman walked to the window, leaning forward to check the neighbourhood. "The possibility of him lurking around the house is possible, but he might have lost his patience."


    "Yeah, I guess," replied Julie.


    She took her clothes from her bag and said, "I will go first."


    "Go ahead," replied Roman, staring at her, and he said, "Do you think your rtives will pop in the room if we are to step into the shower together?"


    Julie''s cheeks turned red at the question, and she said, "There¡­ might be a possibility."


    "How unfortunate," murmured Roman, watching her closely, and Julie''s eyes lowered before she cleared her throat. This wasn''t a ce because she had her uncle and aunt present under the same roof.


    Julie noticed the way Roman''s eyes turned from ck to red, his eyes raking through her, and she felt as if someone had flicked the matchstick over the surface of the matchbox, igniting the me in her.


    She quickly showered, where the warm water fell on her skin, gliding down her body. She took extra time to wash before stepping out of the bath. Roman walked up to her, taking the towel from her and his eyes fell on her neck.


    "How hot was the water?" he asked her, and Julie felt a little heady. Half because of the steam, and half because of Roman in front of her.


    "I didn''t realize how hot the water was," replied Julie, her brown eyes staring into Roman''s eyes.


    Roman''s hand reached to ce near her arms, running the back of his finger down her arm, and he said, "You''ll burn your skin. Looks like I will need to teach you the temperature of the water again." His touch and promising words had Julie softly gulp. "Would you like that, Winters?"


    She would love that, whispered her mind. But her imagination had started to run wild, and Roman dropped his hand back to his side.


    He took a step backwards, and soon Julie heard the footstepsing from the stairs, moving towards their room. Her aunt appeared in front of the room, carrying two nkets in her arms.


    "The night is colder this time. Your uncle told you might need them," said Aunt Sarah, looking at both Julie and Roman, who stood one step away from each other. Julie quickly made her way towards her aunt.


    Julie took hold of the nkets and said, "Thank you for these."


    "No problem. Do you need an extra pillow?" asked Aunt Sarah and Julie shook her head, and she said,


    "No, that won''t be necessary. We are good."


    "Okay then. Breakfast will be served at eight in the morning," Aunt Sarah informed them, her eyes falling on Roman and then looking back at Julie, "Goodnight."


    "Goodnight, Aunt Sarah," and they saw the woman leave the front of the room, her footsteps receding before theypletely vanished.


    "I am surprised she didn''t have me shifted to the couch in the living room," remarked Roman, and when Julie turned to look at him, she saw his hand reach the back of his shirt before he pulled it off his body.


    When his hands reached for the button on his jeans, Julie asked him, "Do you want me to pull out your clothes from the bag?"


    "That won''t be necessary. As cold as the weather is for humans, I find it rather hot and I prefer to sleep in my boxers," said Roman, and Julie nodded her head.


    She could only hope that her aunt wouldn''t make a surprise visit in the middle of the night or maybe even early in the morning. Roman was teasing her now, wasn''t he? She climbed on the bed while he went to take a shower, and she heard the sound of the water hitting the ground, which was also hitting his body.


    Julie fiddled with her phone, going through the notifications, and she was d to see there were no messages from her father, Dougs Leighton.


    While Julie and Roman were in the Winter''s house, in one of the hospitals, the young girl who had met herself with an ident had been brought by the two men was now admitted in one of the rooms.


    The monitor in the room that was connected to the girl softly beeped while she had her head wrapped in a bandage and IV''s connected in her hand. Suddenly the girl''s eyes flew open, and the heart monitor spiked as she tried to take a deep breath.


    Her hands iled in terror of what she had seen in the woods, and she gasped for air in panic. One of the nurses, who stepped inside the room, noticed the girl awake.


    "He-hel-p," the girl tried to speak.


    "Please calm down. The doctor will be here soon. You are perfectly safe," assured the nurse, but the girl shook her head.


    She moved her lips with difficulty, "V-va...." The nurse tried to have the patient calmed down, but the patient was nowhere near listening.


    "I will be back soon," and the nurse stepped out of the room to get the doctor.


    The girl raised her hand, wanting to stop the nurse, "Va-vampire."

 Chapter 158 - At The Hospital

    <h4>Chapter 158 - At The Hospital</h4>


    The patient in the room tried to reach for someone asking for help and let the people know what she had seen in the woods. But she felt too weak, and her words were barely audible. She had lost blood in the ident when the truck had hit her body on the road, leaving her in a state where she couldn''t stay awake for a long time.


    When the doctor arrived in the room, the girl lost consciousness and her eyes closed.


    The doctor checked her pulse and the monitor before asking the nurse, "How long was she awake?"


    "When I came here, she was already awake and she was trying to speak," replied the nurse, and the doctor nodded his head.


    "Inform the girl''s family that she''s finally gained her consciousness," ordered the doctor, and the nurse replied with a ''yes doctor.'' When the doctor was about to step out of the room, two men came forward, and one of them asked,


    "We are looking for the girl named Molly Parker. Are you her doctor?" The man showed his badge that he was a detective.


    The doctor nodded his head, "Yes, that''s me. The patient is currently sleeping and needs rest."


    "Do you know what happened to her?" asked one of the detectives.


    "She was hit by a truck on the highway. She was brought here by two men, who were driving the truck. I thought they had already given out their statement," said the doctor, and the detective gave a slight nod.


    "Yes, we did, but we wanted to reconfirm some of the things," replied the detective who questioned the doctor. When they were speaking to the doctor, the girl''s parents appeared. "Are you Molly Parker''s parents?"


    Mr. Parker nodded, "Yes, how is she? Will she be alright?"


    "Yes," answered the doctor before continuing, "We''ll be running some scans and make sure there''s no bleeding."


    "Mr. Parker, I am Detective Elliot. We would like to ask you some questions, if you don''t mind?"


    "Go head," replied Mr. Parker in a reluctant tone.


    "Do you know what your daughter was doing there on the highway? Especially that hour of the night?" questioned Detective Elliot.


    The parents appeared to be tight-lipped, and Mrs. Parker replied, "Molly said she had to work on some assignments and was going to sleepover at her friend''s ce. We don''t know how she ended up there. Maybe the truck drivers know something?"


    "We have already interrogated them, and they say they found her suddenly running to the truck. Did she have any sort of troubles that you may know of?" asked the detective.


    "Not that we know of. Molly has always been a happy girl and she does well in her studies and has friends. She would never," Mrs. Parker shook her head, "To kill herself that doesn''t make sense."


    "You see, Mrs. Parker, your daughter was found on the road in the middle of the night. The question was what was she doing in there, but we already have an answer to it," said the other man, who hade with detective Elliot. "She was with one of her ssmates, Bruce Boston. And funnily he went missing the same day when your daughter met up with the ident yesterday."


    "We have never heard his name before," denied Mr. Parker while huffing, "Why would she even go there with him? That doesn''t make sense."


    "Theint had been lodged this afternoon and the boy wasst seen with her. We''ll being back here once your daughter regains consciousness to ask her some questions about it," informed the detective before taking leave, walking away from there. When they walked a few distance, and in another corridor, they stopped walking. "What do you think it is?"


    "It is too early to conclude that it''s a creature of the night," replied the detective. "But there have been too many disappearances, and not to mention, the blood we found was inside the forest, wasn''t it?"


    "Indeed. The girl was found on the road and there''s not other damage than the collision with the truck," said detective Elliot. "If it isn''t her blood, then it is another person''s blood, but we didn''t find the body. I guess it is time to search around, and let our fellow brothers know that danger lurks in those woods."


    The detectives held a grim-looking expression on their face, and the other man asked, "When was the meeting of themittee again?"


    "It''s tomorrow evening," replied Detective Elliot. "It''ste. I will catch up with you tomorrow morning."


    Back in the Winter''s residence, Julie had gotten inside the covers of the bed, pulling the nket close to her. Roman stepped out of the shower with his hair dripping wet, which he ruffled with the towel. As he had said, he did step out with just his boxers, and Julie''s eyes followed him like the footsteps of his on the room''s floor.


    Roman walked to the door and closed it with a click sound, "Your aunt won''t be shameless enough to step into the room now, will she?"


    "I don''t think so¡­" Julie''s voice trailed as if that little action of closing the door meant something was going to happen. "She''s usually a heavy sleeper."


    "That''s good news," answered Roman, making his way towards the bed where Julie was lying under the nket. He turned off the main lights while leaving themp at the bedside, before joining her. "Have you ever tried to sleep without clothes before, Winters?"


    Julie shook her head, "I have never tried it."


    "You can now," Roman nudged her, taking the time to tease her, and under the little light of themp, he noticed how Julie blushed.


    "But what if I catch a cold?" asked Julie, staring into his eyes while he hadid down on his side, watching her.


    "I will warm you up then," replied Roman, and Julie took a second before she shyly nodded her head.


    Julie had never been bold enough to even sleep just in her shirt and undergarments in the past, and she wondered if she was going to be a daredevil under the roof of her uncle''s house. Clearing her throat, her hands went inside the nket. She first pulled down the pyjamas that she wore while having her eyes still on Roman, where they hadn''t broken eye contact with each other.


    Discarding the pant that fell on the floor softly, her hands then reached for her shirt.


    "Allow me to do that," stated Roman, and he moved closer to her. It wasn''t the first time for him to undress her, and it wasn''t thatst, which Julie was already aware of. She didn''t protest because she knew that in her heart, that was what she wanted.


    To bring her closer, Roman hooked his arm around her waist before pulling her closer to him. His hands then reached for the buttons of her shirt. Fiddling with the top of the buttons before opening them with just one hand of his.


    "What are your ns for tomorrow apart from talking to your uncle?" asked Roman, keeping her mind and body busy.


    "I was thinking of taking you to ces around here. Sightsee I guess, where my mother and I spent time when we were here. Or maybe, go visit the previous house," replied Julie, feeling the first four buttons unbuttoned, and she felt him part the shirt. To get rid of the shirt, she would need to sit upright or at least lift herself from the bed.


    "So I will be ying tourist. I see," hummed Roman. His fingers grazed against her stomach, and he heard her gasp. As if his touch has breathed life into her body.


    "Is there something else you want to do?" asked Julie, lifting herself and discarding her shirt to join the pants that were next to the bed. Now with just her undergarments, she slipped back inside the nket.


    "I don''t think I have anything particr in my mind," replied Roman, bringing Julie back to his side, where she faced him, and his hand rested on her waist. "I will be fine with anything that you choose to do. Even if you just want to sit with thepany of your rtives."


    Julie smiled, her eyes lowering to his chest that was firm and his muscles taut. She had the urge to run her fingers on his chest, but she resisted it before caving in. Her fingertips lightly brushed the surface of his muscles.


    "How does it feel?" questioned Roman, and Julie''s eyes snapped up to meet his eyes.


    "Being here?" asked Julie, her innocent eyes peering up at him and Roman''s heart squeezed in his chest, wanting to protect her with everything he had, which included his very life.


    "That included," replied Roman.


    What was the other feeling? Asked Julie in her mind.


    "I have stayed over a couple of times here. This is Joel''s room, my cousin. You would have enjoyed and liked hispany. He''s a good kid," stated Julie, and Roman hummed in response.


    "I can tell by your fondness for him," replied Roman, and his hands mindlessly massaged her waist.


    .


    .


    "Your hand is ticklish," whispered Julie, feeling goosebumps rise on her skin.


    "How about now?" asked Roman, putting a little more pressure on her skin as if he was kneading it, and Julie felt a shock erupt down her body before it came to pool between her legs.


    "A little," said Julie, her eyes slightly unfocused, and she wondered how Roman hade to affect her like this. Having him near her was soothing, and it calmed her nerves, but at the same time, Roman had the ability to stir her so deeply that she often lost her usual self, and a deep ache wed in her chest. "We can¡­ go watch movies if you want."


    "Do you have any movies on your mind?" asked Roman as he continued to knead her waist.


    "I didn''t get to see which one''s they were showcasing. If not, we could go out for lunch or dinner," suggested Julie, and Roman looked at her as if he was fascinated by the very sight of her.


    "Are you asking me out on a date, Winters?" his lips curled up.


    Julie bit her bottom lip before she released it, "I think so¡­"


    "Let''s go on a date then. You and me, as we don''t know if we''ll get the opportunity to do itter," remarked Roman and Julie nodded her head, breathing a whisper of yes.


    "Do you regret it sometimes? That you fell for a vampire?"


    Julie shook her head, "That''s like me asking you if you regret falling for a witch like me."


    "I see. Sometimes I wonder if you would be better off not knowing about the dark side of this world, it would have avoided the angst that I see in your eyes," Roman''s hand now felt the curve of her wait that dipped and rose. "You would have had a normal life. Normal things to worry about. I even had to consider it many times, trying to keep you at a distance."


    "That would be a whole different life," said Julie, craning her neck towards him, and Roman closed the gap between them by leaning towards her lips and kissing her.


    "I couldn''t resist you," said Roman, letting go of her waist and bringing his hand to caress her cheek with the back of his hand. "With you in the picture, I got too possessive and didn''t like the thought of someone else being near you. I once heard Dennis speak too fondly about you."


    "You did?" Julie asked in a curious tone.


    "I overheard him speak about your exclusive lunch time together," Roman caressed her now as if she was delicate and would crumble if he put a little more pressure.


    His thumb stroked her jaw, and he noticed the way Julie closed her eyes as if letting the feeling of his fingertips sink into her bones. "You were the least expected person, I expected to build anything to do with."


    And here he was now, wanting to protect and be with her, to be the only person she thought about and the first person to whom she would go. Roman had fallen too deep, and he didn''t care how much deeper he would fall for Julie.


    "You didn''t tell me the perfume that you use," murmured Julie and Roman''s lips quirked to a smile.


    "How strange," murmured Roman, and she opened her eyes to meet his eyes again, wondering what was strange.


    His hand slid away from her face, and it moved to her neck as he felt the width of it. He heard the pulse of her heart skip a beat, and Roman''s hand moved towards her shoulders.


    "It feels like we find more time outside of Veteris, than in there," Roman whispered it against her lips, while somewhere in the back of her mind, Julie prayed her aunt or uncle would note to interrupt them. "I should buy a house," he decided before adding, "Maybe somewhere far away from Veteris and people we know of. I will hide you there, in my arms."


    Julie couldn''t help but smile at Roman''s words, "I would like that."


    Roman gently nudged Julie''s shoulder so that she could lie down t on her back.


    If there was something that Julie appreciated about Roman, even though he had sent her mind in a frenzy that he liked it rough, he had been gentle and patient with her. Putting her needs before his and every time he did it, he stole her heart a little more than before, and she now doubted she had her heart with her anymore. Her whole heart belonged to him.


    "We should do this often, getting away from people and making time just for us," said Roman, his hand gliding down from her shoulder to the valley of her chest. His hand pushed the bra upwards, such that it freed her breasts, and soon one of them was palmed by his hand.


    A sigh escaped from Julie''s lips, feeling him squeeze and knead her breast. Soon Roman pushed the nket in a way where he hovered above her with her beneath him on the bed.


    Her hair was sprawled on the pillow. Roman, who had onlye out of the shower a few minutes ago, his hair was still damp. When he lowered his head towards her chest, Julie''s hand quickly moved to his head, weaving her fingers through his hair, while he took one tip of her breasts into his mouth.


    And as gentle as his movements were earlier, his teeth were harsh as he bit into it that had Julie arch her back from the bed.


    She felt him suck on it while one hand held the breast he was paying attention to, the other hand went to run across the length of her back that had arched now. A couple of sighs escaped from her lips, and she lightly pulled the ends of his hair, which only urged Roman to continue the ministrations of his mouth on her.


    His mouth was warm, but as he moved lower, his damp hair left a trail down her skin, leaving a mixture of hot and cold sensation in her. His hand let go of her breast, moving to the side to grip on her waist as his lips peppered kisses on her stomach. His fingers hooked on either side of the undergarment before pushing it down her milky thighs and then her knees before it passed her delicate ankles.


    Roman''s lips trailed across the bone of her waist before she felt him move back up to kiss her lips. His tongue snaked into her mouth, kissed her until she lost the battle of the tongue, slowly melting in more than one way because of him.


    Kissing him had its own thrill, and it was slow, yful that made Julie smile against his lips, and he watched the spark in her eyes. Compared to her, Roman had a look in his eyes as if he was hypnotized by her. Unable to look away or keep his hands off her skin right now.


    "Shall I take this one off?" asked Roman, his hand running on the strap of her bra.


    Julie nodded her head, her hand reaching for her back, but Roman''s hand was quick to snap open thest of her undergarment, and he threw it somewhere in the room that she didn''t bother to register. He pulled her into his arms, her chest pressing against his bare and tone muscles.


    "Winters," Roman murmured into the crook of her neck.


    A shudder escaped Julie''s lips when his hand ran down the length of her back, and it then came to settle on her bottom as he pressed her closer to him.


    "Mm?" came the squeak like a mouse from Julie, not knowing what happened.


    "You know I want to build a family with you, don''t you?" his words were clear, letting his already known intention pass to Julie. Her cheeks turned warm at the mention of having a family together. "You are the one person who matters to me the most. And I want to spend the rest of my time with you and no one else."


    "Me too," replied Julie. Pulling away from him, his embrace a little, she met his eyes. "I don''t want to spend my time with anyone else, but you."


    Roman already knew her answer, but there was something that had been worrying him since they had visited Willow Creek. He raked his hands through her hair,bing them, and he said, "I mean to have children with you."


    She nodded her head, wondering what he was getting at, but Roman didn''t finish his words. He pulled her back to him, one arm cradling her head and the other stroking her back. "Did something happen, Rome?" asked Julie, feeling his silence turn a little heavy.


    "No," replied Roman, keeping her close to him.


    At first, it was Julie''s lifespan that had worried him. Not knowing how long a witch stayed alive, but now, there was another issue that troubled him. It was obvious that it wasn''t any disease, but him, who had killed, weakened his mother''s health, which had eventually led to her death. He didn''t want Julie going through the same fate, and if there was even the slightest possibility for history to repeat, he would rather not have a child with her.


    "I can sense it," whispered Julie, and she ced her hand on his chest.


    "It beats for you louder."


    Roman''s head that was buried in her neck, he slowly started to nibble on her skin, taking little bites by nipping on her skin.


    Sighs and moans escaped from Julie''s lips, and she felt Roman squeeze her bottom. His hand moved between her legs, fondling her there before his finger thrust into her wet folds. Julie gasped at the action, and she hid her face in his chest.


    Roman''s finger teased her by pulling it out from her before he pushed it back in. Every time his finger moved in and out, it hit her body with different emotions. Her hand gripped on his arm, and when he thrusted his finger further in, she dug her nails into his arm that he didn''t mind.


    Julie''s body slowly climbed the path of arousal that was hitting one of its highest peaks. The movement of his hand soon turned faster, and the more friction his finger left against her wet folds, the more her head started to feel faint, leaving her eyes unfocussed.


    "Rome¡­" Julie whispered his name, and Roman''s eyes darkened with the way she called his name out. Her lips were parted, and he noticed the way her lips and body trembled as if preparing for the oing release of her body which was near.


    He lowered his head once again, his lips descending on her lips, and Julie moaned into the kiss, and with one more thrust of his finger into her wet core, she came undone in his hand. Her chest heaved, trying to catch breath, while her forehead pressed against his chest after he pulled away from the kiss.


    Roman brought his hand up to his lips, putting the finger that he had used to pleasure her in his mouth, sucking it, and Juliebusted into little sparks of mes just by the sight of it.


    While Julie was catching her breath, her eyes momentarily closed that only flew open when she felt Roman knead her thigh. His hand slipped back between her wet folds, igniting the fire back, and she was sure she was going to burn this time.


    When Roman pulled his hand away from her, a small whine escaped from Julie''s lips, and he kissed the side of her temple.


    "I am right here," Roman assured her before he left the bed.


    Julie saw him rummage through the bag before he pulled out something and returned to her side. Realizing what it was, her cheeks turned pink, and she saw Roman tear the pack that had the condom before he wore it on him.


    Roman kissed her lips, and Julie kissed him back, her fingers getting lost in his thick hair. He came to hover above her as he continued to suck and lick her lips, taking time with the girl who was precious to him. He said,


    "Tell me if you want to stop. Or if you aren''t ready."


    Julie ced her hand on his jaw, caressing it at the tenderness he showed her, "You already know¡­" she whispered to him. She stared back into his eyes, his words holding a promise that he would do it upon one word of hers. "I am ready," and that was all the confirmation Roman needed from her.


    He came to sit between her legs, and raised one of her legs, hooking his arm under it while positioning himself. He didn''t push it right away and let her getfortable with the feeling. He rubbed the length across her wet folds and said,


    "Breath for me, love," while keeping his eyes fixed on her and Julie''s hands that was on the surface of the bed, gripped and crumpled the sheets when Roman pushed his throbbing member into her sex.


    "Ah...!" Julie cried out at the feeling of being stretched and filled by him.. She threw her head back, her eyes rolled, and her back arched.

 Chapter 159 - Consumed By You

    <h4>Chapter 159 - Consumed By You</h4>


    The feeling of having a finger reced by Roman''s member felt different. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself while adjusting to the feeling of something new that she had never felt before.


    Julie felt Roman''s fingers gently caress the sides of her waist as he held her.


    "Does it hurt too much?" asked Roman, his voice filled with concern and Julie, who was concentrating on her breathing, shook her head.


    It only hurt during the initial push, but as seconds started to pass by, the pain began to dull down. Seeing Roman sit between her legs, with his eyes that had darkened as if something sexually raw had surfaced in them, and he was trying to hold himself back from pouncing on her.


    "I will be moving now," he informed her, and when he pulled away from her, she felt the movement making her leg quiver. Julie brought her arm in front of her face and covered her mouth, and when Roman thrust his hips forward, she bit right into her forearm so that she wouldn''t end up screaming out loud and waking her rtives, who were sleeping under the same roof.


    Every time Roman pulled and thrust himself inside her, Julie''s toes curled, and she started losing control over her body.


    Roman gripped her waist while keeping his movements steady even though he wanted to thrust faster and harder, to imprint himself into her body and im herpletely as his in every sense possible. But he held his urge because he did not want to hurt her. It was Julie''s first time, and he wanted to make sure it would be the most memorable one, and so would be the next ones that she woulde to experience in the uing days.


    He had never thought that he would hold himself back like this for someone, and it seemed like the saying was true. People behaved differently around certain people, doing things only for those people as if they were the exception to the rules that had been set, breaking them.


    When Julie''s eyes met Roman''s, she noticed the way they hade alive,pared to the darkness that often lurked behind those ck eyes of his. His jaws were clenched, and the way he looked at her, it was enough to burn her very soul with everything he had.


    Julie''s cheeks had turned red, and with every thrust, a cry erupted up her throat.


    "You are going to bruise your hand," murmured Roman with a small frown on his face.


    Pulling himself away from her, he leaned forward with his body hovering above her. cing his hand on her wrist, he pulled it away while noticing her eyes had turned moist. Right now, she looked endearing, so vulnerable and bare just for him. Taking a look at her forearm that she had been biting onto, he raised it to his lips and kissed it tenderly.


    "Don''t hurt yourself, while I am trying to make sure you aren''t in pain," Roman murmured against her skin before his lips grazed on the mark made by her teeth.


    "They''ll hear me," replied Julie with her bright red cheeks.


    "Then let them," came the blunt words from Roman''s mouth. "It''s nothing they haven''t tried or done before. You are a healthy girl, who is doing things that are natural."


    There was something very alluring with the way he looked at her, and she couldn''t look away from him. Her heart skipped a beat, and she could feel herself turning impatient, wanting to press her legs too close together, but she doubted that would be enough right now when she had gotten a taste of how it felt him inside her.


    Roman picked both her hands, and he pushed them against the bed, holding her wrists with one hand of his while he positioned himself before thrusting inside her.


    Julie''s lips parted while she tried hard not to be too loud with her moans and cries. The more she tried to hide her cries, the more it urged Roman to push her further to the edge, wanting to hear her sweet voice.


    "Rome!" Julie cried out just as he wanted her to.


    Before she could try to hide her voice one more time, Roman''s hand gripped on her wrists that were pressed on the surface of the mattress. He leaned forward and covered her mouth with his, kissing her, and Julie felt the overwhelming emotions that her little heart could barely contain.


    Roman tasted Julie''s lips, his tongue rubbing against hers with every thrust came the muffled cry, and he doubted there could be anything as sweet as Julie he would evere to hold in his arms. He ran his hand across her back that had created a space arched up from the bed.


    Julie felt Roman fill her up with every inch of him, touching her and leaving no corner or surface untouched by him. She felt his lips leave her own, peppering kisses across her jaw before it went to kiss her neck. With her head thrown back, it gave him more ess to her neck, and he pressed his lips against her skin, taking his sweet time to love her.


    When Roman felt Julie''s legs tighten, which was wrapped around her waist, with her body trembling so deliciously, he could tell that she was close to her orgasm.


    It took a minute, and Julie''s body shuddered, where he could feel his own release making its ways through his body, the adrenaline rushing and coursing through his veins with every thrust and pull.


    "R-Rome!"


    Her body shuddered, and soon she came undone and a few secondster, he reached his climax.


    But the adrenaline and the high that Roman felt, it didn''t disappear. Having a taste of Julie was nothing less to him turning into an addict as if she was his drug. He craved her from his soul and his very bones that stemmed the need to have her again and again, to keep her next to his side, as his thoughts were consumed by her.


    While Julie was panting for air, catching her breath, Roman''s need to have her again started to build up and course through his thoughts.


    The back of his fingers brushed her stomach, that was gently moving up and down. On feeling his fingers on her skin, a gasp escaped from Julie''s lips and with her eyes slightly dazed, she looked at him. She felt his member rub against her entrance, and it left a delicious feeling, making her toes curl and her ankles twisting.


    He slowly pushed himself into her entrance, stretching and filling her up one more time, this time torturously slow, and right now, she wasn''t the only one being punished. A sigh escaped from Julie''s lips, her head ready to spin and her eyes ready to roll to the back of her head.


    Roman circled his arm around Julie''s back, and he had pulled her to sit upright on hisp.


    "Ah¡­!" Julie''s lips parted, her hands that were holding onto his shoulders for support, she dug her nails into his shoulders.


    Julie had never expected that she could feel it this deep, and she tried to handle the feelings that her body was experiencing.


    Sitting upright and doing it like this, it felt different than the previous one where she had been lying down. Right now, she could gaze right into Roman''s eyes, their faces barely a few inches away from each other.


    Roman''s hands supported Julie''s bottom, carrying her weight so that he could bnce as well as guide her. Julie''s hands that were ced on his shoulders, she slowly slid them forward, circling her hands around his neck.


    "Is it ufortable?" Roman asked her while she was gettingfortable in their current position.


    He noticed the way her cheeks had more colour than usual, where Julie panted for air while her breath was irregr. "It''s a strange position," murmured Julie, her eyes lowering shyly, and Roman dug his fingers into her bottom to have her eyes re back to look at him.


    "It''ll get better soon," he promised her, and Julie was too flushed to speak about herfort right now with him inside her and this position. "Just breathe and I will do the rest."


    Julie softly gulped, and soon she felt him raise her body with his strong arms, raising her, and when he descended her down on him, she felt him pushing through her wet folds. Her lips parted further as she sighed and moaned. The pleasure felt different this time, and she could feel him hit her arousal with every change in their movement.


    "Fuck, you feel so good," said Roman through his gritted teeth, and this only surged Julie''s arousal furthermore that she didn''t believe she could feel. Being with him was a whole different emotion.


    Not soon enough, Julie equally contributed to the movement, where Roman didn''t have to support herpletely. His right hand moved to feel the curve of her body, sliding from her bottom to her waist and then upward to her chest to give her breast a light squeeze.


    Another moan escaped from Julie''s lips, and Roman watched the fascinated creature, whom he held in his arms before he let go of her breast and moved it up to her neck. His fingers raked through her hair which had turned messy because of their earlier action, and hebed it with her fingers, letting his hand settle behind her ear. Bringing her head towards him, he angled her face before capturing her lips with his.


    The kiss they shared was tender, and Julie felt him brush his lips against hers. Once, twice, and the third time he captured her bottom lip with his teeth. Nibbling on it before he sucked it while both of them moved their bodies.


    Their lips broke away from each other, soon, her mind started to turn dizzy with the headiness she felt while her body started to experience another orgasm. It took only a few seconds before she came undone, and soon after, Roman''s fingers dug into her soft skin, letting his arousal consume him. His fangs had found its way near Julie''s neck, and he sunk deep into her skin, feeling the warm blood seeping into his mouth, and he relished in it like an intoxicating liquor that he could never get enough of her, the feeling right now was heavenly.


    Julie''s body slumped into Roman''s arms, her body humming in the after pleasure of their love making. She felt him stroke the back of her neck soothingly, moving his hand up and down so that her body could rx. He pulled himself out of her, bringing her body closer as he hugged her.


    Roman carried Julie to the bathroom, washing each other before they returned to the bed.


    Right now, Julieid in Roman''s arms, her body content and her mind in peace while her body continued to buzz in the afterglow of the love that they had shared with each other. Her head rested on Roman''s arm that had been stretched to the side, where sheid on the right side of her body while watching him. Roman had pulled the nket to cover their bodies.


    Roman caught Julie''s arm, running his thumb across the skin where she had bitten earlier, had it turned red.


    "Don''t bite yourself," said Roman with a frown on his face.


    "I didn''t want to be too loud," replied Julie, and Roman''s eyes shifted back to look at her.


    "It is unfortunate that I couldn''t hear your cry more, but if you want to muffle your voice, you can use me to bite from now onwards," Roman''s hand then went to brush her hair back while he watched her. "Do you still feel the pain?" he asked her, wanting to make sure she was alright.


    Julie shook her head, "No, it''s gone," her voice was soft and small. Even though Roman had pulled himself from her sex, she could still feel him there, even though minutes had passed since they had made love.


    Roman''s arm that had stretched on the bed curled around her and brought Julie closer to him, hugging her, and Julie shyly ced her hand on his chest. It wasn''t that she hadn''t anticipated for something like this to happen. It would be a lie to say that her thoughts hadn''t drifted to them spending time like this, but she never thought that they would be going all the way.


    Her gaze lowered on his taut chest, her hand grazing on it, she felt his heart beating beneath his chest, and she realized how alive he was. That he was not like most of the other vampires who were heartless, but one who held emotions that ran deep within him.


    Julie wondered if Roman had noticed it. The little extra smell of soap that she had used while she had spent scrubbing herself, while she had smoothened her hands and legs so that it wouldn''t look like there were thorns or forest growing on her limbs. She awkwardly smiled at her thoughts, and when she felt his gaze on her, she tilted her chin to look up at him.


    "What are you smiling at?" asked Roman, lowering his head, he kissed her forehead.


    "Just some funny thoughts in my head," replied Julie, and he pulled back to look into her brown eyes, that was filled with happiness. He could feel her emotions radiate from her, and it also affected him, putting him in a better mood if it hadn''t before.


    "It reminds me¡­ Do you remember that time when both of us met each other at the water cans, near the blue block?"


    Julie nodded her head, remembering that time as it was the first time they had crashed against each other. She asked him, "What about it?"


    "You were smiling about something that time too. Remember what it was about?" questioned Roman, running his fingers through her hair.


    "Oh that¡­" Julie opened her mouth before shaking her head. "It wasn''t anything."


    "Tell me."


    How was she supposed to tell that¡­ asked Julie to herself. "I don''t think that it''s a good pillow talk." But seeing Roman stare at her nkly, as if he wasn''t going to budge, she cleared her throat. "Well¡­ Every time I saw you, you chewed so much gum and I was just in a funny thought process. I think I rted you to an animal because of it."


    "Cow?" deadpanned Roman. Julie slowly gave him a nod. When he brought his hand up to her forehead, she closed her eyes, readying herself for the forehead flick, which never came. Instead, he ran his finger on the length of her nose. "You have a mischievous mind, which falls on weird."


    "I guess you can tell that," replied Julie, feeling the tenderness of his touch on her skin, and it made her heart swell as if it would burst any second.


    "Come, let us get you to sleep now," Roman nudged her with his words while bringing her closer into his arms so that he could hug her while they slept.


    Julie buried herself in his chest, and she felt his hand stroke the back of her head as he continued to pet her. There were some memorable days she held close to her chest, but this day¡­ it had pushed itself to move closer to the top position, though not necessarily taking the first position.


    The first memorable time with Roman was when she was about to crash into him. It was the first time she had a good view of him. The nk stare that he had given her as if he wanted her to step away as quickly as possible had been now reced with a look that didn''t want to part away from her. The hands that hadn''t bothered to make contact not held her in his arms. His indifferent attitude had slowly changed to one who cared about her the most.


    "Goodnight, Rome," Julie murmured to him, where her voice had started to drift into sleep like her mind after her body had been spent.


    "Goodnight, Winters," Roman kissed the top of her head while not letting go of her. They both slept in each other''s arms, having the soundest sleep they have recentlye to have in peace.


    When morning arrived, the birds chirped, and the rays of the sun peeked through the cracks of the curtain. As Julie woke up, she found Roman''s arms wrapped around her waist, holding her snugly against the front of his body.


    She saw him sleeping next to her with his eyes closed. He truly was handsome, thought Julie in her mind. Unable to resist, she craned her neck and pressed her lips on Roman''s lips that were soft. The kiss was feather-like, but she should have known that he would be awake with her slightest movement.


    "I could get used to it," murmured Roman, when Julie pulled away, his red eyes opening to meet her brown eyes that appeared bright and happy.


    Julie smiled at his words, "I think so too. Did you sleep?" she asked him.


    "A little bit, before I decided to rest my eyes," responded Roman, cing his hand on her neck, and he kissed her lips before grazing his lips across her cheek. "You should sleep some more."


    "I am good," replied Julie, and she felt him kiss beneath her ear. "I should probably go and help my aunt in the kitchen, lest she decides toe here and ask for my help."


    "She will probably need to take a breather if she sees you like this," agreed Roman, and ran his hand down to her shoulder. "I wish you could stay longer in bed."


    Roman let go of her reluctantly, and Julie smiled before stepping out of the bed, taking a quick shower and wearing her clothes, she made her way down the stairs. Reaching the kitchen, she noticed her aunt wasn''t there, and she looked around the ce before picking up the jug of water to pour water into the ss.


    "I see you are awake, Julie." Julie turned around and noticed her uncle, who stepped into her view, folding newspaper in his hands.


    "Good morning, Uncle Tom," greeted Julie with a smile.


    "Good morning. Did you have a good sleep?" asked Uncle Thomas in his polite tone, and Julie nodded her head.


    "Yes," replied Julie, trying to keep her voice even so that nothing would reveal about the passionate night she and Roman shared together. "Where is Aunt Sarah?" she asked, looking around.


    "She''s gone out to get groceries," replied Uncle Thomas, and he said, "There is something I would like to talk to you about, Julie."


    Julie nodded her head and asked, "What is it?"


    "How about you take a seat?" asked her uncle, and Julie looked at him with a little caution but followed him to take a seat at the ind of the kitchen.. She wondered what her uncle wanted to speak about.

 Chapter 160 - Ketchup On Pancakes

    <h4>Chapter 160 - Ketchup On Pancakes</h4>


    Julie watched her uncle take a seat on the opposite side of the ind, the expression on his face grim, and he looked at her, offering her an encouraging smile.


    "Is everything alright, Uncle Tom?" asked Julie, not knowing what exactly he wanted to speak about.


    "Yeah yeah," Uncle Thomas snapped from his slightly dazed look. "Uh, what I wanted to speak to you, there has been a family secret that we never got the opportunity to speak about until now. It is about your mother. Please understand that it wasn''t either your mother or my intention to tell it thiste."


    Julie could already tell what her uncle was going to speak about, but she decided to y naive about it.


    "Your mother and I, we were not blood siblings and she was instead adopted into the Winters family by your grandparents," exined Uncle Thomas, and Julie gave him a nod. "Your mother said it was best to not let you know about it, as it could disrupt things. And I didn''t push her on it, because Harriet will always be my sister, Julie. I am not telling you things to make distance between us, you will always be my dearest niece."


    Julie smiled at his words, and she nodded her head, "Thank you, Uncle Tom. That means a lot."


    "I wouldn''t have brought this up before if it weren''t for your father," Uncle Thomas'' words were cautious, and he looked at the main entrance door of the house to make sure no one would being in.


    "Did he contact you?" asked Julie, her eyebrows were quick to furrow, wondering what her father might have told him.


    "He didn''t contact me directly, but two days ago, two men showed up asking about him and about your mother," replied Uncle Thomas, a small frown on his face. He said, "I would have believed that they were here to know more about your mother, because they asked many questions about your father. But then they started to inquire about you, and your whereabouts. I don''t know why, but I felt that they weren''t genuine."


    "You think my father sent them to get to me?"


    Her uncle nodded his head, "It is possible. I checked with the cops, and found out that your mother''s case has been closed for quite some time now. No detectives had been sent here."


    Julie knew something like this would happen, but now that it was confirmed how her father was trying to reach out to her, she wondered what he was up to.


    "You don''t have to worry about your information being leaked, Julie," he assured her. "Your father will never harm you, though¡­ I do believe it is a good idea for you to move to another state."


    Julie pursed her lips, "That won''t stop him from hunting me down, will it?"


    A sigh escaped Uncle Thomas'' lips, and he gave a nod, "I don''t know why he wants to hurt you. Did something happen that night, Julie? The night your mother passed away?"


    A lot of things said Julie in her mind, but she shook her head, "No, nothing that I could hold importance. It was a blur."


    "That is understandable," sighed her uncle, and he said, "I wonder why he even killed your mother. It just doesn''t make sense. I would have believed that he was a decent man until¡­ that happened."


    "What about yourself, Uncle Tom? Is it safe for you to stay here?" inquired Julie, worried for him.


    "I think if he wanted toe for me, he would have done that long again. Your aunt, she was hysterical when your mother passed away, that your father lost your mind and we should take protection," his hands stretched in the opposite direction as if to exin before they returned, interlocking with each other.


    "Do you remember what more questions were asked by the detectives who showed up here?"


    "Let me think about it," he had a thoughtful expression on his face while he stared at the surface of the smooth marbled ind that they were sitting in front of. "They were asking about the Winters'' family history. Asking where your grandparents came from. It was obvious that they were looking for answers about your mother specifically. Even though mother and father adopted Harriet, they never mentioned about her being adopted and neither did I. It has been a secret for as long as I can remember."


    It seemed like the hunters had tried to check if Uncle Thomas and the rest of them were from a witch''s family too.


    "They stayed here for an hour, asking questions before one of them went to use the bathroom¡ª"


    "DNA," murmured Julie to herself. "They went to take the sample and check if there''s a mismatch in the family DNA. I think my father will find the answer that mother was never a Winters."


    "Well, even if he or others doe to interrogate me, I have no information. We never knew where your mother came from and neither did she. She was so quiet when my mother spotted her for the very first time. She barely spoke," stated Uncle Thomas, and Julie knew why exactly her mother didn''t speak. She was in shock at finding herself in a ce she would have least expected. "I just thought I should let you know."


    Julie was already aware of this, except that her father was sending men to find out about her whereabouts. She wondered what happened in a hunter''s association.


    She picked the ss of water that she had earlier poured herself, and she took a sip from it.


    "Also," Uncle Thomas cleared his throat, his eyes slightly averting to the side, and Julie wondered what else he had to say. "I know I don''t have to say this, but with I being your guardian, I hope you are using protection."


    Julie spat the water while she coughed, and Uncle Thomas looked as red as she was.


    "Uncle Tom¡­" Julie cleared her throat.


    "I know you are a responsible youngdy, but your aunt Sarah would have you turn as a nun and might not give you the advice. I thought I should do it," Uncle Thomas then stood up from his seat, clearing his own throat, and both of them couldn''t see each other''s face without being embarrassed.


    "I-uh, thank you for the advice. We are, I mean, will make use of it," Oh dear God, thought Julie in her head.


    "Ahem, yes. That was all I wanted to say, because you are still studying and so young," said Uncle Thomas and Julie quickly nodded her head, standing up from her seat.


    "Let me make pancakes. I am sure Aunt Sarah would be hungry," remarked Julie, ready to divert the subject and her uncle nodded his head as if in agreement.


    "Do you want me to help you with it? Let me pull out the things. Your aunt has this peculiar habit of shifting from one ce to another every week in the name of cleaning," offered Uncle Thomas, and he pulled out things from the cupboard.


    While Julie was getting the batter prepared, Roman climbed down the stairs and made his way to the kitchen. He had worn his jeans and T-shirt, padding his feet towards her while noticing she was alone and in front of the stove.


    "Never thought I would get to see you watch cooking this soon," said Roman, and Julie turned her head in time to meet his lips that pressed against hers.


    They then heard the sound of the car parking in the drive away, and Julie said, "Auntie had gone to get groceries and Uncle Tom went to get ready for work after reading his newspaper."


    Roman pecked Julie''s lips again, and he hummed, "I think he gave out more news than taking in the news from the paper."


    "You heard it?" asked Julie, and Roman smiled.


    "Every single word that was uttered under this room," he tapped his finger on his ears as if letting her know about his ability to hear things even at a distance. "Pancakes," he noted, watching the pan.


    "It was the easiest one to prepare. What would you like to have with it? Maple or chocte syrup?" asked Julie, and Roman shifted his gaze from the pan to look at her.


    "Can I get you?" Roman said it with a straight face, and before Julie could reply something about it, Aunt Sarah appeared through the door. She carried two brown bags in her hand. "Let me go and get it."


    Julie''s cheeks had turned red, and she turned her body back to the stone, flipping the pancake while shyly grinning at Roman''s words. Who knew he could be this sweet. Maybe Roman came with pancakes, a syrup¡ªshe quickly shook her head before her mind would get back to what happenedst night.


    Aunt Sarah, who walked through the door, Roman was quick to grab the bags from her hand, and the woman looked at him with a look of suspicion.


    "Ah, I am d that you are making breakfast, Julianne. I was worried that I would have to wait longer to have breakfast," said Aunt Sarah, cing her things on the counter before heading to where Julie stood.


    "Why do you call her Julianne?" inquired Roman, his eyes curiously looking at the woman in the kitchen.


    "Isn''t that her name?" questioned Aunt Sarah, tipping her chin and wondering what was wrong with the name.


    "Most of them call her Julie, but you are one of the few who call her Julianne, including her father," pointed Roman, taking a seat where Uncle Thomas had earlier been sitting. "It makes it look like you are trying to keep a distance from her."


    "I think you are reading too much into just a name," responded Aunt Sarah with augh. "In my opinion, Julianne sounds much better than making it appear cool and calling her Julie. Why did your parents name you Roman?"


    "My mother said it meant strength," replied Roman, his ck eyes calmly looking at her.


    When Aunt Sarah excused herself from the kitchen to go find her husband quickly, Julie turned to look at Roman and said, "She seems to be giving you less res."


    "Do you think it''s because I am charming?" questioned Roman, and Julie smiled.


    "I think you charmed her with a little bit of intimidation," if he didn''t have the ring aura around him, Julie was sure that Aunt Sarah would havee up with sarcastic and rude remarks, which would be zed in honey, but still be known. "Not that I like it, but it''s probably because you are the founder''s son."


    "Mm," Roman nodded his head and then asked, "Did you think about putting yourself exclusively on my menu for breakfast?"


    The smile on Julie''s lips broadened, and her eyes lowered on the tes that she had pulled out, cing the pancakes. She replied, "I am still thinking about it."


    Roman''s lips quirked up, and he watched her, where there was a hint of blush and a certain shyness in her eyes, but it wasn''t embarrassing to meet his gaze. She said, "I was thinking about paying a visit to the grave first, before showing you around."


    "Sure," replied Roman.


    When Julie''s uncle and aunt came to have breakfast, she had made coffee for them. She had excluded Roman from coffee, as he preferred blood, and now that she thought about it, the only blood he had drunk from was her neck which was very littlepared to the usual amount he took in. She took a quick peek at him, wondering if he was holding up well.


    "Why aren''t you having coffee with us? Do you not like it?" inquired Uncle Thomas with curiosity in his eyes.


    "I am more into cold drinks than coffee," stated Roman, and his usual tone would sound serious to a stranger, but Julie could tell that he was being polite.


    "We have oranges if you want pressed juice," offered Uncle Thomas.


    "Rome likes to have other fruits, Uncle Tom. We''ll get it when we are outside," said Julie with a smile, and she saw her uncle smile. Picking up the two tes, she ced it in front of her uncle and aunt.


    "Thank you, dear," thanked Aunt Sarah, and he picked up the maple syrup bottle before letting it drizzle on the surface of the pancakes. She then passed it to her husband.


    Julie flipped the next batch of the pancake before cing it on the te. She looked around the counter before picking up something.


    Uncle Thomas was talking to Roman when Julie came with two tes in her hand. One which was for her and another te that was for Roman. She ced the tes on their respective sides before she took a seat next.


    Roman''s eyes narrowed slightly when he caught the whiff of fresh blood, and his eyes snapped towards the pancakes, where there were red lines on the pancake.


    When Uncle Thomas'' eyes fell on Roman''s pancakes, Julie said, "Rome likes to have his pancakes with ketchup," she smiled.


    "What a strangebination," murmured Aunt Sarah, who continued to have her breakfast, and she pulled her husband into a conversation of her own.


    "What a risky thing to be doing, Winters," said Roman to Julie in a low voice. His eyes then fell on the palm of her left hand, which had a fresh wound, and he frowned. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked her.


    "I realized you didn''t get to drink and you might need some," Julie replied to him in a quiet voice so that her rtives wouldn''t pick up what she was saying.


    Roman''s lips had set themselves into a thin line. His fingers touched the knife next to his te, and he nudged it off the table for it to fall on the ground. "I will get it," he said when Julie was about to bend.


    And when Roman got off his seat, bending down to get the knife, he caught Julie''s left hand. She turned a little startled when she felt his finger press on the wound, and she clutched on her fork tightly.


    "Your mother loved lilies, Julie. If you are going to visit her that is," said Uncle Thomas, reminding his niece of his sister''s likes. "There''s a florist two blocks away from here. You will find them there."


    "Did you decide about the house, Julianne?" questioned Aunt Sarah, and at the same time, Julie felt Roman turn the palm of her hand to face him.


    "Uh, yeah," replied Julie, nodding her head and trying to keep her concentration in both ces.


    Roman brought the palm to his mouth and licked the red line she had made for his sake. Doing something like under the table with her uncle and aunt sitting in front of them, Julie felt her heart slip in her chest.


    She felt his tongue graze, that left a burning sensation, yet it was soothing when he blew air on it.


    Picking up the knife, Roman sat back in his seat before he started to eat the pancakes made by Julie. He ate every one of them and licked thest smear of redness on the ce with his finger.


    "Seems like Roman appreciates Julie''s cooking,"mented Uncle Thomas, with his eyes on Roman.


    Roman offered a small smile, "I do," and he looked at Julie, who was busy filling her mouth with pancakes as if she didn''t hear it.

 Chapter 161 - Moving Forward From Here

    <h4>Chapter 161 - Moving Forward From Here</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Never seen a look like that before- Kim Yeon Jeong


    ¡ª


    Julie and Roman stepped out of the Winters house, and while Roman''s hand lightly swung the helmet in his hand, he sighed, "It is upsetting that I cannot call you Winters in there. The probability of two others responding is high."


    She smiled at his words and said, "You very rarely call me Julie, don''t you?"


    Roman pulled out his lighter and cigarette box as if he needed a smoke to push his thirst for blood away for a few minutes. But just when he did, one of the next-door neighbours caught Julie.


    "Good morning, dear. It is good to see you visiting. Your uncle worries about you," said the woman before her eyes fell on Roman and his hands that held the lighter and cigarette.


    Roman didn''t bother to hide what he held in his hands, and the woman turned to look at Julie, who offered her a polite smile.


    "Good morning, Mrs. Philips. How are you?" asked Julie, and she saw Roman, who brought the cigarette to ce it between his lips before lighting it with no care in the world. She couldn''t tell him not to do it, as she knew his thirst for blood was increasing.


    "I am doing very well. I have been hoping to see and meet you, your uncle said that you are now studying in Veteris. How is the ce? Is it as fancy as the rumour has been?" asked Mrs. Philips, before eyeing Roman and asking, "And who is this?"


    "Julianne Winter''s boyfriend," replied Roman, with the cigarette still between his lips.


    The woman nodded her head before saying, "Looks like you are living your life to the fullest, Julianne."


    "I think I am," Julieughed. She was dating a vampire, and she had found out that her actual parents, her mother was a witch and her father was a Corvin, a dead being. And her false father was trying to kill her, knowing she came from a witch''s lineage.


    "So how is Veteris?" asked Mrs. Philips with much curiosity that she stared at Julie for an answer.


    "Veteris is wonderful. Nothing one could imagine woulde close," replied Julie with a bright smile, "The food is amazing."


    Roman gave her a look as if that was the first thing that came to her mind about the university. Julie then continued to praise, "They have excellent education, and the staff¡­ they are wonderful. Very polite people to be around and have a high ss. The way they carry themselves."


    "That''s sounds just like the posh Veteris that everyone have been talking about,"ughed Mrs. Philips, and she then said, "I will catch up with youter then."


    Seeing the woman leave, Roman turned his head, watching her keenly before he blew the smoke in the air. "Seems like someone nice," hemented.


    "Yeah, she''s nice, but a little nosey," replied Julie, and they headed towards the motorcycle.


    "Who isn''t nosey these days. Some do it openly and some hide it," said Roman, picking up the helmet and cing it over Julie''s head. He then fixed the belt. He then picked up Julie''s hand and saw the palm that she had cut. "You''re an idiot. Don''t do that again," he said in a serious tone.


    Julie pursed her lips, "Did it upset you?"


    "It does, when you sacrifice yourself for me. I can tell by the looks of it that it hurt and was painful," remarked Roman, and Julie lowered her eyes to look at her palm. "Not that I don''t appreciate it."


    Roman didn''t know how he had missed it or if Julie had suddenly turned good in handling physical pain. He was thirsty since the middle of the night, and all he wanted was to sink his teeth into someone''s skin and drain the blood out. But at the same time, he didn''t want to leave Julie alone in the bed. It was her very first time, and if she were to wake up and find him not there¡­ he didn''t want her going through that kind of feeling.


    He pulled something else from his pocket, and he said, "Keep your hand still."


    Julie noticed it was a bandaid that Roman had pulled from his pocket, and he stuck it on her skin. "People are going to think that you are a potential patient of self harm."


    "Ah, about that. Aunt Sarah thought, I gave myself these," said Julie, showing her wrist that had the two scars on them. Roman ced his hand on the helmet that she wore and said,


    "Come let us go and meet your mother or your ex best friend. Do you want to make a stop at the florists?"


    "Yeah, flowers would be nice," said Julie, and they left from the front of the Winter''s residence.


    After picking up a bouquet of lilies, Roman and Julie travelled to the cemetery where Harriet Winters was resting. It was a sunny day, the sky clear, and the grass that had grown around had lost some of its colours. She was d that Roman was here with her because she knew that she would take a turn and bolt from here. Carrying the flowers in her arms, she made her way to the headstone where the womany.


    ''Harriet Winters.''


    Bending down, she cleared the twigs and dried leaves that hade to settle on it before she ced the flowers on top of it. Roman stood behind Julie, who had no interest in paying his respects.


    It was strange. Coming here while knowing that this person was her ex-best friend and that she was cing flowers for her. But Julie had decided to let go of the past and look forward to the future.


    "I wish I could have helped you in some way, for helping my mother and keeping your word in carrying me with you," whispered Julie, while looking at the headstone and running her fingers on the cold surface of the stone. "I will honour the memories that I have shared with you. All the good ones. When we were friends, and also when you turned to my mother, who loved me. I will cherish them all¡­ Natalie, while hoping you have found your peace."


    Spending a few more minutes there, Julie stood up and turned to see Roman, who had been watching her quietly.


    Roman ced his hand on Julie''s cheek stepping forward before embracing her in his arms. He asked her, "Are you alright?"


    "Mm," Julie nodded her head, hugging him back before they finally pulled away. "I am better now."


    "Then that''s all that matters," replied Roman, and he asked her, "Where do you want to go from here?"


    "I was thinking about the house, but before that, there''s a ce I would like to visit. It might take a little time I think," said Julie, letting Roman hold her hand in his as they started to leave the grave they hade to visit.


    "We have all the time in the world. Even if we don''t, I will see to it that we do. Where do you want to go?" he asked her, and Julie turned her head to meet his gaze, a sheepish smile on her face. This had Roman look at her curiously.


    "You will find out soon," said Julie, tugging Roman''s hand as she walked forward, and they stepped out of the cemetery.


    After nearly forty-five minutes, Julie and Roman stood in front of a tattoo parlour, where she looked slightly nervous and excited at the same time.


    "You want a tattoo?" questioned Roman, knowing well Julie was scared of needles, but then she was also someone who had cut her palm this morning.


    Julie stretched her hand forward, looking at the scars on her wrist, "I think it is time to change some things and somewhere¡­ I have been wanting to get one."


    "It''s going to be permanent," Roman reminded her, and he added, "Did you even pick a design?"


    She nodded, "I did."


    Stepping inside the shop, one of the assistant''s noticed them and asked, "Who''s getting the tattoo?"


    "That would be my girl here," said Roman, looking at Julie and everytime he did that, it put a smile on her face.


    "Follow me. Do you need samples on what you want, and where you intend to have it?" asked the man. He pushed the door, and both Julie and Roman entered the room. "You can sit here."


    "I want it here, on my wrist," said Julie, showing the spot, and the man noted the scar. "It''s a name. I need you to connect these two lines with the ''M''.. I want the name Rome."

 Chapter 162 - Family Gathering

    <h4>Chapter 162 - Family Gathering</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Aftermath- Nathan Barr


    ¡ª


    When Julie was getting her wrist inked, the only second thought she had was the pain the needle left on her skin. She had turned her head in the other direction while her eyebrows were furrowed.


    "Did you stop breathing?" asked the man who was inking her hand, and she heard his words over the sound of the equipment.


    "I am trying to concentrate to not concentrate on the pain," replied Julie, and she stared at the designs disyed on the walls. Roman had left her for a few minutes while letting her have her time here.


    She doubted she would ever get another tattoo on her body, and this was the first andst one. She knew inking someone''s name on the body was usually a bad idea. There had been many cases where people regretted inking their partners names who had turned into ex''s. But the name she was getting wasn''t someone ordinary, and spending time with Roman was enough to let her know that she would never be with someone else ever again.


    This wasn''t something she had thought on a spur, but she had given some thought before deciding to do it.


    "There you go. It''s all done now," said the tattoo artist, pausing the equipment, and the room fell silent except for a few voices that came from people who were in the shop outside the room.


    Julie took a deep breath and exhaled. Finally, it was over, and she turned to look at her wrist, bringing it in front of her face.


    The skin looked tender, but the ck ink stood out, which was written as ''ROME''. The ink was too big and ringly obvious, but it was there if one''s eyes fell on her wrist. She was d that the tattoo artist hadn''t used the entire length of the scar and made it look as if it was part of the design.


    A quick smile appeared on her lips, "Thank you for this. It looks good," she thanked the man.


    The person gave her a nod, "No problem. It is what I do."


    Julie nodded her head, and she stepped out of the room, and she saw Roman sitting outside with crossed legs with a magazine in his hand.


    As if sensing her presence, he looked up and closed the magazine in his hand. He stood, walking to where she was. Excited and a little shy, Julie stretched her hand to show it to him.


    "It looks decent," remarked Roman, and he ran his thumb over the name. "Does it hurt?"


    "Not anymore," replied Julie, and Roman gave her a nod. Once they paid for the tattoo, both of them stepped out of the parlour, walking to where the motorcycle was ced. "How did you get your tattoos made? I thought scars or markings like tattoo''s don''t stay on a vampire''s skin."


    "It normally doesn''t. The ink disappears and it makes it useless. One needs to make use of high heat, more like burning the skin for it to stay," replied Roman, and he picked up the helmet that he had let to hang earlier.


    "That must hurt like hell," said Julie, and Roman faintly smiled.


    "A vampire can always opt out to not get a tattoo to avoid the pain," he stated, and he got on the motorcycle before removing the stand and waited for her to sit behind him.


    "Are you telling that, you don''t mind the pain?"


    "In some of us, pain is infused and it bes one with us that you will barely feel anything. Especially for a vampire, because of the higher tolerance than a human, some of us crave to feel things," Roman''s words were calm as he said those to her. Julie stared into his ck eyes that had a shine in them. "You look worried. Don''t think too much about what I said, I feel a lot of things, and anger has been something that has been constant, before you came to me."


    "Is it something that, you held on to? To feel human?" asked Julie.


    Roman caught hold of Julie''s wrist, pulling her towards him, and he brought his hand to ce it on the back of her neck. He guided her lips to him, kissing her, and he pulled back, "I don''t regret being a vampire, Winters. Truthfully, there hasn''t been much difference and I guess that''s because I always had the vampire gene. I have always been a vampire before my mother even gave birth to me. But if there is something that has changed, it is your presence in my life. You should know that already."


    Julie felt Roman caress the side of her neck, where he let it go.


    "I am happy that I got to meet and know you," she said to him.


    "The feelings are mutual, Winters."


    Roman jerked his head towards the back of the motorcycle, and Julie wore the helmet before taking a seat behind him. "I wonder if I will find a meal around. You don''t mind paying a visit to the hospital, do you?"


    "Do you n to steal blood bags from there?" asked Julie, her eyebrows slightly raising. She ced her hands on his shoulders.


    "I was hoping to sink my teeth into some patients, but I will keep that for some other time," deadpanned Roman, and Julie wondered how much of it was the truth that he wanted to do something like this. "I know some people in some of the hospitals. Let me see if I can borrow some blood bags, that wouldn''t be stealing, would it?"


    Since Julie had met Roman, the lines of right and wrong had been blurred. She shrugged her shoulders, "I guess." If he wasn''t going to hurt anyone, that was more than good enough for her.


    While Roman and Julie headed towards the closest hospital avable so that Roman could quench his thirst before the ripper side would make an appearance, in the town of Greasy Corner, Mnie and Conner were taking a walk on the streets.


    "How''s your projecting along?" asked Mnie, as she hadn''t seen him for two days straight. "I thought you fell sick."


    "I was nning the sketch in my dorm. I needed some time toe up with a good idea," replied Conner, and he pushed his curly hair to one side. "I finally know what to work on and present."


    "That''s great to hear, Conner. I am d you found what you want to do," smiled Mnie, and she looked at the footpath they were walking, where the trees offered them shade.


    "Yeah, Simon said he would help me with it," and hearing the name of the person had Mnie frown.


    "Simon? He isn''t an art student," stated Mnie, and Conner nodded his head.


    "Strangely, his ideas are quite impressive and he helped in designing what I wanted,"ughed Conner, and Mnie didn''t know what to say. "He''ll being over in the evening."


    Mnie raised her eyebrows, turning to look at Conner, "But we have the family together."


    "Yeah, not for that. I let him know about it, and he said he was going to be around to meet someone. So it should be alright," said Conner as if it was not a big deal. "How is your projecting along? I now wish I had chosen the same stream as you."


    "But you are more interested in art. Science would bore you," smiled Mnie, walking next to Conner. She noticed two boys walking in the other direction,ughing about something as they spoke to each other.


    Conner gave a short nod but said, "But you are there, I would have a partner and wouldn''t have to worry about anything. You have always been diligent with your notes. I know I could always rely on you."


    Mnie stared at her friend for two seconds before she cleared her throat. She looked ahead of them and said, "Yeah, that would have been nice. We are best friends, of course I would help you."


    "You are right," Conner looked at Mnie, watching her eyes that were trained in front of them. He noticed how her hair was tied into a ponytail while some pieces of her hair had been left at the sides without being tied.


    Mnie had always been someone who understood him, and she was someone he could always go to, and it was the same with her. At least that was what he thought, but now that he thought about it, he realized how his best friend didn''te to him as much as she did in the past. Was it because she was now speaking to Julie, and it was easier to speak to?


    "What happened?" asked Mnie, who caught Conner staring at her.


    "Nothing," Conner shook his head, wondering if his best friend was always this pretty.


    When the two boys were passing by Conner and Mnie, one came straight at Mnie for the shoulders to hit each other.


    "Watch where you''re walking,"mented the one who crashed into Mnie, and she frowned.


    "I moved to the side and you were the one who still decided to take the whole ce without bothering to move to the side," retorted Mnie.


    "You crashed into me purposely," huffed the boy.


    "Maybe you need to go get your eyes checked to be able to see things because you obviously cannot see," replied Mnie,ing to stand face to face with the person.


    "For a shortie you sure have a lot to speak and use," said the boy, and Conner came between to pull Mnie towards him so that she wouldn''t get into a possible fight.


    "Why don''t we all calm down and let it go and go back to our lives," suggested Conner, offering peace.


    "At least someone knows it is your fault," said the rude boy before starting to walk with his friend, and Mnie red at them.


    "Come on, Mel. We have to get back home," Conner pulled Mnie''s arm.


    "Let me pick up a stone to fix his vision," said Mnie, looking at the ground, and Connerughed.


    "Your parents won''t be pleased if they found out that you are in a fight and neither would mine," said Conner, while Mnie red at the two boys, where one of them turned to smirk.


    "I wouldn''t have minded," muttered Mnie, and at the same time, to ruin her mood further, the red-headed senior appeared from behind.


    "Good afternoon, children," said Simon, and they turned to look at him. "Conner and Mel."


    "Mnie," Mnie corrected him, not interested in being buddy-buddy with him.


    Simon offered a bright smile as if he didn''t care about her opinion and said, "What''s going on?"


    Conner being a bbermouth, said, "Oh, just Mel about to get into fights with some strangers." Mnie red at her best friend.


    "You saw it wasn''t my fault."


    "Yes, yes, it wasn''t. But why not ignore them, they aren''t even worth our time," said Conner and Mnie shook her head. "What happened?"


    Simon leaned his head to the side, watching the two boys who disappeared on one of the corners before his eyes shifted to look at Mnie, where the human continued to look annoyed. He said to Conner,


    "I reached the town sooner and instead of wasting time I thought toe see you. I am d I caught you here. When do you think we can start breaking down the bricks for your project?"


    Mnie said to Conner, "I will head home, see you in the evening gathering."


    "Sure, see you there," agreed Conner.


    "Go home safe, Mel," Simon wished her, and Mnie sent a small re at him.


    She had shown her obvious disinterest to be acquainted with the senior. She didn''t know why he made sure to press her buttons.


    When Mnie and her friends were invited for the first time to join the famous five seniors at the bonfire, she picked the correct categories of the good, bad and evil. And when she had ced Simon in the category of evil, she had seen the smile on his face subtly widen. While the group was far away from being normal, this one gave her a red alert.


    When Mnie left Conner and Simon, Conner said, "Don''t mind her, Mel is just in a bad mood."


    "Oh, I don''t," smiled Simon and said, "How about we get the work started."


    Mnie reached her home, and she stepped inside, noticing her mother in the kitchen with Conner''s mother. They were cooking for the evening gathering.


    "Oh, good, Mel. You are back. Come help us with this crepe," said her mother, and Mnie nodded her head, making her way into the kitchen. "Where is Conner?"


    "He has some uni work," replied Mnie.


    "Seriously, I told him he needs to be free in the evening. I hope he doesn''t coop himself in his room again. Today it is important that you are present with us," said Conner''s mother with a smile on her lips.


    "What''s there today?" asked Mnie, and her motherughed.


    "You will find out tonight, dear. It is about family work," replied her mother.


    "I don''t think I am interested in anything else but being a doctor right now," said Mnie.


    "Of course, you will work on whatever you want. Consider this more like a part time work," the way her mother phrased it.


    Mnie looked back and forth between the two people in the kitchen and said, "I don''t know what''s going on."


    "I think we should leave her father to exin about it and wait for the evening," chuckled Conner''s mother before adding, "You''re going to enjoy it."


    Hours passed, and evening approached, where families were gathered in one of the houses of the Greasy Corner. Mnie and Conner were made to sit in one of the rooms, where the adults were present. But they weren''t all. The two boys she had and Conner had met earlier outside the house were also present, and she gritted her teeth.


    "Look who is here. I would have never known that we woulde to meet like this," smiled the boy while looking at Mnie.


    "I guess God gives everyone a chance to beat up a person," replied Mnie, staring at the person.


    "You wish,"ughed the guy, and Mnie looked for the closest object, which was the sidemp.


    "Mel!" her mother lightly scolded on seeing her behaviour.


    "That''s alright Mrs. Davis," said the boy with a polite smile, "I think it will be more fun working with her."


    Mnie leaned towards Conner and asked, "Do you know what''s going on?"


    "No clue at all," murmured Conner. "Feels like some sort of cult."


    "Yeah, I feel the same," replied Mnie, while sending a small re at the boy, who had tried to irk her.


    Soon the room''s door was locked, and the adults took their seats, and so did some of the youngsters who were slightly older than Mnie or Conner. Mnie watched her father walk towards the front of the room, and slowly the room turned quieter.


    "Wee to this months monthly meeting," Mr. Davis weed the people in therge room. "Before we go to the important topics, let us wee some of the youngsters who are officially going to join us from now."


    Mnie noticed how some of the people in the room nodded their heads, smiling at them.


    "You must be wondering why you are here, in this closed secret meeting that we hold every month. I want you to keep an open mind, and know that what we speak here is only for the people in this room and people who are like us," informed Mr. Davis, meeting every person''s eyes who were present in the room. "You shall not discuss this with anyone, and maintain aplete secrecy of what we speak. And these are only for your ears. We''ll need you to sign the agreement."


    Soon papers were passed around the room to the new joiners.


    "What are these?" asked Conner, a little wary about the current situation.


    "Do not worry, Conner. This is only an agreement to keep things in this room. As you are family, it is important," said one of the men in the room.


    "Isn''t trust not enough?" Conner took hold of the document.


    "This is a little different and you will understand soon. Do not worry, we are here only to make you aware of certain things and mean no harm to you," assured Mr. Davis.


    "What is exactly going on?" asked Mnie, a little worried about the way everyone was behaving. She loved her family, but that didn''t mean she was interested in being part of the cult.


    Mr. Davis raised his chin before he started to exin, "Decades ago, our forefathers found people who were drained out of blood. Murdered coldly by creatures whom most of us believe that they exist only as myths. To make sure these creatures didn''t kill and knew that we humans were not going to let them free, we retaliated with hunting them down. We are a family of hunters, who hunt and kill things that are not humans."


    "Did people smoke something?" Mnie whispered in a low voice, and Conner pursed his lips. He asked,


    "Are you speaking about vampires?"


    "Yes," confirmed his father. "Conner, we, our families are from the line of hunters who have been trying to rid these creatures. It''s a legacy that has been passed down from one generation to another."


    "And you have seen these vampires?" asked Conner.


    His father nodded, "I have not just seen, but I have also killed them. It is what we do, our responsibility and we want you to be part of it. To save human lives."


    Mnie looked slightly stumped because the conversation that had appeared this week came to sh in her mind. Conner had mentioned seeing a vampire, but he behaved as if that hadn''t happened right now.


    "It''s a little absurd for us to believe, father," Conner gave an awkward smile.


    "You don''t have to believe it right away. We''ll take you to one of the hunts and you will see it with your own eyes on what the truth is," stated his father. "But we want you to know that this world has more dangerous than you know of. It is why we have been providing your vitamins."


    "Vitamins?" asked one of the boys in the room.


    Mr. Davis replied to this, "My dear wife, she has been the one making the vitamins and candies that you have been consuming. They hold a substance called Silverwater, which avoids a human from beingpelled or being under a vampire''s influence. Of course, this isn''t easily obtainable and we try to give it to the youngsters to keep them from harm."


    Mnie stared at her father, who stared back at her. Her parents and the people in this room weren''t pulling some sort of prank on them, were they? Vampires didn''t exist. It wasn''t possible, she thought in her mind.


    "As this is something that is passed down in the family, you will be taught on how to use weapons and how to kill these creatures who have been causing an imbnce," said Mr. Davis, his posture proud. The orientation wasn''t supposed to happen this soon, but we have had recent missing humans or too many bodies being drained out of blood. It is why we believe it is time to introduce you to this rightful life."


    By the end of the gathering, Mnie stepped out of the room with Conner, and heard her best friend whisper to her, "Is it just me or do you think something is wrong with our families? Like any moment I will wake up from this absurd dream."


    Mnie''s face was serious, and she didn''tment on Conner''s words. Once they stepped out of the house and were about to part ways, "Conner," she called him.


    "Yeah, Mel?"


    "Do you remember that vampire that you spoke of that day?" asked Mnie.


    Conner nodded his head, "I do. I was just imagining it. The person was cosying drac and it was a mistake on my part. I am sorry I made you walk around with me that day. I will see you tomorrow?"


    "Yeah," replied Mnie, and before he could leave, Conner surprised her by putting his arms around her for a hug.


    "I am d you are with me, Mel. I sometimes don''t know what I would do without you," she heard Conner say to her. The embrace felt warm and Mnie turned slightly red at it. He pulled back and then smiled, "Have a goodnight, Mel."


    "Goodnight, Conner," she wished him back.


    Outside the house where the hunters meeting had taken ce, Simon stood with his back leaning against the wall, watching them. He was here to observe the hunters on what they were doing.


    Mnie then went back to her home, while being apanied by her parents. Her parents behaved as if they hadn''t mentioned vampires, and to think that she came from a family of hunters, she found it even stranger.


    Thinking back on the day when Conner hade running to find her, it didn''t look like he had seen a cosy. That day, panic was written all over his face.


    So what changed?


    Why did he think that the person he had encountered was not a vampire anymore? Mnie questioned herself, while getting into her room and she closed the door.

 Chapter 163 - Swaying In The Wind

    <h4>Chapter 163 - Swaying In The Wind</h4>


    Mr. Davis sat in the living room of his house, and his wife apanied him after they were done with the hunters meeting. He had picked up one of the bottles from the cupboard, pouring the whiskey in the ss before taking a seat.


    "Do you think it is a good idea to have Mnie and Conner involved in this? They are too young for this," said Mrs. Davis in a calm voice. She sat on the other couch, where the only light from the room was the sidemp. "I don''t think Mel took it well."


    "She''s in her twenties, not in her teenage years to not be able toprehend things," stated Mr. Davis, taking a sip from the ss. "You know the main reason why we even decided to send our children to Veteris because we found it to be suspicious, don''t you?"


    "How can I forget. You turned them to sacrificialmbs," muttered Mrs. Davis with a frown on her face and a grim expressioning to settle on her lips.


    "They are easiest to blend in, both Conner and Mnie. And nothing bad has evere to happen to them. At least we know there are no obvious vampires sticking out in Veteris," said Mr. Davis, and he ran his finger around the rim of the ss. "But yet, I feel something very strange about it. Holton had contacted me."


    "What was it about?" asked his wife.


    "They found drops of blood in the nearby forest of the university. A boy has gone missing, and a girl was found in a truck ident. They are waiting for the girl to wake up to see what information she can give," exined Mr. Davis. He then said, "If there are vampires around, where we have never been able to find a spot of death, it only means there''s more than just one around or in the university. "Mnie and Conner will be one of our biggest assets for the next two years. Our daughter has potential, and I will turn her into the finest hunter," with a proud smile.


    Back in Mnie''s room, the window had been left open, and the girl was hanging on the outside of her window before she jumped out of it.


    She had worn her pullover to protect herself from the cold, tucking both sides of her hair behind her ear.


    She pulled her phone, turning around to look at her house. When the person on the other side picked up her call, she said, "I am outside. Where are you?... No, I am going to take a walk around¡­ Yeah, see youter if you are free."


    Mnie cut the call, slipping her phone in her pocket. Slipping her hands in the pocket, she made her way down the street. She needed some air from the crazy information that her parents and the other close members of society had just told her.


    Vampires, they said, and the more she thought about it, the more it bugged her. Knowing her parents wouldn''t be dropping by her room as it was past nine in the night, which was when she often disappeared into her room and fell asleep, Mnie took the opportunity to grab a drink.


    Stepping into the store, she made her way to the counter and said, "One Java choco chip with the dusted cocoa powder."


    The man behind the counter gave her a nod, and she waited for the drink to be prepared. When she turned around to look at the few people in the shop, Mnie''s lips twitched.


    "We keep meeting each other, are you making an opportunity to meet me in the name of drink?" questioned Simon, who was sitting alone at the table with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand.


    Mnie would have ignored Simon if the other customers didn''t turn to look at them.


    Leaving the counter, Mnie made her way to Simon''s table. Unlike his loud voice, she lowered her voice to speak to him, "This is not your university but my town."


    "I didn''t know you were rich enough to own the entire Greasy Corner. You must belong to the family of the imperial,"mented Simon with a sly smile on his lips. "Where''s Conner?"


    "At his home. Don''t you have his number?" asked Mnie, raising her eyebrows at him, and she turned her body to go back to the counter.


    But Simon, who was utterly bored in this store right now, had no interest in letting the prey that had stepped in here. Like a maniptive spider, he lured her to his web, "I do, but you are often seen hanging around him. It is often easy to know where to find him because you are always following him like a cute little puppy."


    Mnie stared at Simon, who had picked up his coffee with both his hands and took a long sip while staring right back at her.


    "What''s your deal, Simon? You aren''t someone who helps people out of your way. I am sure you have some other things to do than be here?" she questioned him.


    Simon pulled his coffee cup away from his lips, and he blinked once before asking her, "I am drinking my coffee, what do you want me to be doing?"


    They stared at each other for two seconds in silence. Mnie shook her head, "Nothing."


    "How about youe and join me. Maybe until Conner arrives, yes? I could use somepany," offered Simon, but Mnie''s guard had always been up to when it came to people like Simon, and it also included the other friends of his. If it weren''t for her best friend Julianne dating this person''s friend, they would have never crossed paths to speak to each other.


    "You have your cup of coffee. I don''t think you need me and I prefer to take a walk than sit in one ce," replied Mnie. "Enjoy your¡ª"


    Simon pulled the chair as if wanting her to take a seat. "Don''t be such a prude, darling. Your drink hasn''t even been made for you to take a stroll."


    Mnie grabbed another chair, which hadn''t been pulled, and she took a seat at the table. She would be here only for a few more minutes before getting him out of her hair, she thought in her mind.


    "So how''s your rtionship progressing with your one sided crush?" Simon didn''t waste his time in beating around the bush and went to hit right at the nail.


    "Is it your hobby to be intrusive and poke your nose where it doesn''t belong?" asked Mnie with a polite smile on her face.


    "Actually that''s something Conner does, collect gossip and share it. It''s how we bonded," Simon''s voice was calm, and he appeared to be rxed as if there was nothing to do in this world except sit here and drink his coffee. "You have been helping him with his heartbreak of losing Reese."


    Mnie didn''t have a retort to defend Conner because he had the habit of holding most of the news, and she was often updated with what was going on.


    "We are best friends, that''s what one does to help the other," replied Mnie, and she then asked him, "Don''t you think Conner should use a senior student''s help who is into arts?"


    "You think so? He was struggling with the concept and needed a little bit of direction which I was more than willing to help him with," smiled Simon, tapping his finger on the cup.


    "So how''s it going to win the boy''s heart? It must be hard to move from the ship of friendship to a rtionship?"


    Mnie lightly red at the senior, and she said, "Why don''t you try to find out with your own circle of friends? Olivia and Victoria are beautiful girls."


    "Of course they are," agreed Simon with a slight nod, "But Liv is kinda taken by Maximus and Tori is¡­ well she''s not my type," his eyes swept across Mnie''s features. Hershes were dark and long, her lips pale pink, which she pursed every now and then. "Not to mention, rtionships are quite troublesome. And girls are even more troublesome. They will whine, cry, and get clingy as fuck. So why not just fuck and live life with no strings attached."


    "I think that suits you," Mnie nodded her head in agreement and the slight smile on Simon''s lips stretched.


    "I am d you agree to it. Something you agree with," said Simon, while knowing the human had meant it sarcastically. "So tell me, how is it progressing. I need something to chew on."


    "Let me get you a muffin so that it can keep you busy," Mnie rolled her eyes, and she turned to look at the counter, wondering what was taking long.


    "I don''t have a sweet tooth. I prefer spice in what I eat, or something bitter like coffee," his eyes sparkled in mirth as he watched Mnie''s expression, where she tried to listen to him.


    "Chillies," Mnie nodded her head, and Simon tilted his head as if waiting for her to speak about her love life. "There''s no progress. And it''s none of your business."


    "Maybe I should ask Conner what he thinks about you. But then he seemed to have been looking at you with quite adoring eyes before meeting here," there was something in Simon''s eyes as if he observed everything and in much more detail than what normal people didn''t.


    The door of the store opened, and in came Conner, who wore a jacket with false fur on its hood, "Wow, it''s cold, isn''t it," said Conner, rubbing his hands. "What were you guys talking about?"


    "Nothing," Mnie was quick to reply, and Simon, who parted his lips, offered a smile to Conner.


    "Mnie was proposing that we spend time together tomorrow. That she would be happy to show the ce around," stated Simon.


    "I am d that you guys are not ring at each other," confessed Conner, "What are you drinking?"


    "The usual," replied Mnie.


    Conner nodded his head, and he walked to the counter. Mnie stood up too, but before she could leave the table, Simon said, "If he likes you, he will buy the same order as you. You can thank meter, I am good at things like these."


    "Will you stop it already," Mnie red at him. It was like they were in high school, and Simon was busy taunting her.


    "It was the truth," Simon brushed Mnie''s words and continued, "When you like someone, you unconsciously gravitate towards the other person. At least you know, you have the chance."


    Mnie wondered if her hair was going to turn grey within the next few minutes. Because Simon had the ability to push and step on her nerves. She walked to where Conner was and finally picked up her order.


    Conner was someone she had secretly loved for years, and he meant a lot to her. A person like Simon would never understand it. She was worried that Simon would influence Conner or was being taken advantage of. But the only thing Conner had to offer was his gossip, thought Mnie in her mind.


    Though Mnie believed that her rtionship with Conner over the years was not fragile, she couldn''t help but worry how things could turn if he were to know that she had been growing feelings for him all these years? She wouldn''t be able to take it back once she would reveal it, and having Reese in the picture earlier had changed things.


    It had made Mnie realize that Conner had never thought or seen her that way. But at the same time, today was a little different than usual.


    But more importantly, how did that person at the table notice it? Asked Mnie.


    "Did you speak to your parents about what was discussed?" Conner asked Mnie in a low voice.


    Mnie shook her head, "It was too weird to bring it up again."


    "True, I didn''t speak to my folks about it either," replied Conner, and he sighed. "It was like suddenly the world is different. Why would they even send us to Veteris or anywhere outside if they know there are other things running around?"


    Mnie turned to look at Simon, staring at his coffee cup. She wondered if he had believed it when Conner had mentioned it this week. About seeing a vampire because he had apanied them. Was it because of boredom?


    While Conner waited for his order, at the same time, the two troublesome boys who were from the other hunters'' family appeared in the store.


    "Oh look, who is here. It feels like we are destined to be around each other," said the one who had bumped at Mnie. "On a date are we?"


    Mnie clutched on the paper cup that she held in her hand.


    "Are you ready for tomorrow?" asked another person to Conner.


    "What about tomorrow?" questioned Conner.


    "For the start of the training of course, what else?"ughed the person.


    Mnie slightly frowned, and she said, "We are not interested in it. Until I see this creature myself, I will only believe that it doesn''t exist."


    "I second the thought," Conner lightly chuckled.


    "I thought you would be braver and manlier than that, man. People''s lives are on line and you are agreeing to a girl''s words?" On hearing these words, Mnie stepped forward.


    "Do you have a problem?" questioned Mnie. As small and meek she appeared, there had always been more to her when she was tested and pushed.


    "Jalen, how about we go grab our drink?" said the boy to hispanion, who was staring at Mnie.


    The boy named Jalen looked down at Mnie and said, "I wonder if you will turn out just like your mother. Because of her mistake, it once costed a fellow hunter''s life. I think it would be right for you to sit back and drink your whatever and let the men do the work."


    "I can only tell that you have issues with women. If you have a problem, why don''t you speak about it during these meetings?" asked Mnie, only for the three of them near her to hear, while not knowing the vampire in the store was closely listening to them.


    Conner tried to maintain the peace and said, "How about we calm down. We have had a rough evening with the new information."


    "Yeah, it must have been rough for fragile people like you. Maybe it would be good that both of you don''t get to the training, because you won''t be able to handle it," said Jalen.


    "Doesn''t even know to speak, I wonder how we can trust you in the group," stated Mnie and Jalen went to take a step forward when a hand came in between them, and Conner and Mnie stepped backwards.


    The two hunters looked at Simon with a startled look on their faces. "The fuck do you think you are doinging here between when there''s ce on the other side?" questioned Jalen.


    Simon turned to look at the hunters and offered them a polite smile, "The counter is here, so obviously I will being here, you dimwit."


    "You fucker are asking for a fight," said Jalen, pulling his hand back while turning his fingers into a fist. He then went to hit Simon, who caught his hand and turned it around to twist the arm.


    "We were politely speaking, there''s no need for violence. I don''t think the owner would be happy to see his things be broken," Simon gave a little push such that the boy staggered back. He then turned to look at the woman who had hurriedlye to the counter with another coworker to stop the fight, offering the woman a polite smile. "I will have a Java choco chip with a muffin to go with it, muffin."


    The woman''s tension disappeared, and she nodded her head.


    The hunters stared at each other and were about to leave. But Mnie, unable to contain herself, said, "Maybe while we are at it tomorrow, you can get some training on how to behave civilly rather than wild animals."


    Conner turned slightly worried and turned to look at Mnie and tried to stop her, "Mel, that''s enough."


    Jalen, this time came at Mnie, and before he could get too close to her, Simon raised his hand, and the next second, the hunter boy was on the ground. "Who the fuck are you getting between us?!" grunted the boy.


    "Aw abiding citizen, who enjoys some peace," replied Simon and the boy''s red.


    Conner, who wasn''t too keen on violence, quickly said, "Can we please not get into any more fights. Jalen, I will have to report to Mr. Davis, if you try to push Mnie. Leave now."


    The two hunters red at the three of them, and Mnie red more than them with her eyes narrowed. "We''ll keep this score for the future, Conner," said Jalen before making his jacket proper and leaving the store without ordering anything they hade here for.


    "Seriously, Mel. Do you have to pick fights when they were leaving¡ª"


    "And what about you?" asked Mnie, who seemed angry.


    "What did I do? I wasn''t the first one to start the fight,"ughed Conner, but Mnie was not in the mood to hear about it.


    "This is not the first time, Conner. Is it too hard for you to take my side rather than being on the neutral side when someone is looking down on me?" asked Mnie to Conner with her eyebrows furrowed.


    "You know they are part of the¡­" Conner''s voice trailed as he Simon was here, and he couldn''t use words like hunters. "Your parents wouldn''t be pleased if they were to find out that you are causing trouble especially when you haven''t informed them that you are stepping out."


    "I am going home," dered Mnie.


    "Mel," Conner tried to stop her while Simon waved at her with a bright smile.


    "Don''t worry about it, Conner. Girls have different moods and sometimes it is hard to keep up with it," and Simon paid for his order before patting Conner''s back, who gave a small nod. "You seem a little tense, everything alright?"


    "Yeah," murmured Conner, and Simon nodded his head. While going to take a seat, the vampire''s eyes quickly moved to look at Mnie, who had stepped out of the store and now walked away from there. Before she couldpletely disappear, she turned to look inside, and their eyes met each other.


    While things were busy in the town of Greasy Corner with the hunters and the vampire, who hade to keep an eye on the hunters movement, Roman and Julie had stepped into the amusement park two hours ago.


    Julie had a blue cotton candy in her hand, while she walked next to Roman. There were a lot of people in here, most of them young, and some who hade on date. She had questioned Roman if the amusement park was too cheesy for the date, but he had brought her here after they were done visiting the hospital.


    "My parents used to bring me here when I was little," said Julie, and Roman looked around the ce and the people they were surrounded with. "At least monthly once because I used to loveing here."


    "How old were you?" asked Roman and Julie cleared her throat before replying,


    "Until I was sixteen or seventeen I think. I love watching the rides and the colours in here," she let him know.


    "How cute," remarked Roman and he saw Julie bring the cotton candy in front of her, her lips parting and taking a bite from it. And as careful as she had tried to be, small bits of it stuck to the corner of her lips. He raised his hand and picked one piece of it, before putting it in her mouth.


    Julie quickly touched the corners of her mouth to make sure there was no residue of the candy before her eyes fell on Roman, who licked the tip of his finger.


    Julie would have never imagined that Roman would stand in the middle of the amusement park. But maybe people said it right, she thought in her mind. When you liked someone, they did everything for the other person, even if they found things like these to be odd.


    "You would have liked the fair that used to be set up in Veteris before,"mented Roman.


    "Was it fun?"


    "I guess it was. I remember Olivia and the others being excited about it. Tristan included," he added and this brought a smile on her lips. "I used to go there because I would be dragged, but it isn''t as bad as you hear it."


    "It wasn''t something you liked to do," noted Julie and Roman''s lips twisted.


    "Yeah, I prefered my peace and quiet which people weren''t particrly fond about," and even though he said it as if he was annoyed, a small smile came to settle on his lips. "Traders from other towns and viges woulde to ce these tents and sell things. Clothes, food, games that were basic, unlike now. But a lot of people came to be part of it. The town folks would y dress, but that would be mostly because they would be looking for potential grooms or brides."


    "Did they ever¡­ look for you?" asked Julie, not knowing what ns Roman''s adoptive parents had in their mind for him.


    "I think mother had seen a girl for me, but she was hoping to get Tristan''s married before mine as I was younger to him," responded Roman, and he slipped his hand in hers, squeezing it gently. "I never bothered to see who it was."


    "I see," hummed Julie and Roman tugged her hand.


    "Come let''s take a ride in that one," Roman jerked his head towards the giant wheel. Buying the ticket, they got into one of them when it was their turn.


    Roman offered his hand for Julie to hold, and she ced her hand in his before getting in. Taking a seat next to each other, the wheel moved one after another. Julie could feel theirpartment sway and she looked below them, noticing how the ground was getting farther away every few seconds. The lights looked pretty and up in the air, it felt like they were the only one''s. Away from the crowd, stealing time for themselves.


    There was a gentle breeze and Julie tucked her hair behind her ear, holding it there for a while before dropping her hand on herp.


    When she turned to look Roman, he was already watching her. She said to him, "I had a wonderful time today. Thank you foring with me."


    One piece of her hair came to hover in front of her face, and Roman helped her in pushing it back, "I am d you had a good time. Is there anything else that we missed tick marking from the date list?"


    Julie shook her head with a smile on her face, "No. Everything is perfect."


    "How is your wrist doing?" asked Roman, taking it in his hand, and running his thumb over her skin. "The equipment was new and sharp."


    "It''s fine," replied Julie, taking a look at his name before her eyes fell on his left hand ring finger. Curious, she turned his hand to the side and her eyes widened. "W-when did you get this one?"


    The lettering was sleek and small, which was why she had failed to see it. It was her name that was written in cursive.


    "You didn''t think I would let you do it alone, did you?" asked Roman, and Julie, who was taken aback, was left slightly speechless and shy that he had got her name on his ring finger. When she hade out of the room, she had seen him with the magazine, which is why it never urred to her that he might have gotten a tattoo for himself. "You were wrong about something, Winters. It isn''t perfect yet," before Julie could frown, he leaned towards her and kissed her lips. She closed her eyes, pressing her lips back on his and she kissed him.


    Theirpartment was heading towards the top now. The kiss was nothing less than fireworks, and they took their time before pulling away their lips while their forehead touched each other.


    Julie stared into Roman''s eyes, that looked right into hers.


    When thepartment shook a little stronger, Julie''s heart hitched. She heard Roman say, "I''m here." She nodded her head. He was here, which was why she wasn''t freaking out with the way it shook.


    A few seconds passed, until the peace around them broke, as suddenly the Elder vampire, Azazel Donovan appeared in thepartment, sitting on the opposite side.


    Roman''s eyes narrowed and he red at Donovan. While Donovan looked around before his eyes settled on the couple, he said,


    "I missed you both!"

 Chapter 164 - Did We Adopt A Child

    <h4>Chapter 164 - Did We Adopt A Child</h4>


    So much for thinking that they had time and space for themselves, thought Julie in her mind. Donovan had a bright smile on his face and barely fazed for the fact that he had interrupted their private moment.


    As if finally realizing what he had done, the Elder vampire asked, "Did I interrupt something?" It was because Roman was ring at him right now.


    "Yes," came the direct reply from Roman, and he said, "Go back to wherever you came from."


    "Why would I do that? Holidays are meant to be something where people get to spend time with their family. And what better way but spend it with the both of you. My son and my daughter-inw."


    Julie wondered if their situation had turned worse since Donovan had found out that she was Opaline and Knox''s daughter,pared to when the Elder vampire believed she was only a human.


    "Right now, Julie and I are spending time together. Take an appointment if you want to spend time with us, instead of just crashing into what we are doing," stated Roman, his eyes narrowed at the Elder vampire, and a frustrated sigh escaped his lips before he leaned his back against the seat. And though he moved away from Julie, he continued to hold her hand.


    Donovan looked around the ce, looking at the ground as if he was a child. He then turned to look at Roman and asked, "So when can I get an appointment?"


    "How about never?" asked Roman, who was evidently annoyed as Donovancked the understanding when it came to personal space.


    "Now only if that was possible, Rome,"mented Donovan with a chuckle. "And, Julie dear." He gained her attention. "As your mother''s true acquaintance, I believe I should take good care of her daughter. What kind of friend would I be if I wouldn''t look out for you? You both are young, like newly hatched chicks from the eggs."


    For someone who had once tried to kill her and had mistakenly killed Conner''s girlfriend, Julie couldn''t help but think that this Elder vampire had no shame in twisting things.


    Donovan looked quite interested in sitting in the giant wheel, and hemented, "How fun is this? I would have never guessed that things like these existed. Does this run on electricity?" With Roman, who showed no reaction, he turned to look at Julie, and she nodded. "How wonderful! Life is indeed wonderful. Did you know that Castiel has that ability? Lightning. Maybe we can put his ability to good use when ites to creating weapons."


    Both Julie and Roman sat there quietly, not exactly happy with the Elder vampire''spany.


    "Seriously, what are you doing here, Donovan?" questioned Roman.


    "Well, I heard the hunters are on the run and are trying to sprinkle Silverwater around the block. So who is the first person whoes to mind when ites to worrying?" Donovan raised both his hands as if to emphasize his point.


    "What do you mean by block?" inquired Roman with a slight frown.


    "Well, the towns that are in and around near Veteris," replied Donovan, crossing his legs while he took afortable position to sit. "Though we got hold of one of the bodies near Veteris, Enoch has left a trail of them, as if to lead the hunters to the university and let them know that something is up. This has led to the other hunters being put on alert."


    "What an idiot," remarked Roman and Donovan nodded his head in agreement.


    "Unlike us, who were able to get an update on the current new world, Enoch has been living in a town that has been closed and he has been four centuries behind. He doesn''t know that the hunters will track not just us but also him," said Donovan in a calm voice. "I don''t even know who has that much Silverwater to supply everyone around."


    "Once they exhaust themselves of the Silverwater, it will make them vulnerable," Roman pointed out, which was the most obvious thing. The hunters spread the Silverwater to alert the other hunters about the vampire''s presence in the towns. "Where did you even hear about it?"


    Donovan pushed his coat to the side and showed a stain on his inky hue shirt, "You see this. This is my blood."


    "You took a sip of Silverwater," Roman somewhere looked pleased by it, and Donovan wasn''t happy with the stain on his shirt.


    "I was taking my time to get to know the town and mingle with people. So I went to this store and bought a drink, but who would have known that it was a drink that I didn''t n on paying for. Couldn''t evenpel them because there was too much crowd," Donovan pulled his coat back in ce.


    "Did you find out where the source came from?" asked Roman.


    Donovan''s lips twitched, and he tapped his finger on the edge of the seat, "I wish I knew but I didn''t find anything in bulk. Seems more like they are sent from somewhere else? Moreover, I had to finish the whole drink before leaving the ce because there were some suspicious looking humans, keeping an eye for the vampires. The store I was in wasn''t too far from here, so maybe we can try some drinks to know how contaminated this ce is?" He proposed the idea.


    "Isn''t it better to let the other vampires know not to drink?" asked Julie, and Donovan''s eyes shifted to look at her.


    "My dear, Julianne, going to alert others will end up with us being dragged into it. Let us wait for the little rats and mice to be caught, while having our own fun," remarked Donovan. And he then looked at Roman, "What do you think, Rome? Are you up to it?"


    "Fine," agreed Roman, and Julie''s eyes widened in worry.


    Julie turned to look at Roman and said, "But it isn''t safe. It''s going to corrupt your heart further."


    Roman brought his hand to caress her cheek, "Don''t worry, it will be fine. Donovan wants to test my heart and see how much it can handle."


    Julie didn''t know what Donovan or even Roman were nning to achieve right now. Thest time he had taken the bullet, it hadn''t gone well and purposely going to test the food and drinks around was nothing less to exposing themselves to the hunters who could be on patrol.


    When theirpartment had moved down to where they had first started, the man responsible for opening the doors reached his hand for the lock.


    "We would like to have another round of this," said Donovan, and the man looked confused because this was not how it worked. Who knew that the Elder vampire woulde to like the giant wheel to spare a few minutes, thought Julie to herself.


    "Sir, you will need to buy another ticket at the counter," said the man, and Donovan pulled out a wad of notes, pulling out a bill before offering it to the man.


    "How about now, boy?" Donovan''s words were smooth, and so was his action, and maybe if it was a woman, she would have been fazed by it, but the man stared at him.


    "I am sorry, Sir. It is the amusement park''s rules. Everything will need a ticket before you start to ride on it," said the man, firm with it, and Donovan slightly frowned.


    Roman pulled Julie''s hand, and he waved at the man to open the door before stepping out of it. His hand fished for something in his pocket before he pulled out a ticket and handed it to the man, "This should do."


    "You aren''t going to ride with me?" asked Donovan, his eyebrows raising.


    Roman turned to look at his father and said, "We''ll pass. You can finish your ride, while we use the spare time without you and spend it all alone. Enjoy your ride."


    Donovan didn''t mind that and said to the man, "You heard him. Put the door back," and he went back to sitting as if he owned thepartment, which he did for the next few minutes before it woulde down again.


    Julie turned to look at Donovan, who seemed excited to take another ride in the giant Ferris wheel, and she turned to look at Roman and asked, "Were you serious when you said you are going to drink everything around and look for Silverwater?"


    Roman watched how worry marred her features, "Donovan and I had a bit of talk. You mentioned the dark stone?"


    "What about it?" asked Julie.


    "Donovan believes that my heart holds those qualities. Technically I am not supposed to be alive. When I died the first time, I was supposed to stay dead because I died in my human form with not a drop of vampire blood in my body. Regardless if I was the vampire''s child, I was still very human. I didn''t return as a vampire, and was still a human when I was caught by the hunters."


    "How is it possible though? Doesn''t one have to drink or consume it?" If Julie wasn''t wrong, her father had mentioned that there had been only one stone, or it was still only in talks? She asked herself.


    Roman looked around the stores standing in the middle, watching some of them serve cold drinks. A sigh escaped his lips, and he said,


    "I don''t know. If it didn''te from Donovan, it must havee from my mother," he exined to her and Julie''s eyebrows furrowed deeply.


    But from what they knew, Roman''s mother was a human. Julie wondered if there was more to the woman.


    When Donovan returned after his ride, he straightened his coat and a pleasant smile on his lips. "What a wonderful time I had, if only I could have a warm drink up there,"mented Donovan, and he looked at Roman and Julie, who stared at him. "What?"


    "Where do you want to start?" questioned Roman, not wanting to waste any time.


    "How about we start here? Look at the colourful drinks there, what is it called?" Donovan didn''t ask Roman but Julie.


    Julie turned to look behind her shoulder and said, "Those are sodas. Do you think they would have gotten here? These are just vendors who have no connection to the water thates from the town."


    "Never too bad to try new things," said Donovan, and he walked to the shop that was set up.


    "I feel like we have adopted a child," murmured Julie and Roman''s eyes squinted.


    "I don''t think it would be too bad if the child was to go missing, would it?" Roman asked her, and they heard Donovan call them to join him. While they made their way there, he pulled Julie back into his arms, hugging her back with his arms around her. "I am annoyed that our date was cut short so quickly."


    Julie smiled at Roman''s words, and she ced her hands on his while hoping Donovan wouldn''t turn impatient and turn to look at them. "There are many more dates toe in the future, I will try to figure out how to keep him away and from apparating to where we are."


    "Yeah, I would like that," replied Roman, and he pressed his lips on her temple before unwrapping his arms around her.


    Once Donovan was done drinking the cold drink within a minute, he turned to look at the couple. "Alright, how about we step out of this noisy ce, and get some peace and quiet. The music is ringly loud and I feel like my ears are going to start bleeding. Don''t you feel that?" he asked them.


    Roman rolled his eyes, and he pulled Julie''s hand so that they would walk out of there, and Donovan followed them. They crossed a couple of streets, and the crowd started to lessen.


    Donovan said to Julie, "How are things at your rtives'' house?"


    "It is fine," replied Julie, a little wary that he was asking about them.


    "By the way, where are your other friends, Rome? Everyone seemed to have disappeared and Castiel was wondering where Maximus went," said Donovan, walking on the other side of Julie, where she now walked in between the two vampires.


    "Who knows," replied Roman, least bothered chatting or keeping up the conversation with the Elder vampire.


    "Where are we going to look first?" asked Julie. "The one with a lesser crowd or with a lot of crowd?" If they were looking for a crowd, the amusement park was the best spot, but it seemed like Donovan and Roman had already turned the ce to be vampire safe with no trace of Silverwater.


    "Less crowded. But let us see where the vampires often like to go and find their prey. Do you know which is the best spot, Rome?" Donovan asked Roman, a smile on his lips as if he knew his son would have previouslye by this ce and picked up humans to feast on.


    Roman didn''t reply, but he continued to walk as if telling them to follow them while also wanting to have the least interaction with the vampire.


    Coming to one of the stores, both Roman and Donovan ordered drinks as if they were pub hopping, only that, in this case, they were looking for Silverwater. When they found nothing, Julie could only let out a sigh of relief.


    "Is there no way to find where this Silverwater is grown?" inquired Julie. At least they would be able to restrict a few things.


    "You think we didn''t try to burn the entire fields of the Silverwater nts? In my time, it was the witches who grew them, and the ones who thought that they were smart, they let the humans know about it, but look now. The witches are being hunted along with us, sometimes I am so d to be alive and witness such things,"mented Donovan with a small smile on his lips while he tapped the straw on the surface of the ss. "Do you want to take a sip, Julie? We wouldn''t want you feeling left out."


    Julie shook her head, "I am good, thank you."


    Having Donovan behave all nice to her was nothing short of unnerving.


    They visited some more shops until they finally came to one where there were many people. It was a diner, and there were a lot of college students who seemed to be having a good time. "Do you see anything?" questioned Donovan, his eyes leisurely looking at the people, where some of them stared at them. "Why do you think they are staring at us?"


    "I think it is the coat," whispered Julie, which stood out as much as Donovan did like a sore thumb. If she thought Roman stood out in the past, his father took it up a notch to make sure everyone noticed him.


    While Donovan and Julie were having a little chat, Roman''s eyes fell on a few people spread around the diner. Three of them were outside the diner, and he caught one of them inside the diner, their behaviour slightly suspicious.


    "I don''t think we need to enter this ce to know that they are serving Silverwater," stated Roman. "There are four hunters in here, actually five of them. One is the waitress," he said, his eyes zeroing on the young woman who had a bright smile on her face.


    "Mm, I would say we could pass but it seems like one of them has their eyes on us," hummed Donovan, and he said, "Leaving so abruptly will only make them question and follow. How about we all order something sweet. Come on," and he headed towards the diner''s entrance.


    "How many times have youe across hunters until now?" asked Julie while they slowly made their way towards the door.


    "A dozen times. It isn''t unusual for us vampires to note across the hunters, especially when we like to hunt and drink fresh blood," and Roman put his arm around Julie, pulling her to him when one of the boys was about to bump into her.


    Roman and Julie stepped into the diner, making their way to one of the booths that was being cleaned right now. Donovan spoke to the waitress, who was probably in her early thirties. Julie took a seat, getting in first and was soon followed by Roman.


    Somewhere, knowing the hunters were here, it turned Julie anxious.


    They ordered their food while Donovan came to join in, "A shame that she''s a hunter, else I would have thought of taking her out for a stroll." It seemed like Donovan was trying to flirt with the waitress, who was, in fact, a hunter. "She seemed sharper."


    "The next thing you know, you will be having a stake through your heart and we''ll be bidding you farewell," deadpanned Roman in his usualcklustre tone.


    "I might be old, but I am experienced when ites to dealing with hunters, especially women who think they can try to lure my vampire self," Donovan lightly chuckled, and he took a look at the menu. "So what are we having for dinner?"


    "Burger and fries, and cold drinks," informed Julie, and Donovan didn''t seem too pleased. But the Elder vampire didn''tment on it. Instead, he spoke to Julie, "How are your abilitiesing along? Anything interesting? Sent anyone anywhere?"


    "I didn''t get the time to venture into it," replied Julie, and even if she did, she doubted she would like to share it with this person. As much as Donovan was Roman''s biological father and acted as if everything was fine, it didn''t mean she trusted him. Something hit her mind, and she said, "I thought the abilities that were taken by the witches couldn''t be used on them."


    "Are you speaking about me apparating where you were earlier?" Donovan''s eyes sparkled that Julie asked good questions instead of making unnecessary talks.


    She nodded her head.


    "It isn''t entirely true that you cannot harm or use the ability on a witch. There are some loopholes in the spells and the earlier stones," Donovan, who had interlocked his fingers, let them go when the waitress came to ce their food.


    "I made sure to not make use of tomatoes as requested in your order," said the waitress to Donovan with a smile, and he returned it to her.


    "How thoughtful of you, now only if I knew when you would be off of work tomorrow," said Donovan to the waitress, who continued to smile at him.


    "Maybe I will tell you tomorrow. I hope you enjoy your meal," said the waitress, returning to take orders from the other tables.


    "How much should I bet that she already believes that you are a vampire?" asked Roman lowly. He pulled the te of food near him and added pepper on top of it.


    "Then let us behave like this is the best meal we have ever had so that I can get more information from her. Also, she doesn''t look that bad," stated Donovan, picking up his fork and knife, ready to cut the burger into little pieces.


    Looking at Donovan, Julie could tell this was the first time he was eating a burger, and her gaze moved to look at Roman, who didn''t bother toment on it. Both Roman and her had spent a lot of time in the amusement park, and she realized how hungry she was now.


    "What an interesting way to eat," murmured Donovan, looking at the person at the other table, who had picked up the entire burger. He quietly harrumphed before elegantly continuing to cut the bread and the meat and then put it in his mouth. "Seems like they haven''t limited the ingredients to just drinks, but also food."


    "The quantity is right enough to kick in the vampire senses," murmured Roman as he continued to chew and swallow the bite he had taken.


    "Kick in?" asked Julie.


    "There are dosages of how much can be used to get what type of reaction. Usually this kind, it brings out the colour of a vampire''s eyes, dear," Donovan took his time to exin and teach Julie. "The higher ones will often leave a vampire spewing blood. But these, it lets a hunter know that there''s a vampire, and it doesn''t catch much attention to the other humans, who are unaware of the vampire''s existence. Less panic."


    Julie looked back and forth between the two vampires, seated at her table, but so far, they appeared to be calm, and their features hadn''t changed.


    Roman noticed Julie''s curiosity, said, "If it were any average vampire, you would have seen the change in physical features. We are good at holding the vampire self back."


    "That''s right. Our blood is much purer than the now contaminated ones," agreed Donovan, stabbing the bread and trying to get the meat along with it before putting it in his mouth.


    As if to check on them, the waitress came to the table and asked, "I hope the food is to your liking. Is there anything else that I could get you?"


    Donovan looked up, smiling, he said, "I don''t think I have ever tasted anything as good as this," he waved his hand to his te, and the waitress noticed the way the burger had been butchered.


    The waitress gave him a look before looking at Julie, where Julie smiled kindly.


    It didn''t go unnoticed how the woman''s eyes moved back and forth, and very quickly as if she was making a check to make sure they were perfectly normal. When her eyes shifted to look at Roman, he only red back at her, which was the usual way he looked at people.


    "That''s good. Do let me know if you need anything, I will be right here," said the waitress, and she left the table.


    And even though she left the table, Roman sensed her eyes had gone back to observe them from afar. Julie said,


    "We already know this ce is contaminated, is it necessary to stay around and continue eating?"


    "We are building trust with the hunters, showing them that we are harmless. This way it is easier to befriend and get more information, Winters," stated Roman, his fingers wrapped around the cold drink, and Julie took a deep breath.


    Both Donovan and Roman brought the sses near their lips before taking two sips and cing it back on the table. They went back to eating.


    Back near the counter, the waitress had ced both her hands on the counter''s surface, and she heard the man behind ask, "How was things looking up?"


    "So far good I think," replied the woman, while looking at one of the tables from the corner of her eyes.


    Suddenly, when one of the men stepped out of the diner, he was suddenly surrounded by the fellow hunters and dragged behind the diner. The waitress said, "Looks like we finally caught one of them."


    "You stay here, and keep a watch. Some of these Silverwater are triggeringte, and it looks like it was mixed with something else. Make sure to see which one shows signs," said the man before leaving the counter.


    The woman didn''t know why, but she felt something very odd about the man who had tried to flirt with her. The way he ate the burger was even stranger. She kept a close eye on the customers.


    Back at the table, Donovan lightly cleared his throat, and he pursed his lips. He subtly ced his hand on the table, tapping his fingers before smiling. Julie''s eyes shifted to look at Roman, quietly eating his burger. He then finished his entire drink calmly.


    Roman wiped his mouth with the napkin.


    With Donovan''s back facing the waitress, the Elder vampire asked, "How are you eating this thing? I feel like someone is sewing needles through my skin."


    Dropping the napkin, Roman''s cold eyes subtly red at Donovan because his eyes were threatening to change colour, and he was turning thirsty for blood.

 Chapter 165 - Slipping Control

    <h4>Chapter 165 - Slipping Control</h4>


    Julie kept a passive expression on her face because she could feel the waitress''s eyes that was fixed on their table. Roman didn''t reply but only red at Donovan before he said,


    "We should get going if you have built trust with the waitress. But I don''t think it will be easy to get into the circle of the hunters. Times have changed and hunters aren''t easy to trick."


    "That shouldn''t be a problem," Donovan cleared his throat as if something had clogged in his throat. "This has a very familiar after taste, and brings back nostalgic feelings. Maybe it is time to leave?"


    "Not right away," replied Roman, who tried to keep straight while he felt the prickly feeling in his chest.


    "Are you okay?" Julie asked worriedly, and Roman put his arm behind her seat. When he turned to look at her, she noticed the specks of red that looked like burning coal, and she softly gasped. "It''s showing." She wondered how much pain he was in, that he was letting a drop of blood drip out of his lips and keeping his expression unwavering.


    "If we leave right after we have eaten and drunk what they have offered, it will only end up like the vampire who just got caught a few minutes ago," stated Roman, blinking his eyes to let the flicker of redness disappear from his eyes.


    "I am so d that you grew up so smart. You make me proud, Rome," Donovan subtly puffed his chest, and he looked too out of ce to be sitting in a diner while eating a burger with clothes like that. But Julie had to agree that the Elder vampire had style and ss when it came to dressing up.


    Julie then asked, "Will you be able to hold up? Without getting sick?"


    "I will be alright, Winters. Let us order another round of food and drinks at the table," on hearing Roman''s words, Julie''s mouth hung open, and Donovan looked surprised.


    "Another round of this?" Donovan didn''t seem too keen on eating another burger.


    "Yeah," Roman gave a small nod, and a smile came to form on his lips. "Now that we are here, and it would be rude to find a meal somewhere else, let us eat here. Are you scared that you will throw up?" This time it was him who taunted Donovan.


    It was as if someone had stepped on Donovan''s nerve, and he leaned his back against the seat. He raised his hand as if signalling the waitress toe to their table. The woman, a hunter, made her way to the table, and she looked at them.


    "Yes?" asked the waitress with a polite smile.


    Both Donovan and Roman stared and red at each other. Donovan ordered, "We would like to order everything from the menu that you think might appease our taste. One of each."


    The waitress'' eyes subtly raised, and she said, "One of each? There are a lot of items."


    Donovan turned his head to look at the woman, and he offered his charming, saint-like smile. He said, "Yes, we would like to try everything. You see, we are celebrating our time together as a family."


    The woman gave a nod as if this order alone had cleared the people at the table, that they were purely humans and just wealthy ones who wanted to throw their money in here. She gave a nod, "I will be sure to get them here once they are ready."


    "That would be wonderful," replied Donovan, and the woman left the table. "How about that, Rome? Are you willing to eat them equally with me? I think this would be a meal I would most enjoy."


    Roman offered a smile to Donovan, a smile that Julie had never thought or imagined to see him have it. The look in his eyes was cold, and the smile empty as a person who was dead. He said,


    "I think the important question here is, if you will be able to handle it. I can feel you trying to keep down the cough that is pricking your throat."


    "Mm," hummed Donovan, being the cool Elder vampire, he said, "The food wasn''t exactly to my liking. It was a little dry, and I think I am more used to having raw and fresh meat."


    "Perhaps should make a request to the waitress, she will be sure to take it as personal order with the rest of the hunters," remarked Roman, his hand running up the length of the knife kept next to his te.


    It took two seconds before Julie realized what was going on. This was another side of Roman, a side that looked very familiar to how Donovan was but more menacing. Was this because his heart had started to corrupt again? Thest time his heart had been affected, he had turned wild and animal-like.


    "Why make an order when I can take a fresh full course drink from her?" replied Donovan.


    Julie didn''t know who was trying to spur whom, or maybe both the vampires were at it. But this was not good, she thought to herself. What if both of them were going to fall sick? How was she going to handle or even save? Maybe open the portal to send them back in time? That was a possible solution, but thest time she had opened the portal, it was on a whim, and she didn''t know how to do it again.


    Since the time she had returned from Willow Creek, Julie had tried to test and make use of her abilities, but she had found very little luck in it.


    When the food was brought to the table, one after another, Julie said, "Let me take some that I like."


    "Go ahead, Winters," replied Roman and Julie wondered which had the most Silverwater so that she could reduce the amount of Silverwater consumed by Roman and Donovan.


    There was no telling how much of Silverwater was mixed in each item because the substance didn''t affect her the way it affected the vampires.


    "You know, Julie," Donovan tapped his finger lightly on the surface of the table as if he was trying to control the effects of Silverwater. "It would be more terrible for Roman to take a sip from you now the more Silverwater you consume.You, the emergency blood bag, would not be helpful if he turns blood thirsty."


    Julie''s hand hovered above the sandwich that she was about to grab. This was something she had not considered, but her blood had already turned impure because of eating the contaminated food on the table.


    "You don''t have to worry about it, Winters," remarked Roman, and he pushed the te towards her. "Eat as much as you want and do what you like. It would be best if you are filled with Silverwater."


    Even though Roman could feel his emotions changing, where he wanted to w people out and rip their heads off while drinking blood from their necks, it didn''t reduce the emotions and feelings of concern he had for Julie. If she had a sufficient amount of Silverwater in her body, and even if he did lose his self-control and momentarily drank from her, his body would reject the blood immediately, and he would immediately stop drinking from her.


    "We ordered too many things," whispered Julie, looking at the waitress, who brought two more tes of food on their menu.


    "It looks like you are celebrating something,"mented the waitress, and Donovan offered her the politest yet charming smile. "I hope you enjoy your meal."


    "We will," replied Donovan, and before she could leave, he said, "Compliments to the person cooking it. The food here is quite delicious."


    "I will be sure to pass on yourpliment to him," replied the waitress, and she left the table. Once she returned to the main counter, the man in charge of billing appeared from the back door, dusting his hands and the front of his apron. "How did it go?"


    "Ben is fixing up the body in the back. Unfortunately the dumpster isn''t as safe as it used to be, and the blood sucker''s body will need to be ced somewhere else," informed the man.


    "The graveyard you mean?" asked the waitress.


    "Where else do we dispose of it," said the man, and his eyes then fell on the customers at the table.


    "I thought the vampires were supposed tobust."


    "Yeah, but this time the Silverwater is mixed with something else. It''s not just for vampires."


    "Hm?" asked the woman, and her eyes widened slightly. "I thought they went extinct."


    The waitress didn''t give away what it actually was because who knew which vampire or witch would be listening in.


    "Word is that there are still some lurking in the shadows. Theposition was not mixed well and it stops the vampire frombusting into dust," said the man, before his eyes fell on the table where the three customers sat, who seemed to be eating quite slowly. "Anything out of order with those three?"


    The woman carefully turned her head to Julie''s table before she looked back at her fellow hunter. "Looks like rich folks wanting to throw away their money here. They spent an awful amount of money wanting to taste everything on the menu."


    "I wonder what such privileged people like them are doing here instead of dining in some fancy restaurant," remarked the man in a low voice. The music ying in the diner and the noise of the crowd talking andughing drowned their voices.


    "Probably came here with the kids. Anyways, table one to twelve is clear. I will go and attend table thirteen and see if I find anything odd in there," said the woman, fixing the napkin behind the pocket of her jeans.


    Back at the table, Julie took a couple of bites from the sandwich, wanting to eat as much as she could, while both Roman and Donovan took their leisure time to have the food. The Elder vampire took a look at the pizza that was ced right in front of him.


    Roman took a slice of pizza in his hand and started eating it. Donovan took a moment before deciding to pick it up. The vampire thenined when the toppings fell on his te, and the ends of it moved down, "How do you eat this thing?"


    Julie decided to teach Donovan by saying, "Here, let me show you."


    "What a wonderful and helpful daughter-inw I have. I knew I could always count on you, if not my son," the word son was nothing less than Donovan stepping on Roman''s nerve.


    "You need to curve it and use one of your fingers at the bottom as support," Julie let the vampire know, and he picked another slice of pizza. "Yes, that''s how you do it." She wondered if it was time for her to adopt a pet as she patiently taught Donovan how to eat.


    As light-hearted as Donovan tried to make the situation, Julie was counting the seconds on her watch. It was obvious that both the men at the table were prideful and were eating the food one after another, waiting for the other to drop and ept defeat.


    Donovan picked up the ss of cold drink, sipping it, and he scrunched his face, "I keep forgetting that this thing has Silverwater in it too. Only if I could order a ss of whiskey or rum. Do they serve it here?"


    Somewhere amid trying to finish the most out of the two men, the food got stuck, and Julie started to cough. On seeing this, Roman picked up a ss of water, and he brought it up to her lips, "Drink this."


    All the while, Donovan watched Roman''s interaction with Julie. Even though his son was trying to conceal the ripper traits, Donovan was an experienced vampire, and he knew when a vampire''s ripper side made its appearance. So far, he was doing fairly well, and it was interesting to see how his affection for the witch didn''t deter.


    Julie drank the water, feeling some drops of it slip from the corner of her lips, and she quickly wiped it away.


    "Are you nning to have everything on the table? Technically it would be impossible to finish everything by yourself," said Roman, cing the ss back on the table and using his thumb to rub the trace of water next to her lips.


    Roman''s had pressed a little more firmly on her lips, and he heard her heart beating and the blood coursing through her veins. He could smell the blood, not just from her, but from everyone who surrounded him, but along with the warm blood, he sniffed the scent of Silverwater that wafted around this ce.


    When the table was mostly out of food, Julie whispered, "Rome. Your eyes."


    Roman''s eyes had turned bright red, and he felt his fangs ache. The food on the table wasn''t something that could curb his thirst, and needed to feel the taste of blood.


    "Looks like it is pushing through the surface," Donovan murmured, his demeanour still calm as if he hadn''t spurred Roman to turn into a ripper.


    Julie asked Roman, "How do you feel?"


    "You wouldn''t like to know the truth," replied Roman, and he looked at the table''s surface. Julie saw his hands clench as if he was trying to control himself, and she wondered if this was what Donovan had been aiming for.


    "Maybe it would be best to pay the bill and leave this ce now," suggested Julie, and she said, "Let me go to the counter and pay for it." But before she could make her way out of the seat, the waitress was already making her way towards the table.


    This was not good, thought Julie in her mind. Roman''s control was slipping, and it was nerve-wracking for her.


    "She''sing here," Julie''s voice was low, and she wondered if the waitress would notice.


    With every step, the woman took, Julie''s heart was ready to slip out of her chest. Roman said, "Deep breaths, Winters."


    "How do you take deep breaths when there''s a possibility of being shot out in the open," replied Julie, feeling her nerves jitter. Roman then turned his body to face her, and she watched how his eyes looked slightly different from the usual red.


    "Like this," said Roman, his hand raked through the side of her hair, and he brought her face near to his before kissing her on her lips.


    She hadn''t expected this, and Roman took her by surprise. Her cheeks turned red, not because it was anything new, but the waitress and Donovan, and a few who caught sight of it, stared at them.


    Roman''s hand was firm, and it didn''t let her go, as if he wanted to suck the very soul out of her and keep it with him forever. Julie wondered if this was his other side taking control of the situation. She had been held by him and kissed several times to know this one felt much different from the ones she was used to.


    While Roman was busy kissing Julie, the waitress arrived and noted the young couple. Donovanmented, "Kids these days are very open, aren''t they. When do you think I can get your address?"


    "Address?" the waitress asked, raising her eyebrows, and she then said, "Aren''t you a little too fast, Mr¡­"


    "You can call me Azazel. It''s an alias," Donovan let out a smirk on his face, and the woman, who had now confirmed that this group weren''t vampires, noticed the man was indeed peculiar, but he had ss with the way he spoke and his gaze.


    "It looks like you are into video games," the waitress then ced the bill. "Here is the bill for the food."


    Donovan pulled out his wallet and smoothly ced his card on the bill. She swiped the card, and before leaving, she wrote down something and ced it on the table. He picked it up and noticed the numbers written on it.


    "What''s your name?" Donovan continued to flirt with the woman while keeping her eyes on him.


    "Vanessa."


    The woman left the table, and Roman finally let go of Julie, whose head turned slightly dizzy because of the intense kiss. Not to mention, right now, all she wanted to do was hide under the table.


    The colour of Roman''s eyes didn''t go back to his ck ones, and instead, the red eyes continued to persist.


    "It''s time to get out of this ce," remarked Roman, and Julie couldn''t agree more.


    "What are we going to do about the hunters?" Julie''s words were a whisper. She felt Roman slip his hand into hers and pull her away from the booth.


    "Today is just the day we observe, unless one of us slips and they catch hold of it," replied Roman, and he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them, and they finally switched back to ck ones.


    When they walked past the hunters, Julie held her breath and noticed two of the hunters quietly staring at them. Stepping out of the diner, the three of them headed towards the street. They didn''t stop walking until they came to a quiet, deserted alley.


    Donovan and Roman had been holding well so far even though they had consumed a good amount of Silverwater. But Julie''s assumption was short-lived. When there was no one around, both the vampires threw up ck blood.


    "I don''t think I have ever held it this long," Donovan pulled his handkerchief and wiped the blood off his lips. "There was something in there, wasn''t it? It tasted rubbish."


    Roman bent down, his knee touching the ground as he threw up ck blood in colour. He finally stood up, using the back of his sleeve to wipe his lips, while staring at Donovan.


    "Now that you are done testing my corrupted heart, I think it is time we said goodnight," stated Roman, getting back to Julie''s side. "We''ll take a look around the other ces tomorrow morning. You can go back to Veteris."


    Donovan started to cough more as if he were sick, and he ced his hand on his chest. He said, "I don''t think I have the energy to travel back to Veteris right now. Is this how you treat your sick father?"


    "You are right, let us take you to the hospital and have you admitted there," said Roman, but Donovan shook his head.


    "Why would I go to a hospital when I have you both? Isn''t that right, Julie?" asked Donovan, and Julie shook her head. "Let us go home together."


    Huh? Asked Julie in her mind.


    "No," deadpanned Roman, "Go find your own ce to stay in¡ª"


    Before he couldplete his sentence, Donovan disappeared from there. Julie turned slightly anxious and asked, "Please tell me he''s not gone where I think he''s gone to."


    Roman raked his fingers through his hair and said, "Come let us leave before he creates unnecessary trouble."

 Chapter 166 - Been Waiting In The Tree

    <h4>Chapter 166 - Been Waiting In The Tree</h4>


    Julie and Roman made their way to where the motorcycle had been parked. She fiddled with her fingers, hoping Donovan wouldn''t do something she wouldn''t want to. Why did the Elder vampire even want to visit her uncle''s ce? Her eyes shifted to look at Roman, who picked up his helmet, and when he passed it to her, their eyes met.


    "Are you alright?" asked Julie, her tone worried and her eyebrows slightly furrowed.


    Roman ced the helmet over her head,tching the belt under her chin. His eyes were still red, and he gave her a nod, "Yes."


    His eyes traced the curves and lines of her face, watching her closely, and he said, "I am fine, Winters."


    "You don''t feel thirsty?" asked Julie, and Roman stared at her as if contemting how to answer her question. "We can stop by the hospital once again to get the blood bags for you."


    "Going there at this time isn''t as feasible as it was in the afternoon," replied Roman, and Julie shook her head.


    "Why not?" asked Julie. "Aren''t the doctors in there vampires who will be able to give it to you."


    Roman''s lips pulled upwards, "Didn''t you hear what Donovan said earlier? The hunters are spreading the Silverwater around the towns, which would also mean that it could increase the thirst of potential vampires turning thirsty. Who in turn woulde to the hospital to get a good amount of blood bags so that they don''t get caught by the hunters, who are probably taking not just taking stroll on the streets and keeping an eye. But also checking the hospitals to keep the count of blood bags."


    And though Roman exined it to her, he didn''t answer her question if he was thirsty, which Julie only confirmed to be true.


    With Donovan, who had left and not hovering around them, Julie saw Roman coughing. He ced his hand on his chest, his body bent forward as he tried to maintain his bnce. The cough felt like it wrecked through his chest, and the frown on her face deepened.


    "Maybe we should go somewhere away from this ce so that you can get some blood," Julie wanted to make sure that Roman was well fed when it came to blood.


    "I don''t think I can take the blood from the hospital, Winters. I want the blood, unfiltered and warm and a lot of it. Do you understand what it means?" questioned Roman, his red eyes fixed on her.


    Julie didn''t respond to him because she knew what he meant. Too much bloodthirst meant Roman wouldn''t be able to control his thirst, and there was a possibility of him killing a human.


    She wished she could give her blood to him, but by eating in the diner, she had contaminated her blood.


    "Come we''ll figure out something," said Roman.


    But even though he said it, Julie could tell that he was struggling. After provoking Roman, Donovan had disappeared from the ce just like that. Did he have too much faith in Roman, or did the man want to cause chaos?


    At the same time, she was d that Roman wasn''t pouncing on her like when they were in Veteris. He offered his hand for her, and she ced her hand on it before he pulled her behind him. She sat on the motorcycle, circling her arms around his waist.


    "Tell me, if it hurts," said Julie, and the gaze in Roman''s eyes softened.


    If there was someone who could pull out emotions from Roman''s cold behaviour, it was her.


    Roman pulled her arms closer, and he kick-started the vehicle before heading in the direction of Mr. and Mrs. Winters'' residence. While Julie sat behind him, feeling the breeze pushing her hair backwards as they went against the wind, she felt slight stuffiness in her chest. She took a deep breath before exhaling the air out from her lips.


    But their journey was cut short when a couple of police officers stopped them from driving ahead. It wasn''t just them, but some other people who were being stopped and questioned. One of the officers came near Roman and Julie.


    "Your license," asked the man.


    Roman pulled out his license card and handed it to the man.


    "Hm, you aren''t from this town,"mented the officer, but Roman didn''t reply.


    Julie saw the couple who had been stopped earlier was allowed to pass, while the officer next to them scanned Roman''s card before handing it back.


    "What''s the inspection for?" inquired Roman.


    "There was a man who stole a diamond ne from a jewelry store and we still weren''t able to find him. No one knows where he went after he took the jewelry. We are seeing if the person handed the jewelry to someone or any outsiders," exined the officer.


    During the time while the officer was speaking to them, Julie felt her vision blur, and for a moment, she closed her eyes. It was as if she was about to lose consciousness, and she quickly shook her head.


    As if Roman heard Julie''s heartbeat lower, he turned to look at her.


    "We should get going," said Roman to the officer, and the man looked at the couple before giving them a nod.


    [Music Rmendation: The Drowning - Le Castle Vania]


    But before they could leave, the officer''s eyes fell on Julie''s hand, which looked different as if veins were popping up, and his eyes narrowed. "You¡­" he looked at her in shock. "There''s a creature here!" the man shouted.


    The other officers turned in their direction, pulling out their guns, but Roman immediately kickstarted the motorcycle and drove away. Gunshots echoed while he rode the motorcycle in a zigzag motion.


    "I think something is wrong," said Julie, feeling her stomach ache. Her hands clenched on Roman''s sides while they were chased by the people, who posed themselves to be officers.


    "Looks like they are looking out for vampires in every nook and corner," replied Roman, and he said, "Hold tight." Julie did what she was told.


    "They know your name and the te number of the vehicle.


    "Don''t worry about it," responded Roman, and he decided to take a detour from their actual destination. Thest thing they needed was the hunters following them to Julie''s uncle''s ce. And with the hunters chasing them right now, it was better to take them to a ce which was isted enough where he could deal with them.


    Julie, who was sitting behind Roman, for a moment when she closed her eyes before opening it, it was as if everything changed around her. There were more trees, and the path they were riding on didn''t have a defined road. Like they were in a time period before the current time.


    But at a distance, she could hear the sound of vehicles that followed them. Roman led the hunters into a forest while being chased by the humans who followed them with an intention to kill them. Parking the motorcycle behind a thick tree, he saw Julie''s hands had slightly changed its colour. When she pulled the helmet off her head, her face didn''t look the same as before.


    There were little roots like veins all over her skin, much more prominent than how it appeared on the vampire''s skin.


    "Now I know why the Silverwater tasted different in the food and drinks at the diner," murmured Roman.


    "I am feeling sick," whispered Julie, her back leaning against a tree.


    Roman ced his hand on her face and said, "They added a substance called Chimera. It reflects a witch''s true or innate appearance. It causes difort." He had tried to get his hands on things that spoke about witches, trying to be helpful to Julie. "Stay here, and I will deal with the hunters."


    When he was about to leave, Julie caught hold of Roman''s hand. She heaved for air and said, "There are too many of them."


    "Stay here. I will be back soon," Roman promised her, and he left her side.


    Roman made his way towards the hunters, who were now looking for them. Even though the humans tried to walk as quietly as they could, he could hear the sounds of their footsteps and their ragged breathing.


    "Is it a vampire?!" asked one of them.


    "It''s a witch! I heard they are deadly," informed the other person, who had earlier spoken to Roman. "Get the silver bullets out and make sure to aim right at the head."


    "I thought we''re going to take the witch alive?" said another hunter.


    "If the witch doesn''t kill us. But this seems like a witch with abilities," said the hunter, holding the gun near his face while his eyes moved back and forth, looking around the forest.


    The hunters continued looking for the witches, believing Roman was a witch too because of Julie''s hand. "Do you hear anything?" asked one of them at the back. "Spread out from here in a group of two," he ordered.


    There were six hunters in the forest, but they weren''t able to find the two creatures. It was because Roman had Julie hidden away from where the hunters were looking while he was nowhere on the ground. Right now, he stood on top of a tree''s branch, watching the hunters scatter. When a pair walked nearby the tree, he slowly got down, walking behind them without letting them know.


    Grabbing one man''s neck and covering the mouth, he snapped the head with not a single thought.


    Though Roman held somepassion towards people even though he didn''t like people''spany, he wasn''t a naive vampire who didn''t know the hate the hunters held towards the vampires or witches. And right now, his ripper side had overtaken his mind. As if sensing the fellow partner missing, the other person turned around to point the gun at Roman, but his hand was pushed upward and squeezed until the man dropped the gun.


    Roman caught the man''s neck while twisting the human''s arm, where the hunter groaned in pain while trying to alert the others by shouting, "The creature is here!"


    The human used his leg to kick Roman''s side, and it worked only for a few seconds before his head was snapped.


    Right in time, Roman heard the sound of a gun clicking, and he moved to the side before turning around, and the silver bullet flew right into his arm.


    The pain dully spread across his arm, but it barely fazed Roman. When his red eyes met the human''s eyes, one of them said, "You said this was a witch!"


    "I am sure it was a witch that I saw. Who cares, get them both!" said another hunter, who came to enter the scene after hearing the groans of one of his men.


    While they started to fire the bullets at Roman, he moved fluidly as if the bullets were moving slowly, and he got to one of the hunters, pulling the arm with the weapon and smashing the head with his own to hear the hunter wince and groan at the pain. The other three hunters tried to take a hit at the vampire, but one of the bullets went into the human.


    "Argh!" the human groaned in pain, feeling the bullet in his leg.


    One of the hunters pulled out a small sk that had liquid in it, and he threw it at Roman. This ended up with the sk breaking, and it created a collision of fire, burning and melting the vampire''s skin. It slightly pushed Roman''s button, and before the hunter near him could maintain a distance before attacking him again, he caught hold of the person''s cor, pulling him back to him.


    "Let him go, you blood sucker!" shouted the hunter, who had thrown the ss sk at him earlier.


    Julie, who was hidden behind a tree, panting and waiting for the uneasiness in her body to leave, she heard the sound of collision and bullets. When she peeked to take a look, she noticed how everything around her changed one more time. She didn''t know what was going on, but the time of night had changed to morning.


    She saw Roman holding one of the human''s neck and twist the hand behind the shoulder.


    "I haven''t even done anything yet to let him go," stated Roman, and a cold, sinister-looking smile appeared on his lips.


    When the smile on his lips widened, the hunters caught sight of the fangs, and one of them said, "Let my man go unharmed."


    "Why? So that you can hunt me down? It would be of no use," responded Roman, and his hand let go of the man''s hand before it went to the shoulder. His skin was taking time to heal from the melting that had taken ce. He then quickly ripped the man''s head halfway off the human''s body, such that blood started to drip down.


    This got the hunters angry and pissed, seeing three men down on the ground while the vampire stood there with a smug smile on his face. "Kill it right now!" ordered one of the hunters out of the three, and soon more bullets flew in the air, directed at Roman.


    Roman moved quickly towards one of the men, who used his sheer strength in handling Roman, knowing the bullets weren''t causing much effect, considering how he was moving freely, unlike the other vampires they hade across.


    "Who gave you the order to hunt the vampires and witchese from?" questioned Roman while fighting the hunter physically and also trying to step away from the bullets that were targeted at him.


    "From hell to kill you," replied the hunter and Roman couldn''t help but smile at the answer.


    "Then let me send you there so that we can meet once again in the future," and in the next second, his fist moved upwards at the man''s chin. The hunter coughed blood because of the impact.


    While two hunters kept Roman upied, who seemed to have good fighting skills and in dealing with vampires, the third hunter caught sight of Julie, who looked like nothing he hade across.


    He aimed his gun at her, and noticing this, Julie quickly hid behind the tree, hearing the sound of gunshot echo through the forest.


    Julie took a deep breath, watching her hands slowly return to its usual self.


    She wondered if the substance that had affected her was disappearing from her body. The root-like imprint had reminded her of her father, Knox.


    "Corvin," Julie called the creature, and right when the hunter was going to pull his trigger, the creature appeared out of thin air. It stood right in front of the hunter, who staggered behind and looked at the creature with wide eyes.


    "What the fuck is that?!" questioned the hunter, looking back and forth between Julie and the Corvin. Holding the gun firmly, he loaded all the bullets into the unknown creature in front of him, but that didn''t affect the Corvin.


    ''Do I kill him?'' asked the Corvin to Julie, ready to execute hermand on her word.


    Julie had never killed a person, and slightly hesitant, she said, "Make sure he doesn''t cause any problem."


    The hunter quickly scrambled on his feet, and he tried to run away from there by turning his back at them.


    But when he took just five steps away from them, the Corvin brought the hunter back to its side with the help of its fingers alone, which grew roots. The roots had coiled and curled around the hunter''s body, making any movement possible.


    "This works," said Julie with a nod, and she then looked at Roman, who was fighting with the two hunters. Three other hunters were on the ground, and one bled to death.


    From what Julie had known since the moment her eyes had fallen on Roman for the very first time, he enjoyed fighting. He broke bones by twisting or punching the person, and before they knew it, all the hunters were lying on the ground, while only one was caught by the Corvin.


    "Let me go, you fucking creatures!" he grunted and red at Julie and Roman.


    "Why didn''t you kill him?" Roman questioned her, giving her a look.


    "I wasn''t sure," murmured Julie, and Roman turned his gaze to the human, who continued to re and spit on them by saying,


    "The others are on their way. Even if you kill me, you won''t be able to escape your death!"


    "This is why you kill them quickly," stated Roman, his voice sounding cold after speaking to Julie. "Hunters are grown up and trained in a way where theyckpassion to any who aren''t human like them."


    "Fuckers!" the hunter cursed them, and his eyes then fell on Julie. "You will be burned alive just like how your kind are dealt with!"


    "Who is the one who gave you these orders? Who is your leader =?" Roman demanded an answer.


    "Like fuck I will tell you!" And his eyes dodged to the side as if waiting for people toe.


    "Why are you hunting vampires and witches?" asked Julie, and the human red at her.


    The hunter harrumphed, "As if you don''t know what your kind has done to humanity. Our families were killed right in front of our eyes, turning people into our enemies. Even now, you creatures know only to kill and have brought nothing but misfortune to us humans."


    "You cannot kill every person because of one or a few others'' mistakes," Julie tried to reason, but the hunterughed at her words.


    "It isn''t one or two. There are hundreds and thousands of your kind, who have tried to use us humans for your own benefit. Manipte and kill. It is time the vampires die. I would have never known that a witch still exists,"mented the hunter with slight surprise.


    "Maybe you need the right motivation to answer my question," said Roman, and he walked towards the human, who the Corvin caught. But before he could reach, the man bit his tongue off, and blood started to drip down from his mouth.


    Seeing this, Julie cringed, and she asked, "Why would he kill himself?" The whole thing looked painful, and her eyebrows furrowed deeply.


    "The hunters who have spent enough time in the circle of other hunters and have hunted down vampires, they are often very dedicated to the groups or their families who are into this," replied Roman, watching the Corvin slowly uncoil its roots around the human, who fell ck on the ground. "Hunters, vampires, witches, and the ignorant humans, we have always hated each other with passion. There''s no right or wrong side."


    Roman then turned to Julie and asked, "How are you feeling now?"


    "Just a little tired," replied Julie, "But much better than before." She turned to look at the Corvin, who had turned to face her.


    ''What happened?'' asked the Corvin.


    "I ended up drinking something that expose me. Chimera?" said Julie.


    The Corvin raised its hand towards her as if asking her to give her hand, and she ced it on its wooden hand.


    ''It is very light dosage. Not good for witches. Too much will destroy the abilities,'' said the Corvin before letting go of her hand.


    "You can sense the substance?" asked Julie, and the Corvin shook its bird-like head.


    ''Can.''


    "Can you sense how much Silverwater is present in my body right now?" she asked it, wanting to know how much Silverwater she had consumed.


    The Corvins shook its head, ''Daughter of fellow Corvin, Silverwater doesn''t have any effect on you. At least, it shouldn''t now that your abilities areing back to you.'' The creature then turned to look at Roman, who stared back at it. ''Ripper,'' it whispered, and because of the quietness around them, Julie heard it quite clearly.


    Roman stood unfazed and asked the Corvin, "Is she alright?"


    The Corvin nodded its head, ''Alright.''


    "Do you know what else happens when one consumes this Chimera?" asked Julie, and the Corvin shook its head. "I feel like I have been seeing things since I got on the motorcycle."


    "What are you seeing, Winters?"


    "I feel like the ce changes its settings to an older time, but so far I haven''t seen anything more than that," replied Julie before she pursed her lips.


    "It should probably be because of your growing abilities and not the Chimera," said Roman, and she nodded her head.


    Julie looked at the six dead bodies that nowy on the forest ground. She asked, "What are we going to do with them? We cannot leave them here like this." It was quite obvious that the death was caused by vampires, and more hunters would be alerted. Not that they wouldn''t be alerted after seeing them missing."


    "We can leave that to your Corvin. I am sure it can fix the situation better than us," Roman turned to look at the Corvin.


    Julie turned to look at the Corvin, and the creature said, ''I will clean this ce.''


    "Let us go from here before we get caught up with other hunters and see what Donovan is up to," Roman reminded her of something that slipped out of her mind. Oh God, Donovan, thought Julie in her mind.


    Giving a brief look at the bodies, both Roman and Julie left their ce, making their way back to Julie''s uncle''s house.


    When they reached the house, Julie caught sight of the light lit at the front of the porch. And she saw the door closed. She wondered if Donovan had already entered the house, which was why the atmosphere seemed scarily quiet to her.


    They got down from the motorcycle and made their way towards the house.


    "He''s not here yet," said Roman, and Julie let out a sigh of relief. Walking towards the entrance, Julie turned to look at him, noticing his face scrunched in pain. It was then she realized that he was injured. "It''s not much," he said to her.


    Julie turned worried and decided to look at it once they were inside the room, that standing out here. But before she could knock on the door, Donovan appeared right behind them.


    "I wasn''t sure which house it was and have been waiting in the tree. What took you both this long?" questioned Donovan. "Hm? Did you hurt yourself?" he questioned Roman, who wasn''t in the mood to reply.


    Before anyone else could utter a word, the main door opened, and Aunt Sarah stood there, staring at them before her eyes fell on the man behind her niece and the delinquent looking boy.

 Chapter 167 - Aunt And Father-in-law

    <h4>Chapter 167 - Aunt And Father-inw</h4>


    Julie noticed the way Aunt Sarah stared at Donovan with wonderment and question in her eyes. Aunt Sarah noticed howpared to the delinquent, this man appeared to be someone from a magazine. Wearing a ck coat, where one side had fur and he stood as tall as the delinquent whom Julie had brought home. The woman''s eyes shifted to meet her brown eyes, and she said,


    "Who is this person, Julianne?"


    Julie wondered how to introduce Donovan to her family. She cleared her throat, ready to introduce him to be someone from Veteris, but the Elder vampire was too eager to speak.


    "I am Roman''s elder brother," Donovan brought his hand forward, offering it to Aunt Sarah, and he said, "Azazel is my name."


    Roman turned to look at Donovan and red at his father. As if being his biological father wasn''t enough, now this man wanted to rece the position of Tristan in his life. The Elder vampire''s appearance looked not more than a thirty-five year old human, and referring to him as Roman''s brother wasn''t that hard to pass.


    Aunt Sarah didn''t know what to say and she gave him a nod before offering her hand. The handshake was hard and for a moment, Azazel Donovan forgot that this was a human and he squeezed her hand a little too firmly, that had the woman quietly re at him.


    At the same time, Mr. Winters, who wondered what was taking his wife this long to return from the front door, came there.


    "Julie, you are home," said Uncle Thomas, a little relieved that his niece was home. "I was going to call you to check where you were as it was a littlete¡­" his voice lowered on seeing an unfamiliar man.


    "Ah, we got caught up in the amusement park, and it took a while," answered Julie before she introduced Donovan, "Uncle Tom, this is Roman''s¡­ brother." She then turned to Donovan and introduced her rtives, "This is Uncle Thomas and Aunt Sarah."


    "How wonderful to finally be able to meet you," Donovan''s hand reached for Julie''s uncle, giving another firm shake and noticed Mr. Winters looked down at his hand as if wondering if it was still in the same shape as before. "I have heard good things about you from Julie."


    "You did?" asked Uncle Thomas with a polite smile while staring at the posh looking man. When his eyes turned to the side, he noticed how his neighbors were taking a peek at them and the man who didn''t belong to this neighborhood.


    "Oh, yes," Donovan gave a nod, and he took a step forward by walking between Roman and Julie so that he could stand in front of the human. "I can tell that you have loved and cared for her very much, which is why she speaks about you both in such fondness."


    And though Uncle Thomas was smiling, Aunt Sarah had a small frown on her face as she stared at the delinquent as well as the delinquent''s brother.


    "Pleasee in," Uncle Thomas weed Donovan and Donovan was more than pleased by the invite, taking one step inside the house with a smile on his face. Julie and Roman were thest ones to enter the house, and at that time, both of them shared a look with each other. "Take a seat," her uncle was being hospitable and being a good man, he turned to look at his wife. "Why don''t we offer Mr. Moltenore a cup of tea."


    "..." Donovan''s smile faltered, while Roman''s lips quirked up with a subtle smile on hearing his father being referred to as a Moltenore.


    Aunt Sarah didn''t protest and went straight to the kitchen. Julie didn''t dare to leave the room, because she didn''t know what Donovan was nning.


    "What brings you here, Mr. Moltenore?" inquired her uncle and a tight smile appeared on Donovan''s lips.


    Before Donovan could speak, Roman said, "Azazel is here to sightsee. He enjoys taking holidays and taking up people''s time."


    The Elder vampire chuckled, "That I do. After all, family is very important and you know how college students get so busy that they don''t find time. I was around and thought toe to know you better. After all, we''ll be family."


    At the man''s words, Uncle Thomas blinked and so did Julie, before her eyes widened.


    "Huh?" asked Uncle Thomas, as if he heard it wrong.


    "I mean Roman and Julie will eventually end up with each other, right? That would make us family, wouldn''t it?" came the unfiltered words from Donovan. Roman would have interrupted in between but what Donovan said wasn''t wrong as it was something that would eventually happen.


    "Isn''t marriage a little too soon, Mr. Moltenore," said Aunt Sarah, who returned to the living room where they were sitting. She ced the juice on the table and said, "The milk is almost over and we need to buy it," she said, when her husband gave her a look after he noticed it wasn''t tea.


    Donovan didn''t care if it was juice or tea, as he was enjoying the expressions of the humans. He picked up the ss of juice and took a sip. Roman turned to look at the Elder vampire, noticing the slight pause between Donovan sipping the drink and gulping it down.


    The Elder vampire cleared his throat, taking a moment before he said, "I don''t think I spoke about marriage, but then that you have mentioned about it, I don''t think it''s a bad idea. What do you think about it, Rome?" He turned to look at Roman.


    "I think you should leave it to Julie and me instead of getting ahead of us in excitement," replied Roman. "We''ll get married when Julie is ready," and his eyes met her brown ones.


    Wait, how did Donovan inviting himself end up with her being married? Julie smiled, "What''s the rush? We are still studying."


    "Maybe after graduation then?" proposed Donovan and he took a look into the ss of juice before looking up.


    Aunt Sarah gave a look to her husband, who raised his eyebrows, not knowing what she was indicating. The woman spoke, "If I am not wrong, Julianne and Roman have been going out for only a few months. I would say to give it some more time to see if this works out than see it pan outter. We wouldn''t want anything happening in a rush to go wrong."


    Donovan nodded his head in agreement, "I understand your concern, Mrs. Winters. I had the same notion and didn''t want Julie dating Rome. Because I felt she was a misfit and nothing like us," this had Aunt Sarah''s jaw fall.


    And though Aunt Sarah didn''t like the idea of Julie getting close with this delinquent, she didn''t like that this man came to her house and was speaking about one of the family members being a misfit.


    "It''s not like we were too keen on seeing Julianne being with the boy," said Aunt Sarah and it suddenly felt like her aunt and the Elder vampire had stepped into a showdown between them. "For someone who makes the girl skip instead of letting her study and attend sses, I am not sure what to say about it. We might not be as fashionable as you, but we sure know what is right and wrong."


    Donovan chuckled at Aunt Sarah''s words, and the air in the room turned slightly thick, "Then have you ever wondered why they are still together? I am sure Julie is a smart youngdy who knows what is right or wrong. And just to correct something, it is Mr. Donovan, not Moltenore."


    Uncle Thomas''s eyebrows furrowed. He asked, "Are you both not rted?"


    Roman cleared Julie''s uncle''s question, "Azazel is not rted to me. Not directly at least. You can ignore his rudements."


    "What an unruly thing to say. It would be a sin, Rome," said Donovan, who had turned to look at Roman, his eyes turning bright red before they returned to ck.


    "I have many and something so little shouldn''t matter," came the reply from Roman, where his voice had fallen low enough for the humans to be unable to hear.


    Donovan turned back to look at Julie''s rtives and he said, "Roman and I are very much rted. By blood," and he stressed on the word blood.


    "Unfortunately, yes," agreed Roman, and Julie, who was hoping things would settle down, saw the conversation spiral in the most unexpected way. He continued, "You see, our father was an odd man. Someone who didn''t know how to take responsibility, he abandoned my mother and was selfish. I was adopted into another family, while Azazel lived with our father, in a different ce," he offered a subtle smile to Donovan, who tried to keep the smile on his face without letting it falter.


    "Now now, he wasn''t that bad of a father," Donovan raised his hand, and he turned to look at the rtives, "Our father was amazing, I mean look at us, we are such gentlemen. Rome is just exaggerating things, so don''t pay heed to it. And before you misunderstand it, our father didn''t know about Rome''s mother being pregnant."


    "Doesn''t remove the fact that he abandoned and let the woman live alone while being scrutinized by people," Roman remarked from where he was seated.


    "Our father cared very dearly about her, Rome. I am telling you, you should believe in my words," came the solemn words from Donovan, and during this conversation, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Thomas had leaned towards each other.


    Aunt Sarah tried to whisper to her husband by saying, "I told you that he wasn''t from a good family. You never know if he''s going to leave Julie in a week or month after the wedding."


    "Let us talk about thister," Uncle Thomas hushed his wife.


    Julie bit the inside of her cheek, because one this was not the ce for Donovan to be causing chaos and two, the vampires in this room had excellent hearing to be able to hear the whispers going on between her uncle and aunt.


    The Elder vampire then turned to look back as if wanting to continue the conversation from where they left a few seconds ago, "Mrs. Winters, I think you took it wrongly when I said Julie was a misfit."


    "I think your intentions are quite clear that we aren''t of equal standing. But we are not from the old period, but from a modern time. Julie is brilliant in her own way, when ites to following things," bluffed Aunt Sarah, and Julie wanted to hide and merge into the wall, because she felt people''s eyes fall on her.


    Julie noticed one corner of Roman''s lips pull up, because he had seen her visit the detention room more than anyone else in this room.


    Her aunt continued, "I think my niece deserves a more stable rtionship."


    "And what might that be, Mrs. Winters?" questioned Donovan, and now the conversation seemed to be steering in a way where the man looked like he was here to ask Julie''s hand in marriage to his son. "Did you know that Roman is the topper of the university? The headmistress tells me that she''s not seen such a brilliant student step into Veteris before."


    "If Julie''s mother was here with us, she would never approve of someone looking like him¡ª"


    Aunt Sarah''s words were cut short with Donovan, who broke into a series of chuckles and brought a deep frown on Mr. and Mrs. Winters'' face.


    "My apologies," Donovan raised his hand before patting his chest. He picked up the juice that was ced on the table, taking a sip to only realize he shouldn''t have taken it. Clearing his throat, he ced it back on the table.


    The reason why Donovan wasughing was because he remembered what Opaline''s reaction would have been, if she were present here under this roof. Priceless, thought the vampire in his hand. But then the great witch had lived her lifevisciously before settling down with the family and he wondered what kind of argument that would have turned out to be.


    On the other hand, Roman, who had already met Julie''s actual mother and her surrogate mother, didn''t have to know what responses he would have received.


    Donovan then said, "I thought Julie wasn''t right for Rome, but I havee to believe that it is fate that has brought them together. They are perfect for each other and ratherpliment quite well, bnce is what is needed in a rtionship."


    Aunt Sarah stared at the man, who was Roman''s brother, and she wondered how serious the person was, or if he was just making fun of the Winters family.


    "Mrs. Winters," Roman decided to finally speak to the woman directly, gaining her attention. "Julie and I, it might appear that we have known each other for a very short duration of time. But you must know, it isn''t the amount of months or years that you need to know a person. Sometimes, even one minute is enough to know if the person is going to make a difference in your life. I don''t n to break her heart, and n to stay by her side. Even if it means you like it or not."


    "Is that how you speak to your elders?" questioned Aunt Sarah with her eyes slightly wide. She turned to look at Julie, "You bring someone posing to be his brother so that your uncle and I give you our blessings?"


    "It''s not how it looks, Aunt Sarah," replied Julie, a sigh escaped from her lips. "Rome is not someone who will sugarcoat his words. He might sound rude, but what he says is only a reflection which many don''t hold. You both are my only family, and I would like you to ept it. Even if it means there''s a lot of time for us to get married in the future."


    Before Aunt Sarah could speak more, Uncle Thomas ced his hand on his wife''s hand so that she wouldn''t continue interrogating the guests or his niece.


    "Let us all calm down now. Julie could have avoided us, but she''s here wanting to get eptance with this boy, who is important to her," said Uncle Thomas with a serious tone. "If she believes in him, I think we should believe in the person too. After all they both seem to be in love with each other. And I am d to hear that Julie has someone to depend in the university and in her life," he said thest line to Roman.


    "You don''t have to worry about Julie, Mr. Winters. I will take good care of her, and make sure she gets good grades this year and the next one," Roman gave his word, which tranted to ''I will keep her safe from trouble and not let any harme to her''.


    Uncle Thomas nodded his head with a smile on his lips, "I know you will. You are the top rank holder in Veteris."


    Aunt Sarah had gone quiet after her husband had spoken, deciding to leave the matter behind as it was now done and dusted.


    Uncle Thomas then stood up and so did Donovan and the rest of them, when he said, "Mr. Donovan, how about youe have dinner with us. My wife is an excellent cook. It would be a shame if you didn''t eat with us."


    A smile spread on Donovan''s lips, and he said, "Oh, I never nned to miss dinner. Not breakfast either.. I hope you have good pillow, I find it hard to sleep without it," letting them know he was going to stay the night.

 Chapter 168 - Pushing People’s Buttons

    <h4>Chapter 168 - Pushing People¡¯s Buttons</h4>


    Upon hearing Donovan''s words, Aunt Sarah, who was about to head to the kitchen, turned back to look at the shameless man who had invited himself to sleep over under their roof. When a person was this shameless, it was harder to refuse or retort back.


    Uncle Thomas was taken aback, and somewhere, the man felt embarrassed. They didn''t have an extra room to amodate the unexpected guest. Donovan behaved as if he didn''t sense the ufortableness in front of him. The Elder vampire said,


    "How long is it going to be before dinner will be served? Roman and I will go get dessert forter. It would be rude for us to impose on you when you are already hosting dinner," a light chuckle escaped from his lips.


    Julie was d that Donovan and Roman would be stepping out of the house for a few minutes.


    Aunt Sarah replied, "It should take thirty to forty minutes," her voice sounding stiff and wanting to see the guests out of the house as quickly as possible, but even she hade to learn that it was a hard thing to shove a person out of the house tantly.


    "That sounds perfect. Is there any particr vor that you prefer, Mrs. Winters?" Donovan had suddenly turned considerate.


    "Raspberry," replied Uncle Thomas, with a polite smile. "We both will have that."


    When the Elder vampire turned to look at Julie, she replied, "Chocte. Anything with chocte."


    "We''ll be back soon," Donovan gave a short nod, and both the vampires stepped out of the Winters residence. Once the guests have left, Aunt Sarah turned to look at Julie and asked her,


    "Please tell me, Julianne, that you didn''t know your boyfriend''s brother was going toe here to stay."


    Julie shook her head, and she said, "I am sorry about that. Rome and I really had no idea that he was going toe visit us or n to stay here."


    "Thomas," Aunt Sarah said to her husband, "How do you think we are going to have him stayfortably when he doesn''t have a room to sleep in. Julie has been making use of Joel''s room already. We don''t even know this person."


    "Calm down, Sarah. I am sure we will figure something out," Uncle Thomas kept a calmposure.


    "How am I supposed to be calm, Tom?" asked Aunt Sarah, and Julie could tell that her aunt was going to lose her cool soon. She saw Uncle Thomas pat his wife''s back soothingly.


    "Julie, how about you help your aunt in the kitchen and in the meantime, I will try to get something ready," said Uncle Thomas, and Julie quietly nodded so that she wouldn''t set any more fuse like how Donovan and Roman had done.


    When it was dinner to be served, both Roman and Donovan returned. Julie took the ice cream and ced it in the freezer. During the meal, everyone sat at the table, with different expressions. Aunt Sarah had a cold, stone-like expression on her face as if she didn''t want to speak or be spoken to. Donovan stared at the food on the table while Uncle Thomas watched the man named Azazel.


    After Donovan took a bite from the food served on his te, he held a grave expression on his face. He said,


    "It isn''t bad, but I think it would have been much better if you added less salt to season the meat."


    Aunt Sarah''s hand clenched on the fork in her hand, and if Uncle Thomas didn''t sit between Donovan and her, Julie wondered if her aunt would stab his hand that was resting on the surface of the table.


    "Maybe you should cook for yourself next time and invite us for dinner instead," suggested Aunt Sarah with a pointed look.


    The Elder vampire lightly chuckled, and he said, "I don''t have to cook for myself, Mrs. Winters. I have servants to do that, and they prepare delicious meals. Why dirty my hands, when I can have others do it for me."


    "So, what do you do, Mr. Mol-Donovan?" Uncle Thomas, who tried to shift the conversation at the table, he corrected his mistake.


    Donovan ran his tongue across his teeth as if to remove any food particles before speaking, "I help with the university. Making sure everything is running smoothly and the students there are well taken care of. Because you know how important every student is, they be part of our society. It is a big responsibility and I take it very very seriously. "


    Both Roman and Julie quietly stared at the Elder vampire from their seats, where the vampire lied right through his teeth with not one bit of remorse. His lies were believable and smooth, with not a hint of suspicion in it.


    "Of course, Roman told us that your great-grandfather was one of the founders of the university," noted Uncle Thomas, and Donovan offered a polite smile before he got busy cutting the meat and taking a bite from the te.


    As Julie continued to have her meal, Donovan caught sight of Julie''s wrist andmented, "I have always wanted to get something on myself too. Especially after seeing you, Rome." The people at the table looked slightly confused, while Roman stared at his father. "The ink I mean. Where do you think I should get one?"


    On the forehead, thought Roman in his mind while deciding not to make things more ufortable for Julie or her family.


    "What do you think, Julie? Should I perhaps get something like yours?" asked the Elder vampire, and if Aunt Sarah had not been sessful in stabbing the vampire, Julie wanted to try it herself. It was quite obvious that he was enjoying his time, poking everyone.


    Both her rtives turned to look at Julie before their eyes fell on her wrist, where Roman''s name was inked on her skin.


    Julie cleared her throat, raising her hand to tuck the piece of her hair behind her ear. Concentrating on Donovan''s question, she said, "Do you want to get a name or have any design on your mind?"


    "Hm, let me think," Donovan had a thoughtful expression on his face before he said, "I was thinking of getting name inked on me. But the question is what to write. Let us go to this ce where they ink tomorrow."


    "We''ll write the address for you to go and get it," stated Roman, not liking that the little holiday he had nned to spend with Julie was being sabotaged by this man.


    "I was actually asking Julie," smiled Donovan, getting on everyone''s nerves.


    "I actually have ns with Rome. We are going to travel a bit and visit some ces," Julie informed the vampire, noticing a grim expression adorning on his face.


    "I guess it is time I marry and settle down, considering how children these days don''t want to spend time with their elders," said Donovan thoughtfully, and Julie wondered if he meant it, that he missed spending his time with Roman or if this was another scheme of his.


    Technically, Donovan had never been able to spend enough time with Roman. Because by the time he had found out about his son''s existence, Roman had been transformed into a vampire and had been put into the coffin-like himself, and it was only a few days ago since Donovan had woken up.


    Now that Julie thought about it, it hadn''t been long since the university''s festival had taken ce, yet so much had transpired in that time.


    It made Julie wonder if perhaps both Roman and Donovan needed some time together so that they could patch things up between them. But then, at the same time, she doubted Roman wanted that, though Donovan seemed to be more than d to cling around Roman''s neck like a ko bear.


    "I guess I will just have some bonding time with you guys," decided Donovan, looking at Uncle Thomas and Aunt Sarah.


    There was an obvious look of dread, where Uncle Thomas decided to continue eating instead ofmenting on what couldn''t be refused as this person was important to his niece. While Aunt Sarah couldn''t imagine cooking for this man again.. She had hoped to have a peaceful weekend, but how long was this obnoxious person nning to stay here?! Thought the woman in her mind.

 Chapter 169 - Step Aside, I Shall Help

    <h4>Chapter 169 - Step Aside, I Shall Help</h4>


    After dinner, Roman washed the dishes while Julie helped in wiping each of them before cing it in their respected ce. Doing something like this together felt like they were more of a married couple, and Julie''s heart fluttered in her chest.


    "Sorry about Donovan riling things up earlier. It felt like having a chewing gum stuck in the hair, and the only way to remove it is to chop the hair,"mented Roman, and Julie turned to look at the living room, where her uncle and Donovan sat with dessert in their hands.


    "He is a lot more chaotic than usual," murmured Julie under her breath before she turned to look at Roman, who continued to concentrate on the tes. "But I think it''s okay."


    Roman''s eyes moved to the corner, giving her a look asking if she truly believed it to be okay.


    A smile appeared on Julie''s lips, and she said, "I mean he is troublesome, but I think he''s trying to connect to people in his own ways. Maybe?"


    "I think the right word here is ''How to make one hate you''. Your uncle is a patient man," remarked Roman, and she couldn''t help but agree on it.


    "Uncle Tom has always been that way. Someone who is the most understanding person in the room, and will alwayse to help. My mother was lucky to have him as her brother and me as his niece," said Julie, and she took hold of the china te, carefully wiping the water off of it. "Did he tell you why exactly he''s here?"


    "He told me he missed me and he''s added you to the list too. Probably because you are Opaline La Fay''s daughter, and now my girlfriend," replied Roman with a concentrated look on his face and his lips that had set in a thin line.


    Julie stared at his side profile, where some pieces of his hair rested on his forehead. After spending enough time with him, she had learned to pick the subtle emotions that were often pulled up and hidden behind his expressionless facade.


    "Will you be able to forgive him one day?" she asked him softly.


    Roman''s hands didn''t stop moving from washing thest tes, and he didn''t reply to her immediately. But before he could reply to her, Julie''s aunt appeared and said,


    "Julianne, if you wille and help me with the nkets and pillow."


    Julie nodded her head, and she wiped the tes that were done before leaving Roman''s side.


    When Roman finished cleaning thest utensil and ced it at the side, Donovan appeared and said, "You know you didn''t have to do that. I could have called the servants toe and do it. Or maybe ask the woman to do it, as she seemed to enjoy ring at me the entire time. Though I was waiting for her to snap at me."


    "The people who live here are important to Julie. Like I mentioned earlier when we were outside, I would appreciate it if you would keep your curious self to provoke people around you to yourself. If you are missing Luciano that much, you should snap your fingers and go to him," Roman''s words were nonchnt, but there was a hint of re in his eyes, which was directed at his father.


    "People who live here? I am living here, so I am important, Rome," Donovan pointed out the not so obvious thing. The elder vampire had dropped his coat near the couch and had folded his sleeves. "I would have never pegged to ever see my kin cleaning the dishes."


    "This is how it works in the normal and modern world now. You learn to help and share things," stated Roman, wiping his hand with the towel hung on one side of the wall. "It is how you slowly be part of a family."


    "Is that so?" hummed Donovan, his eyes holding intrigue, and he said, "Step aside." Roman didn''t know what Donovan was trying to do, but he stepped away from where he had been standing. He took note of Donovan picking up the tes and cing it in the drawer. "Hmm, this doesn''t seem so bad."


    Roman was surprised that Donovan was even picking up the te. But when the Elder vampire was cing thest second te in the cupboard, Aunt Sarah appeared back in the kitchen, and at the same time, the pressure on the te was enough to turn it into two pieces.


    Aunt Sarah''s eyes widened on hearing the sound of the te break, and her eyes fell on Donovan''s hand.


    The Elder vampire''s gaze moved up to meet Aunt Sarah''s eyes, who looked like she wanted to use the sharp object and stab Donovan. The next words that came from the Elder vampire didn''t help either, where he said, "Looks like this te wasn''t of best quality."


    Roman closed his eyes and said, "Let me clean this up. Why don''t you settle down."


    Julie turned to look at Aunt Sarah and called, "Aunt Sarah?"


    "Huh?" the woman responded,ing out from the little shock. "Let me go sit down for sometime."


    "Yeah," Julie agreed, and she pulled the chair from the dining table, and her aunt sat down. "Would you like me to get you a bowl of ice cream?"


    Julie went to the fridge, sharing a look with Roman before scooping and handing it to her aunt. She could tell her aunt had never been irked this much, at least not by one, where she wasn''t able to retaliate.


    Later that night, Uncle Thomas had offered Donovan his clothes so that the man could sleep peacefully without crumpling his clothes. And though he wore regr clothes, the man, for some reason, continued to look as if he wore elite clothes.


    And though Uncle Thomas had suggested that Donovan sleep in Joel''s room, but Aunt Sarah had been too angry and decided that Donovan would sleep in the living room and on the couch.


    Julie and Roman, who were in Joel''s room, were in the bed with just the bedsidemp still on while the rest had been turned off.


    She turned to look at Roman, who had a smile on his face, and the smile just widened with every second. She asked,


    "Do you think it is safe to keep him there in the living room?"


    "He''s not a child, Winters. He will be fine, and it was him who imposed himself here, when he could sleep in his lush and exquisite bedroom. Let him take it as an experience and enjoy the night," said Roman, and there was an evil glint in his eyes along with mirth.


    "I worry that he will end up killing Aunt Sarah out of spite," murmured Julie in worry. Her aunt might have been strict, but thest thing she wanted to see was her uncle finding the woman''s dead body next to him in the morning.


    "Don''t worry about that. He knows your aunt is family and not to touch a strand of hair when ites to them," Roman pulled the pillow down, adjusting it before he turned themp off and said, "Rather than killing, I think Donovan enjoys pushing people''s buttons, just to get a reaction from them that feeds his boredom."


    That was probably what was going to happen tomorrow morning, thought Julie in her mind.


    She felt Roman pull her hand, slowly sliding into the nket next to him. He put his arm around her waist before bringing her to him. He pressed his lips on her forehead, and Julie closed her eyes, feeling the warmth that started to spread on her skin.


    Julie ran her fingers across his chest, mindlessly drawing lines on his skin which he didn''t mind. Craning her neck to look at him, both of them stared into each other''s eyes.


    "Something on your mind?" asked Roman, staring into her brown eyes.


    Julie hummed, her lips parting while she watched him, "You didn''t answer my question earlier." She knew she didn''t have to repeat it, and he would know what she was speaking about.


    Roman ran his hand over her hair, tucking the hair behind her ear before he caressed her cheek. He said, "Right now, I am not sure."


    "Do you hate him?" asked Julie, referring to Donovan.

 Chapter 170 - Overnight Like A Commoner

    <h4>Chapter 170 - Overnight Like A Commoner</h4>


    "I get annoyed by him. But I have always been annoyed by his presence near me," said Roman, and the thought of how everyone annoyed him crossed Julie''s mind. "I don''t think it''s worth hating him. But if you are asking how I feel about him, then the answer is I am still pissed."


    It wasn''t that Julie didn''t understand how Roman felt about Donovan, but she could tell Donovan, in his own way, was trying to get closer to Roman.


    "Do you think of me as someone who is heartless and cold? Someone without any attachments?" Roman''s question slightly startled her, and Julie shook her head.


    "Not for a moment."


    "You didn''t see how my mother was treated. Time back then was much harsher than now people can imagine. A woman, who was impregnated by the Lord, and was left estranged. The reasons and rumors that came up in time. As much as my mother tried to keep her head high, acting as if it didn''t affect her, the words that reached her ears," said Roman with a small frown on his face. He continued, "There were a lot of them, who taunted her, who didn''t attend to her in the market, just because she had slept with someone before her marriage."


    "I am sorry about it," Julie ced her hand on his chest, her lips setting into a thin line.


    Roman ced his hand on hers, holding it, "It isn''t your fault. Donovan never bothered to return to her even once. Not once. He did what he wanted, never thought of the consequences his actions would bring."


    "But didn''t he say that your mother and he already knew the fate of their rtionship? What they had¡­" Julie turned her hand around so that she could hold his hand properly. "He''s told you that he never knew about you, nor the condition her health was in. Deep down he seems like a lonely person¡­ without you."


    If Donovan had cared, he would have at least had someone check on his mother, but the man had done nothing. It was as if he had forgotten her once he had left the vige.


    "He will need to work harder if he really wants to get into my good books," remarked Roman, remembering how Donovan had not mentioned anything about them being rted until thest few days.


    "Don''t worry about it. When things need to happen, it will. And if it doesn''t, it was never meant to be."


    Julie and Roman held each other in the room, this time not trying to do anything as they had donest night, and somewhere d that Donovan had not followed and showed up yesterday. While one couple was busy, Donovany on the couch with a pillow behind his head and a nket that wasn''t as good as he was used to.


    "Ungrateful humans," murmured Donovan under his breath. If they knew who he was, they would have used their savings and brought him a new mattress to sleep on, he thought in his mind.


    When he tried to take a good sleep, closing his eyes, Donovan heard the sound of the killers, who very slowly approached near him. He hadn''t expectedpany, but the attackers slowly moved closer to him, buzzing near his ear, and he quickly used his hand to catch hold of the mosquito, and the humming stopped.


    "To think youe and try to provoke me, as if I will let you have my blood," said Donovan haughtily before dusting his hand and pulling the nket near his chest. "And who even sleeps this early. Humans," he lightly cursed.


    Far away from the town where Julie and Roman were, back in Mnie''s house, she was sitting on the edge of her bed with a slight angst that hade to settle in her chest.


    Every single time, Conner had always tried to be polite with people while trying not to get involved in fights. And every time, Mnie tried to stand her ground. She ran her fingers through her hair with both her hands before letting her elbows rest on herp, and she buried her face in her hands.


    "What am I doing," Mnie whispered to herself, sitting alone in her room with windows and her door locked.


    After leaving the store, she had returned to her room in anger, which was by climbing back to her window while also making sure no one saw her.


    Mnie wondered for how long she would carry her unrequited love for Conner. But the question was if the love was still there. Conner and she were next-door neighbours. They had literally grown up together, spent time with each other but only as best friends, where Conner had never known what feelings she had grown towards him over the years. Though there were times like today where Conner tried to take the route of peace rather than getting into a fight like her, he had always been there for her, and she had been there for him.


    Like any other person in love, she had tried to find meaning in his actions and words, trying to read between the lines in hope that he felt the same way as she did. But since Reese had entered into Conner''s life, Mnie''s feelings had taken a step back.


    Conner had only seen her as a friend. Bestfriend, and there was nothing more to it.


    Apart from her parents and other families who held the gathering in the evening, with how they believed in the existence of the vampires, there was something else that had caught her attention.


    And this time, it wasn''t Conner, it wasn''t the boys who had tried to piss her off. But it was the boy who had always irked her constantly every time he came in front of her.


    ''I don''t have a sweet tooth. I prefer spice in what I eat, or something bitter like coffee.''


    Simon Wace.


    The red-haired senior was loved by every student and the staff of Veteris. Compared to the other members in the Famous Five of Veteris, Simon appeared to be the most approachable one apart from Olivia. But there was something very odd about him, which Mnie hadn''t been able to ce her finger on.


    Not that she had spent time thinking about it, as she had other things to do. But then Simon had the habit of irking her to no end. She remembered what Conner had once said,


    ''Why do you treat Simon as if he is bad? You should be a little more friendly with him, he''s a good guy.''


    ''Good guy my ass,'' thought Mnie in her head. And she was right.


    Simon had poked her since the time they had officially met each other at the bonfire.


    She spent her time on herptop, where three hours passed before she heard the sound of the vehicle. cing herptop on the surface of the bed, Mnie''s feet padded on the ground, and she made her way to the window.


    Pushing the curtain, Mnie took a peek outside to notice her mother and father, who stood outside the house, where they had changed their clothes.. She took note of the gun that her mother discreetly hid behind her jeans.

 Chapter 171 - Joining The Hunt

    <h4>Chapter 171 - Joining The Hunt</h4>


    "Are you sure you found the right information?" came the voice of Conner''s father.


    "Yes, it''s positive. Six hunters have gone missing from the checkpoint in the South," informed her father, and Mnie watched the vehicle being pulled to the front as if they were going somewhere. "Nobody has seen or heard from them. We should be able to find something if we look now.


    Conner''s father nodded his head, and he said, "The vampires must be hurdling out from their den in pain. The security in the hospital has been raised so that there won''t be any possibility ofpulsion."


    "That''s good. I see you are bringing Conner with you," said her father, and Mnie''s eyebrows furrowed. She moved to the other side of the window, pushing the curtain again to notice Conner walking anding to stand next to his father. He had worn a jacket to resist the cold, his hands empty.


    "I thought it was better to have him join us from today than wait. At least he will have a basic idea of what to do and see how a vampire is killed," said Conner''s father, who turned to look at the young man. Conner''s father ced a hand on Conner''s back, looking at him proudly. "Today is the day where your eyes will open and you will see a world that has been shielded by us hunters for years now."


    Conner looked a little unsure as if it hadn''t been his idea to tag along with them.


    Mnie heard her father say, "We should get Mel to join us too. I am sure they will enjoy the hunt together."


    "Doesn''t she need training? I think it will be too much for her and too soon," said Mnie''s mother.


    "Mnie is old enough to handle things like these. She will do much better than the most in our circle. See if she''s asleep," said Mr. Davis and Mrs. Davis nodded her head before stepping inside the house.


    Mnie left the window, making her way to her bed and closed theptop and checked her phone, which was running on ten percent battery. How did she miss charging it? She questioned herself, and just when she put it in charge, her mother knocked on the door and entered her room.


    "Good that you haven''t gone to sleep yet, Mel. Wear your coat or jacket. We are going out," said her mother and Mnie raised her eyebrows.


    "Where are we going?" she asked. Even though she had overheard bits of conversations outside, she asked it.


    "To hunt, dear. You will finally be able to see the truth that you doubt," said her mother, "Hurry along now. We have somewhere to be."


    Mnie wanted to argue that she wanted to stay in her room instead of heading out, but she wanted to see what kind of stunt was going to be pulled in bringing these so-called vampires. Seeing her mother not leave the room, she picked up her jacket and then her phone, which didn''t get time to move more than one percent.


    When both Mnie and Conner met each other outside the house, Conner offered a smile to his friend, and Mnie gave a small nod.


    "Alright then, let us leave. The others will be joining uster," said Mr. Davis, and they got inside the jeep. The streets were mostly empty, the people in the jeep quiet. Mnie held the sides of her hair when a gust of wind blew, and she tucked behind either side of her ears. "Conner and Mel, stick close to us adults. We are better when we are together than being alone."


    Mnie asked, "So what abilities do these vampires have? Speed? Strength? Hearing abilities?"


    "Yes, they have a higher ability with respect to us humans. But more importantly, they will suck the very blood out of you, and it will be too quick. But we hunters have weapons, weapons made out of silver," her father exined to her. "Tomorrow when your training starts, you will one day be given guns or weapons to protect yourself and the other humans from the vampires."


    "What''s the sess ratio of a human overpowering a vampire?" questioned Conner.


    Mr. Davis replied, "It depends on if the vampire is a dull or smart one. Also how strong and smart a hunter is. It is not always about strength but also wits used."


    "Where are we exactly going again?" asked Mnie.


    "It''s the forest near Valtown," her mother answered her question. "There has been an increase in the number of vampires, and we have been having more bodies being found which are being covered up to avoid bringing attention that can cause panic."


    "We hunters are working together to bring down these damn blood suckers," Mnie heard Conner''s fatherment, and she looked at the quiet road they continued to leave behind.


    When they reached the forest, torches were turned on, and Mnie noticed that there was another group of hunters who had already arrived before them.


    "How does it look?" asked Mr. Davis to one of the men.


    "Not a single drop of blood that we could detect, but then it is dark and hard to find the spots. We don''t see any bodies or severed heads hanging around the ce. We aren''t able to find the members," answered the stranger.


    "Was there anymunication? Before theypletely disappeared?" asked Mr. Davis, but the man shook his head.


    "We didn''t get much information, except that one of my men mentioned that they spotted a witch," said the stranger and Mnie noticed how her family and Conner''s father raised eyebrows. "We thought they had gone extinct, but it seems like they still exist."


    "So we now have not one but two creatures to hunt," Mr. Davis sighed, a grim expression on his face, before he said, "Let us take a look too and see if we can be of any help."


    The person who had been speaking to her father from the other group, his gaze shifted on her and Conner, "They experienced?"


    "They are learning," informed Mr. Davis, and the man nodded his head.


    Mnie followed her father and mother, while Conner followed his father. Even if they were going to bring a dog to sniff the ce, nothing would be found even though six people had died there. It was because the Corvin had cleaned up the ce without leaving a piece of a crumb behind.


    "Maybe they have been held as hostages?" her mother asked her father.


    "Or maybe the death took ce elsewhere. This spot seems clean," answered her father and Mnie, who had been following them, looked around the ce, where she noticed the slightest movement and shadow behind a bush. The breeze was strong, and it shook the leaves and the bushes, making her wonder if she caught something. "We should go check the other side as we''ll only be wasting time here."


    Just when a soft sigh escaped Mnie''s lips, they heard a scream erupt from the opposite side they hade from, alerting the hunters.


    Before they could reach the spot, two vampires suddenly jumped in front of them, and one behind Mnie. Her eyes went wide on seeing the creatures, whose faces were slightly twisted in appearance, and fangs that lookedrge with hints of blood on it.


    "Shit," whispered Mnie.

 Chapter 172 - Trigger Of Breaking Walls

    <h4>Chapter 172 - Trigger Of Breaking Walls</h4>


    Music Rmendation: The Drowning


    ¡ª


    Mnie had seen these creatures onscreen, but she had never expected to be anywhere nearly close to it. These were vampires? She asked herself, and her eyes zeroed in on the sharp fangs before she mentally nodded to herself.


    "Why do these things exist?" Mnie asked her parents, who stood in front of her, and hearing the growl behind her, she turned on her heel. She caught another vampire behind them and softly gulped. What the hell was going on here?!


    "These creatures have always been living side by side with humans. Only that most of the humans are unaware of it, but we, hunters, were well informed about what lurks in the darkness," said her father, who had pulled out his gun, and so did her mother. Soon, gunshots echoed in the forest as the hunters aimed against the vampires, who tried to get closer to them.


    Mnie felt her skin turn cold, and for a moment, her brain froze as if not knowing how to react to the things that were going on. Her father came to her side, aiming the gun at the vampire, who dodged.


    "Get to the jeep, Mel!" said her mother.


    "No, let her stay!" said her father, with a stern expression. The peace that had prevailed a minute ago had disappeared on the appearance of the vampires. "These are no regr vampires," he educated his daughter. "These are rogue vampires."


    "There are different kinds of vampires?" asked Mnie, who noticed the way the vampire in front of them was persistent and bared his fangs at them.


    "Yes, this is just the lowest level. Rogue vampires are the ones who don''t follow rules but also are infected. Like zombies," exined her father, and he pulled her behind him. "They are persistent."


    "I can tell," murmured Mnie.


    The vampire moved too fast for her eyes to follow, and before she knew it, the vampire had moved towards her, and her father came in between them, where they both stumbled to the side.


    "Father!" Mnie wanted to help, and she noticed the vampire trying to get close to her father''s neck. But her father pulled a sharp de, piercing it through the creature''s shoulder as it caught hold of his hand before he could push it into its neck.


    "Get yourself to a safe spot," ordered her father when he noticed there were more vampires than he had first gauged. "Now, go!"


    Mnie turned and noticed how her mother was trying to keep two vampires at the bay so that they wouldn''t get too close to her. She took a step back, her feet staggering and everything turning numb for a moment. When she started to run away from there, following her father''s words, she stumbled upon the man''s body, who had been speaking to her father when they had first arrived here.


    "Oh my God!" Mnie paused on her feet before she ended up stumbling over his body.


    It wasn''t just him, but there was another person''s body on the ground and fear slowly started to trickle down her spine. One moment she had been in a sappy sad romance story, and the next forty minutes, she had been thrown into a horror movie.


    "Look whom we have here," whispered someone behind her, and Mnie turned around, noticing another vampire, whose face had roots like indentation on it.


    The vampire''s eyes were nearly pitch dark in appearance, and there was a wide smile on his face. The man ran his tongue across his lips and said, "Today I am a little too hungry, and these old folks didn''t help in quenching my thirst. You wouldn''t mind if I take a couple of sips from you, do you?"


    Without responding to the vampire''s words, Mnie started to sprint in the other direction, not realizing she was moving deeper into the forest side, away from where her parents or Conner were fighting.


    The vampireughed at the weak human girl''s attempt to escape. He slowly started to follow her, without feeling the need to run, as he knew he would be able to catch up to the girl in less than ten seconds.


    While Mnie tried to run away from the vampire, Conner stood with his father, who had a bizarre look on his face.


    "You need to pull the trigger. Aim and pull the trigger, Conner!" his father shouted at him, as he had quickly been given the gun to protect himself. A series of continuous gunshots could be heard, echoing around the forest that made it difficult for one to know where exactly it was fired.


    Two vampires jumped from the trees, chuckling andughing, having a look of madness on their face. There was an obvious sneer on their lips, mocking at the humans.


    "So much blood, I cannot help but want to relish each one of you," hummed one of the rogue vampires. When one tried to get close to Conner, his father fired the bullets at the vampire, pouring most of it into the blood-sucking creature''s head.


    Blood sparked on the ground, and some came to stter on Conner''s face. He saw the way blood oozed out from the person, trickling down his face before the vampire dropped dead. A sudden pain pierced through his head, and Conner caught his head with his hands. The pain was too much as if someone was squeezing both sides of his temples. When he closed his eyes, he saw hazy images that were red.


    "Conner?!" His father shouted from where he stood, but Conner had hunched his body, trying to gather himself.


    What was this pain? Asked Conner to himself, and he gritted his teeth. "Argh!" his fingers fisted in his hair.


    The vampire that was nearby came closer to Conner, ready to sink his teeth into his neck, but someone else drew an arrow to stop the vampire from getting too close to the human.


    In the meantime, Conner saw shes of a body, but he couldn''t identify who the body belonged to.


    ''I think for your and our sake, it would be best if you forget the bad and the sad memories you have collected recently, Conner,'' said a voice in his head. He knew whom the voice belonged to, but at the same time, he couldn''t tell the name or see the face. It was as if something in his mind was trying to w and make its way out, which seemed restricted.


    He saw blood, blood on the neck as if it wasn''t the first time he was noticing something like this. When he opened his eyes, he noticed he was in the forest, where the hunters were battling with the rogue vampires.


    Why was he not able to remember where he had seen the blood? It wasn''t a dream¡­ he was sure of it. So why was he not able to recollect something so gory like this?


    When one rogue vampires caught hold of his father''s neck, ready to snap it in anger, Conner raised his hand, which shook with the gun in it. It took a few seconds before he was able to bring himself to pull the trigger, and the bullet went and hit the vampire''s arm instead of the neck.


    Gaining slight confidence, he raised his hand higher before pulling the trigger one more time, and this time it hit the rogue vampire''s neck, who let go of his father. His father was the one who took thest shot at the vampire by blowing its brain out of its head with the gun.


    "Are you alright?" questioned his father, and Conner, who was staring at the dead vampire, his gaze shifted from his it to his father.


    "I think so¡­" his voice sounded distant, as this was not something he had looked forward to.


    The reason for Conner''s sudden pain was that the young man had beenpelled too many times, and it had created manyyers of walls to stop his memory from being leaked. And now the actions of the vampires and the gore reminded him of a nameless and faceless person who had died.


    Who was it? He asked himself.

 Chapter 173 - It’s Not A Prank!

    <h4>Chapter 173 - It¡¯s Not A Prank!</h4>


    Mnie continued to run in the forest, which was moderately dark. The only sound that she could hear was her feet moving as fast as it could against the ground and the sounds of gunshots. Her heart was thumping loudly, and she could barely keep it quiet with the turn of events.


    Her parents must not have realized that something so severe was going to happen, which was why they had brought her and Conner here for the very first time. A few of them had already died, and the remaining people were trying hard not to be killed and instead kill the vampires.


    When she had gone as far as she could, she slowed down, pulling out her phone and wondering if it was alright to ask for help from the police. Surely the government could get involved in it and help in removing all these infected humans who had turned into vampires, thought Mnie to herself.


    Looking around, she unlocked her phone with her thumb before calling for help. The other side of the phone was answered, and the person responded with, "Hello? How can I help you?"


    Mnie''s eyes looked left and right, keeping her attention around her as she said, "Ah, there''s a slight situation here in the forest. My family and I are being attacked by vampires."


    "...."


    There was a long silence from the other side, and Mnie pulled her phone away from her face to check if herwork was still working before she said, "Hello?"


    "Miss, it has been many days since Halloween passed. I think you should keep the joke for next year," said the man and Mnie gritted her teeth.


    "No no! This has nothing to do with Halloween," Mnie quickly spoke so that they wouldn''t think she was making a prank call. "This is serious. The vampires here are real and they have killed people. Do you hear the gunshots?!"


    "I am sorry, miss but all I hear is your voice. If there''s nothing else, I will receive other calls now. Thank you."


    "No, wait-" but the call had ended, and Mnie ground her teeth. "The hell. Why is it so hard for them to believe when I said people are dead here," she cursed at her situation.


    Pulling her phone to the front, Mnie decided to call once again, deciding to be a little more graceful in rying the information that people were dying here. Maybe leaving the word vampires out of the context would be right. Her battery had gone to seven percent, and she narrowed her eyes. Why was it draining that quickly!?


    Quickly calling the number, she waited for the person to pick up while she looked at each of the trees that surrounded where she stood. This time when the person picked the phone up, Mnie started speaking,


    "Hello, I need immediate help, there''s a situation in the forest¡ª"


    "Vampire prank again?" asked the person, and Mnie couldn''t believe she had got the same person.


    "Listen to me, this is urgent. I need you to send backup right this instant¡ª"


    "You can cry all you want, dear... but you won''t be getting any help here," her words were cut short by someone speaking behind her. When she spun around, she saw it was the vampire whom she had tried to get away from earlier.


    "You know, you children watch a lot of TV or get on the inte too much to believe in these kinds of things," said the person on the other side of the phone. "I will send an officer to take a look at the ce, but backup, seriously? And if you need any personal help, I would be more than happy to assist you with it. Do you have a pen and paper near you, I will give you the number...."


    Mnie could barely respond to the person on the phone, and she stared hard at the vampire, who had been standing there without her realizing and watching her closely.


    "What do you want?" asked Mnie.


    And the person on the phone who heard her asked, "Weren''t you the one who called me for help? I am asking you to pick a pen and paper so that you can write down the number. But the voice died down as Mnie lowered her hand to her side, and the phone eventually disconnected.


    "So fresh. I can smell the scent of your blood, it smells sweet and warm, and would definitely be sticky but tasty."


    Hearing those words from the vampire, Mnie red at the person while trying to see if there was anything that she could use when it came to defending herself. Unlike Conner''s father, her parents had not trusted her with any weapon to protect herself and had only asked her to run. How the hell was she going to escape from this condition!?


    "My parents won''t be happy if they were to find me dead. You and your little groupie will be dead," pointed Mnie, keeping a safe distance by walking backwards every time the vampire took one step closer to her.


    "You don''t seem like a hunter. What are you doing here?" asked the vampire, as if he was trying to disarm her thoughts before sinking his teeth.


    "I am asking the same question to myself," whispered Mnie before she darted and dashed out. This time even though she tried to run as quick as she could, she heard the wind like footstepsing behind her, and before she knew it, the vampire had caught her.


    The night creature''s hand moved to Mnie''s throat, and he pushed her against the rough surface of a nearby tree. Mnie used anything she could to survive right now, scratching the vampire''s face and kicking the vampire in between his legs. But that wasn''t enough, and she felt herself feeling suffocated due tock of air.


    The vampire moved his head towards one side of her neck, taking a deep sniff of her skin before he opened his mouth wide.


    Mnie''s vision was turning blurry, and her hands and legs slowly stopped struggling. Before the vampire could take a bite from her, the person froze, and his hand around her neck started to loosen with the earlier grip. She coughed when the hand slid down, and she quickly pushed the person in front of her, catching hold of a wooden stake that now stuck from his front.


    Behind the vampire stood the red-headed senior, whose hand held the other end of the stake, and he twisted his hand such that the heart moved.


    Mnie''s mouth hung open on seeing Simon turn his hand counterclockwise, and he then moved his hand back before pushing it again into the vampire''s chest. The rogue vampire fell on the ground, and her heart made a thud sound simr to the way the person fell.


    "W-what are you doing here?" asked Mnie with her eyes wide.


    "I was taking a quick stroll and thinking about camping when I saw you were being choked to death," replied Simon, his green eyes looking coolly at her and the smile on his lips missing on his face.


    Both of them stared at each other for a long time, as if they had nothing but time for each other, which was false. For Simon to be able to stake the vampire that easily, she wondered if he was a vampire hunter too, and she asked,


    "How do you know how to kill a vampire?"


    "I learned it," came the simple answer from Simon. He turned to look behind her and asked, "What are you doing here?"


    "I came with my parents and Conner," replied Mnie, and Simon nodded.


    "Family outing with your future family? Bonding is it? But isn''t it a little toote to be doing this at this hour of the night?" questioned Simon, and Mnie frowned. She didn''t know if he was being serious or his usual smug self now. "Where are the other people in your family? Don''t you know a sheep shouldn''t leave its herd lest it wants to be someone''s dinner?"


    Mnie gritted her teeth, and she slightly red at him before realizing that he had saved her from this blood-sucking monster that had tried to sink its teeth in her neck.


    She said, "Thank you for saving me," A subtle smile graced Simon''s lips at her words.

 Chapter 174 - Spinning Tales

    <h4>Chapter 174 - Spinning Tales</h4>


    "Anytime, princess," replied Simon, and it was enough to irk Mnie, but for once, she decided not to snap at him. "Let us take you back to your family. I am sure they will be very worried."


    Mnie, who was quite rattled by the turn of events, nodded before her eyes fell back on the vampire. "What about this person? We cannot leave the person here, can we?"


    She had made the call to reach out for help out of dire need. But now that she came to her senses, where she was no more in danger, she realized how her parents had made them sign and agree on the contract that they were not supposed to mention things to the outsiders. It was good that the person on the other side of the call took her to be joking,


    "Do you n to use him for decoration?" asked Simon, and Mnie''s eyes snapped to meet his eyes.


    He had bright green eyes that stood out in the existing darkness that surrounded them, and they looked at her with curiosity and intrigue.


    "Why would I want to decorate?"


    Simon shrugged his shoulders, "I thought that''s why you wanted to carry him. Unfortunately, I am not that strong to be able to carry him," he waved his hand at the length of the body on the ground, "This weight, unless you are saying, you will carry it with me."


    He waited for her to say something, noticing how she was shaken by being cornered by a rogue vampire. He had stayed there in the shadows, following the hunters and taking a look around the ce when the gunshots urred. And he had seen her being strangled, gasping for air while the life in her threatened to leave her.


    "I will hold the legs, you can carry the upper half," suggested Mnie because she doubted leaving a dead body lying around in public was good for her family. Not to mention, her fingerprints were all over the vampire''s face!


    "On your lead, princess," said Simon, trying to irk her more, and before Mnie could pick up the legs, she stared at him.


    "Can you not call me that? Mnie is good enough," she said with a light re. Her eyes then fell on Simon''s arm, which had a long cut as if he had injured himself while trying to kill the vampire.


    "Why not? You seemed like a princess a while ago, while trying to fend for yourself. I think it is only befitting that you are addressed that way," replied Simon, and Mnie shook her head. She didn''t have the patience to deal with a person like him right now, and she decided not to discuss it and instead go back to her family, hoping they were all safe.


    She caught the vampire''s legs, and Simon grabbed the hands before they lifted the creature. Simon had taken up sixty percent of the weight when it came to carrying the rogue vampire, while he let Mnie carry the rest weight, with legs on either sides of her body.


    "How do you know about vampires?" asked Mnie, and while she was at the front, with her back facing Simon, the red-headed vampire''s eyes turned to red with a grin on his face.


    She heard him say, "My family were hunters. But they died too early, and were ambushed by vampires." And half of it was true, they were ambushed by vampires.


    "I am sorry about it," murmured Mnie, and Simon asked,


    "Are you?"


    "What?"


    "I asked if you really are sorry or if it is just an automatic response thates on hearing someone''s parents are dead," questioned Simon and Mnie''s eyebrows furrowed. "If I am not wrong, you aren''t so fond of me so your wordse out to be insincere."


    It was just a few words¡­ Why did he have to dissect it in such a manner? Asked Mnie in her mind. "Isn''t it basic feelings? It''s never a nice thing to lose parents."


    "Mm," hummed Simon, watching Mnie''s head slightly turn to the right, and he caught her right profile. Sharp nose, full lips and longshes that protected the ck eyes. "Then it would be right to say you are fond of me, for offering such sweet and kind words."


    When a tired sigh escaped from Mnie''s lips, the smile on Simon''s widened. He enjoyed poking this little girl, who always tried to escape from his clutches.


    "Let us just not speak. At least until we reach where my parents are. I would truly appreciate it," said Mnie.


    "Okay."


    Two seconds passed. Five seconds. Ten seconds¡ª


    "You should learn to use weapons if you areing here to camp in the middle of the night," That was as long as the silence couldst before Simon spoke to her.


    "Yeah, today was my orientation day. Half orientation day," Mnie murmured thest words. "Who taught you how to kill the vampires? If your parents died early."


    "You could tell I was taught by my uncle, but he is no more either. Died too and the rest I learned it by myself," replied Simon, spinning out tales of lies which Mnie believed. If vampires existed, it was possible for Simon to be a hunter too, and one-day frogs would rain from the sky, thought Mnie in her mind.


    Before they could reach the spot where her parents were, Mnie heard a sound and Simon said, "Let go of the vampire''s legs."


    "What?" asked Mnie, doing as he said. The vampire was dropped with a soft thump, and when she turned around, she noticed the body quickly turned to ash and dust.


    "Rogue vampires die like this when they are staked with wood," Simon offered a little knowledge about vampires being staked, and Mnie took it in.


    When they reached the spot where her parents were, her mother and father quickly came to her while noticing another person walking next to their daughter¡ªsomeone they hadn''t seen before.

 Chapter 175 - Inviting The Vampire

    <h4>Chapter 175 - Inviting The Vampire</h4>


    "Mel!" Mrs. Davis was quick to hug her daughter. Worry on her face while her arms wrapped around her. "I am so d to see that you are alright. I thought something happened and you got lost."


    "I am okay, mother," Mnie patted her mother''s back before she pulled away from her mother''s embrace. "Are you alright?" she asked, and her mother nodded.


    "Yeah, we got a few of the vampires, but the rest fled. They shot Conner''s father," informed her mother, and Mnie turned to look at Conner, who had just finished wrapping a cloth around his father''s leg. "The ambush was so fast, I wonder if they killed the others and hid the body now."


    "We''ll have someone else scout this ce and check if they find any of our people. If not, we keep looking until we find these vampire''s nests," stated Mr. Davis, and everyone around agreed to it. He then looked at Simon with suspicion in his eyes before raising his gun at him.


    "Dad!" Mnie quickly came between them. "He''s the one who saved me from that creature."


    Hearing the word creature, Simon''s eyes subtly narrowed that no one would have noticed except for himself.


    She continued to say, "The vampire was chasing me and also bit me, but he was the one who used this wood to kill him. He''s a hunter too¡­"


    Conner stood up from where he had been sitting to help his father, and he said to Simon, "I didn''t know you were a hunter, Simon."


    "You know the boy, Conner?" questioned his father and Conner nodded.


    "Yes, we study together in Veteris. He''s in his senior year and also the person who has been helping with my project," exined Conner, and Mr. Davis finally dropped his hand to his side. The man then offered his hand to Simon, and Simon stared at the extended hand before he caught it and shook.


    "Thank you for saving my daughter," Mr. Davis offered his thanks, even though there was a hint of doubt in his eyes that only Simon caught.


    "It is the least I could do. To save our kind, we have to put ourselves in the line and do the best," came the solemn words from Simon, and Mr. Davis gave a slight nod.


    "True. I don''t see anyone from your side. Did youe here alone?" questioned Mr. Davis and Simon returned a nod.


    "I was passing by this ce, when I heard the sound of gunshots. I thought someone got shot or something and decided toe take a look. God must have sent me in time to save Mnie today. I wasn''t even nning to take this road," Simon smoothly let the lies fall in the gaps so that the hunter wouldn''t get to question too much.


    "Exins a little I think," said Mr. Davis, and he looked at Conner''s father and Conner. "Let us head back home now. Get everyone who is hurt and the ones we have¡­ lost today."


    "Do you have your vehicle around?" asked Conner to Simon.


    "Yeah, I parked it at the edge of the forest," replied Simon, taking a look at Conner''s father''s leg before his eyes moved back to meet his new friend.


    "What part of hunters do you belong to?" questioned Mr. Davis, and Mnie sighed, noticing how her father continued his suspicion on Simon.


    "That''s alright," smiled Simon, and Mnie realized then that she had sighed. Her face turned rigid. "I don''t have a group, Sir. My family was ambushed by the rogue vampires and I have been alone."


    "You shoulde join us then. Follow our vehicle which is parked at the edge of the forest too," said Mr. Davis, and Simon were more than happy to agree to it. "You also saved my daughter''s life, it is only right that we be acquainted with each other. Let us go now."


    Simon took a look at the hunters who slowly started to walk, where Mr. Davis helped Conner''s father in supporting him, and on the other side was Conner, helping his father. He heard Conner ask Mnie,


    "You alright?"


    "Yeah, I am good. Thankfully. How about you?" she asked him, and Simon noticed the slight hesitation from the boy before he nodded and smiled. His eyes subtly narrowed, making him wonder what that was about.


    Simon made his way to where his motorcycle was parked, and once he got there, he picked up his phone and dialled a number. The phone continued to ring until the person on the other end picked up and asked,


    "How is it going?"


    "I am getting there. So far it looks like Mnie''s father has suspicion over me, but not as bad as I thought it would be."


    He heard Ms. Dante''s voice, "That''s good. Be sure to tread carefully and see if they find any information about the university or about us. One mistake will cost you your life."


    "Don''t worry about it, Dante. I have been invited to go visit the family so I will talk to youter," smiled Simon with a peaceful expression on his face.


    "Alright. Keep me updated," said the woman from the other side, and Simon disconnected from the call. Getting on the motorcycle, he wore his helmet before following the hunters back to their homes.


    When they reached Greasy Corner, the hunters carried the dead bodies to their basement carefully, while Simon watched how they operated. "Come on in, dear," said Mrs. Davis, inviting him in, and Simon entered the house.


    "Is there something I could help with?" he offered Mr. Davis.


    "You are a guest right now. Sit down, while I go see how Rob is doing. We don''t know what these rogue vampires have that can infect us humans. Silverwater sometimes is not enough to repel it," said Mr. Davis before stepping out of the living room.


    Mnie stood in the living room, watching her mother leave. She couldn''t believe thest person she wanted to interact with was sitting here, in her house. She saw him looking around the room. Remembering he had hurt himself, she said,


    "You should go with dad and get the¡ª" her voice trailed when she noticed the wound on his arm was not there anymore.


    "Get the?" Simon''s eyes met Mnie''s, where she stared at him.

 Chapter 176 - Rising Suspicion

    <h4>Chapter 176 - Rising Suspicion</h4>


    Mnie stared at Simon''s green eyes, that looked slightly curious, and then her eyes went back to look at his arm. With her words hanging mid-air, she went to ask, "Earlier, when we were in the forest, there was a wound¡ª"


    Her words were interrupted when her mother appeared with a ss of orange juice in her hand, entering the living room, and she offered it to the red-headed boy.


    "Where did your father go, Mel?" asked her mother, and Mnie suddenly noticed the flicker in Simon''s eyes, as if the look in there had changed and it seemed colder.


    Breaking her gaze from Simon, she turned to look at her mother and said, "He went to attend to Conner''s father. He said he will be there to make sure that the creatures had not done something grave while inflicting the wound on him."


    "I see. Poor Rob, but we are lucky that we have him and the others who are still alive. We never expected the rogue vampires to show up. Especially with that many numbers. The rogues are usually one or two in count, but who would have thought that we would have a dozen of them," said Mrs. Davis grimly. "You aren''t hurt are you, Mel?"


    Mnie shook her head, "No, I am good. The vampire tried to take a bite from me, but he couldn''t."


    A sigh of relief left from Mrs. Davis'' lips, and she then looked at Simon, "We are very grateful that you saved our daughter''s life today. If you need any help in the future, we would be more than happy to offer it."


    Simon gave a slight nod while holding the ss of juice in his hand. He politely smiled at the woman and said, "Mnie is my junior in the university, and we are friends. This was something I would have done for any juniors of mine or ssmates. It is how Veteris has thrived until now, to look after each other is what we were taught."


    Mnie had a nk expression on her face, and her eyes kept moving to look at Simon''s arm while he spoke to her mother.


    "It is nearly two in the morning. I think it would be best that you stay here with us tonight. Have breakfast with us before you leave," said Mrs. Davis with a slight smile.


    To Mrs. Davis'' words, Simon shook his head slightly before he said, "I wouldn''t want to impose on you or your family. That would be rude of me. The motel I am living in isn''t too far from here. I was around only to help Conner with his project work this weekend."


    "How rude that Conner didn''t invite you to stay in. But that doesn''t matter," said Mrs. Davis, and she gave him a nod as if it wasn''t up for discussion, and the woman stepped out of the house as if to go see what her husband was up to.


    Seeing her mother leave, Mnie turned to look at Simon, whose eyes were quick to shift to her, and he asked, "Is there something you would like to ask, Mnie?"


    Mnie noted how Simon had dropped his usual yful tone of poking people or her. He didn''t call her princess, and he used her whole name. She was sure she had seen a wound on his arm earlier, so where did it go?


    Could it be? Asked Mnie to herself, and she couldn''t help but continue to stare at his green eyes.


    "The guest room is on the right. Let me show you," said Mnie, instead of confirming what she saw.


    She could feel her heart pound, picking up its slow and steady pace. Though she tried to keep a passive expression on her face, her heart betrayed her, and Simon caught on to it. His vampire hearing skills picked up every skip of her heartbeat and how it tried to race.


    "Please," Simon said to her, finishing the juice given by her mother.


    Right now in the house, it was just the two of them, and Mnie walked in the front while listening to Simon''s footsteps on the floor, which was following right behind her.


    "How do you feel after the first hunt of the rogue vampires?" questioned Simon, his voice sounding nonchnt, but Mnie felt a slight dread seep into her body.


    "I¡­I don''t think I am that fond of it. I feel like I have been thrown inside the TV screen or myptop screen," Mnie''s words were nothing less than a mutter.


    "Is it that hard for you to digest that things like those exist?" Simon continued to ask her, and Mnie wished he would stop asking her. She wondered if there was a way to ce an unbreakable lock. Not to lock the guest room where he would be staying, but her own room so that no one would break in when she was sleeping. She doubted she would be able to get a wink of sleep tonight.


    "How would you feel if someone said Frankenstein exists, and so do werewolves? Do werewolves exist?" Mnie turned her face to the side while not actually looking at him, but at the same time wanting to look at what expression was shown on his face.


    "There are spections that the werewolves exist, but I doubt any of us havee across them," Simon and Mnie nodded her head.


    Once they reached the guest room, Mnie opened the door and pushed it open. She said, "You can sleep in here. Let me know if you need anything." All she wanted to do was bolt away from there, and get to her room. But Simon stopped her.


    "I would like warm water. Do you know how to boil water, princess?" questioned Simon and Mnie turned to look at him with a slight frown.


    "I do know it."


    "My throat feels a little scratchy," Simon brought his hand up to point to his throat that looked slightly tan, but that wasn''t what caught her attention. It was the way he ran his long, slender fingers on his throat, and Mnie softly gulped. "I wonder if I caught a cold or something in the forest.


    "I will get it in five minutes. You can find clothes in the cupboard if you would like to change," informed Mnie. "They are my cousin''s clothes, who sometimes drop by here and use this room."


    "I would have never thought that there would be a day where Mnie Davis would be hospitable towards me," smiled Simon, as if it had been his life''s purpose and now that it was fulfilled, he could continue with his life in peace. "Don''t tell me you areing to like me now."


    "You must have your head somewhere else to think that," the frown on Mnie''s forehead deepened, and Simon chuckled.


    "You think I don''t affect you?"


    "No, you don''t," Mnie''s words were firm.


    When Simon started to walk towards her, Mnie suddenly felt her heart speed up as if it was going to make a hole in her chest and run away from the growing tension.


    "Are you sure?" asked Simon, who hovered above her by a few inches in height.


    "I think you should stop overthinking about things. I will go and get water," said Mnie, and she quickly made her way out of there before ending up in the kitchen. Once she was alone, with silence filling around her, she wondered if it was possible that Simon was a vampire.


    She was positive that she had seen blood smeared on his hand, and now that it wasn''t there, she wondered if he had wiped it, and it was only blood. But what if it wasn''t? Should she have let her parents know about it? That there was a living and breathing vampire in their house, who was going to live through the night.


    But then why did he save her? He could have let her die at the vampire''s hands, or he could have killed her himself. And he hadn''t done either of it. Not to mention, she hadn''t seen his eyes change color, and they were still green.


    Once she heated the water warm enough to drink, which she let boil before pouring it in the ss, she went back to Simon''s room and noticed he was using the shower. cing the ss on the side of the table, she went through his things, but she found nothing that could point that he was a vampire.


    Her parents returned from Conner''s house, and Mnie asked, "Is he going to be okay?"


    "Yes, it''s just a silver bullet," replied her father, and he said, "Where is your friend?"


    Friend¡­ he was far from being called her friend, thought Mnie to herself and somewhere, she wanted to bring up what she knew or saw, but at the same time, she couldn''t bring herself to do it. What if it was just a false rm? The things she had seen today, she doubted she would be able to brush it away.


    "He is in the guest room," answered Mnie, and her father stared at her, making her wonder if he knew something.


    "Mel," her father used that stern tone that she hadn''te to hear in a long time. She had always been the good girl, listening to her parents and behaving the way they wanted her. And it held to both when they were present, and without their presence, she had trained herself that way. "What is your rtionship with that boy? Do you like him?"


    Huh?


    "What?" asked Mnie, blinking at her father and not knowing if she had been dropped in a parallel universe. She couldn''t help butugh, but seeing her parents stare at her, the smile died down from her lips. "No," she shook her head. "I do not like him in that sense. We just hold a senior junior rtionship, and he''s Conner''s friend more than mine."


    Her father didn''t respond to her immediately, and Mnie wondered what was going on.


    "What''s going on?" Mnie voiced her thoughts.


    "We were just curious, dear," replied her mother with a kind smile. "We know you have grown up and you havee to an age where you can date any boy, but we cannot help but worry. You are our little girl."


    "Actually, we hunters, we like to hold a close knitted group and don''t like outsiders mingling in our family. We don''t know if a vampire wille to infiltrate by using someone," stated her father, and Mnie stared at her father. "Conner''s father and I have already spoken when you were children, and we decided that to keep things within our circle, it would be right to have both you and Conner together."


    As ecstatic as Mnie would have been in the past to hear about it, she didn''t know why, but this news made her feel ufortable. She wasn''t sure if it was because her parents had decided to choose even this for her or because her feelings towards Conner had started to evaporate.


    "I think we should speak about it another time. I am too tired and don''t want to think about getting together with anyone," smiled Mnie, and her mother gave her a small nod. "I am going to bed."


    "Sure, honey," said her mother and Mnie kissed both her parents'' cheeks before wishing them goodnight.


    Getting into her room, Mnie closed her room.


    Mr. and Mrs. Davis didn''t stay around and walked to their room, which was soundproof. Once the doors and the windows were locked, Mrs. Davis turned to look at her husband and said,


    "I gave him the Silverwater."


    "Any reaction?" asked her husband, and the woman shook her head.


    "None so far, but it is a slow reacting Silverwater. We''ll get to know in the morning."


    Mrs. Davis had made sure to offer the boy a ss of juice with Silverwater in it. Over the course of the existence of vampires, the humans who were aware of these leeches like being, they had tried to find a way to tackle and attack them without having to turn into a sacrifice.


    The Davis'' family had tried to alter the existing Silverwater in a way where it could be used to affect the vampires the way they could.


    Mr. and Mrs. Davis stepped out of the room, making sure the guest and their daughter were fast asleep before they went to the secret room.


    Mr. Davis, who was the only one who had the key to this door, unlocked the door. He and his wife stepped into the narrow passage that led to another built basement. Turning on the lights, they made their way to the hall, where unconscious vampires were sitting on the chairs. The night creatures'' hands and legs were tied in sharp barbed wires.


    A growl erupted from one of the vampires, who was weak but in his conscious state¡ªring at the humans.


    "Looks like we have only one awake," said Mr. Davis, and Mrs. Davis went to the equipment recording the fluctuations taking ce in the vampire''s bodies. "How is it going so far?"


    "Looks like the new product is yet to take effect. I injected it in the morning, and his body has shown nothing but positives instead of negative qualities for a vampire," replied Mrs. Davis. "We should have gotten another assistant in here. It is hard to know if there''s any fluctuations because the devices in here don''t capture them."


    "You just need to wait for a few weeks or months. Soon Mel will be joining us, our own people should work for us instead of the useless hospitals," responded Mr. Davis.


    He took note of the other three vampires, who looked dull and weak, theirplexion worse than the other. "Do you need these?"


    "Not anymore. They have turned into rogue or corrupted vampires. I was wondering if you would need them," answered his wife, and Mr. Davis picked up the wooden stakes,ing to stand in front of them before he pushed the wood into their chest where their heart rested.


    Soon the vampires'' bodies turned brittle as if the slightest touch would crumble the bodies into dust.


    "What are you nning to do with me?" came the feeble voice from the only survived vampire.


    "We are trying to find if we can create a cure for the vampires, who were obviously once a human, who is now infected with the disease of wanting to suck people''s blood out. Once we are able to do it, you will be a free man," exined Mr. Davis in a nonchnt tone.


    "There''s no cure for us vampires. Once turned, you continue to live as an immortal. I didn''t do anything to you," came the ragged voice of the vampire.


    "That is because no one has ever created a cure, all everyone has thought about is to stake vampires. But imagine the number of people we could bring back to their original human self and remove the entire race of these vampires," said Mr. Davis with a light chuckle. "My wife believes it is better to sever your head than let you live and do this hassle like a job. But I said why not give it a try."


    "So you have turned me into an experimental rat," the vampire sneered in anger.


    "You don''t have to feel that bad about it. Consider it to be something where you are being useful to the society," said Mrs. Davis, walking to where the vampire was. She stabbed something into the vampire''s neck before pulling out the syringe. "The vampires have been nothing but problematic. I lost some of my family members because of you people. It is either we get the cure, or we kill you," she offered a spine chilling smile to the vampire.


    In a matter of a few seconds, the vampire started to convulse, and ck blood started to drip out of his mouth.


    On the floor above, Mnie had locked herself in her room. Sheid in the bed with the nket pulled up till her nose while her eyes kept darting towards the door and the window. Even the slightest sound had her eyes dart in the direction.


    Unable to keep her eyes open for far too long, Mnie slowly drifted to sleep, were the fears that had emerged creeped into her dreams.


    In her dream, she ran past the trees, her feet trying to move as fast she could while she heard the growlsing not too far behind her. Her chest heaved for air, and she tried to breathe, but it felt like her lungs had exhausted the possible oxygen in her body. She was surrounded by darkness, and when she turned around, she saw It was Simon, whose fangs had appeared and his eyes bright red, and he opened his mouth as if ready to take a bite from her. But before she could run more, she twisted her ankle, and she fell backwards, on the ground.


    Simon pounced on her.


    Mnie shrieked in fear, waking up from her sleep and pushing the nket from her chest and sat upright on the bed. Sweat covered her forehead, and her pillow had turned wet too. She softly gulped while looking around her room, where themp that she had left to glow earlier had been turned off.


    She was sure she wasn''t the one to turn it off. Pushing the nket to the side, she slowly bent forward to lean and check below her bed before sitting upright again. Feeling a little anxious, she stepped out of her room and made her way to where the guest room was. It seemed like her parents had gone to sleep.


    Reaching the front of the room, she turned the knob as carefully as she could before opening it and taking a peek inside. She saw Simon''s silhouette sleeping on the bed, and she let out a sigh of relief. Vampires didn''t sleep, did they? At least one would not be looking that peaceful while sleeping, thought Mnie.


    Maybe she was only overthinking about the situation.


    With that thought, Mnie closed the door and went back to her room to sleep.


    Back in Veteris, the three Elders and the headmistress of the university were in one of the mansion rooms. Luciano made a disapproving sound in his throat and said,


    "Enoch has left too many bodies and we have no trace of where he had disappeared to. How hard was it to catch a vampire who was weak?!"


    "It is what Donovan said, Luciano," replied Castiel, who sat with his back leaned against the chair, with his legs crossed.


    "Hmph, who knows maybe Donovan purposely let him go because he wanted to. Why isn''t he even here with us, when we have pressing matters?" questioned Luciano, jerking his head to the side, where his blonde hair moved to the side. "When I asked the servant here, the person had no idea where Donovan was. Maybe he went to meet Enoch after helping him run away."


    "Aren''t you going a little ahead with your imagination there, Luciano," remarked Castiel and Luciano sent a re at the Elder vampire, who sat on the other side of the room. "Donovan might have worked with Enoch in the past, but whatever happened in Willow Creek, Donovan had nothing to do with it."


    "You might not believe me, but I can bet on your heart that he''s up to something," harrumphed Luciano.


    "Have you heard anything from Wace?" questioned Remy.


    Dante nodded, "He''s entered one of the hunter''s houses. They have involved their children into the group."


    "I believe it is time you find a reason to have the two hunter''s children to be kicked out of the university," stated Luciano, crossing his arms and watching the vampiress.


    "It is not how things work here. And taking such sudden actions will raise suspicion in the hunter''s minds," replied Dante in an even tone. "Who knows we might get an advantage by having them around. I will arrange for someone to keep a closer look at them. Someone should have spotted Enoch, somewhere."


    When they stepped out of the room, Castiel asked Remy, "Did you hear anything from Donovan?"


    Remy stared at Castiel with his expressionless face, before he replied, "He seemed a little excited.. My guess is he''s probably gone to see Moltenore."

 Chapter 177 - Counseling Session

    <h4>Chapter 177 - Counseling Session</h4>


    Julieid in the bed next to Roman, her fingers intertwined with his fingers while staring at the ceiling of their room. It had been almost three hours since they had gone to bed, and somewhere in between, she had woken up from her short sleep.


    Noticing Roman''s eyes that were closed, she didn''t want to wake him up. As much as vampires didn''t fall asleep as the humans did, their bodies still needed rest, and Julie wanted him to have it.


    She quietly stared at the dark ceiling above them, somewhere d that things hadn''t turned as chaotic as she thought it would be. But most of the credits went to Uncle Thomas, who had be the pacifier and diffuser of the situation when it came to her aunt, who had been about to tell something.


    "Unable to sleep?" came Roman''s voice from next to her, and Julie turned her head to look at him, where he had opened his eyes, and she noticed they weren''t ck but red.


    "I just woke up. You didn''t sleep?" asked Julie in her soft voice.


    "Hard to sleep when you are awake. Is something bothering you?" Roman''s fingers squeezed her own, and Julie felt her heart skip a beat.


    "No, nothing happened," replied Julie, and she moved closer to him, taking a closer look at his eyes, and she said, "Your eyes."


    "Are they red?" At Roman''s question, Julie nodded.


    "Do you feel thirsty?"


    "I am okay, don''t worry about me," said Roman, but his words only increased her worry. "I am just a little thirsty."


    "You can have my blood if you want. The Corvin did say that the Silverwater wouldn''t cause much effect on me. It won''t be that bad," offered Julie.


    Roman released her hand that he had been holding until now, "When ites to you, I wouldn''t take a risk. Never."


    But the more Roman kept himself away from drinking blood, keeping his thirst at bay, the worst it would turn out to be, thought Julie to herself. "How about if I pour some blood in the ss? Maybe we can add water to it and make you feel full?" she came up with the idea to see a broadened smile on his lips as if she was naive and innocent to say something like that.


    "Only if the vampire''s body worked as such. It doesn''t matter if our stomach bes full, because all we see is how much the blood enters our very own system once it is consumed," said Roman, getting up from where he was lying down next to her in the bed. Julie pushed herself up, sitting upright on the bed with Roman.


    She saw him cing his hand on his chest and tapping on it with his hand that had turned into a fist.


    "But you had consumed too much Silverwater," Julie pointed out, "Did you and Donovan drink blood from someone?"


    "Yes, a little. Taking in too much blood and keeping a person for far too long will only bring unneeded attention to us," replied Roman, and Julie was somewhere d that he had gotten the opportunity to drink blood. Was that why Donovan had earlier proposed to go and get ice cream?


    Roman then said, "But I don''t think it was enough."


    He raked his hand through his hair as if something was bothering him.


    "Should I wake up Donovan?" asked Julie, and Roman shook his head.


    "Leave the old man out of this. I have had enough of hispany for the next decade," muttered Roman under his breath before adding, "Only if I could put him back in his coffin. Things would have been much simpler."


    Julie was sure that most of the people troubled by the Elder''s presence in Veteris held the same thought, but then it was Mr. Evans who had awakened the Elders from their chambers. Before leaving Veteris, she had spoken to Mr. Evans as her mother had turned the man into her guardian in her absence. And their conversation had gone somewhere like this,


    ''Visiting your uncle and aunt?''


    Julie nodded her head, ''Yes. I didn''t get to go and visit themst month and I thought I would find something about my father too. Just to be careful.''


    ''Don''t go looking for things that you don''t want to see, Julianne. Things that you look for, sometimese back to haunt you,'' Mr. Evans had told her while sitting behind his desk. Compared to his usual smiling face, he had dropped it in front of her, making her realize he appeared much older with his expressionless and dull face. ''Is Moltenore apanying you?''


    ''He is. He will be there with me.''


    Mr. Evans, who was once scary and unnerving, had turned out to be someone she could now rely on.


    ''Though I would strongly like to advise you to not go somewhere you aren''t sure about, still you aren''t a child anymore,'' said Mr. Evans, and Julie was grateful that he was not trying to treat her like a child. ''Moreover, if there''s Moltenore with you it should be fine. I believe you have bonded yourself with the Corvin?'' On seeing her nod again, the counsellor continued, ''Then all you need to do is summon the creature when you feel you need it around. Even though the Corvin is young and isn''t as efficient as your father or how the older Corvins used to be, it should be sufficient enough to keep trouble at bay.''


    ''Yeah, I will keep that in my mind. Is there any news about my mother or father? Did you get a chance to take a look at Willow Creek?'' she asked him.


    Mr. Evans gave her a slight nod, and he then said, ''I did go and take a look around the ce. It looks just the same as when I had left the ce before, except the ce is now covered in snow. Heard from Ms. Dante that you didn''t want anything to be moved from its ce.''


    Julie stayed quiet for some time, her thoughts went back to the Gallows where her mother''s bodyy. She said,


    ''I wanted to know more about how things were, or maybe how my mother lived her life. Just so that I could keep her closer in my memories.''


    ''Don''t you already do it? Keeping her in your heart and mind?'' questioned Mr. Evans.


    ''I have seen my mother only once, and that was when I had gone to Queenstorm. Somewhere¡­ I regret not stepping inside the mirror, to follow her,'' murmured Julie, and Mr. Evans slightly frowned at her words.


    ''Mirrors¡­ they are tricky objects. Not just in the ghost''s world, but also for the witches. Sometimes people get inside but they nevere back. Because they either lose their way or they don''t want toe back. Not to mention, it creates parallel lines.''


    ''Parallel lines?'' questioned Julie, her brown eyes staring at Mr. Evans.


    ''Parallel lines are nothing less to the next possible future because of people''s effects on what they do by going back and trying to fix things. Sometimes it turns too messy. Lady Opaline once mentioned that¡­ That''s what happened when vampires came into existence," exined Mr. Evans, while Julie quietly listened to him. ''It was told that once upon a time the world was a peaceful one, but one day, someone lost someone very dear to them, and everything changed.''


    ''Do you know who was that person?''


    ''It was connected to a witch. The witches, vampires, and the humans have always been in a rtionship with each other. Even though most of them didn''t like each other, they have always been each other''s reflections when ites to their actions. The person, who was responsible for today, to keep a person alive and immortal, it led to creatures like me,'' said the counsellor, and Julie tried to understand what he was meaning to tell. ''Anyway, your mother never mentioned what I could or couldn''t tell you, so I believe I can tell you what I know, while making sure to see you stay safe.''


    ''Thank you for your help,'' Julie thanked him, and she got up from the seat where she had been sitting until then.


    When she reached near the closed door, Mr. Evans said, ''Try tapping into the mirror again, only if you are confident. If not, it is best to not touch it¡­''


    ''How did you know that you have to stay here?'' asked Julie, something that she had been curious about since she hade to know about his involvement with her mother.


    ''It wasn''t I who chose toe here, but it was your mother''s decision to send me here. I believed Lady Opaline had done things because of certain reasons. She had been a woman that I came to respect and care, putting her before me,'' said the counsellor with obvious devotion in his voice, and Julie could have never believed that Mr. Evans and her would somehow be tied to each other. ''You were meant to be here one day. Even if it meant it took decades or centuries, you were destined to step on these grounds.''


    Julie gave him a nod, and she had stepped out of the room.


    She would have been sure that his loyaltyy with the Elder vampire, but now that she knew the truth, Sullivan Evans'' loyaltyy only with her mother.


    Her trail of thoughts were broken when she heard Roman cough, and she saw him cing his hand on his chest. And his other hand was quick to appear in front of his mouth.


    "Rome?" Julie turned utterly worried, noticing his face that quickly started to transform. The little roots like veins started to emerge on the surface of his skin, and when he dropped his hand to his side, his parted lips showed the fangs that had extended. She said, "I will go and get something quickly."


    But just when she was about to leave the bed, Roman''s hand shot towards her, and he caught hold of her wrist.


    "Don''t leave," he whispered, his voice sounding as if he was having trouble talking, and he heaved for air.


    His hand on her skin felt cold, where the usual warmth was missing. Her eyebrows furrowed deeply, and she brought her other hand to ce it on his forehead.


    His forehead was covered in sweat, and she wondered if he was feeling sick.


    "I will be fine," said Roman, taking her hand in his and kissing the back of her hand.


    "But you are sweating, Rome. Give me two minutes, and I will be back," said Julie, and she pulled his hand towards her, kissing his hand back before she left the room.


    She slowly tiptoed towards the kitchen, making her way towards the shelves and cupboards to get the ss. cing the ss on the ind, she pulled out a bottle of liquor before pouring it into the ss.


    Suddenly the light turned on, and she heard, "Never thought you to be someone who likes to drink in the middle of the night."


    Julie spun on her heels, feeling startled by Donovan''s sudden voice, and she let her back lean against the counter while taking deep breaths, "You haven''t slept."


    "I didn''t. I had unwantedpany who made it impossible for me to get a decent amount of time to even close my eyes or meditate," replied Donovan, and his eyes fell on the bottle of liquor that Julie held. "Care to pour some for me?"


    Julie gave him a nod, and she offered the ss that she had earlier poured liquor. "Thanks," hummed Donovan, taking a sip, and his eyebrows slightly scrunched before he said, "Not so bad, but not good either."


    She wondered if there was anything that did please the Elder vampire where he didn''tment. But then the answer was quick to appear in her mind. Roman. To Donovan, his son was the apple of his eye where he didn''t find any fault in him.


    "Is that for Rome?" Donovan questioned, and Julie nodded.


    "He''s feeling sick," said Julie. "You don''t seem to be doing well either," her eyes noted how his eyes had turned red too, but he seemed to be standing his ground.


    "I am always in a perfect condition. There''s never a time where Azazel Donovan has difficulty after consuming Silverwater," Donovan raised the ss in his hand and gulped the entire liquor in one go.


    "Why did you make him drink the Silverwater? Aren''t you worried that he might die?" asked Julie, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at Donovan.


    "He has you. I doubt there''s anything about him that I need to worry about," replied Donovan in a nonchnt tone before he added, "He is stronger than any of us. Even if it looks worse now, eventually he will be able toe out of this phase and emerge into the highest vampire because of his heart condition."


    Julie didn''t know what to reply to Donovan and knowing Roman was thirsty in the room. Picking another ss, she turned her back to the Elder vampire before pulling the knife into her hand.


    "What are you making him?" questioned Donovan, craning his neck to the side with curiosity in his eyes.


    "An alcoholic drink with my blood. I heard that liquor and smoking helps in curbing a vampire''s thirst."


    "For vampires, these things work differently, my dear. He''s not an average vampire who is thirsty but in his ripper form. What makes you think alcohol is enough to curb it with one drop of your blood?" Donovan''s question had Julie pause her from cutting her palm. "Let him control his thirst. Let the night pass and both of you sleep."


    "I don''t think I will be able to keep him here without him going to hunt me or my rtives or maybe the next door neighbors for some blood," evident worry in her eyes. She remembered the few hours she had spent with Roman''s ripper side, where his words had sounded emotionless and empty. "Is there another way to put him to sleep, maybe."


    "You can sing him a luby and see if it works? Maybe I can sing a luby," offered Donovan, his eyes sparkling and Julie wished she could smack the Elder vampire for his terrible suggestion.


    She picked up the ss of alcohol that she had poured for Roman, ready to pour it back into the bottle, when a hand came in front of her face. Donovan said, "I will take it from here, you can tend to him."


    Julie passed the bottle and the ss to the Elder vampire.


    Somewhere on her way towards the room, Julie suddenly became worried that Roman might have left the room and stepped out of the house. But she was d to see him. He had his backid on the bed, and his hands stretched wide, with one of his knees pulled up, and he stared at the ceiling.


    Stepping inside the room, Julie closed the door before making her way around the bed. She saw him turning his gaze from the ceiling to her. He didn''t speak a word, and neither did she. A few seconds passed when Roman stretched his hands towards her, and Julie ced her hand in his to feel him tug her to him.


    Julie was quick to fall on the bed, her knees on the surface of the bed, and her bodying to fall on top of him.


    "Rome?"


    "Yes?" Roman let his hand stroke Julie''s back, soothing the tension. "I told you that you didn''t have to worry about me. I am doing perfectly fine in yourpany."


    And even though Roman said it, Julie wasn''t convinced, "I cannot help but worry about you. You are the only one I am left with."


    "And I have nowhere else to go but with you. Isn''t that what makes things so beautiful," said Roman, and Julie pressed her forehead on his. "Donovan is right, alcohol won''t be enough."


    "Are you telling me that you aren''t thirsty?" asked Julie, and she saw the swirl of red in his eyes.


    "You want to know the truth?" asked Roman, and Julie pulled her head back a little before she nodded her head.


    "I don''t like you hiding things from me. Even if it makes you think that it will hurt me," she let him know. "Things that you think that hurts me, I would still want you to tell me about it."


    Roman stared at Julie for two seconds before flipping her back on the surface of the bed, "The truth is that my jaws hurt, but more importantly, it is the thoughts where all I want to do is hurt you. I want to sink my fangs in your skin and drink every drop of blood that now runs through your veins. I want to feel alive, and I know it can be done only by drinking blood, but for some reason¡­ yours taste sweeter, my love."


    "Then take it," challenged Julie, and the serious expression on his face slowly started to change where a subtle smile appeared on his lips.


    "I havee to believe that taking life is easier, but putting the pieces back together, it is the toughest one," Roman whispered to her, and he pressed both her hands on the bed. His hands slid from her forearms, moving up to reach her palms before he interlocks his fingers with hers. "But more than blood, I want to keep you alive and breathing."


    Julie stared into Roman''s eyes, noticing how the ck and the red kept swirling around.


    "So what do you propose?" asked Julie, not knowing what was going on in his mind right now.


    Somewhere, she was d that he wasn''t diving right in to bite her neck. Not that she would have minded if he took a bite from her right now.


    "Let us stay here, like this," said Roman, and Julie blinked before he finally let his body move to the side next to her. His fingers let go of her hands, and she turned around to see him take a deep breath.


    She wondered if he was trying to pull his ripper side, controlling it in his mind so that it would not overtake his senses. And she was proud of it. They hugged each other, where he had pulled her back in his arms, keeping her close to his beating heart.


    When morning arose, Julie woke up to see the bed empty.

 Chapter 178 - Painful Reality Of The Nightmare

    <h4>Chapter 178 - Painful Reality Of The Nightmare</h4>


    Julie touched the surface of the bed, running her fingers on it and felt the coldness of it. As if the person lying down next to her had stepped out of bed for many hours now. A slight trickle of fear slithered down her back, and she looked around the room, but Roman was nowhere in sight. The window curtains had not been drawn where the sunlight was to pass through and being worried, she pushed the nket from her body. She ced her feet t on the cold ground.


    "Rome?" Julie called out his name, wondering if he was taking a shower, but there was no sound of running water. The bathroom was empty, and she looked at the slightly ajar door.


    It was unlike him to leave her when she was still sleeping in the bed.


    Stepping out of the room, Julie walked through the corridor that held a deafening silence.


    When she stepped closer to the kitchen and the living room, Julie''s eyes fell on the red liquid smeared on the white floor. Her blood turned cold, and goosebumps formed on her skin.


    "Rome?" This time she called his name a little louder than before, but she received no response again.


    Her heart continued to beat loudly, and her feet were quick to follow the trail of blood, and soon she found her aunt sitting on the couch.


    But her aunt sat with her throat slit and her head thrown back. Blood dripped down from her neck, falling on her clothes and the couch''s surface.


    "Aunt Sarah?!" Julie shouted her aunt''s name, and she darted towards her aunt, but suddenly Donovan emerged from the other side of the room.


    "What a delicious meal she was¡­" hummed the Elder vampire, running his tongue on the corner of his lips. "Much better than what she cooked. I wasn''t sure if I wanted to sink my teeth into her, she seemed a little not my type, so I used the knife," his eyes shifted to look at the teapot, and Julie''s eyes fell on the sharp stake of wood that was covered in blood.


    Donovan was joking, wasn''t he? She must be dreaming, thought Julie to herself.


    "Where is Rome and Uncle Thomas?" demanded Julie, and Donovan leisurely took his time to sit down on the opposite couch where Aunt Sarah was sitting. "Where are they?!"


    "Sshh," Donovan raised his hand to hush her, "You will end up inviting trouble to both of us and yourself by alerting the neighbors."


    "I will scream if you don''t tell me now," threatened Julie. "I thought it was clear that you wouldn''t touch any of my rtives and bring them no harm."


    Donovan stared at Julie, and a small smile appeared on his lips, "I don''t think I ever told or promised anything like that to you. What I tell others, you shouldn''t consider it to be something I will abide by. Why don''t you take a seat? And we can have a talk."


    Julie felt her head start to spin, this was not happening¡­ it couldn''t! Her aunt couldn''t be dead in the living room.


    "Okay, you can stand if that is what you want," Donovan shrugged his shoulders and leaned his back against the couch. "You know when I woke up, where I barely got a wink of sleep the whole night and took a stroll in the neighborhood beforeing back to sleep. In the morning, when I woke up, I thought I would get to drink a fresh cup of coffee. But the audacity of this woman," he said, looking at Aunt Sarah''s body, where the deceased''s women''s eyes had not been closed, and she stared at the ceiling.


    "You killed her for a cup of coffee?!" Julie had grown up with her family being around, and even though as distant, her aunt behaved with her, she didn''t deserve this! The Elder vampire had lost his mind. She closed her eyes, whispering to herself, "Please wake up from this dream. Please wake up."


    Hearing her words, Donovan chuckled, "What we think is the nightmare is a reality, Juliekins. What you believe to be real, is a dream. How fascinating is that?" he asked, awe in his voice.


    Not waiting for Donovan to exin anything more than the crazy words he had already spewed, Julie started to look for Roman. Reaching her uncle and aunt''s room, where the door was closed, she opened it and saw her uncle sitting on the chair where he had been tied with a rope, and Roman stood in front of him.


    "Julie! Run away from here!" Her uncle hurriedly told her in panic, and her heart broke.


    She quickly made her way to them, her uncle looking upset and angry. When she turned to look at Roman, his lips held colour.


    "He has Silverwater in his body," Roman said to her before she could question. "And he''s seen too much."


    Uncle Thomas stared between Roman and Julie, his eyes moving back and forth before it settled on his niece. In a look of disbelief, he asked, "Y-you know about these monsters¡­?"


    Julie could see Uncle Thomas'' trust in her had been broken into many pieces. Donovan had told her nothing to understand how things had ended up like this.


    "It''s not how it looks, Uncle Tom," Julie''s voice was softer than usual, sensing the look of disappointment in his eyes as he stared at her.


    "I think it would be best for you to stay quiet unless you want me to snap your niece''s head or have her suffer the same fate as your wife," Roman''s voice was cold, and he didn''t hold back in letting his intentions known to the human who was tied in the chair.


    Uncle Thomas didn''t look at Roman, but his eyes stayed on Julie, who looked like she had been caught. He said, "I weed you to my home with love and warmth, and this is how you repay it to me? Colluding with these¡­ killing your aunt."


    At his words, Julie''s heart broke.


    Everything had been perfectst night when she had gone to sleep. She now wished she could turn back time and get everything back to how it was. She was speechless to get even a single word out of her lips right now, and Uncle Thomas continued to say,


    "If you really want to do the right thing, call the police right now, Julie."


    But she couldn''t do it.


    "She won''t be doing anything as such. Come, I will talk to you outside," said Roman and Julie looked between the two males in the room.


    "They killed your aunt. Killed her ruthlessly and without any hesitation. Did you know about it?" questioned Uncle Thomas, his voice sounding slightly desperate. Julie shook her head. The man then looked at Roman and said, "Why don''t you tell what you or that brother of yours did to her in front of me, instead of spinning tales of lies!" he turned angry, an emotion that Julie had never seen from her uncle.


    Julie gave a nod to Roman, who stared at her before he said, "Your aunt was mixing Silverwater in the food that she made yesterday, and this morning. We caught her with some things, which hunters mostly use."


    Hearing it, a deep frown came to marr Julie''s face. She shook her head as if unable to understand, "You''re telling me that she was a hunter?"


    "Yes," replied Roman, while Uncle Thomas tried to get himself free. He turned to look at the human and said, "You''ll only end up injuring yourself. It would be best for all of us if you would stay still and we can finish this process."


    "Rome," Julie ced her hand on his arm, and he went quiet. She then turned to look at her uncle, "Uncle Thomas, I am sorry you had to go through something like this, and see it. But I need you to trust me on this."


    "You have been brainwashed by these freaks, Julie," her uncle appeared to be helpless, as if he wanted her to listen to him, but he couldn''t. "They drank blood, pushed me into this chair and tied me up. How can you expect me to stay calm and trust you?" His eyes looked livid.


    Julie hated seeing her uncle in this state, but if what Roman said was true about Aunt Sarah being involved with hunters, then she understood what was going on¡­


    Roman said, "She used a heavier dosage of Silverwater. Donovan and I thought the silverwater at the diner was leaving its aftereffects with the amount of food we ate. But it was the Silverwater that she served at the dinner yesterday."


    "I don''t know what ridiculous things this boy is speaking about right now, but you should know better than anyone that Sarah would never do anything bad to people. She might have been someone who spoke about things in taunts, but she would never try to hurt anyone," Uncle Thomas defended his wife. "This boy is poisoning your mind and manipting everything with his brother. I should have known and believed when Sarah told me something was wrong with these two. That they were not to be trusted. How could I not believe her," his voice turned distant while it broke in the end.


    "Your wife is not someone you thought she was, and what you feel right now¡­ it is only temporary, Mr. Winters," came Roman''s words, which sounded emotionless and unattached. "We apologize for what happened, but we need you to cooperate."


    "No, this is not going to happen. I am not letting my wife''s murderers? to be let off the hook that easily," Uncle Thomas shook his head. "I will make sure to see that you two will get the right punishment. Call the police now, Julie, unless you never cared about your aunt or me."


    Julie felt torn.


    She wanted to tell the truth to him, but at the same time, she understood what Roman meant when he said what her uncle felt was temporary. Because once the Silverwater would leave the human''s body, it would be easy topel him. Erasing the drastic memory of him seeing his wife being fed by two vampires.


    Julie turned to look at Roman, and she requested, "Can you give me a few minutes alone with him?"


    Roman gave her a nod and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.


    Julie came to stand in front of her uncle, her hands holding each other while she saw her uncle''s eyes leave the door behind where Roman had disappeared. Compelling him was thest thing she wanted to do. Not that it was a bad thing, but she just didn''t want it.


    Since the time she had found out about the existence of the vampires, witches along with the hunters, she had always hoped that she wouldn''t involve her uncle and his family in the life that had been opened up to her.


    "Since how long have you known about these things?" questioned Uncle Thomas, his voice continuing to hold the disappointment and hurt in his expression.


    "For a few weeks now," replied Julie, before she added, "What you see is not how it is supposed to look or doesn''t appear that way."


    Uncle Thomas didn''t speak right away, but when he did, he asked her, "How can you take their sides? You should have seen your aunt''s body or¡­" his voice trailed before he asked, "Or have you already seen her body?"


    Julie nodded her head, her eyes lowered while feeling her uncle''s anger bubble up. "I saw her body before I came to see you in here."


    "Then exin to me why, because I am not able to fathom the thought of my wife being brutally killed and my niece is now taking the wild creature''s side,"mented Uncle Thomas, and she could feel the pain and loss which he was experiencing. "Why are you not informing the police? Did they threaten to do something to you, which is why you aren''t willing to call the cops for help?"


    "It isn''t that, Uncle Tom," murmured Julie. She shook her head, her lips closing and opening while she didn''t know how to break it to him. "If what Rome said is true, then Aunt Sarah tried to kill them. Or maybe test us, including me."


    "Sarah had no idea of what was happening, she didn''t do anything. She has been innocent all this while," Uncle Thomas defended his wife.


    Julie wiped both her palms on the sides of her jeans.


    "There is something that you need to know. Something that I found out and something that has been around you for sometime now," Julie started to exin everything from her surrogate mother to her father, one why he killed her and about the existence of vampires and witches.


    She knew it probably wasn''t the wisest thing to tell her uncle about the existence of the vampires or the witches, but with him who would bepelledter, it seemed worth a shot on speaking about it to him. She saw him look away from her, his eyebrows in a deep furrow.


    He then said, "Your aunt was trying to protect me. Trying to protect you, Julie. Even after seeing what happened to her, you still take the vampires side?"


    "Uncle Tom, I swear when I say this that I didn''t know this was going to happen when I came to visit you. I don''t think anyone even knew that Aunt Sarah was a hunter, or was aware of it. I don''t know what happened or how things spiraled before I woke up, but Roman would never do anything to hurt you or any person who is dear to me," Julie patiently tried to exin to him. "If they killed her, it was only because they believed she would be a harmful threat to one of us in the future. There''s no ulterior motive here."


    Uncle Thomas stayed quiet for a long time, no words came out from his lips. He then said,


    "You might see her as a hunter, but she, Sarah, was my wife. And I epted her the way she was and loved her despite all the ws she had. I have been married to her for so many years. What will I tell Joel when he asks what happened to his mother? What will you tell your cousin, Julie? On why his mother was found in a cold blooded murder."


    Julie understood the pain he was feeling, which was why she didn''t force her thoughts or the truth that she knew on him. The man needed time to grieve for his wife''s death, and she would give him that time.


    "I will exin to him when I believe the time is right¡­ or maybe hide the truth of what his mother never shared with her husband," replied Julie, and the look in Uncle Thomas'' eyes hardened. "The hunters¡­ I am not saying all of the hunters are bad. I know some who are good or are unaware of it."


    "The same could be said, isn''t it, Julie? The vampires that you earnestly protect, not everyone is good and they can be bad. Your aunt just believed she was doing right, and protecting us as family. Are you telling me it was wrong for her to look out for you?"


    Julie shook her head.


    She knew whatever she would tell to her uncle right now, it would seem wrong, and she said, "I will give you some time to process it, Uncle Tom. I won''t let anything more happen than they have now."


    "Can you make sure that I get to see her one more time? So that you guys don''t bury her by yourself without her family''s presence being there?"


    When Julie''s eyes went to meet her uncle''s eyes, the man averted his eyes to his left as if he couldn''t bear to see her right now and wanted to stay alone.


    "Okay," whispered Julie, her heart breaking at the sight of her Uncle''s reaction, which didn''t look weing, nor did he care about other things.


    She walked towards the door for a moment, turning behind to see her uncle continue to stare at the wall at the side. Turning the knob, she opened the door. stepping outside the room and she closed the door behind her.


    Julie found Roman standing against one side of the wall with his arms crossed against his chest and his back leaned against the wall. He pushed himself forward, taking two steps near her, and she whispered,


    "How did this happen?"


    When her eyes met his, Roman noticed tears well up around her brown eyes, and he put his arms around her. "I am sorry it had turned that way," he rubbed her back, bringing her close to him, and Julie closed her eyes while pursing her lips so that she wouldn''t sob. "I woke up when I heard the sounds in the living room, and by the time I reached there, it was toote."


    "Do you know what happened?" she asked him, with a frown. She pulled herself away, and he dropped his hands around her.


    "Donovan and she were speaking. She offered him coffee, and it was heavilyced with Silvewater. A little stronger than what was given to us yesterday. He threw up blood, and your aunt tried to stake him," Roman iterated the event. "I should have known that with your father, Dougs Leighton around, there was bound to be another hunter in the family. Before she could kill him, Donovan killed her."


    "He could have saved her. We could havepelled her and done something about it. This is not right," whispered Julie, shaking her head and feeling a headache rise in her temples. "It wasn''t right. He shouldn''t have killed her."


    "You know how persistent hunters are, Julie. And we don''t know how long it would take for the Silverwater to leave. At least one which is of this dosage."


    Walking to the living room, where Aunt Sarah''s body continued to stay the same way she hadst seen it a few moments ago. She looked away. She brought her hand up and covered her mouth.


    She had seen dead bodies before. It wasn''t the first time something like this, but this, seeing someone who was only living and breathing a few hours ago, where she had helped the woman in the kitchen, was hard to digest.


    Donovan, who had earlier sat on the couch, had already got up and spoke to Roman, "We''ll need to clean this up. Lest we want a good amount of houseflies to settle in, along with the odor of the deceased."


    "Julie''s uncle wants to see her being buried," remarked Roman, ring at Donovan because, like Julie, he knew things could have been handled delicately. But Donovan had to behave like a caveman, here more like cave-vampire.


    Donovan stared at Roman for a good second before he raised his eyebrows, "And what do you propose for us to do? Keep the body until his Silverwateres down, which you said you aren''t sure how long it will take. Do we refrigerate the body?"


    "I can speak to one of the doctors whom I know and see if space can be arranged in the morgue for her," suggested Roman, and Donovan nodded his head.


    "Yes, this is where dear Remingtones into good use. Let me just call him," Donovan raised his one finger in the air to excuse himself before he pulled out the phone from his pocket. It took a couple of times before he was able to connect with the person through the call and the other Elder vampire picked the call, "Hello, Remy, how is the day today?"


    Remy, who was in Veteris, enjoying the little peace that he had found, staring at nothing in particr now while holding the phone next to his ear. Answering Donovan, he said, "I was enjoying peace. Why?"


    "You still have contacts and connections with the doctors and vampire folks who work in the old hospitals, don''t you?" questioned Donovan, and Remy hummed.


    "I do, why?"


    "Well we have a body that needs a little home for a while before we can bury it. Do you think you would be able to make a call?" and though Donovan posed it as a question, it was obvious to Remy that Donovan was only asking so to get the job done, and the vampire wouldn''t take no for an answer. Not to mention, Remy didn''t want him to be hovering around him by showing up in front of him now.


    "Sure. I will send you the address," replied Remy, and he asked, "Whom are you trying to preserve?"


    "My daughter-inw''s aunt. The woman turned out to be a hunter, what an unfortunate turn of events," and as sad as it was supposed to be, Donovan''s voice sounded cheerful.


    "Fine," and the line went dead without another word being uttered.


    Back in the Winter''s residence, Donovan returned to where Julie and Roman were, and he said, "It is all done. Your aunt will be kept in a good shape and safe just like Mr. Thomas Winters would like it to be. By the way, I heard the little discussion, I don''t think he will ept you or us anytime soon. If that is what you were hoping for earlier by talking to him heart to heart."


    Julie didn''tment on it. Even though Aunt Sarah had turned out to be connected to the hunters, the woman was still her aunt, and she was sad with the loss.


    "How are you feeling today, Rome? Still feeling thirsty?" asked Donovan, and Roman sent a quiet re at the Elder vampire, who raised both his hands up in the air, "I was only concerned about you. No need to look at me like that. I guess you both would like to spend some time together. I will go and see how Tom is doing."


    Julie turned slightly rmed, and she started to speak, "Can you not go there n¡ª"


    "Rx, Julie dear. I won''t touch a single strand of hair on your uncle''s head. This was just an unexpected situation," stated Donovan before he sauntered into the corridor.


    Julie rubbed her forehead. Ifst night, Roman wanted to get Donovan far away from him, this morning, it was she who wanted the Elder vampire to maintain some distance from them. The older vampire didn''t just kill her aunt, he had brutally killed her coldly, which was what upset her the most. As if he wanted it to be painful.


    Roman left her side for a brief moment before he returned with a ss of juice, "Have this. You have stayed with an empty stomach for a long time. You need some energy to live through the day."


    "What about uncle?"


    "I will get him something, though I cannot promise if he will eat it or not," replied Roman, and Julie nodded her head. It was possible that right now, her uncle would not have an appetite just like her. "Or maybe Donovan could be useful in forcing him to eat."


    And while the Winters'' residence was having its own problems, far away in the Davis'' family, Mnie and Simon sat at the small and round dining table while Mrs. Davis prepared breakfast for both of them.


    "How was your sleep, Simon? I hope it slept well," Mrs. Davis struck up a conversation with him.


    "I had a little difficulty in adjusting to the new ce, but nheless, it was decent," Simon offered a polite smile. "Did you hear anything from Conner''s father? Is he doing better now?"


    "Mnie''s father has gone to visit him this early in the morning. He should be back soon, and we''ll find out if everything is alright," replied Mrs. Davis, where she had turned around to meet his eyes.


    "That''s good to hear. I hope he does feel good soon. It would be hard to be one person short while hunting these creatures,"mented Simon and Mrs. Davis couldn''t agree more on it. She then looked at her daughter, Mnie, who had been staring at the surface of the table, lost in her own thoughts,


    "Everything alright, Mel?" asked Mrs. Davis.


    Mnie snapped from her thoughts, her gaze lifting to meet her mother''s curious and worried eyes. She nodded her head, "Yeah, I think so."


    "The first time is always the hardest," said her mother, offering her encouraging words to her. "You will soon get used to it. Killing these bloodthirsty creatures and also losing our people. It is why we need to work hard enough, to be sharp enough to make sure that you should always win against the vampires. What do you think, Simon?" asked Mrs. Davis.


    "You are right. It''s all about protecting our people. In difficult times like these, where we lose our family, we should stand united. Don''t worry, Mel. The first time is always hell, then you will enjoy it," the corner of Simon''s lips pulled up, while Mnie was in no mood to listen to him or her mother.


    Mrs. Davis turned her back towards them, and she continued to prepare the breakfast.


    While Simon was talking to her mother, Mnie couldn''t help but sneak a nce at the red-headed senior and his perfectly looking arm. Last night, he was sound asleep, and her parents were all alive, so maybe it was just her mind making up scenarios'' right?


    Maybe Simon was only an annoying senior in the university, whom she wasn''t fond of, thought Mnie to herself.


    While her mother was busy in front of the stove, Mnie picked up the juice and took a sip from it. She noticed how Simon, who went to take a sip instead of drinking the juice, stopped midway and looked like he was going to throw up. And he did.


    Her eyes fell on his lips, where he spat something ck into the ss of juice, and her eyes widened. It looked like dark blood.


    When she heard the doorbell ring, she said to her mother, "Let me go and get it.." And while doing so, she switched her ss of juice with Simon''s ss of juice, while noticing him look at her with cold, killer-like eyes.

 Chapter 179 - The Humans Panic

    <h4>Chapter 179 - The Human''s Panic</h4>


    Mnie felt the slight re that came from Simon, and at that moment, she didn''t know what had made her switch sses. But now that she had already switched it, she didn''t know if she should switch it back. Maybe Simon having some kind of disease would be the most possible approach to think through, but he seemed perfectly fine if he weren''t staring hard at her.


    Still holding the ss of juice in her hand that she had picked up earlier offered to him by her mother, she made her way to the main door and opened it.


    "Good morning, Mel," her father greeted her, stepping inside the house, and he kissed her cheek.


    "Good morning, dad," Mnie returned his greetings while keeping the ss away from his gaze. "How is Conner''s father?"


    "He doesn''t look that great. Rob has caught a fever because of the pain and also, it looks like he had gotten wed by the rogue vampire," her father let her know about it.


    "What does that mean?" asked Mnie, a little worried, and while they made their way towards the kitchen to meet her mother, her father''s eyes fell on the juice that she held in her hand.


    "What did I tell you about drinking and eating while being away from the table? It''s bad manners," her father''s face held a small frown, and Mnie nodded her head.


    "I was in a hurry and drinking it, it slipped from my mind. I won''t do that again," she assured him, and her father gave her a nod. On entering the dining room, she took a seat at the table while not letting go of the ss from her hand.


    Her mother turned from the stove and gave a look to her father, something Mnie wasn''t able toprehend as the action between them was subtle and went nearly unnoticed.


    "Rob is currently suffering a high fever and he''s resting in his bed. But I wouldn''t say that it''s looking good for him," her father said seriously, and Mnie frowned.


    "Isn''t it better to take him to the doctor or some hospital and get it checked? Maybe get a shot?" suggested Mnie, not knowing what else could help improve his condition.


    "The ws of the rogue vampires are not good for us humans as it is infectious. Sometimes it can turn a human into vampires, or sometimes injure them heavily or sometimes it just leads to the human''s death," exined her father, pulling the chair next to her, he sat down while her mother started to serve breakfast for the three of them. "Right now we''ll have to wait and see if Rob''s health will deteriorate or if it''ll get better."


    "And if it doesn''t?" asked Mnie, holding her breath, and her eyes moved back and forth between her parents, who didn''t answer her question right away.


    "Then we kill him."


    It was Simon who answered her, and he picked up the juice that was in front of him, taking a sip from it before cing it back on the table.


    "You must be joking. He is, right?"Mnie looked at her parents, but her parents didn''t deny it.


    "The vampire''s existence is like a spreading infection and none of us want anyone else to catch it," sighed her father, shaking his head. "All we can do now is pray for his better health. The rest he will have to fight it. The vampires are ruthless creatures, they will suck the blood out, and leave these rogue vampires rampant, without caring about others."


    Mnie bit the inside of her cheek in thought, her lips set in a thin line.


    "Don''t worry, Mel. Rob will get better. Maybe you can pay a visit to him and also make sure Conner is doing well," offered her mother, and Mnie nodded.


    "Yeah, I will do that," replied Mnie, and when her parents continued to speak about yesterday''s hunt, her eyes carefully shifted to look at the ss that originally belonged to Simon.


    She could sense his gaze on hers, and the more seconds passed, the more unnerving it turned. He was healthy, and no one threw up something ck into the ss. She had done it on impulse, but after hearing about the condition of Conner''s father, she wondered if she should perhaps tell the truth to her parents.


    That there was a blood-sucking creature sitting at the table, having breakfast with them.


    But would that go well? Asked Mnie to herself. The only weapons present here were forks, knives and other utensils for her mother and father''s defence, while a vampire didn''t need those things, as he already had strength. What if Simon snapped one of their heads without any remorse.


    Maybe she could ignore him so that he would ignore her. But she had seen the blood, and he had seen her catch sight of it.


    "I remembered I have a report that needs to be emailed. Give me two minutes," Mnie excused herself from the table along with her ss. Going to the room, she locked the door and went to the sink. She poured the juice, which first was the fruit juice as it was lighter in density before she caught sight of the ck liquid that spilt into the sink. "Oh God," she whispered to herself.


    How could it be?!


    Mnie paced front and back in her room before she stopped walking and softly gulped. How could Simon be a vampire? She knew something was very odd about him, and the most she had considered was that he was a secret sociopath or psychopath. Vampire was something that had not even danced near the edge of her mind.


    That is why he was there in the woodsst night. It wasn''t because he was walking by, was it? He knew about the rogue vampires¡­ but he had saved her. Vampire killing another vampire?


    Pouring water into the ss, she rinsed it before keeping the ss there at the side without taking it to the kitchen.


    When she stepped out of her room, Mnie tried to keep a straight face.


    "Aren''t you going toplete your breakfast, Mel?" asked her mother, who caught her walking past near the living room.


    Mnie stopped her feet, turning to briefly meet Simon''s eyes, that looked at her in the same cold manner as he had earlier. A chill shiver ran down her spine, and she doubted she had ever been this scared of someone before. But then, the person in question had never been a bloodsucking creature.


    "I don''t think I can eat now while I am worried about Uncle Rob. I wille back soon," informed Mel, and before either of her parents could say something, she stepped out of the house.


    "Conner and Mnie are very close, it is understandable that shecks an appetite," remarked Simon, finishing the entire cup of juice, and he noticed how the woman''s eyes fell on his lips as well as the ss which was now empty.


    Mrs. Davis nodded her head as if confirming that Simon was not a vampire and he was one hundred percent human. With a bright and weing smile, she said, "Yes, they are. They did grow up together after all, and they have always been so close to each other. I was sure that they were going to get into a rtionship by now, but I don''t know what''s taking them this long."


    "Oh, honey. You worry about it for no reason," said Mr. Davis, picking up his teacup and taking a sip from it. "We have already mentioned to her that they are destined to be together, after all we hunters move together and bringing in a new family is often very difficult."


    Simon offered his politest smile, and he heard Mrs. Davis offering him, "More juice, dear?"


    "Sure," replied Simon, handing the ss to her.


    Mnie walked as quickly as she could to Conner''s house, turning her head over her shoulder to make sure she was not being followed early in the morning. Making her way to the house, she rang the doorbell for the door to be opened.


    Simon was nowhere close to her, and him being the vampire, there was no way she could talk about what she knew. While Conner was her best friend. Only if Julie was here, she could have exined it, but she wasn''t here, and how was she going to tell that there was a vampire running in the unive¡­. Wait, thought Mnie to herself.


    Could there be more than one vampire in Veteris? It was possible, right?


    "Hey, Mel. Come in," Conner greeted her, noticing how Mnie was consumed with thoughts and didn''t react right away. "Mel?"


    "Conner," Mnie smiled on seeing her best friend. "I heard about your father, I¡ª"


    Before she had the opportunity toplete her sentence, Conner stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her body, hugging her closely. It had been long since they had hugged each other like this, without words and holding each other in silence. Thest time they did, it was because Conner had gotten his letter from Veteris sooner than her, making them believe that they wouldn''t be studying together. Wouldn''t be next to each other like they had in the past.


    But this time, Mnie didn''t feel that same feeling when Conner hugged her. She brought her hands up and rubbed his back.


    "Everything is going to be okay, Conner. You don''t have to worry about him, he will be okay soon," Mnie tried to console him, feeling his silence heavier than the truth she came to understand.


    Conner shook his head. He dropped his hands that had held her, he pulled back from her, and she noticed the evident dark circles around his eyes.


    "Everything feels so different, Mel," said Conner with furrowed eyebrows, "Like everything is changing so quickly and if I try to catch hold of it, the time is slipping past through the gaps of my fingers. He looks bad."


    With Conner''s mother who was out of town, it was just Conner and his father here.


    Conner led her inside where his father was resting in the bed, and when Mnie''s eyes fell on the man, she held her breath. His skin¡­ it was turning to be different from thest she had seen. His skin was turning simr to the rogue vampire she hade across yesterday in the forest.


    "Who is it? Mel?" asked Conner''s father as if he was too tired to open his eyes and see.


    Leaving Conner''s side, Mnie walked to the bed where Conner''s father was resting, "It is me, Mel."


    "Oh, it is you. I was wondering if there were other hunters, who hade to take a look at me. It would be troublesome if they did," said the man, and Mnie tried to muster a smile.


    "Isn''t it good that the otherse to see you? It only tells that they are worried about you," stated Mnie, and the man lightly chuckled before he coughed. Something spilt from his lips, and Conner quickly appeared to his father''s side with a napkin.


    "You should rest, father," suggested Conner, worrying toce his face, and he dabbed the napkin on the corner of his father''s lips.


    Mnie, who stood right behind Conner, noticed the simr ck looking liquid being spewed by his father. She knew what this meant, and if her father had seen, he already knew it, and so did the man lying on the bed.


    "I will be fine, Conner. You should go have your breakfast," said the man, but Conner seemed reluctant to leave his father''s side.


    Mnie offered to her friend, "Why don''t you go and fix yourself and I will be here next to uncle?"


    Conner looked between them before giving her a nod and leaving the room.


    "Thank you foring by, Mel," said the man, and he took a deep breath before exhaling the air out through his lips. "I didn''t get to ask you how your night went during the hunt yesterday. Enjoyed or was disgusted by the creatures?"


    Even in his current state, Mnie could detect the dislike the man had towards the vampires. She parted her lips to speak, "It was shocking. Hard to see you like this. Did my father say anything about it?"


    "He doesn''t have to say anything, because I already am aware of how things might go if I don''t get better and my health deteriorates," said the person and Mnie frowned on hearing this. "It is why we kill the vampires immediately. If you see one, you stake them. Do you follow me, Mel?"


    Mnie nodded, not sure if she should stake the vampire who was sitting under her roof.


    "Always keep the stake ready. You never know when it mighte in handy. Your parents and I, we made sure to keep you both safe. Got you to a ce where there are no vampires, and also made sure to medicate you with things that would avoid you frompulsion."


    "Compulsion?" asked Mnie, and she heard the man hum in his feeble voice.


    "Yes," he affirmed. "Compulsion is where a vampire can control and manipte a human by his eyes and words, like hypnotism. Only that this is hard to break. It is what these filthy little creatures do. They erase our memories and then they rewrite it, making use of the information or making one forget¡­"


    The rest of the words turned into a blur as Mnie came to realize something.


    Conner¡­ he had beenpelled. It was thetest event where he had caught sight of a vampire, and now he believed he didn''t see one that day. He had spent the entire time with Simon, locked in the room, and he had told her that they were working on the project, but there was no project talk was there? She asked herself.


    What about her? Questioned Mnie, and just the thought of someone trying to erase her memories made her angry. Her hands clenched.


    "You alright there?" asked Conner''s father, and Mnie gave him a nod.


    "I just cannot believe that the vampires can go so low as to remove people''s memories and change it," she remarked.


    "We have been trying to get as many as we can, but there are some main vampires, older vampires you could say, who keep turning the humans into their own kind and it has been a mess in controlling it," he started to cough. When he turned to the side, picking up the napkin that Conner had left him, Mnie caught sight of the roots like veins that popped on the nape of his neck. "I will take a nap. You should go check on Conner. He''s barely eaten and worried."


    Mnie decided to give the man some space without having the need to hover around him as if he were a child.


    "Take care, Rob," wished Mnie, putting up a smile on her face as she left the room.


    When she stepped out of the room and back into the living room, she came to stand in front of photo frames that had Conner''s family. There was also her, where both Conner and her were around seven, and they held hands together.


    While she stared at the picture inside the ss case, she noticed something red reflecting on the surface. Mnie quickly spun on her heels, turning to face Simon, who stood before her.


    She tried to step away from him, her eyes trying to find a possible stake. Switching sses in her house was on spur, but after seeing what vampires were capable of doing, she didn''t believe them to be anywhere good. And Simon was not a normal person to save a person. This was a possible psychopath case, and only he would know what he was up to.


    "W-what are you doing here?!" asked Mnie, fear subtly coating her voice, and she saw Simon offer her a polite smile.


    "I didn''t get to thank you earlier for your polite gesture. I came here to thank you of course," responded Simon, and he took one step towards her, while Mnie took two steps to the side. "I am surprised you haven''t exposed me yet. Are you slow or are you so in love with me that you decided to save me?"


    "I thought you needed your head examined before. But now I understand that it is your whole body¡­because you are not a human," she whispered thest words in a rushed voice.


    Simon raised his hands with the same smile stered on his face, "You are free to examine me. Tell me the ce and time and we can start with it."


    "Just get out of the house," said Mnie, not wanting to stay near a vampire, who could kill her with one snap or do anything to anyone.


    "How rude. But you have always been so guarded, I wonder why," remarked Simon, who barely lost his cool.. "Looking for something to kill me with?" he tilted his head.

 Chapter 180 - Not Everything Is As It Seems

    <h4>Chapter 180 - Not Everything Is As It Seems</h4>


    Mnie stared at Simon, his question heavily weighing around her neck as if one word would decide if she would be killed or if she would continue to live. Simon started to walk towards her, reducing the distance between them before he stood right in front of her.


    "Why didn''t you tell them what I really am?" he questioned her. His bright green eyes staring into her ck ones.


    It took a moment for Mnie to stand her ground, and she replied, "You had saved my life, and I repaid it by saving yours. It was nothing more or less than that."


    "So you wanted to repay your debt. Was it unbearable for you to know that a vampire saved you?" Simon''s questions continued.


    "What are you doing here?" she questioned him back.


    "I came here to see how you are doing. It seemed like you ran away from your home like a little bunny, and I thought it was better toe and see if you would like to share the recent things that you found out. Isn''t that why you are here?" his eyes burned into hers, the subtle smile on his lips barely changed even for a second. It was as if he had practised it over the years, and right now, Mnie could only tell that Simon had more than enough time to practice it.


    "You don''t have to show your kind self towards me. As you can see, I am doing perfectly fine," stated Mnie. "If you could step away from me now."


    "Why so fast? We have barely even started speaking. It must have been the wound on my arm that gave me awayst night. Not to mention, you even came to check on me, it is only right I do the same for you," stated Simon, his eyes shifted from her eyes to look at her neck. She saw the way his Adam''s apple bobbed up and down as if he could imagine the taste of her blood running in her veins before a smirk appeared on his face as if he had done it just to scare her. "One would be curious, but I guess yesterday was a little too much of a crash course for you on vampire''s existence."


    "How many of you are there?" demanded Mnie in a whisper.


    "Why? Do you want to tell your parents? Or maybe your future boyfriend?" Their conversation with one question after another, without getting an answer from each other.


    Previous night, Simon had got his arm covered when they reached the Davis'' house, and he knew he was safe from Mnie''s curious and questioning eyes. But what he hadn''t expected was for him to react to something he must have eaten or drank yesterday, to throw up blood into the ss. But the more curious thing here was that Mnie had switched their drinks.


    "Maybe it would be best for you if you would leave this ce and maybe this town and university. So that people don''te hunting for you," Mnie didn''t lower her gaze, and she continued to stare at him.


    "Are you threatening me, princess?" a chuckle escaped from Simon''s lips, the corner of his lips pulling wide, and he said, "Don''t you know I have more strength and speedpared to everyone else under this roof. It will take less than a blink of an eye for me to snap that pretty little neck of yours."


    Mnie red at Simon, hateing to fill in her eyes.


    "But don''t worry, I am not here to harm you. If I wanted to, I would have done it while you were cutely sleeping in your bed. All curled up and warm in the bed, drooling on your pillow," he described it for her, and Mnie''s eyes narrowed.


    He wasn''t in her roomst night, was he? She could feel dread filling up in her, thought Mnie in her mind.


    "What do you want, Simon?" Mnie directly asked him one more time, and he took another step towards, for her to take one step backwards before her back hit the wall.


    Simon ced his hand on one side of the wall, and he said, "I am just here to observe. Like I said, I have no interest in killing you. I will keep you alive. But I cannot keep my word if you go running your mouth to people on what you know about me. Okay?"


    How was she supposed to respond to it?


    She hade here to share this particr piece of information with Conner because he was the closest person around, and he knew about the vampire''s existence.


    Before Mnie could reply, Conner appeared in the living room and noticed the way his best friend and Simon stood near each other. For the briefest moment, a look of displeasure passed through his features. He liked both of them, but for some odd reason, he didn''t like Simon being that close to Mnie. Brushing the thought away, he greeted Simon,


    "Hey man. You stayed at Mel''s?"


    Simon let go of his hand on the wall while Mnie quickly stepped away from the vampire. She went to Conner''s side as if her being there would protect her best friend, but at the end of it all, she was only a human.


    "Yes, I did. Mr. and Mrs. Davis were kind enough to ask me to stay in their house for the night. How are you doing, Conner?" questioned Simon, putting his polite mask back on his face, and Mnie noticed how seamless the transition was.


    Conner shook his head and sighed, "I am not sure if he will make it or not. The way he and Mel''s father spoke earlier, it seemed like a severe problem and hard to fix."


    "You don''t mind if I take a look at him, do you?" Simon asked his permission, and Conner shook his head once again. "Thanks."


    Mnie had a guarded look on her face, and her eyes darted from Simon to Conner while they went to where Conner''s father was fast asleep. "I will be outside," she whispered, cing her hand on Conner''s arm.


    In the meantime, Simon took a closer look at the human, and he said, "Rogue vampires, sometimes using their ash, can help in reducing or stopping the rapid transition."


    "Transition?" questioned Conner, and Simon hummed.


    They stepped out of the room so that they wouldn''t disturb the injured man, and Simon said, "Though I wouldn''t guarantee that it is one hundred percent effective. But using the same rogue vampire''s ash, who infected him, it is worth testing."


    "Then we go to the forest and find it," Conner was quick to jump on the search train, but Simon held a grim-looking expression on his face. "What is it?"


    "Maybe finding the ash will be hard. Considering the wind might have blown it away or it might have been cleaned by the other hunters," replied Simon.


    "How are the others not aware of this remedy?" Conner wanted to save his father from his sufferings. He couldn''t bear seeing his father in this state, where he was throwing up ck blood. Not to mention, the hunters¡­ they were ready to kill his father in fear that he would turn into a vampire too.


    "Most of the hunters aren''t aware of how some things work, and it isn''t necessary that the solution is always effective. But it is always worth a try," mentioned Simon, and Conner nodded his understanding.


    "I will talk to Mr. Davis and see what he thinks about it. Maybe we can get something there," replied Conner.


    "Yes, I would tell it is better to head there so that we don''t lose the ash of the rogue vampires," and before Conner could leave the ce, he ced his hand on Simon''s shoulder.


    "I don''t know how to thank you for your help, but it is good to know that you are on our side," a small smile appeared and disappeared from Conner''s lips, and he left. While the smile on Simon''s lips continued to stay calm and collected.


    Simon checked Conner''s father again before he stepped out of ce and made his way to the kitchen, where Mnie was working on making scrambled eggs. "Seems like you are quite ready to take up the role of his wife here," hemented, and Mnie''s gaze raised.


    "Where is Conner?" she questioned him, her eyes falling behind him.


    "He''s gone to meet your father for your hand in marriage. I just told him about the undying love you have been having towards him," remarked Simon, and Mnie sent a quiet re over the obvious lie. Noticing how she didn''t look ruffled, he said, "We n to take a small walk in the forest after your wonderful breakfast. What are you cooking for me?"


    "This is not for you. It is for Conner," said Mnie, and when Simon''s hand went to reach for one of the bread that she toasted, her hand was quick to swat it away from there, like he was a housefly. But Simon surprised her by catching hold of her wrist, and she pulled her hand hard away from his grasp, which he let go right away. "Are you going to tell me what you are doing here in a hunter''s house?"


    "Maybe once I know why you switched our ss of juice. Not to mention, we shared an indirect kiss, did you know that?" questioned Simon.


    "Don''t break Conner''s trust, Simon. Leave him out of whatever psychopathic tendency you carry with yourself," stated Mnie, and she continued. "I think it will be better for you and me, and everyone else that you go back to wherever you came from. Count whatever happened to be even."


    "Where I came from?" Simon pushed the piece of red fringe that was longer on one side than the other backwards. "That would be something difficult to do. But I don''t want to," his smile would have been infectious if Mnie was a stranger to him.


    While Simon kept an eye on the human, who knew about who he was, back in the Winters residence, Julie stood with her back leaned against the wall.


    Julie had a deep frown on her face, her mouth asionallying to rub her forehead or covering her mouth. The people whom Donovan had contacted to take Aunt Sarah''s body and preserve were yet to arrive, and the tension in the air around her grew.


    Roman stood in the same room as her, watching her before he made his way to where Donovan was in one of the rooms that consisted of light looking weapons which could be easily passed to be something any regr human would use. But these sharpened stakes were clear indication that the woman had prepared the room for quick use.


    "Is your ripper form acting up?" questioned Donovan to Roman, whilst his back faced the younger vampire. "Threatening to snap Julie''s neck¡­"


    "It was the easiest way to get him to speak. Knowing the close bond and love he has towards her," remarked Roman, his face expressionless as usual. "What got into you that you thought killing the woman was the quickest solution."


    "It was the way she came at me," Donovan raised his hand with a stake in his hand. He turned around to meet Roman''s eyes that had turned red, and he said, "I was defending myself. You didn''t expect me to stand there and do nothing now, did you? Also I heard these humans have these weird gadgets that alert another person from far away. I am surprised that neither of us could tell that she was working for the hunters."


    "She isn''t as involved as the others, but seems more like an informer," said Roman and Donovan nodded.


    "I guess that was how it is. What do you n to do with dear old Uncle Thomas?"


    Roman turned to look in the direction he hade in, "Keep him around until the effects of Silverwater die down. You heard her."


    "And if it doesn''t?" questioned Donovan, raising his eyebrows. "He seems quite hurt over his wife''s death.


    Roman''s eyes narrowed, "It could have been avoided if you could just keep your blood thirsty self away from her. For an Elder vampire youck control. Did yesterday''s Silverwater drain too much of your will power and pride? The woman is Julie''s aunt, a direct rtive."


    This time, Donovan narrowed his eyes, and he said, "It was either her or you guys. And I chose you both."


    And though Donovan said that, Roman could tell that if the time ever proposed where the Elder vampire had to save either him or Julie, the man would save him and would rather let Julie die.


    "Don''t hurt him now. Can I expect that from you?" asked Roman, and Donovan gave him a nod.


    "I told you, I wouldn''t hurt him," said Donovan, a faint smile appearing on his lips, and Roman didn''t trust the man one bit.


    "If you didn''t kill her, we would have been able to get some answers from her. If she''s told Julie''s father about her, but that is lost," said Roman with a slight furrow in his eyes.


    "If the man isn''t here, isn''t it obvious that they haven''t been in contact with each other?" asked Donovan, and by his words, Roman turned around before going through Aunt Sarah''s phone.


    "What are you looking at?" asked Julie,ing forward and taking a look at the phone.


    "Seeing if your father has tried to contact her. Any number that looks familiar?" he asked her, and Julie went through the messages and call list before she shook her head.


    "I don''t think they belong to my father. Some are unsaved numbers," replied Julie before giving the phone back to him. "Do you think it is possible for them to have been in contact?"


    "Probably not. At least I believe not. Hunters have their own society and groups of people, and they don''t mingle with the others. Because there is always a possibility of infiltration of vampires, morms, or other creatures," exined Roman, and he put the phone in his pocket.


    Julie stayed quiet for some time, deep in thoughts, before she spoke, "And what if he has been in touch with her? There has been something that has been bothering me."


    "What is it?"


    "Uncle said he and aunt never told father about me studying in Veteris, but what if someone else tells him? Like the neighbors know I study there," her brown eyes stared into his red ones.


    "I will take care of it," upon his words, Julie gave him a nod. But before he could walk out of the house to go andpel the people around, he said to her, "I am sorry for what I said in there."


    Julie knew exactly about what Roman was talking about, and she gave him a nod again. But she didn''t go to speak more on it.


    Roman left her side while Julie took brave steps to walk to the couch where her aunt continued to sit on the couch. Last evening, when Aunt Sarah was speaking to Donovan about her, somewhere she had hoped that her aunt was taking her side and she didn''t dislike her as much as she thought she was being disliked.


    But this happened right after she woke up. She didn''t even get time to speak, but now that she thought about it, what was she supposed to speak about?


    That she had found out about her being rted to the hunters? Or that Aunt Sarah was only protecting her family and was thinking the best for her family like everyone else in the room.


    Coming to stand next to the woman, Julie raised her hand that lightly shook. In the intention to close Aunt Sarah''s eyes that had been left open, when she touched the person''s forehead, she felt something zap between the skin contact. Julie''s surroundings started to melt, and change. Suddenly she stood in the balcony of Uncle and Aunt Sarah''s room, where Aunt Sarah was on the phone.


    "They want us to mix that Silverwater with everything? What is that going to do?" questioned Aunt Sarah. ".... And what do I do if I do have vampires in the house?... No, my husband doesn''t know about it and I prefer it that way¡­ I kept the stakes ready as you asked me to. I would like you to take it with you as I do not wish to be part of this¡­ No, I don''t care. My family won''t be walking that path, it ended with my parents."


    "Who is the call from?"


    Julie turned and noticed Uncle Thomase to where his wife stood.


    "Just a friend who wants me to go to a party," replied Aunt Sarah, putting the phone away.


    "You can go if you want. Joel is going to camp and you might find it to be refreshing. I will manage it fine," said Uncle Thomas but Aunt Sarah shook her head.


    "You know I don''t like those get together. I am good here," she smiled and she asked, "Did you hear from Julie?"


    Uncle Thomas shook his head, "She didn''t call me, and her phone is unreachable. Why do you ask? You aren''t still holding her where she''s her father''s daughter, are you? I think it is quite silly of you to even think that. The poor child needs someone motherly, and you treating her that way, is only going to create distance."


    "I do it because you are too soft on her," replied Aunt Sarah, her lips setting into a grim line before she said, "She''s too soft and looks like she doesn''t know the right from the wrong."


    "She''s a youngdy now. I am sure she will manage fine. She did survive, didn''t she?" sighed Uncle Thomas and he said, "You''ll be nice to her, won''t you?"


    "I''ll try," replied Aunt Sarah, and Julie stood there watching her uncle and aunt step back inside the room, leaving her alone.


    When Julie pulled her hand away from Aunt''s Sarah''s face, where she had closed the woman''s eyes, she stared hard at the person. A sadnessing to fill her chest as she stepped away.

 Chapter 181 - Letting Go Of What Matters

    <h4>Chapter 181 - Letting Go Of What Matters</h4>


    When the bell to the Winter''s residence rang, Julie walked to the door while slightly opening the door, not knowing if Roman was back or if it was some neighbour who hade to visit her uncle and aunt.


    She noticed three tall men wearing ck suits, and they looked as if they were officers. For a moment, her blood ran cold at the thought that someone had informed about what happened. But then she heard the man at the front speak,


    "Is this Winter''s residence?"


    Julie nodded her head, "Is there someone you are looking for?"


    The man at the front had peppered ck and white hair, his physique lean and his cheeks hollower than his otherpanions. He replied, "I was here on Mr. Oscar''s words. Heard there was someone that needed to be picked up."


    "That would be by my word," came Donovan''s words from behind Julie, and she turned around before stepping away from the door.


    The Elder vampire walked to the front, his chin raised and his demeanour proud.


    "Mr. Donovan. What a pleasure to be meeting you," the man took his hat off his head before he offered a bow to the Elder vampire.


    "Do I know you or have I forgotten?" questioned Donovan before pulling open the door and weing them inside the house.


    "I have heard a lot about you, Mr. Donovan. Just my tales and stories of who you are. It is hard to notice the coat that you wear, which is quite unique and the gem on it," replied the man, and he introduced himself, "I am Parker Wade, I am part of the special service in the Common health Hospital. Here is my card," he offered it smoothly, where his hand had slipped into his coat before stretching it to Donovan.


    At the same time, Roman just came through the door. Parker''s men, who didn''t know if Roman was an intruder, one of the people used his hand to almost punch him. But Roman caught hold of the man''s fist in his, stopping the person from moving his hand before tightening the grip for one to hear the sound of the bones lightly crack.


    "Are these the men who Remy called?" questioned Roman, pushing the man away from him while lightly ring at the person before he made his way inside the living room.


    "It looks like there was a slight misunderstanding. Forgive us, we tend to like to be meticulous in the job that we do," apologized Parker, noticing Roman going to stand next to the youngdy, who appeared to be human. "Here is my card, if you need my service."


    Roman didn''t take any offence, and he took the card, reading one line on it before he disappeared it in his pocket.


    "How long will she be able to stay there in the morgue without raising any suspicion?" asked Julie, wanting to make sure nothing would happen.


    Parker turned to look at Julie, briefly weighing the girl before he replied, "Usually not more than three days. But we provide the best service, and we will try to push it for a week, but not more than that. Time is tricky right now with the hunters who are keeping a closer tab around the hospital and are tightening their security so that they can catch the vampires."


    Julie nodded, feeling something was better than nothing.


    "You will fix her up nice, won''t you, Mr. Wade?" questioned Donovan, and Parker smiled.


    "We''ll make sure all your requirements are met. Mr. Oscar has always been a generous contributor when ites to funding our expenses. We would give his friends and families the best service we have. Is this the only person?" The man''s eyes fell on Aunt Sarah, noticing how the neck had been shed.


    "Yes, it''s just one for now," said Donovan in a nonchnt tone, and with the word ''now'', both Roman and Julie turned to look at him. "It was just words. I don''t look forward to killing more, not unless they turn into a threat."


    Julie was still upset with how things had gone down. Aunt Sarah¡­ she was as good as innocent, and Donovan had misread the room or her intention without knowing in-depth, and he had done the one thing he was good at. Kill.


    This reminded something her father had told her in Willow Creek. About how the people from Donovan bloodline carried a curse with them. Where death spread slowly to the people who were close to them. Was that what was happening?


    Roman came forward and said, "Take her and store her carefully. I will pay for the charges."


    "Of course," replied Parker with a slight nod, and when he turned to his men, one of them picked up the deceased woman, carrying her out of the house before she was put in the ck van that had been pulled up close behind the house.


    Later, while Roman and Donovan were talking, Julie made her way to where her uncle was, and she saw him stare at her.


    "Can you trust me, Uncle Thomas?" asked Julie, without beating around the bush or spinning any tales.


    "That you or yourpanions won''t kill me the way you killed your aunt?" questioned Uncle Thomas, and Julie felt the prick in her head.


    She shook her head, "No," she whispered. I don''t know at what bad time it happened, something that shouldn''t have happened. And I am truly sorry on behalf of the person, as I never wanted this to happen. I never came here with that intention¡­ All I wanted was to spend time with my uncle, with my only existing family."


    Uncle Thomas stayed quiet, a sorrowing to fill his eyes and his features, and he closed his eyes, where a drop of tear slipped from his eyes. He appeared to be much calmer than before. He said,


    "I wanted to make things right between you two. Knowing how Sarah was always on her guard when you were around, as if you would influence Joel badly," he paused for a moment before he continued, "But I didn''t know that she was carrying a secret. But then I didn''t know my sister and brother-inw were carrying a secret. And I didn''t know you were carrying a secret with you."


    "I am sorry that you had to find it out like this¡­" whispered Julie.


    If she had note to meet her rtives, Aunt Sarah would have still been alive, and her uncle would not be a widow now. Her cousin would still have his mother.


    "I would have never known, isn''t it?" questioned Uncle Thomas, his eyes looking directly at Julie, and she stared back at him. "I would have been in the dark."


    "Most of us were only protecting you¡­" and on Julie''s words, there was a sigh of disappointment from the man. She quickly said, "I know you don''t need protection, but the other side of the world, it is twisted. And¡­ Aunt Sarah didn''t want you to be part of it, because she didn''t want to be part of it. How did you find out that your father killed your mother because she was involved in this. She was a hunter too?"


    Julie shook her head, "No, mother wasn''t a hunter. She was just trying to protect me and keep me safe¡­ I know you probably don''t trust me."


    "No, it isn''t that, Julie," replied Uncle Thomas. "I am just finding it hard to cope with my wife''s death. And the truth doesn''t make it any easier. It is painful¡­" his voice broke in the end, and Julie''s heart broke on seeing her uncle in this state.


    She pursed her lips before saying, "There is a way if you want to forget the pain. The vampires can take away your pain and you will feel less of it."


    "I don''t think it would help. No one can take away pain, because what we do is only hide it, when in truth the pain continues to linger in the back," murmured Uncle Thomas.


    Julie walked closer to Uncle Thomas, sitting down on the back of her heels, and she craned her neck a little before saying, "Tell me how I can fix this? I will do the best I can."


    Uncle Thomas shook his head, "It isn''t your fault. You didn''t kill your aunt."


    After a few seconds, Julie informed him, "They took Aunt Sarah to the hospital."


    "I see," replied Uncle Thomas.


    When Julie stood up, Uncle Thomas was ready to see her leave, but she surprised him by untying him from the ropes. He had a look of surprise on his face.


    Julie said, "You aren''t a prisoner. You are someone whom I have always believed that, in a room full of people, you would be someone to understand me first or the situation. I can give you the information where aunt is, so that you and Joel can bury her in peace."


    Uncle Thomas stood up from the chair, rubbing his wrists. He didn''t speak to her right away because he had believed that in the presence of the other two vampires, he would never walk out from here freely.


    "Yeah, I will do that," said Uncle Thomas.


    Julie felt her heart grow heavier with every second of silence that passed between them.


    She knew her uncle was not a bad man, and even though he had threatened to expose them, he was a sensible man who had the basic understanding that he wouldn''t survive if he did something like that. Not to mention, people would call him an insane who had lost his sanity after losing his wife.


    "I would like some time for myself. I will go and pick Joel and take it elsewhere with me," said Uncle Thomas, and for a moment, he paused before adding, "I don''t think it is safe for him or me here anymore. Also the memories¡­ they will be too much for me to handle with the emptiness. It would be better for us to start fresh."


    "I understand that," replied Julie, and she saw him nod.


    When an hour passed, Uncle Thomas had pulled out two suitcases behind him before he made his way to the living room. Donovan and Roman, who were there, who had overheard what Julie had done and spoken, they stared at the men while the human stared back at them.


    Uncle Thomas looked at the spot of the couch where he hadst seen his wife. He said to Julie, "I will call you once I pick Joel."


    "Okay."


    Julie saw Uncle Thomas take a look around the house as if he was going to miss it very much.


    Donovan asked her, "Do you want me to reduce his pain?"


    "Will it work?"


    "I am an Elder vampire, half of my words will pass through the Silverwater," Donovan let them know. "It''s worth a shot."


    It took a great amount of resolution before Julie replied, "Just the pain, nothing else."


    Donovan walked to where the human stood before looking straight into his eyes. Hepelled him, "Forget the pain that you feel. Feel lighter than before, and your worries weigh less on your mind."


    Uncle Thomas didn''t react, nor did he speak to the words Donovan spoke. Julie didn''t know if it worked, but she didn''t go to check. She saw Uncle Thomas step out of the house, where the cab that had been booked was waiting for him.


    "Why did you let him go?" asked Roman, a grim expression on his face. "Aren''t you worried that he will tell others what happened?"


    "Uncle Thomas is not like that. He''s hurt, but I know he also loves and cares for me dearly. And I think it is better for him to stay away from me," replied Julie, as she stared at her uncle pushing the luggage into the cab.


    "You won''t miss him?" questioned Roman, his eyes leaving the cab and falling on Julie, who looked hurt.


    "I will," came the faint whisper.


    "It''s not toote to bring him back andpel him. You will forever get to keep him around and your cousin. Just the way, they have been with you until now," stated Roman, knowing this was the only family left for her since she had grown up.


    Julie had always had a soft spot for the human, and Roman could tell by the looks of it, Uncle Thomas felt the same way towards her.


    "I don''t think I have the heart to do that to him. Even though¡­ he cares for me, I don''t think right now, I can look him in the eye," replied Julie, and when the cab pulled away from there, she took a deep breath before exhaling the air through her lips.


    Sometimes¡­ all it took was one moment of a misstep that could leave people broken, thought Julie in her mind.


    Roman''s phone started to ring, and he pulled it from his pocket, checking the screen before he picked it up to speak,


    "No, what is it?... What are you doing there?" asked Roman to the person on the other side of the call, his eyes narrowing at something that was told. "I will send someone to get that done¡­ Yeah." And he cut the call.


    "Who was it?" asked Julie, and Roman ran his hand through his hair.


    "Conner''s father was injured by a rogue vampirest night. They were on a hunt with Conner and Mnie, and Simon was there. They are looking for the ash of the rogue vampire who attacked him," said Roman and Julie''s eyebrows furrowed deeply.


    "Conner and Mnie were there?" she repeated and saw him give her nod. Did that mean that their family had finally exposed them to the dark side of the world? Julie asked herself. "What do they need the ash for?"


    "Some ashes of the vampire help in healing. It avoids the human from turning into a vampire or sometimes on death bed," it was Donovan who replied to her. "But if the vampire was killed yesterday, it is toote to be looking for it. There is a time limit for everything and like things in this world, there is an expiry for it."


    Roman turned to Julie and said, "Summon the Corvin."


    Julie slightly frowned, but she didn''t question him. She closed her eyes for a moment, and the very next second, the Corvin made its appearance in the living room.


    "Sorry for calling you out of the blue," said Julie and the Corvin shook its head.


    "I was standing outside the house," it said to her and Julie''s mouth turned into an O.


    Roman asked the creature, "Did you revisit the forestst night?"


    "Yes," replied the creature, and even though its voice was emotionless, Donovan took note of how it spoke much more freely to the witch than to Roman.


    "Did you pick up the rogue vampires who were killed? Do you have them in you right now?" questioned Roman and Julie turned to look at the creature. She remembered how the creature ate things that were dead, but she would have never thought that it would eat up the ash too. "There was a particr vampire that hurt a human."


    The Corvin looked like it didn''t want to cooperate on this, and Julie said, "It is Conner''s father, who is hurt. We cannot let him die."


    "You know, if you were to ask my personal opinion, I would tell you that it is better to let things be," Donovan shrugged, where he had taken back a seat on the couch, with his legs crossed. "Imagine you let the man live, and he creates some kind of catalyst, where he brings up more hunters and we lose our vampires. Friends or family."


    "Parallel lines," murmured Julie, remembering what Mr. Evans had told her.


    "Yes, parallel lines," Donovan pointed his finger as if that was what he was talking about.


    Roman didn''t care about the parallel lines right now because he knew what could happen. He said, "Simon said Conner has been acting a little strange. It would be better to ease his mind than let his father die. I am sure that''s what you would want to?" he turned to Julie, who was quick to nod.


    Losing parents was an awful feeling, and she didn''t want her friends to feel the pain she felt.


    Looking at the Corvin, Julie asked, "Do you have the ash? If you do, I need you to go and give it to Simon, without anyone''s notice," she added thest part because thest time Griffin had seen it.


    "Okay, I give it," said the creature, slightly unhappy that it had to give it away, and it disappeared in a blink of an eye.


    "Well now that everything has been cut short, why don''t we all head back home?" proposed Donovan to Roman and Julie, more than happy to return to Veteris.


    Roman looked at Julie, wanting to know what she wanted, and he saw her nod. Agreeing to go back to Veteris.


    In the forest where the rogue vampires had been hunted, some of the people looked for the spot where the rogue vampires had been killed. Simon returned to where Mnie was actively trying to look for the ash by herself, while the others looked in the other direction.


    Mnie had volunteered to find the ashes of the dead rogue vampires in the forest. And since she had been here, she had been avoiding Simon like the gue, but somehow it seemed like she ended up near him.


    "I have something for you," said Simon and Mnie gingerly turned to look at him.


    Noticing him holding a small bag in his hand, she looked at him and asked, "What is this?"


    He tilted his head to the side and replied, "Medicine for your father-inw."

 Chapter 182 - Intention Behind The Actions

    <h4>Chapter 182 - Intention Behind The Actions</h4>


    The dead rogue vampire''s ash was mixed in water before it was fed to Conner''s father. And though it was given in the intention of helping the man to get better, the hunters who stood in the room weren''t happy about it. It was because they felt it was hical for a human to consume the remains of a vampire.


    Conner stood at the bedside, waiting for his father to feel better.


    Simon stood at the side, watching the hunters expression, where they looked like they were ready to take action if something would go wrong. One of the men asked Mr. Davis, "Who is this new boy here? Can we trust him?"


    "He is a fellow hunter and studies in the same university, where Mnie and Conner study," replied Mr. Davis, his eyes shifted to look at the red-headed boy, who held a worried look on his face while looking at Rob.


    In less than a few minutes, Conner''s father''s condition turned all better, and his skin started to turn back to its usual appearance. Conner let out a sigh of relief, and he said, "It worked!"


    "Looks like it did. Good job, Simon," praised Mr. Davis, who then said, "If you don''t have any group that you are part of, I think we would love to have you work with us in bringing these vampires down."


    Mnie''s gaze moved from Simon to her father with a look of slight disbelief. She finally understood what the vampire had achieved. He had gained the people''s trust here, and somewhere, she doubted if he was the reason why the rogue vampires had appeared in the forest in the first ce.


    Simon offered a polite smile, "Thank you for your kind invitation, Mr. Davis, but I am used to working individually. I will have to refuse it."


    Mr. Davis chuckled, "Think again. Wolves work more efficiently when in packs. You don''t have to answer it right now, take your time and let me know of your decisionter."


    The vampire only nodded, as if he would like to consider it after a long thought when this had been his real intention since he had appeared in the forest.


    "Thank you, Simon," Conner turned to look at him, "If it weren''t for you, my father would have not survived."


    "I just shared some knowledge. It is what we hunters do, isn''t it?" asked Simon, and Mnie, who stood there watching the interaction between him and others, couldn''t believe how easily he was twisting things around. "I have already overstayed, I should get back to the university now so that I canplete my project work in time. Senior year is the toughest and we depend on our grades for workter."


    Conner offered, "I will see you outside."


    Before they left the room, Mnie noticed how Simon spared a look at her, as if wondering if she woulde to follow them to keep an eye on him so that he wouldn''t do anything to Conner. But she decided to stay there than to be in his presence. He had saved her. Then he had saved Conner''s father. For now, she decided to not inform her parents about him.


    On the other side, far away from where they were, by the time of noon, Roman and Julie returned to Veteris. The campus was mostly deserted as most of the students were either cooped in their rooms or had gone to visit their families.


    On arriving in front of the girl''s Dormitorium in Roman''s motorcycle, Julie got down and removed her helmet, giving it back to him. Donovan had stayed back at the Winter''s residence for a little more time whilepensating it by apparating from there, not too far from where the couple now stood.


    When Roman was about to carry her backpack, Julie shook her head, where her eyes didn''t meet his eyes immediately. She said, "I will take it."


    Roman didn''t force her, and he hung the hamlet she gave him to hang it on the motorcycle''s handle. He heard Julie say,


    "I will take a nap."


    "Okay," replied Roman, watching her turn and walk inside the Dormitorium.


    Donovan walked towards where Roman stood, with his hands in his pockets, and he said, "She seems upset."


    "Whose fault do you think it is?" Roman turned his head and looked at Donovan, who wasn''t in his usual cheerful self. Instead, he held a thoughtful expression on his face.


    "I think she''s upset for more than one reason here, Rome. And apart from me, it looks like probably doesn''t want to talk to you too," stated Donovan, his lips twisting, but Roman didn''tment on it.


    Julie had lost her aunt because of Donovan''s eagerness to kill humans or hunters. She had lost the rtionship with her uncle, where he had believed and trusted her, and they were the closest family she had. There was something Roman had picked up right away when he had uttered the words to her uncle. He had done it to scare the man, but Julie wasn''t pleased with his approach to threaten and spill out answers.


    But at the same time, he knew that Julie was aware that he would never hurt her, and it was an empty threat.


    "What are your ns for the day, Rome?" questioned Donovan.


    "To go to my dorm and take a nap. It would be highly appreciated if you don''t follow or bother either one of us. Can you do that much or will you go killing the next person you meet?" questioned Roman and Donovan raised one of his hands upward.


    "I will go and see what the others have been up to. I am sure one of them has been eagerly cursing me. Take the day off, Rome. I am sure you need it," stated Donovan before he walked away from there, and Roman rode his motorcycle to park it before getting into the boy''s Dormitorium.


    Reaching his dorm, he unlocked the door before stepping and throwing his leather jacket to rest on the chair. Going to the fridge, he pulled the blood cans before gulping down on them one after another until not a single can remained inside. He finished all of them and threw the empty cans into the dustbin.


    Now that he was all alone by himself, his face subtly scrunched because of the pain he felt in his abdomen. Going to stand in front of the mirror, he removed his shirt and noticed the wound that he got from yesterday''s fight with the hunters had not healed. The skin there had turned tender, looking simr to the infections that a rogue vampire caused in a human. His eyes had turnedpletely red, and he stared at his reflection.


    In the girl''s Dormitorium, Julie had thrown her backpack at the side before slumping her body on the bed.


    Julieid her head on the pillow, staring at the wall without blinking until her eyes started to burn after several minutes. Tears filled back up again in her eyes, and she tried hard not to shed it, but it welled up to the point where her eyes couldn''t contain them anymore, and the tears trailed down her face.


    She closed her eyes, feeling her eyes had turned warm, while the distance and things around her had turned cold.


    When she had stepped out of the Dormitorium to meet her uncle, she didn''t have any remote thoughts that this would happen. She had hoped that she could set things right and spend quality time with her uncle and his family before returning to the life she belonged to. But stepping near Uncle Thomas and his family, it had ended up with his family being pulled into her side of the world.


    She now had no family of her own¡­ the ones that she had before¡­ she had lost them all. She didn''t know what hurt her most. If it was Aunt Sarah''s death, or if it was Uncle Thomas''s decision to put up distance between them, where he didn''t seem like he wanted to talk to her anymore.


    Julie didn''t know when she fell asleep, but after some time, she was woken up feeling someone''s hand gently running on the side of her head. The touch was gentle enough to make her cry again. The sky outside the window looked dark.


    "You are here," whispered Julie, without opening her eyes as she felt that if she opened it right now, the tears would spill again.


    "I wanted to give you space, but I was worried that you would end up crying all by yourself with no one to take care of you," said Roman, and Julie opened her eyes, feeling the heaviness in her heart grow his words.


    Julie didn''t turn her head to look at Roman, but she felt him to pet her head gently.


    "Do you want me to leave?" asked Roman, and Julie shook her head. She didn''t want him to leave her side because he was all she had in this wide and lonely world. Silence filled the room, and neither of them spoke to each other for several seconds before he asked her, "Do you think it is true?"


    "What is?" asked Julie, her eyes continuing to stare at the wall.


    "That my bloodline is cursed. And it will affect the people around me," stated Roman, and Julie finally broke her gaze away to turn and look at him.


    "You heard it?" she pushed herself to sit upright on the bed. She noticed the way he stared at her with a doubt in his eyes. "It doesn''t have to be true, it was possibly just Donovan. Your father¡­"


    Roman looked into Julie''s brown eyes, and he picked her hand up, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. He said, "It isn''t just Donovan, even his brothers and the other people in his family had suffered simr fate like us. Some things are unexinable, and it runs deeper than the blood that circtes towards the heart. If we could have somehow dodged Donovan from entering your uncle''s house, or if he hadn''t stayed the night, what happened this morning could have been avoided."


    Julie stared at their hands, wiping her tear-streaked face, "It already happened¡­ and I don''t think there could be a way to fix things. It is toote."


    They didn''t even know if Uncle Thomas would open his mouth to reveal what he knew about vampires. People in grief often did stupid things, thought Roman to himself, while the words that Knox had uttered to her when they were in Willow Creek didn''t leave his mind.


    "I saw a vision of Uncle Thomas and Aunt Sarah¡­ of her going to mend things with me," Julie''s voice sounded feeble, and her eyes looked slightly lost.


    "I am sorry to hear that, Winters," said Roman and Julie shook her head.


    "Aunt Sarah¡­ she seemed to be someone who was trying to not be part of the hunters. She was trying to protect Uncle Tom," Julie''s voice trailed.


    "From us vampires," added Roman, and hearing this, she stayed quiet. He raised his hand, wiping one lone drop of her tear that rolled down her cheek. "Was it because of what Knox said, that you decided to keep a distance with them?"


    He heard Julie''s heart skip a beat as if confirming his thoughts and words.


    Even though Julie didn''t admit it to him, deep down, Roman knew that she had taken measures so that her Uncle and her cousin''s fate would not be affected by Donovan''s bloodline. Keeping people near would only increase the rate of their death in one way or another.


    "You know family is important, isn''t it?" questioned Roman, and Julie continued to stare at their hands as if she was in a daze. "When I came to live in this manor, that time I didn''t have an idea of what it felt like to have a father, or a brother, or a person to take care of me. I came to learn the importance of the roles of a few people who were around me in the past. I would do anything to see them once again, sometimes I regret not being able to keep them closer. Wishing I could save them, or maybe turn them into vampires. Are you sure you won''t regret it in the future? One day you might look back and regret that you let go of the family you had."


    Julie bit the inside of her lip, letting the pain enter into the emptiness that she was feeling.


    "Why do you ask about it when I have already decided it," murmured Julie, her gaze lifting to look into his red eyes.


    "Yesterday when I went out with Donovan to get ice cream, we didn''t just drink blood before returning to the house," said Roman, his hand squeezing her hand. "We spoke about my mother and him."


    "How did it go?" inquired Julie and a small smile appeared on his lips that didn''t quite reach his eyes.


    He responded with, "I am not sure if it went well or not. He told me about the curse, the same one that Knox had mentioned to you."


    Roman''s thoughts went back tost night, where the first thing he had done when both he and Donovan had reached a quiet alley was punching square at the older vampire''s face.


    ''Ouch, won''t lie that it hurt more than I expected it to be,'' said Donovan, as he rubbed his jaw with his hand.


    ''Stop messing around for no reason. Leave the Winter''s house right now,'' said Roman.


    ''You won''t let me stay around you and I have to resort to such means. I told you I want? to spend some time together with you. I gave you all the exnations that you wanted, what are you so angry about?'' questioned Donovan. ''Back then I thought I did the right thing, by letting go of your mother¡­ not knowing I had attached something of me permanently on her.''


    ''Me,'' said Roman and Donovan gave him a nod. ''Is this about the curse?''


    ''I see you have heard.''


    ''Is it true?'' questioned Roman, his eyes burning a hole in the Elder vampire''s eyes.


    Donovan chuckled, running his tongue on the corner of his lips where he felt the metallic taste of blood. Roman didn''t like the man''s nonchnt behaviour, and his loose fist tightened.


    ''Your mother was unlike anyone I have ever met. You of course grew up with her when you were a child, so you must have some recollection, but she was a woman I have thoroughly admired. More than Opaline La Fay or anyone else. I didn''t mean toe and visit her again, because there was something about her that kept pulling me back to see her, to hear her voice, to know about her,'' exined Donovan, pulling out a cigarette from his pocket before lighting one end of it.


    The Elder vampire took a drag before he continued, ''If I knew she was carrying my child, maybe I would have got rid of it, to make sure for her to continue to live. Of course, I am very proud to have you by my side now, but it would have been something I would have done, knowing my cursed bloodline, is bound to bring loneliness and death around the person.''


    Roman had hoped for it to be not true. His jaws clenched because he couldn''t help but think about the one person he cared about.


    ''I don''t know if it was love that your mother and I shared, but we liked each other a lot. More than a lot,'' confessed Donovan.


    ''Is this anywhere rted to why you didn''t want a human girl involved with me?'' Roman''s eyes lightly red, and Donovan took his time to blow the smoke in the air.


    ''Part of a reason,'' answered Donovan, pulling the cigarette away from his lips and taking a look at it. ''Humans¡­ they will never sustain for a long time, I still hold the thought. When I killed the other girl, it was to pluck out the pain at the beginning itself. It is easier to remove a seed than a whole tree from the soil.? But I don''t know if it was by luck that you ended up with the great witch''s daughter.''


    ''But your''s and Opaline''s rtionship didn''t work out,'' pointed Roman.


    Donovan hummed before he said, ''We weren''t exactlypatible. Also the witch was smart enough to dodge and not get attached to me.''


    ''You are telling Julie will be subjected to the same things.''


    ''I am not sure, but there is a possibility,'' Donovan lightly shrugged his shoulders, and the frown on Roman''s forehead deepened. ''Julie is different and has death already associated with her. Then at the same time, who knows. We don''t have any rule book, and people who are closer to us, directly or indirectly, get affected.''


    Roman returned to the present, noticing Julie stare at him while he quietly looked at her. Julie felt the grip of his hand loosen on her hand and heard him ask her,


    "Do you think we should¡­"

 Chapter 183 - Aching Heart

    <h4>Chapter 183 - Aching Heart</h4>


    Hearing the few words that Roman uttered, Julie felt her heart sink in her chest. It was as if the things around her had started to copse, and she wasn''t able to keep it straight anymore.


    With the way the conversation had moved, Julie could tell what Roman was about to say to her. "No," she whispered, stopping him from speaking further. Though he hadn''t uttered the whole sentence, she could feel her heart starting to break, and she stared into his red eyes. "I don''t want to. Please."


    "You didn''t hear the entire words that I was going to say," said Roman, a subtle frowning to form on his forehead.


    Julie shook her head, "I know what your next words are, and I won''t agree to it. Nowhere close to it," her lips lightly trembled, and she felt like her whole world had started to crumble down, worse than it did before.


    "It isn''t bad," said Roman, but Julie wasn''t willing to hear him speak more on what he was going to say.


    Julie pulled away from where she had been sitting, stepping out of bed and ready to move towards the table, as she felt her eyes starting to well up again. It was as if she was internally an emotional wreck. Roman caught hold of her hand, stopping her from leaving his side.


    "Why do you assume the worst thing," Roman questioned her, caressing his thumb across the skin on her wrist. "I was only going to suggest if we should go and visit Willow Creek to see if we can find anything more from your mother or people who once lived there. Maybe even your father, if his ashes are still around."


    A feeling of relief washed away tension in her chest, and Julie turned to look at Roman, her eyes holding tears. Roman stood up from where he was sitting, standing tall in front of her.


    "Did you think I was breaking up with you?" Roman''s words held the same serious tone as the look in his eyes. And upon his words, Julie''s gaze lowered down, and the tears rolled down her cheeks. "Did you think I was that heartless?"


    "I thought you were worried about the curse," whispered Julie, "That you would do something like your father."


    Roman pulled Julie into his embrace, and she obliged him without a doubt of resistance. Feeling him wrap his arms around her body and keeping her close to him.


    "I might be his son, but I am selfish. And I am selfish because I love you very much and I won''t let you go," said Roman, and Julie nodded her head while closing her eyes. More tears came to spill and wet his ck shirt. "You are stuck to me now, and I to you. Even before I made love to you, I already knew everything that Knox had told you, before I even confirmed it with Donovan. You aren''t just anyone to me, Winters. You are the only one, and no curse will change my mind."


    "You promise?" asked Julie, feeling her heart shudder at the thought of him leaving her. She didn''t know she would be able to survive, and the thought of him not being around her sickened her.


    "I promise to never let you go. I promise to always stay by your side, no matter what the obstacles or situationes up. I am a selfish vampire, and I don''t think I have the will nor the intentions to let you go in the air, when I know what it means to have you with me," Roman''s words were reassuring to her ears, his touch on her back as he stroked was gentle. She clung to him as if that was all that mattered right now, and it was everything that she ever wanted. "Don''t cry," he once again petted her head, gently running his hand, and he whispered, "I love you, forever will."


    Julie pulled her head, pulling herself from his embrace a little, and she looked at him. The rim of her eyes had turned red, and so was her nose. Her eyes glistened with tears in them. Roman let go of his hands around her before he brought them up near her face, wiping both sides of her cheeks before cupping her face.


    "I love you," Julie''s words were whispered with shyness in them.


    "I know," replied Roman, and once the tears that had spilt on her cheeks had dried, he said, "Don''t doubt my affections for you at any time. They will always stay the same, how I feel for you. Whether in my vampire or in ripper state."


    Roman leaned forward, descending his lips on hers, and Julie received his kiss. She kissed him back, feeling him capture her bottom lip and lightly suck on it. His tongue snaked into the warm cavern of her mouth, iming her and assuring her heart that had doubted and had pained for thest few minutes because of his words.


    When they pulled back, Julie asked, "What time is it?" and she turned to look in the direction of the clock.


    "It''s ten past eight," answered Roman.


    Did she sleep that long? If Roman hadn''te to the room, she would have continued to sleep.


    "I thought toe here and check on you," he said to her, and she nodded. "There''s a dinner hosted in the manor where the Elders have been staying."


    "What time is the dinner?" asked Julie, wondering if she should change her clothes, as she hadn''t changed her clothes since she had returned to Veteris.


    "It is at nine. You don''t have to change your clothes, the dress is more than fine," he added, noticing her eyes shifted to look at the closet doors.


    A smile appeared on Julie''s face, and she said, "Let me go and wash my face."


    "I will be right here," replied Roman, and Julie left her dorm with a towel in her hand towards themon bath.


    The corridor of the girl''s Dormitorium was deserted, and with every step she took, she heard only her footsteps. Once she was done washing her face, she returned to the room. Picking up a jacket to protect herself from the cold weather before both of them left the Dormitorium, heading towards the manor.


    "Who all are there?" inquired Julie.


    "The same four Elders, university staff, and each of the apprentices. Maximus, Olivia, Griffin. Not sure who else has been invited, but that is my guess," remarked Roman, walking next to her as they continued to walk. On their way, they could hear the light buzzing sound of the crickets around them.


    When they arrived at the manor, it was decorated to celebrate Christmas. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, which brightly emitted light and resembled back in time.


    Two guards-like servants stood at the door, which was left wide open for the guests to step inside.


    Stepping inside, Julie felt Roman protectively ce his hand on her back. They were led towards the dining room by another servant, who was the butler there. Pushing one of the double doors open, Roman and Julie stepped inside while being able to hear the voices and conversations taking ce in the room.


    It was Castiel, who was humble enough to wee the couple in, "Wee, Roman and Julie. It is good to see you after the short vacation. Take a seat."


    Julie felt the Elders'' eyes on her, and while some were polite, some either stared or looked at her with a frown and distaste that came from Elder Luciano Sterling.


    But right now, she was too tired to be dealing with stares. Ignoring it, she sat down next to Roman and noticed Mr. Evans was sitting there, talking to Mr. Borrell. To think that there was a time when she was worried and wary of Mr. Borrell, she couldn''t help but slightly smile at that thought.


    When her eyes met Olivia''s, both of them exchanged smiles between each other.


    "Eloise, I think it is time you take a vampire under your wing, like every one of us have," suggested Luciano, striking a conversation.


    "I decided to take Ms. Winters under my wing," replied the headmistress, and Julie was surprised when she heard this. She turned to look at Ms. Dante, who offered her a polite smile. "What do you think, Ms. Winters?"


    "I don''t know," replied Julie, because she wasn''t sure what it meant to be under someone''s care, especially vampires.


    "If you want to know more,e see me at my office. Or I am sure Evans would be more than happy to brief it to you," said Ms. Dante and Julie''s eyes shifted to the counselor, who gave her a nod.


    "How kind of you, Eloise," remarked Donovan, who had already started drinking his wine. "Not to mention smart. Julie is an exceptional witch, you would be worthy to have her."


    Dante stared at Donovan as if he didn''t try to kill Julie in the past.


    Luciano let out a quiet disgruntled voice, rolling his eyes at Donovan''s words, before he expressed his opinion, "Witches have caused nothing but trouble. And more than that, most of us have been interested in knowing how you let Enoch slip away through your fingers. Unless you have turned ipetent in catching a weak vampire."


    "People sometimes require talent in such things, Luciano," remarked Donovan in a light-hearted manner, knowing exactly what the other Elder vampire was directing at. "Is there any news about him?"


    "None so far," stated Castiel. "I have checked with others, but no one has seen him. It has been many days, either he''s still trying to connect back to his brother, or he''s already reached the ce where his brother is. All in all, trying to track him has been difficult and there are too many trails of bodies everywhere."


    "These humans sure like to put Silverwater everywhere," Luciano clicked his tongue, "Earlier this morning I went to this town with Griffin, and everything they had was absolute rubbish with Silverwater added in it."


    "They had tried to spread the element everywhere they can or could, but I did find some of these towns to be free of Silverwater," pointed Donovan, rotating his wrist in which he held the ss of wine. "What information do we have on the hunters? Who was the one to send out orders to take steps like this one."


    "There''s a man named Gideon," said Dante, one hand of hers ced next to the ss and the other resting on the surface of the table. "He is rumored to be the person who spurred the hunters in distributing the Silverwater. There has been an increase in the number of human dead bodies on isted roads or alleys, and it is gaining attention too quickly."


    "Who has been recklessly killing people? People sometimes are really thoughtless little things, aren''t they," murmured Donovan under his breath.


    "Vampires, who else will kill people unless it is some sociopath," remarked Remy from his seat. "Find the person and kill him."


    "I have only been able to find the name, and there has been no news of where this man is. I heard that he''s not a human," said the headmistress, and it raised many eyebrows at the table.


    "Why would a vampire want to try to kill the other vampires?" questioned Castiel.


    "Probably because he hates everyone,"mented Roman in a dull response.


    "Maybe he wants to be the next Elder vampire. Gain more powers, by taking down the others," said Luciano, with his eyes narrowed.


    "Doesn''t one have to have the witch''s ability to turn into an Elder vampire?" inquired Maximus, and Luciano quietly red at the younger vampire.


    "What more do you have, Eloise?" asked Donovan to the vampiress.


    "The supply of Silverwateres from him. If we are able to remove him from the board, it will quieten the little uproar when ites to the vampire''s existence and being killed. Though at the moment, only the reckless vampires are being caught, going to open areas and eating and drinking things. Borell has already sent out notice to the vampire students, who study here, to take precautions and respond."


    Donovan turned to look at Mr. Borrell and questioned, "And how many have responded?"


    "Only eighty-seven percent of the total number of students," replied Mr. Borrell. "The rest are waiting."


    "The situation will turn very dire if they were to torture one of our students and try to get more information about us," said Luciano, displeased with the way things were going. "I say we go and make a direct attack. Kill the hunters and illicit fear in them know what they are up against," he harrumphed.


    "We already did that once and saw what happened," said Roman, his voice sounding cold and empty.


    Julie ced her hand on Roman''s hand forfort under the table.


    They did go and attack the huntersst time, and it had ended up with them losing Piper. Julie missed Ms. Piper, where she red and smiled at the students.


    "The hunters have different technology, and one will need strategy," said Roman, meeting Luciano''s eyes.


    "And what do you propose, Roman? An old vampire has gone missing, and we have hunters who are trying to track every vampire in the vicinity," pointed Luciano before he said, "Both you and your maker are alike. There is a crisis going on and you go on vacation."


    "Nobody told you not to take vacation, Luciano. No need to be jealous there,"mented Donovan, and Luciano''s eyes red.


    "Hell would freeze if I were to be jealous of you, Azazel," huffed Luciano, and then asked, "So tell us what happened that day that you couldn''t catch Enoch. There was a body found near the university, and the cops came sniffing around, who couldn''t bepelled."


    "Maybe you should have caught him yourself than wait for me to do it," replied Donovan.


    "I would if I was in Willow Creek, and show you how it can be done by me," said the blonde Elder vampire. There was a look of suspicion in his eyes as he stared at Donovan.


    "Why don''t you ask Enoch himself when you meet him, on how involved I am with him. On how I waved at him goodbye and to see him soon, while I stood there watching his back retreat," came the words Donovan, and before Luciano could respond to it, Dante said,


    "Both you Elders can continue with your bicker once we are done discussing more pressing matters and when the rest of us leave the table," watching both of them, she said, "Conner has already gained the trust of the hunters, it is a slow process, but the end results will be fruitful. We''ll take them down one at a time."


    Julie, who had been listening to this, her eyebrows furrowed, and she asked, "You mean to kill the hunters?"


    "Yes," came the curt response from Ms. Dante. "With every rising group of hunters, the probability of our and our fellow vampires survival decreases."


    "But some of the hunters are innocent," stated Julie.


    "We won''t eliminate the humans who are innocent, Ms. Winters. Only the ones that are a direct threat, who are creating a rift right now," replied Ms. Dante, and Julie gave a nod. She then turned to look at others and then said, "We will take out the smaller rats before we go to the bigger ones. This will make it easier for us to narrow down our search too."


    "Actually¡­ let it stay like this for sometime," proposed Roman, and everyone turned to look at him with a questioning gaze. "A little bit of rattle from the hunters will lead us to the bigger fishes like the Mortimers. Give it a week, and it''s not like the vampires are not safe. The ones who have been following the rules, will continue to stay in the shadows, while the rogues and other ones who like creating chaos will be taken out. It will save us trouble in cleaning the unneeded vampires."


    "We can try and test it," agreed Remy. "But I think it would be better to quickly get back to the students who have not responded to the call."


    "I will get to it right away," said Mr. Borrell, standing up from his seat and excusing himself from the room.


    "Great, now that one of the things is sorted, let us all enjoy our meals," said Castiel with a smile on his face, raising his ss to toast, and everyone raised their sses in the air, "To peace."


    "To peace," came the murmurs from the people in the room.

 Chapter 184 - Can You Keep A Secret?

    <h4>Chapter 184 - Can You Keep A Secret?</h4>


    When everyone finished having their dinner, Roman was called by Castiel to join him along with his nephew to speak to him, leaving Julie by herself. Holding the ss of wine that had been offered to her earlier, which she had barely touched, she stood in one of the first-floor room''s patio. Staring at the horizon where the forest''s trees and the sky touched.


    The night was cold and breezy, making her pull her jacket closer to her.


    "What are you doing here by yourself?" came the familiar voice, and Julie slightly turned to see it was Olivia who made her way towards her.


    "I thought I would take a step outside for some fresh air," replied Julie with a polite smile, and Olivia returned it with a knowing look on her face.


    "I can tell. I do that most of the time when everyone gathers around," said Olivia, who held a ss of wine in her hand, but it was bloody red in colour. She came to stand next to Julie, taking the breathtaking view of the scenery in front of them. "If it weren''t for my Elder, I would have easily skipped it, even if Maximus opposed it."


    Julie smiled at Olivia''s words, noticing the vampiress'' short blonde hair gently move because of the wind. "He seems to be the most sorted one out of the four? Elder vampires."


    "Hm," a smile stretched on the corners of Olivia''s lips. "I guess you could tell that, but I think I would personally pick Castiel. Not that my maker is not sensible, but he''s a little uptight when ites to his emotions."


    "I see," murmured Julie, and she saw Olivia give a slight nod.


    "How about you? Will you be turning as Dante''s disciple?" inquired Olivia, referring to what was brought up in the dining room.


    "I am not sure how that works," replied Julie, her words softer than the wind itself, and she turned her gaze back to look at the forest that looked quiet and peaceful right now. Her eyes looked at the other side, where Willow Creek was situated.


    "You will have someone to look after you, and who will take responsibility for your actions if something goes wrong. Though I don''t think you need it as Rome is very supportive and not to mention now, there is Elder Donovan who seems to have taken your side quite quickly. I wonder if it was Roman, who got Dante to speak about it, because she never wanted to take a disciple in the past,"mented Olivia, bringing the ss of wine to her lips and then taking a sip from it. "Castiel let us know what you really are, so that there wouldn''t be any confusion if something happens."


    He must have told themst week, thought Julie in her mind.


    The vampiress continued to speak, "Neither the night creatures, nor the humans are weing when ites to the existence of the witches. Apart from Luciano, who is still digesting the information, the others here might be epting, but it isn''t the same when ites outside Veteris. Dante will be more like your guardian in this side of the world."


    "I will think about it," said Julie, still unsure about the whole thing.


    Olivia nodded without pushing Julie to make an immediate decision.


    "How did you take it when you came under Elder Remy''s wing?" Julie asked curiously, and Olivia leaned forward, cing her forearms to rest on the railings of the patio.


    "Thest thing I remembered when I was a human was Roman carrying me out of the manor. There was too much blood, and when I woke up, I was still half breathing and half dying, before Remy came to my side," her gaze constant on the forest. "I didn''t know what he was doing, or what was going on because it was a chaotic mess. But I am d that he was the one who took me in and not Donovan or Luciano, that would have been truly troublesome," her lips quirked up, and Julie smiled.


    Olivia praised her Elder vampire, their aura almost the same and in sync.


    "I am sorry to hear about your aunt. My prayers for her," said the vampiress, and Julie softly nodded. "Are you alright?"


    "Yeah, I am getting there," said Julie, feeling sadder because of the living leaving her than the dead, and she wondered if it was right to feel this way.


    "Death... It changes people. Sometimes for the better, and sometimes, for the worst. But we alle out stronger," Olivia brought her ss back to her lips and downed the entire drink in one gulp. "None of us have fond memories of turning into a vampire, but what made it easier was knowing we had each other," and she shook her head before offering a smile to Julie.


    "How was your vacation?" asked Julie, as she had heard from Roman that Maximus and Olivia had stepped out of Veteris, all by themselves.


    The smile on Olivia''s lips widened, "It was the usual. We went to visit an old town, ate, drank, and then returned here."


    And as fast as the smile that had widened on Olivia''s lips, Julie noticed the subtle changes of how the smile lowered from the vampiress'' lips as if she held a deep sadness that she didn''t want to let go of. How strange to feel that, thought Julie in her mind.


    "It is a town thates to the South side from here. Not much has changed, except for the humans we once knew are dead," stated Olivia before asking, "Do you know how a witch''s life space works? Else Rome will have to find a way to turn you into a vampire," she joked.


    "Witches stay alive for a long time. Longer than the humans at least."


    "That''s good news," and Olivia turned around, leaning her back against the railings this time before she threw her head backwards. "I don''t know how Rome is handling it, but I can tell by the slight behavior that the ripper in him continues to lurk behind his eyes. He''s lost too many people, and I am not sure how things will turn out if he were to lose you."


    At the same time, footsteps were heard, and Julie turned around to notice Maximus making his way to where they were. "Enjoying some girl''s time?" he questioned, with a grin on his face.


    "Did you finish speaking to your uncle?" asked Olivia, and Maximus nodded.


    "He wanted to let us know that they are thinking about shutting down the university after the current batch of the freshmenplete their senior year," he informed, which caught both the girls'' attention.


    "That''s absurd," Olivia frowned, not believing something like this was going to happen. "How are they going to educate the younger vampires or even maintain the possible harmony between the humans and vampires? Wasn''t that the reason in the first ce? Especially hiding our kind?"


    "Dante will need to go into a rest state because of the time she has spent here alive. Remy and Castiel believe no one else will do a better job than her. Also the hunters'' situation isn''t something that is going to be solved in a year or two. The possibility of them striking back is more and the university will be in constant threat," exined Maximus. "It is still under discussion, nothing is finalized yet. So maybe they will figure out what to do with the matter."


    Julie excused herself by saying, "I will go and see where Roman is right now."


    When she walked a few steps away in the corridor, before she left the ce, she turned back to catch sight of Maximus, who had wrapped his arms around Olivia''s waist. Not wanting to be a peeping tom, she quickly walked down the dark stairs. When she was still looking for Roman when Julie came to cross paths with Griffin.


    "To think that you were just a mere human, and turned out to be a stinky witch,"mented Griffin, his red eyes ring at the girl. It was because of her that he had lost one of his pals, Mateo Jackson. But only if Mateo had caused some serious damage before dying in Moltenore''s hands, the vampire bitterly thought in his head.


    "Looks like staying inside the dungeon didn''t do any good to you," retorted Julie. Griffin noticed how the girl had gained more confidence in her since he hadst seen her.


    Remembering how he was put in the dungeon and how his reputation hade down with some of the vampires who used to look up at him, he red at her.


    "Looks like you aren''t the scared little girl you used to be. Don''t think your neck is safe, most of us don''t believe you, and the ones you think who believe in you only do it for their own benefits," warned Griffin, with a smug smile on his lips.


    "I never expected anything. You are the only one who is worried about it here," replied Julie, and she started to walk past him. Griffin brought his hand in front of her, stopping her.


    "I don''t think I said I was done talking to you. You don''t know how Veteris is for the supernatural beings," pointed Griffin, and he said, "This is a ce where everything works on hierarchy of seniority. You should listen to your seniors and oblige to their words."


    "I think you are far more suited to be a junior instead of being a senior, Griffin. If you know I am a witch, you should know better what I am capable of doing to you," warned Julie, and the gaze between them intensified.


    "You have some nerve to refuse and to speak that way to me," red Griffin.


    "Which I have the right to speak. Don''t think I don''t know that you were the one who sent Jackson and the others to harm me. And I don''t think Roman would be pleased if he sees you anywhere near my breathing space," replied Julie, where she was in no mood to talk to him.


    "You think I am scared of him?" Griffin blew air through his nose, "Moltenore knows well to not mess with an Elder vampire''s disciple, because things would go out of order and it will lead to chaos in here."


    "You must be delusional to think that he would care about something so trivial," stated Julie, and Griffin didn''t like the sudden confidence the witch had acquired and was continuously talking him down. "And if he doesn''t, don''t think I won''t respond to what you did. I will send you to a ce where you will never be able to get back."


    Roman appeared in the corridor, noticing Julie and Griffin ring at each other.


    Seeing Roman, Griffin dropped his hand, giving onest look at the girl. He started to walk away from there. "I really would like to see you send him back in time,"mented Roman, as he continued to walk to where Julie stood, letting her know that he had heard the words that she spoke to the other vampire. But at the same time, he could hear her heart beating slightly faster than usual, "You did well."


    He ced his hand on top of her head, watching her close her eyes and letting out a sigh of relief escape from her lips.


    "I heard from Maximus that they are nning to close down Veteris. Is it true?" asked Julie and Roman dropped his hand back to his side.


    "Most of thend here belongs to different vampires. Some who have finished their studies, and some of us who are still here. They worry that the people who have been buried here and the chambers, will be moved to another ce by the hunters, if they were to discover and know that thesends are not human grounds. Especially with Willow Creek in picture," replied Roman, slipping his hand into hers and tugging her outside the manor. "Though it would be feasible to keep the ce running, Dante wants to leave. This would be her final year. Donovan offered to take the spot of headmaster, but I don''t think it would be a good idea. He will turn this ce into aplete vampire education system."


    "Are we not going to tell them that we are leaving?" asked Julie as they walked away from the manor back into the path of the trees, which was surrounded by trees.


    "They wouldn''t even notice with the bickering that is going on in there," said Roman, pulling her closer while he interlocked his fingers with hers. "Are you doing alright?" he asked, noticing Julie looking slightly dazed.


    Her eyes shifted from the trees to look at him, offering him a smile, while his curious eyes looked at her.


    "I was thinking about the viewing and the burial ceremony," murmured Julie.


    "Do you want to be there when it takes ce?" asked Roman, and Julie wasn''t sure how to answer.


    Julie then finally said, "No. I will pray for her soul from here."


    "I have asked someone to keep an eye on them. To make sure they are safe and nothing happens to him or your cousin Joel," said Roman, where he had made calls aftering to Veteris.


    "Thank you, Rome. I appreciate it," she said, feeling him squeeze her hand.


    Things had changed too much and too fast, and she wondered how much more it was going to keep changing while knowing change was inevitable, and she could only be part of it.


    Monday was quick to arrive, where most of the vampires who hadn''t contacted the Veteris office had arrived safely without ending up in the hunters'' hands. And though for most humans and vampires, it was just another day of getting back to their studies and sses, it was different when it came to Mnie and Conner, where Mnie was more affected by the turn of events.


    Julie had spent the previous night at Roman''s dorm, making it difficult for Mnie to speak to her while still wrapping her mind about Simon being a vampire here.


    During breakfast, when the three of them met, Julie decided to act as if she hadn''t heard anything about Conner''s father or them knowing about vampires. "I am going to get my meal. Youing, Mel?" asked Julie, and Mnie smiled.


    "Yeah, I will be there in a minute. You go first," said Mnie and Julie gave her a nod before leaving from there. Conner had ced his hand on Mnie''s hand as if quietly asking her to wait. "What is it, Conner?"


    "What are we going to do about the information that we know?" he asked her, his head turning towards her, and while doing so, the curls on his head slightly moved.


    Mnie pursed her lips and then said, "I was thinking of telling Julie about it."


    "But our parents made sure that we sign the confidentiality agreement and clearly told us to keep it as a secret," whispered Conner while looking around the lunchroom with doubt in his eyes. "Do you think we have any vampires in here?" he asked her.


    And as he asked, the same time, the famous five students entered the lunchroom, and Mnie''s eyes fell on the red-headed vampire, who seemed to be chuckling about something.


    "We won''t know about it, unless we test it or someone bares their... fangs," thest word was spoken in the quietest way possible. From what she knows, Simon has been friends with his group since they were children. Was it possible that the other people in the group were vampires, too? "I am worried that she''ll think I am crazy for bringing up vampires in here. Not to mention, we don''t know what might happen if a possible vampirees to know that we know."


    "Yes, father said it wouldn''t be good to expose ourselves and shout vampires exists," said Conner in a matter of fact tone.


    "I think you should keep your lips closed, more than anyone else in here," pointed Mnie, because out of the three of them, Conner was the bbermouth in here.


    "Oh hush, I am an excellent secret keeper," said Conner and Mnie stared at him. "I was joking. I will make sure I don''t speak about it."


    "That''s good," murmured Mnie and then said, "I will see how I can break the news to Julie without her freaking out about it. Unless I feel it is a bad idea to involve her in this mess. Let me go get my meal."


    She made her way to where Julie was standing near the counter, taking her part of the meal.


    "Is everything alright, Mel?"


    Julie could sense that Mnie wanted to tell her something, and she gave her best friend the window to speak.


    "How did your time go at your uncle''s ce? Did they ept Roman wholeheartedly?" asked Mnie, unable to bring up the word vampires when there were many people around them.


    At the same time, the man who was serving food at the counter ced a milkshake which was pink in colour. Mnie couldn''t help, but for some reason, she stared at it.


    Julie replied to her question, "We had Donovane to the house."


    Mnie turned to look at Julie, "What was he doing there?"


    " We bumped into him at the amusement park. He wanted a ce to spend the night in," said Julie and Mnie''s lips turned into an O. "I wouldn''t say it went as I expected it to go."


    "Maybe they need to spend some more time with him. I mean, you did take some time to get to know Roman before you both got closer, right?"


    Maybe they were heading in that direction, but before the bridge could be made, it had been broken and set up in mes, thought Julie in her mind. Trying to not think about what happened and pushing it to the back of her mind, she gave a nod. "I guess it will take some time," replied Julie. "How was your time back home?"


    "Too many things happened, I will tell you about itter," said Mnie, before the two girls went back to their table and sat down, where Roman and his friends had already joined.


    Once Julie sat down next to Roman, he automatically pulled her seat near him. "How has your morning been?" he asked her.


    "So far quiet," replied Julie with a smile. "I brought your coke."


    "You sure you got the right one?" he asked, one corner of his lips pulling up.


    "I think so," she said, noticing him pull the ring at the top of the can before he brought the can near his lips. She saw him take a sip before pulling away to lick his lips.


    "How did you manage it?" he asked, his eyes curiously looking at her.


    Julie picked up her fork and knife, ready to cut the pancake, "I said Roman Moltenore wanted the coke and that did the trick."


    "How simple," hummed Roman, his eyes falling on Conner, who was looking at the people in the cafeteria with a look of wariness in his eyes. His eyes met Simon''s, who turned to Conner and whispered, "Everything good, man?"


    Conner turned to Simon and nodded, "Yeah, I was only wondering if there are any of them in here. Father said to use these ingredients and see if we can weed out possible creatures from here."


    "You mean SW?" questioned Simon, shortening Silverwater.


    "Yeah," said Conner.


    "How about you give them to me, I will make sure it''s dissolved well in the back of the kitchen. I know the men in there too," Simon offered to help.


    "You have helped a lot, Simon. I should take some part of the work too," said Conner before he continued to have his meal.


    Roman, who heard this, stared at Conner, and before the human''s eyes could take note of who was looking at him, he looked away. Things are going to turn slightly difficult. If the human turned troublesome, it wouldn''t be dorm but dungeon time.


    When they finished with their breakfast, Roman kissed Julie''s cheek and said, "You go ahead. I will be missing the first few sses."


    "Okay. I will see youter," said Julie, and he saw her walk with her friends.


    While Julie and her friends stepped out of the lunchroom, Conner excused himself to another building. As they continued to walk, Mnie said to her,


    "There is something that I need to talk to you about, or confirm."


    "What is it, Mel?" asked Julie, while Mnie looked front and back where they were surrounded by students.


    "Not here," said Mnie, and they walked towards the end of the corridor on the quieter side of the building. Stepping inside the room, Mnie closed the door, and she asked Julie, "Can you keep a secret?"

 Chapter 185 - The Time Of The Calling

    <h4>Chapter 185 - The Time Of The Calling</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Face the truth- Joseph Trapanese


    ¡ª


    Hearing Mnie''s words, Julie wondered if she should make it easy for her friend by telling her that she already knew about it. But what if Mnie wanted to speak about her and Conner? Then that would be a problem, she thought in her mind. Thinking this, she decided to listen to her first before speaking about anything.


    "Anything, Mel," replied Julie, watching her friend''s worried expression while she slightly fiddled with her fingers.


    "When Conner and I went over to stay with our parents for the weekend, we found out about something. Do you remember that I told you there was this gathering?" asked Mnie, and Julie nodded. "That¡­ it wasn''t just any normal gathering. But before I tell you more, you are supposed to maintain absolute secrecy, like you cannot tell Roman about it or speak about it to your uncle. Or think I am crazy."


    Mnie had continuously spoken to Julie without a break due to nervousness, where she noticed Julie staring at her.


    Julie pursed her lips before she said, "I know what you want to speak about, Mel." She held her breath a little, watching a confused expressioning to settle on her friend''s face.


    "You do?" asked Mnie, and Julie nodded her head, her eyes darting towards the door before it shifted back to look at her friend. She said, "No, this is something you wouldn''t know. It''s like totally out of the world¡ª"


    "I know your parents are hunters and I know about the existence of the vampires," said Julie,ing out clean and saving her friend from fretting more than she already was.


    "¡ªis something whic¡ªwait," Mnie paused, speaking after being interrupted, and she blinked, "You do?"


    Julie awkwardly smiled before saying, "I found out about it during the university''s Annual fall. I am sorry I didn''t tell you about it."


    She was ready to see Mnie turn upset because she had hidden something like this from her, even though they shared most of the things that happened around with them. Julie had kept it a secret, as most people were not aware of who she was. She waited for her friend to look at her in disappointment as if she hadn''t followed their girl''s code of being friends.


    But Mnie surprised Julie bying forward and putting her arms around her, "Oh, God, I am so d that you do. I was worried all this while that you would think I am crazy."


    Julie softlyughed, "You aren''t angry at me?"


    "Huh, why would I be?" Mnie pulled away from the hug and let out a relieved sigh. "Wait, before that, what did you mean you found out about it during the Veteris'' festival? Where was I?"


    "It was right after I left the gallery which we had gone to view," exined Julie before adding, "Things I am going to tell you, you cannot tell it to anyone, Mel. Not even to Conner." Even though Conner was their friend, he was someone with a mouth that could make slip-ups, and it could cause issues, worse, death could be waiting for them, and Julie didn''t want anything like that to happen.


    Mnie stared at Julie before she gave a nod, "I guess we can skip one or two sses," she proposed so that they could catch up with each other. Julieughed because this was something she and Mnie hadn''t done before, especially when they had their exams approaching.


    "I think it would be better to leave the building quickly, before they close the gates and this ss gets upied," said Julie, and they headed towards the door. Thest thing they needed was Mr. Borrell catching them and handing them detention for not being in their respective sses.


    Passing through the crowd of students, who were walking in the opposite direction, both Julie and Mnie left the area where the buildings were located, and they went to the more deserted area, like the forest.


    On their way, Mnie whispered to Julie, "Does this mean you know about Simon?"


    Julie hadn''t heard about Simon revealing himself and not knowing much about what happened during the weekend in the town of Greasy Corner, she replied, "Yes, I do."


    "How did you even find out about it? Did you get attacked by a vampire?" Mnie continued to question.


    "Veteris has a history of its own, Mel. This ce once used to be a town. That is before a horrible and scarring incident that fell on the people who once used to live here. This whole ce consists of vampires and humans. There are vampire students, teachers, and it is managed by vampires."


    "Shit," mumbled Mnie under her breath.


    Mnie looked like she was in a whole lot of shock, and Julie could understand her friend''s emotions. Only that Mnie had got a little heads up from her family, while to Julie, she hade to see the graves of the people whom she had spoken to in the university.


    "H-How is it possible?" questioned Mnie with a look of disbelief. "How haven''t the hunterse to notice this? This ce is a ticking bomb."


    Julie pursed her lips, letting Mnie digest the information. She gave a little more details when it came to the history of the university, while also telling about the Elders and thening to Simon, which she already knew about.


    "This is more than shocking. Simon and his friends, which means Roman and his friends¡­ no wonder they are the way they appear and speak. I always knew there was something very peculiar especially about Simon, I would have never guessed the others until now¡­" said Mnie, rubbing her forehead. "I am internally freaking out. Howe you are calm with all these things, Julie?"


    "There is more than just the vampires¡­" Julie''s voice drawled, and she said, "My father is a hunter too. He shot my mother because he thought she was a witch. But she wasn''t a witch."


    "My parents must know your father then. They said something about the hunters running in the same circle," Mnie mentioned, and Julie nodded.


    "It is possible. I haven''t heard anything from him nor has my uncle," replied Julie.


    "Why did he think your mother was a witch?" asked Mnie, and Julie shrugged her shoulders, "I am not sure how he came to that conclusion. But my mother¡­ She was a human. I am a witch."


    Mnie raised her eyebrows and said, "I think I will need some time to absorb all of these. My brain is overloaded with too much information. But, oh my God, you are a witch. How does this work, like?"


    Julie gave the shortened version that she could to Mnie, d to be able to speak to her friend like before, where she didn''t have to hide things. By the time she was done exining, Mnie had moved to lean against the tree while wrapping everything around her head.


    "I am sorry to hear about your aunt, Julie. And everything with your family. I thought my family was messed up, being involved in this situation, but yours seems out of the world," said Mnie, a small frown on her face, and she said, "Is there anything that I can do to help?"


    "Be my friend forever, and it will be more than enough for me," said Julie, and Mnie nodded.


    "I will always be your friend. I knew we would be friends forever since the time you opened the dorm door," chuckled Mnie, and both the girls could feel their burden had been lifted from their chest. "We should let Conner know about it too, just so he doesn''t go poking and probing into things around here. Since Uncle Rob was attacked and almost died, Conner has taken the part of being a hunter more seriously than me."


    Julie shook her head, "I am not sure if it will go well, Mel."


    "Why do you say that? I do know that he''s terrible when ites to keeping secrets, but if we tell him many times, he will make sure not to."


    "No, it''s not that."


    Julie wasn''t sure how to tell it to Mnie, but she doubted there was another way to tell it. Her lips parted, "The human students in here, they have beenpelled, and when a person ispelled too many times, it builds walls and at the same time, there''s the probability of the wall breaking."


    "I have beenpelled too, haven''t I?" asked Mnie with a slight grimace. Seeing Julie nod, she asked, "Do you know when?"


    "It was the time when Elder Donovan wanted to kill me, when I left Veteris, and went to Queenstorm. You had seen something that waster erased," replied Julie. "It was Reese''s death, they made it look like she was attacked by wolves. I was supposed to die in ce of Reese, but Donovan mistook her to be me."


    "Oh dear, God," Mnie rubbed her temples, feeling the slight headache rise in her head. She was in and mine of vampires, who could snap her neck orpel her at any time. "Are you not worried that he or any other vampires might try to kill you? This ce is not safe for humans."


    To this, Julie said, "This ce was built to bring in harmony. To be able to bnce the light and the darkness. And the people who run this ce, especially Ms. Dante, believe in fairness. She wouldn''t let a human die for no reason, unless in a dire situation which is hard to control. The vampires are trained and taught to follow rules."


    "A part of me wants to run away from here, doesn''t want to study here anymore. But a part of me wants toplete my graduation here, while also knowing you and Conner are going to continue studying here. Not to mention," Mnie paused before she continued, "If Reese was really killed¡­ then Conner won''t take it well."


    Julie nodded, "I know. That is why we cannot tell him."


    "I will try to see what he''s up to and make sure he doesn''t get into trouble with these vampires," stated Mnie with a deep frown. "Everything¡­ It''s so hard to wrap my head around, but I am d I have you with m-AHHHH!"


    The sudden scream startled Julie, noticing Mnie staggering backwards as if she had just seen a ghost now.


    Julie quickly turned, noticing the Corvin, who was peeking from behind a tree. And for someone who was peeking, he wasn''t doing a good job.


    "What the hell is that thing?! We need to run!" panicked Mnie.


    "Calm down, Mel. I know him, he''s my¡­" friend? Servant? Pet? "Friend," Julie settled on it.


    "I feel like I stepped into the gothic version of Alice in wondend, and so far, I am not liking it that much," muttered Mnie under her breath.


    Julie offered an assuring smile to Mnie before she turned to the Corvin and whispered, "What did I tell you about not showing up out of nowhere and in front of people."


    ''I thought it was okay since you told her about the other things,'' said the Corvin in a monotonous tone. At this rate, they were lucky that Mnie had not received a heart attack. ''Didn''t tell about me.''


    Julie blinked at the creature. Once. Twice.


    It felt left out¡­? Asked Julie to herself, not knowing that one day she would view the Corvin like an abandoned puppy.


    Julie slightly frowned and said, "I was going to. Mnie is still trying to absorb everything and you popping up like this, don''t do that. It''s not safe for either of us." She lightly scolded it, noticing the bird-like face continue to look in her direction. "What are you doing here?"


    ''Didn''t sense your presence in ss. Looking for you,'' said the creature. It was taking care of her, thought Julie in her mind.


    "I see," replied Julie, and she then turned to look at Mnie, whose eyes had turned wide as saucers, while staring at the Corvin.


    "I am hoping it is someone doing cosy under that bird thing and cloak. But I know it isn''t," said Mnie, her face turned pale, and fright of shiver ran down her backbone.


    "This is a Corvin. Someone who came looking for me, and has been protecting me when I need him. He''s also the one who helped in finding the rogue''s ash to help Conner''s father," informed Julie.


    Mnie was shell shocked to interact with something so strange, and she only nodded her head without any more wordsing to spill from her lips.


    Julie turned back to the Corvin and asked, "Did you see where Uncle Tom and Joel are?"


    ''They are in a motel. Uncle Thomas has been arranging the funeral ceremony for your aunt and ns to hold it tomorrow. They have a viewing,'' informed the Corvin.


    "Is that so¡­" replied Julie, feeling a certain heaviness in her chest, and she tried to push the feeling away from her chest. "Can you keep following them? Just make sure that nothing bad happens to them and they don''t get questioned about anything."


    ''Do you want me to discard the ones that cause trouble?''


    For a moment, Julie wasn''t sure what discard meant, and she quickly shook, "No. Don''t do that. Unless the person causes a direct threat to their lives. It would be best to avoid troublesome situations that could attract attention."


    The Corvin obliged to her words, ''Okay. I will do that.''


    Julie was d that both the Corvin and Roman were making sure that her only living rtive was still alive and no more pain or harm woulde to befall on his family. The Corvin disappeared in thin air, and Julie sighed. She turned and saw Mnie staring at the spot where the creature had been standing.


    "Is there any other creature that I need to worry about or know?" asked Mnie.


    "So far these are the only ones that I know of. Mel, you need to make sure that if a vampire tries topel you at any time, you need to behave as if you are beingpelled. You cannot get caught. If they know you have Silverwater in your body, they will make sure to get it out of your body beforepelling you," Julie warned her, to make sure nothing would happen.


    Mnie quickly nodded her head, "Yeah, I will do that and also avoid getting into trouble." Subconsciously, she ced her hand on her neck, wondering if anyone had ever taken a sip from her in the past.


    "The Silverwater doesn''t affect you?" asked Mnie, remembering how her parents had mixed it in the food and had served it to Simon.


    Julie shook her head, "No. Corvin said we witches are immune to it, though there is something else, I forgot the name of it. If I consume it, it brings out the nature of the witches, letting one see that we are witches and not normal humans. Come let us get back to the ss, we don''t want people turning suspicious."


    Nodding, both Julie and Mnie started to make their way in the direction they hade. But when they took a few steps from where they had been standing to hear a screame from behind them.


    "Did you hear that?" questioned Mnie, turning her head and looking at the trees where she didn''t see any person.


    Julie, who had turned her body, her brown eyes took in the ce, "Yeah, I did."


    "Is someone being attacked?" asked Mnie, slightly wary about the ce around her.


    "Let us take a look," said Julie, and Mnie reluctantly followed because the university she thought to be safe had turned to something else.


    "It sounded like a female screaming. Do you think the vampire students actually spare the humans? What if people in here cover up? Is that what the wild attacks have been about?!" Mnie had slowly started to piece things, her eyes turning wide and her eyebrows raised and high.


    The two girls walked through the forest, trying to find a vampire or an injured human, but they couldn''t find anyone around.


    Mnie said, "It surely came from somewhere here, isn''t it?"


    "It must be an echo of a past memory," whispered Julie, that gained Mnie''s attention. "Some ces, they have the ability to capture something that happened. Or some incidents, it attaches itself to the ce, to leave an imprint."


    "What do you think happened here for the female to scream?" questioned Mnie, and she noticed how the atmosphere around them had turned denser.


    Julie took two steps forward, taking a closer look at the ce before her eyes fell on a tree that had a deep mark on it. Her hand raised, ready to touch the spot when they heard something rustle not too far behind them.


    "Julie, do you think we should head back?" inquired Mnie, doubt in her voice.


    "It''s fogging up again," said Julie, noticing the fog starting to crawl. "Stick close, Mel."


    "What''s going on?"


    "I think it''s Willow Creek. Something like this happened evenst time," stated Julie, and the two girls continued to walk until they came to stand not too far away from the bridge.


    The bridge stood lonely as she hadst seen it, and the fog was the only one that apanied it. Everything looked the same, and she said to Mnie, "Stay here. I will be back soon."


    "No!" Mnie said, a little worried for Julie and a little scared for herself. "Let mee with you."


    Julie gave a nod, and they started walking, their feet touching the beginning part of the bridge. She brought her hand to her front, and a golden ball of glow appeared right above her palm. It made it a little easier to look at the things around them without the fog obstructing their view.


    When they were halfway on the bridge, they heard something creak from behind, and they paused their footsteps. Julie, who was at the front, stepped forward, bringing her hand in front of her.


    "Who is there?" asked Julie, a small frown on her forehead and her lips pursed.


    She hadn''t learned many spells, but the formation of the light was something she had first learned to create. When the glow in her hand increased, she finally saw the person who was standing on the side of the bridge, where they had just passed by.


    "Isn''t that¡­" Mnie didn''tplete her sentence.


    Julie took a deep breath on seeing the Corvin standing there. It stood there, facing them in its cloak which was half hidden behind the fog. She had sent the Corvin to where her uncle was, what was it doing here?


    "Corvin?" Julie called it, and the glow in her hand reduced as she dropped it to her side.


    The creature brought its twig-like hand, where its fingers turned sharp and in one swift movement, it swiped its hand on the bridge''s ropes for it to break. Soon the bridge loosened and Julie''s eyes widened, feeling the gravity pull her towards the ground, while Mnie screamed.


    And all that time, the Corvin not move from its ce, watching them fall.

 Chapter 186 - Walking Past The Bridge

    <h4>Chapter 186 - Walking Past The Bridge</h4>


    Julie continued to fall downwards while her hand tried to reach out to grab something or anything. Somewhere, she hoped that the Corvin woulde forward and reach out to her, that this was just a test to bring out her powers.


    But the Corvin didn''t make a single attempt to move from its ce and simply watched her and Mnie fall from the bridge it had broken. Before she knew it, her body fell on the ground, which once used to be filled with water, and it was enough for both the girls to lose their consciousness.


    The Corvin watched both the girls on the ground, their body slightly sprawled, and it stared at Julie for long seconds before turning around and leaving the ce.


    Back in Veteris, Roman stood with Simon, taking in the information he had collected from the hunters.


    "Do you know how much Silverwater he has on him?" questioned Roman, standing near the football field.


    "Not much. I believe with the sudden distribution and use of the Silverwater, most of it has turned scarce. Probably just a handful and not more than that," replied Simon. He brought his hand up to brush the side of his red hair, pushing it behind, which only came back to settle on the side of his face. "I think thepulsion wall is breaking."


    "I noticed it," remarked Roman, something he had caught when his eyes had fallen on the human during breakfast. While Mnie was slightly nervous, Conner, on the other hand, was trying to look for something. "The trauma of his dead girlfriend must still be tormenting his mind even afterpulsion. Keep a close watch."


    "Yeah, on it," said Simon, and he then asked, "What are we going to do if he turns troublesome?"


    "Let us hope it doesn''te to that. You know how humans have been dealt when they start to question and turn curious. If they try to harm us we''ll have no way but to reply to them back in our own way," said Roman, and he brought his hand up to take a drag from the cigarette that was resting between his two fingers. "Conner or Mnie''s death, it will lead the hunters here. Keeping them alive is a better option."


    "I picked up the scent of vampires in there. At Mnie''s house. But I wasn''t able to find where the smell wasing from. As if there were dead vampires," informed Simon, his lips twisting in grimace.


    "Don''t hover too much around them, and keep a distance while you keep an eye on them. Too much can bring in suspicion," warned Roman, and Simon nodded his head.


    "Of course," smiled Simon. "You don''t have to worry about that. Being tortured by the hunters is thest thing on my wish list."


    Roman dropped the cigarette when he was done with it, stamping on it, and he and Simon went to take a walk in the corridor of the ssrooms. When they walked past Julie''s ssroom, his eyes slightly narrowed when he didn''t see Julie in there. And along with her, even Mnie was missing.


    Sensing the change in Roman''s demeanour, Simon turned to take a quick look at the ss before they walked past it. "Julie skipping sses? How rare,"mented Simon.


    From what he knew, Julie wasn''t someone to skip ss. And this was the second ss for the day, and she wasn''t in there, sitting in her usual seat.


    "I will go and take a look where she is," said Roman, and Simon was quick to offer,


    "Let me join in, I don''t have anything to do in the ssroom and would rather like to be outside."


    "Suit yourself," remarked Roman, knowing why exactly Simon was tagging along.


    A bright smile appeared on Simon''s lips when Roman agreed, and together they left the building. The two seniors looked around the ce, from the lunchroom to the girl''s Dormitorium, but there was no sign of the two girls where they could be.


    "Maybe we should have checked the girl''s restroom," suggested Simon, "Girls like spending time in there and gossiping."


    Roman was aware of Julie''s close friendship with Mnie, and as much as he didn''t mind it, he wouldn''t like it if the hunters'' children tried to pull anything on his girl. An innocent human could be molded and changed depending on circumstances.


    Noticing Caleb walking by, Roman stopped him, "Have you seen, Winters?"


    "Julianne?" asked Caleb, who had skipped his ss to grab a quick snack. "I think I saw her in the morning, but haven''t seen her after that," he shrugged. "Isn''t she in her ss?"


    "Do you think we would be inquiring if we knew she was in ss?" questioned Simon, slightly raising his eyebrows, and Caleb shook his head. "Off you go," he dismissed the junior and Caleb quickly walked away from them, not wanting to be part of anything with the troublesome bunch.


    Roman brought his hand to rake it through his hair before he let go of it.


    "Where else do you think she can be right now?" asked Simon.


    "Willow Creek," murmured Roman, his eyebrows subtly furrowing, and they headed in its direction.


    When they reached the spot, Roman looked around the ce before his eyes fell on the bridge, which was broken. Roman took a closer look, noticing there was no direct way to go to Willow Creek, and one had to take the longer route before reaching the town.


    Roman took a look at the bottom of the bridge and noticed nothing there. Thend was clean except for leaves, with no water and one side of the bridge, lightly hung in mid-air. He quickly jumped down to take a better look, and he said,


    "Someone broke the bridge."


    Simon jumped down to where Roman stood, looking at the ends of the bridge rope that did look as if someone had cut it.


    "I don''t think any students would ever try to do something like this," he sniffed the air before turning around and looking at a spot on the ground. "Do you smell that?"


    "Julie and the human girl must have walked by this ce some time ago. Their scent is very faint, barely enough to know if they left this ce," Roman spoke in a serious tone, not pleased with the idea of something did happen to Julie. It was because he couldn''t pick up her scent anymore. As if she had disappeared in thin air.


    And when the thought crossed his mind, Roman''s jaw clenched, realizing what could have happened.


    "Evans is in his office, isn''t he?"


    Simon turned to look at Roman and gave a nod, "Yeah, he must be there."


    Roman didn''t leave the ce immediately, and he took a look by himself in the town of Willow Creek, trying to find if Julie hade here. When he didn''t find her, he left the ce with Simon, heading back to the centre of Veteris university.


    [Music Rmendation: The Uninvited- Christopher Young]


    And while the two seniors left the spot, Julie and Mnie were drenched in water. Their bodies soaked as they had fallen into the water after falling from the bridge. But the time was different than the one they belonged to.


    Julie felt a dull ache in her head, and she heard the sound of gushing water around her, which wasn''t fast but soft on her ears. When her head submerged further into the water, water entered her nose, and her eyes flew open. Her hands iled, trying to resurface until she felt someone pull her. She struggled to be free, but despite her attempts, she was pulled out of the water.


    Someone ced their hands on her chest, pumping it to bring the water out of her mouth, which she had earlier swallowed.


    Julie started to cough, her throat itchy and her eyes burning because of the water. She blinked, feeling herself being pulled up to sit straight.


    "Are you alright,dy?!" asked someone while Julie continued to focus on what had just happened.


    When her vision cleared, she noticed a man with brown hair staring at her with a frown on his face. "Can you hear me?" asked the man.


    Julie nodded, and the man let out a sigh of relief. He then said to someone, "She''s alright."


    "I am trying to get this one awake," came another man''s voice from her left side. When Julie''s eyes fell on Mnie, unconscious, her eyes widened.


    Julie quickly scrambled from where she was sitting on the ground, and she made her way near Mnie, who was lying on her back with her eyes closed. "What happened to her?" she asked the man.


    "Ah, you both fell in the river. Did you lose your footings there?" asked the man before he quickly said, "Let me try again. I think she drank too much water. It doesn''t look like she hit her head anywhere."


    "Let me do it," said Julie, she started to pump Mnie''s chest, but there was no sign of her friend being near to awake. She exerted more force this time, and Mnie coughed up the water that had entered her body.


    Ack! Ack! Mnie coughed, and she brought her hand up to cover her mouth before taking a deep breath.


    "Thank heavens. Looks like we don''t have to worry about it," said the man, who had been sitting near them. "Where you both trying to kill yourself? The water is shallow and not deep enough to die and you will only end up injuring yourself."


    Mnie lightly red at the man, "The bridge broke suddenly, we would never try tomit sucide."


    "Bridge was broken?" asked the man in confusion.


    Noticing the man''s expression, Julie turned to look in the direction of the bridge, and she noticed the bridge to be intact. But there was more than that, that she finally came to notice. The sky had turned reddish-orange with a hint of purple in it. But what stood out the most were these men''s clothes.


    Even Mnie looked a little confused, but like Julie in the past, she brushed it off as cosy? or strange clothing sense of these men.


    It wasn''t just Julie and Mnie, but the two men, who had pulled them out of the water, who looked at them with a look of wariness. Julie was in her jeans and a blouse, while Mnie wore a skirt and a blouse.


    The men moved closer to each other, and the one who had saved Mnie whispered to his partner, "Do you think these young women ran away from the brothel? Their clothes seem a little different," because it was too snug and tight, while also his eyes fell on Mnie''s smooth legs, while she quietly red at him.


    "I don''t know. It looks a little strange for a brothel, but then I don''t know because I have never been there," replied the other man, who keenly observed the two girls discussing with each other.


    Mnie spoke to Julie in a whisper, "Why is there water and the bridge intact?"


    "I think we dropped into another timeline," Julie replied in a low voice. But how was that possible, she asked herself. She hadn''t opened any portal, and she had been standing on the bridge doing nothing.


    "What do you mean by a different timeline?" Mnie''s eyes held confusion. "And that thing, your friend, why did it do it?"


    Julie had no answers to why her Corvin had done it. She remembered the way the creature continued to look at her, and she felt that prick of disappointment and betrayal over its action.


    "I have once opened a portal to another time. Sending one person there. My real mother, she had that ability too," exined Julie, before taking a quick look at the two men who stood there staring at them. "I don''t know how the portal opened, but after we fell from the bridge, I think it took us to another time. A time which is far far back from our current time."


    Mnie felt goosebumps appear all over her skin, and the cold evening wind that blew on her wet clothes didn''t help one bit either.


    "You know how to return, right?" asked Mnie.


    Julie pursed her lips. She had never tried to open it, and thest time when it happened, it was out of the blue and without her control. She replied, "I can try and see if it will work."


    "Okay," said Mnie, turning worried and wary of the sudden situation they were in.


    "Is there anything you need help with?" asked one of the men, and both the girls turned to look at them. "You both don''t seem to someone from this ce."


    Julie nodded her head, "Yes, we are from a different ce. Thank you for saving me and my friend," and she offered a small bow. On seeing this, Mnie mimicked her actions.


    "That''s fine," the one who had spoken waved his hand as if it wasn''t a big deal, and he said, "We are just d to see that everything is okay. Do you perhaps need a ride?"


    "We are heading back to our ce, Otis," said the other man with brown hair and had green eyes.


    The man named Otis leaned towards the brown-haired man and whispered, "Do you n to leave such youngdies out in the cold? It is only right that we should offer help to them."


    "You can offer them your help by your own means. I have a herd of sheep that needs to be brought to the shed," said the brown-haired man.


    Julie said, "That''s fine. We have somewhere else to be. Thank you again for your kindness."


    The man gave a short nod, while the man named Otis looked a little torn to see the youngdies walk away from there, with their clothes still dripping wet while giving a small re to his friend.


    After walking for a minute away from the bridge, Mnie asked Julie, "Do you know which era or time we are in?"


    "I think we''ll need to ask someone. I cannot tell the time," replied Julie, and she shivered. "Let me see if I can contact the Corvin."


    "Contact," murmured Mnie, and she pulled out her phone, which when she unlocked the screen, it didn''t work. "I will need to buy a new one," she muttered under her breath.


    Julie closed her eyes, trying to connect to the Corvin, hoping that despite what it had done out of the blue, the creature would appear right in front of her. She tried hard, but nothing ever happened. Opening her eyes, she looked around the ce, where the sky was quick to head in the direction of darkness, trying to bring in the night.


    She raised her hand, hoping to change the medium so that it could open up the portal, but it was to no avail.


    "It''s not working," whispered Julie, not knowing how to open the portal because the only person who had done it apart from her was her mother. But she died years ago.


    "What do we do now?" asked Mnie before she said, "Maybe look for a ce to stay?"


    "I wonder if it will go well," replied Julie, pursuing her lips. "Our clothes, they stand out too much, and it might attract unwanted attention." But then they couldn''t stand in the middle of nowhere. "I don''t know if the time spent here is rtive to time in the existing world."


    "It''s okay. I am sure someone will find us both to be missing ande to look for us," Mnie assured Julie as well as herself.


    While they stood there, they heard footsteps approaching from behind, and they turned and saw it was the two men who had earlier saved them.


    "Forgive us for intruding but we were wondering if you need any help," Otis politely asked the two girls. "My friend Cillian, finally decided it was alright to help."


    Julie''s eyes fell on the man next to Otis, his eyes holding a slight suspicion while his lips were set in a thin line. Cillian spoke, "We thought it would be rude to leave women who were stranded especially and came to check." His voice was slightly hoarse. "Do you have a ce to go to?" he asked.


    "Do you know a ce where we can stay the night?" asked Julie, and Cillian stared at her before giving a slight nod.


    "There''s a hut behind the house. Follow us," said Cillian and Otis nodded his head.


    Julie and Mnie followed them through the same bridge they had earlier walked on, their footsteps cautious. When they entered Willow Creek, Julie could notice the stark difference from thest time she had entered this ce.


    As it was dark, people couldn''t see them in focus, but that didn''t stop people from looking at her and Mnie. When they reached near a house, a young woman stepped out of the house after the door was knocked.


    Cillian looked at the woman, and said, "They need a ce for the night. Can they use your hut?"


    "They aren''t your..." the woman trailed as if to ask something to Cillian.


    "No, passing by strangers," he said to her and she nodded.


    "Sure," replied the woman, turning to two girls with a polite smile. The two men left, while the woman said, "Let me show you the way to the hut. Luckily it''s not raining so it should be usable," while her eyes picked up the clothes that were worn by Julie and Mnie.


    They walked around the house, while the woman smiled said, "You both look drenched like a cat. I will go get you some clothes. It should fit."


    "Thank you very much," thanked Mnie, while Julie continued to stare at the woman. "You''ve been quiet."


    "I.... I think that''s my mother."

 Chapter 187 - Family From The Past

    <h4>Chapter 187 - Family From The Past</h4>


    Julie was still in shock, not knowing how to perceive what she saw and what the woman spoke. The woman looked younger, and it had taken her more than a few seconds before she came to believe that this woman was indeed her mother.


    "Are you sure about it?" asked Mnie, raising her eyebrows, and she looked in the direction where the woman had left.


    Julie nodded her head, "Yeah, I am sure of it. Her features, they are all the same." But if she hade here at this time, it only meant that she had moved to a timeline which was far beyond the time that she had expected to visit. It didn''t seem like her mother was married to anyone or had any children yet. "I don''t know what caused the portal to open. There must have been some sort of trigger for it to happen."


    "But we were only walking on the bridge. Was it because of the echo of the memory?" asked Mnie, slightly worried.


    Julie shook her head, "No, I don''t think a memory can trigger something like this."


    The next and the only possibility was the Corvin, who was responsible for breaking the bridge. She still didn''t understand why the creature had done it. What if that wasn''t her, Corvin? Her Corvin had always tried to save her, help her. Thest thing it would do was bring harm to her.


    "Maybe we can figure out something before leaving this ce in the morning," said Mnie in a hushed voice. "For a moment, I thought I almost died there in the water. I mean one moment there was no water beneath us and the next moment we woke up, we were trying to get out of the gushing water," thest words she said were mostly to herself, while her eyes took in the hut where they were standing.


    Julie''s eyes looked around the ce, where there were stacks of hay ced on one another. Antern burned brightly in a ss case that was hooked and was hanging from the ceiling. And though it wasn''t winter or raining, their wet clothes were enough to make them shiver in the cold.


    After a few minutes, the woman reappeared in the hut, the shed behind the house, while carrying a couple of clothes in her arms.


    Julie keenly observed the woman, who looked like she was probably in her mid orte twenties. Her hair was tied loosely at the back, her beautiful eyes looking at them, and her features sharp and beautiful.


    "These are my clothes, and it should fit both of you just fine for the night. I brought an extra pair of nkets because it can turn coldter in the night," the woman let them know, handing out the clothes and nket.


    They quietly epted the clothes from the woman. While Julie was too stunned to speak to the woman, her mother, as she hadn''t expected to meet her today. She had hoped and wished for an opportunity to be able to speak to her mother, and now that they were standing right in front of each other, her lipscked words.


    On the other hand, Mnie watched the woman and Julie with slight disbelief.


    "Where are you both from?" asked the woman.


    Mnie cleared her throat and said, "Wee from another town."


    "Where?" asked the woman, and Julie could tell that even though the woman''s voice sounded light and casual, there was something in her eyes as if she was as doubtful as to the man who had earlier dropped them here.


    "Greasy Corner," replied Mnie, which was the truth, and the woman gave a small nod.


    "I don''t think I have heard of the name before," responded the woman, and then realized something before saying, "How rude of us, we forgot to introduce ourselves."


    "Ah yes," agreed Mnie, and Julie felt her hold her breath for a moment. Her heart started to beat quickly out of excitement and nervousness. "I am Mnie Davis."


    Julie finally spoke to the woman, "Julianne Winters. You can call me Julie."


    The woman offered a kind smile, pleased in knowing their names and then introduced herself, "I am Opaline La Fay. It is good to make your acquaintance and good that you have a ce to stay. Did youe here on some work or did you get lost on your way?"


    Julie wanted to tell the truth, to tell her mother that she was her daughter and she, her mother. But at the same time, she remembered the parallel lines and the butterfly effect her actions could cause if she tried to disrupt the natural course.


    Without giving away too much information, Julie spoke to the woman, "We are trying to get back to our home, but we aren''t sure how to do that."


    Opaline stared at Julie and then at Mnie, "I would have guessed that you both ran away from your wealthy family, but then nobody goes dipping in theke. There are local carriages in here, it will take you out from here and back to your home."


    "Only if that was easy," murmured Mnie under her breath. She shivered more than Julie did, and she excused herself, "Let me quickly go and change my clothes."


    On the other hand, Julie wanted to stay right there, in front of her mother, so that she could continue to speak.


    "Thank you for your generosity," Julie thanked her mother, offering a slight bow, and the woman continued to stare at her.


    "To help a person when they are in need is humanity, Julie," said Opaline and Julie''s heart burst in joy on hearing her mother call her name. "Moreover, Cillian doesn''t bring odd people in here, as he rarely likes to mingle with anyone around. You can thank him tomorrow, when you see him."


    "I will be sure to do that," replied Julie, and the woman smiled.


    "I suppose you both are hungry?"


    Julie was about to deny it so that she wouldn''t cause her mother any more trouble, but at the same time, her stomach grumbled. Opaline chuckled.


    "I am sorry about that," Julie awkwardly smiled.


    "Don''t be. The weather is harsh and your journey must have been long. How about you both finish changing your clothes and I will see what''s there to eat in the house," said Opaline, and she started to walk out of the shed before she paused her footsteps.


    Julie had already turned and started to walk behind the stacks of hay so that she could change her into the dry clothes, not knowing Opaline was staring at her back before the woman left.


    When Julie and Mnie finished wearing Opaline''s clothes, which were long looking dresses made of cotton, Julie wore a lc coloured dress that had long sleeves until her wrists. From modern university students, they had been transformed into youngdies of the vige, Willow Creek. To think that she was wearing her mother''s clothes, she felt fortunate about it.


    "Wow, it feels like we are ying in a theater y of the university,"mented Mnie, taking a look at her beige coloured dress while stepping out from behind the stack of hay that she had into. "Do you n to let her know about who you are?"


    "No," whispered Julie, her heart slightly aching that she wouldn''t be able to converse with her mother the way she wanted to.


    But at the same time, Julie felt she was fortunate to be able to meet the woman who was supposed to birth and hold her, to love her and see her grow up.


    "We don''t belong in this timeframe," said Mnie to Julie while making the bottom of her skirt proper.


    "I wonder if any of us belong anywhere or if we belong everywhere in parts," remarked Julie, making Mnie give her a questioning look on what she meant. "I don''t belong to the timeline of where you were born, Mel. Ie somewhere around sixteen hundred. Technically, I was not supposed to be in Veteris, not as a student at least, but it did. Come let us go have dinner."


    They walked towards the back of the house, and when they headed towards the door, Opaline appeared and looked at them in the proper clothes meant for the young women. She didn''tment on it and instead invited them in,


    "Come in. The food has been prepared."


    Julie had entered this house a week ago, but the house she now stepped into, it held warmth, and there was colour and smell of the food that drifted in the air. She heard giggles of two young girls, and her eyes then fell on the young ones who were standing behind the walls, looking at them.


    "What are you both doing there?" asked Opaline, and the girlsughed.


    "Maya said that there were two strange looking women in here," said one of the blonde girls, staring in Julie and Mnie''s direction.


    "What a rude thing to be saying," came a gruff voice ahead of them, and the more they walked towards the dining room, Julie''s eyes then fell on a man who had a beard, and his hair was grey. He sat at the head of the table, watching them with a staff that supported one of his hands. "What brings you to Willow Creek?" asked the man, watching them with his eyes slightly narrowed.


    "They lost their way, father and maybe you can question them after they finish their meals. They must be hungry," smiled Opaline, giving a quiet look to her father as if to not question them.


    "You keep bringing people into the house, I worry we might run out of food one day or maybe night," said the man, and Julie''s lips parted as if sinking in the information that this was her grandfather.


    "Now, who is being rude," pointed Opaline, and the old man huffed. She then turned to look at the two older girls and said, "Don''t take my father''s words too keenly. He doesn''t keep anything in his mind and likes to bring it out from his lips. Please sit down."


    Julie and Mnie awkwardly moved towards the table before taking the seats on the other side of the table. Julie''s eyes moved to look at the two young, energetic girls, and she asked, "Is that your sisters?"


    "Yes, they are," replied Opaline. "The one on the right is Maya, and the other on the left, she''s Tabitha," right around the same time, one of the men who had helped them out of the river entered through the door. "That would be my brother Otis."


    Julie turned to look at the young man, who offered a polite smile to both the girls once again. If it was Opaline''s brother, that meant that he was Julie''s blood uncle. She wondered why she never heard anything about them or if she hadn''t found the time to learn more about them. Back in the Winter''s residence, she had lost her only family, but today, she realized she still had the people who were rted to her. d to be around them, even though they didn''t know who she was.


    "It is good to see that they are being well taken care of," said Otis to his sister, and Opaline raised one of her eyebrows.


    "I always take good care of the guests. Unlike you, who lives in the othe house," pointed Opaline and Otis chuckled. "Come sit, we are having supper."


    "It is why I am here," replied Otis, taking a seat next to his father and soon, the two little girls, who looked barely more than ten, came to sit next to Julie''s side. "I have spoken to one of the carriage men, and he said he wasn''t sure where exactly this Greasy Corneres from, but he should be able to take you halfway to your destination."


    "That is very kind of you, thank you," replied Julie, offering a slight bow, and Otis returned it. "Cillian has already spoken to the magistrate. To check the bridge."


    "Hm?" questioned the older man at the head of the table. "What is wrong with the bridge? It was only this morning that I walked past it and it was in a perfectly stable condition."


    "Uh that, the young women here seemed to have lost their bnce while walking on the bridge and were found in the river," informed Otis and the older man''s eyes shifted to look at the two guests who sat at the table. His eyes were shrewd, and the more he stared, the more ufortable it turned for Julie and Mnie to sit still. "He just wanted to make sure there''s no repeat of it. It would be troublesome if it happened when no one was around."


    "You young women are lucky that my brother and Cillian were around to pull you out. How terrible it would have been for both your families to know that you drowned in the river," stated Opaline, who had brought the food from the kitchen and was now cing it on the table one by one. Once the three containers had been brought out, she started to serve.


    Julie, who couldn''t sit still while watching her mother serve, stood up from her seat and offered to help, "Let me do this."


    Opaline smiled at her, her smile kind and warm, and Julie doubted there was anything more she could ask at this moment, "If you insist," and she offered thedle to her.


    Julie stirred the container, which was steaming with the broth, pouring the contents in the container before offering it to the people at the table one by one, while Opaline served another dish before sitting down and breaking bread to eat it.


    "What are the girls'' names?" questioned the old man, looking at Opaline.


    "This is Julianne and Mnie," Opaline introduced them, and the man nodded his head. The woman turned to look at Julie and said, "We didn''t used to have many visitors in Willow Creek. This ce has been very quiet and it was only recently that a few of them came to migrate and live here for trade because of Veteris."


    "Veteris?" Mnie repeated the name.


    "Yes, the one thates before this one. You must have passed by it," said Opaline, and Mnie nodded her head.


    While they continued to have their meal, Julie could feel her grandfather''s gaze on her, and she tried not to be clumsy with the spoon that was in her hand. She wondered if he could sense something was wrong.


    When they finished their meals, the younger girls at the table had tried to befriend the guests, smiling and talking to them, trying to learn where they were from while asking to y.


    "That''s enough Maya. It is time for your bed," said Otis to one of his sisters, who had hovered around Mnie.


    "But there''s still a few minutes," pleaded the little girl.


    "And how do you know that? Go on now, take Tabitha with you and get into bed," said Otis, and the girls dragged their feet into their room.


    Julie had taken herself to the kitchen, wanting to be around her mother a little more before she would get to leave this ce.


    While Julie wipes the utensils, cing them to the side, Opaline asked her, "You seem to like to help people a lot too. Do you feel burdened with the thought that you are taking in our kindness and unable to repay it?" she questioned her.


    Julie shook her head, "I thought it would be rude to let you do all the work. It must be tiring to be doing all the house work and taking care of things around."


    The smile on Opaline lips broadened, and she said, "You get used to it. I have been helping and taking care of my family for so long, it feels like breathing now. How about you? Who is in your family back home?" Noticing Julie''s hesitancy, she added, "You don''t have to speak if you don''t want to. You will be going back home and we won''t meet again."


    Hearing these words from her mother, her heart ached. She wanted to meet her again and spend time as mother and daughter, not as strangers.


    "I don''t have anyone back home," replied Julie, as the answer itself wasplex, and she doubted she would be able to exin it subtly. "Both my parents passed away."


    "I am sorry to hear that," Opaline looked truly apologetic. "I hope their souls can rest in peace. You don''t have a brother or sister?"


    "Unfortunately, no," answered Julie, and the woman gave her a nod.


    "Well, I wouldn''t say they are all daisies and sunflowers, because it takes a lot of effort, but at the end of the day, they are absolutely heartwarming, knowing you have many people with you," said Opaline with a smile.


    "What about your mother? I don''t think I saw her," Julie''s words were careful, not wanting to poke too much into the matters of the household because to the La Fay''s, she was only a stranger.


    The smile on Opaline''s lips faltered, but she tried to keep it up, her expressions softened, before she said, "She passed away somewhere after giving birth to my two beautiful sisters. Sometimes the body can bear only so much, before its limits are pushed. But she left us with a big family to grow and spend time with. One day I hope to have a bigger family than the current one," and she winked.


    Julie''s eyes widened, knowing how far ahead in time her mother waspared to the timeline she belonged to.


    "How about you, Julie? How many children do you want?" asked her mother.


    "I haven''t given much thought about it. Probably two or three I think," replied Julie, wiping the palms of her hands on the sides of her dress. She then said, "Thank you for being hospitable."


    "I am a good judge of character and so is Cillian, so we don''t refuse when someone needs a little bit of help that we can offer," said Opaline, cing her hand on Julie''s shoulder before walking to one side of the kitchen, and picking up thentern. "Here take this, the current one might exhaust itself and you might need another er. You should go and get some sleep now."


    Julie nodded, smiling at Opaline before she stepped out of the kitchen and on her way, she met Otis, who was making his way inside the kitchen to see his sister.


    "Did Maya and Tabitha go to sleep?" asked Opaline, and Otis nodded.


    "They are asleep. I should get going. I need to check if we have any other broken entry," Otis let his sister know about it.


    Opaline gave him a slight nod. At the same time, their old man walked in with the help of his staff. He looked at his son and asked, "What exactly happened near the bridge, Otis? I mean the young women."


    Otis exined, "Cillian and I were walking by when we heard the ssh of water and saw the two women drowning. We helped them out and that was it. Cillian wasn''t willing and wanted to leave, but then we went half away before he changed his mind and the rest you know."


    "I heard the vampires have been killing some of the humans and capturing witches. We don''t want anything leading in here," stated the old man with a faint frown on his forehead. "We should tread carefully. There have been too many deaths in the other town."


    "We''ll be careful, father," assured Otis, and the old man nodded his head.


    "Cillian isn''t someone who helps people around. What got him to help this time?" asked Opaline in curiosity. Otis shrugged his shoulders.


    "I have no clue. One minute he wanted to leave them stranded, the next minute he probably felt sorry after seeing them nearly dead. They looked nearly dead and it had got me worried too," exined Otis.


    "There is something very strange about the two girls. As if they are hiding something," pointed their father, and Opaline heard it in seriousness.


    "You are over thinking about it. They are harmless humans, who want to leave tomorrow morning," stated Otis, and both Opaline and her father stared at the person. "What?"


    "You seem to have been staring at the ck haired girl, Otis. Do you perhaps n to woo the girl," asked his father, and the young manughed.


    "I am not going to start making a family when I still have a full lifetime as a witch, even if I don''t have all the abilities like the others. If you should think about someone, it should be about Opaline, the humans have been too interested in her and keep hovering around her," said Otis and Opaline smiled.


    "It must be the La Fay''s blood which is very enticing," remarked Opaline with a smile. "I will be going to check with the other witches and people to see how things are going on. Will you be able to manage?"


    "I will be. I have lived my time without your mother around, and I will be fine without you around. You just make sure you don''t get burned. The humans are nowhere forgiving when ites to us witches, they won''t blink if they have to burn us," said her father and Opaline nodded her head.


    "I will be careful," replied Opaline. "What about you, Otis?" she asked him.


    "I think I am better suited to stay here, sister. You should go," said Otis.


    Back in the shed of the La Fay''s house, both Julie and Mnieid on the hay, which was spread on the ground, and they had used one nket to spread beneath them and the other to cover their bodies.


    "Your family is warm, Julie," said Mnie and Julie hummed in response. She then turned to look at Julie, who was staring at the wooden ceiling of the shed. "What are you thinking?"


    "Just how strange life is. Mel, will you be alright to stay back here for a day more? Or I can send you back once the portal opens and I will follow you in a few hours," suggested Julie before turning to look at her friend.


    Mnie could tell that Julie was having a hard time at the thought of parting away from her family, who were living and breathing a few distance away from them now.


    "I don''t think one day should make much difference. Let us go back together. Also, I don''t think I would be able to handle the wrath of Moltenore if I were to return just by myself," she smiled at Julie.


    "Thank you, Mel," said Julie before pulling the nket near her.


    She just wanted to spend a few more hours with them before she would go back to the time that she belonged to. But at the same time, there was also the problem of where she didn''t know how to open the portal.


    "Do you think your mother knows how to open the portal to a different timeline?" questioned Mnie, and Julie shook her head.


    "I don''t think she knows. From what I learned Evans said that he saw her open the portal in front of him only once. And that was to send Natalie, me and him," a sigh escaped from Julie''s lips. She then said, "Maybe I can learn something from them. On how to ess and tap the magic, and know what I can do." Maybe this is why she was sent her, thought Julie in her mind. To learn magic from them.


    And with that thought, Julie closed her eyes along with Mnie, falling asleep to the sound of the crickets.

 Chapter 188 - Had To Be Done

    <h4>Chapter 188 - Had To Be Done</h4>


    Roman sat on the bed, looking around at the things that were in the room. His eyes fell on the sweater lying on the back of the chair, which Julie often liked to wear. It was lc in colour. Hours had passed, and there was no news of Julie or her friend Mnie.


    When both Roman and Simon had gone to visit the counselor''s office, Mr. Evans was not there. His room was locked, and when they checked with Dante, she told them that she hadn''t heard anything about him going anywhere.


    Roman''s mind was racing, and he wanted to know where she was, to make sure that she wasn''t in any trouble. There was no way that Julie had stepped out of Veteris, and also the way her scent disappeared from below the bridge, it made him suspicious. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on the door.


    "I heard you have been looking for me," said Mr. Evans with a look of question in his eyes.


    Roman stood up from the bed, asking, "Winters is missing."


    "Did you check everywhere?" asked Mr. Evans.


    "Do you think I would be looking for you and telling you this if I didn''t?" Roman questioned him back, and the counselor gave a slight nod.


    "True," replied Mr. Evans, and he then shook his head, "I have no idea where she is. She was supposed to be in the ss. Did you try contacting the Corvin? It might know something. Let me see if I can contact it," said the counselor before slipping his hand into his coat and pulling out a bone.


    "Is it the Corvin''s bone?" questioned Roman, his eyes curiously looking at the off white bone, which looked slightly dirty.


    Mr. Evans ran his thumb across the bone and said, "Yes. It is the Corvin''s bone, but not the bone from the body it has now. It is from the body that it once used to possess when it was still a breathing person. Lady Opaline gave this to me, so that I could contact it."


    Saying this, the counselor muttered some spell-like words, and though seconds passed by, the Corvin didn''t appear in front of them or anywhere near the room.


    Mr. Evans frowned and then looked at Roman, whose gaze burned into his. The man said, "I am not sure why it isn''t working. It should have worked, it has in the past. Maybe like a bluetooth connection, it is unable to pick up the calling."


    Roman raked his fingers through his hair in frustration.


    Where could she be? He had a slight suspicion, but he hoped she hadn''t. Of her slipping into the future or to the time of the past.


    "Did Opaline ever give you any magic so that you could locate where Julie might be?" questioned Roman. Hours had been passing by like water being poured, and the thought of not being able to find her, it was driving him into nothing but pure frustration.


    "Unfortunately only witches can use full spells. I am a vampire, and it stops me from doing anything close to it," answered Mr. Evans.


    "Herst scent stopped right below the bridge that leads to Willow Creek. Is there any opening or portal there? Because Julie has not perfected or hasn''t tapped into the magic wholly to be able to open a portal," stated Roman.


    "Yes, it isn''t easy to open the portal that easily. It takes a couple of tries before one can do it. If I am not wrong, it took quite some time for Lady Opaline herself to be able to do it," replied Mr. Evans, a small frowning to form on his forehead. "But then Julie has opened the portal before. More than once if I am not wrong, and it might have opened out of coincidence again."


    But Roman didn''t believe in coincidence.


    He believed that things happened for a reason because it had to follow a certain direction.


    Out of thin air, the Corvin suddenly appeared, and Mr. Evans pped his hands, "Good that you are here. Was there some sort of issue with the supernatural antenna that you didn''t get my calling?"


    ''I was busy,'' replied the Corvin, ''What is it?''


    "Have you seen Winters? Did she speak to you or reach out to you?" asked Roman while staring at the creature.


    The Corvin shook its head, ''No. Why?''


    "Julianne is missing from Veteris, Corvin. We are trying to find her, and we''re hoping that you could help us find her," said Mr. Evans with a bright smile on his face, which was quick to fall from his lips.


    "You both share a bond, don''t you?" questioned Roman, his eyes red, while it held a re in them. "Can you find out where she is?"


    The creature stared at Roman as if somewhere it was unwilling and noticing the impatience, it finally said, ''Okay.'' And the slight hesitancy was enough for the vampire to pick up that something was amiss.


    "Where is she?" Roman asked it directly. "You know where she is, don''t you?"


    ''No,'' replied the creature. ''I will find her." And saying this, it brought its hand up, and its fingertips started to grow.


    Mr. Evans came to where Roman stood and asked, "You know, you shouldn''t provoke a Crovin. Considering they belong to the dead, you never know when they might attack you."


    "The creature is obviously sketchy, and I don''t believe it even for a moment," said Roman and Mr. Evans softly chuckled. "These creatures continue to live on by feeding and connecting with one of the witches, and they increase their longevity by feeding on the dead, especially from their owners."


    "But then Julie hasn''t reached the point where she has ess to all her abilities," said Mr. Evans, "To a Corvin, a young witch isn''t much of use, unless Julie holds a high potential."


    A light glowed in the palm of the Corvin''s hand, and it then said, ''She''s not here.''


    "Do you know where she is?" questioned Roman, and if the Corvin had a heart, he was sure that he would find its heart skip because of the way it was behaving.


    ''No,'' came the dull response from the creature. ''I don''t sense her anywhere here.''


    "Maybe you are right," said Mr. Evans, turning to Roman, "She could have gone to some timeline."


    "How good is your memory, Evans?" questioned Roman and Mr. Evans tilted his head.


    "Pretty good if you ask me. Why do you ask?"


    "Do you remember meeting Julie before she joined Veteris. Anytime before the time you came here, where she might have appeared in your timeline and you crossed paths," stated Roman and the counselor''s lips turned into a thin line.


    Mr. Evans gave it a deep thought and then said, "I don''t remember any drastic memory which might have been captured. Since the time I came to stand next to Lady Opaline, and until she sent me here, I haven''t seen Julie."


    "And since when did you know Lady Opaline?"


    "It was after Mr. Knox was killed," replied Mr. Evans, and Roman nodded. This only confirmed that Julie had probably ended up far behind the time of Mr. Evans, and it made him question why and what she was doing there when she was supposed to be here. "Corvin, how good are you at trying to get into the portal of time?"


    ''No good,'' on hearing the creature''s response, Mr. Evans sighed.


    "You feel like a useless bird sometimes. Go do what you were doing and make sure you keep your antenna working, so that we can tell you if we find something," Mr. Evans dismissed the creature from the room, and the Corvin disappeared in the next blink of an eye. "What now?"


    "We wait," remarked Roman, as there was nothing more they could do. Unless¡­. "I will go see where my father is."


    "Father?" Mr. Evans looked slightly perplexed at the mention of Roman''s family.


    "Never mind," muttered Roman, and he made his way out of Julie''s dorm.


    Outside the Dormitorium, Simon stood with his back hunched as he leaned against one railings. "Found anything?" asked Simon.


    "They slipped into time," responded Roman as he made his way away from the Dormitorium.


    "Time?" Simon looked more than intrigued.


    "Yeah."


    When Roman met Donovan, he walked straight into the mansion, and Luciano, who met him at the front of the hall, said, "Don''t you have sses to attend to? Keep your grades clean with the highest ones possible, Moltenore?"


    "sses are for the ones who are slow. I don''t need one," replied Roman, walking past the Elder vampire, but Luciano didn''t let him off for his remark that easily.


    In one single nce towards Roman stopped walking, and he couldn''t move anymore, as if something kept him from moving further.


    "You seem to have trouble following rules don''t you? Do you think Donovan will always be there to help you out of situations such that you will never get into trouble with us or me?" questioned Elder Luciano, who quietly made his way to where Roman''s body had frozen.


    "I am in a hurry and need to go," Roman gritted his teeth, sending a small re at the Elder vampire.


    "What''s the hurry? We are vampires who have all the time for ourselves," smiled Luciano, and he came to stand in front of Roman, cing his hand on his shoulder. Suddenly a jolt of pain struck through his shoulders, and the younger vampire winced in pain while trying not to react to the Elder vampire''s hold.


    Even though Luciano was seen to be one of the annoying Elder vampires apart from Donovan, the man was an Elder vampire because of the powers that he had received from one of the witches.


    "Donovan isn''t here and the others seem to be busy today. Castiel is spending his time with his past me, and Remy seems to be working in the infirmary," informed Elder Luciano, letting go of Roman''s shoulder while noticing the pain the boy felt.


    Elder Luciano Sterling had the ability to stop people by stepping onto their shadows and freezing their movements until he decided to free a person.


    "What is it that you would like to talk about?" questioned Roman, his eyes turning red, and Luciano seemed pleased that he was able to get a reaction from the boy.


    "I was wondering what trickery you have up your sleeve. Your heart I mean. You obviously seem like your ripper side is trying to take over your mind and body, yet youe to walk past here as if everything is fine," murmured Luciano with a remote look of curiosity in his eyes.


    "That is because of my father''s blood running in my veins," replied Roman, and Luciano, who had already heard about Roman being fathered by a human, his eyes narrowed.


    "Have you heard anything about Donovan mentioning this person whom he let off from Willow Creek. Enoch," said Luciano, with a small smile on his lips while arrogance heavily filled in the way he looked at Roman.


    "We haven''t found the time to discuss it, Elder Luciano," remarked Roman, and Luciano tried to gauge the boy''s words and his reaction. "I think you are wasting your time on me. And Donovan wouldn''t be pleased if he were to find out that you are trying to get answers from me."


    "So are you telling me that there is something that I need to know?" questioned Luciano, his eyes narrowing.


    "Yes," replied Roman, and in a moment, his entire body covered itself in mes that had Luciano step away from him, letting go of his shadow. "Don''t try to waste my time. I have other things to do," stated Roman, turning around and walking away from there.


    When Roman left the manor, someone behind Luciano questioned, "What was that about?"


    Luciano looked mildly startled, and he turned his head to the side before asking, "When did youe here?"


    "Right before you decided to step on the boy," replied Remy, his voiceing out to be bored and his face expressionless. "I thought we already went through it that Donovan has nothing to do with Enoch or the incident that took ce in Willow Creek."


    "You might believe that lying chameleon, but I don''t, Remy,"mented Luciano, turning to look at the Elder vampire, who stared back at him. "If you really think that, where did the ck stone of darkness disappear to?"


    "Maybe it never existed and is just a myth," came the dull response from Remy before he added, "Azazel won''t be pleased if he finds out that you even plucked a hair from the boy''s head. Lest to know that you tried to break his bone. You might not care what happens to Griffin, but Donovan is very possessive about certain things."


    Luciano rolled his eyes, "I barely even touched his precious boy. I was merely curious if he was told about it."


    Remy didn''t beat around the bush and came right to the point to say, "You think the stone exists inside him."


    Luciano tilted his head, and one side of his blonde hair shifted to the side, "For you to tell me this. You have already thought about it."


    "I think it''s the most probable answer one cane to conclude. That the stone of darkness exists in the boy. But that night, Donovan was with Castiel and me the entire time, until he came to stumble upon the hunters in the other building. We all saw it. He only offered his blood, and didn''t bite him. The boy just happens to be special."


    "Unless¡­the stone of darkness actually exists in him," stated Luciano and both the men stared at each other. "Donovan''s selfish self was eager to save the boy. Do you think there''s any other reason? It has something to do with the stone"


    Remy pursed his lips, not knowing if he should say something, but he decided it was too much of a hassle to exin it, and he dismissed the thought from his mind.


    It wasn''t that he hadn''t thought the same as Luciano. Because Roman''s heart was corrupted long before he had been pushed into a ripper. The signs had always been there, and it was just that Remy had stood at the side, watching the events unfold. The stone of darkness, it was something that many vampires had tried to hunt and look for in search of power and raising themselves higher than the other existing vampires. To be the ultimate controller.


    "Why don''t you ask Azazel himself?" asked Remy, his question simple. "You will find your answers sooner."


    Luciano''s eyes narrowed, and he said, "Do you think he would tell me the truth? Do you think he would?"


    "No," came the quick response, and Luciano turned slightly exasperated by Remy''s response andck of enthusiasm in getting to the bottom of this.


    "I will find it out myself, and show you that Donovan has something to do with it. Lies drip from his tongue like honey, and I will make sure everyone finds the truth," huffed Luciano before he turned around and walked away from there with the back of his cloak flying right above the ground.


    Remy stared for two seconds before he shook his head, "They should have left me sleep a little longer than get involved here unnecessarily," he murmured under his breath before heading to his room.


    Hours passed while Roman waited for Julie to return or something to ur in the town of Willow Creek likest time, where he could get back to her. But even after hours passed, there was not a sound or word from her. He could only hope that everything was alright on her side, putting his faith in her that she could take care of her.


    On the other side of Veteris, Conner hade looking for Julie and Mnie, but neither of the girls were in their dorms. And on asking a ssmate, he found out that they had skipped all the sses today.


    "They skipped the whole day?" came the surprised voice from Conner.


    The girl who stood in front of him studied in the same ss as his friends, and she nodded, "Yeah, I haven''t seen them the entire day in the ss. Maybe they are in the library studying and preparing for the project. Anyways, I gotta go."


    "Thanks for telling me," replied Conner, a slight frown on his forehead. He had checked the library, lunchroom and the other ces where the girls often hung out, but they were nowhere. Maybe it wouldn''t have bothered him before, but after knowing creatures like vampires existed, he couldn''t help but worry.


    He decided to camp near the girl''s Dormitorium.


    Thirty minutes passed to one hour, and then it moved to an hour and then two hours. When it was near the deadline hour where all the students were supposed to get back to their rooms, Conner felt something was not right.


    Did Mnie or Julie or both of them get into trouble? Conner asked himself. Should he perhaps check with the management and let them know?


    But then his father had told him, ''Do not trust anyone but the direct hunters. Do not trust any human to be human, as they might be disguised as a human only to be a vampire.''


    Maybe he could ask Simon, thought Conner to himself before making his way to the boy''s Dormitorium. And even though Conner had camped himself for a while in front of the girl''s Dormitorium, there was someone who had entered one of the girl''s rooms. It was the Corvin who hade to Julie''s room.


    It picked up the photo frame that stood at Julie''s study table¡ªstaring at the person in it for a long time.


    ''Forgive me. This had to be done.''


    Far back in time, where Julie and Mnie had stepped into, the sky turned bright with the rise of the sun. Julie was woken up by hearing the birds chirping, and the busy feet or the people and their early distant greetings exchanged far away from the hut.


    She woke up with a neck ache, not used to sleeping on hay. Sitting upright, she stretched her neck while stretching her feet. She didn''t know how long she nned to stay here, and she didn''t know if she would be able to spend time with her family again, but for now, she wanted to make the most of it.


    She saw her mother, who stepped out of the house, and unable to resist, she quickly took a look at Mnie, who had only woken up. "Where are you going?" asked Mnie with a yawn.


    "I will be back soon," replied Julie, and she tried to follow her mother, wondering where she was going.


    But before she could take the path, she crashed right into someone, and she was quick to apologize, "My apologies."


    It was Cillian, the person who brought them here, "Running away without your friend?" he asked her.


    Huh? "No. I was going to¡­ the market," said Julie, noticing him looking at her with slight suspicion.


    "It''s that way," he pointed in the direction her mother had walked.


    Julie nodded, ready to leave, but before she could leave, she said, "Thank you for saving us, Mr. Cillian."


    "It''s ckburn.. Cillian ckburn."

 Chapter 189 - A Keeper Of Secrets

    <h4>Chapter 189 - A Keeper Of Secrets</h4>


    Julie stared at the man for a second more before his name registered, and she quickly bowed her head, "Thank you for saving me and my friend yesterday, Mr. ckburn."


    She felt like she had heard thest name somewhere, but she wasn''t sure where exactly she had heard it. It was as if someone had mentioned it once, and it had registered somewhere in the back of her mind.


    The man had ck eyes, his hair neatlybed to the side, and he had changed his clothes from what he had been wearing yesterday. "I am going to the market as well. Do you need me to take you there?"


    At first, she was about to nod as it would be impolite to refuse, but then she realized she wasn''t nning to head to the market because she wanted to take a look around the ce of how people and things worked in this timeline. But she wanted to follow her mother and see what she was doing, to be able to take a closer look and know how her mother was.


    Julie, who was about to nod, quickly shook her head and said, "That is fine. I will find my way there."


    Cillian didn''t bother to insist, and he only stared at her.


    "Thank you again," said Julie, offering a small bow before she quickly turned and walked quickly in the direction of where she had seen her mother walk.


    On the other hand, Cillian stared at the young girl, who seemed a little oddpared to the other people or women he hade to meet in his lifetime.


    "You arete for your work, aren''t you?" came a question after a few seconds.


    It was Mr. La Fay who had stepped out of the house and found him standing a few steps near the house. The older man''s gaze fell on the girl, whose feet were quicker than a rabbit.


    "Hm? Where is the other girl?" murmured the old man.


    "She''s going to the market," remarked Cillian, tearing his eyes away from the girl to look at Opaline''s father. "Did you hear anything about the uproar of the vampires in the West, Magnus?"


    "Far too many that makes me worry, but I think there are other pressing matters than the vampires," replied Magnus, rubbing his beard with his hand. "The humans are not taking well with our kind''s existence. We are being exposed because of the few bad apples."


    "Then isn''t it only right that we do some damage control," stated Cillian, his gaze dull and a frown on his forehead. "We already have a decent number of humans on this witchnd of ours in Willow Creek. We just need to have them see us in a good light."


    "Only if it was that easy," harrumphed the old man, dropping his hand to the side, and he ced his weight on the staff that he held in his right hand.


    "One of the vampires tried to make a treaty with us."


    "Who is that?" Magnus'' eyes narrowed by the mention of the treaty.


    "It was Mortimer. Says he wants to bring peace to thesends," said Cillian and Magnus'' lips twisted.


    "Bring him over, and we can consider talking and see how things goes," said the old man, and the younger man nodded his head. "Times right now are hard, and we need to tread carefully. By the way, why did you pick the lost sheep?"


    Cillian could tell that the answer to the question had been given many times, but Magnus was still not satisfied with it. Instead of answering, he asked, "Why?"


    "I don''t know why, but there''s something very odd. Something I am not able to ce my finger on the two girls. Especially the one that ran away" said Magnus in a thoughtful yet a tone of suspicion in it. "I wonder if they are vampires."


    "Did you not check with the Silverwater?"


    "Oh, I did. I had Opaline offer them food. It is one of the easiest ways to know if the guest who steps on ournd is a vampire or a mere human. But they showed no reaction to the food," hummed Magnus before he said, "I have work to do, and so do you. I will see youter, Cillian."


    Cillian gave a small bow while Otis appeared outside the house and joined him to walk away from there.


    On the other hand, Julie had tried to catch up with her mother. When she did, she saw her mother talking to people in the market. There was a smile on her face, which was pleasing to the eye.


    One of the women spoke to Julie, "Are you looking to buy fresh meat that has been cut out this morning?" trying to offer her the best price.


    Julie shook her head, putting up a polite smile while she continued to walk through the crowd, who had already started their day. The market was noisy, and there was chatter of people''s voices.


    Opaline was buying something from one of the vendors, and Julie saw how her mother was graceful. She moved like water, her presence as bright as the sun, shedding light wherever she went.


    One moment, she was there, and another second, her mother had disappeared from her sight when she had looked away from her. Where did she go? Julie tried to look for her¡ª


    "Is there something you are looking to buy, Julianne? You have been following me for sometime now."


    As Julie turned, there was an awkward smile on her face, and she came to stand face to face in front of her mother. Her mother looked at her with a calm expression, but there was genuine curiosity in her eyes.


    "I uh¡­ I was too obvious in stalking you. I mean I didn''t mean to," Julie''s voice trailed, and Opaline smiled.


    "I think you were decent, but I have been followed too many times to know when a person is following me, for example the one who is standing with the blue muffler around his neck," whispered Opaline, and she added, "Turn very very carefully and you will find him on your left."


    Julie did as she was told, and she noticed a not so suspicious guy standing in front of a shop.


    "Why are you always followed?" asked Julie.


    "Sometimes to woo me, sometimes wanting to track and maybe kill me. I don''t think any of your reason falls into these things," said her mother, and Julie couldn''t help but admire her mother, hoping she could be as sharp as her one day. "Are you here to buy something? Or just to follow me."


    Being red-handed, Julie pursed her lips before she said, "I saw you walking from the house, and just wanted to see what was around. I thought it would be safe to stick around."


    "Is that so," chuckled Opaline before saying, "You do look a little shy, you don''t have to be. People here are wonderful, at least most of them. You don''t have to walk behind me, when you can walk right next to me. I am almost done buying things, and we can then get back."


    Julie nodded her head. Once they left the market, they walked on the side of the road in silence. She asked her mother,


    "Do you n to leave Willow Creek anytime soon?"


    At the sudden question, the woman turned to look at her, "Why would I do that? Willow Creek is my home," she lightly chuckled, "I grew up here, and my family is here. I don''t see a reason as to why I should leave when everything is right here. How do you find it? Far away from your family?"


    Julie replied, "A little sick, and I miss them I think."


    Her now the family was only Roman, and the one''s she was rted to, that person was right next to her.


    "Why did you leave then?" asked Opaline. She then said, "You don''t have to answer if you don''t want to."


    "I didn''te here by choice, but I am d that I did," replied Julie, and the woman nodded her head.


    "Your words intrigue me, Julianne," murmured Opaline, and the woman could tell that the young girl tried to phrase her words before speaking.


    On the other hand, Julie didn''t understand something. From what she knew, her mother had willingly left Willow Creek to explore the world outside this ce. And it was also when the changes in Willow Creek took ce. But here, her mother had no intention to leave and learn. Something was just not right.


    "As you know, my siblings have been left motherless, and they see me as a mother who takes care of them. Brushes their hair in the morning, feeds them and scolds them, tucks them in bed which even Otis does when I am busy. And this is a life which I don''t mind continuing for the rest of my life," stated Opaline with a bright smile on her face. "Family is everything."


    "It must be nice," blurted Julie, who then bit her tongue to let it speak freely.


    "To have a family?" asked Opaline.


    That too thought Julie in her mind. Because as days passed, the family she thought was hers never belonged to her, and she felt less and less that she belonged anywhere.


    "To have the hair brushed and to be scolded," said Julie, looking at the path ahead of her while sensing Opaline''s gaze.


    Julie didn''t remember her mother brushing her hair, and mother here being Natalie. Though she did try to make amends for the trouble and pain she had caused, she now came to realize that there had always been a line that her surrogate mother had drawn. A line that came because of the sense of what had been inflicted.


    And it might have been one of the reasons why she was never scolded like how an actual parent did. She wondered if it was normal toin about something like this, but then nothing ever was normal in her life but twisted.


    "Some mothers are busy and some don''t know how to do it," Opaline tried to console Julie, and this time Julie smiled.


    "I lost my mother when I was too young," whispered Julie because it was true.


    "I am sorry to hear that," apologized Opaline. "Do you have any memories that were passed to you about her?"


    Julie stared at her mother, noticing how the woman waited for her to speak. She responded, "It seems she was a very kind woman. Someone very thoughtful and smart, beautiful and her presence could make everything better."


    "Sounds like she was a wonderful person," chimed Opaline, and Julie nodded.


    "Yes. Actually¡­" Julie''s voice drawled in a testing manner, "You remind me of her."


    "That is very kind of you to stay, Julianne. To regard me as high as your mother," Opaline replied with a smile, "If my sisters were older than now, I would have married, and have a family, but then I do not want them to feel neglected. Between us two women, I have noticed some potential grooms."


    "Y-you have?" asked Julie, wondering if her father, Knox, was in her mother''s eyes.


    "Yes," replied Opaline with confidence. "But not from here, but in different towns. I have traveled? for a day and met them either for some tea or other festive time. But there are other things I need to¡ª"


    Suddenly out of nowhere, four arrows were lodged at them, interrupting their conversation. Julie and Opaline moved away from each other while another set of arrows were sent their way. Four men jumped down from the trees.


    From where Julie came, arrows were outdated, but the way the arrows were fired at them one after another without stopping more than three seconds made it difficult for either of them to stay still.


    Opaline instructed, "Stay behind the tree, Julianne and don''te out."


    But Julie was not a mere human, and this was not anyone who was with her. This was her mother, "I am helping too," she said to her. She noticed the little frown on her mother''s face, who didn''t have the time to react or reply to her, as the attackers started to aim at her.


    When the attackers were done using their arrows, they decided to go for physicalbat.


    "Take the witch''s heart and burn her in the town to let the others know!" said one of the men.


    "Tie her hands!" said another.


    But Opaline didn''t let them get too close to her.


    Julie herself wasbating with two men, who were too eager to stab her. She moved backwards, trying to get away from the men''s hold, while unsure if she should use her ability on these men. But that would only reveal who she was. She decided to go old school and used her hands and legs in kicking or punching them straight in the face.


    These humans were too strong, and she asked, "Who are these people?!" to her mother.


    The look in Opaline''s eyes was enough to know that she was torn like Julie in revealing herself, but she said, "People who want me and my people dead."


    Julie didn''t want to kill people, and she wondered if there was a way to put these attackers to sleep, but if they were trying to harm her family, was it the right decision to not get rid of them? There once used to be a time when Julie couldn''t kill a fly, and here she was now, thinking of killing the attackers to protect her mother. She wondered if it was because of the amount of time she had stayed around vampires or if it was just the instincts of her survival.


    When one of the attackers got too close to Opaline, Julie''s mouth hung open on seeing her mother snap the person''s head.


    Julie tried to keep her eyes focussed on the two men she was dealing with, and for a moment, she noticed the little sh of red appear in one of the men''s eyes. These were no humans but vampires! Picking up a wooden stem lying on the ground, she used it to stake it through the vampire''s heart.


    The other vampire red at her, bringing out his full potential and attacking her relentlessly while she tried to get away and attack back. But there was very little room for it when the vampire was too quick. She used the ability of light to blind the vampire before getting a shot at the person.


    In the meantime, Opaline fought with the other vampire, who hade forward with his true nature. When the force got too much, she used her ability that crackled like a bolt of lightning before electrocuting the vampire. Another vampire sneaked right behind Opaline, ready to stake her, which she didn''t notice.


    Julie''s eyes widened, and her lips parted, "Behind you!"


    But the vampire had already moved too close to kill, and Julie''s hand reached out for where her mother was. Unknowingly, her hand created the wave-like motion in the air, and the vampire who tried to stab Opaline her stepped into the created medium and disappeared in thin air, shocking the people around who was still there,


    "Where did he go?!" questioned the vampire who had been dealing with Julie a moment ago. "She''s a witch too!"


    Crap, thought Julie, noticing Opaline''s eyes turn in her direction with a slight surprise.


    Julie felt a pain rip through her arm when the vampire nearby tried to get hold of her arm but ended up swiping his nails on her skin.


    Opaline bent down, cing her hand on the vampire''s chest, whom she had snapped the neck earlier, and in a moment, the vampire''s body turned dry without the need for a stake. And in the second, the vampirebusted, leaving his body outline with the help of his ash.


    When they got rid of the vampires, Julie leaned her back against the bark of the tree. It was too early to be fighting with anyone, she thought in her mind. While somewhere, she avoided eye contact with her mother, not knowing what she would say to her.


    "Are you alright?" questioned her mother, walking anding to stand in front of her. "Your arm is wounded. We need to get it treated."


    "How about you?" asked Julie, taking a look at her mother and noticing she was fine. She was d that she wasn''t hurt.


    "Thanks to you I am alive," replied Opaline, looking at the vampires who were killed, but more importantly, her eyes moved to the spot where she had been standing earlier. She had felt the vampire''s presence and the next moment, she had seen the vampire disappear. "I had a slight inclination that you were one of us. A witch."


    Julie softly gulped because she hadn''t meant to expose herself like this.


    "Who were these people?" questioned Julie, taking a look at the ashes of the vampire.


    "If you used a stake, you must already know about the existence of vampires," said Opaline and Julie nodded her head. "There are a few vampires, whoe sniffing around the viges and towns, to hunt down vampires, which is why wey low. Come, we should get your wound treated."


    They returned to the house, where Mnie, who had been waiting, quickly ran to where Julie was.


    "What happened to your arm?!" Mnie looked shocked.


    "There was a little conflict, Ms. Davis. Don''t worry, your friend is fine," said Opaline, and Julie was taken inside the house. She was made to sit, while Mnie stood next to her with her eyebrows knitted in concentration.


    "Was it a vampire?" asked Mnie in a whisper.


    Julie nodded, "There were many of them and they tried to attack her."


    "I thought this ce was safe," murmured Mnie, and Opaline, who had returned with a box in her hand, ced it on the table.


    Opaline said, "This is a peaceful town, buttely we have been having people trying to break in and cause turmoil." She took one of the vials, pouring the liquid on the cotton. Julie winced when she felt the cotton on her arm, feeling a burn. "Some of the witches, they have killed people. The bad witches, and it has caused an uproar in the othernds. The humans don''t take well of our existence and neither do the vampires, who fear us. You two should dy your time of travel, and pick a safer time, because this time right now, it isn''t safe for the witches."


    When Opaline''s eyes fell on Mnie, she was quick to shake her head, "I am just a human."


    "I see," replied Opaline. "For a human to know about the existence of vampires and witches, and not go around telling, you must be very close. People aren''t that good at keeping secrets like these."


    "I just found out about it recently," confessed Mnie and Opaline smiled.


    "What matters if you decided to keep the secret, and that is a value in itself," said the woman, before she continued to tend to Julie''s arm.

 Chapter 190 - Breakout

    <h4>Chapter 190 - Breakout</h4>


    In Veteris, it was still night and past the curfew hours. Conner quickly headed towards the boy''s Dormitorium and made his way to the above floor where Simon''s room was. Going to the front of the dorm, he knocked on the door, waiting for it to open.


    It was Maximus who opened the door, and Conner tried to take a look behind the senior before asking, "Is Simon inside?"


    "Simon isn''t here yet. Is there a message that I need to pass to him?" inquired Maximus, his eyes curiously looking at the human.


    Conner shook his head, "I just wanted to talk to him about the project work."


    "I will let him know when hees by," responded Maximus, his blue eyes trained on the human, who looked slightly anxious, and he could hear the little heart beating in the human''s chest.


    "Do you know where he might be?" asked Conner, who was slightly desperate, but he tried to act calm.


    "Unfortunately, Simon has the habit of not staying in one ce. He''s probably in¡­ one of the girl''s dorms. It would be best to meet him in the morning," remarked Maximus, and Conner gave a nod.


    "You are right," and giving a slight nod, Conner turned and walked away from the corridor, disappearing from the floor.


    Maximus closed the dorm''s door, and he turned around to look in Simon''s direction, where he was sitting in the corner of the room, which had not been visible from Conner''s vision from where he had stood near the door.


    "How long do you n to avoid him?" asked Maximus, raising one of his eyebrows at Simon.


    "Until Julie and Mnie don''t return from wherever they have disappeared to," replied Simon, while ying a game on his phone. "Roman said they aren''t here and are in a different timeline. And the only thing one can do is wait for them to return."


    Maximus walked to the fridge and picked up one can of blood. He took a sip from the can before letting his back leaning against the table. He asked, "And we don''t know when they might return?"


    "Nope," said Simon with his eyes still on the phone''s screen. "We don''t have anyone to ask for reference as to how much time has passed in the other timelinepared to this one. So you can tell Rome is not doing exactly well right now."


    "You seem to be in a better moodpared to him,"mented Maximus, bringing the can to his lips and taking a sip from it.


    "Every day is a good day in Simon Wace''s life," grinned Simon as he said it, and Maximus shook his head. Simon put his phone away and said, "Do you know what''s more important?"


    "What?"


    "Space. Space in between two people, it can either make or break things. Isn''t that wonderful?" asked Simon, the smile on his lips widening. Maximus could only hope that Roman hadn''t heard it, but his friend was speaking about the other two people.


    In one of the main building rooms, Roman, Donovan, Evans, Dante, and Castiel sat around the table.


    "When do you meet Opaline for the first time, Evans?" questioned Donovan. "You weren''t around when I first met her, were you."


    "It was after she left Willow Creek. It was then that I came to meet her," answered Mr. Evans, who had ced a chart on the table that had writings on it. Hoping they could somehow bring both the girls back to the current time.


    "Looks like none of us have met Julie in the past, at least the ones who are here and it gives us very little scope as to if she returned to the present," stated Donovan, his lips slightly twisting. "I don''t think anyone has ever spoken or remotely mentioned time traveling."


    "That''s because it is not supposed to be mentioned,"mented Roman, his eyes fixed on the chart.


    "How good is Julianne when ites to this time portal?" Castiel asked Roman, whose expression only turned grim.


    "Thest time she did it, it was out of pure fluke," said Roman, and a sigh escaped from Castiel''s lips. Turning to look at Donovan, he asked, "What about the witch whom you were speaking about?"


    "The witches suddenly became unreachable since thest time I heard from them. And the one that I knew, I am unable to get in touch with her," replied Donovan and then said, "I think I will personally go and pay a visit to her."


    "I think it wou¡ª" Dante''s words were left hanging, as Donovan had disappeared in a blink of an eye. "I think Ms. Winters should make a spell to stop the Elders from using their abilities. Evans, did Opaline ever mention anything about the girl with you?"


    "No, Ms. Dante," Mr. Evans diligently replied, "There was no mention. But then, Lady Opaline was always a secretive woman and she didn''t spill much from her lips unless it was needed."


    "There must be a reason why she was sent in time," Castiel proposed with possibilities, "Didn''t you tell that she sent her friend before, who came back as her mother? It would surely be troublesome, if Julie ends up living forever in that timeline, where she would have no future in this timeline."


    This was something that worried Roman. He knew Julie could take care of herself, as she was a witch. But that didn''t remove the possibility of what ifs appearing in his mind.


    There was no point standing here when they couldn''t find a solution by discussing things.


    Pulling out his phone, he rang a number before cing it near his ear, waiting for the person to pick up. It took nearly a minute before the person finally picked up the call. Roman questioned, "Where are you now?" Hearing the answer from the person, he said, "I will being there¡­ yes."


    Roman stepped out of the room while leaving the three people.


    Dante asked Evans, "You have been there with Opaline since you met her, do you know why she chose the name Julianne out of all the names?"


    Evans gave it a deep thought, trying to remember when the girl had been conceived by Lady Opaline. His thoughts went back to when thedy was sitting on the chair in front of the firece¡­


    Lady Opaline gently ran her hand over the baby bump, slowly growing.


    She was staring at the firece, which crackled softly while rain poured outside the house. She pulled her hand from her stomach, a sigh escaping from her lips.


    "Did the children sleep?" Opaline asked while her gaze continued to stay fixed on the mes.


    "Yes, mdy. Everyone had gone to bed," informed Sullivan, who stood a few steps behind where the witch sat. "You seem to have been spending too much of your time sitting here. Is everything alright?" he asked in slight concern.


    "Mm," hummed the woman, a small smile came to form on her lips. She said, "I don''t know why, but I feel an affinity towards the fire. It feels good here. All warm and nice, the heat is good on the skin. Especially when the atmosphere is cold and wet."


    "I will add some more logs in the firece of your room," offered Sullivan, but Opaline raised her hand to stop him from doing it.


    "I don''t think I will be able to sleep right now. I would rather like to stay here, at least until the baby grows," stated Opaline, cing her back in a way so that it touched the front of the seat. "I wish I knew where Knox is. But he seems to have gone somewhere again. I wonder if it bothers him¡­ with the way it has happened."


    Sullivan, who knew exactly how the child was conceived and who was the child''s father, he didn''t dare to speak or mention it. A lot of the vigers hade to believe that it was a new man who Opaline had found, some even wondering if it was a man who left her stranded.


    "The town folks gossip?" asked Sullivan, and Opaline smiled.


    "Gossips¡­ they haven''t bothered me much. People always badmouth, so it is nothing new to know about," replied Opaline, a small smileing to form on her lips. "I wonder how she will turn out to be."


    "You already know the baby''s gender."


    Opaline ced both her hands near her lips, blowing hot hair on them before cing it on top of her swollen stomach. She said, "I am not sure, but I have a feeling it is her. A daughter. The witches would not take it well, even if the baby turns out to be of our own kind."


    "We don''t have to speak about it to anyone, mdy. I will never mention it to anyone and you don''t have to say anything. It will be a secret between us three," assured Sullivan with a stoic expression on his face.


    "I know, Sullivan. I am d you know, and happier to know that you are good at keeping secrets," another sigh escaped from Opaline''s lips. "Even though I won''t be able to tell her who her father is, not right away, I hope the love from me, her sisters and brothers, will reduce the importance of knowing it."


    "I am sure it will," came the diligent words from Sullivan.


    "How about you? You seem to have taken a certain fondness towards one of my daughters," even though Sullivan worked as a servant in the La Fay''s household, Opaline never looked at him as a servant. Her voice was calm and collected.


    Sullivan didn''t reply to the question right away, and he said, "I wouldn''t do anything out of line."


    "You never have. Let us wait and see when she reached the right age. Two more years and you can see what her heart holds," said Opaline and Sullivan just bowed his head, the reflection of his action being caught by the witch through the ss shelf. "I have been thinking of a name for her since I have got the feeling of the baby being a daughter more than a son."


    "Have you picked any names, mdy?" inquired Sullivan, his expression barely changing.


    "I did. Emma, Evelyn, Isabelle, Valeria. These are the few names that I thought of. Do you have any other names in your mind than these?" Opaline asked him, and the man gave a little thought before he said,


    "I am not sure, mdy," replied Sullivan. "There are so many names to pick. I am sure whatever name you choose, it would be a suitable one. Did you like the name in particr that you now mentioned?"


    Opaline gave it some thought before she said, "There is a name that has been on my mind and I wonder if it would be alright to borrow it."


    "Which one is it?" Sullivan curiously asked while Opaline slowly stood up from the chair where she had been sitting.


    "There was a person, who had once saved my life, and we spent some good time together," said Opaline, cing her hand back on her stomach. "I wonder if it would be alright to choose her name."


    "If she was someone close to you, I doubt she would mind it," said Sullivan, and Opaline nodded.


    "I don''t think she would mind if I were to use it," said Opaline, rubbing her belly for a moment.


    Mr. Evans'' returned to the present, nodding his head to the headmistress, who had questioned him. He replied, "Lady Opaline did mention about a person, before she chose the name. She told something about a youngdy being someone who had saved her before she left the town. But I didn''t get much information."


    Now, as Sullivan Evans thought about the conversation with thedy in the past, he wondered if Opaline already knew that the child growing inside her had an affinity towards a person who was honed to use mes.


    Castiel, who stood in the room, nodded his head, "Then we probably know what timeline Julie has ended up in. Did Opaline tell if this person went back to her time or anything more about that person?"


    "No, Elder Castiel, Lady Opaline didn''t speak more on it. Our conversation seemed to have diverted to another topic that night, and I never tried to ask more on it," replied Mr. Evans.


    "Can the witches locate and maybe try to pass on the message through some medium?" Dante asked Castiel.


    "There have been a few witches, who were able to locate people as to where the person was. But passing the message, I am not sure," replied the Elder vampire, his eyes falling on the table. "What about that creature, the one that was around her? Corvin?"


    "The Corvin doesn''t know how to get to her," said Mr. Evans before he continued to speak, "I will try to contact the creature again and see if I can get any information."


    "Yes, let us hope that Donovan and Roman find something helpful during that time," said Castiel, and with that, he started to make his way towards the door before closing it behind him.


    This left the headmistress and the counsellor in the room. Ms. Dante said, "Have you got anything from Dennis so far? He seems to know nothing more than what we are already aware of."


    "If you ask me, I would say it was the best option to snap the boy''s head and finish this matter there. He is after all useless to us with nothing more to cough out," Mr. Evans tilted his head to the side. "The boy is uselessly using the space in the dungeon."


    Ms. Dante held a grim expression on her face, and she said, "Let me talk to him again," and with that, they made their way out of the building and headed in the direction of the dungeon. But when they entered the dungeon and came near the cell, the space was empty. "Where is he?" demanded the vampiress.


    "I saw him just a few hours ago in the morning," replied Mr. Evans, his eyes falling on the rope that was on the ground, with just the empty chair and the gate of the cell slightly open.


    "Go alert the guards right now," ordered Ms. Dante, and Mr. Evans quickly left the ce. She made her way inside the cell, taking a look at the ropes before she murmured to herself, "Someone let him free. Who could it be?" Was there still a rat in here who was working against them?


    Thend of Veteris was suddenly put on high alert, not knowing when Dennis had been freed and if he had left the grounds long ago. On the other hand, back in time, in Willow Creek, Opaline was done bandaging Julie''s arm.


    "This should do," said Opaline, dropping her hands to her side.


    "Thank you for your help," thanked Julie, but Opaline shook her head.


    "It is not you, but me who should thank you," stated her mother, and she then asked, "How did you do that?"


    "What?" asked Julie, not knowing what her mother was asking about.


    "The vampire, who stood behind me, he disappeared in thin air, how did you do that?" her mother looked at her with curiosity in her eyes. "I don''t think I have ever seen anyone do that until now."


    Her mother couldn''t create the medium? Julie asked in her mind. A small frown came to appear on her forehead.


    "Isn''t itmon for witches to be able to do it?" Julie answered her mother''s question with a question of her own.


    Opaline smiled, "If it wasmon, I wouldn''t have asked you now, would I? We use spells, we know how to make potions, but what you did, I doubt anyone has ever done anything like that."


    But her mother was able to open portals. That is how she even came to the present world with Natalie. Her mother must have picked up the abilityter, after leaving this ce, but it made her wonder¡­ Was this the reason why she was here? Because she had something to do for the natural course of events to take ce.


    Or was she done with her task of saving her mother?


    "I haven''t perfected it, and am still working on knowing when to open and close the portal," replied Julie, and upon her words, Opaline looked intrigued.


    "I hope for you to stay here longer, Julianne. I am sure we can both learn a lot from each other,"mented Opaline, there was a look of seriousness in her eyes as if she couldn''t wait to learn more and expand her abilities.


    "What''s going on here?" came the gruff voice of a male, and Magnus, Opaline''s father, entered the room.


    "Julianne and her friend will be staying with us for some more time, father," Opaline informed her father before she briefed him regarding the recent attack.


    "So it seems like there was something suspicious about you both," the old man narrowed his eyes, staring at the two girls who stood quietly on one side. "One witch and another human. Opaline. Take the human with you, I would like to talk with this one. Alone," he said, looking at Julie.


    Mnie looked back and forth, her eyes meeting Julie''s, who nodded for her to go on with her mother and that she would be fine.


    "Let us go and feed the cows in the backside," proposed Opaline to Mnie, who followed her through the corridor and stepped out of the house.


    Silence filled the room, and Magnus continued to stare at Julie, who stared back at him. A few secondster, he finally asked her, "Is there anything else that I need to know, of who you are? Even though you are a witch, I cannot help but feel suspicious about you."


    Julie didn''t know if she should tell the truth or make up a lie.. But he seemed smart to pick on things.

 Chapter 191 - Stakes In The Forest

    <h4>Chapter 191 - Stakes In The Forest</h4>


    Julie felt the palms of her hand slightly sweat at the older witch''s face. Before she could say anything, Magnus said,


    "It would be better if you don''t lie, considering we are providing shelter for you two here. It is thest thing you have to think about."


    Julie looked behind her, in the way where Opaline and Mnie had left. She looked for the little girls who were now ying outside the house, their voices andughter audible. She said,


    "It isplicated."


    "Nothing is simple when ites to a witch''s life, Ms. Winters. Butplications can be solved by letting one of the ears hear. Thest thing I need is to find out that you are a witch who hase here to disrupt the peace of the witches who are residing here," he stated, his eyes shrewdly looking at her.


    Julie could feel the increase in her heart beat while she contemted what to say to him. "I am someone who hase from the future," she uttered the words, and her grandfather''s eyes stared at her with scrutiny.


    "I have never heard of the witches that have that ability. How do I know you aren''t lying?" asked Magnus, and the hold on his staff tightened.


    She then said, "Not all witches have it, but my ability was something that was passed on by my mother I think." And it was strange to think that right now, her mother didn''t have it, and she was yet to explore the ability with her.


    "And have I heard about this witch, who is your mother," questioned Magnus, and Julie pursed her lips. "Well?"


    "She''s your daughter."


    Silence filled the first few seconds, where neither the man nor Julie uttered a word, and all they could hear were the little girls'' giggles from outside.


    "Which daughter are you referring to?" asked Magnus.


    "The eldest one. Opaline La Fay," replied Julie, warily looking at her grandfather, who stared back at her with narrowed eyes.


    "Opaline hasn''t picked up such an ability. At least not yet," replied Magnus, before he added, "If she is your mother, and you are from the future, are you telling me that you are my granddaughter?" he questioned her.


    Julie quietly nodded her head. She had never expected to meet her grandfather, and announcing something like this felt like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.


    An expression of confusion came to fall on her face when she saw him stretch his hand towards her, "Give me your hand, girl. I would like to see if you really belong to my family."


    She did as she was told, giving her hand for him to hold, and she felt the rough texture of his palm in which the man had enclosed her hand. Suddenly a bright circle of light appeared in front of them, and Julie recognized the light to be simr to the Corvin who had bound itself to her. The light was light blue, and her eyes widened at the thought that the present Corvin, whom her mother had assigned to look after her, was her grandfather.


    The dome of light held little sprinkles of snowkes that moved in an upward direction, and while Julie was still in shock, her grandfather released her hand.


    "How strange to think that I have a granddaughter even before any of my children have even been with a person. Julianne Winters," the old man uttered her full name, and he then said, "I don''t think I know any person with Winters. Who is it? Let me go and meet this man right now."


    With only them in the house, Julie started to exin everything that had happened until now, from what she knew about her mother to her second family. Magnus La Fay held a grim expression on his face, and the entire time, he patiently listened to her with a subtle frown on his face.


    "... Mnie and I heard some screams that came from the bridge before the Corvin broke it. The next time we woke up, we were being pulled out from the river," exined Julie, and she saw Magnus walking towards the table and taking a seat on the wooden chair.


    "So as per your words, she''s going to die one day in the future," mumbled the man to himself, "And what about the rest of us?" he raised his eyes to meet Julie''s brown ones.


    Julie shook her head, "Mother will be leaving this ce, to learn more about the magic and witch abilities. I am guessing that''s how she gained the ability and through her, it was passed on to me. You are going to die around the same time, which will also give her the push to leave."


    "It is time for my family to move from this ce then. I should make preparations and let the others know about it," her grandfather frowned while ready to stand up and call his children.


    Hearing this, Julie quickly said, "No! You cannot do that!"


    "What do you mean no? It is better to save all of us and find your father," suggested Magnus, and Julie looked at the door before looking back at her grandfather.


    "You cannot alter the time. There will be repercussions if you do that. And it''s not just about parallel lines," Julie exined it to him. "I will cease to exist, because¡­ I left one detail while exining about my father."


    "What is that?" asked her grandfather, the frown on his face deepening.


    "I wasn''t conceived like how normal childrens are born. My father, Knox¡­ he was dead. A Corvin," said Julie, and she noticed the way her grandfather''s eyes widened.


    "That''s ridiculous!" eximed Magnus, "That cannot happen."


    "Mother made it happen, and it is the reason why the liquids and substances that are harmful to witches, they don''t affect me," stated Julie before she continued to speak. "You cannot change the course of events that''s going to take ce. It will change a lot of things and affect not just me but also a lot of other people in the future causing a domino effect."


    "Domino?" he questioned her.


    "It is like the butterfly effect. One p of its wings can cause chaos on the other side of the world. Not to mention, if mother is going to learn her abilities and hone it, she will need to leave this ce to do that, and meet a lot of people. And one step away from the course of life, we won''t know how much worse things are waiting ahead of us, so please¡­" Julie''s voice trailed, hoping he wouldn''t make any sudden decisions.


    Her grandfather didn''t seem pleased with this.


    A tired sigh escaped from his lips, and he said, "Fine."


    Julie nodded her head, satisfied with his answer, and she excused herself, walking out of the door and making her way to where her mother and her friends were.


    "Did it go well?" asked her mother, and Julie smiled. "My father is a little hard headed and he might look a little scary to people who meet him for the first time, but he is a good man."


    "I can tell," replied Julie,ing to stand next to them, where Mnie looked slightly scared when it came to feeding the cows.


    "My father wasn''t always this grumpy man, at least not until the time when my mother left us all. He used to be more cheerful. Loss of dear ones changes people," said her mother, her words soft on Julie''s ears, and she couldn''t help but imagine how it was going to change her mother once the people in here would be attacked and killed, her father, her brother and her little sisters.


    When her mother excused herself, Mnie moved closer to Julie and asked, "What did your grandfather want to ask you?"


    "He sensed we were hiding something so I told him the truth," Julie whispered while shrugging her shoulders. "I thought it was better to have someone know and make sure to see that everything is in line."


    "Do you know how much time is left before the witches get massacred?" and upon Mnie''s question, Julie shook her head.


    "It must be somewhere around the corner. I should try to learn things from my mother or grandfather, and also try to open the portal to avoid us both getting killed anding under casualties," replied Julie with a hint of worry in her voice.


    Mnie took a deep breath before letting it pass through her lips, "I should probably pick up some skills of fighting while I am here. Learning it old school ways without using guns and just using hands and woods maybe."


    In the afternoon, after having their lunch, Julie''s grandfather summoned her outside the house. He stood there with a grim expression on his face, his hands holding behind his back. But he didn''t stand alone. With him stood Cillian ckburn. The man had a glum and brooding expression, and as if sensing her, he turned to look at her. Not forgetting his manners, he gave a slight bow, and Julie returned it.


    "You asked for me?" asked Julie, looking at her grandfather.


    "Yes, Julianne. I believe that you would like to learn some abilities from me," stated Magnus. "We have a simrponent ability and it will be easier to guide you. I thought it would be good to start now. Opaline will join uster. Cilian here will help us if we need anything."


    And by saying that, they walked to the secluded part of the forest to improve Julie''s abilities.


    "Watch carefully," said her grandfather, where he and Cillian stood on opposite sides while facing each other. Before Julie knew it, Cillian had picked up wooden stakes out of nowhere and hadunched it straight at her grandfather.


    Julie saw how the older witch didn''t move from his ce, and instead, he raised his hand and with one swift hand movement of his, the wooden stakes turned to dust.


    "Wow," whispered Julie.


    "Witches have different ways, when ites to defending themselves, and these are the simple techniques," said her grandfather.


    Julie then asked, "How about metals? Can they be turned into dust toot?"


    "Ends of the arrows?" questioned Cillian, and though Julie was thinking along the lines of bullets, she nodded her head. She would be nothing less than a character who would be starring in a Matrix movie, thought Julie in her head. "That will need more air maniption along with using the energy of your soul. It takes years to aplish it."


    "How about you try this time, Julianne," proposed her grandfather and Julie felt her jaw fall to the forest floor.


    "But I don''t know how to do it," said Julie with a slight panic.


    "You will be able to manage it fine. You are a¡ªwitch. Take your stand," said her grandfather, and Julie took apprehensive footsteps, switching ces with her grandfather. She had seen the speed in which Cillian had earlier thrown the wooden stakes. "A witch''s ability is put to test when there''s danger."


    "Is there no safer way to learn these kinds of things?" Julie''s eyes fell on Cillian''s hands that had picked up the new wooden stakes.


    "Ready?" Cillian''s question came the dull voice, and it made Julie''s palms sweaty. He raised his hand, and the next second, she saw the wooden stake speedily heading towards her.


    She tried to stop the wooden stake by raising her hand, but unlike her grandfather, she couldn''t turn the wood into dust. The stake swooshed past her face, which hitched her breath, and the next one moved closed to her arm, which ripped the piece of her bandaged arm.


    "It''s too fast,"ined Julie. This was her first time, and she felt the slight tinge of pain in her arm.


    "You aren''t concentrating," replied Cillian, who sent the wooden stake targeted at her head this time.

 Chapter 192 - Combing Your Hair

    <h4>Chapter 192 - Combing Your Hair</h4>


    The wooden stake came to hit her in speed, and though Julie had raised her hand, she felt no change in her body, there was no burst of energy that came from her to stop the wooden stake from attacking her. Not knowing what else to do, she swatted the wood with her hand, which in turn nipped and grazed her palm.


    "Ugh," Julie winced in pain, gritting her teeth.


    "You need to focus on it, Julianne," advised her grandfather, who had taken himself to move towards one of the trees and leaned his back against it. "Anyone can tell that your mind is all over the ce. Focus just on the wood and try to channel your soul energy."


    "I would have done it if I knew how to do it," Julie muttered under her breath.


    "Again!" ordered her grandfather, and upon the older witch''s words, Cillian picked up three wooden stakes in his hand.


    Julie brought her palm in front of her face, noticing the scratches on it.


    "The best way to learn is to push the person to a corner. This is nothing personal," stated Cillian, which Julie was already aware of. "Ready."


    Fifteen more minutes passed, and Julie''s palm had spots of blood, and the skin had turned red because of the constant course friction that took ce because of her attempt to dodge the wooden stakes. When she was asked to take a five minutes break, she heard Cillian asking her grandfather,


    "Are you sure she is a witch and not someone who is iming to be the one?"


    "Have I ever mistaken a witch until now?"


    "She has no skill. Opaline used to have better skills than her when she was of this girl''s age," remarked Cillian, and Julie turned her head to the other side. "I never took you to take in unworthy ones. I can tell where Opaline and Ottis picked it from."


    Magnus La Fay turned to look at Julie, whose breath wasboured as she was out of breath. Though she had magic, she had barely used it and right now, they were doing a crash course for her to finish learning as quickly as she could.


    The older man''s eyes below his thick eyebrows watched her carefully. If it wasn''t for her magic that reacted to him, that held the same frequency and properties, and he would have assumed her to be a spy.


    "She needs to learn it as quickly as possible. Which is why I asked for your help, Cillian," stated Magnus.


    Cillian watched Julie before his eyes shifted to look at the old man, and he asked, "Did something happen?"


    "Hm?"


    "You seem quieter than usual," replied Cillian.


    "I was thinking about our future, about how things would turn out to be," murmured Magnus before he waved his hand. He said to Julie, "It is time to take your position, Julianne. We have to work on many more things, and this is just the basics."


    Even after another hour of practice, Julie continued to stand at the same spot, and she could swear that in the next few minutes, her palm was going to have a hole in it. Another wooden stake was thrown at her, and she felt her hand tingle. And though the stake didn''t stop from hitting her hand, she felt it to be less impactful.


    Instead of looking at her hand, Julie looked for the stake and picked it up. A wide smile appeared on her lips.


    "I did it," Julie showed the wood to her grandfather.


    "It''s not like you turned the wooden stake to half its size," came the party pooper''s voice, and Julie turned to look at Cillian with a small grimace. It seemed like he was rted to Mr. Borrell, thought Julie in her mind.


    But Cillian was surprised when Magnus walked towards Julie and patted her back, "That is very good. I am proud of you, as expected of¡ªof you."


    Julie smiled at her grandfather''s attempt to call her his granddaughter. And at that thought, the smile on her lips widened like a hundred watts bulb on her face.


    "Where is Opaline? Is she noting to help today?" questioned Cillian, and at the mention of her mother, Julie turned to look at the man, who looked in the direction from where they hade. She wondered if Cillian was perhaps one of her mother''s possible lovers or admirers.


    "There they are," said Magnus, jerking his head to look ahead of them.


    Opaline walked along with Mnie with a bow and arrows behind Mnie''s back.


    "I had to put the little one''s to their afternoon naps so that they don''t get into any mischief," said Opaline with a smile on her face. "How has the practice been going?"


    "It has been good. I was able to make the tip of the stake disappear a few minutes ago," came Julie''s excited voice, waiting for her mother to praise her.


    "That isn''t bad for a first day. I was able to get only half of it disappeared on my first try," said her mother and Cillian nodded his head.


    "Indeed. It is because youe from the strong bloodline of the La Fay''s," came Cillian''s words.


    Mnie came to stand next to Julie, and she whispered, "You have hurt your hand!"


    "I was trying to dodge the wood away," replied Julie, before she added, "But I am good."


    "Mnie here told me that she has never drawn an arrow on a bow before. So I decided to show her how it is done," said Opaline, and Magnus nodded his head.


    "Remember," came the old man''s gruff voice to Mnie, who straightened her back in attention, "Do not shoot arrows at people who are good. Be it vampires or witches or humans. We La Fay''s don''t believe in hurting people just because a group of them are bad. Fight for good, and kill only the evil."


    Kill, thought Mnie in her mind. The word heavily weighed on her shoulders, and she wondered how many people''s death was written in her hand.


    "Yes," Mnie quickly nodded her head. "I will remember that, Mr. La Fay."


    As hours continued to pass with their practice, Julie didn''t know what time it was, but the sky had started to darken, and so did the forest, which started to leave shadows on the ground and things around it.


    "Come have supper with us tonight, Cillian. We should celebrate with our new guests," invited Magnus, and Cillian looked slightly annoyed.


    "My sister must be waiting for me. I should get home soon, and not impose," said Cillian, but Magnus waved his hand.


    "Invite her to the La Fay''s house. Let her bring her husband and the children along with her," said Magnus, taking no for an answer.


    In the night, everyone finished their supper, and Cillian''s family left the house. Julie had finished dressing the palm of her hand for the night, and she sat in front of the firece on the floor of the living room.


    She heard her grandfather let a tired sigh escape from his lips. He spoke in a soft voice, "It feels like the clock is ticking too fast. I have been trying to figure out how to find the exact day of when it''s going to happen, but it turned out to be hard to figure out. It would be nice if after a year, we could have you here with us at least for a year."


    Julie smiled at her grandfather''s words, which had a hint of sadness in it, "I wish I could be of some help."


    Magus shook his head, "Don''t be. You are still learning and you have had no proper guidance, except for that dumb Corvin, who taught you nothing. Do you know who it is?"


    The smile on Julie''s face turned awkward. To think her grandfather was calling himself to be the dumb Corvin, she didn''t know what to say, "I don''t know. The Corvin told me it doesn''t know its name."


    "Rubbish!" her grandfather huffed, "The Corvin is lying through its beak. Most of the Corvin''s know their names. Most, and it is very rare a Corvin doesn''t know itself. Maybe for a raven it would be hard, because it''s like a baby chick, but once a raven grows into a Corvin, they usually get back most of their memories from their past life. That''s what happened to your father," his voice lowered so that the other people in the house didn''t hear him. He then asked her, "Will you be losing a whole year, if you spend it here?"


    "I don''t know, we never experienced something like this before, more like it never happened before," replied Julie, and her grandfather nodded his head.


    "I guess it is just me being selfish, of wanting to have you around so that I could spend some more time to learn about you," said the man and Julie felt warmth spread across her chest.


    "I can tell you about myself," said Julie, and Magnus, who was staring at the firece, his eyes shifted to look at Julie, who looked back at him. "My friends are Mnie and Conner. I have a boyfriend, who is a vampire¡ª"


    "Hm?" her grandfather raised his eyebrow at her.


    "He is an Elder vampire''s son. His name is Roman or Rome," exined Julie, and Magnus noticed the way his granddaughter''s eyes lit up by just speaking about the person''s name.


    "When are both of you getting married?" Magnus questioned her, and Julieughed. She tried to notugh when she noticed the serious look on the old man''s face.


    "We are still studying and we have a lot of things to do. Maybe after that," said Julie.


    "Only if it was possible for me to attend it. It''s saddening to not be there, because I cannot see the other grandchildren of mine, but at least I got to meet you, which should be good enough," remarked Magnus before he fell into deep thought. He said, "I have always stood for the good, I wonder if that is what is causing our death in the near future¡ª"


    "What are you both talking about in such a hushed voice?" came Opaline''s voice, who had entered the living room with a ss of milk for Julie.


    "Julie was speaking about her people from her home," replied Magnus, and he then looked at Julie, "You should go and get some rest. We have a lot more than today to do."


    Julie nodded her head, getting up from the spot where she had been sitting, she took the ss that Opaline offered.


    "Goodnight," Julie offered him a slight bow and then she followed Opaline.


    "Mnie is sleeping with my little sisters. You wouldn''t mind sleeping in my room, would you? You aren''t a guest anymore and it would be rude to have you sleep in the shed," said Opaline.


    While passing the little girl''s room, Julie saw Mnie, who had her hand around one of the girl''s. It seemed like her friend was fond of children. When they entered Opaline''s room, Julie looked around where antern burned brightly at the stand, lighting up the entire room.


    Opaline walked towards the bed and sat at the edge of the bed. She then said, "Sit down here, Julie," she looked at the floor.


    Julie was a little confused, but she made her way to sit down between her mother''s legs with her back facing her mother. She continued to hold the warm ss of milk in her hand.


    "I remembered something that you said this morning, and with your hand hurt and your hair unruly, let me help you with it tonight," said her mother, picking up theb from the bedside.


    "Um, that''s alright. I will get it done myself," Julie softly protested against being hushed by her mother.


    "Just sit tight and let meb your hair. You didn''t mention having a sister, so you must have not been able to experience this," said her mother, and Julie felt her hair being let down before theb came to weave through her hair. "I believe you should experience a lot of things in life, especially the little ones like this and it would be a shame to have not known how it feels."


    Julie barely moved, frozen in the ce where she sat. She couldn''t believe her mother wasbing her hair, and she felt goosebumps form on her arms.


    Her mother''s hand with theb was gentle on her hair, and Julie couldn''t help but let her head lean back. Her eyes unconsciously closed, and she enjoyed the moment, which felt precious.


    "Lady Opaline, may I ask you something?" asked Julie.


    "Go ahead."


    "Do you know a person named Knox?"


    "I think I havee across a person with that name in another town, why do you ask?" asked her mother.


    "I was trying to find the person to ask him a few questions. But it isn''t that important," replied Julie before she asked, "Is there a person named Azazel Donovan?"


    Julie felt her mother''s hand pause a little as if her heart hitched, and two seconds passed before her mother asked, "Yes. How do you know about him?"


    "I just happened to hear about him¡­ Do you like him?" inquired Julie. This meant her mother had alreadye in contact with the Elder vampire and was possibly spending some time with him.


    "You seem to know quite a lot of things. Are you someone with the ability of visions?" her mother didn''t seem offended by her eager questions, but there was a hum in her voice.


    "I have seen visions at times, but they were mostly from the past," came Julie''s response to her mother''s questions. "Do you have it too?"


    "Surprisingly, I do. There aren''t many witches whom I havee across, who can look into the past or future. Though if given an option, I would have liked to take a look in the future," Opaline moved theb from the crown of Julie''s head to the tips of her hair. "I am guessing you haven''t been able to open that abilitypletely too?"


    "Yes," replied Julie. "I didn''t know how to do it right, and also, time has been an obstacle."


    "That will always be something that holds us back, but we all have to make time for what we want, right?" asked her mother, and Julie nodded her head. Her mother braided her hair and brushed the ends of it again. "There you go, your hair is all neat."


    Julie ced the empty ss to the side, where she had finished drinking the milk during their conversation. cing her hand on the back of her head, she touched the braid before turning around to look at her mother. She decided not to thank her because this was her mother and not a stranger.


    "Come sit with me, Julianne," Opaline patted the surface of the bed which was next to her.


    Julie stood up and sat next to her mother. She saw her mother bring her right hand forward, showing the palm where white fments of line appeared.


    "What is that?" asked Julie, fascinated by the sight that was in front of her.


    "This is our soul energy. I know my father and Cillian can be harsh when ites to training, but I have some tricks that might help you," smiled Opaline, and Julie''s eyes went back to look at the fments that moved like a grass that was blown with the gentle breeze. "The question is how to bring it. We witches, we might appear to be like humans, but we still fall under the dark side. And it is something that we cannot change. We rely on dark properties like pain, revenge, anger... It is necessary that you learn to bnce your energy so that you don''t topple to a deeper hole of darkness, like the vampires. Know when to grasp the light when the darkness touches you. But I can tell that you have already passed through that stage. Try it."


    When Julie brought her hand forward, her mother ced her hand on it.


    "Use the one that is injured," guided her mother, "Pull out the bandage. If your soul energy is strong, it can heal your wounds."


    Julie unwinded the bandage from her hand and looked at the little cuts she had received today.


    "Now try to channel the darker thoughts before recing them with the good ones," said her mother, and Julie wasn''t sure what it meant, but she tried. She closed her eyes, trying to remember the darkest memory until now.


    Her thoughts moved to the time when she had seen her surrogate mother''s body in front of her, letting the coldness sink into her body, but when she opened her eyes, there was nothing on her palm.


    "Let us try again," said Opaline without giving up, and Julie nodded her head. "Try for another memory."


    "Okay," whispered Julie, and Opaline stood up, going near the door and closed it.


    Julie tried to remember the next darkest memory of her emotions, but there was nothing that she could grasp on it. After a couple of minutes, she opened her eyes and saw nothing, and Opaline ced her hand on Julie''s shoulder.


    "I guess it is going to need more concentration," said Julie, and Opaline agreed.


    "Yes, you are probably tired today, and we should try it for tomorrow. We have a lot of days to work on it," encouraged her mother. "Come let us rest for the night."


    While Juliey on the bed next to her mother, she couldn''t help but go through what her mother told her a few minutes ago.


    "Can I ask you something?" asked Julie, staring into the dark ceiling. "If witches'' abilities came from dark thoughts, does it mean that the darkest witches have a higher power, and evil would prevail?"


    "Too much evil is a curse for any witch, there is always a bnce," responded her mother. "We witches¡­ most of us are good and there are only a few who turn to worse. We witches often seek for peace."


    "I know that¡­" whispered Julie, remembering how her mother had in the future sacrificed herself.

 Chapter 193 - Whispers In The Night

    <h4>Chapter 193 - Whispers In The Night</h4>


    Roman parked his motorcycle to the side and started to walk in the direction of a building. The ce was deserted, with no one on the streets. Once he entered the building, he made his way to where Donovan was, and he could hear his father''s steady beating heart.


    Donovan stood in a spacious room with no furniture in it. The entire building had no furniture, as if it had been abandoned for quite some time now.


    "Where is the witch?" questioned Roman, his eyes taking in the sight of the dark painted walls.


    "The witch was supposed to be here," said Donovan, with one hand in his pocket, he walked from one side of the window to another. "Oh dear, Camille. You don''t have to be shy with me, look whom I brought along with me today," sang the Elder vampire.


    Roman''s eyes quickly moved to the corner, and he noticed a woman step out from the walls. She had curly ck hair, her lips holding a grimace, and her eyes fixed on the two vampires.


    "Ah, there you are!" eximed Donovan on noticing the witch.


    "This is no ce for you, Azazel. Leave this ce before I hurt you," threatened Camille.


    "Now now, there''s no need to be on your guard. I am here only to ask you for your help," stated Donovan, and one of the woman''s eyes twitched at his words.


    Camille raised her hand, and suddenly Donovan fell on his knees, holding his head with both his hands, "You dare toe here and ask me for my help after killing some of my people in the past?" and seeing Roman move his hand, she quickly raised her other hand to have him on his knees. But to her surprise, Roman didn''t drop, and instead, he stood there, staring at her. "Why is it not affecting you?" she narrowed her eyes.


    Donovan started to chuckle before he stood up as if he didn''t get hurt and had only been faking it. He said, "Did you really think that your spell and magic would be enough to hurt me? An Elder vampire?"


    "Fucking vampires," cursed Camille, and she was ready to escape from there when the mes from Roman''s hand fell on the ground and circled her around, but with one hand movement of hers, the circle disappeared.


    Roman said, "We need your help. And it''s urgent."


    "I have no interest in helping any of the vampires. Every time I help a vampire, it only tells me why I shouldn''t help one. Especially one who is involved with this one," she pointed at Donovan.


    "How rude to be saying that. I did mention that things could turn dangerous,"mented Donovan, but the woman red at him.


    "You used two of my people as a sacrifice. Killing them with your own hands, when they did nothing, but help," the woman looked angry, "Get out of here and stay far away from me."


    "Camille, you forget that you still have onest favor to return to me. Isn''t that how the truce works between us vampires and witches?" Donovan offered a polite smile.


    But Camille started to make her way towards the wall. Roman said, "One of the witches is stuck in the past. We need your help in helping her return to the timeline that she belongs to."


    Camille stopped, with her back still facing the vampires. She turned her head and stated, "I don''t help any witches or vampires anymore. And no one has ever travelled back and forth in time."


    "It is Opaline La Fay''s daughter. You must have heard her name," Roman let the witch know, and for a few seconds, silence filled the room.


    Camille turned around, meeting Roman''s eyes, and said, "I thought that the La Fay''s bloodline ended in Willow Creek, unless there was a hidden child."


    "It is something like that. It''s been quite some hours since she left and hasn''t returned. Do you know how to open the portal?" questioned Donovan.


    Camille smiled at the question before she shook her head, "No, I don''t. Even if I am able to do it, I wouldn''t. There are some criteria when ites to moving between timelines, and if you mess it up, you are as good as stuck there forever. These are all only assumptions, as no one was ever able to do it. The girl has probably been kidnapped or killed. I can conjure up the location spell and see where she is."


    "What are we waiting for!" Donovan pped his hands together.


    When they stepped out of the room, the entire ce was fully furnished. The ce was no more dark but bright with the lighting from the bulbs.


    Camille took them near a table, lighting up the candles in a circle before drawing a pentagon. She asked, "Do you have anything that belongs to her? I need it to locate her."


    Roman pulled a scarf that belonged to Julie, and he handed it to the witch.


    The woman took it in her hand, which stayed in her hand for only five seconds, as the next moment, she held it above the me, and it disappeared in thin air. The ashes fell on the diagram, and it started to move, leaving a grey line behind it.


    "She''s in the past of Willow Creek. The year when everything changed for the witches," informed Camille, and she said to Roman, "I don''t have the power or ability to open portals. Many of us witches, we have tried to do it time and time again, so that we could change something, but none of us have ever seeded in it. But there''s one thing I can help you with."


    "What is that?" questioned Roman, his eyebrows had drawn closer to each other.


    "I can pass a message to her, if you want, but that is the most I can try for," offered the witch. "How do you know this person?" she jerked her head towards Donovan.


    Roman let a sigh escape from his lips, "He''s my father."


    Camille looked taken aback, but she didn''tment on it.


    "So how does this work? Is it a letter or voice that Julie would be able to hear?" inquired Roman, who wanted to get in touch with Julie, hoping she was alright.


    "Let us see what will pass through," said the witch, and Roman wrote a letter before handing it to the woman. The woman, this time, slightly sliced her palm, dripping blood on the pentagon. Closing her eyes, she started to whisper a spell in a low voice, and suddenly the whole room turned breezy, and the candles and the bulbs started to flicker.


    Just when the witch was about to drop the letter on the table, it suddenly caught fire and turned to ashes.


    "I am guessing that didn''t work,"mented Donovan, who stood at the side while watching the whole process.


    "It must be because I have no ability to open the portal to pass any object. Also, do you have anything else that belongs to the girl?" the witch asked, and Roman stared at the woman for a couple of seconds before he stretched his hand.


    "Me."


    The witch gave a slight apprehensive nod, and she held his hand. She said,


    "This is going to hurt a lot, so stay as still as possible."


    Soon the spells started to fill the room, and Roman, who had been holding the woman''s hand, felt a sudden pain in his chest. His heart clenched as if it was trying to burst, and he coughed ck blood from his mouth. But he didn''t give up and didn''t move from where he stood.


    At the same time, on the other side of the timeline, Julie was sleeping next to her mother.


    "Julie!"


    Julie''s eyes snapped open, hearing the familiar voice of Roman. She quickly sat up on the bed, looking around the ce before her eyes fell on her mother''s figure, who was sound asleep. Pushing the nket away from her body, she ced her feet on the floor. Stepping out of the room, she looked around the ce before whispering his name, "Rome?"


    "Julie, are you there?" she heard his voice, and a bright smile appeared on her lips. Hearing his voice, she realized how much she missed him.


    "I am here, Rome. Where are you? Did youe here?" she asked him, looking for him in the dark corridor,


    "No, I wasn''t able to pass through the timeline. Fuck, it feels so good to hear your voice," came Roman''s worried voice.


    During the same time, she heard a light whispering from his side, where she heard a woman''s voice, "Make sure to speak quickly. The more time you take, the more it will affect your body, simr to the letter that burned itself."


    "Who is that?" asked Julie.


    "That''s Camille. A witch. Are you alright?" he asked her.


    Julie nodded her head. Realizing he couldn''t see her, she said, "Yes. I am alright and safe. I am with my mother, grandfather, and others in the family. They are so kind, I wish you could meet them."


    Roman let a relieved sigh, "I am d to hear that. How did you end up there?"


    "It was because of the Corvin. It did something, and both Mel and I ended up here. I don''t know why it did it. Also I think... my grandfather is the Corvin," Julie ryed the information, and she heard a frustrated sigh and curse escape from Roman''s lips.


    "I fucking knew that little piece of¡ª" Roman paused as if realizing he was cursing her grandfather, "Do you know why you are there?"


    "I think I was meant toe here. To let some of the events happen," replied Julie, and she looked around to make sure no one was listening to her. She then said in a hushed voice, "I am not able to open the portal, and without it I cannot return."


    "I know that," replied Roman, his lips set themselves in a thin line. "How much time has passed there?"


    "It has been two days now," replied Julie. "Don''t worry about me, I am safe here."


    "I am relieved, make sure you spend your time well there," said Roman and Julie smiled. She knew he was missing her as much as she was missing him. But at the same time, Roman knew how much she had been wanting to meet her mother since she had found out about her. "I will go and find the Corvin and see what is going on."


    "Okay. I will¡ªRome?" Julie heard disturbances, and suddenly everything turned quiet. "Rome?" She called his name, but there was no response. She waited in the corridor for a few minutes before returning to the bed.


    Back in the present timeline, the witch had let go of Roman''s hand, who had thrown up too much blood. He had both his hands ced on the table. The attempt to hold on to keep the connection had been too much, yet Roman had continued to talk to Julie as if everything was alright. That was until the witch had noticed the severity of his condition, and she broke the connection.


    "You are a ripper," murmured Camille, taking a cautious step away from him. "You shouldn''t try things like these, unless you want to increase your blood thirst."


    "Rome is more in control than the other vampires. Don''t worry about him Camille. You did a wonderful job in there," Donovan praised with his constant smile. "At least we know that Julie is alright."


    "Not for long," came the woman''s reply, and this had Roman raise his head with his bloody mouth. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand.


    "What do you mean?" questioned Roman, his eyes narrowing.


    Camille looked at the candles that blew away, and she said, "Though I didn''t take a step there, I could sense the gloom. Death is quickly approaching the ce, and it must be the time when the humans took control of thends. You can only hope that she leaves the ce sooner than that so that she doesn''t get caught up in it."


    "But if Julie was pushed to get some of the events to go into y, doesn''t that mean she will be fine? The Corvin must have sent her for a reason, isn''t it?" questioned Donovan, shrugging his shoulders. He looked at his son and then at the witch.


    Camille replied, "There is a reason why we don''t meddle with time, Azazel. The possibility of knocking something and letting it crash is often high. Not to mention, you never know if you can return or not."


    "Thanks for helping us," Roman offered a slight bow, and he stepped out of the room, getting out of the building.


    Donovan looked at Camille and said, "Always a pleasure to work with you. You should hide less, Camille. It would be such a waste to hide a beauty like yourself."


    "I rather prefer that you don''te looking for me next time," red Camille, and Donovan chuckled.


    "I should get going now," said Donovan, and when he turned his back from her, he heard the words of the witch,


    "It is the same time line, isn''t it? When Opaline started to spend more time with you, before she decided to part ways," her words were less of a question and more like a known statement.


    Donovan didn''t respond to her words but only smiled before he took himself out of the building and noticed Roman had already left.


    When Roman reached Veteris, he went straight to Julie''s room and found the room to be empty. He then walked into the forest, walking towards the bridge of Willow Creek. But the ce was deserted, and the Corvin was nowhere to be found. He gritted his teeth.


    "I thought I would find you here," came Maximus'' voice from behind. "Did you hear that Dennis escaped from the dungeon?"


    "Who helped him?" questioned Roman while staring at the empty space beneath where the bridge had been intact.


    "That''s a tricky question here... one of the human students mentioned that they saw a shabby looking vampire walk near the dungeon, who came out of nowhere in the middle of the forest. It was near the East side," replied Maximus, and this caught Roman''s attention. "The person didn''t look like someone from this time."


    Roman hadn''t got a chance to ask Julie, but from Maximus'' words, he could tell that Julie must have sent someone from the past to the present timeline. When they checked the cameras that had been ced in the forest.


    "Why wasn''t anyone there to catch them?" demanded Roman, looking at the guards who had failed to do their job.


    "We were watching the entire time, but nothing ever changed, Mr. Moltenore. There must have been a momentary glitch that didn''te to our notice," exined the guard.


    "Do you think it has something to do with sending a person from one timeline to another?" Maximus asked Roman in a low voice. "It is a possibility, isn''t it?"


    "If we had a workingwork, we would havee to notice the glitch," remarked Roman.


    "Ms. Dante and Mr. Evans had alreadye by. They went through the cameras earlier but they couldn''t find anything either," said one of the guards there.


    They stepped away from there and met Dante, and she had gathered the Elders and the staff. She said, "Bad news is that the grounds are clear and they couldn''t find Dennis. Which means someone helped him escape. Good news is that, nothing has been damaged, nor has anyone been killed or hurt."


    "We should look on the brighter side," said Castiel, but Luciano looked more than irritated.


    "Why is our security system bad? First, it was Enoch, then it was this boy, which person in here had the audacity to help him?!" demanded Luciano. He looked at the other Elders and the younger vampires who were the direct apprentice of the Elder vampires before his eyes fell on the staff of Veteris.


    Roman, who was listening to them, said, "It was one of Mortimer''s men. Something must have happened in the past timeline, and the man ended up here."


    Ms. Dante rubbed her forehead, "Do we have any information from Julianne?"


    "She''s safe," responded Roman, and Ms. Dante nodded her head. "It would be best to prepone the exams, and have everyone take it up at the earliest and send them home. This way we can manage the other things in here, before the rogue vampires or hunters decide toe and attack."


    The headmistress frowned, "The students are not prepared, and they won''t take it well."


    "We only need to prepone it two weeks before the said dates, the projects can be worked onter," stated Roman, "Unless we are nning to use the humans as a shield."


    "It does make sense," Castiel voiced out his opinion.


    "Borrell get ready with the announcement tomorrow morning," said Donovan, standing tall next to Castiel.


    "And what if they ask for a reason?" asked Mr. Borrell.


    "Tell them that we n to start the next term of the year sooner," said Ms. Dante.


    Far away from Veteris, Dennis entered a building with the vampire, whom Julie had disappeared a few hours ago. They walked through the dark passage before entering arge hall where the only ce where the light came from was from the ceiling that had a circr hole.


    A man sat on a throne-like chair, with his legs crossed and his finger tapping on the armrest.


    "Dennis, you are alive," said the man, his voice deep. "You don''t seem to be in the state Ist sent you."


    Dennis bowed his head, "I tried toe as soon as I could."


    "I was hoping you would be there to guide my brother, Enoch, who was stuck there in Willow Creek," said the man on the throne, where he moved his hand to the side, and Dennis'' eyes fell on a man who had shared simr physical features like the one whom he was serving. "And who is this man that you bring, who seems familiar."


    "Master Joaquin!" the vampire quickly fell on his knees. "I am Bowen. Your humble servant."


    The vampire named Joaquin got up from his seat and stepped down. Making his way to the man as he stared, "I do remember you. Where have you been all this time?"


    The servant of the vampire bowed his head and then said, "We went to attack the witch as per your orders, but this witch did something. One moment I was there, and the next moment, I found myself somewhere else."


    Joaquin''s eyes narrowed in interest, "Who was that witch?"


    The man named Bowen, shook his head, "She was new and with this witch Opaline. Brown hair and brown eyes. About this tall, probably her sister."


    Joaquin hummed, "Opaline''s sister? She didn''t have older sisters, it must have been someone else."


    Hearing the description, Dennis, who stood there, his eyebrows subtly frowned. Why did it feel like they were talking about Julie?

 Chapter 194 - Hiding Behind The Witch

    <h4>Chapter 194 - Hiding Behind The Witch</h4>


    Julie was woken up early in the morning by the cry of the rooster. Having sleptter than her mother,? she had trouble opening her eyes. With her eyes still closed, she tried to sit up while letting her body lean forward. When she squinted her eyes open, as expected, her mother wasn''t there in the bed nor the room.


    Getting out of the bed, she dragged her feet towards the stand, pulling the coat she wrapped herself in it. She then made her way out of the room and stepping out of the backside door. She walked towards the well.


    Julie picked up the pot, trying to figure out how to tie the rope around it so that it wouldn''t loosen itself, which was when she heard a pair of footsteps behind her. She quickly turned and found it was her uncle Ottis.


    "Good morning, Lady Julianne," Ottis offered his greeting to her.


    Julie returned it by greeting him, "Good morning, Mr. Ottis. You can call me Julie."


    "I would dare not," chuckled Ottis, with a kind and bright smile on his lips which was infectious. "My sister would not be pleased if she woulde to know that I was not addressing you in a proper way. I hope your sleep was better than the previous night."


    "It was. The bed was much morefortable than the stacks of hay," replied Julie, and Ottis'' eyes fell on the rope and the pot that she held in each of her hands.


    "Let me help you with that," he offered, taking the pot and tightening the rope around the pot''s neck. He then threw the metal pot into the well, which made a sshing sound. He pushed and pulled the rope before drawing the pot out of the well with water in it. "There you go. You must not be used to working with these things."


    "Just out of practice I think," Julieughed nervously, and Ottis nodded at her. She gathered the water in both her hands and sshed the ice-cold water on her face, which was enough to wake her up from her earlier sleepy self.


    Ottis pulled out some more water for her, pouring it in the bucket so that she could use itter. After having breakfast, Opaline and Julie stepped out of the house to visit the market. While Ottis led Mnie to the forest to continue her training when aiming at targets.


    On their way, Julie couldn''t help but keep an eye over her shoulders that they would be attacked by vampires again.


    "You need to rx. You will make yourself suspicious in others'' eyes if you keep looking at your surroundings every now and then," advised Opaline, and Julie turned to look at her mother.


    "Aren''t you worried that someone may attack you?" whispered Julie when they entered the market.


    "Not much," replied Opaline, the expression on her face calm. "If I keep worrying about such things, I will age faster than usual. I would like to keep my youth without having gray hairs soon," a burst of softughter escaped from her lips. "And I believe now is not the time for me to die."


    Julie noticed her mother was truly a confident woman, and she was different than she had imagined her to be. Until the veryst few days, Julie''s surrogate mother Natalie, who had always been quiet, smiled at her, taking care of her. Someone who had died at the hands of her father. But her real mother, she was the opposite of it. Julie noticed how her mother was chewing something in her mouth while the woman looked around the ce before her eyes fell on Julie.


    Her mother leaned towards her and said, "I don''t think you will die either. So rx."


    Julie smiled, and while they brought something in the market from another witch, Julie noticed someoneing from afar. The man was tall, dark-haired, his shoulders proud and his clothes much more refined than the other people in the market.


    Holy crap, Azazel Donovan, said Julie in her mind.


    Where was she supposed to go?!


    The first time when she and Donovan had met, he had no idea about her. She didn''t know how much she was supposed to reveal herself, but it didn''t seem like right now she could.


    Her mother stood in the front of the witch''s shop, speaking to a man, "I told you I was looking for the colorless liquid, and I am ready to pay the price. The coloured potions often get us into trouble."


    "Sorry, Opaline, but thest bottle of the colorless potions was sold yesterday," the man shrugged.


    "How about you try taking a look again and see if it''s there?"


    "I have another set of bottles, which were sold by a fellow vampire. He didn''t find it to be of any use," said the man. "Would you be interested?"


    "Why not," smiled Opaline.


    On the other hand, Julie could feel sweat starting to form on the backside of her neck, where one drop slowly slid down her spine. Without waiting to tell her mother, as Donovan''s feet were moving quickly, heading towards them, Julie hid her face with her hair before turning around and walking in the other direction.


    Julie tried to move her feet as quickly as she could, but right at the time, when she reached near the beginning of the alley, she crashed straight into someone.


    "Did you keep your eyes back in the house?" questioned the man, and Julie looked up and noticed it was Cillian. "You look nothing less than a thief."


    Julie turned around and saw Donovan had caught up to where her mother was. Cillian took note of this little action, and he raised his eyebrows in question.


    "I uh, I don''t do well in thepany of vampires," Julie said in a low voice, standing behind the tall man.


    "So he is a vampire," murmured Cillian, before looking at Julie with a look of suspicion. "It feels more like you two know each other. If it weren''t for Magnus, I would have dropped you right outside Willow Creek."


    "Weren''t you the one who brought us here?" reminded Julie, and the witch stared at her.


    "I regret doing so. Not only are we wasting our time on you, but it seems like youck any particr skills of a witch,"ined Cillian.


    "You don''t have to tag along if you don''t want to. I will let Magnus know about it¡ª" Julie stopped talking when she was suddenly pushed near the wall, and a dagger was pointed at her neck.


    "I can tell something is very very wrong with you, and one day when I find it, I will make sure to expose you," came the light threat from the man.


    Julie didn''t know why the man was hot and cold, but then it seemed like being a witch in this time period wasn''t easy, and he was only being careful about his surroundings, she thought in her mind.


    "I don''t think I will be here for you to do that," and Julie bravely pushed the dagger away from her neck.


    She stared at the man while Cillian stared back at her. "I am on La Fay''s side, and no one else''s."


    "There have been more attacks taking ce on the witches since you appeared in Willow Creek," stated Cillian, taking his dagger back and putting it back in his pocket.


    "Which might be a co-incident," pointed out Julie, making her dress proper while taking a peek at Opaline and Donovan.


    Opaline, who was waiting for the shopkeeper, now stood in thepany of the vampire, "I did not expect to see you in here, Azazel."


    "Well, I did. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of you before I would start my day," came Donovan''s charming words. Opaline smiled, the ends of her lips curling, and she said,


    "Always with the charming words, aren''t you?" she raised her eyebrow before adding, "You shouldn''t be here. If the witches would find you sniffing around this ce, they would treat you for an eternity." She then looked behind her, and a frown appeared on her face.


    "What happened?" questioned Donovan, and he took a look at the people who were around them.


    "I was with an acquaintance but she must have gone somewhere," murmured Opaline, looking for Julie.


    On the other hand, Julie ducked behind Cillian, and the witch who stood in front of her only turned that much suspicious about her intention. She looked up at Cillian and said, "You see... That man and I, we might have a future together and I don''t want him to see me right now. It will change a lot of things, if it happens."


    "I thought the man was seeing Opaline. I don''t know what you women see in him,"mented Cillian, and this time it was Julie, who turned surprised.


    "You know about them?" asked Julie, and Cillian stepped away from her, starting to walk away from there. Not knowing what to do here, she quickly followed him.


    "Why are you following me?" questioned Cillian in a nonchnt tone.


    "You didn''t answer my question," said Julie, quickly catching up to him and walking next to him.


    Cillian was quiet for two seconds, and he then replied, "I see and hear a lot of things, Lady Julianne. And I prefer not to speak about it."


    Maybe Conner should meet Cillian and get some pointers when it came to not broadcasting gossip around the university, thought Julie in her mind.


    "Do you know how involved Opaline is with that man?" asked Julie, poking her nose into the matters that she was already aware of.


    "Has anyone told you that you are nosey?" Cillian asked her.


    "No, you are the first one. This is urgent, and I need to know. Please," she added the word so that she didn''te off to be impolite with this uptight witch.


    "If you are trying to gain a rtionship from the man, I would advise you to step away from him. He isn''t a man with good character," stated Cillian in a serious voice. When he took a turn to the next alley, Julie did the same. "I have already spoken to Opaline about it."


    "By any chance do you like her?" asked Julie, and the man red at her. "I was just guessing."


    "Opaline, Ottis and I grew up together. I see her as my sister, and nothing more or less than that," said Cillian, and it made Julie nod. "The vampire seems to be a little more cunning than usual. But then Opaline knows what''s best for her, and she''s not a child. So I saw no reason to meddle myself into the matters of hers."


    So that was how it was, said Julie in her mind.


    A sudden searing pain erupted in Julie''s head, and she fell to the ground, on her knees.


    "Ah!" Julie gritted her teeth.


    Cillian frowned, turning to her with a hint of worry, "Are you alright?"


    Light started to emit from her body, which spilt around, and it widened Cillian''s eyes. He quickly pulled Julie to the side, covering her until she was alright.


    "What''s going on?" asked Julie, pressing her temples.


    "Your body is reacting to this side of thend," whispered Cillian. "There are some parts of Willow Creek, which has magical properties, it must have tried to pull out your magic."


    "Is that even possible?" asked Julie, squinting her eyes before shaking her head.


    They walked to a quieter side of the Willow Creek while making their way towards the La Fay''s house. "It seems like Magnus did see potential in you. You have too much magic in you that has never been tapped before. You should be careful where you walk. If a human or vampire sees it, they will use it for themselves," Cillian warned her.


    Compared to thest few minutes, Cillian had turned slightly nicer. On their way back, she couldn''t help but wonder where she heard the name, ckburn. It had been bugging her mind as she was unable to ce a finger on it.


    "Thank you for bringing me home," thanked Julie when they reached La Fay''s house.


    At the same time, Opaline made her way back home, and she said, "I was hoping you were here. I looked around in the market and didn''t find you, Julianne. What are you doing here, Cillian?"


    "I am leaving," murmured Cillian, and he left.


    "He''s always ready to leave and be by himself," said Opaline, looking at Cillian''s back, and her gaze then shifted to look at Julie. "Are you alright? I was worried earlier when I didn''t see you behind me. You should have told me before leaving."


    "Sorry about that," said Julie with an apologetic smile. "I got distracted with something and ended up back here."


    "That''s fine," smiled Opaline, cing her hand on Julie''s arm. "I was able to bargain for the new potions with its ingredients. Hopefully they wille in handy. I bought some fruits too. Let us eat them together. Ottis and Mnie should be on their way too." As they stepped inside the house, Opaline said, "We have a bonfire tonight for every person in Willow Creek and some others, have been invited to attend it from the other towns and viges. You and Mnie will need clothes for it."


    "Bonfire?" asked Julie, remembering the time of the bonfire she had with Roman. It felt like years had passed since the first time they had sat next to each other.


    "To the witches, it is an important night. Today the moon is full and going to be golden in the sky," informed Opaline. "It is just a little festival for everyone to enjoy with music and dance. There are still a few hours for it. Let us get you to practice your magic until then."


    Julie and Opaline sat in the living room under her grandfather''s watchful gaze. She tried to practice magic. The ability was to disappear the candlelight in front of her with just her mind. This seemed, even more harder than what she had tried yesterday, and no matter how hard she tried, the me didn''t flicker even for a moment.


    It took two hours before Julie saw the me waver, and it brought immense joy. Her mother sat at the side, knitting a sweater while she asionally watched her see how she had been progressing. She said,


    "I think you are progressing wonderfully, Julianne. Your magic has been untouched for so long, which is why it is taking time for you to be able to manage it. Once you are able to control it, there will be nothing you cannot aplish."


    Julie smiled, thankful for her mother''s encouraging words.


    "I don''t really know how to open the portal yet. I am sorry that I am not that much of help," Julie apologized to Opaline, who shook her head. The woman ced the needles and the wool on the side.


    "You have been trying to open it and it is enough for me. To see you try and understand how it might work in the future. Even if not now, one day I shalle to master it. I promise that," assured Opaline.


    "I am sure you will. You have a lot of potential, Lady Opaline," remarked Julie, and Opaline slightly frowned.


    "I told you to address me by my name. There''s no need for formal words between us," said Opaline before a yawn escaped from her lips. "You said about Azazel, but you disappeared right around that time. Seems like you were quite shy," a softugh escaped from her mother''s lips. Thankfully, she continued to speak, "He wants me toe take a look in the other town. Said there are other potions that are much better than the ones they offer in Willow Creek. But it is a two days journey back and forth."


    "I see," murmured Julie. "Mnie and I are here, to help around if you are worried about it."


    Opaline then said, "Yes, I don''t have to worry about my sisters at least. I am very thankful that you are here, and I hope you stay here longer, so that I can spend more time with you."


    Julie only nodded, without giving an answer, because she didn''t know how much time they had. Was it a month? A week?


    Julie returned to working on her ability. When the evening approached, everyone in Willow Creek had dressed themselves to attend the bonfire. Julie and Mnie borrowed Opaline''s dresses, while their hair were tied in a simr fashion like the other women in here. Music was yed on one side, which wasn''t refined, but there was something about it that made one tap their foot or finger on their side.


    "This looks so good, doesn''t it?" whispered Mnie to Julie.


    "This is one of the celebratory times that everyone looks forward to, Lady Mnie," informed Ottis. "It is also a way for people to mingle and keep the human and witch bond close, though the humans don''t know about who we are, it is to prove that we are people like the rest of them."


    Opaline, who was on the other side of Julie, softly said, "It is also one way for couples to escape and to make time. Enjoy your time here, and have fun."


    Julie noticed her mother bring her finger to her lips, and she winked before leaving her side. Her mother was nothing less to a butterfly who was quick to flutter away.


    They walked towards the crowd, and Julie took note of couples dancing near the fire. It ranged from young ones to old married couples. Little childrenughed and shouted in joy, ying at the sides.


    "It does feel like a festive time," agreed Julie to herself. She and Mnie took their seats at the side, watching the people. "How was your time with my uncle?" whispered Julie to Mnie.


    "It was better than I thought. I was worried that I was going to end up like you," Mnie''s eyes fell on Julie''s hand, which was still bandaged since yesterday. "Did you hear from Moltenore again?"


    Julie shook her head, "No, it was just once. I wonder how things are on the other side."


    "Surely chaotic," murmured Mnie, and she let a sigh escape from her lips. "I am more worried about Conner. That he will do something and bring attention to himself, while looking for us."


    That was another thing to worry about, thought Julie in her mind.


    "Donovan was there in the market today," Julie ryed the information and Mnie''s eyes widened.


    "Did he see you?" and on her friend''s question, Julie shook her head. "Thank God. As much as I don''t mind this ce, I don''t know why but I feel anxious. Ten O clock, someone ising," Mnie cleared her throat.


    Julie turned her gaze, and it fell on Cillian, who came to stand in front of where they were seated.


    "Ms. Winters," said Cillian in a serious voice, making her a little wary.


    Why did it feel like he was going to ask her for a dance?

 Chapter 195 - Last Dance At The Bonfire

    <h4>Chapter 195 - Last Dance At The Bonfire</h4>


    Some of the young women, who noticed Cillian standing in front of the two new girls, couldn''t help but murmur amongst themselves.


    "What is Cillian doing there?" questioned one of the women.


    "For a man like him to go and approach a new woman. How unusual," said another woman. "I heard the two young women are acquaintances of the La Fay family."


    "But it is still strange for him to walk towards a woman. He''s never done this before, has he?"mented another woman, who was curious like the others, wondering what was going on.


    Cillian ckburn was one of the eligible bachelor witches of Willow Creek, where many women had their eyes on. He was not only a good looking man but an intriguing one.


    Mnie, who was sitting next to Julie, could feel the res and stares of the people around them, and she awkwardly coughed.


    Cillian spoke to Julie, "Ms. Winters, would you like to have a dance with me?"


    If Julie had something in her mouth, she would have spat it out because of the sudden surprise. She was sure that the man disliked her, which was why she didn''t understand why he was asking her to dance with him now.


    "Are you sure?" asked Julie, her words sounding different than most of the woman''s replies.


    Cillian gave her a stare before he nodded, "Yes. I wouldn''t be here, if I didn''t want to."


    "Go on, Julie. I will be here," whispered Mnie. Not because she wanted to push Julie to dance, but because the stares on them were increasing, making it hard for her to sit still.


    Julie excused herself before getting up from her seat, and she followed Cillian towards the ce where the others were dancing. On their way, she saw her grandfather offer her a curious look while Ottis gave her a smile. Realizing this was a different kind of dance, she quickly said to Cillian,


    "I don''t know how to dance."


    "That''s fine. I am not a good dancer either. Let us watch and follow," came the curt response from Cillian, and Julie could feel goosebumps forming on her arms.


    Thest thing Julie wanted was making a fool of herself in front of several people. But she then remembered that once she would return to the present, these people''s opinions wouldn''t matterter.


    They came to stand not too far from the bonfire, and Julie looked at the women, following their hand and foot movements.


    "You could have picked someone else to dance with you," muttered Julie to Cillian when they stepped closer to each other.


    "The person I wanted to talk to right now is you, not others. It would be pointless to talk to other women, when I have to discuss with you," Cillian''s words were low and only for her to hear, and Julie gave him a curious look. "Twirl," he said, and Julie did that along with the other women beforeing face to face with him.


    "What did you want to talk about?" asked Julie.


    "Did you figure out your abilities?" he returned her answer with a question of his own.


    "I am working on it. I think I should be ready for it within a few days," replied Julie, and she said, "The La Fay''s have been very kind and patient in teaching me."


    "And what about this portal thing with Opaline?" questioned Cillian, his eyes moving to look behind Julie. "Were you able to check it?"


    "I am working on it. I think it needs soul energy and I am not able to get it out right, which is why it''s taking time," replied Julie, and she again noticed how his eyes kept shifting to look behind her. "What are you looking at?" she asked him.


    "People," replied Cillian, and when Julie switched ces with him, she noticed two men, who stood next to each other, slightly farther away from the rest of the crowd, who had gathered around. "Something feels very off in the air."


    Hearing his words, Julie couldn''t help but turn alert, "Why do you say that? Haven''t you seen them before?" her eyes went back to meet his ck eyes.


    "A lot of people have been invited from the other viges and towns. It is hard to tell if all the guests in here are invited or if the uninvited have entered too," remarked Cillian, and when it was time, he picked up Julie''s hand while they danced. "Celebrations like these, even though they are held as proof to let people know we mean no harm, it doesn''t erase the possibility of harm thates to befall on us along with it."


    Julie understood what he meant, and she nodded her head.


    "They haven''t moved from where they have been standing and it should be just fine," Julie assured him, but the witch who was dancing with her didn''t seem like he was convinced. "You know... if you wanted to talk, we could have sat down or we could have moved towards the trees to talk about it."


    Cillian''s wandering eyes returned to look into her brown eyes. He said, "Do you really think people would leave it be, if they found us like that?"


    "It is just talking, what''s there for people to talk about?" questioned Julie with a quizzical look on her face.


    "You are already under the eyes of a few witches. The next thing you know, you will be noted in the human''s books for talking to a man like me and rumors would quickly spread around the ce. It is something I do not like," stated Cillian, and Julie''s eyebrows subtly rose. "What?"


    Julie shook her head, "Nothing. I am just a little surprised that from holding a dagger against my throat, you are now dancing with me." She could tell that Cillian was a good man, and he was only looking out for the safety of the witches.


    "It is nothing personal, Ms. Winters," said Cillian, his eyes steady on hers. "I was born to protect the people. It is my destiny to look after the witches and people whom I care about."


    Julie hummed in response, continuing to dance with him. After three minutes had passed since they had started to dance, she was slowly getting the flow, and she was enjoying herself with it.


    "When are you nning to leave Willow Creek? I mean don''t you have a family to go back?" he asked her.


    At his question, Julie gave it a little thought before she replied, "Maybe when I am ready." She wondered if she would be. "What about you, Mr. ckburn?"


    "What about me?" he asked her.


    "Do you have any ns to travel out of Willow Creek?" she asked him, and he shook his head.


    "Never. This is my home."


    Feeling the gaze of the jealous women, Julie whispered, "I think I should get back to my friend before I get heavily cursed by the humans or the witches for dancing with you."


    "Don''t pay attention to the envious. Where is Opaline?" he questioned her, his gaze searching through the people around them.


    Julie looked around with him, "She said she was going to meet someone. I think it is Azazel Donovan."


    "The cunning vampire," Cillian frowned, not exactly pleased with Opaline''s behaviour. "Don''t go for a man like that."


    "Have you interacted with him before?" Julie was curious to know what Cillian''s opinion was about Donovan apart from the yboy skills that the Elder vampire possessed.


    "We have crossed paths with each other, but we have never spoken to each other. If that is what you meant to ask," exined Cillian, his lips came to set themselves in a thin line. "I heard a few rumors about him. About the curse that runs in the Donovan family."


    The infamous curse... thought Julie in her mind.


    "Do you think it is true?" asked Julie, letting him know that she had heard about it.


    Cillian gave her a suspicious look as if wondering where she had heard it from, "Some curses are true and it runs in the bloodline."


    "Is there no way to fix the curse? Like a counter curse," suggested Julie. When Cillian took longer than the intended seconds to reply to her question, hope came to bloom in her chest.


    "I am not sure about it, but sometime ago, Magnus said something about the past. Something about needing a dark stone with a Corvin''s blood to perform the ritual," exined Cillian, and his words gave imaginary crows flying above Julie''s head.


    How was one supposed to get blood from a Corvin when its body was made of twigs and bones? asked Julie to herself. But then, she remembered that her mother had turned her father from bones to flesh. Maybe she could do that too, she thought in her mind.


    The music came to an end, and Julie was about to leave and get back to Mnie when she heard a chittering sound as if something was sparking with fire. She stopped walking and turned around to look in the direction where the sound wasing from. It wasn''t just her, but also a few others, who picked up on the sound which was above the murmuring and chatter of the people who had gathered in the ce since evening.


    "What is that sound?" asked Julie, her eyebrows deeply furrowing, and Cillian pursed his lips before his eyes widened.


    "Get everyone into the hiding ce and shelter them!" shouted Cillian.


    In the very next moment, Julie noticed sparks being aimed at the houses, and some of them caught fire. She saw a few people who walked in there with a wide smile on their face as they waved their hands, and it disrupted the earlier peace andughter. The people who were ying music had stopped, and the ce was reced by the people of the Willow Creek screaming and shouting to get into a safer ce.


    "Witches are here! Run!!" screamed one of the humans before he started running in the other direction.


    Cillian caught hold of Julie''s hand and said, "Find the others and get into hiding too."


    "I need to look for mother!" said Julie, stubborn, and Cillian gave her a quizzical look.


    "Your mother is here?" he questioned, but this was no time to be asking questions as the witches who weren''t on the good side were setting things on fire and were attacking people. "Go with Ottis, he''ll take you to a hiding ce."


    "Julie!" Mnie screamed her name beforeing to her.


    The panic that had suddenly struck in this ce and its people, Julie could feel it seep into her bones and mind. For a moment, everything around her felt slow, and the voices softly blurred before someone pulled her.


    "Go right now!" ordered Cillian, soon joined by her grandfather Magnus.


    Julie helped the children and older women, taking them to a safer ce with Ottis and his siblings. At that time, she couldn''t help but wonder where her mother was if she needed her help. And when realization struck her, she caught Mnie''s hand and said, "Mel... Mel!"


    "What is it?" asked Mnie, her eyes wide and in panic.


    "I need to find my mother and make sure she''s not here," came Julie''s ragged breath. "I feel like this is the time."


    Mnie didn''t like the sound of it, "I aming with you."


    Julie nodded her head, and she then looked at her uncle, who was helping the people to hide, but the other witches who had invaded tried to attack him, making Ottis use of his powers.


    "There are witches living with us!" gasps came from the people who were around while they looked at him. "Gather the torches quickly! We need to retaliate right now! Kill them!" shouted one of the humans.


    Julie could hear the screamsing from the other side, and in the ce where she stood, the humans came to believe that every witch was bad. She took a step forward, raising her hand so that the humans wouldn''te to hurt Ottis and his siblings, but Mnie caught hold of her hand.


    "Don''t!" Mnie shook her head. "You cannot do that, Julie."


    Julie''s hands clenched, her nails digging into her palms. She knew things were going to get worse, and she knew the terrible fate that awaited her family. But now that she was here, she couldn''t look away from the situation.


    "This is cruel," whispered Julie under her breath. "They are still young... They cannot die like this."


    "You helping them will change the course of the events in the future. We need to leave this ce, before we turn into dead people and never go back to the time we belong to," Mnie pulled Julie with her, where thetter walked away from there reluctantly.


    While walking away, Julie turned and noticed how Ottis was trying to keep the bad witches at bay, who had attacked them out of nowhere. And though he was trying to protect the humans, the same humans got hold of him and his siblings.


    "Wait! I can exin!" shouted Ottis, "Don''t touch my sisters!!" he pleaded.


    "Burn all the witches! They do not belong here but in hell!" shouted one of the humans.


    Julie knew she should look away because what was in front of her would offer nothing but pain. But she couldn''t. Ottis and a few other witches from Willow Creek were dragged to the side, and in return, none of them tried to harm the humans. She could feel her eyes starting to burn and well up with tears. A dagger was ced in front of her uncle''s neck before his throat was slit open and blood dripped down.


    She brought her hand to her mouth, covering it at the horror presented in front of her. This wasn''t right, the humans... they were being provoked by someone.


    "Look who do we have here," came a voice not too far from where Julie and Mnie stood, making both the girls turn and look at a man who had been standing in the shadows. "A witch and a human, what are you doing here, instead of being burned in the fire?" his voice was eerily calm, and it left chills down their spine.


    Julie pulled Mnie behind her, taking a couple of steps backwards to keep a good distance away from the person. The person finally stepped out of the shadows. It was a man who had blonde hair that wasbed backwards, his jaw square and his nose crooked like the faint crooked smile on his lips.


    "Are you the one who led the witches to attack Willow Creek?" demanded Julie.


    "I am," there was a wicked smile on his lips, and his red eyes were enough for Julie to turn even warier than before. "I have been wanting to own thisnd for so long, but the humans are idiots and the witches have been guarding this ce for so long. It was time for a little trouble," said the vampire, and when his smile broadened, they noticed his fangs.


    Julie felt something tingle in her palms, and when she unclenched her hands, there was a spill of little light on the ground.


    "What is that?" hummed the vampire with a slight surprise, staring at her hands before looking up at her, "I don''t think I have ever seen something like this before."


    "Run!" Julie cried out to Mnie. Her friend reluctantly started to take a few steps away before she started to head in the direction behind Julie.


    "Do you think I even care about that human?" chuckled the vampire to himself, and his eyes turned bright. "What I am interested in is a witch,pared to a useless human."


    "Just because you don''t care, doesn''t mean I don''t," said Julie, raising her hand and trying to see how to get rid of this vampire.


    "A true pity," murmured the vampire, and he threw a potion of liquid on her. "How strange that you don''t react to it," he noticed Julie did not react to it.


    Julie used both her hands to push the vampire away from where he stood, hoping the gust of wind would make it difficult for him to stand still. But this person didn''t seem like an ordinary vampire, and he brought his own hand forward, and with one movement, Julie was thrown to the other side of the forest. She winced in pain before using her ability on the vampire when he came to stand right in front of her.


    She gripped on his hand, and on further pressure, the man groaned in pain before pulling his hand away from her hold and ring at her. His hand looked frozen, which refused to move. At the very same time, Cillian appeared in sight, and he tackled the vampire.


    "Magnus told you to run!" said Cillian, who had blood covered on his clothes and face.


    "All you fucking witches," cursed the vampire, and he kicked Cillian away from him. When the vampire stepped forward, the ground shook, and the surface beneath Julie started to crack. "I will kill you all!"


    Wooden stakes appeared in Cillian''s hands, and he started to throw it at the vampire, who was quick to dodge all of it and catch hold of Cillian''s neck. Not wanting to leave Cillian by himself at the vampire''s mercy, Julie channelled her energy, where the bright light in her hand started to turn dark as if she was carrying a crystal ball with smoke inside it.


    The vampire used the wooden stake that Cillian had earlier used, ready to pierce it through the witch''s heart. But before he could do that, Julie threw the ball that she had created on the vampire''s hand, which seemed like it froze like earlier, while also pushing him away from there.


    "Are you alright?" asked Julie, helping Cillian stand up.


    "I am fine, I am supposed to take you away from this ce. Quick, follow me," Cillian huffed for air. Before the vampire would attack them, Julie raised her hand at the night creature and light emitted from her hand, sending him flying across the forest and hitting his back against the tree.


    Julie and Cillian quickly ran away from there, meeting up with Mnie. From Willow Creek, they could hear the screams of people and it tugged Julie''s heart.


    Cillian took a deep breath, as if the vampire had impacted him. But Julie noticed blood drip down on the ground.


    "You are hurt¡­" whispered Julie, but Cillian didn''t pay heed to it.


    "I will guard this path. You should leave while you still have the chance," said Cillian, cing his hand on the bark of a tree.


    "Come with us," said Julie, but Cillian shook his head.


    "No. I cannot leave yet. So go, it is Magnus'' order," said the witch, and Mnie pursed her lips before speaking to Julie,


    "Will you be able to open the time portal?" Julie was slightly dazed, the memory of her uncle being killed and the humans then going after the little girls. "Julie?"


    She snapped from the image that was running in her head and she nodded her head, "I will try doing it."


    Raising both her arms in front of her, she tried to concentrate. The image of blood and scream didn''t leave her mind and she felt anger starting to seep into her mind, which was mixed with pain and the inability to help.


    Mnie stood there watching Julie, where suddenly her friend was wrapped in a red color of energy, as if she was possessed by a demon. It took a minute before it started to change into white light and in front of Julie formed a circr white smoke that started to open wide.


    "It worked," whispered Mnie, while Cillian, who had clutched his stomach, looked at the portal with obvious confusion on his face.


    Before they could utter another word, they heard the raging shouts of the humans, who were looking for more witches.


    "You first, Mel," urged Julie and Mnie offered a bow to Cillian, before she stepped into the wide portal, disappearing into it.


    Julie turned to look at Cillian, who had sat on the ground and she quickly went to him, "Let me help you," she offered but he shook his head.


    "I am fine here, Ms. Winters. You should escape," said Cillian, and Julie brought her hands towards his wound, trying to heal him. Five secondster, the man caught hold of her wrist, as if to stop her and he stared at her. "Save yourself, and then save others. I will try to look for your mother."


    Julie didn''t know if Cillian knew, but hearing the voices getting louder, she felt him let go of her hand. She felt a heaviness in her chest, and before she knew it, Cillian stopped moving. He had died¡­ She brought her hand up to his face before closing his eyes. Taking a deep breath, she stood straight before heading towards the portal. Giving the ce onest look, she stepped inside the circr smoke which disappeared with her.


    A few hourster, Opaline arrived near the ce where Julie had disappeared, after she had taken a look at what happened in Willow Creek. The rim of her eyes had turned red, because of the people she had lost tonight, while she wasn''t there. She found Cillian, with his eyes closed.


    "Cillian!" she called him, trying to wake him up.


    When she touched his shoulders, she realized the man was long gone, and on her touch, the body disappeared, leaving only his clothes behind.


    But after a few seconds, something rustled in the clothes, and out came a raven.. Opaline picked up the bird in her arms, standing up, she looked in the direction of Willow Creek before leaving from there.

 Chapter 196 - Footing On The Calm Ground

    <h4>Chapter 196 - Footing On The Calm Ground</h4>


    Julie felt a sudden gust of air surrounding her. No matter how much she tried to keep her footing on the ground to stand, the ce she was in right now waspletely dark, making it hard for her to see anything.


    "Mel!" She called her friend''s name, "Are you there?" At the no response, Julie turned slightly worried.


    She failed, her hands around her, and then she finally heard Mnie''s voice, "Julie?!"


    "I am here! Where are you?!" asked Julie, and before either of them knew it, both of them were thrown on the ground.


    Both the girls winced because of the impact of force in which their bodies were dropped. Julie brought her hand in front of her eyes because the surrounding had suddenly turned bright, and it was no darker.


    "Ouch! I think I hurt my back," said Mnie, who sat on the ground without moving from her spot. "I think something is stuck in my back."


    Coming to stand behind where Mnie sat, Julie sat down and noticed a little piece of wood had pierced through Mnie''s back. "Don''t move, let me take it out," said Julie, and she carefully moved her friend''s hair to the side. Getting hold of the little piece of wood, she pulled it out.


    "Shit, that hurt like¡­!" Mnie cursed under her breath. "Are we back?" she asked, noticing the bright light.


    "I think so," replied Julie, but she wondered why there was no one around. She was sure that Roman had stayed here along with Donovan. But when she turned to look around, she saw the bridge, and she noticed it to be intact where they could hear the sound of gushing water flowing below the bridge.


    Mnie, who was still feeling the pain on her back, took a look below the bridge before saying, "The water isn''t supposed to be there, is it?" She could already feel the dread that wasing to fill her mind, that they were still stuck in another time.


    "No, it isn''t supposed to be there," replied Julie, standing up on her feet, and Mnie followed her.


    Her mind had been filled with the screams, scenes of blood and the bad witches and humans killing the good witches. She tried to open the portal again, but for some reason, it didn''t open up like it was supposed to. "Let us take a look at Willow Creek," she suggested, even though it wasn''t an ideal idea, but they would at least get to know what time they hade.


    Mnie nodded her head, knowing Julie had tried her best to get them out of the middle of the massacre. She was d that they were together and that each of them hadn''t been thrown into two different timelines.


    "Are you okay?" Mnie asked Julie, noticing how quiet Julie had turned to be.


    Watching the attitude of some of the humans and the bad witches, who didn''t belong to Willow Creek, attacking and killing innocent people, had put Mnie''s inner sight in a whole different perspective than what her parents wanted her to see.


    Julie shook her head, her face expressionless. Mnie quickly put her arms around Julie, rubbing her back, while Julie stood there unmoving.


    "They died when it was never their fault, all they wanted was peace," Julie said in a low sorrowful voice, her eyebrows subtly furrowing. "There were children among them, and they were killed mercilessly."


    "They did," agreed Mnie, and she said, "I am sorry that you had to go through it," but at the same time, she was d because she was here with Julie to support her.


    "I wish I could have saved them. At least help them ease their pain," murmured Julie under her breath. She wondered if her mother had got the chance to bury her family or if the humans had burned the humans.


    She took a deep breath before exhaling air from her mouth. Mnie pulled away from her, trying to offer her an encouraging smile filled with sorrow.


    "I am d that we were able to meet and get to know them. They will always stay in our memories," Mnie tried her best to console her friend, and Julie nodded her head.


    "This was the breakthrough mother spoke about," said Julie, the pain that her mother had spoken about. This is what she meant. "Come. Let us take a look," and they walked past the bridge. On their way, Julie''s thoughts went back to her family that she lost, and if she knew that was going to be thest day, she would have hugged her mother, just onest time to know how it felt like. Tears started to brim in her eyes, but she blinked them away.


    Suddenly out of nowhere, they heard a collective voice, "Burn the witches!" and both Mnie and Julie looked at each other.


    When they got nearer to the centre of the town where the gallows were present, they saw the crowd surrounding the ce. "I think I know what time period this is," said Julie.


    Julie noticed her mother, who was pulled by guards towards the gallows, and her siblings tied to the post. The humans carried torches of fire in their hands, preparing to burn them. She quickly looked around the ce, noticing a familiar-looking vampire, who resembled the vampire in appearance, whom she had just encountered a few minutes ago.


    "The house!" Julie whispered to Mnie. Mnie''s mouth had fallen, and though it moved, she could barely utter words.


    "Why have the witches been getting tortured for so many years?!" questioned Mnie to herself.


    "Mel! We need to go to the house, quick. Mother must have left something!" Julie ushered her, and they quickly left from there and went to La Fay''s house. They quickly tried to rummage through the cupboards and drawers.


    "What are we looking for?" Mnie asked Julie in a low voice.


    "Potions, mirrors. Wooden boxes," said Julie; while going through the things, she found a hidden drawer that held a letter which was addressed to her. Her hand reached for the white parchment. Picking it up, she noticed a small box ced in there. Opening the box, she noticed two vials that held two different liquid colours in it. One was colourless, and the other was red.


    "What is that?" inquired Mnie, and Julie shook her head.


    Julie didn''t get the chance to respond to it, as they heard someone try to open the front door. The girl''s who had already lived in this house some time ago quickly used the back door and escaped from the house. She wondered if this was all that had been waiting for her here.


    Soon they reached the ce where the crowd was, noticing Opaline was being pushed to sit down, and when the magistrate started to speak, Julie''s hand clenched.


    "We have to leave this ce as soon as possible," said Julie, because she knew soon her mother would curse the people and the town, and if they stayed here, it would only mean that they wouldn''t be able to get out.


    Escaping away from the eyes of the people, both Julie and Mnie started to run away as if their entire life depended on it.


    "How far are we supposed to run?" asked Mnie, huffing for air, and her body was tired because exhaustion was quick to hit her body. She had spent the entire afternoon trying to learn how to fight while also learning how to aim the arrow. Not knowing that they would be subjected to attacks.


    "Probably past the bridge, as the bridge stopped existing since the curse," Julie shouted. She held the front of her dress so that she wouldn''t trip and fall.


    Julie handed the box of potion to Mnie so that she could open the portal. She raised her hands forward, trying to focus her soul energy on opening the portal. The portal slowly started to open, right in front of the bridge. While running, Julie noticed Mnie had fallen behind. She stopped running, turning around and saw Mnie''s foot was stuck between the wooden nks, where one piece of it had broken. She went back to help her out.


    At the same time, she noticed how a bird that was flying disappeared in a blink of an eye.


    "Hurry!" eximed Julie, and she jumped into the portal, to be followed by Mnie right behind her. This time the portal closed behind them faster than before with a zap, while the curse of the witch had been put into effect. Julie had tightly shut her eyes, but instead of falling on the ground likest time, she felt someone catching her.


    She gasped for air, and her breath was uneven as she clutched onto the familiar smell of the person she loved. Her hands clutched on the person, not opening her eyes.


    Donovan caught Mnie before letting her down. But on seeing Donovan, she quickly took a few steps backwards because she knew exactly what he was capable of.


    "Thank you," Mnie bowed her head and murmured while not meeting his eyes, and Donovan offered his charming smile.


    "It is good to see that you both have returned safely. We were getting worried here,"mented Donovan, before he moved his gaze to look at Julie, who Roman held. Again he looked at Mnie and asked her, "How was the trip to the past, Ms. Davis? Anything that you liked? Or if you would like to take another trip anytime soon?"


    "I am good without it," came Mnie''s voice, and Donovan chuckled.


    Roman held Julie closely, wrapping his arms around her body and not letting her go, while she showed no signs of pulling away.


    Roman rubbed her back, "It''s good to have you back. I have been waiting for you."


    Julie didn''t reply, whose head was buried in his chest. She couldn''t believe she was so close to meeting her mother once again, but before she could see the execution, she had to leave the ce, and she doubted if her heart would be able to handle the heart break of seeing more members of her family die.


    Though Mnie had been there to support her, Julie had always relied more on Roman, exposing every single fear of hers to him. And now that he was here with her, the dam of emotions that she had been trying to hold within herself opened.


    A soft sob escaped from her lips, and Roman could feel her heart breaking. Another sob followed, and soon the front of his ck shirt started to turn wet with Julie''s tears.


    "It''s okay now," Roman whispered to Julie, continuing to rub her back. "Everything is okay, and they are all at peace. No one will get hurt anymore," he spoke to her in a soothing tone.


    Donovan turned to look at Mnie and said to her, "How about I take you back to the Dormitorium. You must be hungry?"


    Mnie shook her head, "I-I will go by myself," and seeing Julie was with Roman now, she quickly started to run away from there.


    "Hm?" hummed Donovan, tilting his head to the side, and he said, "What a strange girl. Humans are indeed strange."


    The Elder vampire then walked towards the bridge, which was yet to be mended. In a blink of an eye, he walked to the other side of the bridge and started walking towards Willow Creek.


    It took a couple of minutes for Julie to quieten down finally, and Roman gently ran his hand on the back of her head to calm her shaken heart. She didn''t know how many minutes had passed. She told herself that everything that had happened, it was out of her control, and it was meant to happen, to bring the world it was right now.


    Roman asked her, "Are you hurt?" he picked up her hands, checking her palms.


    Julie shook her head while letting it rest against his shoulder. Roman didn''t force her to speak, and instead, he picked her up in his arms, carrying her away from there. They reached the Dormitorium and entering his dorm, he gently dropped her on his bed.


    "Do you want to sleep?" he asked her, noticing the dazed look in her eyes.


    Julie''s eyes met his eyes, and she asked him, "Will you sleep with me?"


    Roman removed his shoes and got on the bed next to her. He held her in his arms and said, "Close your eyes, Winters. I will take it from here."


    His voice was like a warm nket, and so were his arms. Julie moved closer, and though she closed her eyes, she wasn''t able to fall asleep right away. The screams of the people didn''t leave her mind, and distantly, it kept echoing repeatedly, making her scrunch her face.


    "My mother was with Donovan when it happened," whispered Julie, her voiceing out broken and tired. "She was safe because she was with him. If she stayed in Willow Creek that night, she would have died along with my uncle, my aunts and my grandfather..." her voice trailed. She wondered if the Donovan bloodline was truly cursed as how people believed it to be.


    Roman quietly listened to her, without interrupting what she was saying and letting her little heart pour out all the burdens so that her thoughts wouldn''t darken her emotions, where she would turn bitter.


    "I wanted to help them, wanted to get them out of there so that they could live..." said Julie, but then she remembered the way her thoughts had gone. Before Mnie had even stopped her, she had felt the ache in her heart and a moment of nkness, as if something was trying to remove her existence.


    "A lot of things aren''t in our control, and no matter how much you want to grasp it, you cannot hold it," Roman''s words were gentle on her ears, and Julie understood what he meant. "How were they? Your family."


    "The best, better than I could have ever imagined it to be. My mother, she was a fierce woman, full of life," said Julie, and she pulled herself from his chest, craning her neck to look up at him. "I told the truth to my grandfather. About where I came from, about you..."


    Roman could tell that to hide such a big truth from her family for Julie would have been nothing but a burden, and maybe it was good that she had told the truth to one person.


    "I missed you," whispered Julie, and Roman looked into her eyes.


    "I missed you more. You had me worried, when I couldn''t find you," replied Roman, bringing the back of his hand to caress her cheek and instinctively, she closed her eyes for a moment before opening them. "Did you notice that you are slightly glowing like a star?"


    Julie brought her hand in front of her and noticed the subtle light emitted from her body. She pursed her lips, "It has been like this since thest twelve hours I think."


    "Your powers havee to you in full force. Now all you need to do is control and hide it so that no one notices it," said Roman, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. He took note of Julie''s breathing that was turning more even, and she tried to keep her eyes open before they slowly closed themselves. He pulled her in his arms, tucking her carefully and letting her sleep.


    While Julie was resting in Roman''s dorm, Mnie had made her way to the girl''s Dormitorium. But before she could enter the building, she found her best friend sitting on the stairs.


    Mnie hadpletely forgotten about the possibility of meeting Conner here, and on seeing her, Conner quickly got up and met up with her.


    She should have known that Conner would be here, and she quickly put a smile on her lips.


    "Conner, what are¡ª"


    "Mel! Where have you been?!" questioned Conner, his eyes looking at her in worry. "I have been looking for you and Julie everywhere, but no one knew where you both went."


    Mnie continued to keep her smile, and she patted Conner''s shoulder, "You worry for no reason. What would happen to us? Julie and I went on a little trip by ourselves."


    "Trip?" he repeated the word, his eyes narrowing at her, and Mnie quickly nodded her head.


    "Yeah, we went on a little trip by ourselves, and we got back in the morning. I am sorry we didn''t take you along," said Mnie, letting go of Conner''s shoulder and bringing her hand back to her side.


    "Where did you both go? We have a curfew imposed in the university and you both decided that skipping sses and going was the best way?" he gave her a look, where it didn''t seem like he believed her words.


    "Yeah, we took permission from Ms. Dante, and went out. It was for research materials for the project, and it took quite some time before we could actually get permission," informed Mnie. She then asked, "Seriously, what made you think something would have happened to us?" she lightlyughed.


    A sigh escaped from Conner''s lips, and he said, "I was so worried for you both. I thought some... vampire," he lowered his voice to speak the word, "took you away to torture you, knowing you are a hunter, and Julie knows the truth now?"


    "Yeah," came the breathy reply from Mnie, "Julie knows, "even before either of them hade to learn about the existence of vampires, she thought in her mind.


    "Where is Julie? She''s not with you," Conner looked behind Mnie, and Mnie nodded her head.


    "Julie went to meet Roman. You know how close they are. Lovers," added Mnie to ease the situation, and Conner gave her a nod.


    "I hope she doesn''t tell him anything. But then Julie is good at keeping secrets, so there isn''t much to worry," Conner muttered under his breath before he ced his hand on his stomach. "I forgot to eat, I have been so stressed with both of your disappearance."


    Mnie felt guilt weighing in her chest because lying to Conner was thest thing she had ever wanted to do. But the situation demanded her to lie and hide things. She didn''t know how he would react, once he woulde to know that it was one of the same creatures whom their parents despised, who had killed his girlfriend.


    "I am sorry for making you worry. Next time I will make sure to let you know," Mnie apologized, and in return, Conner shook his head.


    "Don''t be. I am just d it wasn''t anything like how I imagined it to be," replied Conner, and Mnie couldn''t help but think if only he knew what she and Julie just went through. "What''s that thing on your face?" he asked before stepping closer to her.


    Mnie held her breath, and she saw him raise his hand before touching her cheek, "Seems like mud." His hands were warmer, and for a moment, they stared at each other.


    "Mel!" the voice startled her, and Mnie quickly stepped backwards from Conner. It was Simon, who appeared with a bright smile on his face. "It is so d to see you, feels like years have passed since Ist saw you," he chuckled.


    Mnie gave the vampire a quick look.. She passed a small re at him because of his underlying meaning.

 Chapter 197 - Find Me A Well

    <h4>Chapter 197 - Find Me A Well</h4>


    Mnie didn''t know why she had to deal with this leech right now. Dealing with her best friend, who was worried about her, had already turned her hands full. Not to mention, she had wanted to run into her dorm as fast as she could so that she could change her clothes, which was gaining quick attention from the fellow students who were walking near them.


    In worry, Conner had not taken in the attire that Mnie had worn right away, but now that the situation had been solved, he finally asked her,


    "What''s up with your dress?"


    Mnie didn''t know how to exin her attire, and Conner took a better look at it, his eyes moving up and down.


    When Conner was about to walk around to take a look, Simon picked Mnie''s hair, spreading it across her back. She wished she could use the excuse of cosy, but she was never one to do cosy for no reason.


    "And this looks dirty," pointed Conner and Mnie agreed by nodding her head.


    "That''s true. Julie and I, got drenched in the rain and we ended up getting the cheapest dresses we could get our hands on. You know how frugal I am when ites to spending money," she nervously chuckled and moved away from Simon, who had taken a sudden interest in her hair. She gave him a look, and he stared back at her.


    The look of suspicion didn''t leave Conner''s eyes, and Simon suddenly pulled Mnie towards him, putting his arm around her.


    "Conner, my man, you wouldn''t mind if I stole your best friend for a while, would you?" questioned Simon, and Conner''s eyes slightly widened on seeing the sudden closeness Simon was disying towards Mnie. Mnie didn''t know what Simon was up to, but she couldn''t get out of his hold and, noticing him re back at her, she wondered if she had slipped in her story.


    All this while, Conner had always received Mnie''s attention, where he hadn''t considered his best friend to get close to another male. And now that Simon was showing his attention towards her, he couldn''t help but question what was going on. He smiled,


    "Why would I mind?" he asked Simon.


    "I will meet youter, Conner," said Mnie, with a quick smile.


    "That''s good," Simon offered a broad smile before he dragged Mnie from the front of the girl''s Dormitorium, inside it and towards her room.


    In that time, Conner''s questions and thoughts about Mnie''s absence and her clothes flew out of his mind, which was soon reced with other thoughts. He even missed the possible spot of blood on her back, which was not covered with her hair, and an arm of Simon around her shoulder that didn''t let go of her.


    "Since when did they get close to each other," murmured Conner under his breath, slightly bothered before he shook his head and walked away from there.


    Inside the girl''s Dormitorium and next to Mnie''s dorm, Mnie got away from the vampire and red at him.


    "What do you think you are doing?" she stepped away from him.


    "You are not very good at lying, are you?" questioned Simon, his green eyes cooly looking at her, and he slipped his hands in his pockets. "What made you think that walking like this in front of the Dormitorium was a good idea?"


    That was because Mnie wanted to get back to her dorm and stand next to the mirror. Even though Julie had pulled out the wooden piece, she could still feel pain as if a sharp strand of it was still in her skin.


    "Your boy was looking for you and I had to dodge him until now. He was desperately looking for you, seemed very worried,"mented Simon with the corner of his lips pulling up.


    "He''s now well assured that I am safe," replied Mnie, "You can leave now."


    "So rude, won''t even say thank you for getting you out of the sticky situation," remarked Simon, and Mnie sighed.


    "What do you want, Simon?" asked Mnie, not knowing what this leech wanted.


    "The back of your dress has spots of blood. Do you need help with me taking a look at it?" he offered her as a true gentleman would, but Mnie saw through his act.


    She unlocked the door of her dorm and said, "I would rather lose all my blood than take up your help."


    "I am willing to lick it than let it go to waste," and Simon''s words were enough to have Mnie turn bright red. If she wasn''t exhausted with what had happened since thest few hours, she would have retorted and maybe even screamed bloody murder at him. But she had no energy to do it, and she stepped inside the room.


    "Thanks for getting me out of the sticky spot," said Mnie, and she closed the door on him.


    She didn''t know why she was stuck with Simon. Did he lose his charm with the other girls that he hade to bother her? Mnie asked herself. She removed the dress she was wearing before turning with her bareback in front of the mirror. She tried to get her hand near the spot, but her hand didn''t reach, and when she stretched a little too much, she winced in pain. A sigh escaped from her lips.


    She wore jeans and a woollen shirt. Hearing Simons'' voice outside her dorm, she opened the door and caught him flirting with a girl in front of her dorm.


    "Bye bye then," Simon waved his hand at the girl, who gave him a coy smile before leaving the spot. The vampire then turned to look at her and asked, "If I didn''t you were hurt, I would have thought that you were touching yourself while imagining about¡­ who knows."


    Mnie''s eyes narrowed, "What are you doing here?"


    "Waiting for you of course. I felt I might lose my little toy again. Unfortunately, video games can satisfy me only for a few minutes, while the rest of the time had been agonizingly slow," responded Simon, and he noticed the way his words were enough to rile the human. "I think your next spot should be the infirmary to get your back checked. I heard that people in the past used to catch a lot of diseases in the forest. You never know. To die young would be a pity."


    "Didn''t you?" she retorted, grabbing the dorm and closing it.


    "Didn''t I what, sweetheart?" asked Simon, and he titled his head to the side. "Die?" he chuckled, "But I live, while you might hit the coffin. Olivia and Isolda are pretty good at these sorts of things."


    Mnie contemted for a few seconds, not knowing if it would be wise to go to the infirmary, where the doctors and nurse were vampires. But then Donovan and Roman already knew, and so did Simon.


    "You know," Simon drawled in a low voice just for her to hear, "There''s a rule in our world. The vampire world, where humans are not supposed to know about the vampire''s existence. If known, we kill them all. But I will keep your knowledge about it a secret."


    Was he threatening her or trying to assure her? Simon was someone who didn''t just give her mixed signals, but he was like a walking red signal who could blind her one day.


    "I can manage it myself, you don''t have to worry about it," muttered Mnie, and she started to walk away from her dorm, but Simon didn''t pay heed to her words even though he heard it.


    "Worry? Do you think you are my girlfriend and that I would worry about you?" Simon asked her,ing to walk next to her.


    "Of course, I forgot you are with me to kill your endless time," she retorted, and Simon grinned wide.


    "You are very quick to catch. What a smart little cookie you are," he praised her as if she were a child, but Mnie decided not to reply to him, and she quietly walked towards the infirmary. "I didn''t get to hear about your adventure. How was your time in the past? Anything interesting that happened there?" he inquired in a nonchnt tone, but Mnie could tell by his attitude that he was curious.


    "Death, that was what happened," her voice was low so that the other possible vampires wouldn''t pick up her words.


    To some extent, Mnie understood what her parents and the other hunters were trying to do when it came to vampires. Because she had heard and known about the night creatures'' cruelty, not everyone was like that. She wondered if her parents woulde to be able to see it one day. Though Conner had stepped into being a hunter, Mnie believed that wasn''t what she wanted.


    Her gaze slowly moved to look at Simon, and when her ck eyes met his green one''s, he raised one of his eyebrows.


    "What is it?" he inquired, and Mnie shook her head before looking ahead of her.


    Mnie wondered if Veteris had been subjected to the same fate, maybe worse. Because families had been wiped on a single night while leaving only a few survivors behind. She wondered if Simon was always like this¡­ crazy. She then shook her head. Why was she even thinking about him?


    When they reached the infirmary, doctor Isolde wasn''t avable as she was with the headmistress. A nurse greeted Mnie with a smile,


    "How can I help you, dear?"


    "I think something is stuck in my back, as it still hurts," Mnie exined her situation, and the nurse nodded her head.


    "Why don''t you take a seat here and I will take a look," said the woman, and Mnie took a seat behind the curtain. After the nurse took a look, she said, "Mm, I think I see the strand of the wood. It''s a little piece, how did it even go in there?" she asked in a tone of surprise.


    The nurse went to get something, picking up a little vial and a syringe while Mnie started to answer.


    "I fell¡ª"


    "Mel and I were in the forest ground when it happened," came the answer from Simon from the other side.


    "No, we weren''t!" protested Mnie, this vampire was intent on dragging her name with his, and she gritted her teeth.


    The nurse chuckled, letting go of something from the tray before returning to where Mnie was. Coming to stand behind her back, the nurse said, "I was wondering how something like that could go in there. Now I know it was something you both were doing. I would ask you to pick a bed, than go venture in the forest, no matter how exciting the nature appears to be."


    When Mnie was done, she thanked the nurse and red at Simon, "What was that about?"


    "The nurse is a vampire. We need to polish your skills on lying,"mented Simon, as he walked, "How does it feel to be my girlfriend?" he asked with a wink, and two girl''s who were passing by them picked it up.


    "I want to find a well to drown myself in it," muttered Mnie under her breath.


    Back in the boy''s Dormitorium, hours passed, and Julie, who had fallen asleep in Roman''s arms, had finally woken up. She now sat up right at the edge of the bed, watching the box in her hand and the letter that she was yet to open.


    "Do you know what those potions are?" asked Roman, who leaned against the wall in front of her.


    Julie shook her head, "I don''t know. There''s nobel."


    "She must have figured out that you would one daye," said Roman, his eyes falling on the box where he took note of the two small vials. "And if she left it for you, you must be able to tell one day what each of them do."


    cing the box aside, she picked up the letter before opening it to read....

 Chapter 198 - Dearest Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 198 - Dearest Daughter</h4>


    Spreading the letter wide open in her hand, Julie noticed the dust that had collected on the surface of the paper. She blew air on it before she started to read what was written there. The letter read¡ª


    ''To my dearest Julianne,


    If you have found this letter in your hand, then it must mean that my time in this world hase to an end. Time is scarce in my hands, and I wanted to leave you something that might one daye in use for you. It is strange to be writing this letter for you while you are still in my womb, and I want you to know how much I love you.


    You must be able to channel your soul energy now, just like how I am able to use mine. And I want to tell you how proud I am of you. Do not doubt yourself, Julie, because you aren''t anybody but Knox and my daughter, our special daughter.


    I wish I knew it was you that day when I first opened the door and saw you standing there. That you were going to be thest surviving person of our family, that you were my daughter whom I didn''t get to spend time with. Even without me or your father in your life, you have grown to be a decent witch, and henceforward, you will only grow more powerful. Use your gifts wisely and do not misuse them, which I know you won''t.


    You are beautiful and kind, and I am d to be leaving you in Roman''s care. Yes, I have met the boy, the one you have chosen to spend your life with, and as much as I dislike... that you are spending your time with a Donovan, I still support you and your love. He seems to care a lot about you and is in love with you. I can tell it with the way he talks about you. Though I must tell knowing he was Azazel Donovan''s son came as a surprise.''


    Julie paused, reading the letter, and took a quick look at Roman, who was quietly watching her. She then went back to read the letter¡ª


    ''My dearest girl, I am sorry for not being able to stand next to you in these hardest times you find yourself in. But do not forget that I will always be near you, if not physically, then in the fondest memories that we shared for the briefest of time. I still remember the day when Ibed your hair, and even though I didn''t know who you exactly were back then, it still felt like you were one of my own.


    I need you to be careful because some vile creatures wille for you. To make use of your abilities for their own, I will need you to protect yourself. The vampires who visited Willow Creek, one of them is filled with destruction, and it stems from his sibling.


    A few years ago, when you visited and disappeared after the massacre, a new Corvin was born. It was probably Cillian''s wish and will that he turned into a raven. I will be sending him with Natalie in hopes that he can guide the girl and keep you safe. I am leaving you these vials of potions in hopes that you will use them when you feel you are unable to stop time.


    Don''t be sad, because the day today might be dark, but tomorrow it will be bright and look forward to it. Remember that you are very loved and cherished, my dearest daughter. And if possible... one day we shall meet each other again.


    ¡ª Your mother''


    At the bottom of the letter, there was a line that read¡ª ''I will let you find what the potions are, just in case the box and this letter falls into wrong hands.''


    Julie didn''t fold the letter, and instead, she read it three more times before letting her wrist rx with the letter. Roman came to sit next to her on the bed, slipping his hand into hers and Julie''s fingers were quick to tighten around it.


    "Was it a good letter?" questioned Roman on noticing how Julie''s eyes had turned moist and her gaze had lowered in thought. Understanding how personal letters were, he didn''t take the letter to read it, nor did he ask her about the contents written in there.


    Julie''s gaze lifted, and she turned to look at him. She gave him a nod, "It was a good letter," her words were soft, and she took a deep breath before releasing it. She let her head rest against his shoulder, and Roman let her, putting his arm around her to hold her while they sat in his dorm.


    "Do you think it would be alright... to go and visit my mother one day... maybe to look at her from a far distance," asked Julie.


    "It shouldn''t be a problem," replied Roman, rubbing her arm.


    The trip to the past that Julie had returned from, it was painful yet sweet. She had witnessed the death of her uncle and her young aunts, but that waspensated with the time that she had spent with her mother and the others.


    While recollecting the words that were written by her mother, Julie''s eyebrows furrowed, and she asked Roman, "Did you find the Corvin?"


    "No," responded Roman. "Evans and I tried to look for him, but the Corvin didn''t respond to Evans'' call."


    "I know who the Corvin is, I met him when he was in his human form the past," said Julie, moving her head away from Roman and turning her body so that she could face him.. "His name was Cillian. Cillian ckburn."


    Roman frowned by the mention of the name, "ckburn?"


    Julie gave him a nod, "I feel like I have heard the name before but I am unable to ce my finger on it."


    "ckburn is my mother''s family name," stated Roman, and Julie''s eyes widened. "She was a ckburn."


    "Does that mean that you are rted to the Corvin?" asked Julie, feeling a little confused. "Cillian had a sister, and she had two children. Now that I think about it, she and her family weren''t there for the bonfire. It was just Cillian and his parents. And if the children survived and had more children..."


    "One of the grandchildren could be my mother or great grandchild," remarked Roman with a grim expression on his face. "Donovan said that he tried to get more information about my mother, but by the time he could trace anything, they were all gone without a hint."


    Julie couldn''t hide her surprise, and she stared at Roman, realizing that Roman was not just a vampire''s child but also a descendant of a witch''s family. But wouldn''t the dynamics be the same? A vampire and a witch.


    "Does Donovan know that your mother came from a witch''s family?" inquired Julie.


    "He had his theories, because of the condition of my heart. He said my heart possibly holds the dark stone, which many have been trying to get a hold of. Which is why I didn''t die, but continued to live. Which is why even though my heart is being corrupted by the thoughts and needs of a ripper, it still continues to try to be sane for you," replied Roman and Julie pursed her lips.


    The dark stone existed within Roman?


    This turned Roman''s mother into a mystery. He had told her that his mother had run away from her family, which made her wonder why she had run away from her family of witches.


    Julie closed her eyes to summon the Corvin, and in less than two seconds, the creature appeared in front of them in Roman''s room.


    Roman quickly brought out the me in his hand, and the creature stared at him before it looked at Julie.


    ''Wee back,'' the creature greeted Julie, and Julie blinked at it.


    "You broke the bridge," used Julie, and the creature offered her a slight bow.


    ''I did what I had to do to keep the events to follow one after another,'' replied the Corvin in a dull voice.


    "If you wanted her to go to the past, the least you could have done was to let some of us know before sending her than breaking the bridge while lying to our faces,"mented Roman, and the Corvin didn''t look pleased with the way Roman spoke.


    ''I do not answer to anyone but her. You are not my master,'' came the crisp words from the Corvin, and while the two of them spoke back and forth, Julie tried to fit in the image of Cillian in the Corvin, which was hard to do. Especially when all this time, she had viewed the creature to be someone who was like a child or a little pet of hers. ''I wouldn''t have been born and been able to help her, if I didn''t send her,'' came its words.


    Julie closed her eyes for a moment. The amount of information that was influxing into her brain was too much to handle. She then opened her eyes and asked,


    "What do you mean you wouldn''t be born?"


    The creature turned quiet for a moment before it raised its hands and said, ''My abilities have been fluctuating, as if I was going to disappear. Unable to use some of my abilities at the moment. You were supposed to visit the past a few days before, and I kept waiting but you haven''t been able to open the portal. So I sent you there myself.''


    "You can open the portal?" Roman''s eyes narrowed at the Corvin, distrust written clear in his eyes regarding this shady creature.


    ''I can open and send her. Didn''t know her friend would be there. I had to think quickly, so I picked a ce that was once abundant with magic. If I didn''t send you, I wouldn''t exist, you wouldn''t exist without my guidance to the other girl,'' it referred to Natalie, the me that was in Roman''s hand disappeared.


    "When was she supposed to appear?" questioned Roman, and the creature went quiet as if it was trying to remember.


    The Corvin then replied, ''Two weeks ago. I thought she would be able to open the portal and leave, but it never happened. The more time she took, the higher the probability of me not existing in this time line and she not appearing either. Because if I remember, you came many days before the massacre took ce. How long was it this time?''


    "It was around two days I think," replied Julie.


    The creature stared at her before it shook its head, ''Something must have changed apart from my abilities,'' said the Corvin. ''There is bound to be some effect, because of your actions that took ce in the past, but with you having gone in therete, it would remove some of the impressions.''


    "So far everything seems alright, doesn''t it?" Julie turned to look at Roman, who was here all the time.


    "Nothing out of the blue that stood out. Maybe we''ll know once we leave the dorm or university," stated Roman, and Julie nodded her head. He then looked at the creature and questioned, "Is it true? Are you rted to me?"


    Julie looked at the creature, who stood there with its arms folded, which was nothing but branches covered in its sleeved cloak.


    ''An old rted ancestor. Youe from my sister''s children''s kins,'' answered the creature.


    "Cillian," Julie murmured the Corvin''s name to gain its attention, and she couldn''t help but feel how odd everything hade to be. To think that her Corvin wasn''t someone random but rted to Roman''s mother''s family. "


    "Do you know what happened to the ckburn family?" questioned Roman, and the Corvin gave him a slight nod.


    ''Killed. One of the vampires killed the entire family, so that the dark stone would note to exist.''


    "Do you know who the vampire was?" Roman''s eyes were trained on the creature, and his eyes narrowed when the creature slightly moved.


    ''I don''t know the name, but I have seen the person the night when Julie tried to escape into the portal. Blonde hair, red eyes, tall,'' said the Corvin. On hearing the Corvin''s vague description of the person, she was quick to catch that it was the person whom she had fought before leaving Willow Creek.


    "Why does it sound like Luciano?" asked Roman, and Julie was quick to shake her head.


    "No, not him. I have met him too, but I have nevere across him before," stated Julie, her wordsing out quickly. "He was there in the woods, probably orchestrating the whole witch''s attack on the humans so that the witches living in Willow Creek would be erasedpletely. He said we would meet again."


    Roman didn''t like the sound of it. He then said, "Give me a moment," and he stepped out of the room, leaving Julie and the Corvin by themselves.


    "Did you always have your memory and lied about not having one until now?" questioned Julie, wanting to know what else he had hidden.


    ''It was only a few weeks after the Elder vampires woke up that I remembered. The stones that they carry with them, it evoked some of the things that were lost,'' replied Corvin looking her way.


    "So you decided to be my Corvin of guidance because my mother asked you to?"


    Cillian shook his head, ''No... Do you remember the time when you drowned in the river?''


    "Yes, because you broke the bridge," replied Julie, her eyes darting to look at the door where Roman had disappeared. "What about it?"


    ''Your Uncle Ottis and I were never supposed to be there that day. That day, we were supposed to return to Willow Creek many hours before we met you and Mnie. But the wheel of our cart broke and we had to get it fixed which dyed our time,'' the Corvin exined to her, uncrossing its arms to bring them back to its sides. ''And I never intended to bring you to Willow Creek. There were many witches and vampires, who were trying to get through us.''


    "I heard about it from mother,"mented Julie, and the creature moved its head, which left a slight creaking noise.


    Cillian said, ''After helping you out of the river, Ottis and I were on our way home, when I felt something ache in my heart. I don''t know what happened, but the more steps I took towards Willow Creek, the worse it felt as if someone was trying to rip my heart out. And I realized it wasn''t because I was approaching home, but because the distance between us was growing more.''


    "So you came back to take us to Willow Creek," murmured Julie, and Cillian made a gurgling sound.


    ''At that time, I couldn''t exin about it. So I wanted to see what was going on, to make sure there was no spell. It is easier to watch my back if the enemy is in front of me,'' stated Cillian, bringing one of his hands up, he took a look at his twig-like fingers.


    ''It was the bond that I made and shared with you. Even though in my timeline, I hadn''t bound myself to you, but you were bound to me, making the process half effective.'' So that''s what happened, thought Julie in her mind. ''Though I didn''t like it, I waspelled to listen to you. Call it a trick of time, which is simr to you where you don''t know where something starts or begins. You and I were like that,'' exined Cillian.


    Was this what people meant when something was written in fate, and they couldn''t look away from it?


    "I still don''t understand what changes I might have bought in thest two days of me staying in the past," Julie expressed her thoughts to him.


    ''If you are asking about changes, an error has already been made and we don''t know how it will reflect in the future. You sent a man from the past to the present,'' said Cillian, and Julie remembered that incident.


    Julie shook her head, "He was going to hurt mother, and I didn''t know I was going to open the portal. Where is that vampire?"


    ''Escaped with the boy who had been tied in the dungeon.''


    Dennis thought Julie in her mind.


    Cillian said to her, ''It isn''t important what changes you brought since you visited there. There are some pieces in the world, which are needed to support the others. Like a bee that doesn''t know its significance, a stone that supports the other rocks. Your purpose was to see that the events followed.''


    Before more words could be exchanged between Julie and Cillian, Roman entered his dorm with Maximus, who closely followed him. Maximus looked slightly taken aback by the sight of the creature, but he didn''tment on it.


    "d to have you back in our timeline, Julie," Maximus greeted her with a slight nod.


    "Likewise," replied Julie with a smile.


    Roman picked up a book and a pencil from the table before throwing it towards Maximus, who caught it. He said, "Winters, give the description of the man that you saw."


    Julie gave a nod before she started to describe the vampire she met in the forest. Because of the shadows of the branches and the leaves, she couldn''t get every single detail to the point, but she noticed how Maximus listened to her patiently while he drew. Once the sketch wasplete, he turned the book to show Julie, and she nodded.


    "That''s him," Julie confirmed and said, "Wow, you were quick."


    "It was pretty easy," responded Maximus before looking at Roman, whose gaze met his. "We haven''te across this person, have we?"


    "No, but the Elders might havee across him," replied Roman, watching the vampire''s sketch on the book.

 Chapter 199 - New Head Guard Of Veteris

    <h4>Chapter 199 - New Head Guard Of Veteris</h4>


    When the sketch of the vampire was brought in front of the Elders, as expected, every one of them were able to identify the person.


    "Joaquin Mortimier," Luciano clicked his tongue in disdain.


    "So it seems like we finally know who was behind setting up ill witches to go and attack the people of the Willow Creek many years ago," said Castiel with a grim expression on his face. He turned to look at Donovan, who was quietly staring at the sketch. "Did you see him that day?"


    "Not a single glimpse of him that day," responded Donovan. "For most of the time, I was with Opaline, and when we heard the screams, she wanted to leave the ce right away. I did offer to go with her, but she forbade me from going along with her. I did take a lookter, when things had returned to normal, but all of the witches who used to live there had their throats slit or their bodies had burnt down. Opaline had left the ce and I met her many dayster."


    "It is clear that Joaquin always wanted to get something from Willow Creek. Else why would he send Enoch there and kill the witches again?" questioned Luciano and his gaze turned to look at Julie, who stood in the room next to Roman.


    "Even though many years havee to pass, we are still unsure of why they have been intent on killing the witches," responded Remy, and he shook his head with a sigh. "Eloise, you said the boy escaped from the dungeon?"


    Ms. Dante nodded, "Yes, he did. Along with a man through the secret path inside the forest. We thought it was securely closed, but the boy must have got the passage ready over the years he has been here in the name of being a student."


    Right now, Julie was in the manor of the Elders, with the four of them, the headmistress, Maximus and Roman. With the event that had taken ce recently, she tried to recollect the vampire''s memory, Joaquin Mortimer. For someone to be in the shadows and not take part in the death of the witches, she wondered what the man wanted. Was it the box that her mother had left for her?


    "First it was Enoch who escaped and now it is a mere morm who ran away from here," Luciano clicked his tongue one more time, "Looks like Veteris trulycks efficient people when ites to guarding the ce as we easily keep letting people get away."


    "Maybe it is time for you to take up the job of securing it," stated Donovan to poke the blonde Elder vampire.


    But Luciano took it too literally and nodded, "I think I will. Eloise," he called the vampiress'' name, and she turned to look at him. "I would like to take full control of this securing system, and to make sure who gets in and out of Veteris from now on."


    Dante wasn''t sure if Luciano understood what he had just proposed. She said, "I don''t think it would suit you¡ª"


    "Shh, you don''t have to decide that. Considering how terribly this cecks efficient guards. Get me in touch with the person who is in charge of it right now so that I can work on it right away. I don''t think the others are fit to do it,"mented Luciano, and he excused himself and left the ce to get the job done right away.


    The other people in the room stared at Luciano''s back, hearing him speak to one of the servants in the manor and ordering him to fetch Griffin right away.


    "Who would have thought that Luciano would one day turn into the head of the guards," murmured Castiel under his breath, speaking everyone''s thoughts out loud.


    Remy, whose gaze heldziness and boredom in there, said, "It is his way of telling that he cares a lot about the welfare of Veteris, and wants to keep it unharmed."


    As prudish as the Elder vampire appeared to be, Julie wondered if the simr interests were what kept the four Elder vampires together. Tolerating each other even though many times they didn''t get along.


    Donovan turned to look at Julie and questioned, "Did you have a good rest, Julie?" and she gave him a nod. "Can you brief us what had happened there? I mean in the past, it would be better to get a wider picture from your side to know if we missed anything."


    When Julie mentioned briefly what had happened while skipping her discussion with her family, the people in the room held a grim look on their faces. Julie said,


    "Joaquin told me that we would meet each other again."


    "Of course, he did," said Donovan. Walking near the sketch, he picked it up, handed it to Roman, and said, "How about we put a wanted poster around the towns and see what reaction it brings? I am sure we should be able to know where their hidden base is."


    Roman took the sketch in his hand, and after a few seconds, he said, "Until now, witches have only been killed in Willow Creek. More like a sacrifice that has been taking ce over thest few years, what if it was for something bigger than we thought which was through sacrifice?" he posed the question, which got everyone thinking.


    To this, Julie said, "But Enoch had tried to take a look in the house of the La Fay''s. What if there was something that he was looking for? Like some kind of potion which he and his brother were trying to get their hands on."


    Because she remembered, when she and Mnie had escaped from the house after hearing footsteps approaching the ce where they were, she had seen Enoch entering the house to go through the things, and he looked frustrated, and she was yet to know what the potions did.


    Roman replied, "The most valuable thing from a witch is the abilities that they possess. The potions and their spells. But there is something even more important than those things."


    "Their souls,"mented Remy in a quiet voice, and Roman nodded.


    "Yes, their souls," agreed Roman, while looking at everyone in the room. "Opaline could have cursed only the people of the Willow Creek. But instead, she cursed the entire town, so that no one could get in or out of it. But most importantly get inside the town. The ce must be blessed with their souls."


    Hearing this, Julie''s eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat. This was something the vampire''s picked.


    "Did you notice something, Julie?" asked Roman, and her brown eyes met his.


    "The day when I went to the market, I was with Cillian, when I felt this pain in my head. My abilities were trying toe out, that''s where my body started to emit the light," exined Julie, and she closed her eyes.


    Suddenly another person appeared in the room with them, and it was none of that Cillian, the Corvin.


    "Fascinating creature, isn''t it," murmured Castiel, while his eyes fell on the creature, and so did the others in the room. The headmistress looked at the Corvin with wariness, noticing how it moved its hands to bring it down towards its sides.


    Donovan had met the creature many times before, and he seemed one of the people in the room who was least bothered by its presence.


    Over the years that he was living, Donovan had met several witches. Enough to know that each witch, be it male or female, held their own charms, which were differentpared to the humans or vampires. The prettier or handsome a witch, the more ability they held within them,? who were able to tap into magic. He wondered if this was the true appearance of the witches, the skin of the witches that showed up only after their deaths and turned into Corvins.


    ''You wanted to see me?'' the Corvin asked Julie.


    "Do you remember that day when I fell a little sick near the market and you took me back home? You spoke something about the ce trying to pull my magic, can you exin more about it?" Cillian was the only survivor of? Willow Creek, and if there was anyone who could exin about the ce and the witches, it was him.


    The creature turned its bird-like head to look at the people who had gathered themselves in the room. It replied, ''Thend of Willow Creek, it is abundant with the soul energy of many deceased witches, including people from your family. Your mother went back to live there because she wanted to create a potion because she believed that was where it could be created. A potion that could sustain the life force in her.''


    "What do you mean by that?" Roman questioned something that was on Julie''s mind.


    "She was dying," remarked Donovan, grabbing everyone''s attention.


    The Corvin stared at Donovan as if not too keen on wanting to interact with him. It then said, ''Her body was overused with the number of potions that she kept trying on herself in the beginning. To create new ones, one of the potions turned fatal, and it must have speedend a hidden infection that was within her. She might have lived a hundred more years, but that was the most her body could sustain itself, as it had started to deteriorate and there was nothing that could stop the spread of the infection.''


    Donovan''s eyebrows subtly frowned, knowing the kind of woman Opaline was, he knew she was stubborn about keeping on working.


    Julie didn''t know how to take this little piece of information because until now, she had never heard about it from Evans. She had believed that he was the closest person to her mother, but it seemed like even though Cillian was a raven at that time, he had watched her mother closely.


    The Corvin then continued, ''Opaline was aware that she had to choose what was better for the future than momentary happiness, and she chose to sacrifice herself along with the rest of her children.''


    Remy interrupted the conversation by saying, "Some of the witches do catch rare diseases or infections, which they haven''t been able to find a cure for."


    "Does that mean Julie may have it too?" asked Roman, concerned by this sudden revtion.


    ''Julie won''t catch any of it,'' stated Cillian in confidence. ''She is the daughter of a witch and a Corvin, which makes her immune to them.''


    Julie had been different since the moment Opaline had conceived her because the woman was involved with Knox. The three Elders in the room couldn''t help but wonder what the little witch was capable of. Being Opaline''s daughter, they already expected a lot from her, expecting her to surpass her mother''s potential.


    "Can you control the portal of time?" questioned Donovan, his eyes fixed on Julie, and she nodded.


    "I think so," replied Julie.


    "If Willow Creek is as important as we think it is, then we can only expect a visit from Joaquin and Enoch in Veteris," stated Castiel, and he turned to look at Ms. Dante. "Has the memo to the students been sent about their exams?"


    "Yes, Borrell has already ryed the message," answered Ms. Dante. "Luciano is already working on security, so I am guessing we will have nothing to worry about?"


    At the mention of it, Donovan chuckled, "I guess, now let us lure the old vampires in the meantime."


    "Luring the old vampires will also lure the hunters in here," pointed Roman because he nowhere wanted a repeat of the massacre that had taken ce when he was a human in Veteris.


    "Then we prepare ourselves against both of them. It isn''t like we have never tackled both kinds before. This time we aren''t just four but there are many to fight. Not to mention, my wonderful daughter-inw can open the portal of time and send the unwanted to a ce for the vampires to feast on in the past. No one ever refuses free food," Donovan''s eyes twinkled in mirth.


    Away from the Elder''s manor, in Veteris'' lunchroom, Mnie was standing in front of the food counter with Conner, who appeared a little dull.


    "You alright there, Conner?" inquired Mnie with a look of concern in her eyes.


    Conner, who was staring at the counter, broke his gaze to look at her, "Yeah, I am good."


    Mnie gave him a stare before nodding and moving to the side to get her food.


    When they picked up the tray of their food, Conner asked Mnie, "Hey, Mel, I was wondering if you were interested in going camping after exams."


    "Camping?" asked Mnie, her eyebrows slightly raising as she never considered Conner to be someone who enjoyed camping.


    "Mm," Conner nodded, and they sat down on one of the empty tables in the lunchroom. "Father even mentioned how it was an excellent way to hunt these blood sucking creatures. What do you think? Maybe we can invite Julie too."


    Mnie looked around the ce to make sure no vampire or human like them was eavesdropping on their conversation. She looked back at Conner and said, "I don''t think I am interested in turning into a trap, Conner. And it isn''t safe for Julie."


    "Well that was just a bonus, but weren''t you interested in going to camp? I just thought it was time for us to spend some time," and at Conner''s careful words, Mnie turned to look at him, giving him a suspicious look.


    Mnie thenughed and said, "We have been spending time together. What''s gotten to you?" she shook her head before digging into her food. The way he was behaving, it was as if he wanted to spend time along with her. Not that they hadn''t spent time together in the past, but it was the way he phrased it now.


    Conner watched Mnie eat while he yed with the fork in his hand.


    "You don''t want to go to the camp?" asked Conner, and Mnie shook her head.


    "If you want to go, sure," replied Mnie, before she added, "But let us minus the hunt."


    "Okay," Conner agreed readily, where he had brought up the hunt only as a reason. Since the weekend in their hometown, he felt like the dynamics were suddenly changing. "I am guessing Julie will be eating with Moltenore?"


    "I guess so," and Mnie turned to meet Conner''s eyes, and she asked, "Did you use the¡­ Silverwater in here?"


    Conner looked slightly sullen, who replied with, "I was sure I brought the Silverwater with me and ced it in the bag, but I think I left it back at home."


    On hearing this, Mnie was more than relieved that Conner wouldn''t be able to try gaining the vampire''s attention. At least there was one less thing to worry about, she thought in her mind.


    "Did you bring the Silverwater with you? I thought of borrowing some from you," said Conner, but Mnie shook her head.


    "I am not as brave as you, Conner. Also, I didn''t think there would be any night creatures in Veteris," not until I found Simon and his friends are vampires, said Mnie to herself. "We have our exams, so let us concentrate on that and get back home safe. We will have less things to worry about here."


    Conner wasn''t particrly happy about it and noticing him think something deeply, she asked him, "Is everything alright?"


    To this, he let a sigh escape from his lips, "I don''t know, Mel. I feel like... since our parents exposed us to this side of the world, my mind keeps making these scenarios where I have beenpelled and I see blood."


    Mnie stopped eating, and she asked him, "What do you mean scenarios?"


    "It is hard to exin."


    "Try me, and I will try to understand," assured Mnie.


    Conner''s eyes looked around before he said, "I dreamt about Reese, Mel." Hearing this, Mnie felt the hair on the nape of her neck raise. He continued, "I know it is going to sound absurd, but something about her death doesn''t feel right. Like I can feel it in my bones, that she didn''t die naturally."


    Mnie''s hand gripped on the spoon, and she said, "But we met her parents, didn''t we? They confirmed it to be natural death."


    "No, what if they werepelled too? Vampires canpel anyone who doesn''t have Silverwater in their body. I will make sure to know what exactly happened with Reese," stated Conner with a resolute voice. Mnie wished to tell Conner because she had never hidden anything before. And she wished to tell him to not look into things that had passed but that would affect him.


    Conner was someone whom she grew up with, and she would forever hold a soft spot for him in her heart.


    "You will help me with it, won''t you, Mel?" asked Conner, looking into her ck eyes, and she felt she was stuck between a wall and a rock.


    A pair of girls, who were walking past their table, one of themmented, "I thought she was dating Simon, was it a false rumor?"


    Hearing the devil''s name, Mnie and Conner both turned to look at the girls, who were looking at Mnie.


    "Pfft, do you really think Simon would date a thing like that? The boy next to her is more suitable for her," replied the other girl.


    "I was sure I heard it right, but then it must be exaggerated," said the first girl before they walked away from the table. Mnie cursed under her breath. This had happened because of that littlement that Simon had passed near the infirmary.


    Mnie tried to act calm as if she heard nothing, and she went back to eating. But it wasn''t the same for Conner, who continued to stare at the two girls.


    "I didn''t know Simon and you were close," remarked Conner.


    "Of course, we aren''t. Simon is just being Simon," replied Mnie, but Conner ended up in another deep thought.


    Conner''s next words were casual, "I mean Simon is a cool guy, and we do hang out together. Oh, there he is. Simon!" he waved his hand for the red-headed senior to turn to look towards them. Simon waved at them, his eyes shifted from Conner to Mnie, and the corner of his lips pulled up. He was with his other friend, who looked as grumpy as Mnie.


    Simon came to sit next to Mnie, and Victoria, who was with him, went to the counter to get her dinner.


    Simon and Conner started to speak while Mnie tried to eat her food faster so that she could leave the table sooner. She could see some of the students turning to their table and looked at her. In an attempt to finish her meal quickly, the food got stuck, and she coughed.


    Mnie was about to get water when Simon pushed a ss of water towards her, "Don''t die so soon, sweetheart," remarked Simon.

 Chapter 200 - Awakening Of The La Fay

    <h4>Chapter 200 - Awakening Of The La Fay</h4>


    Even though Mnie was coughing, in between, she couldn''t stop herself from ring at Simon. Conner came to her side and patted her back, and he said, "You are tearing up, here," he picked up the ss of water that Simon had offered and brought it up to Mnie''s lips. "Drink this."


    Simon shed a charming smile at the human girl before he let his back lean against the chair while watching Conner, who was attending Mnie.


    Mnie drank a couple of sips from the ss of water, emptying it, and she ced the ss on the table before she would end up breaking it in her hand.


    "Are you feeling better now?" asked Conner, and Mnie nodded.


    "Would you like to have some juice, Mel?" Simon suddenly asked her out of nowhere, and Mnie''s eyes widened. Did he hit his head somewhere, or was he like this from the beginning?


    And as innocent as the question was, Conner himself didn''t understand why Simon had suddenly turned attentive towards his best friend. He was quick to jump in and said, "Let me go and get you the juice. Orange, isn''t it?"


    "I do not need juice right now. I am perfectly fine. I was just eating too fast I think," replied Mnie on seeing Conner stand up from his seat.


    "There is still a lot of time left before the curfew to be imposed, take your time," Simon waved his hand, and before he was about to mention the drink, Conner excused himself from the table. "Don''t go choking on things that you aren''t supposed to choke on. Unless you are practicing something."


    Mnie quietly red at Simon, her eyes darting to look around the ce where a few students were looking at them before they averted their gaze away from the table where she was sitting at.


    "You should be d that the water in the ss is empty for me to throw it in your face," retorted Mnie, and she realized what Simon had just done. He had purposely chased Conner off the table so that he could spend alone time with her.


    "Mm it is hot. I wouldn''t mind you throwing it on me, but then you never know what the next thing people will be talking about. Not to mention, my fangirls would not be happy with your treatment towards me," Simon replied to her words with a charming smile on his face. He brought his hand towards his face to push his red hair backwards.


    "I am sure they would be more than happy to know what kind of sociopath you are," came the quick retort. "Not to mention, they are like that towards you because of your ability."


    "Are you talking aboutpulsion? I am not that self centered narcissist who likes topel people to like me. People like me for who I am. You would be surprised," answered Simon, and he got up from his seat. But before going to pull his chair, she said,


    "Come near and I swear I will stab you with the fork," Mnie red at the vampire, whom she knew had more than a few screws loose in the head department.


    Simon gave her a look before he changed his chairs with another and sat down, "The chair was wobbly, I didn''t know you were imagining me toe and sit next to you." He then sat down, making Mnie clench her jaw. It had been barely more than a minute, and the red-headed vampire had already riled her. She wondered if she would end up having a high blood pressure before finishing this year. "Conner seems to be quite attentive towards you since we returned from our weekend holidays. Is your love finally being reciprocated? Is your heart bursting with uncontroble joy?"


    Mnie turned to look in the direction where Conner had walked, and she then turned back to look at Simon, whose green eyes had turned bright. Her lips twisted before she asked, "Why do you care if Conner has feelings for me or if I have feelings for him ?"


    "Because you both are my dear friends. My dearest actually," replied Simon, showing his perfectly aligned teeth.


    "We don''t need you to worry about our love life, you should worry about your own," remarked Mnie, crossing her arms and looking in the other direction.


    Like Simon, Mnie had also taken note of Conner''s sudden attentiveness.


    "Do you even know why Conner is being kinder to you?" questioned Simon, where he crossed his leg one over the other, and he rotated his ankle in the spot where it was. "It is because now he feels threatened that his childhood sweetheart is being stolen from him. By me."


    Mnie rolled her eyes, "You think too highly about yourself, don''t you? Conner is just being his kind self. There''s no need to take credits."


    One side of Simon''s lips pulled up high, and he tilted his head, "How about we two keep a bet? To see if Conner reacts to something I am going to do?"


    "I have no interest in it, nor am I involving Conner in your little schemes to provide you entertainment," came the quick response from Mnie, and she said, "How many times do you want me to remind you that you don''t have to make a conversation with me?"


    "I don''t know why, but when I see you, I have this urge to annoy and irk you. Almost where I want to see you in tears," confessed Simon, and Mnie, who was looking in the other direction, turned to look at him. She didn''t know if he was being serious or if it was only words.


    "When is your birthday?" Mnie asked him, and a sudden twinkle formed in the vampire''s eyes.


    "Why? Are you gifting me something that day? If it is, every day can be a birthday," stated Simon, and he uncrossed his legs before letting the upper part of his body lean towards her.


    Mnie nodded, "I was thinking of paying for a session of yours with a counselor." Hearing her words, for a moment, Simon didn''t respond to her and then he started to chuckle. This only made her turn her hands into tight fists.


    "I don''t mind going if you are willing toe with me. It is quite lonely to go alone to attend these kinds of things," replied Simon, not rejecting the idea, and Mnie wondered if Simon was a lost cause and if she would one day end up murdering him. Then she thought he wouldn''t rest in peace and would insteade to haunt her from his grave. Simon then said, "You know what? I will be gracious enough and help you get with Conner."


    "I don''t need your help and I am not going to get with him."


    Her thoughts went to his words of going along to the counsellor. Did he visit it before?


    "Don''t be shy, Mel. How long will you keep your one sided love to yourself, unrequited feelings? Before he moves on from his dead girlfriend''s feelings, you should snatch him. I found it unbearable to see you like a sad little puppy," Simon tapped his finger on the table, and Mnie felt the intense urge to stab it with her fork. "I won''t benefit by getting two lovely people together. Instead, consider it more to be me rinsing off my sins."


    Mnie had the same thoughts. Apart from boredom, this vampire was going through, why was he trying to do something so out of his character? Something just didn''t fit right.


    It was true that her feelings still lingered towards Conner, and it was something that would take a lot of time to detoxify herself from those feelings. But it would be a lie if she denied that Conner''s concern and previous attentiveness didn''t move her resolve of trying to move on from her feelings. Somewhere it tore and bothered her mind, bringing it back to the hope she held.


    Victoria was the first to join them at the table, taking a seat next to Simon, and she started to speak about the food they were serving today. With Mnie, who already knew about the existence of the vampires, the vampiress didn''t bother to hide about the amount of blood used for the vampires.


    And after a while, Conner returned to ce the ss of juice in front of Mnie, and he said, "They didn''t have orange juice, but there''s grapes. It should be alright, right?"


    Mnie offered a smile to him, and she gave him a nod, "Thank you for this."


    "That''s fine. I realized you are always the one getting me things and I should do the same," he lightly chuckled before getting back to have his food.


    Soon the ce at the table got busy with others, who were quick to join them, where Julie hade to sit too with Roman. Mnie couldn''t help but ponder over Simon''s offer. She looked at Conner, who was talking to Maximus, and then her eyes shifted to look at Simon, who was talking to Victoria, and when the vampiress went back to having her dinner, Simon''s eyes moved to meet Mnie''s gaze. It was as if they were secretly bickering with each other without using any words but only through their gaze.


    Julie, who noticed this, her eyebrows slightly rose, wondering what was going on between her best friend and Roman''s best friend. She leaned towards Roman and whispered,


    "I think we are having a staringpetition."


    Roman gave a brief look at the two of them from where he sat and took a sip of blood from his coke can. He didn''t bother himself with what others were doing. Instead, he turned to look at the girl sitting next to him.


    "Skip sses with me tomorrow, Winters," said Roman, and Julie stopped chewing her food. She turned to look at him with her eyes slightly wide.


    "You want to go out of Veteris?" asked Julie.


    Roman brought his hand to her mouth, wiping the sauce smeared in the corner of her lips. "I wish, but with Luciano guarding the gates, it is going to be a hassle to get in and out of Veteris. Not to mention, with the exams that have been preponed, I thought we could study together. It would be more productive."


    Julie gave it a thought before she nodded, "Okay," a smile appeared on her lips, and Roman looked satisfied with her answer. "Do you need to study a lot?" she asked him becausetely, they had been busy with other things apart from their academic books.


    "Just a little," he replied to her, and the thought warmed her heart. The time they had right now was peaceful, and she knew it wouldn''t stay forever like this, but she hoped it would stay a little longer.


    Julie watched Roman gulp the remaining blood from the can. Even though not many noticed, she saw how he was trying to keep himself calm and not go cave-vampire when it came to consuming blood. She asked him, "Are you thirsty?"


    "Always," Roman replied to her question while he licked his lips to savour thest possible taste of blood that was left on his lips.


    "I can get you a can if you want me to," offered Julie, and Roman''s lips quirked up.


    "People here are soon going to wonder if you are a morm or a vampire," he said, and when he turned to look at her, Julie noticed his eyes that were switched between ck and red.


    "Your eyes," murmured Julie under her breath, and he nodded before pinching the bridge of his nose.


    "Maybe I should have taken the training of controlling my blood thirst more seriously when I was having sessions with Evans," Roman looked slightly annoyed, and he exhaled air. "A ripper''s body is like a ck hole. The more you feed it, the more it craves and at one point, it bes impossible to stop the person. Which is how most of the rippers end up dead as they turn into a problem."


    But Donovan had a theory that Roman had the dark stone within him, thought Julie in her mind. Then wasn''t it like a double-edged sword? Where if he didn''t feed on blood, he would lose his mind and on the other side was the dark hole.


    Roman was clearly struggling to keep his ripper side in control. He ran his fingers through his hair. While people were busy talking at the table, Conner decided to ask Olivia,


    "Do you have all the details of the students in the infirmary who are hurt?"


    Olivia watched Conner, "I wouldn''t say all. Just a few of them."


    "I see, I was wondering if I could take a look at Reese''s file, you know," said Conner, unaware of the fact that he was questioning a vampiress.


    Olivia yed it cool and gave him a surprised look, "Reese''s file?" And on seeing Conner nod, she nodded back, "I think I can get it for you. I can speak to doctor Isolde and let you take a look at it. It should be alright."


    "Thanks, Olivia. That would be of great help," smiled Conner with a thankful expression on his face.


    "It isn''t much," replied Olivia, and her eyes met the eye''s of her friends who were at the table when Conner went back to speak to Mnie.


    Julie stood up from her chair to get something else to eat, and after buying it while returning to the table, one of the student''s crashed into her.


    "Watch where you are going," spoke the boy in a harsh tone, ring at her when it wasn''t her fault, whereas he had abruptly stood up from his chair.


    Julie stared at the person with a frown and said, "I believe you are equally at fault for suddenly standing up. It isn''t like I knew you would be pushing your chair." She was careful enough to not spill anything on the floor or the person.


    Hearing her words, the boy took offence, and he pushed the chair to the side and came to stand right in front of her to tower over her. He took a closer look and said, "I see that it''s the four eyes. Did you suddenly gain confidence since you turned into Moltenore''s girlfriend?"


    "I don''t think I need to be someone''s girlfriend to remind you about basic human decency," replied Julie, and she noticed the way his eyes suddenly turned red. She blinked again before it turned hazel, making her wonder if she was dreaming. The boy red at her, "If I were you, I would have watched that mouth before speaking . You don''t want to go making enemies with people in here unnecessarily," the boy sneered before noticing how Julie was staring at him. "What are you looking at?"


    A little confused, Julie wondered if this person was turning into a ripper too, which is why she was able to see the red eyes. Because the vampire students in here were able to control their When he went to grab her shoulder to push her aside, she caught his hand, and instead of him, she was the one to push him to the side.


    The vampire lightly crashed into the people sitting at the nearest table. He red at Julie, this time, it was him who turned confused. How could a mere human push him? Unless this human was truly a vampire now? His eyes shifted to look at where Roman was, noticing how he had stood up from his seat.


    Julie turned to look behind her, noting Roman, who didn''t look pleased. She turned to look at the front and said to the boy, "Let us drop the matter right here, instead of causing fights that are not required."


    The boy quietly red at her before his friend called him, "What''s gotten into you? Getting into a fight with Moltenore''s girl?"


    "But did you see that, the human had pushed him. Did you turn weak?"ughed the boy''s other friend. That was enough blow to the boy''s ego.


    While the boy who had been rude to Julie was talking to his friend, Julie made her way back to the table. And though the other people at the table looked like they were talking with each other, she could sense that there was something tense in the atmosphere.


    Looking at the people at the table, suddenly everyone''s eyes were red and it felt even stranger than before to Julie. Surely the vampire students in here weren''t losing their control over themselves. Was she able to now recognise vampires without them showing their true self, asked Julie to herself.


    Roman pulled the chair for Julie, "Everything okay?" he asked her.


    Julie offered him a smile, "Yes, everything is good," and she sat down. She waited for him to join her by sitting down, but he didn''t. "Rome?" she called him.


    "I think I will go and get that can of coke," he hummed.


    "Now?" asked Julie, knowing exactly why he was suddenly thirsty.


    "Mm," came the response from Roman before walking away from their table and heading in the direction of where the boy was, who looked annoyed.


    The boy could be heard saying, "I am not scared of Moltenore. One should know how to behave with us vampires, especially when they are humans." Someone tapped on his shoulder, and when he turned, suddenly a punchnded on his face, sending him right to the floor.


    The boy winced in pain, moving his jaw in pain, while looking up to see it was Roman standing in front of him.


    "What the fuck?" asked the boy, looking more than offended this time. "What was that for?!"


    "I thought you were trash that needed to be moved," remarked Roman, his eyes looking dully at the boy.

 Chapter 201 - Red-headed Vampires Game

    <h4>Chapter 201 - Red-headed Vampire''s Game</h4>


    People who were around scrunch their faces on hearing the sound of Roman''s fist that met with the boy''s face for the second time when the boy tried to take a hit against the senior vampire.


    "Does he not know that Rome is much stronger and experienced when ites to fighting?" Olivia questioned, watching her friend grab the boy.


    "You know how there are some junior ones who often like to challenge the senior ones to get the title of being the most fearsome out of all," Maximus replied to her question. "Not to mention, don''t you remember what had happened in our first year here in Veteris?"


    Olivia frowned as if remembering that time, and she nodded. She said, "How can anyone forget. I feel like we spent more time in the infirmary than anywhere else during our first year here."


    Simon snickered at Olivia''s words, and he popped the piece of chicken into his mouth while watching the fight that had broken in the lunchroom.


    Maximus continued to say, "I heard from others that what had happened in our first year, something like that had never happened before that. But then that''s because they didn''t have Rome or us."


    Julie, who sat at the table for a moment, pursed her lips while watching Roman enjoying his time in beating the boy who had been rude to her.


    "Do you know how we turned famous, Julie?" Simon popped the question to her, and the three humans at the table turned to look at the red-headed vampire.


    "By getting into fights?" asked Julie, because it was the most obvious thing from what she had seen and heard about the famous five seniors of Veteris.


    "Well that would be just a part of the reason. Or maybe where it stemmed," replied Simon, his green eyes turning bright while he looked at her. "When people got on Rome''s bad side, it would often lead into fights, and ended up beating them. Word was quick to spread since the first week of our first academic year, and the seniors soon started to get into fights with him, to im or to keep their position until their time here."


    "It sounds ridiculous," muttered Mnie under her breath.


    Simon continued to speak, "But we beat everyone up into pulp who tried to pick a fight with us, and the seniors finally stopped trying to get involved and we earned the name of being the fantastic five. It is more about iming and letting others know who is superior here."


    "So the boy thought he could overpower Roman?" asked Conner, as if trying to verify, and Simon gave a nod.


    "That is what is happening. Picking up on Julie was just a way to get Roman''s attention and if one of the staff were to catch them now, the me would directly fall on Roman. But I am sure that the boy won''t try to attempt it the next time," replied Simon, and while everyone''s attention was on the fight between Roman and the boy, his hand sneaked towards Mnie''s ss of juice, and he picked it up.


    Mnie''s eyes widened, and before she could stop the thief from stealing it, Simon took a sip from the juice. Both their eyes met, and she mouthed, ''What are you doing?!''


    But Simon continued to take another sip before sneakily cing it back near her. Mnie gave him an incredulous look as if asking him if he was serious. The nerve of this blood-sucking leech, she cursed him in her mind.


    On the other side of the lunchroom, Roman sat on the back of his heels, right next to the boy, who groaned in pain.


    "Next time when you see my girl, make sure to keep a ten meter distance," warned Roman, his eyes turning red as he red at the younger vampire. "Because what I did right now was only the teaser. Next time I will give you the experince of the whole movie and you won''t survive."


    Saying that Roman stood up, and his eyes flickered back to ck. Leaving the boy there, he walked to the counter, ordering two coke cans before returning to the table and sitting next to Julie.


    Julie turned to him, and she softly said, "You didn''t have to beat him."


    "Some of our kind don''t understand words, especially sweet ones like yours. Which is why beating them is more effective," answered Roman, and when he picked up one of the coke cans, Julie noticed the bruise on his knuckles.


    Her eyebrows slightly furrowed in concern, and she ced her hand on his before bringing it to ce it on herp. Her fingertips brushed on his skin, receiving no reaction from him.


    "It feels unsettling when I see you hurt," murmured Julie, where she believed she didn''t have to raise her voice for Roman to hear what she spoke. The lunchroom was back to fill with its usual sound, where students had gone back to talking andughing as if a few minutes ago the fight had not taken ce.


    Roman finished drinking blood from one of the cans, crushing it. He picked up another can and wrapped his other hand around Julie''s hand. He asked, "Did you finish eating?"


    Julie gave him a nod and saw him stand while he tugged on her hand. She stood up with him, and they both left the lunchroom, stepping outside the building. Raising her gaze, she looked at the sky. She noticed the stars that shone in their ces while the moon was hidden by a couple of clouds. Roman''s hand around her own hand felt good, that held her hand protectively and firmly.


    "Is something on your mind, Rome?" asked Julie while they walked on the footpath. Most of the students were in the lunchroom or on the other side of the campus. The ce where they walked seemed deserted.


    The fightback in the lunchroom had taken longer than the time she had expected it tost as if Roman had let it drag so that he could torture the boy slowly. "Nothing particr," he replied to her. She felt him pull her closer, and she was more than happy to move closer to him. She heard him say, "Did it scare you? The fight?"


    Julie shook her head, "It isn''t my first time seeing you get into a fight," she pointed, and the corner of his lips slightly pulled up. "Is it because of the ripper side in you?"


    Roman took a sip from the can he held in his other hand. He responded with a soft sigh, "No. It has nothing to do with the ripper side of mine. When I was little and a human, I watched the way my mother was treated by the people in the vige. Theycked respect for her, and though she didn''t ask for it, I could tell that she wanted someone to look up at her with respect. I was one out of the three people who did it."


    "You feel the vampire disrespected me," of course, it was, thought Julie in her mind.


    "I know you will eventually grow stronger than what you are now, but that doesn''t mean that I want anyone to look down at you even for a second. If I let it pass, another person will try to mistreat you, and it might escte things," Roman, who was looking ahead of him, turned his gaze to Julie, who stared back at him. "So let me be that shield around you, to be able to see that you are treated right."


    Julie''s eyes lowered, her cheeks turning warm by his words. Roman sure knew to make her chest turn all fuzzy by his words. She stopped walking, tugging his hand for him to stop too, and they came to stand face to face. The clouds that had been hovering in front of the moon slowly drifted away because of the wind, and it let the moonlight to shine on thend of Veteris.


    Julie used both her hands to hold his right hand, watching Roman''s features. He looked nothing less than a beautiful phantom. He looked at her with his ck eyes. She offered him a tender smile and said,


    "I have noints with regard to you protecting me, but it would be a lie if I said I didn''t worry that something might happen." She looked down at his hand, watching the bruise. She closed her eyes, and that was when Roman noticed Julie''s hand slightly emit a white glow. "And I will try my best to catch up to you so that I can protect you too when timees."


    "I know you will," said Roman, noticing the bruise quickly disappearing from his skin. Since he had turned into a ripper, his body could not heal quickly, and it had slowed down the process.


    Julie then brought her hand to touch Roman''s cheek, and he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them to reveal the red ones. "Mother told me that the more I will be able to control my soul energy, the more opportunity it will give me when ites to abilities."


    Roman pulled Julie towards him, putting his arms around her as he hugged her. "I cannot wait to see what you can do," he pressed his hands on her back to have her arch into him. "But be careful. I haven''t heard good things when ites to the soul energy of the witches."


    He had heard of how witches often went to the dark side while trying to tap into their soul energy. It was simr to how vampires stepped into the ripper side. It didn''t bother him much because even if she went to the darker side, he would still love her. And the only thing that bothered him was her leaving his side.


    Julie nodded, pressing the side of her face on his chest. She hugged him back, taking in the smell of his expensive cologne, and she asked him,


    "You smell so good," murmured Julie, and she felt her body being squeezed by him. "I won''t hurt myself," she assured him.


    "Mm," and Roman''s one hand moved to cradle the back of her head. "Until you are ready, and even after that, I will continue to protect you, Winters."


    Julie smiled at his words, staying there in his arms, with no one around but just them. She could feel his heart rapidly beating, and she pulled away to meet his eyes. Before she could say something, he said,


    "I will be meeting Isoldeter to get a reading of my current ripper state on what might be going on."


    "I would like to apany you," replied Julie.


    "Let us finish our stroll and head there then," remarked Roman, and his hand slipped back into her hand before they continued their walk on the footpath.


    Julie wondered how different life would be next year at this time, and she wondered how much things would have changed. When she entered Veteris, she didn''t expect things to take such a sharp turn in her life. She knew things would turn more serious with the inevitable fight between the people in Veteris and the ones who wanted to step into Willow Creek.


    Both Julie and Roman continued to walk before they entered the forest and stepped into the restricted side of the forest. They went to the Veteris cemetery.


    A light fog crept on the ground of the cemetery, and Julie wondered if it was just the weather of the night. She and Roman came to stand in front of Ms. Piper Martin''s grave, staring at the headstone with her name and year on it. Though days had passed since the vampiress'' death, Julie missed the woman.


    "Sometimes I selfishly wish that the people whom I knew and cared about were still alive. Even if it meant that they would suffer by being vampires," said Roman with a grave voice as he stared at the grave. "Do you think there might be a time when you will create a potion to bring back the dead?"


    Julie sat down in front of the grave, removing the dried twigs and leaves that hade to settle on the woman''s grave.


    "Like the Corvins?" asked Julie, and Roman hummed.


    "Maybe it is better that they aren''t," replied Roman because if all vampires turned into vampires, it would possibly turn disastrous.


    But Roman''s words put a thought in Julie''s head, and she wondered if it was possible to contact the dead.


    "Do you think I might be able to resurrect the dead one day?" asked Julie, turning over her shoulder and looking at Roman.


    Roman shook his head, "I will tell you why. Give me your hand," he offered his hand for her to take, and when she did, he pulled her to stand. He then took her ce, bending. He pushed the lid of the grave to reveal the coffin. When he pulled out the top box of the coffin, Julie was greeted with clothes and dust in there.


    "Her body turned into dust¡­" whispered Julie.


    "A vampire''s fate is such that once they die, there is nothing but a ckhole in there. No matter how much you try to grab a person out of it, you will catch nothing but air,"mented Roman. "It might be because we vampires use extra hours, days or years, which is why once we are dead, we cannot be resurrected."


    Julie turned her gaze towards the grave where the members of the Moltenore familyid inside graves. They must still be in skeleton form, she thought in her mind because they had died as humans.


    Roman pushed both the lids in their ce and came to stand next to Julie.


    Julie said, "I want to go to Willow Creek."


    "Now?" Roman tilted his head to the side, to which Julie nodded.


    "Cillian is the only reference I have, and he should know how to create potions. Maybe one way to create them," she exined to him.


    "Alright."


    Back in the lunchroom, somewhere between wanting to leave and wanting to stay so that the vampires wouldn''t attack Conner, Mnie waited for Conner to finish his meal.


    "Aren''t you going to drink the juice, Mel?" asked Conner, noticing there was still half of it in there.


    Mnie smiled at Conner, her smile tight, and she said, "I think I am full."


    "Let me drink it then," said Conner, his hand reaching out for the juice. Mnie quickly pulled the juice away from his reach, making her friend give a questioning look. "What?"


    Mnie''s cheeks slightly turned red, and she said, "I have a little," she cleared her throat, "Cough, because I got drenched and I don''t want you catching it."


    "What a concerning friend you have Conner," chimed Simon, while Mnie brought the juice closer to her side. "Only if I had a best friend like that," he stressed the word best friend, which was enough for his vampire friends to pick up that something was up.


    "Maybe you should catch a fever," proposed Victoria before rolling her eyes.


    Conner smiled at Mnie''s concern. He said, "Sorry about that, Simon, but Mel is like that only with me. She knows I get sick very soon and she worries. You don''t have to worry about it," he said thest sentence to his best friend.


    "How sweet. Don''t you agree guys?" asked Simon, and Victoria went back to her food while Maximus and Olivia shared looks between them. "You both have known each other since you were children. You know in cases like these where you grow up next to each other, neighbors too, people are bound to fall in love."


    Mnie''s face turned pale at Simon''s words.


    Connerughed at Simon''s words, and he said, "Mel and I have always been friends without having to worry about such things." He turned to look at Mnie and said, "Mel was there even when I lost Reese, and she''s always supported me. I keep getting such questions, but there''s nothing but friendship between us."


    "Is that so?" asked Simon with fake disappointment, and he sighed, "I was thinking that we would get to hear a great story."


    Thankfully, Maximus was the one who intervened in the conversation, which wasn''t much help, as he asked, "How about you, Simon? Who is the most interesting person you have met in Veteris?"


    Simon grinned at Maximus'' question, "Who?" he asked in a nonchnt tone, twisting his lips before he said, "I don''t think there''s anyone who is able to catch my attention for more than a week. Most are mediocre, and I wouldn''t say they are of my type."


    "What a bummer," remarked Maximus, giving him a look while the grin on Simon''s lips didn''t leave.


    "It is, isn''t it?" Simon clicked his tongue. "Maybe I can ask you, Olivia. We have known each other for a long time and I would like to tell people that we are childhood sweethearts. What do you say?"


    Olivia drank the milkshake that was in her hand, staring at Simon while she continued to sip the drink. Pulling the ss away from her lips, she said, "It is already troublesome enough that people know we have known each other since we were children."


    When Conner got up from his chair, Mnie looked up at him, and he said, "I will be going to the Dormitorium. I need to make an outline and submit it tomorrow." He then asked Mel, "Youing, Mel?"


    Mnie felt Simon''s eyes on her, which she avoided, "Yeah." She got up from her chair.


    Before she could leave the table with Conner, Simon stopped her by saying, "You should take it with you. People are dying fromck of food."


    Mnie gingerly took the juice in her hand, and left the lunchroom.

 Chapter 202 - Dark Stone

    <h4>Chapter 202 - Dark Stone</h4>


    Julie and Roman stepped near the bridge, which Ms. Dante had got it fixed since both Julie and Mnie had returned safely from the past. She stood in front of the bridge, looking at it apprehensively, where the path held darkness.


    She felt Roman slip his hand into hers, and he tugged it, "I am with you," he said, and she slowly moved her feet to follow him.


    The bridge slightly shook as they walked, making their way through the foggy darkness. But before they could reach the other side of the bridge, Roman heard something creak from behind, and he was quick to turn around. Wondering what happened, Julie turned in the same direction, and her eyes widened on seeing the creature of the witch stand on the same side she had seen it stand before.


    "Cillian?" Julie called the Corvin''s name.


    Though Julie had opened the portal voluntarily once, it didn''t mean she had it on her fingertips.


    "Are you going to visit the town?" asked the creature, its beak pointing at them.


    "She will need your help and intel,e with us," said Roman looking at the Corvin while feeling Julie''s hand in his tighten as if worried that they would end up in another timeline.


    "Okay," replied Cillian, making his way towards where they stood before the couple continued to walk, making their way towards the once hidden town. "What are you looking for?" the Corvin asked Julie.


    Julie put her hand in her pocket and then pulled the colourless vial in her hand, "Do you know anything about this? Mother left it in the house for me."


    Cillian took hold of the vial from her, tilting the little ss in his twig-like hands. The twigs lengthened itself like a creeper that tried to move and hide the vial in his hand. He then shook his boney head before returning it to her.


    "I am not able to sense what it is," said Cillian, as Julie took the vial back in her hand. "When I was alive, I was able to sense what each of the potions could do. It was something that I had cultivated over time, but now that I am a Corvin, a creature that is the dead version of a witch, I cannot sense it."


    Julie pursed her lips, her eyebrows furrowing.


    "How do you cultivate such skill? To be able to know what each potion does?" asked Julie, her eyes looking at Cillian earnestly. She walked in the middle while on either side walked Roman and the Corvin.


    "It took me more than a decade to do that. You first learn to touch each of the potions in your hand. Some potions react readily, while some don''t," exined Cillian in his rough, scratchy voice, which was far from the voice that she had known from the past she had visited. "You make use of the basic abilities that you have the sense of smell and touch, and you thenbine your soul energy."


    "Did my mother have this ability too?" asked Julie, and to her question, Cillian shook his head.


    "No, Opaline never cultivated that skill."


    Roman, listening to them converse, questioned Cillian with, "Aren''t some of the potions harmful to the witches?"


    "It is. Which is why most of the witches don''t divulge into it. Consider it to be more on the lines of self harm," replied Cillian. His head had turned in Roman''s direction, staring long at the vampire before turning to look ahead of their path. They were surrounded by trees, and the only light that came from was the moon hanging up in the sky. "There are various kinds of potions. From harmless ones, to the kind that can lead a witch''s body to start decaying."


    That would mean that she would need to risk herself if she was nning to y and test the potions before she would be able to learn something so advanced. Cillian had more than a decade''s experience, while she had just learned to tap into her soul energy.


    "Do you have any idea on what it might be?" Julie asked, referring to the vial that she had shown.


    Cillian shook his raven head, "Opaline was kind and generous, but she was also very secretive and the people around her were well aware of it."


    A soft sigh escaped from Julie''s lips, and she then said, "I guess it wouldn''t hurt in learning basic potions if I can identify what these do."


    On reaching the centre of the town, Julie felt as if she had stepped on a movie set where there were props all around them. The ce was dead silent, and the corpse of people continued to stay where it was since theirst visit.


    Julie had asked them not to move the bodies from their position so that she could learn more about the day when the curse had fallen upon the people and thend here. But now that she had lived through the time... maybe it was time to put them to their graves, she thought in her mind.


    "What are you looking for?" asked Cillian, watching the witch and the vampire.


    "I want to see the souls of the people who have died here," said Julie, and she was sure that if Cillian was alive, he would have frowned at her words. "You said that there are souls of the witches that have been sacrificed, which has led to thends to enrich itself with power. Do you know how many times it has happened? There must be some sort of pattern and we should be able to find what the Mortimer brothers are actually looking for."


    The creature gave her a nod and then said, "When I was alive, the witches had been attacked and had lost their lives twice. When you visited us, it was the third attack."


    "What about after that?" inquired Julie.


    "The next one was when Opaline passed away, but I don''t know how many times after that the witches were attacked in here. I wasn''t here to see it," answered Cillian. "Let me see if I can find some answer."


    The Corvin slowly moved from its ce, walking around as if it was taking a stroll, while Roman stared at the creature, who was his rtive. Julie and he took a walk by themselves, and when they moved to one part of the town, Julie''s paused her feet, and she said,


    "I think this is the spot."


    She raised both her hands in front of her, and soon a light whisper and chittering carried itself in the wind.


    Julie closed her eyes, trying to connect with the energy of thend. Seconds turned to minute, but apart from the windy breeze, nothing changed, and Roman watched Julie, who slowly started to radiate a white and blue light around her, encapsting her in a dome. Just when the sparks fell on Roman, he felt the sudden pull of his heart.


    He turned around and coughed, ck blood appearing from his mouth. The Corvin''s sight shifted from Julie to look at the vampire before it glided on the ground toe to stand in front of Roman.


    "ck blood... is a sign of death," pointed the Corvin.


    "We are standing in a town which is nothing less than a cemetery of the dead, that is literal enough," responded Roman, wiping the blood from his mouth before Julie would open her eyes. This wasn''t the first time he felt it from Julie''s powers.


    Julie continued to harness the soul energy from thend, where it looked as if a channel had been formed between her and the ground she was standing on.


    While looking at Julie, Cillian said to Roman, "If you are looking for the ckburns, there isn''t one who is alive. And as much as the thought is unsettling that you are a vampire, you are thest line of the ckburn, who were a family of witches."


    "I have deduced so much after learning you are a ckburn," responded Roman, and the light that Julie pulled out from the ground reflected on his and the Corvin''s features. To think that this Corvin was rted to him, he would have never guessed. He asked, "Do you know what happened to them?"


    The creature raised its hand, and its fingers started to elongate before it fell on the ground. Moving like creepers, it inched towards the dome of light that surrounded Julie.


    Cillian said, "I was looking for my sister''s family, when I came to learn that thest of the ckburns had been sacrificed by the vampires. The same vampires, who are nning to hurt Julie."


    "The Mortimers?" questioned Roman, and Cillian moved his bird-like head up and down. "You were with Opaline, when the Mortimers were around. What do you know about them?"


    Roman had heard from Donovan about them, but he never got to hear the witch''s version.


    "The Mortimers¡­ Jaoquin wanted to create a stone which could help a person be able to contain more than one thing within themselves."


    "The dark stone," said Roman.


    "Yes, the dark stone. The stone isn''t about carrying more than one ability, but it is about living as both vampire as well as witch¡­" exined Cillian, his voice turning nothing less to a whisper. "We ckburns, we were witches who had abilities like the La Fay''s, different but unique which not many could possess. It seems like your mother''s family created the dark stone, under the Mortimers. But they never gave it to the vampires. It took me a while to figure out why I find you empty. You are as dead as me," came the blunt words from the Corvin.


    It was true. Roman was supposed to be dead but weren''t all vampires like that.


    "Do you know what happened in between my mother escaping or running away from there?" questioned Roman.


    "I don''t know what went wrong, but the ckburn''s family ended up on the wrong side. When the time came to give the Mortimers the dark stone, she reced it with another stone before running away from the family," said the Corvin, before pausing as Roman coughed more ck blood. He spat the blood on the ground before wiping his lips with the sleeves of his ck shirt. "The soul energy in here is very pure. It will try to destruct anything that it finds to be impure."


    Roman, who believed that Cillian was talking about him,ter noticed the creepers that had crept around the light of the dome, started to turn into dust, evaporating it as it moved up in the air.


    "Though there''s no definite truth that it is what happened, I believe your mother crushed the stone before she decided to drink it to probably protect herself if the vampires came for her. But dark stones doesn''t react to everyone in an expected way," said Cillian, and its fingers went back to their usual length.


    "Donovan said she never exhibited a single trait of a witch, which is why he never gave a thought about her family background," stated Roman, his eyebrows subtly furrowing. That meant that his mother consumed the stone before she met Donovan, and instead of it giving powers, it stole away her ability of being a witch.


    Did that mean that his mother''s death was not caused because of him? Or the curse that ran in Donovan''s family?


    "A lot of people have always tried to get their hands on a single dark stone. But only a few know about the side effects of the dark stone... Roman," Cillian addressed him by his name for the very first time. "I don''t know in what mind she took it, but the moment the dark stone reached your mother''s lips... she must have known what she did."


    Roman was young when his mother had passed away, but not once had he heard or seen his mother do anything out of her character. In his memory, she was always calm and smiled at him. He asked,


    "If it was the dark stone that deteriorated her health, why did it continue to damage even after I was born?"


    "Even after you remove the dark stone from the person, the effects will continue to reside. She probably didn''t know that she passed it to you," said Cillian, turning to face Romanpletely again. He offered, "I can try to check the dark stone if you want."


    "I thought you couldn''t sense potions or things that are made by the witches," remarked Roman, his red eyes staring into the hollowness of the bird''s eyes.


    Julie, who had been standing a little away from the two of them, finally dropped her hands to her side. She opened her eyes that she had earlier closed, and the dome of light slowly started to disperse itself in the atmosphere.


    Though in the beginning, she had trouble connecting to the energy this ce held, she had finally seeded, but at the same time, she felt overwhelmed. It felt as if she had touched something old and powerful. When she turned around, she caught sight of Roman and Cillian standing in front of each other while they stared.


    Julie asked, "Is everything alright?" not knowing if she missed something.


    "I was suggesting to Roman that he allow me to take a look at his heart that holds the dark stone," said Cillian, and this had Julie worried.


    "You want to dig your fingers into his chest?" asked Julie, her eyes slightly wide.


    "It isn''t as bad as you think. Don''t you want to know how much his heart has been corrupted or if there''s anything that we don''t know about?" asked Cillian and Julie realized how his speech had turned more proper now than the first few weeks.


    "Fine," replied Roman, but Julie wasn''t sure about this. She asked Cillian,


    "Is it safe?"


    "I think so," came the reply from the Corvin. He said to them, "Let us move to one of the houses, than stand out here," and he walked towards the closest house. They entered the nearest house, and Roman used his ability to light up the unused candles in the house, brightening the dark house. Cillian instructed Roman, "Remove the fabric and lie down on the bed."


    Roman removed his shirt, and as heid down on the bed, he said to Julie, "Don''t be anxious."


    "He is right. It is time to use your healing ability that your mother taught you. You have done it before, you will be able to do it this time," said Cillian, moving towards the side of the bed and hovering above Roman. "This might hurt."


    "Get over with it," remarked Roman, knowing it was going to be more than just hurt.


    Julie came to stand at the head of the bed so that she could see what Cillian was going to do.


    Cillian brought his hand to ce it t on Roman''s chest, and suddenly his twig-like fingers pierced into the chest. Roman''s eyes turned bright red, and he grit his teeth because of the intrusion in his body that moved towards his heart.


    Julie didn''t know what or how Cillian would determine, but right now, all she could tell was that Roman was in too much pain. His fangs were quick toe out, and a deep animal-like growl emerged from his throat. The Corvin''s other hand was quick to move, and each finger turned into a creeper that moved to hold down the vampire, whose ripper side had emerged.


    Roman''s features turned simr to when the silver bullet had dissolved itself in him. But this time, he looked much more lethal with every passing second the Corvin had its hand in his chest. Drops of blood He tried to get out of the hold, but the Corvin had bound him with its fingers, but Cillian knew he couldn''t hold the boy for too long because he was much stronger than him.


    The me in the candles flickered, and Julie turned to look at them, noticing how even though there was no wind inside the house, the mes were moving on their own ord.


    "He''s hurting!" eximed Julie.


    The Corvin didn''t release and instead only continued what it had started. When Roman released one of his arms, the creature finally pulled its hand out of his chest. It took a couple of seconds for his eyes toe back to normal and his fangs to disappear. Though the ripper side in Roman had been awakened, hecked energy when it came to trying to harm the Corvin.


    "You can heal him now," instructed Cillian, stepping away from the bed and letting Julie take his ce.


    "Why is he not healing like before?" asked Julie, watching more blood slide down his skin to fall on the old mattress of the bed.


    "His body is reaching its limit and trying to amodate the instability that is being caused by the dark stone," replied Cillian, while Roman''s body slowly started to turn to quieten, with the wound still open. Julie ced her hands on his chest, feeling the wetness of the blood. This time there was no light emitting from her hand, but Roman''s wound started to close itself.


    It took a few more seconds before Julie pulled her hand away. As she wiped the blood on the sides of her dress, she heard Cillian say,


    "It is said that the dark stone often needs the help of a witch if a vampire wants to make use of it. Simr to the other stones that have been passed to the Elder vampires. But in his case, the stone attached itself to him."


    "Is it a bad thing?" asked Julie, and she moved closer to Roman.


    Cillian informed her, "Thest owner of the dark stone, it brought the person death.." Julie''s eyebrows furrowed and she ced her hand back on Roman''s chest, unable to feel his heart beat.

 Chapter 203 - Ghosts Of The Willow Creek

    <h4>Chapter 203 - Ghosts Of The Willow Creek</h4>


    Panic started to seep into Julie''s mind when she noticed Roman wasn''t breathing, nor was his heart beating the way it used to. She quickly turned to look at Cillian and asked,


    "What did you do to him?!"


    "Nothing," came the reply from the Corvin, and he came closer to check Roman.


    Julie ced both her hands on Roman''s chest and started to pump it up and down with as much force as she could, but even after seconds passed, Roman didn''t wake up, and it had made her mind starting to spiral in worry.


    Cillian ced both his twig-like hands on Roman''s chest after Julie pulled her hand away for a moment. He said, "You are right, he seems to be not breathing. He''s dead."


    Her eyes turned as wide as the saucers, and her hands turned cold, "H-how is that possible? You only checked the condition of his heart, didn''t you?" she asked him with a look of disbelief. She got her hand in front of Roman''s chest again and was ready to use her soul energy when Cillian ced his twig-like hand on her hand, pushing it down. "What''s going on?" Julie questioned him.


    The Corvin moved its beak near Roman as if it could smell through its boney head. He said, "It is the dark stone that has reacted. Not to me, but to the magic that resides in Willow Creek. The dark stone might be created by the witches, but it doesn''t mean that it takes well when ites to residing in a vampire''s body. Consider it to be like a shoe that can or cannot fit a person. After all, the dark stone was considered to wield the highest powers."


    "Are you telling the dark stone isn''t epting him?" questioned Julie, and she turned back to look at Roman, whose face was turning pale, and the mes in the candle were dimming. She used her own ability to bring light into the room.


    Was he dead? Asked Julie to herself, unable to believe it because it couldn''t be. Roman couldn''t die like this.


    Cillian took his time to reply to Julie''s question, and he said, "He is the son of a witch and a vampire, so somewhere there must be a fight inside his body on which can dominate when ites to the dark stone being epted. He is dead, but at the same time, he isn''t."


    Minutes passed in silence, and Julie and the Corvin stood there staring at Roman. Suddenly the mes in the candle brightened in a way like never before, and they saw Roman''s eyes snap open, and he took a deep breath as if gasping for air.


    "Rome!" Julie''s hand moved to ce it on his arm. "Thank God," she whispered, with her eyes closed.


    Roman felt something wrap around his heart as if a string was moving quickly to wound around the organ that started to beat. His eyes were blood red, and it went back to being ck with one blink of an eye.


    He sat up on the bed, and Julie asked him with concern, "Are you doing okay? Your heart stopped beating."


    "I was dead," remarked Roman, as if he wasn''t surprised by the thought of him being dead. But he turned to look at the Corvin, and his eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"


    "I fixed the dark stone that resides in you," replied Cillian, and Julie looked at it with using eyes.


    "You said you didn''t do anything," said Julie, and the Corvin looked down.


    "He was dead. I didn''t want you to me me for it," came the reply from the creature.


    "You cannot lie to me. From now on, I forbid you from lying, hiding anything or cheating me in any way," Roman was important to her, and she didn''t want the creature or anyone hiding things from her when it came to him, especially when it involved his life.


    "I promise to not do that," replied the Corvin. It then said, "The dark stone that was created, it held impurities that needed to be removed, now that it''s gone, even if someone wants to, they cannot hurt you. Not the vampires, witches, nor me. What I mean to say is, the process of dying and reviving will happen immediately."


    Roman brought his hand in front of him, staring at his palm where the me was quick to appear on it. The intensity was much higher than he usually held it, and he covered the mes with his fingers as if hiding it in his hand for it to disappear.


    When the three of them stepped out of the house that they had upied, they came to notice something very bizarre in the town.


    "Are these..." Julie''s voice trailed as she noticed translucent figures around them. Most stood next to the skeletons.


    "Ghosts of the witches," remarked Roman, who stood next to her. "Do you know what they are doing here?" The question was directed to the Corvin.


    "I don''t know what happened," came the raspy words from Cillian. "I have never seen anything like this before. But it doesn''t look right."


    "What do you mean?" asked Julie, noticing the translucent ghosts weren''t looking exactly transparent, but they had a greyish-blue hue covering them. She noticed one of the ghosts standing next to a skeleton, watching and touching it as if in shock.


    "The souls of the witches, they are supposed to stay in the ground, and not walk around like this," exined Cillian, his raven head turning to look in the other direction. "Did you put the soul back into rest after connecting with the soul energy?" he asked Julie.


    "I think I did. How many ways are there to stop the connection?" Julie asked him before her eyes fell on the ghosts, who were standing next to the poles where the skeletons had been tied. Her feet moved by itself, heading in the direction of where her siblings'' skeletons were, and she reached the spot. Roman was quick to follow her so that nothing bad would happen to her.


    Julie came to stand next to one of her sisters ghost, and she noticed how sad her sister looked. To think that there had been a time where she was supposed to be part of arge family with brothers and sisters, a mother and a father, they were all gone, leaving her all alone.


    She brought her hand to touch the ghost''s shoulder, and when she touched it, the ghost turned to look at her with a look of anxiousness in its eyes.


    "She can see me," whispered Julie, somewhere her heart bursting in joy. Roman had a subtle frown on his face, watching the interaction, who stood two steps away from them. "What is your name?" she asked the girl, but she received no response.


    The Corvin glided across thend like another ghost in thend,ing near where Julie stood. He said,


    "The ghosts can touch you but they can''t see you, Julie. They are people who have passed to another life, and they don''t belong here. Only their energy is left behind."


    Hearing this, Julie was slightly hurt, but she put on a smile on her face. She was d to be able to see them. She asked him, "Do you know what her name is?"


    "udia," replied the Corvin, and they moved towards Julie''s other sisters and brothers, where the Corvin introduced each one of them to Julie. Before Julie could move towards her mother, one of the ghosts started to cry out as if it was in pain. The cry was simr to the one that she and Mnie had heard during the time before both of them went to the past. Another ghost started crying and screaming in pain before the other ghosts did the same.


    "They are going to rm every vampire and humans if this continues,"mented Roman, his vampire hearing ability picking up the screams and the wails much more than Julie and Cillian could hear.


    The Corvin said to Julie, "You need to put them back to sleep."


    Julie looked at Corvin if he was being serious. If singing a luby to the ghosts would help, she would have done it, but she didn''t know where to start when dealing with the spirits of the witches.


    Sensing Julie''s worry, Cillian said, "Raise your hands and try to push them back down. Below the ground is where they are supposed to rest."


    Julie shook her head, "That''s not right."


    "It is how it is done," responded Cillian, but that is not what Julie meant.


    "The reason why the vampires have been trying to get to Willow Creek all these years is because this ce turned into a witches spirit power, when in truth they are just souls of the deceased. Can''t we help them rest in peace than live like this?" asked Julie, feeling a sense of pity for the dead.


    The ghosts around them cried out in a mncholic tone, and it was turning ufortable with every passing second.


    "I doubt burning them would help if you mean to exorcize them," remarked Roman, and he was right. Witches had always been burnt either by the humans or by the vampires and even after doing that, their souls had been trapped in thisnd.


    Julie tried to think and then she quickly ran to the La Fay''s house. She rummaged through the drawers one by one until she got her hands on a vial of ss. When she returned, Cillian stared at her, "Do you think hundreds of souls can be captured in that vial?" he asked her.


    "I need to start somewhere," replied Julie, before asking him, "What are the requirements for creating a potion?"


    Cillian had been an experienced witch when he was still alive. To a lot of witches, it took years of experience when it came to making a potion, and it included him. He wondered if Julie would do it because a wrong step could make the situation worse. But more importantly, it was because the good witches had difficultypleting one of the steps.


    "me, two pentagons in the same circle, a spell andstly a sacrifice for it toplete," Cillian listed the things. On hearing the word sacrifice, Julie''s thoughts flew out of the window. "Did you think the potions can be made just with a few ingredients? You need to temper and change it with the help of the spell. Each potion and stones are made that way. They alle with a negative link to it."


    "Isn''t my blood not enough?" questioned Julie, and the Corvin shook his head.


    "No."


    "I thought witches tried not to harm anyone¡­" Julie''s voice trailed.

 Chapter 204 - Acceptance Of The Dark Stone

    <h4>Chapter 204 - eptance Of The Dark Stone</h4>


    Cillian could understand Julie''s thoughts, because most of the witches had gone through it. He stated, "No creature that walks on thesends is pure, who escapes darkness."


    A sigh escaped from Julie''s lips, "What do you propose for a sacrifice?" An ufortable feelinging to settle in her stomach.


    "An animal should do. One which is healthy," replied the Corvin.? With time being scarce, Cillian said to Roman, "I will go and get the sacrificial animal, and you can set the pentagons and the fire with Julie."


    Julie noticed how the ghosts had slowly started to move from their initial spots and started dispersing through thend in different directions, and if they didn''t do it fast, the ghosts would enter the habitat of the living people. She didn''t know that to be a full-fledged witch, she would voluntarily have to kill an innocent creature.


    Roman looked at Julie, noticing how she had trouble processing the word sacrifice. "Will you be able to do it?" He would have killed it for her, but as the potion was being created by her, she would have to kill the animal herself.


    Julie nodded her head before meeting Roman''s red eyes, "I will do it."


    Though she had never killed anything until now, she did eat meat... thought Julie in her mind.


    Roman ced his hand on her cheek, caressing it and he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, "Let us prepare the circle and the pentagon done." To this, Julie nodded her head.


    They brought a stick and started to draw the circle as well as the pentagons on the ground. working the lines inside it. Once it was done, Roman visited the houses to fetch the oil and the torches. Dipping the end of the torch in oil before cing it around the circle. He said, "I read that the drawings can be turned smaller with every use of magic by witches. Until the point where they will not need the diagrams to perform spells."


    Their conversation was interrupted when they heard another high pitch scream that refused to stop. The scream was shrill, and it made Julie wince.


    "It must be the agony that was left behind during theirst moments here," stated Roman with a grim expression on his face.


    Cillian suddenly appeared near the circle, and from his cloak, he took out a rabbit that had white fur on it. Julie felt sudden dread enter her body, as she could already feel the pain that woulde from the rabbit''s suffering.


    "Follow my words which is the spell. Take the rabbit in your hand," instructed Cillian.


    Julie watched the little animal hop around before it came near her and sat near her leg. She asked him, "Couldn''t you find something that was worse than picking the most innocent creature?"


    "More kindness andpassion you hold towards the sacrificial object, the better will be the results," informed Cillian, and Julie didn''t like this one bit. It was as if nature itself wanted the witches to be bad, or maybe to not try making potions or spells, which would forever keep them to be pure. "Let us start."


    One of the ghosts had gone to the edge of the forest. It had led one of the guards of Veteris to catch sight of it. The guard had been appointed by Elder Luciano Sterling, and he walked towards the ghost and questioned,


    "What are you doing here? Don''t you know this is the Veteris property and¡ª" he stopped mid-sentence on noticing the person didn''t seem normal.


    The ghost didn''t respond and continued to walk.


    "You! Stop right there!" but the guard''s order fell on deaf ears. When he came near, the guard''s eyes widened. He moved his hand through the ghost''s body, and he gasped over the cold sensation. The ghost didn''t move and stools like a statue, frozen. It was the ghost of an old man with a beard around his jaw, and it was none other than Magnus La Fay.


    Being alert now, the guard quickly ran in the opposite direction, "Elder Luciano, there''s a witch ghost in the property!" he shouted, on his way to inform the Elder vampire.


    Roman brought his hand up, and with multiple snaps of his fingers, the torches he had ced around them to catch fire. Once Julie started to recite every line that Cillian spoke, the mes grewrger. The ghosts who had drifted away from the ce, their footsteps paused.


    There was a constant whispering in the wind that sounded like the chants were being murmured by people. She continued to repeat Cillian''s words until he paused and said, "You should do it now." Her eyes fell on the innocent rabbit. Half-heartedly, Julie picked up the rabbit in her arms and pulled out the knife handed to her, moving to the centre of the circle. "Pour the blood at the center," he advised her.


    Julie looked down at the rabbit, watching the poor animal that had no idea what would happen to it. While bringing the knife towards the rabbit''s neck, she felt the increase in her own heartbeat. Seconds passed, but she couldn''t do it. She dropped her hand that held the knife and said,


    "I can''t do it."


    She wasn''t heartless to do something like that, and even if it was an animal and not a person, she just couldn''t do it because it was wrong.


    The ghosts that had paused, standing like a statue, now began to move again. The Corvin stared at Julie and said, "You will again have to repeat the process if you let this one pass."


    "I cannot do such an act of cruelty. I cannot," Julie shook her head.


    Roman, who had been watching Julie outside the drawn circle on the ground, said, "Use me instead." Julie and the Corvin turned to look at where Roman stood. He stepped inside the circle, making his way straight to where she stood.


    He said, "You don''t have to kill the animal if you don''t want to. Rece the animal with me. If what the Corvin said is true about me not being able to die, it shouldn''t be a problem. You will have to make a sacrifice."


    Julie wasn''t fond of this idea. Moving from the rabbit to sacrifice Roman. In doubt, she turned to Cillian and asked, "Will this work?"


    "I am not sure, but it is worth a try," replied Cillian and hearing this, Roman took hold of the rabbit that Julie had been holding. Once he set the rabbit down, it hopped away from the circle.


    "So how are we doing this?" questioned Roman.


    "Whichever is the easiest way to be stabbed," said Cillian, and hearing this, Romanid down on the ground.


    Julie clutched the knife tightly in her hand. She sat down next to Roman, readying herself by cing the knife above his chest.


    "Winters," Roman called to get Julie''s attention, and her brown eyes quickly moved to meet his red eyes. "You can do it, don''t doubt yourself and be quick when you do it. If you doubt, it will move the knife around and be painful. Push it as far as you can," he instructed her.


    Julie took a deep breath, readying herself before she pushed the knife straight into Roman''s chest. The knife pierced through his flesh and then pierced through his beating heart.


    Roman grit his teeth because of the pain that came from the wound that Julie had given. Cillian sensed how the vampire''s body started to emit light vapour like ck fumes.


    "Do it again if it is taking time," said Cillian, but doing it just once had Julie''s stomach drop to the ground. Stabbing Roman was thest thing she had on her mind. Instead of pulling it out, she pushed the knife further into his chest, feeling her hands turn wet and blood starting to drip on the ground.


    Roman''s heart beat slowed until it turned non-existent, and his body went still. Julie stared at his body, where blood had dripped out from his mouth.


    "Complete the process, Julie," Cillian reminded her.


    Julie tore her gaze away from Roman. She pulled out the ss vial and recited the spells while her hand had stretched forward. Soon in a few seconds, the nearest souls started to be pulled towards the centre of the pentagon circle. The souls started to transfer themselves in the vial by turning into a drop of colourless liquid. And this happened until every single soul had been captured in the vial.


    With the screams and wailing of the ghosts gone, the ce turned quiet once again. Julie put a lid on top of the vial and ced it in her pocket before trying to wake Roman up.


    "You should step away from him," said the Corvin, and Julie then noticed the ck fumes. She quickly stepped away from Roman while the fumes continued to turn more intense until it looked as if the body had caught on fire, covering the entire body. "The ck stone won''t let him die. Somewhere it feels like it loves the boy and refuses to detach itself from him."


    When the ck fumes cooled down, Roman was found standing on his feet, and he ced his hand on the ripped shirt, his skin had healed, and so did his heart. It felt like he had been reborn again.


    Julie smiled, running back to him and putting her arms around to hug him.


    "I am sorry about that," whispered Julie, and Roman ced his hand on the back of her head.


    "It was something that had to be done, and I am fine," Roman kissed the side of her head. "I think I will take Evans'' words tomorrow as I am too damn thirsty to be satisfied with just three cans of blood."


    Julie nodded her head, and when she turned to speak to the Corvin, he had disappeared.


    "Huh? Where did he go?" asked Julie.


    Roman pulled Julie closer, his eyes slightly narrowing at the thought of the Corvin. Since the time the Corvin had shown in front of them, he always had a slight doubt on it. To think that it had to be an ancestor was the only thing that he hadn''t expected. He knew that somewhere, the Corvin held affections towards Julie, affection involved with romantic feelings.


    "Must have gone to sit in a tree," deadpanned Roman before holding one of her hands and leaving the town of Willow Creek.


    Near the edge of the forest and near the road, the guard who had earlier caught sight of one of the ghosts moved his feet hurriedly while exining,


    "I caught the ghost right there. Do you think it was a witch, Elder Luciano?"


    Luciano walked next to him with a straight back and his nose high. He said, "Nobody can turn into a ghost when they want you dimwit. Are you sure it wasn''t a trespasser?"


    "No, sire. The ghost was leaving the forest, as if it was going to ask for a lift to a passing vehicle," replied the guard, and Luciano gave him a look. When they reached the spot, there was no ghost, and the guard looked front and back, left and right. "I saw the ghost standing right here and it didn''t move!"


    Luciano, who had taken up the job of securing Veteris'' ground, looked more than annoyed, and he red at the guard. He rolled his eyes and said, "There''s nothing like a ghost. Stop wasting my time and catch the intruders if theye here."


    "B-but-"


    "What?" snapped Luciano, and he sarcastically said, "The ghost must have got someone to pick him up and leave. I don''t care if you find a ghost floating next time. Catch the living ones and do the job right.." Saying this, Luciano pushed the back of his cloak as he turned and walked away from there.

 Chapter 205 - Push At The Table

    <h4>Chapter 205 - Push At The Table</h4>


    During the morning time, before having his breakfast, Conner made his way towards the university''s infirmary. He had been waiting to see the file since yesterday''s dinner, and when he reached the building, he headed towards the main office. He wanted to confirm something, and he couldn''t rest until it was rified.


    Reaching one of the rooms, he noticed Olivia was already in here. On seeing him, she greeted him with a polite smile,


    "Good morning, Conner."


    "Good morning, Olivia," the curly brown-haired boy greeted her back. This senior girl was usually unapproachable because of the icy vibes to people. "Sorry to be bothering you this early in the morning. I was wondering if I could take a look at the thing that I mentioned to youst evening." He looked around the ce, noticing doctor Isolde wasn''t here yet, and this was an opportune moment, thought Conner to himself.


    Olivia gave a nod, "Let me get the file. Would you like to take a seat?" she offered him, but Conner shook his head.


    "No, I am good."


    The vampiress knew that the human had sniffed something to be amiss, which was why he was here. Everyone who had been at the table had caught on to it, as Conner hadn''t been subtle with his question, and it only showed that he was an immature hunter. But the more important concern was if the multiplepulsion on his mind had started to crack and if the sealed memories were seeping back into his current state of mind.


    She made her way to the drawers, pulling them out one by one even though she knew exactly where the girl named Reese'' file was present. She finally pulled the right drawer while also deciding to ask him,


    "What are you particrly looking for?" she asked him.


    "Just the cause of death. I recently realized I was never clear on it," replied Conner, unaware of the fact that the person he was with right now was a vampire. Olivia brought the file to Conner, handing it to him and noticing how his eyes eagerly tried to read and gather all the information that was written in it, which clearly mentioned that the sudden death was because of her heart condition. "Does the infirmary take any pictures?"


    Olivia shook her head, "Veteris doesn''t deal with the procedures like the morgue work. We only fill in the details of the cause of what happened before handing the bodies to the parents or rtives of the deceased."


    "I see," replied Conner.


    He couldn''t help but wonder if his mind had been ying tricks. The more time passed, the more vivid the image in his mind turned out to be of his ex-girlfriend covered in blood. If a person had passed away because of her weak heart issues, why would he be seeing these images?


    "Is everything alright, Conner? You seem to be worried about something," Olivia pointed out while hoping to get some information. With the way he was alert, she could only guess that he had consumed Silverwater. Which was whypelling him to get answers wasn''t going to work here.


    Conner offered a smile, "It''s nothing. It was just me being curious. Thank you for letting me take a look at the document."


    "Anytime," replied Olivia, watching the human starting to walk away from the room. Before he could leave, she said, "You know, if you are still troubled with the loss of her, you can always talk to Mr. Evans. Sometimes no matter how much we grieve it is never enough and the hole in the chest stays."


    He smiled at her words, thankful, "I will pay him a visit," and he left the room.


    The doctor finally stepped out of another room, and she looked at Olivia, "You cannot protect people if the human mind is breaking where thepulsion won''t work. Is he the hunter''s son they have been speaking about?"


    Snooping around for answers was not good for Conner, and it could warrant him not dungeon time but death. All these years, Olivia had spent her time in the close circle of her vampire friends, and this was the first time she was looking for a student human, only so that Veteris wouldn''t have another death. Sometimes, death was like an infection that could spread and turn the entire ce into a graveyard. She was only trying to avoid it.


    "Can you not tell it to Dante or anyone about it?" Olivia requested Isolde.


    "I will let it pass this once, but if it repeats, I will have to let them know. You know that right?" Isolde reminded Olivia, to which the younger vampiress nodded.


    "I understand."


    Outside the infirmary building, where Conner had started to walk, he caught sight of a male student staring into one of the female''s eyes and whispering something to her. The male student then pulled the girl to an isted spot. To Conner right now, everything that moved and breathed was suspicious, and his eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration. On seeing the male student hold the girl''s neck and tilt it, his eyes widened, and he quickly dashed to the ce.


    Discreetly pulling out the wooden stake from his hoodie, his hand tightened around it. When he reached there, intruding on the couple''s space, the couple stared at him.


    "What do you want?" asked the male student, and the girl looked equally annoyed.


    "Scram away from here. Don''t you see we are having some time for ourselves?" asked the girl, and Conner realized that people underpulsion didn''t behave like this.


    Letting go of the stake that he had been holding, which was hidden in the front pocket of his hoodie, Conner apologized, "Ah, I am sorry about that. I came here by mistake."


    "What a weirdo," Conner heard the girlment when he started to leave the ce.


    Conner ran his hands through his hair with slight frustration. Maybe there were no vampires in Veteris, he thought in his mind. He made his way to the lunchroom, where Mnie and Julie had already reached and were waiting for him.


    "Sorry, I amte," apologized Conner when he caught up to where his friends were.


    "Did you sleeptest night?" asked Mnie before they started to head towards the counter to collect their meals.


    "Just got caught up with something. Was a false rm," replied Conner, and though he tried to behave nonchnt about it, both Julie and Mnie were aware of what their friend was up to. On receiving looks from both the girls, he asked, "What happened?"


    "Don''t get unnecessarily caught, Conner," Mnie pursed her lips.


    Conner grinned, "There''s no one to catch me or you, Mel. That is if this ce is trulycking in the things that we need to worry about." He quickly turned to Julie and asked, "Did Mel tell you about our special weekend?"


    He was asking if she knew about them being hunters and her knowledge of the existence of vampires, and Julie nodded.


    "Must have been a shock, isn''t it? Mnie and I went in shock too and we thought our parents were making up stuff. That is until we saw them with our own eyes," he exined.


    Julie, who had known it way longer than they did, she just agreed so that to Conner, it looked like she was in shock.


    "It was surprising when I found out about it," replied Julie, without lying too much and keeping her words to be vague. "We should be careful andy low, Conner. We never know when we might be in danger."


    "You don''t have to worry, Julie. We are learning the art ofbat, and I downloaded a bunch of videos, it is only a matter of time that I am able to kick a vamp¡ª"


    Mnie kicked Conner''s shoe so that he wouldn''t continue with his words, "Let us discuss thister and have our meal peacefully."


    But upon the word peace, when it was their turn to get the food in line, they heard some of the students whispering to each other.


    "...maybe not."


    "It is hard to know if they are going out, considering how he is," said one of the students.


    "Looks like every male in the famous five have partners now. What a shame that we couldn''t even snag one of them," murmured one of the girls and left the spot.


    Julie, who hadn''t been up to date with her friends, asked Mine, "Do you know what they were talking about?"


    Mnie waved her hand as if not wanting to talk about it. At the same time, Conner held an unreadable expression on his face while watching the students who had just spoken about the possible rtionship of someone. Even though Conner had never seen his best friend romantically involved until now, he couldn''t help but feel a little irritated.


    He replied to Julie, "I don''t know. Only Mel can tell us," he said.


    "It''s nothing big. For some reason, people decided that I was Simon''s girlfriend. You know how rumors spread in here," replied Mnie, putting an end to the matter.


    Now that Julie thought about it, Mnie had found out about vampires through Simon. Was it possible that Simon had purposely made a slip up in front of her friend so that he could gauge her reaction.


    When they went and sat at the table, Roman and his friends arrived after a few minutes, joining them. Somewhere while getting more food or juice from the counter, it happened that Simon had taken the opportunity toe and upy the free seat next to Mnie.


    "Did you think about my offer?" questioned Simon in a low voice.


    "I already refused it," came the clipped answer. She turned to look in the direction Conner was talking to Maximus.


    "Why?" came the dull question next. Catching the way her eyes darted to look at Conner, he said, "He''s not going to think anything bad about you talking to a male. After all, he sees you only as your friend."


    Mnie didn''t respond to Simon, as if every word that left her lips only fueled the vampire to annoy her even more. She tried to ignore him, feeling his gaze on her. "I am just being a kind and helpful person. Why is it so hard for you to believe?"


    Clutching on the spoon, Mnie finally spoke, "Thank you for your help, but I don''t need it."


    "Finally she speaks. What, lonely ten seconds they were," chimed Simon, and when he received silence, he said, "How about I do it right here?"


    Mnie didn''t know what Simon was talking about, but she decided to take her meal from the table. Just when she was about to stand up, Simon spoke to the people who were at their table,


    "I wanted to clear up a rumor that has been going aroundtely. About me and Mnie," he smiled before saying, "There''s nothing as such going on."


    "What is he doing?" murmured Maximus in a low voice.


    "Who knows," replied Olivia, and she continued to chew her food.


    Victoria replied to Simon''s words, "I don''t think anyone here is interested to know if there is something going on or not."


    "Oh, you would be surprised, "Simon grinned before his eyes fell on Mnie, and she felt slight dread starting to sink in her. "It would be troublesome for Mnie, after all, the person whom she is in love with, would misunderstand it."


    "Stop," whispered Mnie, but Simon showed no signs of stopping. Her face and hands turned pale.


    Simon leaned towards her and said, "How long do you n to keep those one-sided feelings?" He then went back to his seat and said, "The person Mnie likes is Conner, and not me."


    Mnie couldn''t look at Conner because her face had turned red. It was hard to tell if it was because of embarrassment or her anger. When Simon turned back to look at Mnie, he said,


    "Now you don¡ª"


    SLAP!

 Chapter 206 - Did He Drown?

    <h4>Chapter 206 - Did He Drown?</h4>


    Most people sitting near their table stopped what they were doing and turned to see where the sharp sound came from. The students who caught the sight of what had happened, their mouths fell wide open as something like this had never happened before, at least not the famous five.


    Mnie''s hand had harshly touched Simon''s cheek in anger while her face held clear embarrassment written on it. She couldn''t believe Simon would do something like this about her feelings.


    Simon stared at the surface of the table as it had moved to the side after the impact Mnie''s hand had caused.


    Though no one who sat at the table uttered a single word, it was only the two vampiress'' and the two humans who stared at them, with a look of surprise and shock on their faces. Roman didn''t bother himself with it, and instead, he continued to gulp down the blood from the can while Maximus was busy eating his food.


    Conner''s eyes moved from Mnie to Simon before his eyes fell back on his best friend, as he didn''t know if Simon was joking.


    Mnie pulled her hand away from Simon''s face, her hands turning into fists, and as seconds passed, she came to realize that the lunchroom had turned quiet and many eyes were focussed on them. On the other hand, Simon moved his head back to look at Mnie, and he ran his tongue at the corner of his lips which held a spot of blood on it. If it was another time, Mnie would have felt bad and would have apologized, but Simon had made sure to step on her nerves enough to deserve it.


    Simon''s green eyes looked straight into her eyes before he said, "How rude. I was only giving you the push that you haven''t got until now."


    He stood up from his chair, picked up his bag, and left the lunchroom. Suddenly the lunchroom broke into a series of chatter and whispers with students discussing what could have possibly happened.


    Before someone, especially Conner, could speak, Mnie was quick to stand up from her seat. She turned to look at Julie and said, "I will see you in ss," with an awkward smile that miserably failed.


    Julie could feel Mnie''s distress and the panic evident in her eyes where she wanted to hide somewhere. She said, "Let mee with you," and she picked up her bag. But Mnie shook her head.


    "I just need to pick something from my dorm," and Mnie was quick to dart out of the lunchroom.


    Conner, who was left confused, quickly grabbed his things, and he said, "I will see you allter."


    And he went after Mnie. But when Conner stepped out of the lunchroom, after a few seconds, Mnie left, he couldn''t find her outside, and it was as if she had disappeared in thin air. He decided to go to the girl''s Dormitorium to meet her, as she had mentioned.


    Back in the lunchroom, after Conner left the table, Victoria uttered, "That wasn''t awkward at all."


    "I didn''t know a human''s hand could result in a vampire having a split lip," murmured Olivia.


    Maximus gave a nod, "He probably had his fangs slightly out or maybe Mnie is stronger than she appears to be. You know there are some humans who sometimes turn out to be as strong as us."


    Julie heard the three of them speak, and she turned to Roman, who was on the next blood can. She asked, "Why did he do that?" She never knew apart from her, there was another person who had noticed Mnie''s feelings towards Conner.


    Roman licked his lips and said, "Simon has an odd way of connecting with people."


    Julie fell speechless on Roman''s words because Simon was uncalled for, and she could tell her friend was utterly embarrassed. Because until now, Mnie had herself never confessed her feelings to Conner.


    From what she had seen and known, Simon was aid-back person, and he was the most cheerful person in Roman''s group. She wondered if people pairing him up with Mnie had somewhere bothered him, which was why he had tried to clear things to the people at the table and some of the vampires who sat at the nearest table.


    Roman then said, "Come let me see you to your ss."


    "Will you be attending sses today?" Julie asked him, and he leaned his back against the chair.


    "Do you want me to?" he asked her, and Julie shrugged her shoulders.


    "Only if you want to," replied Julie, and Roman stared at her. Remembering something, she then said, "We were going to study together."


    "You are right, but I think your friend might need you today, so we can postpone it for the day," replied Roman, and Julie smiled at him. He then said, "How are you feeling? Any pain or fatigue?"


    "Nothing so far. I think I fell asleep a little too fast yesterday," replied Julie, and she asked him, "How about you?" her voice dropped an octave lower, but Roman''s friends who had the vampire''s hearing ability caught it.


    "My body feels light and healthy," he responded to her question. "I heal faster than anytime before."


    "I am d to hear that," said Julie, feeling relieved that there were no side effects to what she and the Corvin had tried on him. Having stabbed no one before, it took everything in Julie to put faith in Roman and the Corvin before she had run the knife through Roman''s chest.


    After seeing Julie in her ssroom, Roman went to his ssroom to notice that Simon wasn''t there. He stepped out of the Blue Block, walking to the ce he knew where he would find his friend. And as expected, Simon was found sitting on the roof of one of the buildings of Veteris. The ceilings and roofs of most buildings here were high, making it difficult for a person to look at it from the ground.


    "What are you doing sitting here as if you are depressed? She cannot see you here," stated Roman offering a dead look to Simon, who sat with his legs stretched, facing the forest.


    Simon turned to look at Roman, and a grin broke on his lips, "Is it that obvious?"


    "To me, yes, I cannot tell the same about the others. That is if you are asking about the girl you have been intent on annoying," stated Roman, making his way to where Simon was sitting, and once he got there, he took a seat next to him.


    "I am d to hear that," chimed Simon, where his mood was back to its usual self. "Are you here to ask me why I did that?"


    "Do you think I care about it," remarked Roman, pulling out a piece of gum and putting it in his mouth.


    "No, I didn''t think that. Is it because you were worried about me?" his green eyes brightened to only receive a stare from Roman. He then brought his hand to touch his cheek, "It''s been so long since I got pped like that. Reminds me of my dear mother. I mean your punches have been good, but nothingpared to what I felt today."


    Roman chewed on the gum, staring at the view in front of them, and he gave a side look at Simon before looking back at the view. He asked,


    "Are you fine?"


    "Hm?" Simon tilted his head to the side. "If you are asking about the blood, you should¡ª"


    "I am not talking about that. You know it." Roman knew the blood that Simon had showed Mnie had nothing to do with the p, and it was only for fake sympathy from the human.


    The smile on Simon''s lips faltered slightly before the smile became more prominent. He replied, "I am fantastic, why wouldn''t I be alright? Those things were in the past, and I ended things well."


    "If you say so," responded Roman, knowing as much as Simon said he wasn''t thinking about some things from his past, his thoughts had drifted towards it.


    "You drank too many cans today. Thirsty much today?" inquired Simon, shifting the subject to Roman. It was because before they had headed to the lunchroom, Roman had downed three cans of blood and had drunk three more while they were at the table.


    "Maybe I am," hummed Roman.


    Simon''s eyes slightly narrowed while his thoughts drifted to the past. But on thinking about the human, who had pped him, his eyes brightened as if a child who caught sight of a rare candy.


    "If you n to keep it, you should snatch it before someone else down," said Roman in a nonchnt tone, and Simon smiled.


    "Mhm."


    Back in the ssroom, Mnie couldn''t concentrate on what the teacher was speaking about; she eventually ended up zoning out from what was being said in the ss. She had dashed out of the lunchroom earlier so that she could avoid any possible questions from Conner or confrontations. But she doubted she could forever keep avoiding him, they were bound to discuss it, and she wondered how to go about it.


    Maybe she should tell Conner that it was a joke by Simon, and he was only making up stuff, thought Mnie in her mind. Or was she supposed to agree that what was spoken before was true? Thest thing she had imagined was her feelings to be known by Conner from a third person.


    She wanted to murder Simon! If it was possible, she would have pushed the red-haired boy into the trunk along with heavy stones before letting him live his life in misery in the bottom of the sea.


    "Ms. Davis, is there something that you don''t agree with that you feel the need to re at me?" asked the teacher, and the other students turned to look at her.


    It seemed like today was the day to embarrass herself. She shook her head, and in an apologetic tone, she replied, "I was trying to concentrate."


    "I hope you were," said the woman in the front before continuing with the ss.


    Once they were on break, Julie asked, "Are you doing okay, Mel? I am sorry to see how things went down."


    "It wasn''t your fault. I just didn''t expect it," came the tired sigh from Mnie''s lips. "I don''t know how to face Conner. Did he ask you about it?"


    "I thought he spoke to you. He left right away after you left," and on Julie''s words, Mnie softly whined, and she ced her head on the table. "On the brighter side, you don''t have to hide your feelings now."


    "I wonder," murmured Mnie, her eyebrows furrowing. "I wish it isn''t today. Only a few hours in the morning and it feels tiring. Can you stay with me? In the libraryter."


    Julie nodded, offering a smile, "I will be there with you."


    And as discussed, after their sses, Julie and Mnie headed towards the library. On their way, they met Olivia, Maximus and Victoria.


    "Good evening, here to fetch some books?" asked Maximus in a polite tone.


    "Probably to hide away from trouble,"mented Victoria.


    "Mnie and I are here to work on our projects," Julie was the one to respond, and Maximus nodded. Olivia quietly listened to the conversation. "Did you finish your project?"


    "Done and submitted. We are very fast," said Maximus. He then turned to ask Mnie, "Have you seen, Simon? It has been hard to find him."


    Mnie had only imagined drowning Simon, did he drown for real?


    "I wouldn''t know where he is," replied Mnie, and her lips set themselves in a thin line.


    "Mm, we thought he would probably be around you, apologizing for what he did this morning. But I see he hasn''t," Maximus smiled, and on feeling Mnie''s stare, he cleared his throat. "We''ll see you both at dinner? Have fun working on the project."


    Seeing both Julie and Mnie disappear into the library building, Maximus said, "He could have dodged the p easily. Not like he hasn''t done that before."


    "We know," murmured Olivia.

 Chapter 207 - Dusty Old Book

    <h4>Chapter 207 - Dusty Old Book</h4>


    Julie and Mnie spent their time in the library, picking the corner table that was half-hidden behind the book rack.


    Though the table wasn''tpletely hidden from a person''s sight, a student who took a quick peek from the entrance wouldn''t be able to spot them. Though there was still time for the project submission because Ms. Dante had preponed the exams, both the girls wanted to submit their project at the earliest.


    "I think we need to borate on this one. Was this all the information we got on this?" asked Julie while both the girls stared at the screen.


    "This is what we foundst time. Maybe we should ask the librarian if they have brought the new reference books. She did say something about getting new books," replied Mnie, and she said, "Let me go and check?"


    When she was about to stand up, Julie patted her friend''s arm and said, "Let me go. My legs have been feeling stiff sitting continuously," and she went to ask the librarian to be pointed where the book was, which was on the above floor.


    Julie made her way up the stairs, and she walked to the quieter side of the library. Most of the students had started skipping sses to catch up with their sybus quickly. She took a diversion, walking to the rack where the textbook was. When her hand reached the book, someone caught hold of her hand and spun her around before pushing her back against the shelf that contained the books.


    "Rome," Julie breathed his name, feeling her heart skip a beat. "I didn''t know you were here."


    "Mm for quite a few hours now. How''s your project working along?" asked Roman. Bending down to her neck, he pressed his lips against her neck. Julie sighed at the feeling of his velvet lips grazing against her neck.


    "We are almost done," replied Julie breathily, and her eyes had automatically closed for a moment, and she then opened them. "Were you studying?"


    "Mm," came Roman''s reply, and he ced a mouthful kiss. "How''s your health?"


    "Not bad. How about you?"


    "Not that good," Roman''s words fell on the column of Julie''s neck. He licked her neck, "You wouldn''t mind if I took a sip..."


    "No," and just when the word left Julie''s lips, Roman sunk his fangs right into her skin. His hand let go of her hand, and it moved to wrap around her waist before pulling her close to him. Julie''s hands circled around Roman''s neck, letting him feed on her and a couple of minutes passed in silence. When he was done consuming her blood, he pulled his fangs out of her skin, licking the spot clean.


    "Have I told you how good you taste?" Roman looked at her with his red eyes that looked very much alive. He stared into her eyes, making sure that she was alright.


    A smile came to form on her lips, and she nodded, "You have."


    Roman licked his lips before pecking her lips, "I have the intense urge to beat Simon for ruining my time with you. You''lleter to me, won''t you?" he asked her, the eyes that now looked at her, was of the Ripper.


    "I will," promised Julie, and Roman loosened his arms around her waist so that she could walk back to her friend. "Are you going to spend all your time here today?"


    "Much better to stay where you are, than back in the dorm where I might be annoyed by someone," remarked Roman, and his lips quirked up.


    Julie smiled back at Roman. Just when she turned around with the textbook in her hand, where she had taken two steps away from him, Roman pulled her back to him, stealing a kiss. To Roman, Julie was nothing less than a dessert, which he craved for more, and one spoon of it was never enough.


    His lips pressed against her soft one''s, sucking on her upper lip, and he finally let go of her by walking back to the ce where he was often found.


    Julie quickly went back to where Mnie was sitting and daydreaming about something.


    "I found the book," she said, taking a seat next to Mnie.


    Mnie noticed how Julie''s face looked flushed, and she didn''t have to ask that her friend had met Roman on her way while getting the book. She was d to see that Julie had the right opportunity when it came to love, and somewhere, she wondered if she would ever have something like that.


    The day had started frustrating and had now switched to an anxious one.


    In the past, like any other lovestruck girl, Mnie had dreamt of the many ways where she and Conner could spend their time. They were all innocent ones. They were like she and Conner studying together in each of their dorms. Or outside in the garden or near the bleachers. She had dreamt of having a pic with just the two of them, and those were the little dreams that her younger self had dreamt about. When they finished their project work, Mnie said,


    "I will submit it. You can spend time with him."


    Julie''s eyes widened before her cheeks carried a quick blush, "Rome will wait. Let mee along."


    "That''s fine, Julie. I am doing much better now than earlier, and I realized I was just behaving silly before," replied Mnie, and she hugged Julie. "I will submit this one and walk back to the dorm, so you don''t have to worry about me. I will be fine."


    Julie gave a slightly apprehensive look to Mnie, "You sure?"


    "Positive. I will see youter," Mnie put up a bright smile, carrying everything with her, as she stepped out of the library.


    After submitting their project work, Mnie headed back to the girl''s Dormitorium. With the p that she hadnded on Simon''s cheek, it didn''t go down well with some of the students, and on her way, she could feel their re. She was d to see that there was no Conner nor Simon in front of the building. Her feet moved as quick as it could, but before she could ce one foot inside, she heard Conner call behind her,


    "Mel, wait!"


    "Shit," Mnie muttered under her breath with her eyes closed. Her heart almost dropped on hearing his voice. Opening her eyes, she slowly turned around and saw Conner jogging towards her.


    Conner''s brown curly hair moved up and down, and when he came near her, he stopped jogging. His breathing was ragged as if he had been running for quite some time.


    "I am so d to have caught you here!" Conner smiled, and Mnie gave him a small smile.


    She asked him in a casual tone, "What''s up?"


    Keeping her eyes on his eyes was possibly the hardest thing for her ever to dopared to before when she had discovered that she was in love with him.


    Conner had tried to meet Mnie since what had happened during breakfast, but he had been unable to find her or Julie. And now that he had caught her, he cleared his throat, and he proposed,


    "Would you like to take a walk?"


    Mnie knew that if she wanted, she could refuse, but she had dragged this matter way too long. She gave him a nod, "Okay."


    Mnie walked next to Conner in silence. She could feel people''s gaze on her, which then shifted to look at Conner.


    "Looks like you have turned quite popr,"mented Conner and Mnie awkwardlyughed.


    "I wouldn''t call that being popr," murmured Mnie under her breath and more than being bothered by people staring at her, her eyes moved to the corner to look at Conner.


    "Are you okay?" Conner asked her, his eyes quickly moving to look at her.


    She nodded, "Why wouldn''t I be?" she asked cautiously.


    "Because of what happened in the morning in the lunchroom..." Conner''s voice trailed, and Mnie moistened her lips which had suddenly turned dry. "Do you want to speak about it?"


    They both stared at each other for a few long seconds, and Mnie parted her lips to apologize,


    "I am sorry that you had to¡ª"


    "You don''t have to ask me sorry for something that isn''t your fault," replied Conner, and he said, "I know Simon likes to tease people a lot and I also know that you both don''t get along well. I thought you both were finally getting along, but it seems like I was wrong. You don''t have to worry about what I might think."


    Mnie''s lips didn''t close, and they stayed parted. Was Conner alright with her having feelings for him? Wait, but he mentioned teasing.


    Conner continued to speak, "I know my best friend. We have known each other for so long, we never showed any romantic interests with each other. Which is why I know that you don''t feel that way. Simon was only being what he does and you got annoyed by him. Right?"


    Mnie didn''t respond to his question, and instead, she stared at him before finally shaking her head.


    She had hidden her feelings for Conner for so long she felt it was time to tell it out. Not so that they could start something new, but so that she could put her feelings behind her and start anew. Mainly because she didn''t want to stay in the boat of unrequited feelings.


    "Conner... Simon wasn''t teasing me. He was telling the truth," stated Mnie, and she looked the other way while they had paused their stroll. She said, "From a very long time, I have loved you. I didn''t know how to tell it to you and never found the right time to convey it."


    Hearing this, Conner''s mouth opened, and his eyes slightly widened at this new information, "You do? I never knew¡­ I don''t know what to say..." he said in surprise.


    Mnie nodded, "You don''t have to return my feelings. I know you don''t feel that way about me," she put up a smile on her lips.


    Conner had never picked any hints about Mnie''s feelings for him, which is why what happened this morning had taken him by surprise.


    Even though many weeks had passed since histe girlfriend had passed away, his thoughts and feelings were still with the dead girl. It was because to him, Reese was his first girlfriend, and he had cherished and loved her, making it difficult for him to let go of the memories.


    Mnie offered him a wide smile, and she said, "Nothing has changed between us, Conner. We''ll always be best friends like we have since the beginning."


    "But you are in love with me," muttered Conner under his breath, a small frown came to form on his forehead. "Did you have feelings for me before I got into a rtionship....?"


    Mnie gave him a nod, "I did tell it was long."


    Conner wondered if he had unintentionally hurt her, but Mnie had never objected to his time with Reese, and he believed that everyone liked histe girlfriend. He asked her, "Is there anything that you are hiding from me, Mel?"


    Mnie pursed her lips because she was, and the elongated silence had Conner stare back at her. He said, "I think I need some time."


    This time, Mnie furrowed her eyebrows, and she said, "Okay."


    She wondered if it was too much for Conner, now that he knew she had feelings for him.


    "Please don''t take it as me avoiding you," Conner tried to clear the possible doubts, but Mnie could tell that he was exactly doing that. "I never knew you were in love with me, and I need to think on what to do so that we both don''t get hurt." Saying this, he stepped forward and put his hands around Mnie, hugging her.


    Mnie didn''t know why, but the hug wasn''tforting, and she didn''t exactly look forward to it in eagerness. And it was because they both hugged each other in a guarded way.


    Far away from them, Maximus and Simon, who were walking by, caught sight of the humans hugging each other. Maximusmented, "Looks like they made up. Do you think he epted her as his girlfriend?"


    Simon''s green eyes stared at Mnie and Conner, where they both were in each other''s embrace, and he said, "Who knows."


    "If they did, it''s all thanks to your help," replied Maximus with a snicker, and Simon turned his gaze from the couple to look at his friend.


    "Aren''t I the purest angel? Helping couplese together," murmured Simon with a hint of sarcasm before they walked away from there.


    Mnie felt Conner pull away from her, and she watched him walk back in the direction of the boy''s Dormitorium. It would be a lie if she said it didn''t bother that Conner had decided to take some time for himself, but maybe it was for the best. At least now, she wouldn''t carry these unrequited feelings in her chest, feeling its heaviness.


    Mnie took a deep breath and made her way back to her own dorm. On entering the dorm, she closed the door and dropped her bag on the floor. She removed her shoes and went straight to bed, and Mnie didn''t know she was so exhausted that she fell asleep.


    While on the other side of Veteris campus, Julie and Roman sat on the library''s first floor, picking their usual spot. And while they were studying, around the time of evening, when most of the students had decided to take a break from their studies and leave the library, the Corvin paid a visit to them.


    It suddenly dropped arge ck, dusty book on the table, making Julie cough and Roman wave his hand in front of him.


    "What is this?" asked Julie to Cillian, who stood next to the table, cing his twig-like hand on the surface of the table.


    "The book of witches," came the raspy voice of Cillian.


    "I thought that the witches never had a book that had spells recorded in it," replied Julie, where both she and Roman curiously stared at the book.


    Cillian moved his hand away from the table when Julie took hold of the book, "It isn''t that witches don''t record their spells, but they often put enchantments that another person cannot read or make use of. If there''s anyone who can read it, it is a fellow family member. It is the key."


    Julie opened the ragged ck book, turning the pages that seemed delicate. It was written in anguage that she didn''t understand, and there were diagrams and drawings. She looked up from the book and confessed, "I don''t know what is written in this book."


    "No?" asked the Corvin, and Julie shook her head. "I was sure you would be able to read it. It will be an utter waste if you aren''t able to read it."


    The Corvin was about to pull the book towards it when Roman took hold of the book and turned it around. He said, "I can read it."


    "How interesting," remarked Cillian, and said, "It must be from a ckburn family then."


    "You don''t remember if it is yours or not?" questioned Roman, and the Corvin shook his head.


    "Even though I have regained most of my memories, there are still some that are either blur or I don''t remember them," replied Cillian, looking down at the book. "As I have crossed over from the living to the dead, I cannot read what is written nor can I perform spells. But as Roman and I share the same blood, you should be able to break the enchantment so that Julie can read it."


    Julie asked Cillian, "Won''t it work if Roman tries the spells?" After all, Roman did have witch blood running in his veins.


    The Corvin shook his head, "Roman might have witch''s blood running in his veins, but the vampire''s blood will stop him from using the spells written in this book. Like you, he will have to tap into his soul energy if he has one. For now he can break the enchantment so that you can read it. Follow my cue," said Cillian, bringing his hands up in the air and waiting for Roman to follow him.


    Roman let a sigh escape from his lips, and he finally followed what the Corvin did with his hand movements. Cillian said, "Repeat my words."


    In the meantime, Julie looked around the ce to keep an eye so that no one would catch them standing with the Corvin. When she turned around, she saw Roman ce both his hands on the pages of the open book. And they heard a loud ding sound that caught others'' attention. Suddenly they heard something crack and the nearby windows shattered with a loud sound, eliciting a few surprised shouts.


    "It is done," said the Corvin, and Julie moved back to the table.


    "The potion used for corrupted souls with the roots of the Taintree and the ashes of a male witch..." Julie''s voice trailed as she read what was written in there. She could indeed read it now. She saw Roman turning the pages, one after another, as if looking for something before he finally stopped flipping the pages.


    Roman questioned, "Is this possible or just an assumption?" while reading the details in there before his eyes met the Corvin''s hollow eyes.


    Julie wondered what Roman was talking about, and she looked down at the page. Her eyes widened, and like Roman, she stared at Cillian.


    It was the resurrection of the dead.


    "It is only a theory. During the time when I was alive, I tried looking for answers, but there''s oneponent or ingredient that is missing from the list, making the spell iplete," answered the Corvin.. "And even if it doesplete the spell, we cannot be sure that it will work or what side effects the spell will have."

 Chapter 208 - Preparation Of The Enemies

    <h4>Chapter 208 - Preparation Of The Enemies</h4>


    The book on the table felt nothing less than a treasure. To think that there were spells that could resurrect the dead, she couldn''t help but feel thrilled about it. Did that mean the people who had died coulde back alive? Hope started to fill in not just Julie''s but also in Roman''s chest.


    "This book should have the spells that should be a good enough guide for you to learn and work on the potions. Each witch uses a base, a skeleton reference before they make their own spells and modify it ordingly," Cillian informed Julie, to which she agreed.


    A little curious, Julie asked him, "What about the spell to bring a Corvin back to life?"


    Cillian shook his head, "I don''t know about it. When I was still alive, neither your mother or grandfather had got their hands on it. Your mother must have discovered it at the end of her times, and tried to bring Knox to life. I don''t need you to turn me into a living thing."


    "But you are the only one who can tell what these two potions do, which mother left for me. She surely must have thought that you would be the key to my questions," replied Julie, pursing her lips. She then said, "Thank you for giving this book. I will make good use of it."


    The Corvin gave a nod to her, and with one snap of its fingers, it disappeared, leaving a light smoke behind in the air.


    Out of curiosity, Julie asked, "What do you think might be the missingponent for resurrection?"


    "It could be a sacrifice, blood, stone," Roman listed the possible things, and as his eyes went through one line after another, he said, "The calctions that the witches make use of, it is not too far from what you and I know. It makes use of Rubix."


    On a closer look at the equations drawn out while creating the potions, Julie realized Roman was right. "Will it be safe to go to the dorm and experiment on the spells?"


    "The forest is a better option because of the open atmosphere and you don''t know what might break or burn. You will also need a cauldron if you are going to make potions. I know a ce where you will be able to perform your spells without anyone''s interference," said Roman, and Julie gave him a questioning look. "There''s a barrennd that is located at the back side of Veteris. It is hidden by the thicket of bushes surrounding it and no one goes there. It has been left untouched."


    "Shall we go now?" At Julie''s question, Roman shook his head.


    "Not now. We can goter once everyone goes to sleep or when everyone goes to have dinner," suggested Roman, and Julie agreed on the idea. "Let me try it first, and see if it works." He wanted to try the spell himself, to see why he couldn''t perform the spell when he wasn''t a turned vampire, but he was a hybrid. "Let us finish your studies first. We still need you to pass the exams," he stated.


    When they left the libraryter, Julie returned to the girl''s Dormitorium, and on her way, she knocked on Mnie''s door, but it seemed like her friend wasn''t there. She wondered where she went and made her way to her own dorm. When in truth, Mnie was sound asleep.


    Stepping into the room, Julie turned on the lights and closed the door. She pulled out the ss vial which contained the souls of the witches. She brought the vial near her ear, and though she couldn''t hear a thing, Roman had told her that he could hear the people inside it screaming. They would need to be released and pushed back into the ground like before, but thest time she had tried it, she had been unsessful.


    Far away from Veteris, in a wide dark hall, the Mortimer brothers were nning on how to attack Veteris and im the ce so that they could gain control over the entire being when a man came running into the hall.


    "Sire!"


    "What is it?" questioned Enoch.


    The person held a paper in his hand, and he quickly came near to Enoch. Bowing his head, he passed the paper to the vampire. When Enoch unfolded the paper, his eyes widened on seeing his picture on it. There was another folded paper, and on unfolding it, he noticed it had his brother Joaqu¨ªn''s picture in it. Below it was written ''Wanted'' along with the false criminal records.


    "What is it about, brother?" questioned Joaquin,ing to stand next to where Enoch was. His eyes narrowed.


    Enoch was about to tear the paper when Joaquin stopped him, "Who do you think dared to do this?!" he asked his elder brother.


    Joaquin stared hard at his printed picture and then said, "There is only one whom I can think of. Azazel Donovan, he''s the only one who can try to trace us. Who else knows that we have been on the move? Dennis!" he called the young morm, who immediately stepped forward with his head bowed.


    "What are all the Elders upto?" questioned Joaquin to Dennis.


    "They weren''t doing anything in particr apart from living in Veteris," replied Dennis, and to this, Joaquin hummed.


    "How very unlike them. Are they taking it slow? But they have seen you Enoch, which is why I can only believe that they are up to something. If Donovan and the others have already started their preparation to attack us, I don''t see a point in dying the time. We should take the first step," announced Joaquin, turning to his brother. He said, "Inform everyone to be prepared. We''ll be iming Willow Creek."


    "But brother," began Enoch, "I didn''t find thend to be of any value. The witch made sure to take the powers with her when she died."


    Joaquinughed as if his brother was foolish. He responded with, "Opaline was too weak to defend herself, what makes you think she would have taken it with her? We only need to get a hold of thend and then perform the spell. Find the right witch. Whom do we have?"


    "We could get Avice," offered one of the men, but Joaquin dismissed the idea by waving his hand.


    "I want a pure witch. Not a witch who has mixed blood. We need the witch''s blood to spill it as sacrifice," said Joaquin with his chin tipping upwards. "We weren''t able to get our hands on the dark stone before, but this time, there''s no one to stop us."


    "Are you sure our n will work, brother?" asked Enoch because of the four Elders in Veteris.


    Joaquin smiled. Raising his hand he pointed at someone, and he replied to Enoch, "Do you think I have been idly sitting in this building, waiting for you, Enoch? Allow me to show you the cursed stones."


    The servant stepped out of the hall and returned with a wooden box. When the box was opened, Enoch was greeted with four gems of different colours. "You found some of the stones¡­ Do you n to use them?" asked Enoch.


    "I do not hold the dark stone to be able to ept the ability of the stones, but we have people who can make use of it. We have equal pawns as the Elders, to counter attack their own abilities," replied Joaquin, and he came forward before picking up one of the stones that sparkled under the light. He then handed it to Enoch, "You are the person I trust the most, Enoch. Use this wisely."


    Enoch looked at the stone in eagerness, and when he stretched his hand forward to take it, his brother dropped the stone in his brother''s palm. While the younger vampire was looking at the stone, the stone suddenly dissolved as it sank into his palm. Enoch started to scream in pain, enough to startle the people around them.


    Joaquin said, "The stone will do you good if it stays within you." He then turned and gave two more stones to two other loyal people of his, and he then picked up thest stone. His red eyes looked around the ce before it fell on Dennis. Dennis was sure he would get the stone, but Joaquin dropped his gaze and said, "I will keep this one," it was a yellow stone that he slipped into his pocket. "Within the time of two weeks, we shall make our attack."


    "Attack?" asked Dennis, who stood on the side. "I thought we were only reiming thend of Willow Creek."


    Joaquin clicked his tongue, raising his eyebrow, "Do you think the other vampires will let you walk there freely? Firstes attack, thenes iming thend where I shall perform the magic."


    When everyone''s eyes were away from him, Dennis''s eyebrows subtly furrowed at the thought of the girl, who was in Veteris.


    Three days passed in Veteris, and Mnie had not spoken or seen Conner. He was avoiding her, and she wondered what was going on in his head. She wondered if it was because of her or any other reason. But he wasn''t the only one she hadn''t seen, there was also Simon, whom she hadn''t seen since she had pped him in the lunchroom.


    Did her p leave him in shock? Asked Mnie in her mind.


    In the afternoon, she had finished discussing one of the subject sybus with her teachers, and she was on her way to the library to pick up some reference books when she met Olivia.


    "Are you going to the library?" asked Olivia in a polite tone.


    "I am," replied Mnie. Previously, Olivia was only someone from the famous five cliques, but knowing she was a vampire made Mnie warier of the girl than before.


    "You wouldn''t mind if I tagged along with you until there, would you?" asked the vampiress, and Mnie shook her head. And with that, they started to walk next to each other.


    The first few seconds were filled with silence until it was Olivia who broke the silence, "How is Conner doing? We haven''t seen himtely."


    "He must be studying," replied Mnie.


    "I would like to apologize on Simon''s behalf for what he did in the lunchroom. He sometimes doesn''t know where to draw the line," said Olivia and offered a small smile to Mnie. "He wasn''t this annoying before he turned into a vampire. But something happened after he turned into a vampire."


    Though Mnie didn''t want to do anything with Simon, she was still intrigued by Olivia''s words.


    "What happened?" asked Mnie, turning to look at the blonde girl next to her.


    "Vampires transition differently, and it just doesn''t change just physically but also mentally. I think the more right way to say it would be that it sometimes amplifies our traits. Hidden ones too," exined Olivia.. "Sometimes¡­ people change."

 Chapter 209 - Not Experienced With Ouija Board

    <h4>Chapter 209 - Not Experienced With Ouija Board</h4>


    Mnie stared at Olivia, not knowing what aspect she was talking about that had changed in Simon. Did she mean to say that he wasn''t this annoying before, who could get on someone''s nerves easily?


    Seeing her not speak, Olivia said, "I apologize on his behalf for what happened, I know how vexing it can turn out to be. But I hope you don''t take it to heart," she offered a small smile to her.


    "I don''t think I will forgive him for what he did," replied Mnie, her words were firm as she was still angry at the thought of what the vampire did. At the same time, she was curious as she hadn''t seen him, and she asked, "How is he?"


    "Simon? I haven''t seen him since that incident in the lunchroom. He seems to have disappeared," answered Olivia.


    When they reached the library, Mnie asked Olivia at the entrance, "What did you mean when you said that he changed?"


    Olivia stared at her for a few seconds, and she then said, "Simon had a troubled childhood. I think the rest I will let you imagine what might have happened as it isn''t my ce to speak about his personal matters. It was good talking to you, Mnie. I will see you around."


    Mnie gave a nod, seeing Olivia walk inside the building and she then took a right as if she already knew what book she hade here to pick. Some students walked past her, staring at her before she stepped inside too, while feeling some of the student''s gaze on her.


    Her thoughts went to Olivia''s words, wondering what might have changed in the red-headed vampire.


    In the boy''s Dormitorium, in the dorm, Simon sat on the bed with a pillow tucked behind his back while ying a game on his phone. His green eyes were trained on the phone''s screen while his fingers furiously tapped on the buttons.


    Maximus, who entered the dorm, ced his bag on the table and stared at Simon.


    "How was ss?" questioned the red-headed vampire.


    "I didn''t attend. I skipped it with Liv," replied Maximus, and Simon whistled loudly before a wide smile appeared on his lips.


    "Spending as much time as you can before the fight takes ce on these grounds?" came the nonchnt question from Simon, and he finally paused the game and threw his phone to the side, turning his body to sit on the edge of the bed.


    "Castiel says that we have to prepare ourselves for the worst. Also yes. She''ll be busyter if we end up having too many casualties," answered Maximus. After Piper passed away suddenly, it had shocked a lot of them, while they tried to live a little more. He pulled the fridge and saw it was empty.


    "I forgot to restock the cans. I was thirsty and finished all of them," Simon offered his best friend a grin that showed both his fangs. "I will stock themter when I go down to the lunchroom."


    "Thanks," said Maximus, and he looked at Simon.


    "What?" came the blunt question from Simon and he raised one of his eyebrows. "Why are you looking at me as if you are worried about me?" he tilted his head.


    "I was wondering if you left the dorm since yesterday or decided to coop yourself in here for some reason,"mented Maximus, and to his words, Simon chuckled.


    "My heart was not broken to coop myself in here, Max. I have been devising a n to see how to pull the heist."


    "Heist? Are you nning to steal something? Don''t get into trouble when we have other things to worry about, Simon," Maximus warned him, but Simon waved his hand as if it wasn''t a big deal.


    "It is a heist you wouldn''t have imagined," Simon''s green eyes twinkled in mirth.


    Maximus rolled his eyes, "Just don''t get into trouble."


    "Mhmm," came the response from Simon. His lips had pulled up in both the corners. "How are the ns of defense going on?"


    "Castiel and the other Elders wanted to speed up the dates of the exams, but Dante refused," exined Maximus, sitting down on his bed, "She said this is the most she could and trying to change too many things would catch the attention from others and we''ll be dealing with more than just one kind."


    "That seems logical."


    "But that increases the risk of the humans," Maximus'' eyebrows furrowed, and he said, "Olivia told me that Conner''s mind is breaking thepulsion faster. It is only a matter of time until he either learns the truth and epts, or finds the truth and informs about it to his parents."


    "It is a tricky situation, isn''t it. Do you think Conner would side with his friends, but Donovan really snapped the thread that cannot be mended again in him," remarked Simon, and his lips twisted. "Did you talk to him?"


    "I haven''t seen him with the girls. He rarely leaves his room," and hearing Maximus'' words, Simon''s eyebrows raised in question.


    "Hm? Looks like I will have to take a look myself, after all I am a fellow hunter," grinned Simon and Maximus shook his head.


    "You are enjoying this more than you should," said Maximus, but then he thought of how Simon always enjoyed the difficult situations and people''s pain and plight. It was something he fed on as much as he fed on blood when he was thirsty.


    "Enjoying normal things is boring, don''t you agree? And nobody wants ordinary things, my parents were never fond of it," replied Simon before he stood up from the bed and picked up his silver chain. He wore it around his neck. "Let me see what my best friend Conner is doing."


    Simon stepped out of the dorm, started to walk through the corridor. He walked down the stairs and hopped on the corridor where the human''s dorm was located. The junior students, who were walking in there, were quick to bow at him while he offered them a bright smile. Coming to stand in front of Conner''s dorm, he ced gentle knocks on the surface of the wooden door.


    After a few seconds, Conner finally opened the door, and he looked slightly taken aback by Simon''s presence in front of his dorm.


    "Good evening, Conner. I came to check on you to make sure you are doing well," came the friendly words from Simon, and Conner offered a smile.


    "I am doing good, Simon. Thank you foring to check on me," replied Conner, and he pushed the door to the side. "Do you want toe in?"


    "Sure," replied Simon, and he ced one foot inside the room, closely followed by the other one. "I was worried that something happened. Especially knowing how bad the world has turned into, I would be hurt if something terrible happened to you."


    At Simon''s words, Conner gave him a startled look. He then said, "I am doing perfectly fine. I just needed some time for myself."


    "For yourself or away from the girl?" Simon never liked to y defense, and he always prefered to attack people, as it made it easier to get answers from people.


    "Oh no!" Conner was quick to deny it, and heughed, "I wouldn''t be upset about such things. I think it is just weird that I didn''t know about it until now, while Mnie confessed it to you."


    Simon stared at Conner with a smile on his face, and he said, "It was probably because she found it easier to confess about it to me. I am a very good listener and make people feel veryfortable with me. If you have any secrets, you can always confide it with me."


    Simon''s words sparked something in Conner''s mind, that Mnie was possibly closer to this person than him. He felt slightly jealous at the thought of it.


    "I thought you both discussed and cleared everything," Simon continued to poke Conner, not because it wasn''t his business, but slowly the interest had turned into something personal now. "Have you both decided to give it a try together?"


    "No¡­" Conner replied, but his refusal sounded doubtful as if he wasn''t sure about what to do with these new emotions. Though Mnie had clearly mentioned that he didn''t have to return her feelings, there was still some awkwardness that he was trying to see how to handle. And he had started to question how he felt towards Mnie, and if he unknowingly loved her.


    Simon walked towards the table, picking up a book that was lying on the surface, and he went through it. He said, "I understand how you feel, Conner. I mean you aren''t able to forget about Reese, are you?"


    "It is hard to let the memories of Reese go," murmured Conner. "And I care about Mel. A lot." There had been too many things going on, which was why he wanted some time away from people and not just Mnie.


    Simon''s eyes subtly narrowed, and when he was about to ask something, he noticed the change in Conner''s heart beat. So far it didn''t seem like the human remembered anything about hispulsion and hidden memories. Before the vampire could ask something, Conner was the one to ask him,


    "How is she doing?"


    "Mnie?" asked Simon, and he nodded his head, "She''s doing well. The same as usual, and still very upset with me."


    "I am sorry about that," Conner apologized, and Simonughed.


    "You don''t have to be. I surely deserved it," said Simon, feeling the soft touch of Mnie''s hand on his cheek. "She''s been hurting a lot and I thought it was time to give her the needed push. I mean one sided, unrequited feelings are the worst for any person, but I am d she''s doing better even after your rejection."


    "I didn''t reject her," corrected Conner, his eyes not meeting Simon''s eyes.


    "Did you ept her feelings then?" Simon shot the question, and Conner shook his head. Conner scrunched his face when he was about to say something, making the vampire question, "You alright there, pal?"


    "Yeah, I am okay. I have just been having bad stomach aches," replied Conner, and Simon gave a short nod.


    "I will let you rest then. Do you need any medicine? I would be happy to get some from the infirmary," offered Simon, being a good friend to Conner, but the human refused.


    "No, I will be fine with just a bit of rest."


    "Alright then. I will see you during dinner?" asked Simon, and Conner agreed.


    "Thanks for dropping by," said Conner and Simon walked out of the room before the door was locked.


    Once Conner was sure that Simon left the front side of the room, his hands quickly went to grasp on the sides of his head, and he gritted his teeth. His head had been hurting for quite some time now, and the shes of images and distorted voices had started to fill up in his mind.


    He climbed on the bed andid down, feeling the continuous shes of blood appearing in front of his eyes.


    ''Let me take another sip from you before we head to ss.''


    ''She died because of a heart attack... repeat it...''


    ''Was it a wolf''s attack? The wild animal is on prowl''


    ''How long do you think we are keeping him here? We need to build an alibi,'' came another voice which didn''t stop there.


    Conner felt as if his head was being squeezed on both sides, and he wished for it to stop. If there was one thing he came to realize, it was that no one was to be trusted in this ce. He could tell by the look in his best friend''s eyes that she was hiding something, and he wasn''t sure what exactly it was.


    More distorted voices came to fill in his mind, and one of them said, ''You will grieve her death normally and won''t question anyone about it. Ms. Reese''s death was natural and you never saw any blood on her body.''


    Then for the very first time, apart from the distorted voices that he couldn''t make out in his head, Conner finally caught sight of a person''s face. It was the face of Veteris'' counselor, Mr. Evans. His eyes snapped open, which turned wide in realization as the image and memory of the person turned much more distinct. Mr. Evans had red eyes that stared right into his eyes whilepelling him in this very room.


    "Shit!" Conner cursed under his breath. One of the teachers was a vampire, and who knew how many more were in here because there was more than one voice in his head.


    Simon had decided to take a walk on the Veteris ground, smiling at the juniors and the students in his year, who looked at him warily. They looked at him warily because they knew there was more than one screw loose in the vampire''s head.


    While he was walking, he caught sight of the human girl, who had caught his attention. She was standing not too far away from where he was, talking to one of the students, and he made his way to where she was.


    Mnie spoke to the fellow student, "Thank you so much for the notes. It helped us a lot and we were able to finish reading the chapter quicker this time," she thanked the senior girl.


    "Seniors are meant to help the juniors, especially in times like this where they surprise us with early dates of exams," smiled the senior, who was a human. "Let me know if you need any help by tomorrow, because I will be busy from the day after tomorrow."


    "No, this is more than sufficient. Thank you for your valuable time," replied Mnie, raising the two notebooks that belonged to the girl who stood in front of her.


    "If notes is what you need, I would be more than happy to arrange them, darling," came the sudden voice from behind the girls, making them both turn. The senior girl smiled seeing Simon''s presence as if he was a ray of sunshine, while Mnie looked like she had just taken a bite from a bitter-gourd.


    Mnie turned to the senior and thanked her once again, "Thank you again. I will return them to you after the exam," saying this, she started to walk away from there.


    Simon offered a polite smile to the other girl before he quickly started to follow Mnie, "Good evening, Mel. How are you faring today?"


    "Like shit," replied Mnie, and Simon didn''t take any offense from her words.


    "Tell me what can I do to help? I just saw your love interest a few minutes ago. He seems to be too drowned in histe girlfriend''s memories," Simon poked it at Mnie, who quietly shot him a re. He gasped, cing a hand on his chest, "I am scared! Are you still mad at me? It has been two days since west spoke to each other."


    "You can add more years to it until I die to talk to me next," retorted Mnie, not looking at him.


    A light, hearty chuckle escaped from Simon''s lips, and he said, "Unfortunately, I am not an expert in using the ouija board to connect with you after your death. So I will make do what I have now."


    Mnie, who had been slightly feeling guilty that she had overreacted, now realized it wasn''t her but Simon who had pushed her to p him.


    "Do you want me to repeat what happened two days ago?" asked Mnie, stopping her feet from walking any further, and Simon stopped walking.


    Simon''s eyes sparkled in mirth, and he said, "It will be folly for you to think that something like that will happen twice. Though you are free to try," he used both his hands to spread apart as if weing her action and Mnie stared at him.


    "You did what you wanted to. Are you happy now?" Mnie''s free hand turned into fist while the other pulled the books closer to her chest.


    "Look at me, I am ecstatic. Though I am curious as to why Conner isn''t around you. You poor little thing with a broken heart," Simon clicked his tongue in pity while looking at the human.


    Mnie wondered if Simon''s spot in Hell had already been confirmed because of how awful he was.


    "Is that all you wanted to talk about?" inquired Mnie.


    "Always so ready to shoo me away when I have a lot to talk about with you,"ined Simon before offering her a bright smile. "So tell me, how are you coping with your heart break?"


    "My heart is fine. There''s no reason for it to be broken because I had enough time to¡ª"


    Simon suddenly pulled Mnie by her hand, and she tried to pull it away, but he put his hand around her waist.


    "What do you think you are doing?!" asked Mnie with an rmed expression on her face.


    "I have issues with my ears, and sometimes I need to bring the person of my interest closer," saying this, he turned his head to the side, "You say your heart is doing fine, but I hear it rapidly beating against your chest. Are you sure it is beating fine?" She felt his thumb graze against the skin of her wrist.


    Mnie kicked his leg, and Simon let go of her. Her cheeks had turned red, and she red at him.


    "What are you trying to do?" she asked him, not breaking her intense gaze from his yful one.


    Simon said, "Now that Conner is out of your mind, let us focus on something better."


    "What?" Mnie asked, confusion on her face.


    "I think you are quite an interesting girl," remarked Simon, pushing one side of his hair to the back. He said, "As Conner doesn''t feel that way towards you, let us not waste more time.. So quickly fall for me now."

 Chapter 210 - Forgive Me!

    Mnie blinked her eyes before closing them, and when she opened them, her ck eyes reflected Simon''s reflection in them. His words had caught her off guard, and she used both her hands and pushed him so that he could get away from her.


    "I think it would be better for you to stop your jokes unless you want to find yourself with a wooden stake pierced through your heart," she warned him with her eyebrows furrowing while she stared at him.


    Simon blinked back at her, his head tilting to the side, and he said, "Joke? Who is joking? I am being serious. Fall for me now."


    At Simon''s words, Mnie rolled her eyes, and she asked him, "Did you hit your head somewhere while on your way here?"


    "No, I was struck by the cupid," grinned Simon.


    There was no way Simon was being serious right now, thought Mnie to herself. When she rewinded what he had just said a few seconds ago, his words sent shivers down her spine, and it raised goosebumps on her skin. She shook her head and started to walk away from the vampire, but Simon was quick to catch up to her side.


    "Seriously, that was the worst reaction I have ever received until now," remarked Simon, slipping his hands into his pockets while his eyes were set on Mnie.


    Mnie hugged herself, rubbing her hands on her arms, and she said, "If reaction is what you are looking for, I will give you one which is worse than the p that took ce in the lunchroom. Please stop fooling around with me. I have other things to do."


    "Fooling around? That was what you were doing with Conner,"mented Simon, and Mnie gritted her teeth. Before she could retort to it, he continued, "Now now, don''t be mean. What I meant to say was that, you have pointlessly spent your time harboring feelings for a person who didn''t even know about it until I had to point it out. How pitiful is that?"


    If there was one thing that Mnie had realised, it was that Simon Wace was shameless. And the senior boy held no concern at all for her feelings, and he didn''t care if he embarrassed her or not.


    "Are you still mad at me?" he poked her for a response.


    "I don''t know what game you are ying this time, but I don''t want to be part of it, and I don''t care," said Mnie, increasing the pace of her walk and for a second, Simon fell behind, but soon he caught up to her side.


    "Tell me that you have forgiven me," said Simon, and Mnie grumbled something incoherent under her breath. "Hm? What was that? You forgive me?"


    "Over my dead body," her nose red at the audacity of this shameless vampire.


    Simon clicked his tongue, and he shook his head before he said, "What did I say about you being dead. I usually prefer people alive rather than them being dead, unless they are going to turn to my meal."


    As Mnie walked in front of him, she noticed some of the students turned to look at them, and she didn''t have to hear to know what they were speaking about. Considering how she had pped Simon in front of everyone, people looked at them with curious nces.


    "You have the nerve to ask me for forgiveness," retorted Mnie. "Unless you want to be murdered by my hand today. Stop following me."


    "Hard pass. I am not leaving you until I know you have forgiven me from your heart," he stressed the word heart, and when Mnie turned to look at him, Simon offered her a bright smile. "You know, you should be thanking me. Instead of staying in the same puddle, you can now freely move on. Unless... you are telling me you are a masochist who enjoys the pain of seeing the person you love with someone else or still thinking about his previous girlfriend. So when are you nning to fall for me?"


    "It will be my worst nightmare."


    But then, what was happening now was nothing less than a nightmare. Because of Simon, her friendship with Conner had been put into jeopardy. This was one of the reasons why she hadn''t confessed her feelings to Conner. It wasn''t the fear of rejection but the worry that things would change between her and her best friend.


    "Darling I might appear as a nightmare, but don''t you agree that there''s a certain thrill to it," Simon tried to convince Mnie, who gave him a look.


    "Thanks to you things between Conner and me have turned awkward," Mnie reminded the vampire, who gave her a nod.


    "Doesn''t that mean that the bond between you two wasn''t as strong as you thought it to be?" Simon tried to mix things up, even though he knew Conner hadn''t cooped himself in his dorm because of Mnie. "I mean...pared to him, I am a much better person. I came straight to you to check how you are doing."


    Mnie started to cough, and Simon''s eyes slightly narrowed while the smile still stered on his face. She said,


    "You must havee to create more problems in my life."


    "Your life before me was like food without salt. I am that cheese on the pizza, vourful¡ª"


    "Which isn''t healthy," Mnie interrupted Simon''s words. She stopped walking, knowing they were gathering too much attention from the fellow students. She turned around, starting to walk in the direction where she hade from.


    Simon gave her a perplexed look, "Where are you going? We aren''t done talking."


    "I am. I have nothing more to say to you. So just leave me alone," came Mnie''s frustrated words. She just wanted to stay alone for a while and think and get some time for herself in peace, which was not possible with Simon hovering around her like a housefly.


    "Mnie!"


    Hearing Simon''s loud voice, she grit her teeth. She turned on her heels, ready to throw the books that were in her hands at him. But a look of surprise came to her face when she didn''t find him in front of her. She looked around, noticing the students staring at her even more openly than before and mutters and murmurs filled around.


    Suddenly someone grabbed her ankles from the ground, and Mnie shrieked in terror as if there was a ghost. But then the ghost was none other than Simon, who had fallen on his knees.


    "What the hell do you think you are doing?!" Mnie demanded with her face turning red. She tried to step away from him, but Simon held her ankles firmly. "Let go of my legs!"


    What was wrong with this vampire! She wanted to stake him right at this instant for continuously trying to embarrass her.


    "All I am asking is for your forgiveness, Mel! I cannot live with the thought that I offended you, when in truth I was only trying to help you," Simon''s way of apologizing reminded Mnie of a psychopath. "Won''t you forgive me, Mel."


    "I will kill you!" Mnie cursed him in frustration. "L-let me go! People are staring at us, Simon!"


    "No, you are right, I have done wrong by you. I know you want me to apologize," said Simon, and Mnie''s face twisted in distress. How did this psychopath get attached to her?


    One day she was walking happily, and suddenly a meteor came and hit her, and that meteor was Simon.


    "I don''t need you apologizing to me. Please let go and stand up. Stop being so dramatic," Mnie whispered to him, and she slightly lost her bnce before getting it right and not falling with the vampire who was still holding her ankles.


    "But you haven''t forgiven me," pointed Simon.


    "I do! I have forgiven you. For heaven''s sake!" remarked Mnie, and Simon looked at her.


    "You mean it? Why do I feel like you don''t mean it by your heart," Simon gave her a sullen look.


    This asshole! Mnie wanted to shout and scream at him, hoping that she would damage his vampire''s ears. In her mind, right now, she stepped on Simon and could hear him scream, only to realize that even in her imagination, she could imagine Simon enjoying her stepping on him.


    She took a deep breath and said, "I forgive you. I am not angry at you, I mean it."


    And Simon suddenly let go of her ankles, and Mnie took two steps away from him. The vampire stood up straight, waving at the students who were around, and he said, "The show is over, there is nothing more to see." The students gave him a look before they walked away from there.


    Mnie quickly started to run away from there, not wanting to stay a second more around him at the expense of her sanity.


    "Careful on your way back! Don''t fall where you are not supposed to, just me!" Mnie heard Simon yell from behind, and Mnie''s eyes twitched. Maybe the person she would be using her wooden stake on would be this crazy vampire, she thought in her mind.


    Seeing the human girl walk away, Simon couldn''t help but chuckle to himself, "How cute."


    One of the female students, who witnessed the little scene caused, walked towards where Simon stood.


    The girl had chestnut wavy hair that had been let down, and one side pushed in front of her shoulder. She wore a skirt and halter top. She asked,


    "Isn''t that the girl who pped you in the lunchroom? What are you doing with her?"


    "I am ying a little game. Why are you poking your short nose in it?" questioned Simon, his gaze shifting away from Mnie and looking at the girl, who was a fellow vampiress.


    "She''s below average, not to mention boring. I was just curious when I heard that you were getting involved with a human who seemed like an utter bore,"mented the girl, and she stepped closer, cing her hand on Simon''s chest. "You have been busy."


    Simon ced his hand on the girl''s hand and pushed it away, a polite smile on his lips where he grinned, "So clingy. Especially the kind I hate the most."


    The girl looked slightly hurt, which reflected in her eyes, and she hid it away with a smile, "I am clingy? It is you who is clingy, Simon. Have you forgotten the times you came to me, seeking for mypany? We are both the mostpatible ones, like soul mates."


    The red-headed boy started to chuckle, "You''re making me regret my past actions."


    "Do you deny that we aren''t alike, which is why we have always got along with each other? Since the time we were children," said the girl, slightly tipping her chin up while Simon stared at her. "Girlse and go, where you y them, but I have always been that constant. You should stop ying with that human."


    He hummed, nodding his head, "We did get along, but right now you are getting on myst nerve. What we had was nothing but business, and you aren''t my girlfriend. So stop being subtle and pointing that we might have something more, when it''s been nothing but purely pleasure. Soul mate is nothing but bullshit, Nh."


    The vampiress named Nh stared back at Simon, a small smile on her lips, and she said, "You might not believe it, but you know we are the most suited." When she took one step closer to him, Simon took one step back before dusting his shoulder.


    "I have other things to do to kill time. See you around?" said Simon before walking away from there.


    The smile that was there on Nh''s face faltered, and she murmured to herself, "It seems like you have forgotten that it was me, who was next to your side when you were hurt, Simon.. I will see you around."

 Chapter 211 - Flowers With Love

    Music Rmendation: Hello, Master? - Hong Eun Ji


    ¡ª


    Mnie went back to her dorm, locking the doors and double-checking the windows so that her peace wouldn''t be disrupted even by mistake. She was exhausted to the point where she wanted to pack her bags and return home.


    On her way to her dorm, she heard the students'' whispers that increased, and word had already spread around about how Simon had been begging for her forgiveness when in truth, he was only fooling around.


    "Who the hell even tells someone to fall for something like that. He''s such a yer," Mnie muttered under her breath while dropping the books on the table and taking a seat so that she could study.


    She wondered how to get rid of Simon so that he wouldn''t keep buzzing around her, and the only solution she came up with was her staking him with wood. And even though she tried to concentrate on studying the book in front of her, she couldn''t move past more than two pages.


    ''People change,'' Olivia''s voice resonated in her mind.


    As much as she didn''t want to think about Simon, she couldn''t help herself but wonder what Simon''s life must have been like before he had turned into a vampire. The current vampire she knew, he was irritating, someone who easily got on her nerves and someone who held no regard for others.


    A sigh escaped from her lips, and she closed her book.


    Away from the girl''s Dormitorium and on the restricted side of the forest, Simon walked in there. He hummed happy music that lifted his spirits while he headed towards the hidden cemetery.


    "Hm?"


    Simon noticed he wasn''t the only one who visited the cemetery. In front of one of the graves stood the vampiress headmistress, Eloise Dante, with her hands folded in front of her. There was a bunch of fresh flowers that had been ced on top of the grave.


    Hearing his footsteps, the woman turned and greeted him, "Here to visit your family, Mr. Wace?"


    "Yes, indeed. Are you here to visit yourte husband, Ms. Dante?" questioned Simon, his voice light and his green eyes curiously looking at her. Ms. Dante was an interesting woman who had been allowed to handle the university. Her history was something to think about, as he had heard of how the y that was orchestrated was closely rted to her life.


    Ms. Dante gave him a nod, "Yes. It has been a busy time and I thought I shoulde and visit him."


    "Is it true?" questioned Simon, and the woman gave him a curious yet questioning look on what he was asking her about. "What Piper wrote in the y. Did it really happen just like that?" a mischievous smile came to y on his lips.


    The vampiress pursed her lips as if thinking about the past, and she replied, "Some parts of it."


    "How fascinating. To have such a whirlwind of romance," grinned Simon, but Ms. Dante didn''t share the same views about it. He then hinted, "Castiel enjoys yourpany, and you both are vampires now."


    "We are," replied Ms. Dante, but she didn''t continue to speak about her love life. "How is your thirst when ites to blood?" she questioned him.


    "Perfectly fine, why?" Simon gave her a look as if he was confused. "Are you shifting the subject, Ms. Dante?"


    Ms. Dante''s eyes slightly narrowed. Simon had no regard for whom he was speaking to, and he liked to step into everyone''s space, poking his nose and wanting to know what was going on in others'' lives to feed his curious mind. Brushing away his words, she said,


    "You aren''t far from Roman when ites to consuming blood. The only difference is that I get a count of Roman''s blood cans, while yours, you take it from the students." Being the headmistress of Veteris for such a long time now, she had tried to keep track of which vampire or vampiress did what.


    Simon offered a polite smile, a smile that could be unnerving to people who knew him closely.


    "I have been doing very well, Ms. Dante. I am the least problematic student in Veteris. At least whenpared to my fellow vampire brothers and sisters," his curious green eyes continued to look at the woman. "Did someone say something?"


    "I know you have been feeding on the humans, one or two sips at a time. Not to mention,st year you nearly killed one of the humans," pointed Ms. Dante, her eyes sharply looking at Simon.


    "And I have been very very careful in handling them. Humans are delicate creatures, and some snap very easily," exined Simon, and he continued, "Humans have always been a food supply to us vampires. That''s how nature made it to be, else we wouldn''t be feeding on their blood now, would we?"


    "Looks like the four years of your studies in here did no good to you," remarked Ms. Dante, a subtle frown appearing on her forehead. "At this rate I will have to have you repeat another year."


    Simon chuckled, "Oh, I did learn a lot. The importance of bnce between humans and vampires. On second thought, I don''t mind repeating a year. I think it would be quite interesting to spend an extra year here."


    Ms. Dante internally let out a sigh, not knowing if Simon was joking or if he really intended to study an extra year here. Some of the students were troublesome in Veteris, and truthfully, she couldn''t wait for them to graduate.


    "Stay out of trouble, Mr. Wace," Ms. Dante warned him, and Simon was quick to oblige, nodding his head.


    "I always do that. It is why I am a much less frequent visitor when ites to the detention room," replied Simon, which was the truth. It was often Roman or Maximus who spent most of their time in the detention room, unlike Simon, who almost had a clean te and was a rare visitor to the detention room. It was only because he joined the fights with his friends to beat some arrogant students. "But you know, if you really want to keep trouble at bay, you should probably keep an eye on the human students, rather than the vampires. Because that''s where trouble stirs."


    "What do you mean?" questioned the vampiress.


    Simon stepped a little closer, walking towards where his family members'' grave was present. He said, "I am talking about Conner. He''s been having headaches, which appears when thepulsion starts to break."


    "I heard about it from Olivia," Ms. Dante was well aware of the facts and situation. "So far it''s only breaking. But I have asked Borrell to go and check on him before the wall of thepulsionspletely copses."


    "Are you going to lock him up in the dungeon?" Simon''s eyes brightened, and Ms. Dante''s lips set themselves in a thin line.


    "Borrell will check on his condition before we decide to ce him in the dungeon. But there is a higher probability of him spending his time in the dungeon," responded Ms. Dante because it was better to take precaution before something happened. She then said, "I thought you were friends with the boy."


    "Just out of convenience," chimed Simon, and he tilted his head. "I thought he was a bad husband. Why do youe and visit him with flowers?"


    "You always ask too many questions," pointed Dante, and she asked back, "What about you? You didn''t bring any flowers for your family?"


    "I will pluck some that are around," Simon continued to offer his polite smile.


    Before Ms. Dante left the cemetery, her eyes fell on the grave that she was standing in front of, and she then looked back at Simon and said, "I will have Evans re-evaluate all the final year students. The vampires, to make sure we know they are ready to step into the outside world."


    "That would be an excellent idea," replied Simon, and he watched the vampiress walk away from there. "You still are humane as you were before turning into a vampiress, Dante," he murmured under his breath once the woman was out of sight.


    Now alone in the cemetery, Simon turned back to look at the graves of his family members. The graves had been ced on the top rightpared to the other graves. He watched the closest graves near him, which were of his parents, the headstones read ¡ª''Patrick Wace'' and ''Amber Wace.''


    "My my look at the amount of dust that you have collected on yourself. Let me get some flowers," Simon spoke to the graves.


    Instead of walking into the forest to pluck out fresh flowers from the bushes or trees, Simon walked around the other graves in the cemetery. When his eyes fell on the dried and withered bouquets of old flowers, he went to them. He picked a few of them before returning to the ce where his family''s graves were. He ced it on the graves and said,


    "Don''t you look lovely now. These dried flowers suit you better than the fresh ones, considering how rotten you were," Simon''s voice was calm, and he let out a sigh. "Did you miss me? Probably not, but I sure did miss you guys. I always think about you. Forgive me, for I have been busy with other things, but I know you won''t mind. Not that you can even if you want to. Because you are dead."


    Simon took himself to lean his back against one of the graves while he watched the graves of the people who were once rted to him by blood. He pulled out a small sk from his pocket, pulling out the lid. He took a sip from it before licking his lips.


    The smile on Simon''s lips lowered, and his bright green eyes turned slightly dull.


    Simon''s thoughts slowly started to drift to the time of the past when his family was still alive and a few years before it. He could hear the distant voices of his siblings as theyughed while he stood in the dark.


    ''Let me out!'' came Simon''s words as he banged his hands on the dusty wood.


    Remembering that incident, his eyes shifted from his parents'' grave, to look at his siblings'' grave that was right next to his parents grave. The memory that ran in his mind, he was not older than ten, and a door was continuously banged.


    "Brother! Please!" the young boy''s voice was heard from inside the closet, where he had been locked.


    Outside the closet stood three children, who were older than the young boy in age and appearance. Two boys and one girl, who were siblings of the younger boy, who was in the closet.


    "Come on, it is fun!" shouted the eldest brother. "Wasn''t it fun when you went and tattletaled to mother on what you saw me doing in the alley? Because of you, I am now grounded!"


    "I didn''t do anything, brother Jamison!" the young boy''s terrified voice was heard from inside the closet. "Please let me out, I cannot breathe here!"


    "This is not your first time there. A rat like you, should be used to it," replied the boy named Jamison, who was the eldest one out of the four children of the Wace couple.


    "You should have known better, Simi," came the sister''s voice, where she had crossed her arms against her chest. "You''re always causing trouble for us. If brother Jamison wasn''t grounded, he would have taken me out to shop. You deserve this."


    "Emmie, please let me out," the young boy begged his sister for her help, but she didn''t attempt to move from where she stood.


    "Stop banging on the door, or I will drag you to the shed and lock you up in there," threatened Jamison, and he then turned to look at his other two siblings. "I don''t want this door to be opened. Do you get it? Scott and Emmie?"


    Scott shared simr features as Jamison with jet ck hair, and he was the second child of the Wace couple. He was two years younger than Jamison while a year older than Emmie, who had blonde hair. While Simon was three years younger than Emmie.


    Emmie shrugged her shoulders and said, "I will go and see if I can go out with mama. I have been wanting to go out to get the hairpins."


    Scott replied to Jamison, "I am least bothered with what this one wants to do. Leave me out of it, and I don''t want to be involved." And though he said that, he stepped towards the closet. cing his hand on the surface of the wood and saying, "Have a good time there, little brother," he stressed the words ''little brother''.


    "You dare try toin about this to mother or father," came the low, threatening voice of Jamison to young Simon, "I will make sure that you never open your mouth to them."


    The boy who was inside the closet, he lightly tapped on his side of the wood and pleaded, "Please don''t leave me here. It won''t happen again!" He heard his siblings'' footsteps, leaving the room and the door being locked. This only left him in more panic.


    "Brother Jamison? Brother Scott?" He called their name, hoping they were only ying and would let him out soon. "Sister Emmie?" He called his sister, but there was no response.


    He stared at the darkness that surrounded him while listening to his rapid breathing, and he started suffocating.


    The young boy didn''t know how many minutes passed, but the more time passed, the more he started to wheeze. He banged his small hands on the wood, shouting, "Please let me out of here! Please!"


    But no one heard the little boy shouting for help, as he had been locked on the above floor, in the room that was at the end.


    With theck of air, it became more difficult for him to breathe, the bangs on the door reduced, and the young boy''s body slowly turned ck and it slid on the bottom of the closet.


    The butler of the Wace family, who had been walking in the floor, heard a slight disturbanceing from one of the rooms, and walked in the corridor to take a quick look at it.

 Chapter 212 - Envy Of The Green Eyes

    Music Rmendation: Blooming Truth- Byun Sang Hoo


    ¡ª


    When the butler entered the room, he heard a slight sound that came from the closet. On opening the closet, his eyes widened, on noticing the young master in there, who had fainted.


    "Master Simon!" The butler called the young boy''s name, and he quickly pulled the boy out of there. "How did you end up here?" he murmured with a deep frown.


    The young boy had fallen unconscious, and he was picked up by the butler and carried to his respective room. Once he was tucked in the bed, one of the maids brought a ss of water and handed it to the butler. The butler poured some water into the boy''s mouth, who heckled as he woke up, sputtering some drops of water.


    Young Simon''s eyes widened, and a gasp escaped from his lips.


    "You are safe now," assured the butler, and he asked, "You are lucky I was walking past the room, else you would have been locked there for God knows for how long. How did you even end up there?" inquired the old man, whose hair was gray and had wrinkles on his face.


    The little boy had juste out of shock from being in the darkness and was unable to breathe for a long time until he fainted. He opened his mouth, ready to exin what happened, until he remembered what his elder brother, Jamison, had warned him with. He shook his head and said,


    "I don''t know."


    Hearing this, the butler frowned. Because he knew this wasn''t the first time he had found the boy locked in the rooms or closets, where he kept getting himself in trouble.


    "I am fine, Augustine," Simon offered a smile that didn''t reach up to his eyes, but he smiled anyway. If a person took a closer look, one could tell how hollow the boy''s eyes were.


    "You know you can always tell me about anything?" asked Augustine, the butler, who had served the Wace''s family for many years now before even Mr. and Mrs. Wace had been married.


    The young boy gave a nod, "I know, and I always take your help," replied Simon.


    "Maybe I should advise you to avoid going to the unused rooms and open the closet doors. Curiosity is never good, Master Simon," the butler tried to advise Simon, who once again responded with a nod.


    "I will try to keep that in my mind."


    "Here, why don''t you drink this ss of water and I will continue my work," said the butler, offering the ss of water.


    Simon took hold of the ss and drank the entire ss of water. But when he handed the empty ss, the boy asked, "Is mother and father in the house?"


    "Mr. Wace hasn''t returned home yet, and Mrs. Wace went out to attend a lunch gathering with your sister Lady Emmie. Would you want me to inform you when they get back home? Or inform them that you wanted to speak to them?" inquired Augustine, standing straight next to the bed.


    "No," came the quick reply from the boy, his eyes slightly wide, and the butler gave him a nod.


    "Is there anything you would like me to do for you?" the butler asked in a polite tone, as if already knowing why the young boy was inquiring about his parents whereabouts.


    "Do you know when mother will be back?" asked Simon, and the butler answered,


    "It shouldn''t be until five."


    "I will be going out for a few minutes," informed young Simon and the butler only stared at him.


    "May I ask where, just so that I can inform the others if they ask about your whereabouts."


    The young boy pursed his lips, thinking about it before he said, "If it is my siblings, tell them you haven''t seen me. Also keep the closet and door locked...of that room. I am just going for a walk."


    "I hope you have a safe stroll outside, Master Simon," Augustine wished the boy, who scrambled out of bed and stepped outside the room.


    Simon didn''t use the front or the back door of the house to go out, in slight dread that his siblings would catch sight of him. He didn''t want to spend his time again in another closet of the house. He climbed out of the window and quickly walked away from his house, making his way towards one of his friend''s houses. When he nearly reached the Moltenore''s mansion, he caught sight of Roman and his brother Tristan, who were ying on one side of the mansion.


    "What happened to your friends today?" a young Roman questioned his brother, who shared the same age as Simon.


    "I told them I was busy, and that I was going to spend time with my dear brother," smiled Tristan, and Roman stared at him.


    "You don''t have to do it. I have books to read and keep mepany," replied Roman, and he caught the ball that Tristan threw at him.


    "Those are non-living objects. You need more than just visuals, you need to experience it,"ughed Tristan. And he caught back the ball that Roman threw straight at him. "You should throw it to the sides so that it bes less predictable to the other person, Rome. Also, what good is it going to be if you are only going to spend your time with the books?"


    "It avoids having to interact with people," came the dull and obvious response from the younger brother, and Tristan shook his head.


    "Don''t worry, you have your elder brother with you. I will make sure that you get all the right experience and don''t lose out on anything. I will never leave your side," stated Tristan, and the younger brother softly sighed as if he had suddenly aged ten plus years.


    Young Roman knew how popr Tristan was and with his elder brother being the legitimate son of the Moltenore''s, people loved and epted him, while he was always pushed to the side as if he didn''t exist. He didn''t want Tristan missing out on his time with his friends.


    "Whatever you choose," muttered Roman. This time when he caught the ball, he threw it far to the side, where his brother wouldn''t be able to catch it. Tristan stared at him with his mouth open. "You said it to be unpredictable."


    "That is not what I meant," said Tristan, raising his hand to emphasise his point.


    The Wace boy, who hadn''t made his presence known, stood there watching the two brothers. His green eyes held the emotions of envy, as he craved to have a simr rtionship like that with his siblings or at least his brother. To be loved and treasured, to have his back in the most demanding situations.


    He watched how Tristan Moltenore continued to poke his brother without harming him, and insteadughing and talking to his adopted brother. And though his friend Roman often showed disinterest, he could tell that Tristan''s effort had moved Roman. He wondered if, in the future, the condition between him and his brothers would get better. He didn''t even know why his siblings treated him the way they did.


    "When did youe here?" questioned Roman on seeing Simon standing not too far from them.


    "A minute ago," replied Simon, and he made his way towards Roman. "I thought I hid myself well," he smiled at Roman, who stared at him with a bored expression on his face.


    "No matter how well you hide, your red hair gives away," pointed Roman, and subconsciously Simon touched his ming hair. "Do you want to y?"


    "Yes," Simon''s eyes brightened, and he looked at Tristan to make sure he wasn''t interrupting their time, even though he craved to have somepany right now.


    "Of course, you can join us. It will be more interesting to have three people than just two. Also, I must say that I am d to see that my brother has another friend, who still wants to talk to him. Didn''t you both fightst week?"


    "Augustine says fights aremon between friends. That it makes the bond stronger," stated Simon, taking his position next to Roman.


    "What a sensible butler you have."


    "Don''te here," came the blunt words from Roman.


    Simon blinked at Roman''s words as if he didn''t hear anything, while Tristan raised his eyebrows.


    "Isn''t that a little rude, Rome? He is your friend along with Maximus and the others," Tristan acted like a parent, giving a look at his younger brother, who didn''t respond to his words but only stared at Simon.

 Chapter 213 - The Wallace Family

    Simon didn''t take Roman''s words to heart, and he smiled, "I like ying with you two."


    Two hours passed post noon, where Simon spent his time ying with the Moltenore brothers. It seemed like Maximus was busy with his family, who held a lot of rules like his own family, but Simon had the habit of breaking them in ways so that his family didn''t find out about it. But today seemed to be a different day. Mrs. Wace and her daughter were returning from having lunch at one of the esteemed families in their carriage earlier than they were expected.


    Mrs. Wace caught sight of her son ying right outside at one of the town''s mansions. A deep frown appeared on Mrs. Wace''s forehead, and her lips set themselves in a thin line. And the carriage was pulled away from the road towards their home.


    One more hour passed, where the youngest son of the Wace family had finished spending a good amount of time ying with the Moltenores before he got back to his house.


    Simon pushed the windows of his room, opening it before he climbed and jumped on the ground. He stared at his palms, and just when he looked up, he noticed his mother, who was sitting on the chair. The young boy''s face turned pale, and he quickly stood up.


    "Good evening, mother," he offered his greetings with a small bow while his eyes tried to meet hers.


    "I didn''t know that the front doors of our house isn''t working anymore. Or is it that you prefer windows to go out ande in?" questioned his mother, who made her dress proper, which she hadn''t changed since she had returned home.


    The young boy parted his lips, ready to speak, "It does..." he replied in uncertainty.


    "Maybe I should let others know that you prefer the windows, and not to let you through the doors. Considering how fond you are of these things," came the sharp and stern voice of his mother. Simon shook his head, and his mother stood up from the chair where she had been sitting and waiting for her youngest son. "It seems like you have trouble when ites to understanding the rules of the house, Simon."


    "I am sorry, mother," Simon bowed his head deeper this time, apologizing and not wanting to see his mother upset.


    Wasn''t she supposed toe backter?


    "Do you mean it? Your apologies are empty as they don''t match your actions. You disappoint me," said his mother, and Simon felt the heaviness in his heart grow. "Change your clothes."


    Saying this, his mother left the room, and Simon stared at the open door. He hadn''t expected his mother to return this early and had hoped toe back home before she or his father would notice.


    Once he finished his shower and changed himself into a fresh pair of clothes, he went to the dining room. His siblings were already seated, and he sat on the end with no one sitting in front of him at the table.


    "How was lunch with the Emerson''s?" questioned his father, who sat at the head of the table. His father had ck hair like his brothers, while his sister had inherited their mother''s features. On the other hand, Simon had inherited red hair from his maternal grandfather.


    "It was wonderful. I took Emmie with me and they loved her. They asked about you," replied Mrs. Wace, and Mr. Wace gave a nod. "I told them how you wanted to attend but your work has been keeping you upied."


    If there was one thing that young Simon did acquire from his parents, it was his mother''s calm voice. An attribute where the voice was pleasing and charming to the ears, something the boy was yet to work on.


    "Work has indeed been busy. Soon Jamison will be joining me, and we will be expanding the family business," said Mr. Wace with a proud tone. "Only that he has to stop his foolery and concentrate on what is important."


    Jamison bowed and replied, "I have reflected over my actions and will be mindful from now on."


    Mr. Wace, who had taken a bite of food from his te, looked at his eldest son and said, "I hope you have, else it would be a shame."


    When supper came to an end, Mr. Wace asked, "Did Mrs. Krugg say about the time with our children? Everything is going well I hope?" His question was directed to his wife.


    "Noints from him," replied Mrs. Wace, "They have been doing their tasks andpleting it on time."


    "That''s good to hear. It is only a matter of time for our family to rise higher than the ones who are living in this town. Especially the disgraceful ones," the man''s lips twisted in distaste. "What a shame, for the position of the Lord of this town. To be held by a man who didn''t just act out of his marriage, but also brought his deed back to his home."


    Mrs. Wace agreed as she nodded, "It must be really hard for Petronile to go through this. I mean I can barely imagine how she must be feeling. Some of the women have been trying to stay away from her, but some aren''t able to."


    "Of course, they aren''t able to. Malcolm Moltenore is the Lord and it is something hard to do," came the words of Mr. Wace. "I am d that I have a sensible wife, and I don''t have to repeat things like these."


    His wife was pleased by his praise for her, and she then looked at their children, her eyes then came to settle on their youngest son. Mrs. Wace spoke to her children, "Jamison, Scott and Emmie, if you are done with your food, you can go to your rooms. Your father and I would like to speak to your brother Simon."


    The siblings turned suddenly alert, as if their youngest brother had asked time with their parents so that he couldin about what they did to him this noon.


    Mr. Wace raised his eyebrows, wondering what his wife wanted to talk about. The children slowly slid from their chairs, while Jamison red at Simon in a threatening way to not open his mouth.


    While Simon felt the growing coldness in his palms and feet. After his siblings stepped out of the room, the butler closed the door behind him, leaving him with his parents.


    "Why did you have Simon stay back?" asked Mr. Wace to his wife, who held a serious expression on her face. His eyes then shifted to look at his son, "What mischief have you caused, boy?"


    The young boy got up from his chair and came to stand near to his father but not in front of him. He looked at his mother, who continued to hold the disappointed look on her face. He wondered if she was gravely upset about his action of sneaking out of the house.


    Then his mother spoke to her husband, "Simon left the house today, and he got back inside through his room''s window."


    "Did you?" his father questioned him.


    Mr. Wace had always been strict with his children, and he never withheld himself in handing down the punishments to make sure his children followed and did what he wanted. The young boy took a deep breath, but not a word came out of his lips.


    "Have you no tongue to speak?" Mr. Wace intimidated his son, and the boy finally spoke,


    "It was the closest to step out. I won''t do that again, father."


    "What an unruly child," murmured Simon''s father, looking down at his son.


    But then Simon''s mother wasn''t done speaking, and she said, "You should ask him with whom he was ying. The Moltenore''s illegitimate son."


    This was enough for Mr. Wace''s eyes to narrow at his son.


    "Is what your mother saying to be true?" demanded Mr. Wace, standing up from his seat. He came to stand in front of the young boy. "I thought I was quite clear when I told you with whom to speak and be with. The Moltenores aren''t people we Waces would like to associate ourselves with! You will not be seen anywhere near him again."


    At his father''s words, the boy responded, "Rome is my friend."


    Mr. Wace red at his son. He raised his hand and struck his hand right across the little boy''s cheek. The impact was hard enough to push the boy towards the wall, while Mrs. Wace did nothing to stop her husband. Instead, she watched her husband discipline their son.


    The boy didn''t make a noise because it wasn''t something new to get hit by his parents. But it took a while for him to look back at his father.


    "My word is final. You will not sully our family name by being around people who aren''t worthy. I will tell Mrs. Kruggs to increase your study time so that you don''t waste your time. Ifpany is what you seek, you have your brothers and sister," reprimanded his father.


    Young Simon didn''t get his father''s reasoning, and more than his siblings, he preferred to be in thepany of the Moltenore brothers, even though Roman showed disinterest in being friends with him. When Mr. Wace started to head towards the closed doors of the dining room, the small voice of the boy came,


    "No."


    Mrs. Wace''s eyes widened at her son''s rude behaviour while Mr.. Wace stopped walking. He turned to look at his son and questioned, "What did you just say?"

 Chapter 214 - Behind The Bars Of The Cell

    Simon''s thoughts came back to the present, where he continued to lean his back against one of the headstones, and he stared at his father''s grave. He took another sip from the sk that contained blood in it.


    His family''s memories weren''t fond ones, but he enjoyed one particr memory the most. And that one single memory was enough to make him smile wide. A distinct look of craziness appeared in his green eyes that could scare a person away.


    "Miss me," he said to his family in a cheerful voice. "Also miss yourself as you are dead, and that I am the only one alive."


    Saying this, he started to walk away from the cemetery and made his way back to the boy''s Dormitorium. He decided to drop by at the human hunter''s dorm and walked into the corridor. When he knocked on the door, he received no response, and the door didn''t open. It seemed like Conner wasn''t in his dorm.


    Did Dante already get Evans to him? Simon questioned himself before heading back to his own room.


    Conner sat in front of Mr. Evans in the counsellor''s office, who looked at him with keen eyes. Conner hadn''t been invited by the vampire toe and join him, but he hade here of his own free will.


    "What is it that is worrying you?" asked Mr. Evans in his polite voice.


    "I have started to dream about things that doesn''t make any sense, Mr. Evans," answered Conner, wanting to see what the vampire would tell. He remembered seeing this man in his dorm andpelling him to forget about what had happened to Reese.


    Mr. Evans'' eyes flickered in intrigue, and he inquired, "And what are these things that you dream about?"


    "I keep seeing myte girlfriend, who passed away some time ago. I see her asking for help, to save her from people who are trying to kill her," exined Conner, making up a lie as dreams could be anything, and he wanted to get more answers that concerned Reese''s death. He knew that even though the reports in the infirmary mentioned Reese to have a heart condition, something wasn''t right.


    It was as if people were hiding the truth, and he also remembered how his very best friend was hiding something from him.


    "Dreams are tricky, Conner. They are the figments of our subconscious imagination," exined Mr. Evans, leaning against his chair and holding his hands together, ced them on the surface of the table. He said, "Reese was obviously very close to you and you have been deeply affected by her death. Conjuring scenarios in your mind when you are sleeping isn''t umon. Sometimes it rtes to trauma. Is there anything else that you noticed?"


    Mr. Evans and Conner stared at each other for the briefest seconds before the human boy shook his head.


    "It''s just the dreams," replied Conner, and Mr. Evans gave him a nod.


    "If the dreams are getting too much, affecting your day to day activity and life, let me prescribe you some medicines. You can go and ask for it in the infirmary," said Mr. Evans, pulling out the writing pad and scribbling on it. He tore the page and handed it to Conner. "These will help in reducing the dreams and allow you to sleep."


    Conner took hold of the page, staring at it. If Mr. Evans was indeed a vampire, it meant he was manipting every student who stepped inside his office. He wondered if the prescribed medicines had the ability to nullify the effect of Silverwater, so that the vampire couldpel the person again.


    He offered a smile to the counsellor, "Thanks a lot Mr. Evans. I hope these help. I will see youter."


    "Of course," replied Mr. Evans with a pleasant smile.


    Just when Conner went to open the door, someone ced their hand on the door, and it was the counsellor.


    "Did you want to speak about something else, Mr. Evans?" asked Conner as he turned to meet Mr. Evans'' gaze. His hand was still on the handle, but he couldn''t open it as the counsellor''s hand on the door was firm.


    Mr. Evans'' smile continued to stay on his lips, and he said, "Unfortunately, I cannot let you go from here."


    "What?" Conner''s heart shuddered a little as dread started to fill up in his mind.


    "Did you think I wouldn''t notice? For a person from a hunter''s family, you aren''t that smart, are you?" questioned Mr. Evans.


    Conner''s eyes widened, and he used all his force and kicked the vampire away from him. Mr. Evans''s back hit the table, which pushed the table to the side, making a creaking noise. Conner quickly pulled out a gun from his jacket, pointing it at the vampire. His hands were slightly unsteady, which the vampire noticed.


    Mr. Evans chuckled softly and asked, "Did you really think that a mere gun would harm me?"


    "You are a vampire, silver bullets should work on you fine," replied Conner, and the look in the counsellor''s eyes turned serious this time.


    "Don''t you know that bringing weapons on the premises of the university is prohibited? This alone will be enough for you to get some time behind the bars made by us," stated Mr. Evans, and he quickly moved towards Conner. But Conner quickly pulled the gun''s trigger.


    The vampire dodged, moving left and right, while Conner continued to pull the trigger until Mr. Evans caught hold of his wrists and he snatched the gun from Conner. Conner struggled and tried to fight off the vampire, using all his strength, but the vampire was clearly stronger.


    Conner tried to kick and punch the vampire, grabbing the door''s handle once again and just when he opened it, Mr. Evans pushed the door close. The vampire caught hold of Conner''s head and hit it right on the wall, leaving the boy unconscious and falling on the floor.


    Someone knocked on the door, and Mr. Evans pushed Conner''s body to the side before slightly opening the door with a charming smile on his face. It was three students who looked quite worried.


    "Mr. Evans, did something happen?"


    "We heard the sound of gunshots! Are you alright?" came the concerned words of the human. The three students tried to take a peek inside the room, and they found the table had been moved from its original position.


    The vampire turned over his shoulder and then looked back at the students, "I was rearranging some of the things in the room. Too much dust has been collecting in here and I am allergic to dust."


    "And the gunshot?" asked the girl, with her eyebrows furrowed.


    "Oh the gunshot," chuckled Mr. Evans, and he said to the three students, "I hope you can keep this as a secret to yourself. Come closer." The pupil of his eyes widened, and he looked into the eyes of the three students, controlling them all together. "You heard and saw nothing here, and were just walking in the corridor. Leave now."


    After beingpelled by the vampire, the three students turned around and left the corridor. When he was about to close the door, the door was pushed open harshly and in came Elder Luciano.


    "What do you think you are doing, Evans?!" demanded the Elder vampire, who was walking nearby, had heard the gunshot firesing from the office. His red eyes red.


    "I had a little situation, Elder Luciano," Mr. Evans looked to the side, where Connerid.


    "Who is this boy?" demanded Luciano. "A hunter''s gun?" He noticed the gun in Mr. Evans'' hand. "Isn''t this the hunter''s son whom Dante and the others were talking about? Take him to the dungeon!"


    Mr. Evans had hoped for Conner not to do anything stupid that could bring attention to him, but firing the gun had done just that.


    "Yes, Elder Luciano," Mr. Evansplied with the order. An unconscious Conner was soon shifted from the counsellor''s office to the dungeon, where he was tied up in the chair and ced inside one of the cells.


    When Conner regained consciousness, he found himself tied in ropes, and his surroundings were mostly dark, except for the front, where the torches burned brightly on the walls.


    He tried to pull and set himself free, but every pull was a push of the harsh rope on his skin. There was no one around, and he was surrounded by the rusted iron bar of the cell room where he had been ced. On one side of the walls, he caught sight of a small window and noticed it was dark. It seemed like he had been unconscious for many hours now.


    Conner had hoped to speak to Mnie about what he had found, but he hadn''t expected the vampire to be quick enough to catch him. Though his current situation wasn''t helpful, he came to affirm his visions that their university counsellor was a vampire. But the worst thing was that he confirmed Reese''s death wasn''t by heart attack.


    Someone had killed her!


    "Is anyone here! Please help me!" Conner shouted for help.


    But Conner didn''t know that the dungeon was located far from the centre of the university inside the restricted forest. Receiving no response, he tried to free his hands even though the ropes were quick to bite his skin.


    Minutes passed, but Conner didn''t give up, knowing fully well that if he didn''t get out of this ce, he would be killed by the hands of the blood-sucking creatures. While he continued trying to free himself, he heard footsteps approaching from the right side of the dungeon, echoing through the ce, and he stopped what he was doing.


    After five seconds, a man appeared in Conner''s view, and the person wore a crisp looking grey suit. When their eyes met, Conner caught sight of red eyes, and he gritted his teeth.


    "Looks like the little rat has finally been caught," said the vampire, clicking his tongue and making his way to the front of the cell where Conner was held. "You must either be very brave or very stupid, for firing silver bullets at one of Veteris'' staff."


    "Vampires like yourself need to be shot," stated Conner, ring at the person.


    Conner didn''t forget the way his father had been wed and how he had suffered as if he was on the verge of his death. During the weekend, he had seen the night creatures'' cruelty and how they had attacked his people. Not to mention... They were responsible for Reese''s death. He knew it!


    "I must go with extremely stupid," replied Luciano, crossing his arms across his chest. "I have been waiting to catch one of you and it is good to see you showing yourself on how much harm you can do to our kind here," his red eyes narrowed at the mere human.


    Conner red back at the vampire, not backing down. He knew the blood-sucking creatures wouldn''t bat an eysh when it came to sucking the humans'' blood or snapping the humans'' heads to kill them.


    "How many of you are there in this ce?" questioned Conner, and Luciano stared at the boy, not liking the tone that was used on him.


    "Tch. What difference does it make? You are going to die in a few hours anyways," remarked Luciano. "What are your ns, hunter? Where else have you hidden your supply for us? If you have the supplies, it must mean you havee fully prepared. When have the hunters nned to attack us?" questioned the Elder vampire.


    Instead of replying to the vampire''s question, Conner questioned him back with, "Was it you who killed her?"


    Luciano wasn''t one bit fond of humans, and the boy in front of him had some nerve to question him without answering him. He raised his hand as if signalling someone, and one of the guards appeared from the direction where the vampire hade from.


    "The gate," said Luciano, and the guard came forward and opened the gate of the cell. Once the guard stepped away, the Elder stepped inside the cell, and he took a round around the chair where the boy was seated.


    "Argh!" Conner winced in pain when the vampire caught his hair and harshly pulled it back. He gritted his teeth in anger.


    "It looks like you weren''t educated on how to behave with your elder, less when you aren''t in a position to be asking questions," stated Luciano, pulling his hand down further for the human to groan in pain. "A young human, your blood must taste fairly decent, unless you have Silverwater in your body."


    "Did you kill Reese?!"


    Luciano didn''t know who this Reese was, nor was he bothered by it. He let go of the boy''s hair andnded a punch on Conner''s face, who scrunched his face in pain.


    "You didn''t answer my questions, human. Where is your hunter''s hub, and what have they nned for us?"


    "There''s no n," spat Conner, ring at the vampire.


    "Lies!" Luciano red back, and he said, "It looks like you won''t answer without a little help."


    The vampire''s hand quickly moved to Conner''s neck, and he squeezed it.. Conner started struggling for air, and his body violently shook in the chair, trying to get away from the vampire''s hold.

 Chapter 215 - Blindspot In Veteris

    Julie sat in the lunchroom with Mnie next to her. She noticed the way her friend looked slightly anxious, her eyes darting towards the entrance doors of the lunchroom.


    "Did you speak to Conner?" asked Julie, and Mnie turned to look at her before shaking her head.


    "I haven''t seen him for two days. I didn''t know it was going to be this awkward for him," replied Mnie, and a sigh escaped from her lips. "I was hoping it wouldn''t be like this, after all, we have been friends for so long. But now I wonder if he''s doubting something."


    Julie slightly raised her eyebrows and asked, "Doubting what? It isn''t a crime to like or love someone, Mel. I am sure he knows that. Maybe he''s just feeling bad for not noticing your feelings before."


    "That would be a hard thing to say," said Mnie, and she picked up the ss of water that was next to her book and took a sip from it. "We have been friends for such a long period of time, that he has sensed that I am hiding something more than just my feelings. I feel like keeping the secret knowing about the existence of the vampires and witches here will make him not trust me."


    Julie understood what Mnie meant, but then she said, "Conner is our friend, and he''s never been someone to hurt anyone. Maybe it is time for us to exin the truth to him, about what''s going on in Veteris before he does anything that he regrets."


    "You are right," Mnie nodded and said, "I will drop by his dorm now and talk to him. About other things too, he cannot keep avoiding me. Before anything, we are friends after all," her decision was firm, and she finished the remaining water in the ss before getting up from her seat and picking up her books.


    "You sure you don''t want me toe with you?" asked Julie, making sure Mnie would be able to handle the situation.


    In Mnie''s case, Julie had found it easy to convince her friend because they had both been pulled into the past, and her friend had seen the terror that had taken ce in Willow Creek. It had been easier for Mnie to digest the truth, not to mention that she had been saved by the vampire she disliked most.


    Mnie smiled, "I will be fine. Let me ease him into the situation."


    "Alright," replied Julie, and she watched Mnie make her way towards the doors of the lunchroom before disappearing out of it.


    Now sitting alone at the table, Julie had a book in front of her on the table. One hand turned the page of the book so that she could read the next page, and then the other hand was busy reaching out for the french fries that were on the te. Dipping the fries in the ketchup and then bringing it to her mouth to eat it.


    There were barely a few days left for the exam, and it was only this noon did they get the schedule of which exam was going to take ce on which day. Students entered and left the lunchroom. A shadow came to hover in front of Julie''s book, and she raised her gaze to see who it was.


    "Good evening, Caleb," Julie greeted the morm. It had been a long time since they hadst spoken, especially considering how Caleb often tried to keep distance from both her and Roman.


    Caleb gave a short nod, and he jerked his head towards her te of food, "Aren''t you worried that you are going to turn like a potato?" He asked because every time he saw this human sitting in the lunchroom, she was eating the same fries.


    "Aren''t you worried with the amount of blood you guys drink, you will turn into iron?" Julie tried to crack a joke, but Caleb only stared at her.


    "That was a poor joke," he remarked, and Julie nodded.


    "Yes, I realized it after it left my lips," replied Julie, clearing her throat. She then asked, "How are your preparations for examsing along?"


    "I am trying to catch up as quickly as I can. Just so that I don''t fail and don''t have to repeat a year again. I don''t think I can handle studying another year in this ce," replied Caleb, and he asked, "Can I sit?"


    Julie gave him a look, and Caleb rolled his eyes. He said, "You can refuse if you don''t want me to join you."


    She shook her head and said, "Please," using her hand to point at the chair in front of her. "I was just a little surprised."


    "About what?" he asked her, and Julie pursed her lips.


    "There was a time when I felt that you were overbearing and now you are being polite. People do change when they make an effort," said Julie and hearing this, Caleb''s face turned sour.


    "Well, I try," he said proudly.


    "Because you are worried that Roman might beat you up?" asked Julie in a peaceful voice. Caleb grimaced and red at the girl because what she said was indeed true. After being beaten by Roman Moltenore once and being ordered to look after this human girl, he didn''t want to upset the vampire.


    "So what are you doing here all by yourself? Did your friends die and did you have a fight with Moltenore?" He tried to take a french fry from Julie''s te, but she was quick to pull it towards her.


    "Get your own," said Julie, giving him a look. "They are just a little busy, and are upied. By the way, Caleb. Do you know how many more morms are here in Veteris?"


    "A few of them, why?" he asked her.


    "There used to be a senior named Dennis. Did you ever know about him? Or speak to him?" asked Julie.


    Caleb was quick to nod, and he said, "Yeah, I have spoken to him before but I had no idea that he was a morm. Some of the morms don''t like to show themselves as part of the vampires, and like to hide it. To live life as a human. Why are you interested in him? nning to break up with Moltenore and be with the morm?"


    "I am not breaking up with Roman," replied Julie. What was with him and breaking her and Roman?


    "Anyways, he always had the habit of lecturing me. Whenever he found me trying to break rules. It was as if he was a prefect or in a disciplinarymittee, because he always caught me doing something. Once he caught me ying with one of the cameras that had been fixed in the forest."


    Didn''t Dennis spend most of his time in the ssroom? What was he doing then catching Caleb in the forest? Julie asked herself.


    She gave it some thought and then asked him, "What were you doing to the cameras? Aren''t you worried that your actions wille to Ms. Dante''s attention and you might get into trouble?"


    "Isn''t that exactly why I was trying to remove the lens of the camera?"


    "Blindspot," whispered Julie, and her eyes widened. This was the reason how Dennis and the other people were able toe and go to Veteris without their actions being caught. She suddenly got up from her seat, and the boy turned startled. "I want you to show me which camera it is."


    Caleb stood up and then said, "I won''t do things for free. I have to study too, you know."


    "What do you want?" asked Julie, and Caleb gave it a thought.


    "I would like one crate full of cans of blood coke," replied Caleb, and he asked, "Deal?"


    "Okay, deal," replied Julie, and they left the lunchroom. On her way, she looked for Roman, but he wasn''t around, and they left towards the forest. Caleb led her further into the forest, and he asked her,


    "What are you going to do with the camera? Want some parts of it?" Caleb asked her on the way, and Julie, who was busy looking around, she replied,


    "We are having people infiltrating the property of Veteris because the camera''s were moved in another direction."


    "I don''t think that can be right. Because I never got the opportunity to do anything to the camera. Before I could, I would be caught and sent to the dorm or away from the ce. And it isn''t easy to spot the camera''s, they are coloured to match the trees and the leaves, it took me months to be able to spot it," exined Caleb, his voice proud of being the only one to find it.


    "But you weren''t the only one who found the camera. You led Dennis to it," stated Julie, and when they came to a ce, Caleb climbed on a tree and pushed the branches away to show to Julie. "Was it like that before too?" she asked him.


    "I don''t remember. It''s been a while since I yed with the cameras. Not to mention, with the Elders waking up, it isn''t easy to break rules as in the past. You will also notice that most of the vampires act tame and don''t get into trouble as they did before," said Caleb, and Julie tried to see in which direction the camera was set to record.


    She said, "Dennis must have returned to this ce after sending you away from here, to fix the camera how he wanted. We don''t know how many other cameras have blindspots." Thest she heard, the guards ensured that the cameras were working fine, but what use was it if the camera had been turned in a different direction.


    "Well well, look who we have here," chimed a voice that Julie wasn''t exactly fond of. It was Griffin who made his way to where they were. Behind him stood two guards, who looked as if they had caught treasure. "I knew from the very beginning that you were up to no good, Winters."


    Caleb got down from the tree,ing to stand next to Julie.


    "I didn''t know climbing the tree was a sin," replied Julie, and Griffinughed.


    "I don''t know about climbing trees, but stepping into the restricted side of the forest is definitely breaking rules for a witch and a morm," responded Griffin, with a triumphant smile appearing on his face. "Not to mention, you were manipting the camera that had been ced there. Guards, take them to the dungeon."


    "What the fuck? We didn''t do anything to warrant ourselves dungeon time," Caleb red at the vampire, "Just because you enjoyed your time in the dungeon doesn''t mean we have to visit it too, Griffin."

 Chapter 216 - More Guests To The Dungeon?

    Caleb mentioning Griffin''s time in the dungeon cell, popped a nerve on Griffin''s forehead in anger.


    "You can eithere quietly or you will have to be dragged to the dungeon by force. A witch can never be trusted,"mented Griffin, and the guards started to move towards where Julie and Caleb stood.


    A witch? Though Caleb, in his mind, he was no witch! This Griffin had lost his mind!


    "We aren''t going toe anywhere with you, Griffin," retorted Caleb.


    Julie raised her hand in a gesture to stop the guards from approaching them. She said, "We haven''t done anything wrong, and the reason why the forest is restricted is because of the cemetery that contains your grave as well as the others. It isn''t like we both aren''t aware of it, and we didn''t do anything to the cameras in here."


    "Those things can be exined in the dungeon. Moltenore and Azazel went out somewhere, so I am sure you will have enough time to think it through," Griffin smiled in the happiness of being able to put this witch in her ce.


    On hearing Griffin''s words, the guards continued to walk towards them. Caleb deeply frowned and demanded, "Who the hell even made you into a security guard?" Griffin''s face turned sour, and he retorted back,


    "I am the assistant of the head in charge of securing this ce. Which also means I have all the power to put both of you in your ce for breaking the rules that have been set by the university."


    "Like hell I am going to listen to your bullshit," cursed Caleb, and he brought both his hands forward, ready to fight with the guards. Then he suggested to Julie, "You can run if you want to. I can hold them back. Or maybe we both can run."


    Instead of turning on her heel, Julie took a step forward. She came to stand in front of Caleb and said, "I have run enough. I am not going to do it anymore."


    She then raised both her hands, her palms facing the two guards, who had almost grabbed her, but suddenly one white-blue rope appeared around them, and they were pushed towards the trees before being tied to the tree.


    "That was cool, but you know vampires are much stronger, especially the guards who have been appointed to protect the grounds, don''t you?" Caleb asked her, who stood behind her, and he said, "We cannot even stake through their heart, because that would be a higher level of offense."


    Griffin didn''t move from his spot, and he looked down at them with a proud stance.


    Like Caleb mentioned, the guards were indeed stronger, and it took less than a few seconds for them to break the ropes around them. The guard who was near to them attacked Caleb. The fight between them looked like nothing less than a monkey ying around, and soon Julie was attacked by the other guard, who came to catch hold of her arm.


    Julie muttered the spell that she had learned from the spellbook. The guard was thrown at a tree the next second, which shook the branches and the dried leaves fell on the forest ground. She then bent down, picking up a stone, and drew a pentagram on the ground. When the guard got up, he stomped on the ground, ready to throw her across the forest or to turn her unconscious, Julie ced her palm on the diagram that she had drawn, and she said,


    "I hope this works."


    She had been trying this in her room every day, picking the most useful spell to learn to protect herself.


    The surface beneath her hand glowed brightly, and when she pulled her hand up, a wooden stake appeared, and she used it to stab the vampire''s leg. She pulled two more stakes, stabbing his feet so that he wouldn''t be able to move from his spot.


    The guard in front of her was in pain and wasn''t able to remove the wooden stakes from his body as if it had been nailed to the ground.


    Griffin didn''t like the fact of Julie turning this powerful, and he pulled out the gun from his trouser that had silver bullets in it. He walked closer to her, pointing the gun where her back faced him.


    "You are a dead witch," said Griffin. He aimed at her hand, ready to hurt her with the intention of immobilizing her movements so that they could drag her out from here.


    Julie''s concentration was on the guard, and Caleb, who was only a morm and not a vampire, without any special skills like Julie, was trying to keep the guard at bay when he noticed Griffin pointing his gun at Julie.


    "Julianne, behind you!" Caleb shouted her name in panic.


    But before Julie could turn, the trigger had been pulled, and the sound of the gunshot echoed through the forest. Julie''s eyes widened, and she stood still because of the deafening sound in her ears.


    Caleb was the next person, who looked more than shocked, and his lips moved, but no sound came from it. The guard who was fighting with him had the same reaction when he turned to look and heard the gunshot that had been fired, wanting to see who had been shot.


    On the other hand, Griffin, who had pulled the trigger, the smile from his face fell immediately. It was because his hand that had been pointing the gun at Julie had moved upwards, and the gunshot, instead of hitting Julie, had been fired at the sky.


    "The shit!" Griffin tried to pull his hand back to his side, but someone held it tightly above his head.


    "What the hell is that?!" the guard questioned.


    Julie quickly turned to see Griffin, who looked frozen in his ce. He had been caught in the tight hold of the Corvin''s embrace.. Embrace because it looked like a romantic hug, with one hand of the Corvin that had curled around Griffin''s neck while the other held his hand.

 Chapter 217 - Troubled Search

    Griffin used all his strength to free his hand and body from the person who had held him in a death grip. He didn''t know who could be this strong unless Azazel Donovan had transported himself to this ce. But the Elder vampire had the habit of boasting about himself, and so far, there had been no word from him. Not to mention, the guards of Veteris looked scared.


    The guard, who was standing near Caleb, continued to move backwards until he turned on his heel and ran in the direction of where the buildings were so that he could report Elder Luciano on what was going on.


    The second guard couldn''t move because of the wooden stakes that had nailed his foot to the ground, but that didn''t stop the shocked expression on his face.


    "I will fucking kill you right now!" Griffin red at Julie, but his words didn''t help his current situation, and the grip around his neck tightened.


    Caleb quickly came to Julie''s side, and he asked, "What is that thing?!"


    Julie''s eyes met the hollow eyes of the Corvin, and she said, "That''s Cillian."


    "Cillian Murphy?" asked Caleb, his eyes lighting up for a second.


    "Cillian ckburn. He once used to be a witch," Julie replied, and she then spoke to Griffin, "You should ept defeat now before it is toote for you. Especially with your dirty tricks."


    Griffin''s red eyes red at her, "You fucking witch think you can get away from me. Let go of me and I will show you what I can do. Talking about dirty tricks. You have broken rules and you will pay for it for stepping on the restricted grounds."


    Julie realized that Griffin wouldn''t stop until he dragged her to the dungeon and saw her behind bars. She nodded, "Okay."


    Hearing her words, the Corvin turned its head with its beak pointing in her direction. The creature loosened its grip and let go of Griffin. But Cillian took away the gun that Griffin had been holding.


    Griffin jumped away from whoever was holding him. When he turned, ready to fight the person, by pulling another spare gun that he carried with him, his mouth fell open, and his throat turned dry. What the fuck was that thing that was in front of him?!


    Bringing up the gun, he pointed at the unknown creature, and he fired one bullet after another while aiming most of it on the Corvin''s chest and thest one on the creature''s bird-like head. A hole was formed on the creature''s head, and the vampire smirked. But soon, the hole turned smaller and disappeared as if it looked like the creature had never been shot.


    To Griffin and the guard''s horror, the creature spoke, "Bullets don''t work on me, foolish vampire."


    Seeing Griffin scared had Julie internally smile, and she then said, "Cillian can pull out your heart faster than you think. You should just drop the matter and go from here. Do something more useful instead of trying to frame us."


    Griffincked words to speak, and Julie turned to look at the pentagram she had created, and when she waved her hand at it, the glowing mark disappeared into vapour. She said to Caleb, "Let us go," and together, they left the ce.


    Julie knew well that if Griffin tried to create trouble for her, he would think more than twice before trying to hurt her. In the forest, Griffin continued to stare at the creature, which suddenly disappeared with a blink of an eye. His head turned like an owl, looking left and right, searching for the creature.


    In the meantime, Mnie had reached Conner''s dorm, and she waited for him to open the door, but the door never opened no matter how many times she knocked on it. She noticed some of the boys looking at her, and she tried to ignore them.


    "The girl who has a crush on the curly, while being Wace'' girlfriend,"mented one of the boys in the corridor.


    Mnie''s head snapped to look at who hadmented, and she said, "I am no one''s girlfriend. Have you seen Conner?"


    The student stared at her with a curious expression, and Mnie wondered if this boy was a vampire. He replied to her, "I haven''t seen him since this afternoon. He didn''te back to his dorm."


    She doubted this person knew Conner''s whereabouts. She didn''t know why, but she had a bad feeling in her chest right now. Considering how her best friend had been avoiding her, she had no idea what he was up to.


    "Thanks," replied Mnie, starting to walk away from the dorm. The boy, who had spoken to her, stopped her,


    "You know," he drawled, and Mnie slowed down her footsteps, turning to the person. "There''s something I wanted to talk to you about Conner. Would you like toe in so that we could speak?" he jerked his head towards his dorm.


    "You can tell it to me right here. What is it?" asked Mnie, her eyebrows slightly furrowing.


    The boy looked at the other students who were in the corridor, and he said, "It isn''t something that I can discuss out in the open. It might bring trouble to your friend, considering what he''s been doing."


    Hearing what the boy said was enough alert for Mnie, and she questioned if Conner had gotten himself into trouble. What did this fellow student know about him? But then what if he was only bluffing? She saw the boy turn around and step into his dorm, leaving her in worry.


    "Youing?" questioned the boy, and Mnie stared at him.


    "No," replied Mnie, surprising the boy, who turned intrigued by her refusal. "I will go look for him."


    She started to walk from there and heard the boy say behind her, "You won''t find him. I can help you with it."


    Suddenly the red-headed senior appeared in the corridor, and he greeted her, "Hello, there, darling." Mnie should have known that she would run into him. After all, this was also the Dormitorium where he stayed. His eyes then fell on the boy, who stood outside the dorm, staring at Mnie. "What''s up, Crayon?"


    The boy shook his head, looking at them before closing his dorm door.


    "Came here to donate blood?" questioned Simon with a cheerful voice. "Or was it to meet your crush? Oh sorry, ex-crush," he grinned.


    Mnie was in no mood to take part in Simon''s games, "Have you seen Conner?"


    "You know, you might be interested in him, but I am not interested in him that way to keep seeing him," Simon shook his head, with a sigh escaping from his lips.


    Mnie threw a re at Simon, not liking his jokes. People kept linking her up to either Conner or Simon, where both of them were untrue. She noticed the way his green eyes flickered brightly, staring into her eyes with a smile on his lips. "Why do you look disturbed?"


    "Conner isn''t in his room," replied Mnie, worrying to mar on her face, and she said, "I think something bad happened to him. You really haven''t seen him today?"


    Simon shook his head, "Nope. I dide by and he wasn''t in his dorm. He must have sunken himself in his art," he raised both his hands to emphasize his words, but Mnie doubted it had anything to do with it. "You should probably check the arts room. You would be surprised to find him there."


    Mnie nodded her head, and she quickly hurried towards the stairs, making her way down the building while Simon stood watching her. When she reached the arts building, she looked for Conner, but she didn''t find him.


    "Where are you, Conner?" Mnie questioned softly, wondering where else he could be. Maybe she should ask Julie, and she would know because her gut feeling was trickling right now. She prayed for Conner to be alright.


    Stepping out of one of the rooms, when she turned around, a soft gasp escaped from her lips, and she ced her hand on her chest, "Are you trying to scare me?" she asked Simon, who sat at the edge of the wall, with his one hand supporting his chin.


    "I never pegged you to be someone who is easily scared. Not the person who pped me across my face," Simon taunted Mnie with a grin on his face, and he then jumped down on the ground.


    "I am busy right now, you can find someone else to annoy, Simon," responded Mnie, making her way past him. Simon asked her,


    "Why are you looking for him? It''s not like he''s a child, he''ll get back to you when he''s man enough," Simon retorted, the smile on his lower. Noticing the worry in the human''s eyes, he then asked, "You know you can always tell me if there''s something?"


    Mnie didn''t know where Conner was, and the only person she could ask for help apart from Julie was this person. Not having any other option, she asked him, "Conner isn''t someone who usually stays by himself for long, and it is very rare. The boy who spoke to me earlier in the dormitorium, he said he knew something about Conner."


    Simon tilted his head to the side and asked, "The one whom you spoke to was a vampire, and vampires are tricky creatures. Luring the butterfly into their web of lies. Of course, I wouldn''t do that."


    "I need to find Conner," stated Mnie. Anxiousness came to form in her chest, and she started to feel restless. "Can you please help me find him?"


    "And why should I? It isn''t like we''re friends, and even if we were, I don''t do things for free," Simon''s lips twisted, staring at her. This leech, thought Mnie in her mind. He then said, "Unless you are saying that we are friends. Are we?"


    Mnie clenched her teeth. Here she was worried about her friend, and this person was still in the mood to y with her.


    "You know in the worst case scenario, if you were to lose one friend, you will have another one," joked Simon, and Mnie released a sigh before she started to walk. "Hm? Where are you going?"


    "To find him, instead of standing here and wasting my time," replied Mnie. Conner could be anywhere. Maybe she should find Julie first.


    "If Conner is really in trouble, do you think people here will offer to help you?" questioned Simon, who wasn''t too far behind her. "By the time you reach him, something might have happened to him."


    Mnie red at the space in front of her. She stopped and turned, "Okay," she agreed.


    "Okay?" asked Simon with a perplexed look on his face.


    "We can be friends," replied Mnie, and a slow smile stretched on the vampire''s lips.


    "See? It wasn''t that hard now, was it?" said Simon, walking up to her and then saying, "Follow me."

 Chapter 218 - Nick Of A Time

    At the same time, while Mnie and Simon walked away from the art building, inside the dungeon of the restricted forest, Conner struggled to catch his breath. He started to feel his head turning light and his eyes hazy.


    Luciano held no pity for the humans, and one death didn''t matter to him.


    "Elder Luciano!" Someone hurriedly stepped inside the dungeon, and it was none other than the headmistress, whose eyes were wide, and she gasped for air, as she had rushed toe here as quickly as she could. "You will need to let him free, right this instance," she demanded.


    "You forget you are just a person who was appointed by us to manage the university, Eloise. You aren''t an Elder to order me to do or not to do something," the Elder vampire reminded her, and Ms. Dante gritted her teeth. She quickly came inside the cell, and she said,


    "I think you forget that when thetest agreement of Veteris university was drafted and signed, all the students who are studying here and the people who work heree under my care. And if you find someone guilty, need the majority of the vote before taking the decision," the vampiress reminded him. She turned to look at the student, whose skin was turning pale, and his body was turningx. "I don''t know what he has done that you are punishing him."


    Luciano slowly let go of Conner''s neck, and the human started to cough, gasping for air.


    "Punishing him? He''s from a hunter''s family, do you know how much damage he can do to us?" the Elder vampire demanded the woman, his eyes ring in anger. "He was snooping and sniffing, and soon he will ry the message to the hunters about us. Not to mention, I hear that thepulsion wall in his mind is breaking. And you know what it means for a human when he or she cannot bepelled. Or has your empathy towards humans clouded the rules of our kind?"


    Ms. Dante stared back at Luciano, not scared that he was an Elder vampire. She had never been intimidated by the presence of the Elder vampires, and it might have been one of the many reasons why she had been picked to manage the entire Veteris university in their absence.


    She said, "It isn''t about empathy but about what is right or wrong, and to handle things without doing things in haste. Isolde is working on fixing the situation."


    "Hmph," harrumphed Luciano, and he said, "The field of science when ites to the vampires hasn''t moved that far to fix a broken mind. This boy shall not leave this dungeon, and his verdict of punishment will be passed when the other threee here. We''ll hold a meeting."


    Ms. Dante gave him a nod, "That sounds fair."


    Conner, who was still coughing, he wheezed while hearing conversation exchanged between the two vampires. He couldn''t believe that their headmistress was a vampire too. And who were these three vampires that this blondie was talking about? How many more vampires were there here?


    He looked at both the vampire and vampiress with fear in his eyes. Conner asked Luciano again, "Were you the one who killed her?"


    Luciano rolled his eyes, looking down at Conner as if he was an insect, "I have no idea whom you are even talking about."


    "My girlfriend. She was short and had brown hair. She was with me. She didn''t die due to a heart attack," Conner shook his head, "Someone killed her?"


    Luciano stared at the human, while Ms. Dante realized about which girl Conner was talking about. The Elder vampire asked her, "Do you know what this human is asking about, Eloise?"


    Conner turned to look at the headmistress, looking at her for answers, but Ms. Dante pursed her lips.


    "Ah, now I know," responded Luciano, remembering it, and he said, "You must be talking about that girl whom Donovan had killed a few weeks ago. It wasn''t me, but him. He had this misunderstanding that she was Moltenore''s girlfriend, and he killed her."


    Conner''s throat turned dry, and his lips trembled, "She was killed...?"


    So far, what he had was only assumptions and theories of what he dreamt and he didn''t have any solid proof about Reese''s death. But hearing she was indeed killed by a vampire, he couldn''t believe it.


    "What do you mean Moltenore''s girlfriend?" Conner''s voice trembled, his eyes darting between the two vampires.


    "We Elder vampires aren''t too keen on the existence of humanity except for the blood that we survive on. Donovan wanted to get rid of Julianne, but seemed to have mistaken the girl and he killed her. To think the little witch escaped near death," Luciano huffed, and he then looked at Ms. Dante. "How about we have a little chat outside, Eloise?" and he walked out of there.


    Ms. Dante gave a look at the human student, who looked as if in shock. She then left the dungeon to follow Luciano. The Elder vampire, who stepped out of the dungeon, noticed the university counsellor, standing a few meters away.


    "Looks like all of you work for each other and less for the Elders,"mented Luciano, his eyes slightly narrowing, while Mr. Evans didn''t change the expression on his face.


    In the boy''s Dormitorium, Mnie followed Simon, walking next to him, and some of the students turned to look at them. They jerked their heads, whispering things that Simon couldn''t help but smile, while Mnie paid no heed to it.


    When they reached the floor where Conner''s dorm was located, they turned to the right. When Mnie was about to take the initiative to knock on the door, Simon raised his hand, stopping her, and he said,


    "Why don''t I handle this part, hm?"


    Mnie stepped away from the door, and Simon was pleased to see that she was listening to him now. Stepping forward, he raised his hand and knocked. When the door opened, the boy who had earlier invited Mnie, opened the door.


    Simon offered a charming smile to the vampire, and he said, "You don''t mind if wee in, do you?"

 Chapter 219 - Bark Or Bite

    On Simon''s question, the boy named Crayon replied, "No," and he tried to push the door in an attempt to close it. But at the same time, the red-headed vampire stuck his foot between the gap of the door, stopping the boy from closing the door.


    "How rude of you to invite only girls and not boys into your dorm," remarked Simon, pushing the door with his hand, and he stepped inside the room.


    "What the fuck is wrong with you? I have nothing to talk to you about," said Crayon, and Simon clicked his tongue.


    "But I have a lot of things to talk about. I will leave once I am done with getting some answers from you. I know Mel is hot, but I am hotter," stated Simon, a smile came to form on his lips. Hearing his words, a slight frown appeared on Mnie''s face, not knowing if Simon swung that way. "Close the door, darling," he instructed her, and she followed him into the room and closed the door behind her.


    "Get out of my room, Simon," red at the boy while Simon looked around the room.


    "You have turned this room into a mess. There was a time when it was such a neat room. Mr. and Mrs. Marudes would have been extremely displeased if they were to see the state you have turned this room into," Simon then turned back his gaze on the boy and said, "So what were you saying to her about knowing something about our dear friend Conner."


    Crayon red at Simon, knowing this particr vampire who stood in front of him right now was crazier than other vampires, and he only appeared to be normal. His eyes briefly looked at Mnie before returning to look at Simon, and he said, "I don''t know anything. I was only inviting her to have some good time."


    "You heard that, dear?" Simon asked her, "He wanted to have some good time. I didn''t know you were giving people here some good times. Howe I didn''t know about it?"


    "I will stab you," Mnie threatened him in a low voice. She then asked Crayon, "Were you lying earlier when you told me that you heard Conner got into trouble?"


    "I don''t know what you are talking about," replied the boy, and his words turned Mnie frustrated to no end. If Conner was alright, he should havee back to his dorm by now. "Were you making up things in your head just to speak to me?"


    Mnie took one threatening step towards the vampire boy, "How dare you even tell it¡ª"


    "What did I say about handling things?" Simon interrupted, stepping between them and before Mnie would say something more.


    The boy in the dorm said, "I don''t know why both of you are here, but I prefer to not have any visitors right. I need to study, so get out of the room."


    "No," came the response from Simon, and Crayon red.


    Crayon wasn''t pleased by the cockiness that Simon disyed bying to his room. He took two steps and pushed Simon''s shoulder, trying to get him out of the room.


    Mnie looked mildly surprised by seeing Simon being pushed by the other boy now, something she hadn''t expected. Considering how he was part of Roman Moltenore''s group, she believed that he also liked to fight, which was why his current behaviour surprised her.


    Maybe Simon was all bark and no bite, thought Mnie in her mind.


    "We know you know something, Crayon, so why not share the info?" Simon kept a polite tone and the smile still on his lips.


    "I am sharing nothing with you. Especially after what your friends did to my friend," huffed Crayon, and he then said, "So why don''t you take your shady ass with you. The girl is wee to stay here," he looked at Mnie.


    "We only want to know where Conner is," stated Mnie, but she got no reply.


    "My memory must suck because I don''t know what my friends did to your friends. Especially considering how my friends do a lot of things to others. You cannot me it on me," came Simon''s calm words, but the other vampire continued to push his shoulder, nearly having his back hit the door.


    The next time when Crayon tried to push Simon, the red-headed vampire caught hold of his hand and twisted his arm backwards, having the vampire groan in pain. Simon pushed the boy''s head on the table that was nearby.


    "I am always trying to be polite but you people always have to push my buttons, don''t you?" questioned Simon, his eyes shifting from green to red. He said, "Now tell me while I am still being nice. Where is Conner?"


    Mnie was in slight awe by seeing how Simon had twisted and turned the boy, catching the person entirely off guard before attacking him back.


    "I cannot tell it here you fucker!" Crayon cursed Simon, trying to stand straight and to give a proper punch to the red-headed vampire. But Simon locked any movements from the other vampire, and he twisted the boy''s arm further and had Crayon scream in agony.


    "What a baby,"mented Simon, "Now tell me, what do you know?"


    Simon must have twisted the boy''s arm in a way that hurt him the most that the guy''s face scrunched in pain, and he gasped for air, "I cannot tell it in front of the girl!"


    "That''s fine. You don''t have to be shy about her presence," replied Simon.


    "She''s different!"


    "Ah, now I see. Don''t worry about that. I will wipe her memory with a snap of my fingers, so quickly cough up what you know unless your left arm is the most unloved body part of yours," stated Simon, and he pressed the other vampire''s face further on the table.


    Crayon tapped his other freehand on the table so that Simon wouldn''t tear out his arm. He said, "I earlier saw Evans carrying Conner out of his office. I also saw Luciano with them."


    Hearing this, Mnie''s worry skyrocketed.


    "And do you know what happened after that?" Simon continued to question Crayon.


    "How the fuck do I know¡ªarg! I don''t fucking know, I just heard from someone that they headed in the direction of the dungeon. Thepulsion wall in his mind must have worn off. There could be a hundred reasons."


    When Simon let go of Crayon''s hand, the boy quickly stepped away from him and rubbed his arm, ring at the red-headed vampire.


    "Such an easy task and you wanted to go through it with pain. Tch," said Simon, shaking his head. "You are a closet masochist, aren''t you?"


    Mnie tugged on Simon''s shirt, and she said, "We should hurry."


    Somewhere, Simon wanted to dy it so that the human boy could be tortured a little. Because he knew Conner had probably done something dumb and had gotten himself in the current situation. Also, he could spend more time with Mnie, who was morepliant with his words.


    Truth to be told, Simon had never noticed Mnie until Maximus had invited Julianne and her toe sit with them at the bonfire. Though most of his friends'' eyes had been trained on the girl with the sses, Simons''s eyes had been fixed on someone else. He had always looked at things that were hidden. It was the first time he had caught sight of Mnie. ck hair, ck eyes, lips pink in colour, and a small frown adorned her face with a boy next to her.


    And after the time he spent quietly observing her, Simon noticed how her gaze was different when it came to the same boy, whom she called her best friend. He enjoyed picking people''s weaknesses, and it was his favourite pastime.


    Most of the girls in the university who flirted with him acted coy, while Mnie was someone who could read and sense him, even though they hadn''t spoken much to each other in the past.


    "Let us go," Simon agreed with her, and Mnie turned, walking towards the door.


    Crayon wasn''t happy with the treatment he had received, and when Simon turned his back to him, walking towards the door, he turned to look at the table. He quickly grabbed the paper cutter and went to attack Simon.


    But Simon, who heard the slight sound from behind, quickly turned around and, in time, caught hold of the paper cutter. He pushed Crayon to the wall and pulled out the cutter to bring the de out. He pointed it at Crayon''s face.


    "What did I tell you? You little piece of shit," the smile on Simon''s face disappeared, and he said, "You must be way over your head to think you could stab me."


    "All of you deserve to rot in hell¡ª"


    Simon''s movements were too quick for a person to follow, and Mnie didn''t know what had happened. One second, Simon was holding the vampire''s neck, and the next moment, he had caught hold of the vampire''s tongue, pulling it out, and it made her cringe.


    "Why don''t you try speaking now?" questioned Simon, bringing the paper cutter near the vampire''s tongue while continuing to pull out Crayon''s tongue. The other boy made sounds, unable to speak, and the red-headed vampire red at him. He turned his head to the side while his eyes stayed on the boy in front of him. He spoke to Mnie, "Why don''t you head towards the Blue Block and I will catch up with you?"


    Mnie stared at Simon and the other guy before giving him a nod. She quickly left the dorm, heading out of the boy''s Dormitorium.


    In the room, Simon gripped harder on the vampire''s tongue while holding the paper cutter, which wasn''t far from it. Simon asked, "What were you speaking earlier? You wanted the girl to stay?"


    "Ah, dhi sa aht!" came the words from Crayon, his eyes wide while his eyes darted in between Simon and the sharp de.


    "Are you telling me that I need to visit the doctor?" Simon narrowed his eyes as he asked the boy, who made some noise again. He said, "It takes only a second to cut off your tongue, and funnily, it doesn''t regenerate again. I don''t think you would like that."


    Simon yfully poked the de on the boy''s tongue, and the boy tried to shake his head, but his movements were restricted.


    "Listen carefully now. If I hear you about you trying to invite her or her friend. Or if your friends invite them, I will make sure the de won''t just cut off the tongue, but I will use it as a fork to pluck out your eyeballs. Do you understand it or do you want me to show it to you?"


    Hearing Crayon make noise, Simon finally let go of the boy and wiped his fingers on Crayon''s clothes before patting on the boy''s shoulder.

 Chapter 220 - It Is Yours

    Not too far away from Veteris university, Roman leaned against a tree in the middle of the forest. His one foot was ced t on the bark of the tree, and he had crossed his arms, while watching Donovan who stood in front of the headstone.


    The anger he had for Donovan hadn''tpletely disappeared for leaving his mother behind, but now that he understood why the man did it, the pain had reduced. The old man had been pestering him for days to let him know where his mother''s grave was, as he hadn''t found it near the ruined vige''s cemetery that no one lived in anymore.


    His eyes turned to his right side, where one firefly flew near him. He raised his hand, and after a few seconds, the firefly came to settle on his palm. It glowed and dimmed before bringing light again. His thoughts drifted to the when his mother was still breathing.


    ''Mama, where is papa?'' the young him had asked his mother while his mothery on the bed. She was sick and coughing. It looked like with every cough, her body withered a little more than the previous day.


    His mother moved her weak hand, which shook because of theck of energy in it. cing it on his head. She softly said, ''He''s somewhere far away. I don''t want you to go looking for him. When the time is right, he wille to you.''


    ''He will?'' asked young Roman, his eyes holding no excitement in them. It was because even though he was little, he could tell that the possibility was very thin. His mother was ill, and his father didn''te to see her.


    His mother gently smiled at him, ''Have you been good?'' and the little boy nodded. ''I see.''


    Roman''s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Donovan''s words, who said, "I thought my secret was something that couldn''t be shared. But seems like you carried a bigger one than mine."


    Donovan didn''t hold the same sadness as Roman because he had known as a human, the woman was eventually going to die. And he had made peace with it many years ago when he had left her side. But that didn''t mean that she didn''t hold a special ce in his heart. After all, she had left Roman behind for him. A reminder of what both of them shared in the past.


    "I will be going back to the university. I am sure you know your way back from here," Roman pushed himself from the tree and walked away in the other direction.


    Donovan turned to look over his shoulder at Roman''s figure disappear in the thicket of the trees, and he turned back to look at the grave and confessed,


    "Though I must say he''s adorable in most of the things, there are some things that make me want to put my fingers through his chest. For being cheeky and not listening to me. Given I wasn''t there in the beginning, but I have been trying to make it right."


    Minutes passed, and a sigh escaped from his lips. He ced his hand on the stone, feeling the coarseness of it. It was good to see that Roman had moved her grave from themoners.


    Getting up, he turned around, ready to leave.


    "I was wondering when you woulde to visit me."


    Donovan''s eyes widened, feeling the breeze sweep across the forestnd where he stood. He slowly turned back and saw the ghost of Lilian. Her body was pale and transparent, the strands of her glower as if it held light. He wondered if he was dreaming of her now.


    The ghost smiled at him, "You haven''t changed."


    "I wish I could tell the same," murmured Donovan, stepping closer to the ghost, he raised his hand to touch her. But his hands passed through her body, and instead, he felt the ce to be ice cold. "How is it possible?" He looked around, making sure there was no witch around who was trying to y tricks on him.


    On hearing something snap near him, Donovan quickly raised his hand, and smoke spilt on the ground from his hand. The Corvin showed up. The same Corvin that belonged to Julie.


    Just as he thought, there was a former witch here.


    "Look who is here,"mented Donovan, but the Corvin moved to look at the ghost, while being not paying any attention to the Elder vampire.


    "A Corvin," murmured the ghost, staring at the bird-like creature.


    "Lilian Lena ckburn, I was hoping to talk to you," said Cillian, and the woman''s ghost stared at the Corvin. "I have been trying to wake you up for some time now."


    "I didn''t know Corvins had such profound ability," stated Donovan, the gears in his mind moving quickly and ready to befriend the Corvin so that he could make good use of it.


    Cillian, the Corvin snapped its head to look at Donovan as if able to sniff his intentions. One didn''t have to say it out loud how much he didn''t like the vampire''s existence. He said, "It was because of the awakening of magic in Willow Creek." He had been walking around thend, and when he was walking past one of the graves, touching it, he had woken a random ghost up for the briefest moments before the ghost disappeared that had tried to get out of the forest. "It seems, I can wake a person up only once, and the person stays awake only for a few minutes."


    "How interesting," muttered Donovan under his breath and his eyes met the woman''s ghost, who looked back at him.


    Cillian then spoke to Lilian, "I am also a ckburn. Your ancestor who died because of vampires," and he looked at Donovan.


    "Hey, I was there, but I didn''t take part in it," Donovan raised both his arms to defend himself. He then said to Lilian, "I didn''t know before that you came from a witch''s family."


    "I hoped you would nevere to know," replied Lilian. She shook her head, "My family was something I never wanted to discuss about. They weren''t good people."


    "So you ran away," Donovan pointed out something that he already knew. The ghost of the woman nodded.


    "My family mixed themselves with the wrong people. My father and mother were promised a higher position for themselves, more money, more control over things. The ce was monitored by the vampires," she exined, looking in another direction. "And when my family created the dark stone so that those vampires could use it, I found out that it would be used to ughter the humans. The creation of dark stone doesn''t end there, but it goes far beyond into the darkness. So I took it with me and ran away from there."


    The Corvin was interested in something else, and it asked, "What do you know about the dark stone that was created by your family?"


    The woman''s ghost stayed quiet for a couple of seconds. Then she said, "A dark stone is said to give you more powers, turning you invisible. But there''s one thing about it that has never been mentioned. You cannot leave the dark stone by itself. It craves to be inside a person."


    "The dark stone epted your son," informed Cillian and hearing his words, Lilian''s ghost looked taken aback.


    She responded with, "That''s not possible, the stone has been with me. It is why I fell extremely sick before."


    The Corvin shook its head, "No. It passed on to Roman, and he''s the possessor of the stone."


    "It cannot be true. It is not how it works," replied Lilian, with worry showing on her face.


    The Elder vampire asked, "Why do you look worried?"


    Donovan would have preferred to be talking to the woman about their time in the past, by dismissing the Corvin from here. But the matter seemed of grave importance right now.


    "Because the dark stone is destructive. It might give a person powers, but it will kill the person from inside," she pursed her lips and then said, "My grave. You will find the stone there."


    She turned to look at the Corvin, who didn''t waste a second more, and it bent down. It ced its hand on the ground, and its fingers turned into roots that pierced through the ground next to her grave.


    When the roots pushed back upwards, it erupted as a nt. Leaves sprouted from it and created branches, and then a flower bud appeared that bloomed to showcase a stone. The stone was in an octagon shape, and the flower that had bloomed, its petals slowly withered to fall on the ground.


    Donovan took hold of the stone, which had lost its shine and he felt nothinging from it.


    Cillian was confused, and he asked, "If the dark stone is here, which stone is in Roman''s heart?"


    Lilian''s ghost started to fluctuate as if her ghost couldn''t stay here anymore. She said, "The dark stone has always been sought for destruction, using humans as sacrifice. You will need to be careful with it. He''s yours. Take care of him," Her hand reached out towards Donovan, and he brought his hand as if holding hers. They stared at each other for a second more before her ghost disappeared in thin air, turning the ce slightly darker.


    Donovan stared at the space where the ghost had been standing earlier, and he asked Cillian, "Are you sure it is a dark stone that is in Rome''s chest?"


    The Corvin nodded, "Though I cannot feel things as I could when I was alive, the stone inside him emits strong energy."


    Donovan raised the stone in front of his face, taking a close look at it. He then asked, "Do you think you will be able to sense this thing if youe back in flesh?"


    Before the Corvin could reply, it turned its head in one direction, "She''s in trouble," it said and disappeared like a ghost from the ce.


    "Looks like I am by myself again," Donovan sighed, and looking at Lilian''s grave, he said, "It was good seeing you. Still beautiful and kind."


    Donovan raised his hand and snapped his fingers, returning to Veteris. When he reached the university, he went straight to the mansion, but before he could reach his room, he met the blonde vampire, who had just entered the building.


    "The hunter''s boy has been snooping around to get more information. He knows that vampires exist in this ce and we should kill him," stated Luciano, pulling out the gloves from his hand.


    "Sounds good to me," replied Donovan, who cared even less about others than Luciano himself.


    Donovan who still held the spent dark stone in his hand, was ying with it, when Luciano''s eyes fell on it. "Is that a dark stone? You have been indeed behind this whole mess!" used the blonde Elder vampire.


    "You can have it," said Donovan, walking to Luciano and cing the stone in his hand.. "My gift to you."

 Chapter 221 - An Order From The Elder

    Donovan ced the octagon-shaped stone on Luciano''s hand while the other Elder vampire stared hard at the dull-looking stone.


    "Are you fucking with me, Azazel?" questioned Luciano, his eyes snapping to look at Donovan and ring at him. "This is a stone."


    "I know," came the solemn reply from Donovan, who kept a straight face. "I found it on my way to Veteris and as you seem to have taken such an interest in it. I think you should have it. Consider it as a Christmas present."


    "Why does the stone have a simr shape as the dark stone?" questioned Luciano, bringing the opaque looking stone in front of his face.


    "Looks like you have quite some knowledge about the dark stone, Lucy. Trying to find one for yourself?"


    Luciano thoroughly inspected the stone and said, "Not as much as how you are looking for it and have been working alongside the Mortimers. And I am not a child to not know about the dark stone."


    Donovan chuckled, "What makes you think that I have anything to do with the Mortimers, Luciano. If I was really taking part in their n, I would have burnt down the entire Veteris in less than a week."


    "Maybe the Mortimers don''t trust you like how I don''t trust you. Useless thing!" eximed Luciano at the stone and threw it back at Donovan, who caught it in his hand. "Or have you perhaps got your hands on the dark stone?"


    "You know," Donovan drawled, taking his own time to continue the sentence while watching Luciano''s patience being tested. The blonde vampire gritted his teeth, and the vein on his forehead popped in sheer annoyance. "Even if I found the dark stone, I would not tell you about it."


    "I knew it," Luciano continued to re and spoke loudly. "Did you hear that, Remy?"


    The third Elder vampire, who was peacefully resting in his room, stepped out of the room. But the peace had been disrupted due to the collision between the two Elder vampires, who stood in the mansion''s hall.


    Elder Remy turned his gaze from Luciano to look at Donovan before his eyes shifted back, and he calmly replied, "He''s lying."


    Remy started to make his way towards the main doors when Luciano stopped him, "Where are you going?"


    "Stop being so clingy, Luciano. It doesn''t suit an Elder''s appearance," remarked Donovan, and Luciano snapped, where he tried to capture Donovan''s shadow. But before he could, Donovan disappeared from his spot and appeared next to Remy.


    "Was there something important you needed to speak about?" questioned Remy, wanting to stay far away from these two Elder vampires.


    "Yes," replied Luciano in his proud voice, "One of the hunter''s boys has been caught and thepulsion won''t work on him anymore. Eloise said a meeting would need to be held before the boy is executed. Donovan has already agreed to it. We''ll need yours and Castiel''s vote on it."


    Remy stared at Luciano with a nk expression and then replied, "Okay. I will be there at the meeting. I will be at the infirmary."


    But before leaving, Elder Remy''s eyes fell on the stone for a moment that Donovan was ying with, and he took his leave from there.


    Luciano red at Donovan, his eyes full of suspicion. Before either of the vampires could continue their couple-like quarrel, they heard a lightmotion right outside the mansion.


    "Elder Luciano!" It was one of Veteris'' guards, who had been with Griffin until a few minutes ago. He huffed for air, as he hade running to this ce as fast as he could. "Elder Luciano!"


    Donovan and Luciano stepped out of the mansion and noticed it was the guard, who looked paler than his usual self. The guard''s eyes were wide in fear, and his throat dry. He took two seconds before informing Luciano,


    "Elder Luciano, there''s a creature in the restricted side of the forest!"


    Luciano frowned, "What creature?"


    The guard was clearly out of breath, and he gasped, his eyes met Elder Luciano''s where he parted his lips, but no words came out.


    "Speak out!" demanded Luciano, who turned slightly annoyed for not getting the answer immediately.


    "I-It was a creature that looked like a b-bird. Dead bird, it''s head," the guard brought his hand up to his face to emphasize on what he saw, "It was a skeleton head, and it wore this ck long cloak and had¡ª"


    "And had its hands and feet made out of twigs and branches?" questioned Donovan with a dull and bored look on his face.


    "You saw a Corvin?" Luciano raised his eyebrows in question, and the guard didn''t know what kind of creature it was, but it did have twigs like hands when it held Griffin''s neck.


    "That was the creature, Elder Luciano!" the guard nodded his head in such force that it coulde off his shoulders.


    Luciano''s face turned sour, and his gaze moved from the guard to look at Donovan with an using look on his face. He demanded, "Do you know why a Corvin is attacking the guards out of the blue?"


    "Sadly I haven''t made friends with the Corvin''s to know about it. You are asking the wrong person here, Luciano," Donovan answered in a nonchnt tone.


    "The little witch has a Corvin, doesn''t she? What is she trying to do? Surely you cannot tell that you don''t know anything about it," Luciano''s ever using eyes didn''t stop sending daggers at Donovan.


    Donovan shrugged his shoulders as he had no clue what was going on.


    The guard, who stood at the side with his hands folded and his head slightly bowed, spoke up, "Sire...Griffin, Mathew and myself were scouting the area to make sure there was no one trespassing when we came across these two students. It was a girl and a boy, who were trying to manipte the camera that was fixed in one of the trees. When Griffin told them they shoulde along to talk to you, they refused like thieves and started to fight with us. It was then that the creature suddenly appeared and tried to kill Griffin!"


    "Where are they now?!" demanded Luciano in irritation.


    "They are still in the restricted side of the forest. I came to seek you out for your help, Elder Luciano. Griffin might die and Mathew if we don''t go to help them!" the guard exaggerated more than what the truth was.


    "Lead the way right this instant!" ordered Luciano, and both the guard as well as the blonde Elder vampire disappeared into the forest, leaving Donovan behind.


    When Elder Luciano and the guard reached where Griffin was, he caught sight of the other guard''s leg still stuck to the ground. The younger vampire stood in the same spot Julie and Caleb had left him in a shocked state. Luciano called his disciple, "Griffin!"


    Griffin snapped out of his thoughts, and he saw Elder Luciano was here.


    "Elder Luciano, Julianne and another boy were caught red handed while they were tampering with the camera," informed Griffin, and Luciano noticed that the younger vampire looked paler than how he looked. "They brought this creature with them to attack us."


    "Where are they now?" questioned Luciano, turning his head left and right. "Help this one to free himself," he ordered the guard to help the other guard who was in evident pain and was bleeding right now.


    "They ran away!" eximed Griffin, suddenly gaining confidence after seeing Luciano was with him here, and he knew nothing bad could happen to him. "They must have been helping our enemies, who have been trying to infiltrate the university. She was with a morm."


    "So it is the morms the Mortimers have chosen and a witch to break through our security," red Luciano, and he then ordered, "Find the both of them and bring them to the main building right this instance!"


    To make sure, Griffin asked, "Earlier she refused toe along with me."


    "Bring her to me by force then," came the firm words of Luciano. "Any person that shows suspicious activity in the university will have to face interrogation from us and will be required toply until their names are cleared. Tell her that Elder Luciano would like to speak to her."


    Griffin quickly nodded and left the ce along with the two guards following closely behind him. At the same time, Donovan apparated behind Luciano and looked around. His eyes fell on the ground where blood had been spilt.


    "Where is your useless disciple?" questioned Donovan, asking about Griffin, and Luciano turned his head to meet Donovan''s gaze.


    "He has gone to get hold of your witch whom you have been using to get hold of whatever is there in Willow Creek," stated Luciano, his eyes narrowed, and there was a sneer on his face. "Now are you going to feign ignorance saying that you don''t know anything about it and you had no hand in using the witch to manipte and damage the camera''s that have been secretly ced in this area?"


    "Manipte?" Donovan raised his eyebrow.


    A huff escaped from Luciano''s lips, and he said, "Ms. Winters was found with a morm, trying to damage the cameras."


    "Maybe they were trying to see if it was working fine or not," proposed Donovan, but Luciano didn''t buy it.


    Luciano came to stand in front of Donovan, where their eyes met each other, one ring while the other looked amused. The blonde vampire then said, "Years ago, before Willow Creek disappeared from the map, you had been too keen on going and visiting the town. You didn''t have to apany Enoch, but you did anyway. Don''t give me the bullshit that it was for the sake of the witch, I know you care more about the stonespared to the woman."


    A faint smile appeared on Donovan''s lips, and he replied, "How rude of you to think of me to be heartless. For the record, I am the most caring person out of the four Elders. Why can''t it be for that woman, after all, we did have an affair."


    "Because as far as I know, your sole purpose has been to find the dark stone. But I know there''s more to it," Luciano didn''t drop his guard, and he knew there was something about this vampire that left a distaste in his mouth.


    "You''re hurting your pretty head by thinking too much about it," responded Donovan, and he said, "It is true, I had an inkling that Opaline was there and she was someone I believed was an alliance, which was the right thing to think. Our orders were pretty clear and we were not supposed to hurt the witches, because even Avice knew how important the La Fay''s were."


    "I will get to know once Griffin brings the witch and morm to me. Let me see what she''s hiding," said Luciano, and he pushed his cloak behind him before he walked from there.


    Donovan stared at Luciano''s back, his eyes steady, and the faint smile that had appeared on his lips was quick to fall. His hand slipped into his pocket, and he pulled out a stone that the Corvin had pulled out from Lilian''s grave. He took a look at it, feeling its coarse texture before slipping it back in his pocket.


    Back at the centre of the university of Veteris, Julie and Caleb made their way towards the girl''s Dormitorium. Caleb, quietly following her, finally decided to break the silence, "Was that thing yours?"


    Julie turned and looked at him and gave him a nod, "You could tell it is something like that. Can you keep it a secret and not tell anyone?"


    "Not even if I wanted to," replied Caleb, and he said, "You should go and find Moltenore. Don''t think Griffin will let you off the hook after trying to embarrass him in front of his underlings."


    She pursed her lips. She knew Griffin could be a problem, but there were other things to worry about right now. She said in a low voice, "I will go and meet Ms. Dante. She needs to be informed that the security cameras in here have beenpromised, and who knows how many more have been damaged."


    "That would be a good idea," agreed Caleb, who had goosebumps all over his skin after witnessing things in the forest. He then said, "Let mee with you. Just in case, you know."


    Julie was mildly surprised by his suggestion but didn''t refuse, "Okay."


    They started to head towards the main building, where the headmistress was often found. But when they reached, Ms. Dante was not there, and upon further inquiry, Julie found out from a worker that the headmistress had stepped out from here ten minutes ago and hadn''t informed where she was going. While they stood in the inner side of the corridor halls, Griffin called,


    "Julianne Winters," from one end of the deserted corridor.


    "Ah, he caught up too quickly," muttered Caleb under his breath.


    Griffin was apanied by both guards, who were with him earlier, and one of them looked extremely angry as he looked at Julie. After all, she did stab him with a wooden stake.


    "You and the morn are supposed toe with me to the dungeon, for harming a fellow student and also attacking the guards. It is an order from Elder Luciano Sterling and you cannot refuse it unless you want to face the worst consequences," stated Griffin in a loud voice, which slightly echoed in the corridor as there wasn''t anyone here.


    Julie didn''t know why, but Griffin reminded her of a fly that kepting back to annoy a person no matter how much one tried to swat the fly away. On the other hand, Caleb wasn''t too pleased by hearing that an Elder was now involved in the matter, and he became worried. He looked between Julie and Griffin, where neither of them were ready to give up.


    "I guess you didn''t learn your lesson earlier," replied Julie, and hearing her words, Griffin ground his teeth in anger.


    "Maybe it is you who will learn the lesson. Come with me, unless you don''t want to be punished," replied Griffin, taking a position and bringing his hand forward. "Now."


    "I do not answer to you, nor to your Elder," Julie returned his words with her answer.


    Maybe there was a hierarchy within the vampires, but Julie was no vampire, and she was a free person. She was a witch, and from what she knew about her family, especially from her mother, it was not to bow her head down.


    "Then suit yourself. Don''t tell me that I didn''t warn you," retorted Griffin, and Caleb stepped closer and whispered,


    "Maybe it is time to call that strange bird of yours, or just listen to him and speak to the Elder once to clear up things. It is never good to go against an Elder''s order. It usually ends up ugly."


    "Go find Ms. Dante," replied Julie. She had her eyes on Griffin, who raised both his hands, and he turned his hands into fists.


    Julie wasn''t sure what hidden powers Griffin had in him that he hadn''t revealed until now. But he seemed to be concentrating on attacking her without blinking his eyes even for a moment. Caleb gave onest look before he slipped out of there to find the headmistress before something bad happened. Knowing Julie could take care of herself, he quickly sprinted from there.


    Griffin then started to walk towards Julie while she braced herself, but she saw nothing.


    A secondter, Julie suddenly fell on the ground, feeling a sharp pain between both her ankles where she was unable to stand on her feet anymore. What the hell just happened?! She questioned herself.


    Griffin grinned, watching the girl squirm in pain. He said, "My ability is not something that you can see but you can feel it. Feel it in your blood," he chuckled in the end. He was able to shift the blood in a person''s body to another part. He could use it only on his Elder''smand. "I told you to follow my orders, but you have trouble following it. How does it feel now?"


    Julie''s face scrunched in pain, feeling the numbness start to spread in her legs, and she brought her hand forward to whisper a spell. But the moment her hand made contact with the ground, her hand suddenly turned painful because Griffin had shifted the blood away from her wrist and a painful cry escaped from her lips.


    "Keep squirming and resisting. I will kill you here and tell the others that it was you who brought your death upon yourself while I was only following the orders," came Griffin''s cold voice, which was audible only to Julie. "Do you want to know how it feels with no blood in the heart?"


    On his word, Julie started to cough, feeling uneasiness in her chest. With great difficulty, she got the markings done on the floor. But as the markings started to glow, Griffin caught sight of it, and he twisted his wrist for Julie to shriek in pain.


    "Keep struggling,"ughed Griffin while watching Julie wheeze and re at him. She could feel her body starting to ache, and it made it hard for her to concentrate on anything apart from the pain that she felt. "Once I have all the blood shifted to another side of your body where your heart isn''t located, slowly everything will start faili¡ª"


    Before Griffin couldpletely drain the blood from one side of Julie''s body to kill her, suddenly, a gust of fire blew up the ce where Griffin was standing. Griffin dropped his hand and quickly jumped away feeling the heat from behind, but the fire was too intense, burning some parts of his clothes and skin.


    "Fucker!" Griffin cursed, turning back to order the two guards, but they had fallen on the ground.


    Next to the fallen guards stood Roman, with narrowed and he looked pissed.

 Chapter 222 - Flames

    The pain that slowly consumed Julie''s body started to reduce, and she gasped for air, where her vision had turned blurry, and her senses were errant. Feeling the rise in temperature and the fire, she could guess that Roman was here.


    "What do you think you are doing by using your ability on her?" questioned Roman, his eyes looking nothing less to the mes that burned brightly in his palm.


    As useless as Griffin appeared to be, there was a reason why Elder Luciano Sterling continued to keep the boy next to him. Most of the vampire''s abilities came from drinking the dissolved stones created by the witches. Each of the stones gave abilities that the other didn''t possess. And these abilities could evolve or dissolve depending on the next vampire turned by the original ability possessor.


    While Luciano could control the people''s shadow, Griffin could control a person''s blood cirction. Griffin had been ordered not to use his ability unless it came from Elder Luciano.


    "Me?" questioned Griffin, mirth in his eyes. "I am only following orders and if you don''t want to get punished for disobedience for not knowing what position you stand in, step aside."


    Roman stared hard at Griffin and questioned, "When was thest time I ever listened or even heard what you said, Griffin? Leave Winters."


    Griffin clicked his tongue, "Tough luck with that. It is my Elder''s order that I bring her to him, to the dungeon. But she seems to be having a difficult time following orders, but it is expected. Considering she is a witch."


    "Step away from Julie, Griffin," Roman warned Griffin, his eyes turning bright red.


    "I think you should worry about yourself more than worrying about her. Trying to stop me is equal to you going against one of the Elder''s words," reminded Griffin with a smirk on his face, and right now, he was enjoying more than he was supposed to. "I think you have the right ability. Witches deserve to be burnt in fire and you have the right ability."


    Hearing Griffin''s words, the mes in Roman''s hand burned brighter, and it quickly erged itself, ready to swallow any and everything in its surroundings.


    Fire zed in the corridor like a dragon that swiftly moved towards where Griffin stood. The woodwork and other objects ced in the corridor were quick to catch fire because of its intensity. Griffin, who was already expecting Roman''s attack, smoothly dodged out from the spot and mocked Roman.


    "Looks like you want to die today too, Moltenore," tutted Griffin, and he started to move in the other direction before bringing his hands forward and twisting them around while concentrating on Roman.


    Roman felt pain erupt through his chest that came from his heart. Griffin used much more force than he had earlier used on Julie, as Roman was a vampire. He noticed how his ability was affecting his opponent, and this was the day he had been eagerly waiting for until now.


    "How long has it been since I have been wanting to do this," spat Griffin, as he had his hands bound until today. Now that he could use his ability, he let it free and wild. "How does it feel to be weak, Moltenore?"


    Roman tried to hold on to himself by pushing away the pain, and the mes continued to engulf the corridor while leaving Julie untouched. He responded, "Why do you ask when you are more experienced in it?"


    The smirk that was on Griffin''s lips fell, and he red. He curled his fingers and watched Roman close his eyes as the blood started to leave his heart.


    And just for a moment, Griffin had a triumphant smile on his face, thatsted not more than two seconds. Because even though he tried to push the blood to the other side in Roman''s body, Roman showed no distress. Instead he stood tall and used both his hands, this time, the fire moved much faster and it started to spread across the other rooms.


    Griffin gritted his teeth, not knowing why it wasn''t working on Roman. Roman should have been on his knees, begging him to spare him, but instead it appeared like he was unaffected. This didn''t stop Griffin from trying to attempt, because he knew at some level Roman was in pain and was only trying to act strong.


    "I am going to make sure you remember what pain feels like," threatened Griffin and soon a physical fight broke between the two vampires, while the fire continued to ze in the building.


    "You don''t know when to quit, do you?" retorted Roman, and he tried to get a punch and Griffin tried to get away while trying tond a punch on Roman too. "I don''t know what crap you said to have Luciano get on Julie''s back, but drop it before it''s toote."


    While both Roman and Griffin were fighting each other, Julie realized the mes had gotten too much and she ced both her hands on the ground, trying to bring down the fire. But Roman''s anger had shot up to the roof and it was hard to tame it down.


    Away from the building, Caleb had finally got a hold of the headmistress, who was with another Elder vampire.


    "Ms. Dante," Caleb cleared his throat to gain her attention and she turned to look at him. "There''s something that needs your attention and its ur¡ª"


    "What is it?" asked Ms. Dante in a stern voice, when her and Elder Castiel''s attention fell on the smoke that was drifting up in the sky. "Where is that smokeing from?" she frowned.


    Castiel walked to the side and Ms. Dante followed, while Caleb, who hadn''t noticed the smoke while looking for the headmistress turned suddenly worried. The Elder vampire said, "It is the main building."


    Dante''s eyes widened and her mouth fell open, "A fire broke in the main building. What the hell is going on?!"

 Chapter 223 - Attempt Of Escape

    Roman and Griffin continued to fight with each other, cracking and breaking the walls as they tried to punch each other. The mes had spread to three corridors, and smoke escaped from the windows. As most of the students were busy preparing for the oing exams, they were either stuck inside the library or were in their dorms, trying to cram up time, which left the building that had caught fire unattended.


    Griffin tried to control and manipte Roman''s blood, and he could sense the blood flow, but something just didn''t add up because, as per his calctions, Roman should have been already on the floor begging him to spare his life.


    "What is wrong with you?" questioned Griffin, his eyes demandingly staring at Roman, but soon Roman found his strength back and grabbed Griffin before punching right at Griffin''s nose.


    "Everything is always wrong," red Roman, his anger not simmering down and ready to kill Griffin while not bothered about facing consequences.


    Roman could smell Griffin''s intention to kill Julie for humiliating him, and with the stupid boy who had started the fight, he had the advantage of continuing the fight.


    He was well aware of how fatal Griffin''s ability was and what sort of sadist he was, and this time he was going to make sure Griffin understood what it meant when it came to messing with things and people who belonged to him.


    Griffin staggered back as Roman''s movements had be fasterpared to thest few seconds, and it turned hard for him to locate Roman''s movements.


    "Fuck!" cursed Griffin, touching his nose that was bleeding, and he used his own ability to the highest power and saw Roman''s bright eyes. "It is affecting you, give up," he taunted when Roman started to cough blood from his mouth.


    Roman wiped his bloody lips with the back of his hand and said, "Why don''t we two finish this for once and for all, Griffin. Let us fight until one of us is dead. It is too much hassle to keep on kicking your pitiful ass."


    Griffin clenched his jaws and then jumped to where Roman was, using his fists, and when Roman dodged, his fist punched the wall that left a hole in there.


    All this while, Julie hadn''t stood up, and she continued to keep her hands on the ground. The circle that she had drawn through the spells, it wasn''t enough to calm down the fire, which was why she tried to increase the size of the circle so that the entire building coulde to be encapsted in the pentagon.


    "Julie," came the ragged voice of the Corvin, who had appeared in the building.


    "Cillian. Do you know how to make the size of the pentagon bigger? I am not able to get it done," said Julie to him with a frown.


    "You should try speaking to him and have him dismiss the fire. At this rate the ce will burn down," said Cillian in a dull voice. But when he turned to look at Roman, who was engaged in the fight, he could tell it would be hard to make him stop.


    The blood lust and thirst was wafting in the atmosphere, which wasing from Roman.


    And while they were inside the building, far away from the many buildings that were part of Veteris, two other students, who were unaware about the fire that had broken down in Veteris, now walked in the restricted side of the forest.


    "Why do they have a dungeon in the university?" questioned Mnie, feeling anxious as she half ran and half walked to catch up to where Conner was.


    "Did you forget that Veteris was once a town and not a university?" Simon questioned her back, his eyebrows rising and falling quickly.


    "But why? I thought Veteris didn''t know there were vampires in here before the massacre took ce," pointed Mnie, and a grin appeared on Simon''s lips.


    "Someone has been doing their homework. How have you been finding vampires so far? Anyone to your liking?" he asked her, smoothening the front of his shirt.


    "No," came the quick reply from Mnie.


    "Good good, don''t fall for anyone but me," replied Simon cheekily, and Mnie red. This was no time for him to be flirting with her. But then, at the same time, she couldn''t express her annoyance, especially considering how he had helped her during many asions.


    Mnie didn''t retort to his words, and instead, she looked ahead of them, "How far is the dungeon?" she nervously asked.


    "Just seven to ten minutes from here. What do you n to do once you reach the dungeon? y prince charming?? But you are a princess," stated Simon, his mood upbeat, which was the opposite of how Mnie was feeling.


    "I don''t need someone toe save me," muttered Mnie, and Simon coughed.


    "I have to remind you of what happened during the weekend. You almost got sucked dry and your corpse would have been in the coffin, rotting and dust being collected," on seeing Mnie''s expression, he paused to ask her, "Was it too much detail?"


    "You didn''t answer why there''s a dungeon in here," Mnie reminded him, and Simon nodded his head.


    "It was just to keep things under control. Back in those days, there used to be a secret society in Veteris. Ironically this dungeon were used by the hunters to torture the vampires, but look now, how times has changed," replied Simon, and this had Mnie frown.


    "So people were aware about the existence of vampires?"


    "Of course they were. When you see continuous dimwitted vampires who leave the humans sucked dry and having markings on the body, it isn''t that hard to figure it out over the time," exined Simon and continued, "Once word reached the people who were in the higher position, they started to take keen interest and investigated about it."


    And though Mnie had asked him about it, halfway through, her thoughts had drifted back to worrying about Conner about in what condition he was being kept there in the dungeon.


    When they reached near the dungeon, Simon pulled Mnie behind him, and she asked him, "What?"


    "Do you n to be Conner''s neighbor in the dungeon?" asked Simon, and he then jerked his head in the direction where two guards stood near the tree. "I will go and distract them. Will you be able to sneak inside without causingmotion?"


    Mnie could feel the stress and anxiety starting to spike up, but this was now or never situation.


    "Hurry now, it is no time to take your own sweet time before one of the Elders shows up here," said Simon, cracking his knuckles. Mnie nodded her head, but when Simon turned and started to walk away from her, she caught the end of his shirt from behind.


    "What if there are more guards in there?" she asked him, looking straight into his green eyes.


    Simon stared at her, enjoying every moment of the anxiousness that passed through her eyes. He tilted his head to the side and replied, "As far as I know, there shouldn''t be any guards. But if our luck is bad, then shout out for help and I will see what I can do, yes?"


    Mnie was thankful that as crazy as Simon was, he was still willing to help her.


    She decided to wait for Simon to distract the guards so that she could go through the dungeon''s entrance. Simone effortlessly walked to the spot where the guards were, and one of the guards questioned him,


    "What are you doing here?"


    "I was walking by this ce when I decided toe and check if we had any new visitors in the dungeon. I would be more than happy to take a look if we have one," came Simon''s charming words.


    The guards looked at him with a slight frown and said, "We have a human, but no one is supposed to enter or leave the dungeon. These are strict orders from Elder Luciano."


    "Feels like we have VIP guests here. Do you know who it is? The human must have done something very very stupid," Simon stressed the word stupid with a smile on his face. "What? We aren''t supposed to know about the person either? Now that makes me really curious."


    "It is the hunter''s son. I heard Elder Luciano mention that the human cannot bepelled. He''s probably on Silverwater which is why he has no effect," said the other guard. And while Simon continued to chat with the guards, he got to move them and have their back face the dungeon''s entrance.


    Mnie took the opportunity, without waiting for Simon''s cue, she made her way towards the dungeon while holding her breath. When she entered the dungeon, it was slightly dark as there was no actual electricity, and the ce was lit by torches for fire. She looked back every few seconds before continuing to walk inside, and when her eyes fell on Conner, it widened.


    "Conner!" whispered Mnie, quickly moving towards the cell.


    The gate of the cell had been left unlocked as Elder Luciano had forgotten to order the guard from closing it. Mnie quickly stepped inside the cell, where an unconscious Conner sat on the chair.


    There was an evident bruise on Conner''s face, and Mnie bit her lip in worry. She ced her hand on his shoulder and jerked it to wake him up.


    "Conner? Conner?" Mnie called his name, and finally, Conner snapped from his unconscious state. "Are you alright, Conner?" she asked him, her hands cupping both the sides of his face.


    Conner appeared as if he was exhausted and didn''t have the energy to keep his eyes open, but he tried hard to do it.


    "What are you doing here?" he asked her.


    "What am I doing here?" Mnie blinked at his question, "What the hell are you doing here?! What did you do?"


    Conner closed his eyes, squinting it before opening them to look at Mnie''s worried face.


    Conner couldn''t tell how d he was to see Mnie to be safe, and at the same time, Mnie couldn''t help but worry about him. He said, "You should run quickly and ask for help, this university is filled with vampires. Go inform our parents that there are many blood sucking creatures in here."


    Mnie bit the inside of her cheek as this was something she knew she would have to face soon, but she didn''t know it would be now.


    Conner quickly looked at the entrance that was even the exit of the dungeon, and he said to Mnie in a hurry, "This ce isn''t safe for either of us. It was a vampire who killed Reese."


    "How did you find out about it?" asked Mnie softly.


    "One of the vampires told it to me. Even the headmistress is a vampire, which means there are many more in here," said Conner in a frantic voice. "Hurry before they catch you!"


    "I am not leaving you here all by yourself," replied Mnie, and she looked around the ropes to see how to free him.


    During that time, Conner''s eyes fell on Mnie, whose eyes and hands were moving around to help him out of the chair. He realized he was being an idiot for thest two days. He apologized, "I am sorry that I didn''t talk to you for thest two days. I didn''t mean to ignore you, I just got busy."


    "We can talk about itter," said Mnie when she untied him. "Conner we should¡ª" She saw Conner had lost consciousness again, and she wondered what they had done here for him to keep losing his consciousness. She tried to pick up Conner, using her shoulder to support him, while calling him.


    "I don''t know why¡­ my head hurts too much," replied Conner, and he tried to keep his eyes open, which went to close again.


    Mnie couldn''t leave Conner here because somewhere, she knew she might not see him again if she were to return to this ce. The only way was to get him out of this dungeon.


    "Hang in there, Conner. I will get out of this ce," she said to him in a low voice, and she slowly tried to have him walk towards the entrance. When she peeked out from the entrance, Simon talked to the guards.


    "You know thest guards who were here, they were people whom I knew before Veteris had been attacked," said the red-headed vampire


    Simon''s stories didn''t amuse the guard, and he said, "You should get back to the Dormitorium. The curfew time isn''t too far from now."


    "Well we are vampires and it doesn''t have to apply to me now, does it? It isn''t like I am going to fish some good blood and suck them dry," replied Simon, sensing Mnie''s head peeking out. "Have you ever sucked anyone dry?" he questioned the guards. "No?"


    Mnie looked back and forth before dragging Conner slowly out of the dungeon, and they slowly started to walk away from the dungeon''s entrance.


    But before they couldpletely be hidden, the guards heard a crunching sound and turned to catch Mnie and Conner near the tree.

 Chapter 224 - Untamed Flames

    "You aren''t supposed to be outside!" eximed the guard on noticing Mnie and Conner, who stood not too far from them. "Get him right now!"


    Simon stared at Mnie, blinking and giving her a look as if she had really thought it through of getting Conner out of the dungeon. Scratching the back of his neck, he quickly caught hold of the second guard and said,


    "Let us not take any decision in haste. We are all good people here, and let us do things calmly. I am sure it isn''t a big deal if that boy is out of the dungeon and needs some fresh air."


    The other guard who had spoken first used, "You are behind this. The Elders are not going to be happy once they find out what you tried to do."


    "What I tried to do? I was only talking to you, but then you were talking to me too. Does that mean you were upto no good?" asked Simon.


    "You will be put behind the cell too for going against the Elder''s decision and for freeing a hunter!" warned the guard.


    Conner, who couldn''t keep his mouth shut, said to Mnie, "They won''t let us go free. We need to run from here quickly, Mel."


    Mnie knew this was something they would have to do, at least until the Elders decided not to kill Conner as they could not erase Conner''s memories or until Conner would realize that not all vampires were bad. And that there were some good ones.


    "We''ll need to fight them. Did you bring the wooden stakes with you?" asked Conner and Mnie stared at him while the guards stomped, making his way to where they were.


    "Conner, there''s something that I need to talk to you about," Mnie quickly said, but one of the guards had caught up to them, and Conner tried to give out a punch at the guard. But being not fed and having no proper sleep, he didn''t have enough energy to deal with the guards, who were morms. The guard moved one step back before he blew a punch right at Conner''s face, who winced in pain.


    "Simon, go and get Elder Luciano," said the other guard to the red-headed vampire.


    Conner fell on the ground, he touched his split lip, and he red back at the guard before picking up a wooden stick and trying to jab it into the guard''s leg. He then said, "Leave Simon alone, he is not going to listen to the whims of you."


    Mnie looked back and forth between Conner and the guard, feeling the blood starting to drain out of her face.


    "You might have killed my girlfriend, but I won''t let your kind harm any more people than you already have," stated Conner, his eyes looking furious.


    The guard chuckled, "What the fuck are you talking about? Simon is a¡ª" At the right time, Simon threw arge stone at the back of the guard''s head. "You shitty little thing! What the fuck do you think you are doing?!"


    Simon grabbed the other guard''s neck and twisted it in less than two seconds, and Mnie''s eyes widened on seeing his action. The red-headed vampire then said, "I think that is enough of a chit chat, we need to go from here. And I need you hush."


    The guard wasn''t pleased with what Simon did, and he attacked him, who attacked him back, pushing each other against the bark of the tree before they fell on the ground. The guard tried to push Simon''s hand away from his throat, trying to grip his forearm tightly.


    "You are digging your grave, boy!" warned the guard through gritted teeth.


    "You don''t have to worry about that, I already have a grave in here. It still looks pretty," replied Simon, and he fought, hoping the morm would stop struggling so that they could leave the front of the dungeon.


    "You are supposed to stand by our side, how dare you help the hunters!" The guard red at Simon, his wordsing out broken, making it hard for Conner to hear what they were conversing about. The guard took the opportunity and threw loose mud into Simon''s eyes. He quickly pushed Simon away from him and said, "I should have known. Once a traitor always stays as a traitor."


    The smile that was on Simon''s lips, it faltered but didn''t disappear from his face. He said, "I don''t know what you are talking about," while he rubbed his eyes to get rid of the mud that had gotten in his eyes.


    The guard sneered, his face twisted in anger as he said, "Don''t think we haven''t heard about you and the rest of them. Especially you.. What you did in the past. You twisted¡ª"


    Simon straight away attacked the morm guard, and in the next second, he snapped the morm''s head for the guard to fall on the ground. He then turned to look at Mnie and Conner, "We should leave right now and hope things here simmer down."


    Conner nodded his head and said, "That''s right. We have to get our family and let them know what vile creatures are living here."


    Mnie''s eyes met Simon''s when she heard her best friend''s words. Simon looked back at her as if sharing a quiet conversation.


    "What about you?" asked Mnie to Simon.


    When they hade here to visit the dungeon, it was a quiet understanding between them, and she believed Simon knew that she was here to rescue Conner. To take him away from here because Conner and the Elders would not understand each other. She would need to make sure Conner would not do any more damage than he had already done.


    "I cannot stay here, considering what I did to the guards," Simon replied to her, and she couldn''t help but get lost in his green eyes. She wondered if she and Conner had dragged Simon in their troubles.


    Conner nodded his head, "We all hunters should stick close to each other."


    "Let us go," stated Simon, and they left the restricted side of the forest. He said, "It would be best not to leave the property yet, as they will look into the cameras and know. Let us find a safe spot and stay the night. Things must cool down by tomorrow morning."


    Mnie doubted if that would happen, but she could hope. She couldn''t help but wonder what the guard meant when he called Simon a traitor. As they walked, her eyes shifted from Conner to Simon. Simon had put Conner''s arm around his shoulder to support, as Conner had lost his energy.


    At the same time, outside the main building of Veteris University, Ms. Dante appeared along with Elder Castiel and Caleb. Four guards stood there, who couldn''t enter the building, and one of them spoke,


    "We aren''t able to get inside, Ms. Dante."


    "Get the water tank as well as the fire extinguisher to bring it down!" ordered Ms. Dante, but another guard replied to her,


    "We tried using the fire extinguisher, but we were unable to get the fire down. The fire seems to be impossible to tame, and it is getting only worse with every minute."


    Ms. Dante stared hard at the building. Even though she was the headmistress of the university, she didn''t hold any special abilities, unlike some of the Elder vampires and their younger vampires. The only quality she did hold was that she was a strong woman of calibre and knew how to control and manage while keeping her cool.


    Castiel, who was watching the mes, said, "It is Roman."


    Hearing Roman''s name, Caleb quickly came towards them and cleared his throat again, "There''s Griffin and Julie in there too, Ms. Dante. It is why I came here to inform you about it. Griffin is causing trouble."


    "Seriously, can''t the two of them just quit it already. They have to burn the entire building," muttered Dante under her breath before she ordered the guards, "Go get the students back to their Dormitoriums and buildings. The ones you find speaking about it, erase the memories and bring me the two Elders whose disciples are causing a mess in here," she red.


    "Yes, Ms. Dante!" came the collective replies from the guards, and they left the front side of the main building.


    "Is there a way to get rid of the fire?" Ms. Dante asked Castiel. His lips were set in a thin line, and he replied,


    "I can try and see if I can extinguish the fire," and saying this, Castiel looked up at the sky, and soon the clear sky slowly started to gather clouds. The clouds were dark and heavy, and it came to hover above the main building, with a light crackle of lightning that could be seen from where they stood.


    Caleb, who stood next to them, with two steps distance away from them, he felt a drop of water on his forehead from the sky. He noticed more clouds being gathered around thend of Veteris, and it was the first time he saw a powerful vampire making use of an ability like this. But the rain that poured down onto the building wasn''t enough, and like how the guard said earlier, the mes were untamable and were getting out of control.


    More clouds gathered around the ce, and slowly the atmosphere in thend of Veteris looked darker than before. The rain started to pour everywhere as if it was the rainy season.


    Could the fire be waterproof? Questioned Caleb in his mind.

 Chapter 225 - Feelings Of The Dead

    Back inside the building, both Roman and Griffin were breaking everything that came in their way while also trying to break each other''s bones with utter enthusiasm.


    The fire had spread around the first floor, leaving charred objects behind.


    "Is that all you can do, Moltenore?" questioned Griffin, a smirk appearing on his face. He hadnded a blow on Roman, and he only hoped that he was winning this time. To kill Roman, there was so much satisfaction in it.


    "For a person of your caliber, I believe that is more than enough," responded Roman, running his tongue across the side of his lips and tasting blood on his tongue. "I thought your ability is good, but it doesn''t seem like it is of any use. Same as you, useless," he taunted Griffin.


    "I would like you to tell me the same words once I am done with Julianne. I am sure it would be quite a sight to see her lifeless body on the ground and catching fire," Griffin said, and heughed in the end. "Seems like everyone who is close to you dies. Your family, Piper and soon it would be Julianne Winters."


    Bloodlust coursed through Roman''s veins, and Griffin''s words were enough to provoke him to use the mes to capture Griffin.


    Julie, still on the ground floor, asked Cillian, "Why is it not turning bigger?"


    "Truthfully, the size of the markings have never been any bigger than what you see in front of you now. I doubt anyone has ever tried to increase the size of the pentagon markings than the usual size because it was never required before," replied the Corvin, looking back and forth, where he stood close to her. Previously, when he had tried to move away from her, to take a look, his twig-like hand had caught fire.


    "I think it would be best for you to step out of this ce, lest you n to end your life here," came the advice from the Corvin. And as dull as it sounded, in truth, it was filled with concern.


    Julie''s gaze returned to look at the circr markings she had made, and she closed her eyes. It took a couple of seconds when the pentagon''s circle and lines started to glow with light. Though the light couldn''t be seen that well because of the fire that surrounded them, the circle slowly started to move in an outward direction. Moving past the mes that were on the ground, slowly and steadily.


    Julie had used her soul energy to manipte the size and nature of the pentagon. When she opened her eyes, she felt a chilly air pass by her even though the ce was raging with mes. She exerted force and pressure because the circle had stuck to a moderate size, and she still needed it to growrger.


    The more she used her soul energy, the more it felt like it was being torn from her body and would leave a shell behind. In the background, she could hear the continuous crash and fight taking ce, and Cillian warned her,


    "Be careful how much soul energy you use, you won''t be tired but you will end up dying if you exhaust all of it."


    Julie''s face flinched, feeling the ache in her body, which was worse than what she had felt earlier when Griffin had tried to use his ability on her.


    Taking a deep breath, she finally pushed the pentagon to grow bigger where it moved past the walls of the building.


    Outside the building, on seeing the mes, Roman''s friends had joined, and so did Elder Remy.


    "She''s growing stronger," Remy softly spoke on seeing the witch''s power being exhibited. And the circle lit up brighter in the darkness before more light filled itself and the mes slowly settling down.


    The fire finally disappeared, and so did the pentagon, and the people who stood outside quickly stepped inside, noticing the burnt floors and walls and the burnt furniture. Ms. Dante closed her eyes, taking a deep breath so that she wouldn''t blow her head over. It was only two weeks ago that she had gotten the walls painted and floors polished.


    "I guess this ce will finally need to be rebuilt and refurnished,"mented Castiel as he stepped in the corridors with the rest of them. The ce was left in darkness because of no light except for the ones that came from outside the windows.


    With the mes that had disappeared, Griffin finally decided to take advantage of the situation and used his ability back on Roman. This time he used all his force, and Roman fell on the ground and on his knees.


    Roman threw up ck blood, his hand reaching for his heart as if he was in pain.


    "Looks like you have no more strength to fight, and here I thought you would give me the best fight. It is good that you have a beating heart, isn''t it? Pity," huffed Griffin, and he brought his hand forward, ready to twist it further.


    Roman stared back at Griffin, his eyes vacant and his face dull that the other vampire very much enjoyed.


    "Griffin!" came Ms. Dante''s furious voice, and her eyes looking back and forth between Griffin and Roman. "What do you think you are doing?!" demanded the vampiress.


    Griffin cursed himself internally, forgetting that the fire must have alerted the people who were outside, and he dropped his hand to his side. Turning to her, he said, "I did it on Elder Luciano''s orders, Ms. Dante. Roman has decided to go against the orders by protecting the witch who has been colluding with the Mortimers or the hunters."


    "What are you even speaking about, Griffin?" Ms. Dante red, not liking the sneaky approach that had been used by the boy.


    "It is the truth, Ms. Dante," Griffin was quick to reply to her question, and he said, "Elder Luciano has ordered me to get her to him, but she has been trying to attack me and the guards. She''s working with this morm right here," he said, jerking his head towards Caleb.


    Caleb''s eyes widened, and he said, "I don''t even know what he is talking about colluding. Julianne and I were in the restricted forest to check the cameras because their positions were changed. When this asshole decided to attack us."


    Griffin red at Caleb, who was quick to take shelter behind Castiel. He said, "I caught them moving the camera''s. Why would I ever dare to do¡ª"


    "To the Elder''s mansion. Right now," ordered Ms. Dante trying to keep her calm and not wanting to hear more story. "You too, Roman. Where is Julianne?" as she didn''t find the young witch here.


    Julie sat in the corridor, on the other side of the building, with her back leaned against the wall, and her legs stretched out as she tried to get her breath back.


    "You tried your luck,"mented Cillian, and Julie didn''t respond. But she did open her eyes and turned to look at the Corvin, who stood in front of her. "It was your first time using that amount of your soul. You could have killed yourself."


    "We couldn''t leave the fire like this. It would cause unnecessary attention," also, Julie wanted to be useful instead of always being a bystander. She wanted to help in any form, no matter how big or small it was. "Is Roman alright?" she asked the Corvin.


    Cillian stayed quiet for five seconds and then replied, "Yes, he''s fine. The others have entered the building."


    "That''s good to hear," Julie whispered in a low voice. At least the two of them couldn''t fight and hurt each other now, she thought in her mind. She asked, "Is there any way to remove a person''s ability? The vampires..."


    Cillian wondered how much pain Julie had experienced when Griffin had attacked her. "There is, but it is something we don''t usually do. Abilities don''t always stay the same, and they can turn from good to worse, which is why witches can never steal abilities from others. The only vampire who has stolen it, is the person who is against us."


    "The Mortimer''s?" asked Julie.


    "Yes. Those ones." After a few more seconds passed, Cillian apologized, "I am sorry I wasn''t able to help you earlier."


    Julie shook her head, "You helped me more than I expected from you. It''s all good," and she smiled.


    "Winters!" came Roman''s voice, and Julie turned in the direction where he appeared. cing her hand on the floor, she pushed herself to stand, and he came to her. "Are you alright?" He looked at her face with concern and her body to make sure she wasn''t hurt.


    "I am. Are you?" Julie returned the question. She stared at him with a little worry. "Your mes were too much and didn''t stop."


    "You could have killed her," came thement from Cillian, and the softness in Roman''s eyes hardened. His gaze shifted from Julie to look at the Corvin.


    "The mes would never harm her," replied Roman.


    "Can you be sure about it?" Cillian questioned him.


    "I am fine, Cillian," Julie assured the Corvin, who continued to stare at Roman. "Everyone is fine now." She then said to Roman, "The security cameras will need to be repositioned. There must be more than one blindspot in Veteris."


    The others had already left the building. When Roman and Julie left the corridor so that they could go to the Elder''s mansion to deal with the chaos they had created here, the Corvin stood there for some time. It then brought its hand forward, where the twig-like fingers had been burnt.


    Earlier on, seeing the mes and knowing Julie was inside, the Corvin had appeared in the middle of the mes to make sure she was alright.


    "Never did I think that this day woulde," whispered the Corvin in its ragged voice.


    But when he had first seen her, he never knew that she was rted to Opaline''s family. To think he would have taken a liking to the girl, who was destined to be with one of his families descendant. She was like a breeze and knowing there couldn''t be anything more, he had bound himself to her, to keep her close yet at a distance.


    He knew somewhere down the line it was wrong, and he ced his hand on the empty shell of his chest, where there was no heart beating behind the ribcage.


    In the Elder''s mansion, the Elders and the staff sat in therge living room, with the younger vampires, the morm and Julie standing at the side.


    "Where is Donovan and Luciano?" questioned Ms. Dante, as they weren''t here yet.


    "Probably fighting somewhere in the corner of the property," murmured Remy, where he had crossed his arms, and his eyes shifted to look at Julie.

 Chapter 226 - Meeting In The Elders Mansion

    The doors of the living room opened wide, with both Elder Donovan and Elder Luciano stepping inside the room as if they were trying topete on who woulde first. Donovan looked at the people who were gathered in the room, noticing the deep frown that now hung upon Dante''s face.


    "What''s going on?" questioned Donovan.


    "It is the meeting that I earlier spoke about," Luciano rolled his eyes as if Donovan was dumb enough to not remember about it.


    Donovan walked to one side of the empty couch, and he pushed his coat behind before taking a seat. It was only after a few seconds did he notice that the headmistress of Veteris didn''t look away from him.


    "What?" he questioned her.


    "Elder Donovan, Elder Luciano," Ms. Dante started, where the blonde Elder vampire took a seat on the opposite side of the couch.


    "Have you decided to take the opinion of everyone?" Elder Luciano questioned Elder Remy, who was earlier present when he had spoken about the hunter''s boy.


    The frown on Ms. Dante''s face turned even deeper, and her lips twisted in displeasure, "I have requested the Elders to gather here so that we could discuss what happened this evening in the main building." She then turned to look at Luciano and said, "Griffin told me that you were the one who ordered him to get Ms. Winters? Both Griffin and Roman burnt and destroyed the main building this evening without caring about the consequences."


    Griffin''s eyes widened when Luciano turned to look at him. He said, "It wasn''t me who burned the things in there, Ms. Dante. Roman is the one who has the ability of fire and not me. I was only following my Elder''smand."


    "I didn''t ask you, Griffin," Ms. Dante quietly red at the boy for him to shut his mouth.


    Luciano slightly rolled his eyes, "I thought we were going to discuss the hunter."


    Donovan crossed his legs one over the other before letting his back lean against the plush couch.


    The blonde Elder vampire replied to Ms. Dante, "Yes, I was the one who ordered Griffin to get the girl so that I could question her actions. She harmed two of my guards and went so far as to attempt to kill Griffin in the hands of her Corvin. I can only imagine what ill intentions she must have had when she decided to harm them."


    "Your imagination runs wilder than the horses that I once owned," retorted Donovan, and his words irked Luciano to no end. "Griffin must have done something that must have forced her to defend herself."


    "Defending and killing are two different things," Luciano pointed with a re, and he turned to look at Julie. "Do you deny that you didn''t harm and summon your Corvin to hurt them?"


    Julie shook her head, "Griffin was the one who first started it."


    Same like his Elder vampire, Griffin red at Julie, "I never tried to harm her. I politely asked her to follow me to the dungeon after catching her red handed tampering with the cameras."


    "It was a misunderstanding. I found out from Caleb that Dennis had previously caught him near the camera''s. The direction in which the cameras were supposed to focus, had been changed. And it created a blindspot for the people who have been trying to sneak in and out of Veteris," exined Julie, in one breath. "We never tried to change anything."


    "Lies," used Luciano, and this time it was Donovan who rolled his eyes. "The witch is trying to get hold of Willow Creek and the morms are helping the Mortimiers to get Veteris."


    "That''s a very expansive n, Luciano,"mented Castiel. "Aren''t you being a little too harsh on Julianne, just because she is the daughter of a witch?"


    "It doesn''t erase the fact that witches have tried to secretly thrive above vampires," Luciano''s words were sharp. "Have you forgotten how the witches stole your family?" The question was directed to Elder Remy, who sat there quietly, listening to them.


    "It doesn''t mean that every witch is the same as who killed your and Elder Remy''s family," defended Roman, not liking Julie being used of something she had no idea about until now. "Griffin has the habit of exaggerating things especially when ites to my things and people who are close to me."


    Griffin huffed, looking at Roman with a sneer, "I caught the girl and the morm sitting on the tree. They were doing something to the camera. If Julianne really was innocent, she should have just followed me. It isn''t like Elder Luciano would do anything bad to her and only wanted to ask her questions."


    "She probably smelt your bad intention, considering how you unsessfully tried to hurt and attack her in the past," responded Roman, turning his body to face Griffin, and the other boy did the same. "I have told you before, stop trying to bring Julie into something that she is not part of."


    "I am sorry but I don''t support a witch who is trying to bring harm to Veteris," Griffin acted as if he had no idea what Roman was talking about.


    Roman''s hands clenched, and when the room started to turn hot, Ms. Dante warned him, "Roman Moltenore, you shall not burn this building next. I will have to remove your name from the university, and you shall not get your final certificates."


    "As if something like that will bother me," replied Roman. Did the vampiress think he was a human to be scared about a in threat like this?


    "Elder Donovan," Ms. Dante turned to look at the vampire.


    "Let us speak calmly. When has bloodshed ever been a solution to any problem?" came the cheerful voice of Azazel Donovan. Most of the people in the room turned their gaze from Roman and Griffin to look at Donovan, who raised his eyebrows, "What? It is true."


    Roman openly threatened Griffin by saying, "You should start counting your stars for being alive. If it weren''t for Dante, I would have made sure to see you to be dead."


    "Huh? Are you sure about that? Considering how you had fallen on your knees and was ready to beg me to spare your life," Griffin retorted back to Roman''s words.


    "How about we try it now and see?" Roman challenged Griffin, who was ready to raise his hand to punch Roman square in the face, but Luciano interrupted them,


    "That''s enough. I am more interested to know about what this witch did."


    The living room had turned chaotic because everyone was speaking out of turn. Julie replied to Luciano''s words, "I have nothing to do with the Mortimers. I have already exined it."


    "That is what all schemers and liars say," said Luciano.


    "You sound like a broken recorder, Luciano," pointed Donovan, and he was tired of Luciano being stuck to it.


    "Maybe the security system in Veteris has turned less efficient than before," stated Roman, and Luciano turned extremely angry as Roman spoke against him and questioned his efficiency.


    "How dare you speak to me like that I will¡ª" Luciano got up and was ready to attack Roman when Donovan intervened bying between them.


    "Step back, Azazel. It is clear that Roman has decided to pick a fight when he could haveplied and brought Julianne to me. It wasn''t like Griffin did anything out of line and he was only following my orders before these two decided to rebel."


    "It was probably because your boy isn''t trustworthy and has quite some history with Roman. Bad blood?" asked Donovan before adding, "You took the responsibility of Veteris'' security but failed to notice something Julie found out. Instead of praising her, you want to punish and question her. How bored are you to pick on her without any proper reason?"


    "Moltenore has disrespected me and tried to harm Griffin. I believe the four Elders already decided if one of our disciples tried to harm the other, they would have to answer to the respective Elder," Luciano looked annoyed. The shadow from him started to spread while ck smoke appeared beneath Donovan''s feet.


    "I did not gather everyone here so that you both could have an audience to fight!" Ms. Dante couldn''t believe that the two vampires, who were older than most people in this room, behaved recklessly.


    Luciano red at Donovan, "Step aside, and let me deal with this. Don''t worry, I will keep him alive."


    "What if I don''t want to?" asked Donovan, and mes appeared in Roman''s hands.


    "Looks like we''ll finally be able to see who is powerful between us two," stated Luciano, and Griffin came to stand next to Luciano, waiting for his Elder''smand.


    "Do you even have to ask? It is going to be me," taunted Donovan. He then said, "Before getting your pesky shadow near my son, you will have to go through me first."


    "Just because you took him under your wing doesn''t make him your son," at Donovan''s words, Luciano rolled his eyes.


    Donovan looked at Luciano''s eyes and, with a serious expression, said, "He is my son by blood."


    "That''s bullshit," Luciano readied himself while somewhere weighing on Donovan''s words. Next to the Elder vampire, Griffin looked back and forth between Donovan and Roman. When his eyes met Roman''s eyes, Griffin had a shocked expression on his face as if someone had pped him.


    How was Roman Moltenore an Elder''s son? Questioned Griffin in his mind.


    Donovan said, "Roman is my son and if you try to harm him, I don''t think I can sit back and watch it."

 Chapter 227 - Electric Wires

    Lucian red at Donovan, electricity crackling between the two Elders. Castiel, sitting until then, finally stood up from his seat, and said, "Azazel isn''t joking, Luciano. Roman is indeed his son. Can we now sit down and talk instead of fighting amongst ourselves when we have other important things to worry about?"


    Luciano''s perplexed gaze moved from Donovan to Roman, who stared back at him.


    Elder Remy, who was quietly listening to the conversation of the troublesome people in the room, a sigh escaped from his lips as if he was tired. He stood up, looking at them and was about to step out when one of the guards came running there.


    "Ms. Dante!" called the guard.


    "Seems like we have something else to deal with," remarked Donovan, and he turned to Luciano and taunted, "Looks like you haven''t been doing your job well when ites to securing Veteris. Might as well resign."


    "At least, unlike you, I have been doing something instead of sitting on your plush chair and fiddling with your phone," retorted Luciano, and he then turned back to look at the guard. "What''s going on?"


    The guard looked between the Elder vampire and then the headmistress, where the vampiress didn''t know what more problems the night had to offer. The guard looked slightly stressed, and he said,


    "Ms. Dante, the boy has escaped from the dungeon."


    "What?!" snapped the vampiress, gritting her teeth. "How is it possible?"


    "Are we speaking about the same boy who is the hunter''s son?" questioned Luciano, and an exasperated sigh escaped from his lips. "This is why I said that we needed to hold a meeting as soon as we could and kill the boy. There is the loose end which all of you were looking forward to. I thought there were already guards who were guarding the dungeon."


    Upon Elder Luciano''s question, the guard looked nervous and he said, "We were watching the dungeon until we switched with the other two guards. When we returned, they were on the ground."


    "Ground?" questioned Castiel, his eyebrows furrowed and the guard nodded.


    "The two guards appointed for that time have been found dead," replied the guard, "We don''t know where the boy is. I have asked the other guards to secure the boundary and also to look outside."


    "Does the boy have a weapon to kill the vampires with such ease?" questioned Borrell.


    "You are terrible at securing this ce, Luciano. You should appreciate Julie''s help, at least we know that the cameras aren''t going to be of any help. Inform the others to find the boy right now," demanded Donovan, staring at the guard, who quickly bowed his head and left the ce.


    Ms. Dante shook her head, "I will go see the dungeon. There''s no way the boy was able to escape from there, by himself. Someone must have helped him." After those words left the vampiress''s lips, Julie pursed her lips and she turned to look at Roman.


    Worry was quick to marr on her face, and if Conner wasn''t able to escape from there by himself, then that meant Mnie had probably helped Conner out. She asked,


    "Why was Conner kept in the dungeon?" This was the first time she was hearing it.


    Luciano was the one to reply to her question, "The human''s mind couldn''t keep up with thepulsion and no amount ofpelling will work on him. Not to mention he''s part of the hunter''s family. I don''t even know why we were keeping them near. To invite trouble?"


    Castiel gave a nod, as if he was agreeing to Luciano''s words and he said, "I don''t think it is a good idea to have the hunters free when they know this much about us vampires. It will only lead to more trouble."


    "Maybe killing them would help?" proposed Donovan, and Julie''s eyes widened.


    She quickly said, "No. Mnie has known about the vampires, and she''s not against them."


    "I thought there was a rule about humans not knowing about vampires or witches'' existence?" asked Griffin, reminding everyone that it was a rule to kill a human, if their memory couldn''t be tampered.


    Castiel turned to look at Julie and asked, "Can you tell the same about the other human? The boy?"


    Julie opened her mouth to speak, but knowing how things had taken a turn, she said, "He can be convinced. Conner is a good person."


    "Everyone is a good person until something very bad happens to them. Like Donovan,"mented Luciano, turning his sight on the ck-eyed vampire.


    "I thought you were slow before you met me," Donovan poked Luciano, who decided to ignore and rify on what he meant.


    "The boy seemed not to take it too well when he found out that it was a vampire who killed his girlfriend. Thanks to someone''s efforts," said the blonde vampire, crossing his arms across his chest. "Do you think a human who lost someone, the grief would wash away as if it is nothing and support vampires?" he questioned Julie.


    Ms. Dante had hoped for things to not go out of control and had also hoped that she would be able to do damage control when it came to Conner. But this was not good, and she pursed her lips.


    Castiel said to another guard, "Find both of them and bring them to us right away. If the situation turns worse, like them stepping out of Veteris property and making use of their phone, then silence them."


    Julie''s face turned pale on hearing this, and she turned to look at Roman, who appeared as if things had indeed turned worse right now. Right now, she didn''t know if she should pray for her friends to escape far away from Veteris, that could end up in Conner bringing the hunters here. Or for her friends to be captured and be tortured by the vampires.


    Without anyone''s notice, she stepped away from the living room, making her way towards the end of the corridor, and closed her eyes. When she opened it, the Corvin stood in front of her.


    "Can you please find Mnie and Conner. See if they are safe, and try speaking to Mnie alone, and let her know about the things that happened here?" she requested Cillian, obvious worry present in her voice.


    "Don''t worry, I will find them," assured Cillian and Julie couldn''t tell how d she was to have him help her. The Corvin disappeared from there, and when returning, she met Roman, and she asked,


    "How bad is the situation for Mel and Conner?"


    "As bad as it is for Simon," spoke Roman in a low voice, and Julie frowned. He pulled her to the side and said, "Maximus saw Simon hanging out with Mnie earlier. Considering he isn''t anywhere here, we doubt he''s with her."


    "Oh," responded Julie, and when her eyes left Roman, she noticed Maximus and Olivia looked worried. Unlike Roman, Maximus and Olivia, who were under the protection and care of the Elders, Simon didn''t have that privilege which made it tough for him to get out of the situation that he had stepped into.


    "We won''t let the Elders kill them," Roman assured Julie, cing his hand on her shoulder, and Julie sighed.


    When she turned to look outside the window of the room, she noticed the rain that continued to pour since the time the main building had caught fire. Roman slipped his hand into hers, and he asked, "Do you think you will be able to handle the cold?"


    For a moment, Julie didn''t understand what he meant, and then realizing she suddenly nodded, "I can."


    "Let us look for them," he said, while the Elders and the other staff members were busy discussing and arguing over what had taken ce. Maximus and Olivia joined Roman and Julie to look for their friend, slipping away from the room.


    The headmistress noticed the youngsters leave. She heard Luciano''s burning question, "How is Roman your son?" to Donovan.


    "Don''t tell me now that I have to exin to you how reproduction works. Just how everyone else turns to a father, I turned to one," came the calm voice of Donovan.


    Luciano turned to Castiel and Remy, "You two knew it?"


    "I had an idea. Considering how obsessed he was with the boy," replied Castiel.


    Remy stared before answering, "It wasn''t hard to figure out," indirectly calling Luciano slow in catching up to the truth.


    Away from the Elders mansion, the three students who were being looked for walked on the restricted side of the forest. Taking the opposite direction where the mansion was located.


    "There was no sign of rain, why is it raining out of nowhere?" asked Mnie with her hand that she had brought to ce above her head.


    "I think I need to stop," Conner stopped Simon, pausing his feet.


    "What happened?" Mnie came to his side, looking at Conner, who appeared to be in pain.


    "I feel like I am going to ckout. My head hurts too much," replied Conner, and by the appearance, he looked weak. "How far is the outer road from here?"


    "The closest one is fifteen minutes away, but it is heavily guarded. The one with fewer guards, it will take a while," replied Simon, and Conner nodded before saying,


    "Thanks for being there, man. I don''t think I would have been able to see the sunrise if you both hadn''te to rescue me from there."


    "Anytime," Simon smiled, and his eyes shifted to look at Mnie, who stared back at him while water dripped down their faces because of the rain. When Conner started to walk forward, Mnie said to Conner,


    "Thank you," she was truly grateful, and Simon stared back at her.


    "You don''t have to. I am doing it for my own selfish reasons," replied Simon, and Mnie couldn''t help but question what it could be.


    While the two had stopped following Conner, staring at each other, Conner had continued to walk. And the human boy failed to notice the wires tied from one tree to another. He stepped right into the trap and a light amount of current passed through his body, enough to make him unconscious.


    Mnie''s eyes widened, and she was about to run towards Conner when Simon caught her arm to stop her. He said, "Do you want to get electrocuted too?" He got closer to Conner, checking if there were more wires and said, "Luciano must have arranged the new security system. Just enough to make a person faint but not kill a person."


    "Conner?" Mnie called her friend, who was on the ground.


    "Don''t worry, he''ll survive and once again you can confess your love to him.. And he can reject you again," remarked Simon in dry humor.

 Chapter 228 - Look At Me

    Simon carefully pulled Conner away from the electric wires that the human had lightly received current from. He ced his hand on Conner''s neck to check the pulse and looked up at Mnie, who looked utterly worried and anxious.


    "Is he alright?" asked Mnie.


    "He will survive," replied Simon, before muttering under his breath, "If not we can have a date together by digging the ground and saying our farewell."


    "What?" Mnie didn''t hear what Simon said over the sound of the sttering rain and her focus on her friend.


    Simon offered her a bright smile as if he was the one who had been electrocuted by the wires before he said, "I was telling you that we should find a ce to stay for the night. Just so that we don''t get caught or fall sick. Not to mention, it would be hard to escape from here with Conner in this condition."


    Mnie being obedient, gave him a nod, "Okay. Let us go."


    She was about to offer her help to lift Conner from the ground when Simon raised his hand to stop her, "Do you n to drop him like a bag of potatoes? Let me handle him." Saying this, with ease, he lifted Conner, cing him over his shoulder. "There we go, now let us walk before being caught."


    Together, they left the spot and sometimeter found a cave-like ce far away from the centre of Veteris. Mnie asked him, "Are you sure you won''t get into trouble?


    "Hm? What is that?" Simon turned his head in the left and right direction, alerting Mnie to do the same.


    "What is it?" questioned Mnie, preparing herself to face the guards who woulde to catch them.


    "Ah, yes. It must be the sweet concern that you are now developing towards me," replied Simon, and Mnie''s face turned sour. This person had no ce or time when speaking about things like these. Here they were in a problematic situation, and he was talking about unnecessary things. She rolled her eyes and heard him say, "I didn''t know you were going to fall for me this quickly. I must tell you, that''s progress."


    "You must be dreaming with your eyes open to think I have fallen for you. This isn''t some romantic story, where two people meet and instantly fall in love," replied Mnie, while picking up the dried grass she found in the corners of the cave. She ced it between the stones that they had created a circle, while Simon brought sticks and twigs.


    "I always dream with my eyes open, you never know what you might miss," replied Simon, and he pulled out the lighter from his pocket.


    Mnie watched Simon flick open the lighter, watching the me slowly starting to burn the dried twigs and grass. Compared to Roman Moltenore, she had seen Simon smoke less. She was d he had the habit, else they would not have been able to have a fire this quickly, and the weather had strangely turned chilly, where her blouse stuck to her skin and her hair stuck to her face.


    "Why are you helping us?" asked Mnie, her curiosity getting the best of her.


    "You want to know?" Simon questioned her back, and she nodded. They sat near the fire, facing each other with the light of the fire, which was hidden, and one would not be able to discover the light. "Come closer," he said to her.


    Mnie stared into his eyes, the bright green eyes had turned dark.


    On the side, Conner had been made to lean against the wall with his legs stretched out, and he continued to stay unconscious. Outside the cave, the light drops of rain continued to fall from the sky to the forest ground, with a gentle breeze that passed through the forest where they were, sweeping the temperature from one side to another.


    Mnie noticed the way Simon''s ming red hair looked redder, and some pieces of his hair had stuck on one side of his face. He brought his hand to his face before pushing his hair, which led to most of his hair moved away from his face except for one piece that came to rest on his forehead.


    Simon closely watched her, simr to a crocodile that sat still, waiting for its prey toe near to it so that it could find an opportune time to capture the prey. He noticed the way her eyes warily looked at him, and the more wary she turned, the more thrilling he found the chase to be.


    Mnie leaned in closer, and Simon leaned in as if pulled towards her. He said, "It is for you. Everything is for you." And maybe she would have believed his words, as they were spoken in such seriousness, but when one corner of the vampire''s lips pulled up, she turned suspicious.


    "Is it necessary for you to prank me even now?" she asked him.


    Simon replied, "When did I prank you? How rude that when I confess my intentions to you, they are brushed away as a prank."


    "You always do that. Did Ms. Dante tell you to help us out? I know the Elders are not people who would ever help us humans. Especially when they know we are people who belong to the hunter''s family."


    "She didn''t. I did it because I wanted to. It would be difficult if you were to get caught and then see Conner being killed and   . I am just doing it for my own selfish reasons, so that I can have you for myself," came the direct words from Simon, and when he said that, even Mnie, who always kept a straight face in front of him, couldn''t stop her heart from skipping a beat.


    Mnie cleared her throat, looking away from his gaze, that felt like it was piercing through her. "I don''t think you should say things that you don''t mean¡­ And you already know," she looked back at him, "That I have feelings for someone."


    "Are you sure about it?" challenged Simon, and a subtle frown came to appear on Mnie''s face.


    "Why wouldn''t I be?" she asked him, her lips set in a thin line while she waited for him to reply. Mnie noticed how Simon''s eyes moved from her eyes to look at her lips. In his presence and the fire in front of her, her cheeks turned warm.


    She shook her head and quickly stood up from where she had been sitting on the back of her heels. What just happened?! She asked herself. Did her heart betray her?


    Simon watched how Mnie turned flustered, and he enjoyed the sight in front of him. And because of his continuous gaze on her, she almost lost her footing before standing upright. He said, "You should walk on my side, than near where Conner is. I can assure you that I will catch you if you fall."


    Mnie turned her face to look in the direction of the uneven wall of the cave while having her back facing Simon. She squinted her eyes and then turned back to look at the red-headed vampire, "Why are you being cheesy?"


    "Because I like you?" came the instant reply from Simon. He said, "I wasn''t joking when I told you to quickly fall for me. You might deny that you don''t like me, but you can''t deny the fact that I am the one who has been upying your thoughtstely, while your thoughts about Conner have taken a backseat. Am I wrong?"


    "It is only because you know how to annoy me," replied Mnie, feeling her heart flutter, and she wondered what was going on.


    "I can hear your little heart beating in your chest like a little chirping sparrow. So sweet,"mented Simon, his daunting eyes looking at her.


    "That''s because I have¡ª"


    "Because your heart is turning sick and needs love from the right person?" asked Simon, and Mnie stared at him.


    "That was so cheesy. Is this how you seduce the other girls?" asked Mnie. Did he get bored with the other girls that he had decided to y with her?


    Simon chuckled, taking not a speck of offense from Mnie''s question, instead, he enjoyed her replies. He said, "Well, you could tell that it worked on them. But then I didn''t have to use too many lines to get them to like me. A smile goes a long way. You and I could be a great team, a couple."


    And now the vampire was putting thoughts in her head, thought Mnie. She turned to look at Conner, who was still unconscious. She asked Simon, "Why do you want to cause trouble for me?"


    "Your life seems dull like a nk canvas. I decided it was time to fill colors in it, than wait for the gray life that might not suit you," replied Simon in a solemn voice. Mnie was slightly confused about whether he was serious or poking fun at her. "I will be very good to you. I am good to you," he added thest line.


    "You had everyone believe that we were going out and then I had your fan girlsmenting on me," used Mnie.


    "They are just jealous of you. They know I am an amazing lover," replied Simon to her.


    "You exposed my feelings for Conner and to everyone, when I was still taking my time and he didn''t have to know about it. I would have eventually let the feelings go!" she quietly whispered, her wordsing out rushed, and she red at him.


    Simon''s lips twisted, and he said, "Let us be honest here. You needed a strong push. If I hadn''t revealed the truth, you would have continued to pin your hopes on him, and it would be a never ending, unrequited feeling. Now you know how he feels and it makes things easier. Humans are suchplicated creatures."


    "You were one before."


    "I like me better now."


    An exasperated sigh escaped from Mnie''s lips. She closed her eyes, then remembering something, she opened her eyes. In a whisper, while hoping Conner wouldn''t wake up now, she said, "You offered to help me if we were friends. Why are you hitting on me?"


    Simon tapped his finger across his leg, taking a second more to answer her, "At first you looked pitiful. Maybe you didn''t say it verbally, but I could see your eyes pinning on him. Believe me it was cute, but pitiful. After some time, I wondered what''s so great about him when he doesn''t even notice you."


    As much as the truth was bitter, did he have to put it that way? Mnie replied to his words, "It was in the past. I decided to move on from how I felt before."


    "Mm," hummed Simon, who continued, "After a while, my attention shifted from both of you to just you, and I wondered¡­" his voice trailed. Mnie stared back at him, their gaze not breaking away from each other, where the silence filled itself with the wind that was outside the ce where they had now taken shelter.


    Simon said, "I wondered how it would feel, to be looked at by someone the way you looked at Conner. To be loved with whole heart. To be paidplete attention and care for the person even though the other person is unaware."


    Mnie felt something struck in her heart, and she didn''t know if it was the shadow created by the mes and darkness in there or if it was the ambience, but for some reason, it felt like what Simon uttered were his actual thoughts.


    This time, Simon didn''t smile, and instead, he looked right into her eyes with no humor in them.


    Not knowing how to react to his words, Mnie cleared her throat and asked him, "What did the guard mean earlier, about the traitor¡­"

 Chapter 229 - Rebelled Bruises

    The words that the guard had spoken it was something that hadn''t left Mnie''s mind. Her ck eyes curiously looked at Simon, who stared back at her.


    "Traitor?" questioned Simon, as if he had no clue what Mnie was speaking about.


    Her eyebrows furrowed, and her lips pursed for a moment. She then said, "Did you betray someone in the past?"


    Even though senior year Simon Wace was part of the famous five cliques, apart from his handsome and charming personality, Mnie hadn''t didn''t hear any more details about him. A smile cracked up his lips, and he said, "Why would I bother myself to betray anyone? It is too much trouble to do it."


    "Then what did the guard''s words near the dungeon mean?" Mnie asked him, looking away from him for a moment to make sure Conner was alright before looking back at the vampire. She doubted that Simon would betray her and Conner, as he was friends with her best friend''s boyfriend.


    "If you are so curious, maybe I can let you in on it," replied Simon, shrugging his shoulders as if it wasn''t a big deal. "After all, most of them are aware of it."


    Mnie made herselffortable by pulling her knees towards her and hugging them close to her chest while she looked at Simon, who was busy ying with the sticks of the fire in front of him.


    "He was speaking about the time when Veteris was attacked and converted into a nest for vampires," said Simon, his fingers hovering next to the fire.


    "Did you have a hand in it?" asked Mnie, and a soft chuckle escaped from the vampire''s lips. As if he found her words to be humorous.


    "No. I was a young human, who didn''t have anything to do with the attack that happened in this ce. Though maybe I was a little responsible for a small number," replied Simon, and his words intrigued her. "More curious? Well let us go back in time then, shall we?"


    Mnie asked him curiously, "Do you have the ability to go to the past too?"


    "Of course not, silly. I will be telling you the story of the past, as we have nothing better to do right now," though he did have some other ways to kill time in the back of his mind. He then said, "Long long ago, in the Wace family, a couple lived happily in their pristine mansion, with their heads held too high. They came from one of the founding families of Veteris, holding name and respect. They had four children."


    So far, Simon had not mentioned anything about the traitor, but Mnie guessed that it was where the story would lead up to. She quietly continued to listen to him.


    "But the youngest Wace didn''t get along with the rest of his siblings," Simon continued with his story. "There were many reasons. One of them was because they didn''t like him interacting with the lower people of the society, whom his family thought to be unfit and unworthy of their attention and time. He would sneak out of the manor, spend time with the other children who were poor and when caught, he would be punished..." his voice trailed, as his thoughts drifted to the time when his father was done with punishing him.


    More than a century ago, in the dining room of the Wace family, the butler of the mansion, Augustine, entered with the maids to clear the table. But before he could instruct the maids, his eyes fell on the small figure in the corner of the room. A young Simon sat on the floor, staring at the ground.


    "Master Simon?" called the butler, making his way towards the young boy, while he turned to the maids and said, "Clean this up."


    The young boy held no expression as if he was dazed. On hearing his name being called, he snapped from his thoughts, and a smile appeared on his face.


    But it wasn''t the same for the butler, who looked worried on seeing the boy having a handprint marking on one side of his cheek.


    "Are you alright, Master Simon?" the butler went to him in concern, while at the same time, he looked over his shoulder to make sure the other members of the Wace family were not anywhere near.


    Mr. and Mrs. Wace had brought up their children strictly, and they believed that their children should be well mannered and independent. They disliked the idea of the servants of the manor trying to attend to the children after the punishment was handed out to the children.


    "I am fine," replied the young boy, who quietly stood up by pressing his hand on the ground.


    The butler could only imagine what would happen in the future between this young child and his parents. It was because Simon had trouble staying in the lines drawn for him; instead, he preferred to stand on the line. And this often led to him being scolded or punished more than his other siblings.


    The young boy stepped out of the dining room with his head held as high as his parents would. His footsteps and body were stiff as he made his way towards his room. On his way, he met his second elder brother Scott, who snickered and said,


    "I don''t get you, Simi. You clearly know that you are going to be punished by father."


    Simon only stared at his brother, not uttering a word because he knew it wasn''t the time to speak.


    "What did you do?" asked Scott curiously. "Did you tattle tale and get into trouble yourself that you were locked in the closet?"


    Simon''s green eyes stared at his brother, and he answered, "I spent time with Roman."


    "Tsk tsk," responded his brother, and he shook his head. "You love to break our parents'' hearts, don''t you? Not to mention, you always have to go and spend your time with the Moltenore''s. Roman Moltenore. Or is it that you aren''t able to make any friends? Considering what kind of weirdo you are."


    Simon''s brother didn''t stay to make more conversation with him, and he turned his back and started to walk to his own room. The younger boy stared at his brother''s back and then said,


    "You are the weird one."


    He then made his way to his own room, dragging his feet and closing the door shut once he entered the room. As big as his room was and as perfect the walls appeared to be, it didn''t make Simonfortable. Instead, the space seemed smaller and suffocating. The room was furnished with the best things, from the wood to the mattress, the curtains had been drawn to stop one from looking inside.


    When he was about to pick up his night dress, his leg touched the side of the bed, and he winced. The boy stopped moving, his eyes shut close, and he felt the immense pain that came from the contact as if his soul was about to leave his body. He folded his pants upwards before unfolding it. His head turned to look at the clock, watching the movement of the hand, and when it was safe, he stepped outside his room.


    He had stayed in his room for more than two hours, and he now walked in the quiet, dimly lit corridor. The servants had moved back to their rooms, and the young boy walked like a ghost, his movements stiff like before and slow. Upon reaching in front of one of the worn outdoors, his small hand lightly knocked on wood.


    When the room door opened, the butler looked confused, and he asked, "Is there something you need, Master Simon?"


    The red-headed boy noted that the butler stood in front of him without a cost, and he was now wearing his white shirt and ck trousers. Simon nodded, "Do you have the ointment you were using this week?"


    For a moment, the butler was taken aback by the young boy''s question, and he nodded, "Do you have a headache? I can go and warm a ss of milk if you aren''t able to fall asleep," he offered. He noticed how Simon hadn''t changed his clothes, making him wonder what his young master had been doing until now.


    Simon shook his head, "Only balm."


    "Okay," replied the butler, turning his head to look at the drawer. He opened the drawer and got it for the boy.


    When Simon opened the cap and went to apply elsewhere, which wasn''t the head, the butler said, "You are supposed to apply it on both the sides of your forehead."


    "Not for legs?" asked Simon.


    "No, this is for headache," and the butler went back to a drawer and pulled the ointment from it. He handed it to Simon, and ced his hand on the young boy''s arm, when he noticed the boy wince.


    The butler noticed how the boy''s face hardened as if he was in pain. Even though the boy looked perfectly fine, where he didn''t utter anything earlier, the butler could already guess on what might have happened. In a polite voice, he asked, "May I help?"


    "You will get into trouble," replied Simon, looking straight in the butler''s eyes.


    "I won''t tell anyone. The matter will stay within these walls of the room," the butler gave his word, knowing fully well that it wouldn''t be just one person, but both would be punished for not following the rules. "You might need help if you aren''t able to reach it."


    Simon then gave a quiet nod, not speaking anything. He took off his shirt, and the butler tried hard to not bring out any shocked expression on his face. Earlier the only thing the butler had caught was the handprint on the young boy''s face, not realizing the harsher wounds were hidden behind the expensive clothes.


    And even though Simon had taken off his clothes so that the butler could apply the ointment, when the older man applied the cream, the red-headed boy continued to keep a calm face, while his heart beated in speed.


    "You should avoid making your parents angry, Master Simon. These wounds are too much," frowned the butler, not knowing how Mr. Wace could hurt his own son in such a painful way.


    "Maybe they should start epting me the way I am," came the words from the boy.


    The butler continued applying the ointment on Simon''s wound, and it was obvious that the marks had been received by the means of a cane. "Let me know if it hurts, I will use the cotton which might be less painful."


    A smile appeared on Simon''s lips, "I am fine. You don''t have to worry about me." Once the ointment was applied on his wounds, he turned to look at the butler and said, "Thank you."


    Years passed and young Simon Wace grew up, now in his teenage years and one woulde to believe that the boy had learned his lesson after experiencing disciplinary measures from his family. But nothing much had changed.


    One afternoon, Simon had pulled the butler toe and help him. The butler, who was used to tending to Simon''s wounds, asked in an exasperated voice, "Did you get into fight again, Master Simon?"


    "The only person who gets into a fight with me is Mr. Patric Wace," came Simon''s words, as if he wasn''t rted to his father. "Nothing new, and I have gotten used to it. My body doesn''t mind it."


    "I thought you were going to be careful about not being seen around those people your parents don''t want you near. Did that fail?" asked the man, and Simon chuckled.


    "When you have siblings who are from hell, it doesn''t help much in this case. By the way," drawled Simon while the butler made sure not to touch the wound that had opened up and had spots of blood on it. "Do you know what happenedst night?"


    "Nothing that I am aware of. Why do you ask, Master Simon?"


    Simon shrugged his shoulders, "I saw some people in the manor, who came to meet father and left with him. Heading to the West. Now that I think about it, I always see them taking a stroll. Is there something there?" came his curious question.


    "I don''t think I know, and have never found anything new," answered the old man, who had aged in time with wrinkles heavily marring his face. "Mrs. Wace wanted to ry this information that there''s a soiree. She wanted to let you know to be present and it is important that you attend it."


    A yawn escaped from Simon''s lips, and he said, "I heard it is Lady Lauretta''s engagement ceremony. Is that all there is to it?" He turned to give a look to the butler if he knew anything. On seeing the man pursed his lips, he raised his eyebrow, "What is it?"


    "Mr. Hamburg''s daughter seems to have taken a liking towards you and Mr. Hamburg hade to visit Mr. Wacest evening," replied the butler in a low voice, as he didn''t want to get into trouble by informing the young master of the house about his parent''s n.


    "They can try all they want. Good luck to the girl and my family," replied Simon, and when they stepped out of the room and into the corridor, Simon''s father met them on the other side of the corridor.


    "Simon, it is good that you are here. Your mother wants you to select one of the suits that you will be wearing tomorrow. Don''t keep her waiting. And don''t forget that tomorrow you will be introduced to one of the finestdies," stated his father, his eyes holding no touch of love or care and his expression business-like. "I want you to be on your best behavior."


    "Of course, father," Simon slightly bowed his head, which his father didn''t take well as he could sense Simon''s rebellious nature.


    "Anyways. I have other things to attend to," and saying it, his father walked past him, and the butler quickly followed him until the main door, seeing Mr. Wace step out of the manor.


    Simon had the sudden urge to follow his father, and just when he was about to do it, he was summoned by his mother to his room, who was waiting for him. His mother said, "I made sure to pick the best material, and they have been tailored."


    "I like the ones I already have," replied Simon, walking towards the closet, he opened it and found his suits had disappeared from there.


    His mother said to him, "I had to send them away and rece them with the new ones. Why wear already used ones, when we can afford better."


    "Are you also going to decide how I shouldb my hair?" Simon yfully taunted.


    "You do not have to be hostile with me, Simon. I am only doing what I think is best for you," replied his mother with a frown and then walked to the bed where the new clothes had been spread. "Personally, I think this green one will go well with your eyes. It is the perfect one. I hear that the Moltenore''s are also looking for a bride for their elder son, and it is only right that you and your brothers choose the good ones, before you end up with the leftovers."


    "I would call them to be the sensible ones," murmured Simon under his breath talking about the ''leftovers'', which his mother caught on to.


    "I believe the butler has already mentioned you about tomorrow. Don''t mess it up and avoid spending time with the Moltenores. We have an image to hold up. Your father worked very hard to build it, so do not tarnish it, Simon," warned his mother, and Simon continuously nodded his head.


    "I will try my best, mother dearest," smiled Simon, and his mother returned his smile. "But if that is what my heart wants, to talk, then I will have to follow it."


    The smile on his mother''s lips fell, and the expression on her face hardened.


    "Don''t cross me, Simon," warned his mother and Simon gave her an innocent look.


    "What did I do? I think white will suit me better than the green one. The purest color," he said, picking up the white shirt and cing it in front of him. He offered her a bright smile.


    But the following evening''s party, nothing had gone as expected. Things had gone downhill where the rogue vampires attacked the town of Veteris, painting the town red with blood. While searching for his friends and fighting the creatures, Simon had got bitten by a rogue vampire. The vampire sucked most of his blood, leaving him unconscious for a few seconds.


    When Simon woke up the next time, he could hear people''s screams, and he stepped out of the building where the soiree had been held.. His head hurt, and so did his body, where he was still a human.

 Chapter 230 - Mystery Of The Unknown

    Simon took a deep breath while he staggered with his sight that kept blurring in and out. The night creature that had sunk its teeth into his neck hadn''t done a good job killing him, and drops of blood dripped from his neck.


    "Ahh! Somebody save me!" screamed a woman, and Simon walked to the alley and saw one of the night creatures had cornered a young woman.


    Simon looked back and forth before he picked up one of the stones lying on the ground. He threw it right on the creature''s head, who turned to look at him with annoyance in his eyes. Simon had never seen a person with red eyes, nor had he ever seen one having sharp elongated canines, who drank blood from people.


    "Get away from her," Simon said, and the rogue vampire chuckled.


    "Look at the human who is brave enough toe rescue, when he himself is on the verge of dying," chuckled the vampire. When the young woman tried to get away from the alley, the vampire was quick to catch hold of her neck, pushing her against the wall before bringing her neck to his lips and started to suck the blood out of her.


    The young woman struggled, with her legs shaking and her hands trying to push the vampire away from her, but she couldn''t do that. Seeing this, Simon quickly made his way to where the two stood, but before he could get there, the vampire had already killed the woman and dropped her body on the ground. Simon noticed the woman''s eyes looked empty and lifeless. She was dead.


    Simon didn''t know from where these strange people came or who they were, but the whole town was aplete mess right now. Some of the houses had been lit on fire, and the screamsing from people were endless.


    Simon, who had learned to fight on some asions with the boys around his age, threw his fist at the vampire. And though the vampire took the blow, it was only his face that moved to the side before it turned back to look at him.


    "You should have hidden somewhere instead ofing to rescue another person. What a foolish human," said the vampire, and he punched back at Simon, where the force of the punch was twice in foldpared to what Simon had tried earlier.


    Simon, who wasn''t new when it came to receiving pain on his body, didn''t affect him much, and he stood back up on his feet.


    "What are you?" questioned Simon, his green eyes staring at the creature in front of him.


    The creature stared at the human, who didn''t seem bothered by the fact that he was going to die soon. As a dying human, the vampire replied, "A vampire."


    "Vampire?" Simon repeated the word, and for an odd reason, it felt like it wasn''t the first time he was hearing about it.


    "A vampire who feeds on the blood of humans. Who is better than others and will be the one to thrive in the future," replied the vampire.


    Simon''s eyes slightly widened as this information was new to him, and he asked, "Why are you attacking us?"


    "Because your town deserves it. The people in here deserve to die and we need revenge for something that had been done before," and the vampire huffed with a smirk.


    "The people in here have never done anything for you to kill them. Leave them, spare the ones who are still alive," said Simon, but the vampire shrugged his shoulders.


    "It is not how it works. Ah, such a waste of time, and I am still thirsty. I might as well drink the remaining blood that is in you even though it might not be enough. Wonder which one left you half way," said the vampire, whose hand reached for Simon''s cor and pulled the human to him. He opened his mouth, his fangs coated in the blood of the woman that he had drunk only a few moments ago.


    When Simon tried to push the vampire from him, his hands had turned weaker, and his senses became distant as if putting him in a trance state. He felt the vampire sink his teeth on the untouched side of his neck and then started sucking his blood.


    So this is how his life would end, thought Simon dully. First, it was his parents, who had decided and tried to control his life, then it was his siblings, and now it was this vampire who was going to finally kill and free him. On second thought, it didn''t sound that bad, and he continued to think in the back of his mind. His vision started to dim from the corner of his eyes, moving towards the centre and his body ready to turn into an empty shell.


    Before Simon''s vision couldpletely turn ck, distantly, he felt the vampire let go of his body, and he fell to the ground. The fall was harsh, but his senses had turned numb to feel any pain.


    While heid on the ground with his back touching the surface and his neck continuing to bleed, at a distance, he heard some sort of sound of struggle. He wanted to see what was happening around him, but his eyes were blurry, and the darkness made it impossible for him to see properly except for the two shadows.


    The rogue vampire red at the person who had arrived, and he was about to attack the person, but before that, the person caught hold of his hand and twisted it to the point that the vampire''s hand broke.


    "What the fuck do you think you are doing?!" eximed the rogue vampire while holding his arm with his face twisted in pain.


    "Rogue vampires have always been a nuisance. The worst kind, that we don''t need to be part of the vampires," said the person.


    "I am a vampire as much as you, you little¡ª" the rogue vampire attacked the person, only to fall on his knees as if he had been forced to do so and be obedient.


    The person who stood in front of the rogue vampire ced his hands on the sides of the rogue vampire and said, "The others are being taken care of, let me take care of you." Saying it, the person twisted the rogue vampire''s head and severed it for the body to fall to the side. The rogue vampire''s head slowly crumbled and turned into dust.


    Simon was taking hisst breath, his breath heavy and his body turning cold when he felt someonee and sit next to his head. "Humans are foolish, don''t you agree?" came the person''s voice, which wasn''t clear, and it was to know who was talking to him. "I think you will be very useful as a vampire. Join on our side, the side of darkness," and Simon felt something cold touch his lips. "Drink it, and you will live."


    The liquid had an iron-like taste.


    The blood that fell into Simon''s lips slowly started to trickle down his throat, while his body turned colder and he stopped breathing.

 Chapter 231 - Black Sheep Of Wallace Family

    On seeing Simon gulp down the liquid, the person stared at him and said,


    "I don''t have the time to see if you will survive the transition or die. I am in a hurry and will see you soon," pulling the hand away from the human''s lips, the person left the ce as there were other things to attend to.


    Simon continued toy on the cold ground, his body slowly soaking and epting itself with the blood of a vampire that now streamed into his veins. When the vampire blood reached the core of his heart, it woke his dead self. His eyes snapped open, revealing eyes that had turned red.


    There was a continuous ache in his head as if it was being squeezed, and the screams had turned louder that made him wince. It nearly hurt his head. He sat up, feeling the pain on his neck, and not knowing what had happened, he made his way out of the alley, where he had been lying until now. On his way, he met one of the townsfolk, who hurriedly came near him.


    "Simon! We need to get away from this ce. Do you know where your family is? We are being attacked by vampires!" the man spoke to him in panic. The man was one of the neighbours of the Wace family, who was currently running and hiding from the rogue vampires. "I have arranged three carriages, and we can leave right now. We cannot go save every person, so it''s better to save ourselves," he said in an urgent voice. "My family will be using one of the carriages."


    And while the man was speaking to Simon, all Simon could hear was the man''s heartbeat. The pumping of blood came from the person in front of him. The man noticed Simon intensely looking at his neck and asked.


    "Are you alright?"


    Simon nodded, trying to gain back his senses as if he was losing it, "I am fine. How do you know about vampires?"


    The man suddenly looked as if he had been ced between the wall and rock, where he pursed his lips for the slip while speaking to Simon. But considering the severity of the situation right now, he said,


    "As you know, we have been getting attacked by these creatures, or in other words the vampires who feed on our blood. They feed on us and our fear. The reason I know about them is because this isn''t the first time for a vampire toe into a town. Your father, me and some others, we have known about the existence of these parasite creatures. It is because for a long time we have been trying to catch them. We catch and kill them, because of the few cases thate up with our fellow people dying by their hands."


    Simon, whose head was hurting, tried to understand what the man was telling him over the sound of the man''s beating heart. As if to clear his head, he shook his head and asked,


    "You are telling me that my father has been involved. He knew about their existence?"


    "Of course, the Wace family is one of the early families of Veteris. It was only right for him to be part of it. We have tried to protect ourselves from these beasts, these creatures," exined the man. He then continued, "I think one of them, whom we have been holding as a hostage until recently has escaped and brought in more of their kind. You should hurry and get your family to its safety if they aren''t aware of it, or if they are..."


    Simon suddenly started to cough, his knees giving out, and fell to the ground. He ced his hand on the ground and the other on his chest as he clutched on it.


    "Are you alright, Simon? You don''t look very good," asked the man in concern, and he sat in front of Simon, cing one hand on the young man''s shoulder.


    Simon felt an ache in his jaw, it had started to itch, and his lips parted, taking in the scent of the blood that smelt more than heavenly. He was extremely thirsty, and he wanted to quench his thirst.


    "I don''t know what''s wrong with me," came the hushed voice of Simon, and when he looked up at the man, the man gasped.


    "Oh, dear Lord! Y-you¡ª" the man stuttered, not finding words, as he noticed Simon''s eyes that had changed from green to red. "You have been b¡ªbitten!"


    The man immediately looked at the ground, picking up a wooden stake. He raised his hand to stab the wood into Simon''s chest. But Simon saw iting before the person even moved towards him. He caught hold of the man''s wrist, and the man winced in pain,


    "Argh! You are one of them! Kill yourself or I will have to kill you. For your very own sake," the man tried to get his words out of his mouth, feeling the bones in his wrist break.


    Simon''s fangs appeared, and the next moment, he wasn''t able to resist anymore and sank his fangs into the man''s neck until the man''s blood in the body had been sucked out dry.


    "Never did it ur that blood could taste this good," remarked Simon, running his tongue around the corner of his lips. "So good. I could drink it all day," he said, with no remorse over the dead man at his feet.


    He then looked at his surroundings and started to head towards the Wace mansion.


    Upon reaching his mansion, Simon noticed a few bodies that nowy on the front of their house. The main door was left open, and carriages had been pulled to the front.


    Simon stared at the entrance, and before he knew it, his feet started to move towards the doors. He could hear the wordsing from the inside very clearly as it had never before. His eyes fell on Augustine, the family butler whoid dead on the ground with a look of shock on his face. A strong emotion ran through his mind, and he stared at the older man''s body, who had tried to be there for him in the shadows.


    Bending down, he closed the old man''s eyes so that his soul could rest in peace.


    "This is not the time to be taking everything with you!" came his father''s words from the other side of the manor. "We need to leave right now, before more of those horrible creatures attack us."


    "Are we noting back here again?" asked his mother to his father.


    "Maybe tomorrow, or maybe next week, but right now, saving our lives is much more important than taking things that we don''t need," replied his father in a harsh tone, who was trying to get his family into the carriage. "Are you all ready?!" he asked his three children, who nodded their heads.


    "Good," replied his father and said, "Now get into the carriage as quietly as you can. Make sure no one notices any of you. These creatures are vile, and will stop at nothing."


    Then Simon''s sister, Emmie, asked her father, "Simi is not back yet. Do you think he was killed?"


    "He will join us. If not, maybe he is dead," replied his father with a sigh. "Anyways, it will be his own fault for not sticking near us and his family. For always going against us and spending his time with the worthless ones."


    When the family stepped out of the drawing-room, they were surprised to see Simon standing in the corridor.


    "Oh good, you are back home, Simon. Are you alright?" his mother asked, but her words didn''t reach Simon''s chest.


    Simon stared at his family, his face expressionless. He wasn''t hurt by his father or theck of concern the other family members showed towards him.


    "You were nning to leave me behind," came the unfiltered words from Simon, and his father stared hard at him.


    "This is not the time to be discussing it. You weren''t here, but we are d that you are safe. We can all leave Veteris for the time being to be safe. Come now," Mr. Wace urged his family to start heading towards the door.


    "I think our talk has been due for a long time, father," replied Simon, stopping his family from moving forward.


    "Do you even understand the severity of the situation that is outside these walls?" Mr. Wace questioned? Simon angrily, not liking his youngest son''s impudent behaviour. "Stop acting like a child.


    "Maybe I wouldn''t if you acted the part of being my father properly," replied Simon, and this time Mr. Wace red. He turned to look at his other family members and said,


    "Go and sit in the carriage."


    "Nobody is going anywhere," said Simon, stretching both his hands on either side and blocking their way.


    "Are you drunk, Simon? Is this why you are behaving like this?" questioned his mother with a frown.


    Simon offered a smile to his mother, and he asked, "Do I need to be drunk to have conversations with my family?" He then turned to look at his father and said, "Why? All of you¡­"


    A sigh escaped from Mr. Wace''s lips, and he said, "We can continue this discussion in the carriage, Simon. Let us go. Now."


    "And I said no," replied Simon. The smile on his lips stayed intact, something no one in the family had seen until now. There was something very different about him, and the members of the Wace family hadn''t picked on what had gone wrong.


    Simon''s second elder brother Scott leaned towards his first brother Jamison and whispered, "Do you think we should just drag and take him into the carriage?"


    "Maybe it would be better if doesn''t ride with us. At all," replied the elder brother, before coughing.


    But Simon heard it all because of his clear vampire ability. As his eyes had returned to the green eyes, they appeared peaceful and he asked, "All I want to know is why? Did I do something which is why I am always ignored, scolded and punished the most? Treating me like an outsider."


    All these years, Simon didn''t know why it had been the way it was, and he wanted to know now.


    "You are being ridiculous," replied his father in a curt tone, and when he came nearer, Mr. Wace noticed the blood stains on his son''s neck. "What happened to your neck?"


    Simon brought his hand to ce it on his neck, where the blood had dried, and he clicked his tongue, "I must have ruined the shirt. Apologies for that mother. I was on my way to look for you all, but I seem to have run into one of the creatures."


    Mr. Wace''s eyes widened, and he asked his elder son, "Give me the wooden stakes."


    "What?"


    "Simon has been bit by a vampire. He has turned into one of them," Mr. Wace announced, and the family had a look of shock appear on their faces. "I should have known that this would happen. You were always the ck sheep in this family," came the harsh words from him.


    Though Simon didn''t stop smiling, where the emotions from within never surfaced to his face, it did change the color in his eyes. And his eyes turned hollower.


    "You monster," his father used him, and he raised his hand with the stake in his hand.


    The way his father held the wooden stake, it appeared as if he was experienced in this. And even though Simon had only been turned, and he had drank blood from the man earlier, he felt his stomach had turned into a ck hole and he wanted to drink more. When his father came close to stabbing him, he caught his father''s wrist in ease, while his eyes fell on the neck.


    "Simon, don''t!" his mother panicked.


    But all Simon could hear was the rushing of the blood, and his red eyes shifted to look at his father and he smiled, "Take it as a thank you for everything you have done for me, father." Saying this, he dipped his fangs right into his father''s neck, leaving the other members of his family in shock.


    "Run, quick!" Mrs. Wace spoke with terror on her face.


    Simon''s elder brother decided to stay back, being brave and wanting to take down Simon, who had killed their father in front of his eyes. But once Simon was done killing his father, the red headed vampire hunted down every single one of them, whilst leaving him to be the only ''living'' person in his family.


    "...I enjoyed hearing them scream more than I expected to. I didn''t mean to kill them, but I guess I was just too hungry to resist a free meal, and who doesn''t love free food, right? And that''s how I was called a traitor.. For drinking my family''s blood to quench my blood thirst," Simon smiled, as he finished telling the story, while Mnie stared at him with her eyes slightly widened.

 Chapter 232 - Twist Of Hearts

    The story that Simon told her had Mnie look at him with a look of disbelief on her face. Not because she doubted the story, he told her, but it was the information that was in there. There was no hint of regret in his eyes or words when he finished his story. There was clear detachment towards his family, whom he had himself killed in the name of being thirsty for blood.


    "You didn''t spare any of them? Even your mother?" asked Mnie, feeling goosebumps rise on her arms.


    "No," replied Simon, pulling out a case which held cigarettes and light in it, taking one of the cigarettes, he lit it up. "Even if I didn''t decide to let her live for that moment, she would have either died or would have been turned into a vampire herself. Now that I think about it, it would have been interesting to see my family live a life of being a vampire, the kind they despised."


    He didn''t forget the look of disgust in his family members'' eyes when they looked at him. When he was finished drinking blood from his father and his elder brother Jamison, he had enjoyed fear that danced in the rest of his family members'' eyes, who were still breathing.


    "Why were they like that with you?" Mnie didn''t understand why any person''s family would treat their family member with indifference.


    "It might be because of this," Simon pointed his finger at his red hair. "My maternal grandfather and I are the only redheads in the family. I heard that my father wasn''t particrly fond of his father-inw. And it probably brought him memories every time he saw me."


    Mnie pursed her lips, believing that was no reason to treat anyone like that.


    Maybe this was the first time where Mnie believed Simon wasn''t joking and that he was serious and being truthful. But then it wasn''t theplete truth, she thought in her mind. For someone who had received no affection or love and had only been mistreated, she wondered how much pain Simon had harboured deep down in his heart. To an outsider, he was the calmest and the most cheerful person in the group. Someone who often smiled, while his eyes liked to dissect people until their very bones. And the other version was his crazy side.


    "You know the way you are looking at me right now, I am hoping to get a hug forfort after revisiting the bad memories," stated Simon, and Mnie stared back at him.


    "I am sorry that you had a bad family," replied Mnie, with a subtle frown on her face. "No one deserves to be treated like that, especially from your own family."


    "You don''t have to be," responded Simon, a crooked smile came to form on his lips. He said, "If they weren''t like that with me, and if I didn''t kill them that night, I probably wouldn''t be where I am right now."


    "Is that what you truly believe?" asked Mnie, and Simon nodded, bringing his cigarette up to his lips and taking a puff from it. "What if your life could be much better with them if they were good?"


    Simon blew the smoke through his lips and then answered, "Maybe I would be dead like them. There is always the uncertainty of things not going through the way you n for. For example, take yourself. You had dreams of spending your time with Conner, but here we are, with him unconscious and me stealing your time for myself."


    Mnie, who hadn''t been able to figure out Simon until now, it was new to her that he had opened up about his past. Sharing the important details and the multiple murders of his family members. Previously she had seen him be an annoying vampire who held no regard for others feelings. But now... she saw the young boy, who craved to be loved and cared for but had been denied such affections. And that had turned him into the person he was today, hollow and crazy.


    "Do you ever...regret it?" asked Mnie with a cautious tone.


    "For killing them?" Simon tilted his head to the side, "No, I am good with them gone. Every time I think about hearing their scream and begging me to spare their lives, it makes my heart go fluff as if I am in a garden."


    Yes, Simon needed counselling, thought Mnie in her mind. She doubted he was joking about what he just said, and it was a characteristic nature that had probably developed since he had turned into a vampire.


    "What''s running in your mind, sweetheart?" Simon poked her, his green eyes intensely staring at her.


    Mnie shook her head, "Nothing," came her whisper. It seemed like Simon''s emotions ran much deeper than she thought it did. She started to look at him differently, and she asked him, "Was it painful? The transformation from a human to a vampire?"


    "Strangely it wasn''t that bad. For a moment, you will be dead. In aplete deep sleep, but then you wake up with this intense pain in your chest. It is an exciting process," replied Simon, and he added, "Who ever turned me, the person made it easy for me."


    "The person who turned you, wasn''t someone from that group of rogue vampires?" inquired Mnie, and Simon clicked his tongue.


    "No. The person seemed to be in a hurry, or was probably a vampire who was passing by, and noticed the massacre that was going on in Veteris," replied Simon, before he continued smoking the cigarette. Even though that day his senses had lowered, he had got a glimpse of the person. But he had never crossed paths with that vampire. "I am just d that I wasn''t turned by the crazy rogues, or by the crazy Elders. Could you imagine the amount of torture that would be on my precious soul?"


    Silence filled up the ce, with just the sound of the crackling fire, and the intensity of the rain had lowered as if it was ready toe to a halt.


    Mnie''s thoughts went back to Simon''s words before he had started his story. Of wanting to be loved, and she didn''t know why, but somewhere it squeezed her heart.


    After a couple of minutes, Conner finally moved, and Mnie quickly moved towards Conner.


    "Where are we?" asked Conner, squinting his eyes. "What happened?"


    "You stepped near the electric wires that Luciano had ced around Veteris to stop intruders. Simon and I got you here, it isn''t too far from the center of Veteris, but it is safe for some time at least," Mnie replied to Conner, and he touched his head.


    "I feel like my head is going to crack open today," murmured Conner, and to Mnie''s surprise, he held her hand and asked her, "Are you alright?"


    Mnie nodded, an awkward smile upon her lips, "Yeah, I am good."


    Her eyes, for a moment, darted towards where Simon sat, and her eyes met his. Mnie didn''t owe anything to Simon. Not her feelings, not anything else. Then why was it that somewhere deep down in her heart, she was feeling guilty. As if she was doing something she was not supposed to do. He didn''t say anything and continued to blow smoke from his lips. Breaking her gaze from him, she spoke to Conner,


    "How are you feeling right now?" And before Conner could answer her question, she pped his arm in anger.


    "What the hell, Mel?!" Conner asked, taken aback by her sudden action.


    "Didn''t I tell you not to do something stupid without telling me?" Mnie raised her eyebrows in question. "What would have happened if we weren''t able to find you? You could have died because of your irresponsibility, Conner! Do you understand what would happen after that? Why is it that you always do things you are not supposed to do?" she fired her questions at him without a pause.


    Conner raised both his hands in front of her, "Calm down, Mel. I am safe, aren''t I? I was only looking around when Evans caught me and then that other damn blonde vampire appeared and took me to the dungeon. But at least now you know that there are vampires living here and it isn''t safe for us to be here."


    "Quiet down," said Simon, turning his ear to the cave''s entrance. "The guards are here," he alerted them.


    Simon moved towards the fire they had lit earlier, and he used mud and his shoe to extinguish it. The sound of the footsteps increased, and Simon stood up and quickly walked to the corner end of the cave, ushering Mnie and Conner to do the same.


    When Mnie moved to the shadows, because of the darkness, she didn''t notice the sharp stone that awaited right behind her. Hearing the guards'' footsteps increased, they moved back when Mnie bit her lip, feeling the stone nip her skin. Her heart sank in her chest because of the pain.


    "You''re bleeding," whispered Simon, and he looked at the entrance of the cave, pushing Mnie behind him. "Take this and keep the wound covered unless you want us to be found," he handed her a kerchief. Mnie bent down and dabbed the little drops of blood that trickled down her leg.


    The guards who were holding the torched fire didn''t step inside the cavepletely and instead looked from outside, "It doesn''t look like they are here. No one is an idiot to pick the most obvious spot to camp," said one of the guards.


    Once they left, Simon said, "We should get moving."


    Conner was quick to agree, while Mnie looked torn. She didn''t want to go home like this, not when there was a possibility of Conner informing their parents to Veteris to fight with the Elder vampires.


    "Conner, there was something that I wanted to tell¡ª" started Mnie, only to be stopped by Simon.


    "You can profess your undying love to Connerter, Mel. Right now we need to leave this ce unless you want to be on the dying side," saying this, Simon smiled. And just like that, the trickster Simon was back to his usual self.


    Conner stared at Mnie, remembering he hadn''t spoken to her properly for three days. Though they were best friends, Mnie hade looking for him, and it was enough to warm his heart in a way that had never been kindled towards her.


    "It wasn''t that," came the rushed words from Mnie, her cheeks turning red, and she quietly red at Simon for being such a jerk. "Let us walk."


    And when they started to walk, Mnie asked Simon in a low voice, "Do you have a death wish?" Simon might have dodged her parents and the other hunters the first time. But that didn''t mean it could happen the second time.


    "Would you prefer for us to get caught by the Elder vampires, or to buy time so that we can see how to approach Conner with the sensitive subject?" asked Simon in a whisper, only for her to hear.


    At the same time, far away from them, Roman, Julie, Maximus, Olivia and Victoria walked on the restricted side of the forest. They were slightly wet from the drops of rain, but they didn''t bother about it. So far, they hadn''te across any guards, but they hadn''t found any trace of Simon or the two humans.


    Maximus asked Roman, "Did you know that Simon was going to help Conner to escape?"


    "I don''t think he himself knew about it until this evening. Else I would have probably heard it," responded Roman, smelling something in the air that was different from the usual smell in the atmosphere. "I would have thought that he would leave the boy be. Considering his new goals."


    "There''s something in the air," murmured Olivia.


    "I thought I was the only one smelling it," replied Roman, and Julie took a deep breath but smelt nothing but the smell of the wet mud around them.


    Several minutes had passed since they had left the Elder''s mansion, and Julie couldn''t help but worry for her friends. Even Cillian hadn''t returned, and she tried to summon him back to her, but he didn''t appear near her.


    Back where the trio walked, Conner walked in the front, looking for a way out, not knowing Simon knew the map of Veteris better than him. He slightly turned his head, noticing Mnie and Simon walking next to each other, conversing in soft voices. His ears then picked up a question the senior asked Mnie,


    "Did the stone hurt too much?"


    Mnie shook her head even though at that time, it had hurt and made her want to curse, "It is fine. It was just a little prick."


    "You hurt yourself, Mel?" Conner came to her side. He had been unaware about it, while Simon knew. "When was it?" he asked before checking her legs.


    "It was when the guards appeared. It was nothing much," Mnie assured Conner with a smile. She noticed the frown on Conner''s face.


    A few secondster, as if Conner was done with his thinking, he said to Mnie, "Once this thing settles down, let us go out."

 Chapter 233 - Friction In The Eyes

    Roman looked at their surroundings before he paused his footsteps. Something seemed off about the ce where they were right now. It wasn''t that he hadn''t been on this side of the Veteris property before, but he doubted in all these years of his stay that he hade here when it had rained.


    Did it happen because it was the Elder''s ability that had caused the rain, bringing another reaction here?


    Bending down, Roman touched the forest floor. When his hand made contact with the ground, he threw up ck blood.


    "Rome!" Julie quickly came to his side.


    "I am okay," replied Roman, wiping the blood off his mouth, and he said, "This ce is filled with the magic of the witches. Can you feel it, Winters?"


    "How is there witch''s magic in here?" questioned Maximus, and when he bent down, doing the same action as Roman, he too threw up more blood than his friend had. "What the fuck¡ªis this?"


    Julie, who had earlier not sensed it, hadn''t picked up the smell the way Roman and the other vampires did. She sat on the back of her heels, and when she touched the ground, she felt nothing. There was nothing she could sense.


    "It is obvious that it is a witch''s magic, as it doesn''t affect her like it affects us," remarked Victoria, who had tagged along with the group. "I thought the witch''s magic was restricted only to Willow Creek. Did witches live here before?"


    "I doubt so," replied Roman. "They probably used it to protect themselves."


    But Julie disagreed and whispered, "No. I don''t feel anything here. More than witches spilling magic here to protect themselves, it seems more like¡ª" she started to cough, her heart feeling like it was being harshly pulled and her face scrunched in immense pain.


    "I don''t think I have evere across something like this before,"mented Olivia, and when they tried to walk away from there, suddenly their movements turned restricted.


    Roman furrowed his eyebrows deeply and asked Julie, "Summon Cillian here."


    "I have been trying it for a while, but he''s not responding to me. It has been more than ten minutes since I have been trying to contact him."


    "It isn''t the witches who spilt magic, but a vampire with an ability who made sure the witches cannot make use of their power," exined Roman. The ce wasn''t affecting just the vampires but also Julie. "Our abilitiese from the witch''s powers, and it is in return affecting us. We are the hybrids. It must be the Mortimers, they must have thought to capture the witches. I am sure none of us can make use of any of our abilities here, except for Tori. It is and we must stay away from and also alert the Elders about it."


    Olivia''s eyes caught on to something that was moving from a far, and so did the other vampires. She said, "We should let the Elder vampires know. Knowing their arrogance, they would probablye here thinking they are better than others to only lose powers. It could be the Mortimers, but I don''t think I heard that they possessed such an ability."


    "The fair of Willow Creek is open and is epting visitors," joked Maximums, to receive a re from Olivia as it wasn''t the time to joke about such things. "Yeah, I am not able to use my ability. I am just a regr vampire."


    "Wee to my side of life," Victoria muttered under her breath.


    Out of nowhere, suddenly, creepers like roots emerged from the ground, starting to curl around the vampires and Julie''s legs to pull them down and below the ground.


    "Is that a skull that I see in the ground?" questioned Maximus.


    "Feels like we stepped into the forest''s mouth for it to swallow us," stated Roman. "Let us go back to the ce where we came from. Quick!" Everyone struggled to escape from the roots, but the roots were too damn fast. Julie continuously kept moving backwards or to the side without a break, but the roots followed her restlessly like a snake.


    "Liv!" Maximus shouted Olivia''s name when two strong roots grasped her feet and pulled her right into the ground, as if suddenly the ground had turned into sand, swallowing her. Maximus dodged the roots and said, "Grab my hand!"


    Olivia tried to catch hold of his hand, but she missed it by an inch, and the roots around her didn''t let Maximus get close to her.


    Julie watched the others who were trying to get away from the roots, and when one of them appeared from behind her, it curled around her foot and tried to pull her into the ground.


    She tried to make use of the magic, but nothing worked, as if suddenly she was a mere human and her words and spells had turned non-effective. Roman used his strength in pulling and breaking the roots into two halves, but it seemed like a never-ending process. Instead of struggling anymore, he let the roots curl around his body, covering him entirely in it until he wasn''t visible anymore.


    Instead of relying on his vampire abilities, which could have charred the entire roots in the ce, Roman used something else. Not the witch''s lineage, but the one where he possessed the dark stone. While his friends were pulled towards the ground, ready to have their bodies buried there like the other deceased victims who had walked in here in the past, his heart suddenly jerked with a louder heartbeat.


    The core in Roman''s ck heart turned blue. His eyes turned into slits, and within a second, immense energy burst through him, transferring to the ground, and the roots released everyone before turning into dust.


    "Never did I expect to be squeezed in such a fashion,"mented Maximus. "Do you think Simon has been caught here?"


    "Let us hope not. Let us search for them on the other side," Roman suggested to them. Roman, Julie and Victoria walked in the front, while Olivia stayed back as Maximus had fallen behind. She stared hard at him when he asked her, "What''s the matter?"


    Olivia stopped Maximus from walking, and she ced her hand on his chest.


    "As thrilled as I am that you want to kiss me, this is not the time right now, Liv," Maximus said in a light-hearted tone. The vampiress moved her hands near his stomach and gently moved her hand to his back when Maximus caught hold of her hand. She stared hard at him,


    "Let me see."


    Maximus'' face turned serious, and he let go of her hand, knowing Olivia liked him to be transparent with her. She walked behind him and pulled up his shirt, and saw his shirt that had soaked wet with his blood. There was a wound on his upper back right behind where his heart was.


    "It looks bad," Olivia said, and Maximus took a step forward before turning to face her.


    "I am perfectly fine and moreover, we need to find our crazy friend before the Elders. Luciano won''t spare Simon for interrupting his decision of killing Conner, and he''s no Elder''s disciple. I am sure Mnie won''t be spared either," replied Maximus, starting to walk, but Olivia caught his arm.


    "Rome will look for him. We cannot have you holding us back if we end up in trouble. Wait here," stated Olivia, and Maximus gave her a nod. "I will let Rome and the others know."


    Far away from them, in the area where the trio had stopped walking, Mnie blinked at Conner''s suggestion or proposal. Unsure if he meant what she understood, she asked him,


    "Go out where?"


    Conner didn''t know what had overtaken his emotions, and it was probably triggered after seeing Mnie being close to Simon. All these years, Mnie had always paid attention to him all the time. She had always been with him. And now, as he knew about her feelings for him, while also noticing how something had changedpared to how they were before, he felt conflicted.


    Actually, he wanted to ask her about Julie, but instead, he ended up asking her out. And maybe it wouldn''t be this embarrassing if it weren''t for Mnie asking if he was really asking her out. He turned slightly red, and both of them stared at each other.


    Mnie was caught off guard, knowing Conner wasn''t someone who joked about things like this, especially after he had not spoken to her for a few days and knowing she would kill him if he tried to prank her with something like this, she stared back at him.


    What did he mean by those words? Did it mean that suddenly he had started to like her? Or was it that he took pity on her and decided to give it a try?


    Simon hadn''t uttered a word all this while, and he gauged Conner''s words and expression with a hint of serious gleam in his eyes. This was something that he hadn''t expected to happen.


    Conner took a few steps forward and came to stand in front of Mnie, who stood frozen. He said, "I would like to give us a try. I wouldn''t want to feel that I missed something amazing, that could be between us."


    Mnie''s mouth fell open, and she shook her head, before remembering to use her words, "Conner, you don''t have to do this. I know you don''t feel that way towards me and it is fine. There is no pressure and¡ª"


    "What if I want to?" asked Conner, his brown curly hair hovering on his forehead. "What if I want to see how things go between us?"


    The word gobsmacked couldn''t even cover the emotions that Mnie was feeling right now. Mnie replied, "How about we speak about thister? Once we are safe." Conner agreed to her, nodding, and he put his arm around her shoulder as if cing a im. It wasn''t the first time where Conner and Mnie had ced their hands around each other''s shoulders before this, but Mnie could feel the hostility that wasing from Conner towards Simon.


    Queasy, she smiled at Conner, and he said, "Come let us go. You can lean on me, if your leg is hurting."


    "Thanks, Conner, but I think you need more help than me as you are the one who is exhausted," Mnie pointed out to him, and Connerughed.


    Simon quietly continued to stare at both of them, and maybe it was possibly the longest time he had stayed this quiet. Thest he had been this quiet was with his family when his father had punished him even though he had reached his teenage years.


    The red-headed vampire took one step forward and then another before he got in between the two humans, pushing them apart. Conner and Mnie turned, startled at this sudden action from him. Simon said, "You can lean against each other as much as you want once we are out of this ce and away from the eyes of the vampires. You can also flirt and be mellow and cheesy. Both of you are injured patients and should instead just lean on me as right now I am the most reliable one."


    Connerughed a little, not taking Simon''s actions to be wrong and as if it was something he often did. At the same time, Mnie stared at Simon for a second more with their eyes meeting each other before she looked away, with her cheeks turning slightly warm without her knowledge.


    Mnie would have believed Simon was poking fun, but after knowing the times he had helped her and also about his past, she had suddenly started to grow a soft spot towards him. A spot that had appeared even though she never nned to offer it to him.


    She murmured, "I am fine. You can help Conner," saying this, she started to walk in the front.


    They continued to walk until they reached the main road and away from Veteris. Conner heaved a sigh of relief, "It seems like we are finally safe, and we can go home. We need to wait for someone to offer us a lift."


    "Mm," Simon agreed, "Hopefully it won''t be some vampires. That would be rather problematic."


    While they waited for a vehicle to pass by so that they could take a ride, Simon came to Mnie''s side, who appeared to be conflicted. He taunted her, "Congrattions on getting into a rtionship. You must be ecstatic and in joy, your unrequited feelings are no more unfulfilled. And it is all thanks to me."


    Mnie didn''t know why, but she felt a tinge of ufortableness when Simon said this, and she red at him, "Yes, it is all thanks to you. Thank you for that."


    "You are very wee. Let me know if you would like some more help from my side. Considering Conner has not much experience with girls, maybe I could help him get some practice," Simon poked Mnie, where he had gone back to his usual self, and the person who had spoken to her in the cave had vanished.


    "You don''t have to do that. You have done more than enough," replied Mnie, turning her face to look in the direction of the two ends of the roads and waiting for the vehicle.


    Mnie was trying to figure out what to do when they reached home. She couldn''t let Conner tell their parents about Veteris filled with vampires. Things were already in a pivotal stage with some of the vampires, who wanted to im Veteris as well as Willow Creek. It would be worse than chaotic if their parents came in, which would lead to bloodshed, and she didn''t want any such things.


    "Who else would I do that if not for you?" Simon''s words felt sarcastic, and Mnie turned to look at Simon and asked him,


    "Is there something you would like to say, Simon?" she stared into his beautiful green eyes.


    When Simon took one step forward, she took one step backwards and turned to look at where Conner stood. Her friend was standing a few steps forward to see or hear them. Turning back her gaze to look at Simon, she found him suddenly standing too close to her, and he said,


    "I have already told you what I wanted to tell you. You should know it already or would you want me to repeat it again?"


    Mnie pursed her lips, not knowing she would end up in a day like this where she was stuck between two people. One whom she was in love with, and another¡­ she didn''t know. She had no rtionship with Simon, so she shouldn''t feel like this, right?


    "No," replied Mnie, and a crooked smile appeared on Simon.


    "Good. Until you remember it, everything is good."


    Mnie didn''t stand next to Simon, and she walked forward where Conner stood. Noticing him pull out his phone, he told her, "I have been carrying this one since we got here. Never know when I might need it, and thankfully there''s still fifteen percent battery."


    She frowned, when she saw him type something, and asked, "What are you doing?"


    "Asking for help of course," replied Conner, and he ced his phone next to his ear.? Mnie''s eyes widened, her heart beat quickened and she snatched his phone from him.. "What happened?" he asked with a frown, while Mnie heard someone pick up the call.

 Chapter 234 - Hints Of Doubts

    In one of the hospitals in the town of Greasy Corner, the hunters regrly inquired to see if there were any new cases of humans attacked by vampires. And after getting a new report, the hunters walked through the corridor. When they reached the inner counter, one of them asked the nurse.


    "Is Dr. Kipling in?"


    "Dr. Kipling is making his rounds right now. You can wait for him until he finishes seeing the patients," answered the nurse. They waited for an hour before the doctor was free.


    On meeting the doctor, one of the hunters asked, "We are detectives and we wanted to check on one of the patients, who was attacked in the forest. Is she alright now?"


    The doctor nodded and replied, "Yes, the youngdy is now fine. She should be able to leave this ce tomorrow morning."


    "You wouldn''t mind if we asked her a few questions, would you?" asked one of the hunters, and the doctor gave his approval.


    "You can, but before that you will need to show me your badge."


    "Of course," replied the hunters, pulling out the badges they showed to the doctor, and he took them to the patient. Upon reaching the room, the hunters walked in and saw a man and a woman, and a girl, whoid on the bed with a bandage around her head. "Good evening, miss. We are from the detective agency and have a few questions to ask."


    The girl nodded, watching the doctor leave; the other hunter asked, "Miss¡­"


    "Shelby," replied the girl, suspiciously looking at the men.


    "Shelby, can you tell us what happened the day you met with an ident?" asked the hunter.


    The girl replied, "I was attacked by a man who looked like an animal. He tried to hurt me. He first killed¡­" she paused as if unable to speak about the boy who was killed in front of her. "He then tried to get to me. He was a beast."


    "Shelby," her mother stopped her from saying any more. The woman then turned to look at the detectives and said, "Shelby is still recovering, and she needs time to recover from the grief and other things. Please don''t take her words seriously."


    "But it was a beast," the girl frowned.


    "You have been traumatized due to the shock," said her mother, not wanting the doctors or the people to think that her daughter was making up stories or was imagining things where she would need to be admitted back to the hospital. "What you saw was just a dream. There is no such thing as man-beasts, or a human drinking blood," whispered the woman.


    The hunters shared a look between them, and then one of them spoke to the woman, "We would like to have a minute alone with your daughter if that is okay with you."


    "No," came the woman''s quick reply. "We are more than happy that Shelby is alright, and came back to us. We don''t want to be involved in the case of what happened, and my daughter didn''t kill the boy."


    The hunters found it hard to gather more information because of the girl''s parents. But the girl was much more cooperative and said,


    "You know I didn''t believe the first time I saw the man, and what I saw. But he was drinking blood."


    "You found this man beast near the town, can you tell what the person looks like if you still remember?" asked the second hunter.


    The girl nodded her head, "I can. Also, it wasn''t the town."


    On hearing this, the hunter frowned and asked, "What do you mean? You both were brought to the hospital near the town."


    The girl''s eyes darted from the hunters to look at her parents before her eyes returned to look at the two men. She then said,


    "We didn''t go through the town''s route. We heard from this couple that no one came to the forest on the other side, which is in front of¡­ Veteris."


    "The university?" asked the hunter, and the girl nodded.


    "There are some other ghost rumors that float between us university students¡­"


    The hunters left the patient''s room, stepping into the corridor, and one of them turned to look at the other and said, "Isn''t it strange how we never explored the properties near Veteris?"


    "Why what''s wrong with Veteris? We need to check the forest and there was probably a vampire hiding in there," remarked the other.


    "It is just strange that none of them ever spoke about checking into Veteris'' property," replied the first one. He called someone on the phone while taking a short walk, "Yes¡­ no, she seems a little scared to speak about it¡­ Yes, we did. She told us that it was Veteris. I wanted to ask if we have ever tried to look further into the university. If there are any vampires in there¡­"


    The person on the other side of the phone was none other than Mr. Davis, who is Mnie''s father. He replied,


    "Mnie and Conner are already on it. Yes, so far they haven''t contacted us about vampires, so I am guessing there has been no vampire activity¡­no¡­ we''ll be doing that today. Call me if you find any suspicious activity. Alright, bye."


    Disconnecting the call, Mr. Davis put his phone in his pocket, and he raised his head, he met his wife''s eyes.


    "What was it about Veteris?" asked Mrs. Davis.


    "Parkin suspects that Veteris might have vampires living in there. He suggested that we inspect it," Mr. Davis replied to his wife, and Mrs. Davis held a grim look.


    "I think it would be better to have someone rece one of our reliable people as one of the staff to keep a closer eye. But getting through the process and getting a spot is hard," said the woman, "It isn''t like we didn''t try it before but have failed."


    "Thetest information shows nothing, and everything has been clean. Same number of students enter and graduate, and the ones who don''t, we keep an eye," said Mr. Davis. "


    "Maybe we should pay Mel a visit. It would be harmless, wouldn''t it?" suggested Mrs.. Davis.

 Chapter 235 - Disclosing To The Last Person

    "What was that for?" questioned Conner, staring at Mnie with a deep frown.


    Mnie could feel her blood rushing to her ears and mind, as she tried to think as quickly as she could on what she should do right now. She could hear the words of the person on the other side of the phone. It sounded like Conner''s father,


    "Hello? Conner, are you there?" the voice came through.


    "Give me the phone, Mel. We need help and this isn''t time to waste it. If you want to speak about us going out¡ª" Mnie pressed her finger on the disconnect button of the phone call and Conner''s eyes widened. "Mel!


    "This isn''t about my feelings or your feelings, Conner. There is something I have been wanting to tell you," said Mnie, and Conner slightly shook his head.


    "What is it?" he curiously asked her.


    Simon, who stood behind them, tilted his head to the side, staring at Mnie and then at Conner. The red-headed vampire said, "I believe what Mnie means to tell you is that she is going to miss Veteris. We did leave Julianne behind without telling her anything, how would she feel, right?" This time, even Conner could detect the sarcasm in Simon''s words.


    Mnie was tried with blind folding Conner over things that she was already aware of. Instead of dragging the inevitable, it was time to let him know, and she said, "Since thest few days, I have been hiding something from you."


    "We can speak about it while we wait for the help to arrive and on our way back home. It is going to take a while for your father or mine toe pick us up from this ce. We don''t even know if we are standing on the right side of the road," exined Conner, stretching his hand towards Mnie so that she would return the phone back to him.


    Mnie clenched on the phone, feeling her anxious heart starting to beat louder as she didn''t know how Conner would take this information, and if he would be pissed with her. Though it was the time of night, she could feel sweat starting to appear on her forehead, and she tried to take a deep breath. On the other hand, Simon, who noticed the way the girl struggled to tell the truth, he rolled his eyes and said, "Mnie knows that a vampire exists in Veteris. Before you even found out."


    And though Simon''s intention had purely been to help Mnie, because thest thing he needed was her fainting. If she fainted, it would be hard to guarantee to her that Conner and he wouldn''t end up in a possible fight, after Conner would find that he was a vampire.


    Mnie''s mouth fell wide open, and Conner looked as confused as he was this morning. She couldn''t believe herself that Simon had done this again. She red at him, before her eyes shifted back to look Conner.


    "What do you mean that Mnie already knew that there are vampires? Wait, you both know that there are vampires and you have been waiting for them to catch us? To kill us humans?" demanded Conner, unhappy with this sudden revtion. Just a moment ago, he was going to propose that they stick together in the future too during endeavors like tonight.


    Before Mnie could exin, Simon continued to exin, "She wasn''t sure if she could entrust that important information to you, especially knowing the way you got caught and was put into the dungeon. Which does prove her point."


    Why was he trying to push her into fire?! Mnie asked him, rmed, and she looked around to see if she could get a hold of a stake right now, just so she could run it through Simon''s chest.


    "It isn''t how Simon is saying. There''s something much bigger than that," stated Mnie, not wanting Conner to misunderstand her.


    "It is exactly how I said it was. Come on, Conner. I have been studying here longer than you both, do you think I wouldn''t know that there are vampires?" asked Simon in a nonchnt tone.


    "So you both knew and didn''t inform or do anything? And what is that much bigger reason?" questioned Conner, and Mnie pursed her lips, noticing her friend was far more upset than she had ever seen him.


    "Me," Simon replied to Conner''s question.


    "I can speak for myself, Simon. Can you give us a moment," she raised her eyebrows at the red-headed vampire, who stared back at her.


    Simon softly scoffed, "Did you change the team you are ying for?"


    Arge sigh escaped from her lips, and she decided to ignore Simon, not knowing if he was back to his trickster self. She said to Conner, "I want to hear me out clearly before you decide to take any decision. Can you promise to do that?"


    Conner stared hard at Mnie, but he said, "I need my phone before I listen. I won''t make a call unless it is extremely necessary."


    Mnie gauged Conner before she handed the phone to him, "Here you go."


    Conner took the phone, but he didn''t put it in his pocket and instead kept it on standby. Mnie finally exined the things that happened until now, since Simon had helped her from being attacked and about Julie being a witch and how she had ended up in the past. About the things that Julie had told her, she passed it to him.


    Conner''s eyes were as wide as saucers while he stared at Simon with a look of caution. When Mnie was still exining, he interrupted her, "You have been protecting the vampires. Lying to me, your family."


    "And it was for a reason," Mnie reminded him.


    Conner shook his head, "I think I need a moment," he paused before speaking, "You knew about Reese?"


    "Not until Julie told me," replied Mnie, "You need to understand that not all vampires are bad. We are all on the same team, Conner. It is just our parents believe every single vampire is bad, that they are sinful."


    Conner pressed his temples, "It is too much for me to take in. Simon helped my father. But the others. Don''t you see that they want to kill me? They want to kill you."


    "Now only if you had your ass sitting in your room and preparing for your exam," remarked Simon, and Conner turned to look at the vampire.


    Suddenly Conner pulled out a wooden stake, which he had picked up on his way while he had fallen behind. He pointed it at Simon, his brown eyes fiercely looking at the vampire,


    "What was your intention in approaching us?"


    Conner had believed that Simon was his friend, and there was still a piece of him that wanted to believe what Mnie believed. But that didn''t remove the fact that this was a blood-sucking creature who stood in front of him right now.


    "The truth," added Mnie, because she still didn''t know what Simon was doing getting close to Conner.


    Simon took two steps to the side and said, "My superiors heard that some of your hunters were using the vampires as experimentalb rats. And it so happens that the information is true. Mr. and Mrs. Davis has been capturing vampires and trying to harm innocent people of my kind. I was there to take a look around, when I found it. And theb is right in the house."


    "They must be rogue vampires who tried to harm the humans," Mnie tried to defend her parents'' actions. "I have been living with them for many years now and I never heard about any such things."


    "sh news, love. Your parents were acting as Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Only in the worse, paranormal world of disguise in front of you," said Simon, before adding, "Using rogue vampires is one thing, but using vampires who are sane and don''t do any harm, that''s a whole different level of murder."


    "So you got close to us to spy," murmured Conner, somewhere feeling hurt that he had believed in Simon.


    "I have nothing against you, Conner. You are a good man, and I am still your friend, but I cannot let you harm the people whom I am supposed to protect," Simon clicked his tongue. "I hope you understand that."


    Conner nodded. Not dropping the stake from his hand, he said, "And it isn''t personal from my side either. I am only doing what I believe is right."


    "Can you both just stop taunting each other? We have other things to worry about," Mnie reminded them.


    "Like what, Mel? Going back and getting killed by the vampires? To be killed the way Reese was killed? What did she even do to deserve it? Do you think vampires who kill humans ruthlessly deserve kindness?" Conner shot one question after another, leaving Mnie speechless. "I will avenge her death."


    "If you have a suicide wish, then you go ahead," said Simon, pulling out a gun and pointing it at Conner.


    "Simon... what are you doing?" Mnie questioned, rmed.


    "I was showing off my shiny gun," replied Simon, wiping the edge with the back of his shirt before putting it behind his back. Mnie''s face contorted, and she decided to find a good physiatrist for Simon as a thank you gift from her to him.


    Simon then spoke to Conner, "What happened with Reese, it was something that was not supposed to happen. But if you don''t have a death wish, and don''t want to drag Mel in it, I would advise you to just let it go. It was a mistake. But Azazel Donovan isn''t someone you can settle your scores with. If you want to know, the scores will get worse for you."


    Conner gritted his teeth because this wasn''t what was on his mind, and his mind wasn''t at peace when it came to Reese''s unjust death.


    Mnie took a step towards Conner, and she pulled the wooden stake from him. She said, "Conner, you can be as mad as you want. But Simon is not wrong, the Elder vampires aren''t someone to mess with, and they will instead mess you up. But at the same time, they aren''tpletely heartless and they care about Veteris."


    "I don''t know if I can believe it. I cannot go back to Veteris, Mel. I am being hunted like an animal," spoke Conner in a frustrated tone.


    "I think they are just worried that you would tell the other hunters about it. I am sure once they find out that you pose no threat to them or Veteris, they will let you be. And everyone wants you alive¡ª" Mnie''s words were interrupted by Simon once again,


    "Except for the Elder vampires," he then added, "Just kidding. They spared Julianne. You are Julie''s friend, and ours too. So it shouldn''t be bad, unless they feel that you will inform them about their existence to your families."


    Conner wasn''tpletely convinced, and he was still processing everything Mnie had told so far. It was true, though, Mnie was safe, and he would be too.


    "What was your n?" asked Conner, who now had a drop of suspicion on Simon, and the vampire didn''t care about it.


    "I wanted to check if there were any new victims that hunters gathered and what they have found out so far. After all, we are trying to locate where the Mortimers are," Simon shrugged his shoulders. "Also I had to make sure you little children were safe."


    During the same time, Roman and the others caught up to where Mnie and the two other boys were standing near her. On seeing both Mnie and Conner safe, Julie quickly left Roman''s side and hugged her friends.


    Julie took a step back from Conner and said, "It is good to see you are okay."


    Conner stared hard at Julie. How could she be a witch? She was a human-like them, he thought in his mind. He stared at the people around them and realized nothing much had changed. The people here were still the ones whom he called his friends.


    But at the same time, he found it hard to digest that there were vampires, and witches. And he had been friends with them, which internally conflicted his mind.


    On the side lines, Simon stood there watching the two humans and one witch trying to catch up and exin things to each other; simr to how children did. His eyes met Roman''s who gave him a brief look, while he felt Victoria walk towards him. She came and stood next to him, watching the humans like he did.


    Victoria then spoke, "I thought your orders were different. Did you decide to deviate from what was spoken during the meeting?"


    "I did?" asked Simon, blinking his green eyes, and when Victoria rolled her eyes, a smirk appeared on his face. "I did."


    "Let us hope he knows how to keep his mouth shut.. Else the thing you couldn''t do, I will do it myself," stated Victoria, and Simon gave her a nod.

 Chapter 236 - To Punish Or Not

    Julie walked with Mnie and Conner in the front while the other vampires walked a few steps behind them. Conner, being curious, asked Julie, "Do you use magic by using your touch or is it through the spells?"


    "It is mostly through spells. I am still learning from the book that Cillian found," replied Julie, and Conner raised his eyebrows.


    "Cillian?" he asked her.


    "Cillian is someone who protects Julie. He is someone we two met in the time travel thing and just a detail, he''s a little bit different than most of the people you would havee across until now," exined Mnie, wanting to let him know most of the things. Not for his knowledge, but so that he wouldn''t misunderstand anything and wouldn''t be easily manipted by their parents against the vampires who were in Veteris.


    "That must be really cool," Conner murmured in a thoughtful manner while he turned to look at the vampires over his shoulders, who walked behind them. The vampires'' eyes were quick to meet his eyes, and Conner turned back to look ahead of him.


    Victoria, who caught this little action, asked Roman, "Are you sure that he will keep his mouth shut? He seems more like a trouble ma."


    "Give him some time. Worse case the Elders will put some sense into him," Roman responded with a grim look on his face. Though Roman personally hoped that Conner wouldn''t say or do something that would irk the Elders, only a little one could help a person who was constantly looking for trouble.


    "Where is Max and Liv?" questioned Simon, as he hadn''t seen the couple around.


    "They decided to abandon you, considering how you have the habit of doing things without obeying the orders and rules set by the Elders," Victoria retorted with a straight face. Simon stared at her for a moment before a grin cracked on his lips.


    "Did you think I abandoned you, Tori? Next time I will be sure to drag you along with me to hell so that you don''t feel lonely. What a cute little thing you are¡ª"


    "Fuck off," Victoria muttered under her breath. She slightly red at him, "Don''t think you won''t be punished for what you tried, unless you have a n to get out of the mess that you are in."


    Though Julie and Mnie had exined to Conner, trying to make him understand that all vampires weren''t bad, it still didn''t remove the fact of how Conner and Mnie were rted to the hunters. And how Simon was part of it when escaping from Veteris.


    "There is nothing I haven''t been able to wiggle out from. Even from death itself," boasted Simon in a proud voice before he turned to look at Roman and asked him, "What took you so long to find us?"


    "Griffin caused some trouble and it had everyone gathering in one ce," replied Victoria, and Simon raised his eyebrows.


    "What did the little rat do this time?" he asked her.


    "He almost killed Julie. Luciano gave him the permission to use his ability," said Roman, and Simon''s head snapped to look in Roman''s direction.


    "Yes, so much that Roman was going to burn the entire Veteris with him," sighed Victoria.


    "Dammit, I missed a good fight," cursed Simon before a wide grin appeared on his lips.


    In the front, Julie kept making sure that her friends were alright. Not only physically but also when it came to their rtionship. She apologized, "I am sorry I didn''t tell you about these things sooner. I thought I could protect you guys from this side of life, and you would never have to know about it." She somewhere felt guilty for hiding something known for so long, but it was only kept hidden with best interests of others in her mind.


    "Tough luck huh," remarked Conner, with a dry smile on his lips.


    Once they reached the Elder''s mansion, the Elders stared hard at the younger vampires and also at the humans, who had returned after their little escape. Ms. Dante didn''t utter a word, waiting for one of the Elders to speak up first, while she could interfere if the situation required it.


    "That was quite a quick capture of the humans," Luciano was the first one to speak, his nose up in the air. "Take them to the dungeon, or better if cast our votes right now so that we can get rid of them."


    Mnie''s face hardened, and Conner turned slightly alert, his hands ready to reach the wooden stake that he had kept in the back of his pants.


    Julie stepped forward and said, "Conner isn''t going to inform any of the hunters about the vampires or what goes on in here. He is one of us."


    "Are you sure about it?" questioned Luciano, his eyes trained on Conner, with whom he had earlier spoken, "I don''t think it is easy. Especially knowing that the love of your life was killed by one of our kind. By someone who is right here," he turned to look at Donovan.


    Conner''s line of sight followed Luciano, and it fell upon a vampire with ck hair and eyes red as blood, who stared right back at him. Donovan nonchntly said, "Sorry about what happened to your girlfriend. It was nothing personal." And though the Elder vampire apologized, anyone could tell that his words were empty with not a pinch of regret in them.


    Conner''s blood started to boil, his hands clenched in anger. Julie said, "Conner is not a threat, Elder Luciano."


    "I have no faith in humanity," harrumphed Luciano. He turned to look at the human boy, and asked him, "How does it feel knowing that one of us killed that innocent girl. And we erased any possible witnesses?"


    Julie and Mnie turned and looked at Conner, whose eyes held a hardened look in them as if he was trying to control his emotions. He said, "It isn''t umon to feel hatred towards the kind who kill for no reason but only out of pure joy. But that doesn''t mean I am not willing to realize that I have friends who are either a witch or a vampire."


    And during the discussion that went on, Griffin stared hard between Roman and Donovan. The young vampire still had a hard time wrapping his head around the truth: they were rted to each other by blood. Two arrogant vampires, whom both he and his master disliked the most, turned out to be father and son. He gritted his teeth, as that was all he could do right now. Knowing he couldn''t harm Roman anymore the way he had nned to do before.


    "I still think we should go ahead with the execution," Luciano said with a firm tone.


    "You know with the way you keep jumping into wanting to execute people, it makes me think that you had something to do with the Willow Creek,"mented Donovan, his shrewd eyes looking at the blonde Elder vampire.


    A huff escaped from Luciano''s nose, and he said, "If I had something to do with it, I wouldn''t be stuck here with you."


    Before the two Elders could continue their bickering, which had stopped a few minutes ago, Ms. Dante said, "I think Luciano is right. Let us take a majority of the vote on the decision to take with the escape that took ce." She turned to look at Conner and said, "Vampires and hunters have never got along, and we don''t know if you have already informed your people or not."


    Julie, Mnie and Conner''s faces paled on hearing this. Mnie shook her head and said, "Conner hasn''t contacted any of the hunters. Simon and I were with him all this time."


    Hearing Simon''s name, Ms. Dante''s eyes fell on the red-headed vampire, who slightly raised his eyebrows. Innocently, he said, "I was indeed with them. Making sure they didn''t do anything that would harm Veteris," he said in a solemn voice.


    The headmistress lightly red at him as if indirectly letting him know that she would talk to himter. She then stretched her hand forward and said, "We''ll have to go through your phone and make sure you didn''t do something just to be thorough."


    Conner gingerly pulled his phone from his trouser pocket and handed it to Ms. Dante, who in turn handed it to Mr. Borrell, who started going through the phone.


    "We shall now take a count of vote if the hunter''s children should be killed or not," said Ms. Dante, and Julie shook her head.


    "But you haven''t even checked the phone to see if Conner made a mistake," Julie defended her friend.


    The vampiress scowled, "The question here isn''t if Conner made a mistake or not, but he is someone whose mind cannot bepelled anymore. And it leaves us vampires at risk, if we don''t solve this little bump. Trust me on this, Julianne."


    Julie believed Ms. Dante wanted to save lives, but this situation was tricky.


    "I vote for it," came the quick reply from Luciano with a smug expression on his face.


    "I vote for it," came Castiel''s response, something Julie had not expected from him. With Castiel, who still had feelings for Dante, Julie was sure that Castiel would choose something that would favour their headmistress. Believing he was someone who would overlook such trivial things, but then she remembered he was an Elder vampire and not some ordinary vampire.


    Mr. Borrell raised his hand, "Against it." Mr. Evans went in the same direction as Mr. Borrell, and Ms. Dante said, "Against the kill."


    Donovan, who stood at the side, stared hard at Conner and said, "Vote for it." And it made the votes even. Everyone turned to look at thest remaining vote, which was yet to be given by Elder vampire, Remy'' Remington'' Oscar.


    "I guess, you both will continue to live," murmured Simon to the two humans, who stood in front of them, but Roman shook his head,


    "Not so fast."


    Though Remy was the quietest one out of them all, who looked reasonable, there was no telling when he would flip things upside down. After all, every Elder just wanted to keep this ce safe from being harmed by others.


    When Elder Remy parted his lips to speak, everyone held their breath, half hoping and half wondering what he was going to choose, until he said,


    "I think there are other pressing matters like securing the property of Veteris where the CCTV''s have been changed to look in the other direction. The two humans so far don''t show any threat."


    "This should rest the case," said Ms. Dante, knowing this was bound to happen.


    Luciano didn''t look pleased and said, "I will keep a close eye, so it would be best to watch your backs." He pushed his coat behind as he turned and walked away from there, with Griffin closely following him.


    Griffin quickly caught up to Luciano''s footsteps and asked, "Elder Luciano, is it true what Elder Donovan spoke about him and Roman?"


    "It seems it is," responded Luciano, "I myself wonder when he found that he had a child, and turned him in time as a vampire. You knew Roman before he turned into a vampire, didn''t you?"


    Griffin nodded his head, "I did. And so did my brother, but they were humans that time. Just like me. And Roman was Malcolm Moltenore''s illegitimate son, everyone was aware of it."


    Luciano clicked his tongue in distaste, "Come, we need to take a look at this security system and see which cameras have created blindspots. Also the guards need recement"


    The younger vampire wanted to ask more, to clear his doubts, but he could tell that at the moment, Luciano was in no mood to talk about Donovan or Roman.


    Back in front of the Elder''s mansion, Ms. Dante said to the students, "It was a long night. You all should go and rest. Conner," she called the human boy.


    Conner turned alert.


    The headmistress then said, "You should first go and visit the infirmary. Get something for your face." Conner touched his face, and he winced. He had received it from Elder Luciano, and he ran his tongue on the inside of his cheek. He politely refused, "It''s fine. Mnie will tend to my wound." Just because he believed Mnie and Julie, it didn''t mean he blindly believed the others.


    Ms. Dante didn''t oppose his idea, and she gave him a nod, "Sure. Julie I would like to talk to you about something."


    Julie offered her friends a smile, and watched them leave first. When Simon and Victoria started to leave, Donovan stopped the red-headed vampire, "Not yet, Mr. Wace. A word with me. Actually a whole sentence."


    Simon turned around and he offered a bright smile to the Elder vampire before it faltered.


    "All the best. I hope you survive," whispered Victoria, before joining the two humans.


    Ms. Dante turned and stepped back inside the mansion, while being followed by Castiel first and then Donovan and Remy.. Julie, Roman and Simon were thest ones to follow them, moving to the living room.

 Chapter 237 - Suspect In Veteris

    The three Elder vampires were the first to step into the drawing-room, and Simon followed them, while Julie and Roman followed Ms. Dante into another room. Once the door of the room closed, Ms. Dante said,


    "Sit down."


    Julie stared at the vampiress before turning to look at Roman and then sat down on the couch, and Roman sat next to her.


    "What''s the matter, Dante?" questioned Roman. He had almost believed that he would be reprimanded for burning one of the buildings down, but seeing the vampiress call Julie, a subtle frown appeared on his face.


    Ms. Dante held a grim expression on her face, and she asked Julie, "I have been seeing phantoms, walking around the forest or near the campus in the middle of the night. Do you have any idea about it?"


    "Phantoms?" asked Julie, "Are you talking about the ghosts?" she was quick to ask, but she had made sure to collect all the witches'' spirits in the vessel.


    "Yes, ghosts of people who are dead, I have caught glimpses of them in Veteris," replied Dante, and Julie''s lips turned dry. "I believe it had something to do with you, since thest time you and Roman visited Willow Creek."


    "All the spirits'' souls have been captured and kept in the vial ss," Roman came to Julie''s aid. With a look of seriousness on his face, he said, "Whom did you see?"


    Ms. Dante pursed her lips as if trying to wrap her head around something in her mind. Julie pulled out the ss vial from her pocket that she carried with her everywhere, and she showed the little mist inside it. "Cillian said I got every one of them in here, and I haven''t opened the lid since Ist closed it."


    The vampiress stared at the little ss vial, for a moment tearing her gaze away from the ss. She asked, "What exactly happened in Willow Creek when you visited it?"


    "We were trying to get in contact with the magic that belonged to the spirits, the witches who had been killed surfaced up on the ground. Who were unjustly killed and burned alive," exined Julie, not knowing how Ms. Dante had caught sight of a spirit.


    "Whom did you see?" Roman repeated his question, and Ms. Dante''s eyes met his.


    "Myte husband''s spirit," came the words of the vampiress that held no emotion in it. Lady Eloise Dante''s whole family had been killed in the massacre, and she had witnessed her husband being killed by a vampire.


    "You''re telling the magic awakened other souls apart from the ones who were in Willow Creek?" asked Julie, "That''s not possible. It was done only for the witches, and not humans or vampire spirits to be awakened¡ª"


    "Unless her husband was not a human," replied Roman as he stared at the vampiress, who had the same thought as him. "When did you see his ghost?"


    "This evening. It was just a glimpse but I am sure I saw him, and I knew he was there. Just hovering around Veteris, and I doubt students have realized it was a ghost," Ms. Dante sighed, feeling a slight headache emerge in her head. "Your powers must have increased, to be able to affect the othernds that are away from Willow Creek."


    "Or maybe something changed," suggested Roman, and Ms. Dante shook her head.


    "What do you mean?" asked the woman.


    At the same time, Mr. Evans entered the room, and he walked towards where the three of them were sitting. Roman replied to her, "We experienced something odd on one side of the restricted forest. None of us were able to make use of our abilities, and we turned into normal vampires. It even affected Julie."


    "That''s impossible," responded Ms. Dante. "The whole of Veteris is free from the magic of the witches. And we have checked every inch of the property over the years, enough to know that thesends are clear and safe for us."


    "What happened?" asked Mr. Evans, curious to catch up to what he had missed.


    "Maybe something changed in Veteris, recently," stated Roman, "We know that Veteris was originally a human oriented town, with vampires and hunters. But we don''t know much about the reign of the witches in the past. They probablyid a trap of trigger, enough to pull down the vampire''s abilities. They probably wanted to get rid of the other kinds, but never could at that time or they needed some kind of trigger?"


    "Did you get to speak to him?" Roman asked Dante about herte husband.


    "No," replied the woman.


    Eloise knew it was wrong to think, but she had felt liberated the day the massacre had taken ce. Liberated from the marriage that she had been bound to. Talking to the ghost of herte husband was thest thing she wanted to do.


    "What about the Corvin? Any news from him?" Roman asked Julie, who shook her head.


    "Nothing so far. It''s like the connection between is weak and breaking," she answered him with a hint of worry. She hoped for Cillian to be alright and hadn''t gotten himself into any trouble. Julie hoped he wasn''t nning to send her into another time-space likest time when she couldn''t contact him.


    Mr. Evans put his own thoughts into the matter and said, "I can go check the property to see if there''s anything different. Lady Opaline once said that there was a group of witches, who were trying to contain the other witches, who held immense power and the vampires."


    "Did she tell why?" asked Julie, and Mr. Evans nodded.


    "Yes, actually. Unlike the vampires, who wanted to gather more power, these witches wanted to bring in a bnce, bnce by taking out all the abilities. They believed that no one was supposed to have powers, and that everyone was supposed to live equal and fairly," exined the counsellor of Veteris.


    "Does that mean no one can use their abilities anymore?" asked Julie, turning to Roman, who possessed the ability of fire.


    "That would be something to look at," Ms. Dante murmured under her breath, which rted to the Elder vampires, who liked to have their noses up and high. But then, this wasn''t the time to be losing abilities as they were going to be in a possible fight with the Mortimers. "Can you use your abilities right now, Roman?"


    Roman brought his hand forward, and a wisp of fire appeared from his palm.


    "Maybe something else caused it. Like the spirits in here," stated Roman, closing his fingers, and the fire extinguished itself.


    "It would be troublesome if we have ghosts walking in the campus, while having to continuouslypel the humans'' minds," the headmistress let out an exasperated sigh. "Keep an eye on it, Evans. Also the help I need from you Julianne, is to put these spirits back to wherever they havee from. But before that, let me go and see if I can find any information from my...te husband."


    "I can try sending or containing the spirits where no one can see them," Julie agreed with a nod, and Ms. Dante gave a slight nod.


    Ms. Dante stood up from her seat, starting to walk towards the door, halting her feet. She turned around and met Roman''s eyes, "Fix the building for damaging it. The sooner the better."


    Saying this,? the vampiress left the room. Mr. Evans offered Roman a smile, and when he turned to look at Julie, he warned her, "Don''t use too much of your ability," leaving Julie and Roman behind in the room.


    Julie closed her eyes for a moment, trying to channel her bond to reach out for the Corvin, but she felt nothing. Opening her eyes, she said, "Do you think he''s in trouble? I cannot sense him."


    "He''s a Corvin and a former witch, I doubt he should be in trouble," remarked Roman, but on seeing how Julie was worried about his ancestor, he asked, "Is there any other way to summon the Corvin without using the bond. There should be another way to do it."


    "I guess I will need to go through the spell book to find it. There are still a few pages that are untouched," replied Julie. They both turned and looked outside the window, where the night was dark and noticed a firefly fly in front of the window.


    Both of them stepped out of the room. Roman decided to take a look at his friend as he was in thepany of the Elder vampires. They walked to the room where they were.


    When Julie stepped near the room, she noticed Roman''s face turn more serious, and it was only when she heard the groansing from inside the room did she be alert. Roman ced his hand on the knob, and without bothering to knock on the door, he opened the door right away.


    When the door pushed open, Julie''s eyes widened on seeing Simon on the floor with his hand touching his lips. It had turned slightly bloody, and gone was the cheeky smile that he often held on his face. In front of him stood Castiel and Donovan, while Remy had taken a back seat as usual.


    "I thought the vote held an equal decision to both the humans as well as the vampire''s mistake," stated Roman, stepping inside the room, and Julie could sense the tension in the room.


    "I thought you were supposed to knock before entering a room full of Elder vampires," pointed Donovan, who seemed a little more serious than he usually looked.


    Julie looked back and forth between the Elders and then Simon. Roman replied to Donovan''s words, "I thought I didn''t need to knock. Considering I am an Elder''s son, unless you have decided to forget about it like in the past," he taunted.


    Donovan''s eyes narrowed before his lips twisted, "Seems like you like to use the card of us being rted when it is convenient to you."


    "Learned it from the best," answered Roman, and he came to stand next to Simon.


    Castiel warned Roman, "Step away from the boy, Roman. We aren''t done asking him questions and he cannot leave until we get an answer from him."


    "About what?" questioned Roman.


    "On whose order is he working, because it doesn''t feel like he''s working for us Elder vampires," stated Donovan.


    Hearing this, Julie frowned. There was no way Simon was working for someone other than the people who were in Veteris.


    "That''s a ridiculous assumption," replied Roman, and at the same time, Simon stood up from where he had been sitting on the ground.


    "It isn''t an assumption.. It is the truth," came the calm voice that belonged to Elder Remy.

 Chapter 238 - One Of Them?

    Julie frowned at Elder Remy''s words, and she turned her gaze to look at Simon, who had a nk expression on his face. There was no way Simon was working for the Mortimers, she thought in her mind. The red-headed vampire had always been their aplice, helping Roman and her friends.


    "Why don''t you ask him, because he seems to have difficulty in answering our questions," stated Donovan, his eyes slightly narrowing at Simon.


    Roman turned to Simon, his eyes trained on his friend before he asked, "Is it true what they are saying? Are you working for the Mortimers?"


    "No," came the prompt reply from Simon. "I am not working for them."


    "Who are you working for then?" questioned Castiel, who seemed on his guard. "It is funny how we never able to suspect it until now. But Remy is unable to read him."


    "What do you mean?" asked Julie, the frown on her face deepening.


    "Every vampire in here knows not to go against the word and order of an Elder vampire," exined Castiel to her, "They know the consequences, and in the world of vampires, there''s no room for errors, especially when ites to being unable to follow something. We find it easier¡­ to discard."


    Remy stared at Simon with a nk expression, his eyes carrying a certain coldness, making him appear as if his orbs were hollow. He said, "I can tell who was turned when and how, sometimes by whom too. But for some reason, I am unable to do the same with this boy."


    Castiel raised his hand without any notice, and suddenly Simon fell on his knees, on the ground in pain. Roman clenched his teeth. Releasing it, he said, "We can talk it out. I believe Simon would never go against us. I can vouch that he will never betray us or me," and he turned to look at Simon, who threw up blood on the ground, while his face was still empty as if he couldn''t sense the pain.


    "Are you sure about it, Rome?" questioned Donovan. Clicking his tongue, he said, "People are not what they seem. Especially knowing his track record when ites to holding rtionships." It was no secret that Simon had killed and drunk blood from his very own family, turning their bodies dry.


    "Simon," spoke Roman to his friend, "Are you fighting for us or against us?"


    "For," Simon coughed, clearing his throat. Julie could tell that the red-headed vampire was in pain, but he didn''tin or react; instead, he weed the pain.


    "Who turned you, Mr. Wace?" questioned Castiel, and Julie never thought there would be a day where she would see the two quieter Elder vampires trying to torture someone together for an answer. Simon clenched his teeth, and blood spilt out of his lips.


    "You are hurting him," said Julie, not liking the way things were turning out to be, and she saw Roman didn''t like it either.


    Simon shook his head, "I don''t know," he replied with a nk expression on his face.


    "Lies," stated Castiel, and Simon threw up more blood. "We can do this all night and day, Mr. Wace. Or make things easy for yourself and tell me what you know. Why did you try to escape Veteris with the two hunters?"


    "T-they are my friends," answered Simon, running his tongue on the corner of his lips.


    "I think that is enough," Roman stepped in front of Simon when Castiel was going to hand out more pain for Simon. "We already know that Simon isn''t the one you are supposed to be targeting. He''s one of us, and not a traitor. You cannot make him spill something he isn''t aware of."


    "We cannot have him free, Rome," remarked Donovan. This one is under suspicion, someone willing to sacrifice his life while knowing the trouble thates with his actions. That is someone we should all be wary of. Maybe we should probably see if he holds any special abilities that were given by one of the Mortimer brothers."


    Roman rolled his eyes, "Now you sound like Luciano. Fine, let me ask the questions and make it quick." He turned to Simon and asked, "Are you going to keep Veteris safe?"


    Simon stared at Roman, who had been his friend before they had turned into vampires. His green eyes fluctuated between green and red.


    "Yes," Simon replied to the simple question.


    "Are you working for the hunters or the Mortimers in causing us harm?" Roman continued his question, staring right through Simon.


    "No," Simon replied to Roman''s question again.


    "Do you n to escape from Veteris?"


    "No."


    Roman turned to look at the Elders and said, "There you go. The simplest way, and he''s answered everything you would need to know. Let go of Simon, I know him better than you, and you have my word that he won''t cause any harm." He red back at his father, who stared right back at him.


    "Simon isn''t bad," Julie added her thoughts, and the Elder vampires turned to stare at her at the same moment.


    Remy stepped in front of Simon, cing his finger on the vampire''s forehead. After a few seconds passed, he pulled away and said, "Nothing but nkness."


    "I don''t mean to bring any harm here," assured Simon, bowing his head to show his obedience to the three Elders.


    Roman said to Simon, "Come. Let us leave and head back to the boy''s Dormitorium." He ced his hand on Simon''s arm and pulled him from the Elder''s mansion. The three Elders stared at the blood on the floor.


    Remy said, "It is the first time I haven''t been able to read and it is vexing," a sigh escaping from his lips.


    "Something is definitely not right with him,"mented Castiel, and Donovan agreed with a nod. "Like the answer is right there, but I am not able to point my finger at it."


    Outside the mansion, Julie, Roman, and Simon stepped back into the restricted side of the forest as they made their way to their Dormitoriums. When they reached the edge of the forest, Roman, who was going to apany Julie to the girl''s Dormitorium, said to Simon,


    "Is there something you would like to say. This might be a good time." Roman was aware that Simon had secrets, and he was trying hard to protect it. It was why he had framed and finished the questions so that the Elders would let him off.


    A smile appeared on Simon''s lips, "Everything is well."


    Both the senior year boys stared at each other hard. Roman said, "I will see youter in your dorm."


    "Sounds good," replied Simon, who gave a nod to Julie, who returned it, and the red-headed vampire walked away from there.


    Both Julie and Roman saw Simon walk away, and she asked him, "What is he hiding?"


    "Something he is trying to protect," Roman''s eyes narrowed, and he wondered what was going on. He trusted Simon, but his actions could have anyone doubt him. "He won''t cough it up even if you ce a knife on his neck. Come, let me see you to your dorm."


    Julie gave him a nod, and they walked to the front of the girl''s Dormitorium. She asked him, "Will the Elders really let them off the hook?"


    "Just for a few hours while they have the guards keep an eye on each of them," replied Roman, and he pulled her into his arms. "I don''t want to part with you. Not now, not in future," but he had to speak to his friends about what happened. When Griffin had mentioned taking Julie''s life, all Roman had seen was red.


    Julie felt warm in Roman''s warm embrace. She circled her arms around his waist. She asked him, "Will youeter?"


    "I will try, but don''t wait for me," said Roman, and a smile appeared on her lips.


    And though he said not to wait, Julie couldn''t help but wait for him, "I love you," she whispered to him.


    "And I love you," came Roman''s words. He kissed the top of her head before letting her go.


    In the boy''s Dormitorium, Mnie had just finished tending Conner''s wound and she asked him, "How are you doing, Conner?" They hadn''t spoken much, since they had returned here, except for her asking where the first aid kit was.


    "Still wrapping my head. Everything feels like a dream, as if it will break tomorrow morning and we''ll be back to reality. Thanks for this," Conner pointed his finger at the bandage that Mnie had helped.


    "I am just d to see that you and I both are still breathing. See, the vampires in here aren''t bad," said Mnie, and silence filled the room again. While keeping the first aid box, she asked him, "I am sorry about Reese, Conner. I really am, and what happened to her, she didn''t deserve it. But I hope one day you will be able to move on from those painful and bitter feelings."


    "Thanks for those words, Mel," Conner''s words came out to be distant. "Also thank you foring to get me today. I knew deep down that I can always count on you."


    "Of course you can," smiled Mnie.


    Conner suddenly reached out for Mnie''s hand and pulled her closer to him. Mnie''s heart skipped a beat, and she stared at him. At the same time, outside the corridor of Conner''s Dormitorium, the red-headed vampire had arrived near the door, which was left slightly ajar. Simon saw Conner pull Mnie for a hug, with her back facing the vampire.


    "I don''t know what I would do without you. I meant it when I said I would try for you, and not because I want to rece you for someone else," said Conner, holding Mnie while, for the first time, she stood like a statue.


    Mnie hadn''t expected Conner to return her feelings after these many years, which was why, she had slowly started to let those feelings go.


    Conner then asked her, "What do you say, Mel? You didn''t give an answer yet."


    Before Mnie could reply, Simon turned around and left the Dormitorium. His eyes had turned back to a constant green and he dodged the eyes of the guards of Veteris. He walked far enough to get a call on his phone, and he picked it up,


    "Yes¡­No, I am good. They couldn''t guess it," he answered the call. He heard the other person speak, and said, "Yes, it seems like that''s what happened¡­ I will keep you updated on it¡­ Yeah¡­ see youter then."


    Simon disconnected from the call, slipping the phone into his pocket, he made his way back to the boy''s Dormitorium.

 Chapter 239 - The Sinner

    Unlocking her dorm door, Julie stepped inside and closed it. On her way back, with no light spilling from the bottom of Mnie''s door, she doubted Mnie was back, and maybe she was still in Conner''spany. A long sigh escaped from her lips, and she walked straight to the table and turned on the tablemp.


    Julie then pulled the drawer and took out the spellbook, turning the pages one after another before sitting on the chair. Her brown eyes searched through the lines of each page, one by one, until it stopped on one of it. She read the words that was written on the page,


    "Touch the ground, and touch the sky, breathe with your words as you sigh. A moment of dust can be turned back in time, and all you need to do is use the blood of a sinner, who has sinned from the beginning to the end since dust."


    What was this about? Because these had no titles, and their purpose was. She continued to read through other such spells that barely held any meaning to it, and one could easily get lost on what it meant. Only if Cillian was here she would have gotten his help.


    "Where are you, Cillian?" she whispered, looking at the walls of her room. She then tapped her finger on the coarse page. "I need the blood of a sinner. How do I know who has sinned?"


    Julie pulled out her phone, taking a picture of that page before leaving her room again. While she walked in the corridor, she heard some of the girls who were in the corridorment on her, "Looks like she gets a free pass in everything since she is Roman Moltenore''s girlfriend."


    "I wonder what she will do next year, when he leaves this ce after graduating," taunted another girl.


    Julie didn''t bother to respond nor react and ignoring, and she stepped out of the girl''s Dormitorium. While walking in the campus area, she met Donovan, who was busy staring at a tree, until he heard her footsteps.


    "What is my beloved daughter-inw doing outside her dorm? I thought Roman and you must be up to no good," Donovan chuckled light-heartedly. "Did you two have a couple''s fight?"


    "I don''t know why everyone keeps asking me that," remarked Julie. This was the second time in the day where someone was asking if Roman and she fought.


    "Because it is fun," Donovan turned his body to look away from the tree.


    Julie wondered what this tree meant to Donovan, that he was standing here, staring at it. She shook her head, "We didn''t have one."


    "How boring," hummed Donovan, even though he didn''t seem disappointed with it. "Where is Rome?"


    "He wanted to talk to his friends and Simon," replied Julie, and Donovan gave her a nod. At the same time, she noticed how the Elder vampire''s eyes subtly narrowed. "I should probably get rid of the ref-head."


    "I don''t think Simon is bad," replied Julie. Though she agreed that he was weird, he was a good person. There was no way Roman''s judgment could be wrong, she thought in her mind. "Do you have any idea whom he might be working for?"


    "Only if I knew. I was hoping that the tree would respond to me," Donovan said in a straight face that had Julie blink at him. "I am not making it up, it does speak."


    "If you say so..." Julie replied with a look of wariness. She took a glimpse at the tree, a ce where students often liked to sit under the shade to study or talk. "I was actually wondering if you know anything about the spells."


    "Spells?"


    Julie nodded, and she pulled out her phone from her pocket and showed the spell that she had clicked a picture of. "I am trying to figure out who the sinner might be. Do you know anyone... who will fit the bill?" she looked at him, doubting if Donovan had sinned enough.


    Donovan stared back at her, raising his eyebrows, "I have sinned that much. I actually have a very good record, and I don''t kill¡ª" and when Julie continued staring at him, he slightly rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I have a bad record, but I am not the sinner. Lucky for you, I did spend some good amount of time trying to learn the spells. It isn''t hard to find a sinner. Just check the one in the near vicinity. Everyone has killed someone by mistake."


    "But that doesn''t fall in sin," replied Julie. It has to be a vampire, as they were the only dead beings rted to dust.


    "That''s true," replied Donovan. A thoughtful expression came to form on his face, and he said, "Maybe you should check with Remy."


    "Elder Remy?" asked Julie, and Donovan gave her a nod.


    "Yeah, he has the ability to check the death count on each hand in here. Will be your best bet," said Donovan. Julie quickly headed towards the infirmary, knowing she would find the quiet Elder there. On reaching the ce, she went through the rooms before finding the man, who had his back facing her.


    Elder Remy turned to the side as if sensing her presence and turned around.


    Julie cleared her throat and said, "There is something I would like your help in, if you are free right now, Elder Remy."


    The Elder vampire stared at her for a few seconds before he gave her a nod. She then said, "Do you know who is the vampire here that has mercilessly killed people? Thates in the category of sin."


    "Donovan," replied Remy without blinking his eyes, and for a moment, he almost looked doll-like because of his shorter height when it came to the other Elder vampires and his petite figure.


    "He said he didn''t kill many people out of sin," replied Julie, to have Remy continue to stare back at her. "Is there anyone else that you might know?"


    "He must be lying. But give me a moment," Julie noticed the man''s inaudible sigh, and he raised his hand before asking, "Have you killed someone before?"


    Julie''s eyes slightly widened, and she tried to recollect it, "Not sin... but yes."


    Remy took a step back and then said, "I think you should find a spot to sit down. It might wear you out." Julie didn''t know what he meant, but heeding his advice, she decided to sit on the ground. The Elder vampire then closed his eyes for a moment as if he was meditating. And the next moment when he opened his eyes, they were blood red, and he snapped his finger. Julie suddenly felt weak, and a gust of invisible wind blew through the ce in an outward direction as if it could move through the walls. Julie felt as if the ground wanted to mold itself with her, with the way it tried to pull her down.


    A few seconds passed, where Elder Remy looked less calm, appearing as if he was capable of destruction. Julie was able to breathe when whatever Remy had set up, and he pulled it back.


    Elder Remy''s gaze moved to look at Julie, and he said, "It is the counselor of Veteris. He''s the one."


    "Mr. Evans?" Julie confirmed, and Elder Remy gave her a nod. "Thank you for your help," she offered him a slight bow before running out of there to find the counsellor, who once used to work for her mother.


    On meeting him in the hallway, Mr. Evans asked her, "Where are you going in a hurry?"


    "I need your blood," she blurted, and he raised his eyebrows.


    Sullivan Evans didn''t question Julie why or what she was trying to do. He asked her, "Where would you like me to pour or spill it?" There was not a hint of hesitance in his voice.


    "I need to run a spell and see if I can fix things that were broken," said Julie, and Mr. Evans gave her a nod.


    "We can do it right here then."


    If there was one thing that Julie had started to learn about witchcraft, a person didn''t have to stick to the old spells. One could always improvise or create new spells, but one had to master them for it to be put into effect, or there could be repercussions.


    Mr. Evans, who stared at Julie, asked her, "Do you have enough soul energy to be able to pull through such a massive spell or make the wrongs as right?"


    "I think I do," replied Julie, pulling out the little vial of ss that held the souls of the deceased witches. Soon, Julie tapped into the magic, and she started to whisper the spells. Touching the ground before moving her hand to point towards the sky. "Fix what was broken, things that were charred goes back to its time when it was nearest to new." She then moved both her hands on either side of her, opening her palm. The soul energy in the vial started to pull out, and she then touched the ground back for the ground to shake.


    Mr. Evans pulled a knife out of nowhere in his hand and ran the sharp surface across the palm of his hand. Blood fell on the ground.


    People who were afar, not knowing what was going on, asked,


    "Is it an earthquake?"


    "It is still moving!"


    Mr. Evans stared at Julie, who effortlessly pulled out the magic, manipting the energy for her own benefit. The souls that hade out from Veteris, which Ms. Dante has mentioned, were soon pulled back into the existing vial along with the other souls. But it didn''t stop there. The building that Roman and Griffin had fought in, the charred objects started to renew itself.


    "Did it work?" Julie turned and asked Mr. Evans, who gave her a nod.


    "But it wasn''t the best. Was the worst use of magic. You brought out many people''s attention," pointed Mr. Evans, and Julie awkwardly smiled. "But not bad either. You finally figured out one of the spells."


    She gave a nod while looking at the counsellor, wondering how he had topped the list of being a sinner. She was sure it would have been one of the Elder vampires.


    "Everything okay?" he asked her.


    "Yeah, everything is okay," replied Julie. She saw the man starting to walk away from there, and she stopped him, "Mr. Evans?"


    The vampire turned and asked, "Yeah?"


    "Did you ever do something... that you are not supposed to do?" inquired Julie, her brown eyes staring into his red eyes.


    "Many of us have done many things, I think your question is quite vague. Would you like to rephrase your sentence?" he asked her in a polite tone with a faint smile on his face.


    Though Julie was more than curious to know what Mr. Evans'' past held, she wondered if it mattered. After all, the fact was that he had stood by her and her family for the longest time. She shook her head. She replied, "Maybe some other time. Goodnight."


    "Goodnight to you too," replied Mr. Evans, with the smile still intact on his face, walked away from there.


    On reaching her dorm, Julie noticed Roman in there. He was standing in front of the desk, staring at the spellbook. "Did you just get here?"


    "I did. Did you go to fix things that I damaged?" Roman turned around, letting his back lean against the edge of the table.


    Upon his words, a smile appeared on Julie''s lips, and she said, "It was a little shaky, but it worked."


    "Look at you, already able to spin spells and get things fixed with a snap of your fingers," praised Roman, and he stretched his hand towards her. Julie ced her hand in his, feeling him ensp it with his, and it felt warm. "Evans told not to use much of your soul energy," he spoke in concern.


    "I made sure not to use mine much, I have been mindful about it," replied Julie, and she felt Roman''s hand gently squeeze her hand. A light electric current passed from her fingertips to her toes.


    She found Roman staring at her with seriousness in there. It felt like he was about to let go of her hand when he pressed on one of her fingertips, putting a little more pressure, he said,


    "Mm, I don''t want you hurting yourself over the expense of others. You are always free to refuse them."


    Julie nodded, "The souls from Veteris, they must havee out as a domino effect from Willow Creek¡ª"


    "Still," Roman''s tone was curt, as he continued to put pressure on every fingertip of Julie, moving from one to another. There was something very sensual, the way he touched and pressed her fingers and the way he gazed at her. "You will always prioritize yourself first. I want you alive. Not that I mind you being a Corvin if things turn worse, I will still love you the same, even though you look like the other Corvins."


    Julie cleared her throat, "Thank you for loving me¡­" her words came out as a whisper.


    "Thank you?" teased Roman, and Julie''s lips lightly quivered. "Let me love you more then," he said, tugging her fingers closer to him¡­

 Chapter 240 - Completing Each Others Soul

    Music Rmendation: Following the clock to sheep- Oberhofer


    -


    Julie felt Roman tug her hand towards him, and she readily moved closer towards him. Roman gently picked her hand and brought it up to his mouth, and he ced a tender kiss on her wrist. A shiver ran down her nerves, feeling the familiar hurricane starting to build in her stomach. And even though it was a familiar feeling, it had been a while since they had spent their time like this, all alone in each other''s heated gaze.


    Roman''s fingers intertwined with her fingers, pressing them while using his other hand to curl around her waist, bringing her close to him. He asked her in a husky whisper,


    "Why are you the way you are," it wasn''t a question.


    No matter how many sweet words Roman had uttered to her in the past, even after the amount of time they had spent with each other, his words still had the ability to have her toes curl. She ced one of her hands on his chest, feeling the broadness of his chest. When he let go of her other hand, she ced it on his strong shoulder.


    Her fingers traced around the space of his chest before it moved to curl and circle his neck. She yed with the short ends of his ck hair near the nape of his neck while his arms brought her waist closer to him.


    Julie and Roman stared into each other''s eyes, getting lost in the colour of each other''s iris. She moved her head closer to him, her lips hovering in front of him. With just a breath away from each other, Julie felt Roman''s hand run across the length of her back, leaving a shiver down her spine.


    When their lips touched each other, Roman''s hold on Julie tightened, and he devoured her lips as if it was thest time he was going to taste and consume it. Julie was easily lost by the taste of Roman, where his teeth captured and nipped her lips. With the amount of closeness they shared, Julie offered the same emotions, taking a bite much stronger than he had expected, and he hissed.


    His red eyes looked alive, watching every movement of hers and his ears tuned to her heartbeat as if it was his favourite music.


    Julie felt Roman''s lips glide down the column of her neck, leaving her breathless. Her hand tugged onto the back of his hair, pulling it when he took a bite on her neck, tasting her blood andpping any remaining essence on her skin with the help of his coarse tongue.


    Roman walked forward, guiding Julie to walk backwards and towards the bed. They both fell on the bed with Roman on top of her. With him sitting upright, he watched her uneven breath, and her chest heaved.


    Julie watched Roman with a starstruck expression on her face. Roman was handsome to Julie, and he was nothing less to a dark prince who hade to get her. She noticed the way his handsome face shone under the dim light of the tablemp of her dorm.


    Roman ced one of his hands on his back and, with ease, pulled his shirt off his body, showing his taut muscles. He threw it on the floor before hovering in front of her.


    "Your heart is beating faster than usual," Roman pointed it out to her, and Julie softly smiled.


    "It has been a while..." her voice trailed into a whisper with a hint of shyness in her eyes.


    One corner of Roman''s lips pulled up while his eyes were fixed on her. He said to her, "It is good to know that I can still raise goosebumps on your soft skin, hear your heart thump in such speed like a bird that is singing as fast as it can... so sweetly."


    Julie ced her hand on his chest, where his heartid beneath that didn''t beat like hers. She stared at it for a second before moving up her gaze to look at him and asked, "You threw up blood today because of Griffin."


    "It was nothing that I couldn''t handle," Roman assured her, cing his hand on her cheek and caressing it. "Griffin''s ability isn''t enough to kill me. His ability is not applicable because of the dark stone that lies in my heart."


    Julie nodded, d to hear that Roman was fine. She raised both her hands as if wanting a hug from him, and Roman pulled her up in his arms, quietly hugging her. There was no need to rush things as they had all the time they needed. He pet the back of her head with his hand.


    "He has a very strange ability," murmured Julie and Roman hummed.


    "He derives the ability from Luciano. The maniption of a shadow to a person''s blood," replied Roman. He then asked her, "Did they do anything to you?"


    Julie shook her head, "Cillian came before Griffin could do anything."


    But feeling her pause as if she wanted to say something more, Roman asked her, "Something you missed?" He pulled away from her, taking a look at her.


    Julie pursed her lips, staring back at him and she then said, "I am not sure about this... but when Cillian appeared to help Caleb and me, Cillian had caught Griffin''s hand and there was a gunshot. The gun was in Griffin''s hand, he was behind me¡­"


    On hearing her words, Roman''s eyes turned dark and rage started to fill in his eyes. He should have known that Griffin would try to pull his dirty tricks against him or Julie, just to feel superior.


    "Rome?" Julie called his name, leaning forward, she pressed her lips on Roman''s lips. This seemed to calm him a little, but that didn''t remove the thought that had been put in his mind right now. She pulled away an inch from him, and said, "Nothing bad happened to me."


    Roman ran his fingers across the side of her face. He continued to run it down her neck, feeling her heartbeat louder under his touch. He leaned back to close the distance between them and said, "It is good that nothing happened to you. I would have made sure he saw hell." Not that he Griffin wouldn''t see something close to it, thought Roman in his mind.


    Julie smiled at Roman''s words.


    Roman unzipped Julie''s dress and helped her out of it, letting the dress join his shirt on the cold floor. Soon he discarded the rest of her clothing. She ced her hands on his shoulders, cing butterfly kisses on his jaw. Leaving a sweet pleasure that only increased the passion that now ran in Roman''s veins for her. Her lips kissed the column of his neck and his chest.


    But before she could move further down in kissing him more, Roman quickly pushed her back on the bed, with her hands pressed over her head, on the surface of the bed. He held her wrists with just one hand, and Julie''s heart skipped a beat.


    Julie didn''t need his words to know that Roman worshiped her because his eyes and his touch alone spoke volumes to her. He ced his hand on her neck, his thumb brushing across her tender neck where he had bit her.


    "Is it painful?" he asked her, a slight concerning to appear in his red eyes. Since he had started to take blood from Julie, he had tried to be as careful and gentle as possible, not wanting it to be painful for her.


    "No," replied Julie. "It has never been painful..."


    A hum erupted from Roman''s chest, almost vibrating. His fingers glided from her neck between the valley of her breasts, where her tips had hardened over her arousal. A gasp escaped from Julie''s lips when he brushed his hand over the curve of one of her breasts. He flicked his finger on her tip, and she took a sharp breath over the electric shock that moved from the tip to the wetness that had formed between her legs.


    Roman used the back of his fingers to brush her skin, and her body responded, and her body moved up and down as Julie responded to every brush and stroke his fingers drew on her delicate skin. His hold on both of her wrists loosened, and Julie continued to keep her arms that way, noticing the way his eyes watched every expression that passed on her face.


    "Ah!" Julie moaned when Roman''s finger pushed right into her entrance, stretching and filling her.


    He slowly thrusted his finger in and out, preparing her. And when she was ready, he pulled out something from below the bed where his trouser was, and Julie heard the sound of something tearing. After a few seconds, he spread her legs wide, cing his own hardened member to rub against her wet sex.


    Julie''s body arched, feeling the sensation building on every tip of her nerves. Her heart and mind didn''t need further preparation, as if it had been aroused and teased enough. Her body craved for more, wanting him. Roman leaned forward, peppering kisses on her neck before leaving wet kisses as he continued to tease her.


    "Rome..." Julie moaned his name, and when he heard his name spilt out from her lips, it was enough for his manhood to harden even more.


    "I am here," he responded to her, his words reverberating on her skin and watching her writhe in pleasure.


    When she felt Roman positioning himself in front of her entrance, Julie loosely wrapped her legs around his waist. With one single thrust, he entered her. Filling every inch of her, and her back arched from the bed, her hands that hade to lie next to her body twisted the sheets beneath her.


    Each thrust was more powerful than the previous one, and Julie''s legs tightened around him. Watching Roman in the throes of the lovemaking had its own kicks, and Julie basked in it. His eyes were half-closed, and his lips parted, where if it was cold, one could see the steam pass through his lips. His hands supported her, and she saw his muscles move sexily.


    When Roman noticed her keenly watching him, something passed through his eyes and before Julie knew it, the movements of his hips had gained more momentum. Unable to hold on to the intense pleasure, Julie threw her head back and moaned his name until she felt she was being pushed to the edge of the cliff... and she then soared.


    Her eyes had turned dazed, and soon she felt Roman''s release, his hands gripped on her waist and bottom before it loosened.


    Both of their breaths had turned harsh, and Roman pulled himself out of her before falling next to her. He hooked his arm around Julie''s waist to bring her close to him, where she was still dazed by the arousal and pleasure she had felt.


    Roman kissed Julie''s neck, and she hummed with a smile that spread on her lips.. It felt as if the love that she had been secretly denied to her hade in the form of a vampire who didn''t have a heart but had a soul thatpleted her.

 Chapter 241 - Not Leaving You Behind

    Julie''s legs were entwined with Roman''s legs, and one of her hands was ying with the back of his hair while he had buried his head under her chin. His nose tickled the skin on her neck, and a breathy air passed through her lips. His jet ck hair was soft, and she weaved her fingers through them over and over again.


    After spending their time passionately, they now quietlyid in the bed, with a nket covering their bodies.


    "Rome," Julie whispered his name, but hearing no answer from him, she presumed he had fallen asleep.


    Even though Roman told her that he was fine and capable enough to dodge the attacks and that Griffin''s ability had not hurt him. But Julie couldn''t help but question how much damage his body had taken while resisting the vampire''s attack. One of Roman''s hands was around Julie''s waist, and she slowly tried to move back. But her attempt was futile as in sleep, Roman pulled her closer to him, burying his head in her bosom, while sheid there without moving again.


    Wanting to make sure he was alright, Julie kept her hands still before starting to concentrate on Roman''s body. Her body started to glow blue in color, and she tried to take away the pain and fatigue that his body had gone through today. When she finished taking a decent amount of pain and fatigue into her own, she fell asleep.


    When the next morning arrived, some of the humans werepelled, who had witnessed the main building on fire. The sses hade to an end so that the students could prepare for their exams, leaving Julie and Roman to spend their time in Julie''s dorm bed with each other. Though Julie was thest one to sleep, she was also the first person to wake up, and she gently kissed the top of Roman''s head, something that was rare for her to do as it was often her, who was tucked under his chin, securely.


    Time like these were the ones that made it appear as if everything was normal, that time had turned back to when she had only joined Veteris. But then, it wasn''t like the trouble they were all facing was not something new, and it was here before she was even born.


    She was thinking about something when she suddenly felt Roman''s fangs pierce through the skin of her neck, and she winced. She moaned his name, "Rome..."


    "Mm," came the response from Roman, who continued to suck her blood. Once he was done taking little sips from her, he licked the spot and kissed it. "Sorry, I couldn''t resist such a delectable sight of meal which was right in front of me."


    "I didn''t know you were awake," replied Julie, moving her body downwards so that she could be face to face with him. Her nose touched his, rubbing it lovingly, and Roman suddenly caught the back of her head before he conquered her lips. "Wait!" she protested, turning her face, to only receive a bite from him on her jaw.


    Roman''s eyes turned dark, with his body that had only woken up from the sleep he had. Julie refusing him from kissing her had slightly irked him.


    "I need to brush my teeth!" she protested, feeling his nose graze down her neck, and she gasped on feeling him press his body against hers.


    "Does that mean it is okay if I kiss and love you elsewhere?" questioned Roman, looking at her with a look of seduction in his eyes.


    Julie trembled when Roman''s hand moved between her legs, touching the flesh there that was still tender after yesterday''s love-making. Her hands were quick to grip on his shoulders, and her lips parted with moans spilling out from her delicate lips.


    Roman believed no other girl could make him feel the way Julie did. She was everything he had ever needed.


    He watched the swirl of desire and her body continuing to tremble as he continued to pleasure her. He liked to see her like this, her body twisting and writhing under him, unable to keep her eyes open and wanting to shut it close. He pushed her to the brink before she came undone in his hand.


    Julie heaved for air, her chest rising and falling like the waves on the beach. She was going to question how Roman still had the energy to please and arouse her. To think that he still wanted her was a thrill in itself.


    Despite Julie''s earlier protest, Roman kissed her on her mouth and said, "Now only if your dorm was attached to a bathroom. It would have been wonderful."


    "Your room never had a bathroom attached to it?" asked Julie, remembering the Dormitoriums where once manors.


    "No," Roman shook his head. "This room wasn''t exactly a guest room or one that was used by the family before I entered the Moltenore''s family. Lady Petronil, she wanted me to move to another room when I entered my teenage years. There was a fairly good and decent room next to Tristan''s room."


    "You didn''t want to take it?" she asked in curiosity.


    "I got used to this room, and I enjoyed this one better than the upgrade. It had an easy ess to jump in and out of the room," replied Roman with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Also... I preferred to maintain a few distance from everyone. I liked my space."


    "I understand," replied Julie, and Roman hummed.


    "Donovan said there''s a house that is two towns away from here. I will be moving there once I am done graduating from Veteris," said Roman. Roman raised his hand, tucking the strands of Julie''s hair behind her ear while her brown eyes stared back at him. He sat up on the bed, and she followed him. He picked up her hands. A hint of sadness had appeared in her eyes at the mention of him not being here next year. Of course, it was a whole different thing if Veteris ceased existing if the hunters or the other vampires decided to attack them.


    "I wish we were in the same year," murmured Julie, and a faint smile appeared on Roman''s lips.


    "I won''t lie... in the past I wished for it too. But then I realized things wouldn''t be the same, and I like it the way things are now," responded Roman, his thumb grazed on the back of her hand, staring into her eyes. "It feels like it was only yesterday that I crashed into you in the main building''s hallway."


    Remembering her first day brought Julie a smile on her lips. "It was some day," and the smile on her lips faltered, "Will youe to visit often?"


    Roman continued to stare at her before he said, "I was wondering, as it is just two towns away from Veteris. What do you think aboutmuting from there to here for your sses?"


    Julie blinked at him, and a shy blush appeared on her cheeks. Her lips parted, but it didn''t move after hearing Roman''s proposal. She asked him, "You mean to move in with you?"


    "Yes," answered Roman, and the faint smile on his lips increased on seeing Julie''s expression. "You didn''t think I was going to leave you here, all by yourself, did you?"


    "But all the students are required to live in the Dormitoriums. The rules," stated Julie, and a mischievous smile appeared on his face.


    Roman gave her a nod, "Well, that''s for the ordinary students. I am sure Ms. Dante can make an exception in your case. After all, the people you are rted to are highly influential. You have me, you have Donovan. I am sure Donovan will be able to help you in that. So what do you say? Want to move in and live together for the rest of our lives?"


    Julie bit the inside of her lip before putting her arms around his neck and grinning widely, "Yes. A thousand times yes."


    A chuckle escaped from Roman''s lips, and he ced his hand on the back of her head and the other around her waist to hug her. He kissed her cheek, "Maybe once we are done with our exams, we can go and look at the furniture and wallpapers?"


    Though they were still students, where they were not married, it seemed like they were already doing things a married couple would do. Roman had already nned everything out when Julie hade into the picture, taking her into the equation when it came to doing things. And now that she didn''t have a family to go to, as her uncle had moved out of state, she needed solid ground, and he would give her that.


    "I would love that," replied Julie, her body looking nothing less than a ko bear that was hugging a tree.

 Chapter 242 - Knock On The Door

    While Julie and Roman had already started to n their future days together, after an hour, in the next dorm, Mnie had just entered the room after showering. She had a dazed look on her face, resembling a zombie as she had barely got a wink of sleep after her conversation with Conner.


    She sighed loudly before pulling the towel from her head, in which she had wrapped her wet hair. Her thoughts went back tost night before she had left the boy''s Dormitorium. She had not responded to Conner''s words and had instead dodged by saying she was tired. Escaping from there as soon as she could.


    "Why now?!" Mnie questioned the wall before frowning deeply. This was not how things were supposed to happen, but then what exactly was supposed to happen? She asked herself.


    While she got ready, picking up her clothes, even though she doubted she would leave her dorm today, she didn''t know how to deal with things anymore. Maybe the best was to let things be. However it was, she thought to herself. But what good would that bring?


    Mnie had been in love with Conner for so long that it had taken every ounce of effort and willpower in her to stop those feelings. And though they weren''tpletely gone, someone else had slipped or seeped into her mind.


    Simon Wace, the red-headed vampire.


    It wasn''t like she was in love with him, or they held any rtionship with each other. But then why?


    "Why do I feel like I am going to do something very very wrong?" She shook her head, feeling goosebumps forming on her skin.


    When she was done wearing her clothes, Mniebed her hair, standing in front of the mirror. After a few seconds, she heard someone knock on the door, and Mnie believed it was Julie as it was time for breakfast. They always headed out of the dorms to the lunchroom at this hour. With ack of appetite and stress running through her veins, which was rted to the heart and mind, she opened the door and said,


    "I don''t think I will be joining you and Conner at the lunchroom today. Can you bring¡ª"


    Mnie stopped mid-sentence when she saw it wasn''t her friend Julie, but a vampire whose hair was red and a little cross hung on one side of his ear.


    "What are you doin¡ªSimon!" said Mnie when Simon entered her dorm and closed the door with a light thud. "What do you want?"


    "Do you even need to ask something so easy?" questioned Simon, and he looked around her room. "Wow, you sure are messy," hemented, looking at her things.


    Gone was the little glimpse of the good boy she had seenst night, and Simon was back to his usual antics. Mnie said, "I didn''t get enough time to clean my roomst night and with the exams, I needed all the references," she said, looking at the books that crowded the floor.


    "Of course,st night," replied Simon, with a hint of bitterness and a sour look on his face. "How can I forget," he offered her a quick fake smile before the smile dropped from his face.


    Mnie slightly frowned and noticed the bruise on his face, something she hadn''t seen while leaving the Elders and others. She asked him, "Where did you get the bruise from?" She wondered if Simon regretted helping her yesterday.


    "The Elder''s decided to punish me for helping you and Conner. For taking your side," Simon lied about it for his own benefit. He added, "Now I wonder if it was even worth it."


    Simon''s words were a little snappish, and it hurt Mnie, unknown to her that the red-headed vampire had seen her being embraced by Conner. She pursed her lips and said, "I apologize for dragging you into this. I didn''t take in the consequences and the trouble I was going to put you in." Her eyes lowered because she did drag him into her trouble.


    "You should be," Simon took the opportunity to put the frustration that had built and piled sincest night. "So did you both reconcile? Are you a couple now?" he asked her.


    "Huh?" responded Mnie, for a moment not getting it. She then said, "No, we aren''t."


    "So did you decide to give him time, so that you can bring your feelings back the way they were? But then considering how you wanted to save him, putting your life on line, maybe they still are in there," remarked Simon, his tone still crisp like a child, who was throwing a tantrum.


    "It has nothing to do with you," said Mnie, and they stared at each other without breaking eye contact.


    Simon took a step forward, and Mnie tilted her head before taking one step back. He said, "It has nothing to do with me? I would beg to differ." His crystal green eyes stared into hers, "So what is your answer going to be?"


    "I didn''t sleep enough and would like to sleep right now," replied Mnie, and Simon rolled his eyes. Why did both the boys decide that she had to decide an answer? If Simon had not told her about his family and what had happened, she would have rudely told him that he was someone she would never fall for. But then, she wasn''t that heartless. "It is also very rude to be intruding into a girl''s dorm doors without permission."


    Simon raised his eyebrows and asked her, "Would you prefer I make sure of the windows next time? Not that I mind, but just for the record, your windows face the front side of the Dormitorium and people might think something fishy is going on, not that I mind," he exined it to her.


    Mnie closed her eyes, not wanting to scold him, and the next time she opened her eyes, Simon''s face was right in front of her.


    Startled, Mnie quickly moved backwards to end up cing her foot on one of the books. Before she could lose her bnce, Simon caught hold of her, and she scolded,


    "What do you think you are doing?!"


    This time it was Simon who tilted his head, and he asked, "I am sorry." And he let go of her, for Mnie''s eyes to widen, and she almost crashed backwards if the crazy vampire didn''t grab her hand. "Well, this was fun, wasn''t it¡ª" but it seemed that it wasn''t enough support, and they both fell on the floor.


    Mnie internally cursed while wincing in pain as she got up. Before either of them could speak, they heard someone knock on the door.


    "It must be Julie," said Mnie, standing up and ready to get the door.


    "I don''t think you should open that door," said Simon, which had her turn and looked at him. Another two knocks were heard.


    "I am not scared that you are here," huffed Mnie. It wasn''t like her friend didn''t know that Simon had a few screws loose in the head department. When she was about to reach for the doorknob, she heard,


    "Mnie?"


    Mnie froze on hearing her mother''s voice on the other side of the door.


    Simon leaned to the side and said, "Yeah, it seems like your family is here."

 Chapter 243 - Visiting Dear Daughter

    Mnie had a cold feet moment, where she started to panic on hearing the knocks along with her mother''s voice. Why was her mother even here in the first ce?! She looked back and forth in her room before her eyes fell on Simon, who slowly got up.


    "Mnie? Are you still sleeping?" questioned her mother.


    Her lips parted, and she answered, "I will be right there, mom." She turned to Simon and whispered, "You should leave right now."


    "Why?" questioned Simon, and Mnie looked at him if he was being serious.


    "What do you mean why? Mom is going to think that something is going on between us," Mnie caught hold of Simon''s arm and pulled him near the window.


    Simon offered her a mischievous smile and said, "But that is the truth, isn''t it?" and he stopped her from pulling him near the window. He stepped forward,pleting the unfinished work that he had earlier started. "I don''t know if you are doing it on purpose, but you would have to be blind to not notice that something is going on in between us."


    Mnie looked back and forth between Simon and the dorm door, where her mother was probably getting impatient from waiting outside. She opened her lips to speak, but Simon ced his finger on top of her lips.


    "Shh..." he hummed, his green eyes shifting from her eyes to her lips. "Always ready to protest and go against my word."


    Mnie''s face was set on me when she felt Simon brush his thumb across her lips. W-what was he doing? Her lips trembled, and she said, "Simon, stop."


    "Why?" Simon questioned her back, moving his face closer to her. "Do you deny that you feel nothing for me, apart from hate and annoyance. I can guarantee you that one day when I am not here, you will miss me terribly and you will feel like a frustrated cat who wants to scratch the walls."


    "Are you way over your head," asked Mnie, using both her hands and pushing him away from her. "It would be better for you to leave right now."


    "Are you Conner''s girl now?" questioned Simon, who dropped his hand that was hanging midair.


    Mnie''s lips were set a thin line, and she replied, "I am no one''s girl. I am my own person." Simon stared at her for a few seconds. Hearing the knock again and her mother''s voice, she said, "Go now."


    Simon went to open the window of the dorm, but instead of opening, he turned to look at her and said, "I don''t think you have good luck today."


    "Stop fooling around before someone decides to break open the door, Simon!" Mnie red at him. Simon pointed his thumb to the window, which had her walk towards it. When she looked outside the window, she squinted her eyes. Her father was right there, talking to one of the professors, and if Simon decided to jump out of the window, they would easily be able to see him.


    "You know... this feels like we are ying Romeo and Juliet. You are a hunter''s daughter, and I am from the vampire''s side, let us not die tragically, so confess yo¡ª" Mnie pulled Simon towards the closet, not giving him the opportunity to speak. "I prefer under the bed better."


    Mnie opened the closet door and pushed him inside. She said, "Stay here and please don''t make any noise."


    "What do I get in return?"


    "You get to live without getting a damn stake through your chest," Mnie red at him.


    Simon chuckled, "You must be really attached to me, not wanting to see me dead." Mnie quickly closed the closet door, and she smoothed her hair before walking towards the door.


    Mnie turned to look at the closed closet, and she finally opened the door, noticing her mother standing right in front of her dorm.


    "Mom, what are you doing here?" asked Mnie in a surprised and cheerful tone, looking behind her mother.


    "Why? I cannote here to visit my daughter if I miss her?" questioned her mother, and Mnie shook her head.


    "Of course, you can. Your visit took me by surprise," she replied, "Where''s dad?"


    "He''s outside, talking to one of your professors, to make sure you have been doing well with your tests and sses," answered her mother, whose eyes fell on Mnie''s messy room. Mnie turned to look over her shoulder and then said, "Did you have your breakfast? They have excellent food in the lunchroom and you will¡ª"


    Mrs. Davis waved her hand, "You don''t have to worry about us. We have already spoken to your headmistress. Eloise Dante is it? She already gave permission that we could take you out for a meal and return you here so that you can continue studying for the exam."


    "She did?" asked Mnie, and Mrs. Davis nodded.


    Mnie was sure that the vampiress would have outright denied permission. Before she could step out of the room, in an effort to show her mother the ce around, Mrs. Davis stepped right inside the dorm, caused panic in Mnie''s mind.


    "What took you so long to open the door? I was sure you were sleeping and look at this mess," a look of disapproval appeared on the woman''s face, her gaze moving from her daughter to look at the books and other objects that crowded the room.


    "I was wearing my clothes," replied Mnie, "I just returned from shower and it took a while to dry my hair. You know how I catch cold when I leave it just like that, and with the exams nearby, I didn''t want to take any chances," she rambled.


    Her mother hummed, her eyes moving at the things in the room, and Mnie''s eyes moved to the corner to take a look at the closet where Simon was in.


    "Maybe we should clean up your things before we head for breakfast. You might fall sick by just staying in this ce," pointed out her mother, who dropped her bag on the table and started to pick up the clothes that were dumped on the chair.


    Mnie tried to stop her mother from helping by taking it in her hand, but her mother pulled the clothes back to her. This is not good! Thought Mnie in her head. Her parents had always been strict, and as much as they liked to joke about things, there was a side that scared and worried her. With Simon, a vampire, she didn''t want his identity to be revealed to her parents.


    "My exams will get over in ten days," she reminded her mother, who was busy folding the clothes. "I would have been home."


    "I know," her mother nodded. "You seem a little taken aback by our visit. Everything alright?"


    "Of course, why wouldn''t it be," Mnie shrugged her shoulders. "It is just that this is the first time you havee to visit me here," she remembered how she had asked her mother in the past toe and take a look around Veteris.


    Her mother stepped forward and ced her hand on Mnie''s cheek. She said, "There''s so much disturbance outside Veteris, in our town and the ones around it. We couldn''t help bute and make sure that you and Conner are alright."


    Oh, Conner, thought Mnie in her mind.


    Conner and her parents couldn''t meet each other, if they did, it would be a disaster. Firstly because of the bruise Conner had received, and secondly, her best friend was a terrible liar.


    Mnie smiled, trying to act normal as if everything was perfectly fine. She said, "I am happy you came. You finally get to see how lovely this ce is," and the word lovely only reminded her of what had happenedst night.


    "That''s right," her mother offered her a warm smile.


    And as sweet as the smile was, Mnie, wondered why her parents were here. She doubted it was because they missed her.


    She made sure her mother didn''t go near the closet, but Mrs. Davis was a sharp woman who could tell that her daughter was up to something. When Mnie was about to offer to take the folded clothes from her mother, her mother said,


    "Why don''t you sit down on the bed and let me take care of things here? I am sure you must be tired from all the studying you have been doing."


    Mnie felt a drop of sweat trickle down from her neck, and it slid to her back before being absorbed by the shirt that she wore. She knew if she spoke too much, her mother would be on her, but was there a way to distract her mother now?


    She felt her heartbeat ringing in her ears with every footstep of her mother''s that reached closer to the closet. Mnie knew today was the day either her mother was going to be hurt, or Simon was going to be hurt.


    She saw her mother pull the closet door and catch sight of Simon standing there. The woman''s eyes widened in a mixture of shock and surprise. She demanded,


    "What are you doing here, Simon?"


    Simon stared at her mother with the same smile that he often wore and said, "I have been hiding here upon your daughter''s word. But I think it is time you pay a visit more than the dorm for what you have done." His eyes turned red, and Mnie saw her mother quickly pull out a wooden stake.


    "I knew there was a vampire lingering near our children," her mother red at Simon and tried to stab him, but the vampire pushed her backwards.

 Chapter 244 - Trickling Tension

    Her mother quickly took a stance, where both of them were ready to strike at each other¡ªbut when Mnie blinked, noticing her mother had actually just ced her hand on the knob of the closet and was yet to open it. What she saw was only her imagination, and she shrieked,


    "Ah!"


    But it hadn''t stopped Mrs. Davis from opening the closet door. Only that she had turned to look at Mnie, "What happened?" with a slight frown.


    Mnie sat on the edge of the bed and ced her hand on her knee, "I identally hit my toe to the edge of the bed." Her mother frowned, cing the clothes to the side, and came to sit in front of Mnie.


    "Let me see that," said her mother, checking her foot, while Mnie took a quick nce at her mother before looking at the open closet where Simon stood.


    He looked like a ghost, hiding in there, and Mnie''s head started to spin. She saw him slowly step outside the closet, raising her blood pressure, and she wondered if this was the day where she would faint.


    Simon raised his hand to his lips as if asking her to stay calm, and he slowly made his way to the door. He opened the door and left the room, where when the door closed, it left a little click sound behind that caught Mrs. Davis'' attention, who turned to look at the door.


    "Did someone open the door?" her mother questioned her, and Mnie shook her head.


    "I think the sound came from the next dorm," replied Mnie, and she touched her toe, which was perfectly fine. She could finally breathe a sigh of relief. After her mother was done taking a look at her toe, she asked, "Are the vampires still attacking us?"


    "I think they are scared of us. Most of them have gone into hiding, but we found something very interesting. A couple of days ago, a couple was attacked at the nearby forest, and the girl survived. She was found here near your university," informed her mother, getting up and picking up the folded clothes that she was earlier going to put in the closet.


    "Why are they scared?" asked Mnie, and Mrs. Davis chuckled.


    "They finally know that we will kill them all and won''t show any mercy to them. These blood sucking leeches, they deserve more than just the wooden stakes running through their chest. And I have made the perfect solution, which is much more effective than Silverwater," there was a prideful smile on the woman''s face.


    Knowing how sharp her mother was, Mnie asked, "Are you sure it is effective?"


    "A hundred and one percent. I have tested it on a few vampires, and rogue vampires. One bullet of that potion powder is equal to five stakes in a vampire''s body. It slows down the vampire''s movements, making it easier for us to make the kill," exined her mother with a crooked smile. "How about things here? Have youe across any vampires?"


    Mnie''s hands clenched, and she shook her head, "I think they are all humans. So far, neither did I or Conner have caught sight of any suspicious activities," she answered her mother''s burning question.


    "Is that so," hummed her mother, and Mnie nodded.


    "You believe there are vampires in here?" asked Mnie, feigning innocence.


    Her mother was done picking up her scattered books cing it on the table before standing in front of her. She said, "There is not a ce where there are no traces of vampires. It is often told that it is the quietest ce that usually collects more of these creatures. I thought it was worth taking a look around."


    "Why don''t you let us do the job?" asked Mnie, but Mrs. Davis shook her head.


    "You and Conner need to concentrate on your studies, and don''t worry. This is just a simple trick that will work just fine by me taking a quick visit to the lunchroom''s kitchen," her mother assured her with a confident smile. "We already have people on stand by. If they don''t hear from us, they will be here to catch the possible vampires."


    Dread started to fill in Mnie''s mind, and she carefully said, "Not that I doubt you, mom, but how do you n to do it?" wanting to know what her parent''s n was in Veteris. Her mother pulled out a ss vial from her pocket and showed a colourless liquid in it.


    "You see this, Mel. This is my first and the most prized creation, and you will see the effects it will produce if there''s a vampire who is hiding in here," stated Mrs. Davis, and then said, "Come, let us go have our breakfast. By the way, where is Julie''s dorm?"


    "Um, let me get her. She must have been upte, studying," replied Mnie; leaving her mother in her dorm quickly, she walked to Julie''s dorm.


    Julie was still cuddling Roman, where they bothzed on the bed in the wake of the day. She was drawing circles on his chest when she heard someone knocking on her dorm door. "It must be Mel," whispered Julie. Wearing Roman''s jacket, she reached the door and opened it.


    She was greeted with Mnie looking like a block of ice, and Julie raised her eyebrows.


    "We are going to have breakfast, would you like to join us, Julie?" Did Connere to the girl''s Dormitorium to Mnie from her dorm? Well that was fast, thought Julie in her mind. "My parents are here to visit me," her friend added.


    Julie frowned before nodding her head, "Okay. I will be outside in a minute."


    "Cool," replied Mnie and turned away from the front of the dorm.


    After closing the door, Julie turned to meet Roman''s eyes, who had sat up on the bed. "What are Mr. and Mrs. Davis doing here? Mel looked tense," she said in a low voice.


    "Looks like something led them here. I will go and alert the others," replied Roman. He grabbed his shirt and jacket, wearing them, he slipped out of the window.


    Julie closed the window, and she stepped out of her dorm, making her way to the end of the corridor where Mnie and Mrs. Davis stood.


    "Good morning, Mrs. Davis," Julie greeted the woman, who offered her a warm smile.


    "Good morning, dear. We just wanted to make sure you kids have been doing alright, and decided to pay a visit," smiled the woman, and Julie gave a nod. "How is your preparation for the examsing along?"


    "So far it seems it is fine, but I think only after I see the test papers will I know if I have prepared myself enough," replied Julie, not exactly speaking about the exam, but more about her being a witch.


    They walked to the lunchroom. Mr. and Mrs. Davis slightly stood out as no one had seen them here before, and the ce was mostly filled with students.


    "Where is Conner? Does he not have his meals with both of you?" questioned Mrs. Davis, and soon Mr. Davis appeared to have joined them, where Julie exchanged a polite greeting with the man.


    Julie and Mnie shared a silent look between each other, and Julie could tell that Mnie was soon going to start sweating bullets because of anxiety. She decided to reply to Mrs. Davis'' curious gaze, "Conner said he would join us in the afternoon for lunch. We''ll probably see him during lunch break."


    "Or maybe sooner," muttered Mnie under her breath.


    It was because Conner appeared from through the doors of the lunchroom. Before either of Mnie''s parents could catch a glimpse of Conner, Maximus appeared from behind and pulled Conner outside the lunchroom. That was close, thought both the girls, internally letting go of their breaths for the hurricane of questions that could have hit them.


    "Have you brought it along with you?" Mr. Davis asked his wife, and she gave him a nod. "I checked the other ces, and so far, everyone seems to be clean."


    "The unsuspecting ce is where they sin the most," replied Mrs. Davis, and she carefully brought the vial of ss in her hand. After two seconds, Mnie asked her mother,


    "I had something to ask you both, if you don''t mind¡­"


    "What is it, Mel?" her father asked her, waiting for her to speak.


    Mnie knew there was no way to tone down and make things subtle therefore, she decided to go for it and said, "Do you think all the vampires are bad? I mean I have met the ones who attacked Conner''s father, but do you think everyone are like that?"


    Her mother ced her hand on Mnie''s hand, which had been lying on the table. With a sweet smile, she said, "My innocent daughter, if you have a room full of alligators, will you be able to see which is good and bad? They are all going to pounce and eat you when they find an opportunity. What you need to remember is that all vampires are bad."


    "But vampires are not reptiles," murmured Mnie, and this was enough for her to receive a re from her mother.


    Mrs. Davis stared at Mnie before she turned to her husband and said, "It is time for us to go to the counter. I will slip into the kitchen and you can distract the man at the counter."


    "See you girls in a bit," said Mr. Davis, and they stood up from the table.


    "What are we going to do, Julie? They are going to expose the vampires and themselves to the vampires.. It is going to be a disaster," said Mnie in pure panic.

 Chapter 245 - Raising Suspicion

    With the trouble that had suddenly descended to Veteris, Julie had failed to notice something. To confirm she turned to Mnie and whispered, "Do they know that I know about vampires?" It was because Mr. and Mrs. Davis had replied to Mnie''s question about vampires not being good in her presence.


    Mnie shook her head, "I think they believed that you knew, as I was the one to bring up about the vampires at the table. They must have assumed that I told you as we are close?" She bit her lip, realizing the mistake that she hadmitted in front of her parents.


    Far away from the table, Mr. and Mrs. Davis continued to walk towards the lunchroom''s counter. Mr. Davis spoke to his wife in a low voice, "Did you notice it?"


    "I did. It seems like it isn''t just Conner, but also our daughter who seems to have a hard time keeping a secret," replied Mrs. Davis, but that wasn''t what bothered her. "There must be more than one vampire¡­ for Mnie to want to defend those blood sucking leeches."


    Mrs. Davis was a woman who was a hunter since she was a young girl. After seeing her brother and her father being killed by a group of vampires, she had vowed to kill every vampire and send them back to hell, where they rightfully belonged.


    In the meantime, Donovan appeared in the lunchroom with Luciano, arguing about something in a hushed tone. Julie, who noticed their presence, searched for Roman, her eyes roaming across the entire lunchroom.


    "We need to ask the person in the kitchen to not serve the food. It is going to be a bloodbath, if the vampires are exposed," stated Mnie, and Julie couldn''t agree more.


    And then Simon appeared through the main doors of the lunchroom, walking towards Mr. and Mrs. Davis and stopping them from going further by engaging them in a conversation. Within a few seconds Roman entered the lunchroom, and Julie walked to him and asked, "Mnie''s parents are nning to feed something lethal to the vampires. Mrs. Davis is going to enter the kitchen."


    Roman''s eyes were on the hunter couple, and he replied, "Yeah, Simon said he would handle it. He ns to switch another vial of water in the woman''s pocket."


    "She''s holding it in her hand," said Julie, worrying to mark on her face.


    "I will be back in a bit," murmured Roman, and he left Julie''s side.


    Mr. and Mrs. Davis had never met Roman and didn''t know who he was. He casually walked towards them as if going to the counter to get his breakfast. He came to stand behind the couple while listening to them speak to Simon.


    "It is good that we have someone we know to look after Mnie and Conner. After all, they are still learning and it has barely been a few days," spoke Mr. Davis, and Simon offered them a polite smile.


    "It is the least I can do," replied Simon, and he then said, "What brings you here?"


    "We are here on a mission of checking to see if everything is as clean as it is supposed to be," answered Mrs. Davis, continuing to hold on to the ss vial. "Did you know that someone died outside Veteris ground? In the forest. It has been all over the news."


    "I think I must have heard something simr to it, but Veteris'' staff usually doesn''t bring such things to the students'' attention except warning them to not wander away from the property," responded Simon, and he asked them, "Have you brought Silverwater with you? I have some if you need to double the effect," he offered them.


    "That won''t be needed. I have something much better than Silverwater," replied Mrs. Davis, and Simon tilted his head.


    "What is it?"


    "It is one of my creations. I call it poison Ivy," smiled the woman, and she looked down at her hand where the vial was present.


    Simon''s green eyes locked on the little ss, and he asked, "May I see it? I don''t think I have ever seen anything that has been able to surpass Silverwater."


    Though Mrs. Davis knew that Simon was a hunter, she didn''tpletely trust him enough. But then it wasn''t like he would take it with him or drop it. She gave it to him without taking her eyes off the vial and keeping a close eye on it as it was the key to unlock the truth of Veteris.


    "To think that such a little thing can do an enormous damage one can imagine," said Simon, and he continued, "I have been trying toy traps and wait for people to step into it¡­bite me," he whispered thest two words. "But unfortunately, I have been having hard luck in finding them. I sometimes wonder if I should perhaps just quit university and get a hunting job. After all, it is much more thrilling and satisfying than going to end up in a four walls job."


    "I get what you mean, but you havee so far. I think you would be a wonderful assistant, if you ever n to divert a little from your actual streams," Mrs. Davis offered him a job in her own office. "Once Mel graduates, she will be joining us and we can create even better solutions to inject into the vampires and put an end to the entire race."


    A pleased expression appeared on Simon''s face, and he said, "I am really thrilled over the offer. Thank you very much, Mrs. Davis, I will be sure to consider it."


    Mr. Davis continued looking around at the students, keeping an eye to find a single trait of the vampires. But so far, he couldn''t find even one. But the truth and the fact about Veteris vampire students was that they were taught to camouge with the humans, to not stand out and to appear like any other human. Being in the presence of many human students, the vampire students were used to such an atmosphere and weren''t on high alert as if they were going to be caught any second.


    Simon said to them, "My family will be very happy to know that I am being offered a job in the huntersmunity."


    "I am sure they will be. We people need to stick to each other," replied Mrs. Davis, and just for a moment, her head turned to look at the counter as two students had moved away, giving them space to walk forward.


    In that window of the gap, Simon quickly slid his hand in the pocket of his jacket. But just as he pulled his hand out with the vial, Mrs. Davis'' eyes fell back on him and his hand.


    The woman''s eyes quickly narrowed at him.


    Julie and Mnie, who were far away from them, could still see what was going on, and they felt their hands turn sweaty and their heart beating louder than ever. They didn''t want anyone in this room getting hurt.


    "Shit!" Mnie cursed under her breath on seeing her mother catch Simon slipping the ss vial into his pocket.


    "I think we should go there," said Julie, so that Mnie''s parents wouldn''t start killing the vampires right now.


    Back at the counter, Mrs. Davis asked Simon, "What did you just do?"


    Simon gave a nk expression as if he didn''t know what the woman was speaking about. He asked, "Nothing at all. I was taking out my handkerchief," he said, pulling it from his pocket. But there was clear distrust written in Mrs. Davis'' eyes, and it was then that the doubt of suspicion was nted in her mind about the boy.


    "What happened?" questioned Mr. Davis, who had not noticed it.


    Roman, who had been standing there near the counter, picked up his coke can and walked past them, walking close to Simon''s back because of the students who hade to hover near the counter.


    Mrs. Davis didn''t reply to her husband, as she had caught something on Simon. The boy stretched his hand, giving her the ss vial. He casually said, "I think it would be interesting to see the possible doom this little thing can bring, if there are people whom we are anticipating."


    The woman took the ss vial from Simon''s hand, but she didn''t stop there and stepped forward, holding his wrist. Her hand went straight to the pockets of his jacket, squishing it in her hands, but found nothing in there.


    Simon innocently raised his eyebrows, "Did something happen?"


    Mrs. Davis was sure that she had caught his hand slip and drop the ss vial into his pocket before picking it up. As if there was another ss vial, waiting for him to switch it. She looked down, noticing it was her own ss vial and it had the same design.


    She straightened Simon''s jacket and said, "You have a lovely jacket. Where did you buy it from?" diverting the conversation.


    "It was a gift from my cousin," replied Simon, his voice still polite, and Mrs. Davis gave him a nod.


    Back at Julie and Mnie''s table, the girls were biting their nails when Roman appeared and sat down next to Julie. She asked him, "You left Simon with them. Is it alright?"


    "I am sure he can handle them just fine," replied Roman, gettingfortable in the chair. He wondered how serious Simon was when it came to the hunter girl because it was obvious that his attention was on Julie''s friend. "Because the ss vial is here."


    Julie and Mnie turned to look at the little bottle that Roman held in his hand now. They looked surprised, and Julie asked, "How did you get that?"


    "Quick hands for a vampire are a fortunate thing," one corner of Roman''s lips pulled up, and he watched what was going on near the counter.


    When Simon had dropped the ss vial inside his pocket, Roman had quickly picked it up with a little tear that was made in the jacket pocket. The red-headed vampire had then pulled another simr looking vial of ss filled with water from anotherpartment. The ss vials were identical because Simon had stolen one of them when he had visited Mnie''s house.


    But hunters had a better eye when it came to movements and picking up subtletiespared to the other average humans. Which was why there had been a high chance of one of the Davis'' catching sight of it. Especially considering how Mrs. Davis guarded the ss vial like a snake.


    Roman leaned and ced a kiss on Julie''s temple, "I am here. There''s nothing to worry about when I am around. I will handle anything for you," he said to her, and she believed in his words. "I will go give this to Isolde and join my father at the table. Just so that he doesn''t create havoc by mistake."


    Roman stood up from the table and walked to where the two Elders were seated, ordering one of the vampires on what they would be eating.

 Chapter 246 - Crumbs Of Death

    With Simon, who had switched the ss vials, Veteris was safe and saved from being exposed another day. Mr. and Mrs. Davis''s attempt had been wasted, and receiving no reaction from anyone even after noon, they finally decided to leave the university.


    Conner met up with Mnie and Julie, who looked like they hade out from a war. He asked Mnie, "What were they doing here giving a surprise visit?"


    "Their suspicion is growing about Veteris holding vampires, and for now, it seems like that they aren''t going toe here anytime soon," replied Mnie. She let out an exasperated sigh.


    "Looks like it was good that I showed upte in the lunchroom. Maximus came out of nowhere and dragged me out of the building," said Conner. "How are you doing?"


    "I was stressed, but I am good now," replied Mnie. "If it weren''t for Simon and Roman, I think we would have been in trouble."


    Conner gave a slight nod before he asked Mnie, "How long do you think we''ll need to hide it from them?"


    "We are going to be here only for a year more. Maybe we can take up the job of protecting this side¡­" suggested Mnie, but Conner wasn''t exactly keen on it.


    He said, "I won''t tell our parents, Mel. I know you are on good terms with them, but you need to know that I don''t think I will be able to make peace with what they did to Reese." Though only one person killed her, the others were responsible for cleaning and hiding the truth. "Some are good, some are bad."


    Julie knew Conner was struggling with his thoughts, and if it weren''t for Mnie and her in the picture, he would have probably drawn out the wooden stakes to attack the vampires in here. She asked him,


    "Do you want to go and visit her, Conner?"


    Conner gave it a thought before he replied, "Maybeter. Where is Roman and the others?"


    "They must be busy securing the walls of Veteris," replied Julie, and she said, "I will be going and visiting Willow Creek."


    "Now?" asked Mnie, and Julie nodded.


    "I haven''t been able to contact Cillian sincest evening. I wonder if he''s probably hibernating in there," exined Julie, and she said, "I will catch up with you bothter."


    Saying this, Julie left them and headed towards the town of Willow Creek.


    And while Julie did that, the same time Mr. and Mrs. Davis, who had left Veteris in their car on their way home. Mr. Davis asked his wife,


    "What was that about with the boy?"


    "I felt something was off about him today. As if he slipped the vial into his pocket to hide it and divert us from there," replied Mrs. Davis, who stared outside the car through the window. "Even more strange was that our daughter decided to tell her best friend about the existence of vampires, who looked not one bit shocked," she hummed.


    "Do you think the word has spread that humans know about vampires in this university?" questioned Mr. Davis, who was driving the car, his eyes on the road.


    Mrs. Davis shook her head, "That wouldn''t be possible. You and I both know that the vampires have rules. A human cannot know about the existence of the vampires, and if they do, they are immediately killed or turned. And our daughter is not turned as she is very much a human."


    Back in Veteris, near Willow Creek, Julie walked on the bridge. The ce continued to snow, and she had forgotten how cold the ce was.


    "Cillian? Are you here?"


    Julie called the Corvin''s name in hopes of finding him here. She walked around the ce and after a while, she finally found him in one of the houses. He sat in the corner with his legs stretched and his hands on either side of his body covered in the cloaked sleeves.


    "What are you doing here by yourself?" asked Julie,ing to sit on the back of her heels near him. "I have been trying to contact you, but I wasn''t able to reach you."


    Cillian turned his bird-like face to Julie and apologized, "Forgive me for not responding to you, I haven''t been feeling myself."


    "What happened?" asked Julie in concern, and a subtle frown appeared on her forehead. "Did you stumble into a ce you were not supposed to? Was it Griffin?" Wondering if Griffin had somehow harmed the Corvin, and that is why he was not his usual self.


    Before Julie could ask more, the Corvin''s body trembled and shook as if he was coughing. He said, "I thinkst night, something was awakened and it affected me."


    "You mean our bond isn''t there anymore?" inquired Julie and said, "We can always work onmunication in other ways."


    "No, it isn''t that," responded the Corvin. As the house was old, the windows were covered in dust, not letting light pass through from outside.


    "Light," said Julie, bringing her hand up, and a ball of light appeared that carefully moved to one of the oldnterns, lighting it up to bring in light in the room.


    When the light fell on the Corvin, a soft gasp escaped from Julie''s lips and she asked in shock, "What is happening to you?!"


    The Corvin''s bird-like head didn''t look smooth as it usually did, and instead, it appeared as if it was decaying with spots on it. "I think my time is near," came the ragged words from him, and Julie continued to look at him with a look of disbelief.


    "That''s not possible. Corvin''s cannot die like that, and you have many years ahead of you," she said, while shaking her head. "It''s probably just a temporary effect. Something did happenst night when we were in the restricted side of the forest. Let m¡ª"


    She paused her words, when the Corvin raised one of its hands and showed three missing twig-like fingers and another one disintegrated right in front of her eyes, turning into dust.

 Chapter 247 - Touch Of Dark Magic

    The Corvin''s hand looked nothing less than a broken branch of a tree, where the tips slowly started to wither to dust. Julie felt panic in her mind. She had witnessed her father die in a simr way, and much quicker, that made her wonder how much time Cillian had before he wouldpletely disintegrate into a pile of dust.


    "How do we stop it?" asked Julie, but the Corvin only stared at her.


    "There''s no way to stop a Corvin''s death," Cillian dropped his hand to his side. "Death is inevitable even to the ones who appear to be immortal."


    "But life can be preserved," said Julie, and she stood up. Seeing how Cillian could not apparate from one ce to another or to move, she said, "Don''t die yet, Cillian. Let me go and get the book of spells. There should be a way to stop your body from withering."


    She quickly ran out of the house, across the deserted town and through the wooden bridge. Making her way to her Dormitorium, Julie quickly fetched the book from her dorm in her bag and headed out. Right outside the girl''s Dormitorium, she met Mr. Evans.


    "I need to talk to you about something, Ms. Winters," stated Mr. Evans.


    "Can we speakter? I have something important to do," replied Julie, who looked out of breath and in a hurry.


    "I guess it can wait. It is about checking your soul energy," and the counsellor then asked, "Where are you hurrying to?" questioned Mr. Evans.


    Julie waited for the students to walk past them and said, "Cillian is in trouble. His body is disappearing."


    "Is it time already for him to leave?" Mr. Evans asked in a thoughtful tone, and Julie shook her head.


    "No, it is rted to something that took cest night in the forest. It affected Roman and me, and it even affected Cillian. He was nowhere near the forest, I don''t know why it''s happening to him."


    "Maybe whatever curse or spell that was ced in here, it was supposed to affect the nearby entities who fall under supernatural beings," Mr. Evans came to a conclusion. He decided to apany her because he could tell that Julie was being reckless when it came to using her soul energy. Ready to help anyone in need, he needed to make sure that she knew when to stop.


    On their way to Willow Creek, he said,


    "While I was looking for something, during my stay here. Many years ago, before your mother''s time, there used to be a powerful witch, the first witch. No one knows what happened to her or where she went. She was also the person who sessfully was able to provide abilities to the vampires through the stones. I wonder if she has something to do with what happened. Her name hade up, when I was brushing through some stuff in Veteris."


    "You think she''s the one who cursed thends?" asked Julie, her feet quickly moving on the forest ground to catch up to where Cillian was.


    Mr. Evans, who kept up with Julie, replied to her, "Curse would be a far fetched term. From what I gathered, the woman tried to help her sick child, who was in poor health. She tried to restore the child''s health, but was unsessful. The child passed away, and it was during the same time, she tried to tap into the dark magic. Which is also where some of the witches were able to get the potions to make stones that the vampires use."


    "Do you think the Elders know about her?" inquired Julie, but the counsellor shrugged his shoulders.


    "Considering she existed far before your mother''s time, I don''t know, I don''t have much information about it," answered Mr. Evans. He continued with his theory, "She was one of the oldest residents of Veteris town and while working through to restore and bring back her son to life, I think it affected thends around. Dark magic isn''t something one would often think to touch, because it has side effects. Not everythinges pretty."


    Then that must be it, thought Julie in her mind. Once they stepped inside Willow Creek, they quickly walked to the house where Cillian was resting.


    Sullivan Evans slightly paused his footsteps, and he murmured, "This is Cillian''s house."


    Julie stepped inside the house, where the light in thenterns continued to glow. The Corvin had his back leaned against the wall, sitting in the corner. She pulled the bag that she had been carrying behind her back, bringing it forward and pulling it out one by one. First came the book, and then came the potions. She flipped through the pages, reading the lines before the book spoke of cing her hand on the Corvin''s ribs to check how much life force was still left in him.


    When she raised her hand towards the Corvin, the Corvin used its other hand to hold her wrist, where it had lost three fingers, and only its thumb and index finger was still intact.


    "Don''t," warned the Corvin. "Doing that, you will be putting your body and soul through something you have no idea about."


    "I am going to make use of the potions," Julie replied to him, pulling his hand away from her wrist. She ced it on hisp. She then turned to look at Mr. Evans, d that she had found him on her way. "Do you know what mother used when she brought father back to his human self?"


    The vampire''s eyes subtly widened, and seeing his unwillingness, Julie asked him, "Do you know it, Sullivan?"


    Mr. Evans pursed his lips and then replied, "I wouldn''t rmend you to go with it. Did I fail to mention to you earlier that your mother''s health was affected because of it?"


    Cillian growled as if he was in pain, and he then said to Julie, "You shouldn''t worry about me."


    But Julie refused to leave Cillian in this condition and let him die. They had a book of spells, and she was the great witch, Opaline''s daughter. She wasn''t going to give up on someone who had been there for her, and even though Cillian was going to die for the second time, she wasn''t going to leave him like she had done thest time.


    Cillian then said, "You will not be able to time travel to the past. Once dark magic touches you, it will remove that ability. Are you fine with it?"


    This had Julie pause and think about it. Not travelling to the past meant that she wouldn''t be able to see her mother again. She stared at the Corvin.


    "We will think about itter. Can you please help me, Sullivan," Julie pleaded Sullivan, and the vampire, who often was full of smiles, looked slightly torn on the girl''s request.


    "If I sense your soul is leaving your body, I will stop the process without blinking my eyes. Anything that affects you, will be removed, and you are my top priority," stated Sullivan, with a serious look on his face.


    Julie immediately nodded her head, "Deal."


    With one look at the Corvin, whose shoulder suddenly made a crackling sound before it dropped down unevenly, Sullivan finally gave her a nod and said, "I will fetch the ingredients, while you can prepare the other things that are in the book. You will find two markings on page number six and nine. Take the first half of page six and continue the spell from the second half of page nine."


    "They will work?" asked Julie, and Sullivan gave her a nod.


    "It should. The book is not straightforward with a few clues missing. It has more depth. The more time you spend with it like a puzzle, the more you will learn and find out," exined Mr. Evans, and he stepped out of the house to fetch the things.


    Julie stared at Cillian, who had been unwilling to give that little information or had conveniently forgotten to tell it to her so that she wouldn''t try helping him.


    "What you are going to perform is dark magic¡­something a witch should not sully herself with," the Corvin was finding it hard to speak, and he barely moved from his ce.. Unlike her father, who had disappeared like stardust within two seconds, Cillian''s body was taking time, elongating the agony. "Do you know what happens to them?"

 Chapter 248 - Forbidden Door

    Music Rmendation: Catwoman- Michael Gihino


    ¡ª


    "I will make sure what happened to mother doesn''t happen to me," responded Julie, while she pushed the chairs and tables to a corner to make space for her to perform the spell. She then pulled out the potions and drew circles and lines inside them.


    "I won''t die," she assured him.


    "That''s what everyone thinks about. But they slowly sumb to it," remarked Cillian, who seemed agitated by the thought of her helping him. "Why won''t you let it be? I have lived enough, while you have a whole life ahead of you."


    Julie, who was sitting and finishing the diagram ording to the book, which needed symbols to be written in it, she looked up at the Corvin, who appeared weak. She said, "I know nothing will happen to me. It must be the faith I have in people around me, knowing they won''t let any harme to me."


    "But you are the only one here. You are just like your mother, she used to be reckless too when she was your age," the Corvin spoke in a slightly frustrated voice, which only came out as a growl. He then said, "Go back to your Dormitorium. Stay safe. Tapping into dark magic brings bad luck, as beautiful it appears in the beginning, it slowly starts to corrupt you. Look at the first witch, she couldn''t keep her son alive¡­"


    Julie wondered if Cillian was talking about the same person, whom Sullivan had mentioned a while ago.


    "You¡­ know about that story?" asked Julie, and the Corvin turned his head to look ahead of him.


    "We have heard whispers of horror about it. It was no folklore¡­" his raspy voice turned intense in the silence they sat in. "There are a lot of versions of it. And one of the versions says she brought her son back to life, but he came back as a monster. Not able to bear what she did to him, she tried to fix it, but the damage had been done, and she ended up killing her son herself¡­"


    Upon hearing this, Julie turned speechless for a few seconds. All she could hear was the sound of the crackling fire in thentern as if it was trying not to extinguish itself.


    "What happened after that?" asked Julie softly.


    "We don''t know. She probably killed herself over the madness of what happened," replied Cillian.


    Julie knew she was being warned, but she had her mother''s potions, and she had people to protect her. Two people to guide her and pull her out of any possible darkness that could touch her.


    While Julie was working on the markings, making sure she got all of them, he watched her as if he was watching her for thest few minutes before he would pass through the other side of the door. He noticed the piece of her hair that hovered in front of her eyes, and her face deep in concentration and she looked fearless.


    Julie had just turned to the side, when she noticed the Corvin looking at her. She heard him ask her, "Are you happy, Julianne?" for a moment, she almost felt as if his human voice had spoken to her, remembering his voice.


    "I think I am¡­ Why do you ask?" asked Julie, and the Corvin shook his head. "Don''t be sad, Cillian. I will make sure you are back to your usual self."


    "As a Corvin¡­ I don''t have many emotions¡­" his voice trailed. "I don''t have many regrets. Just a handful."


    "Is there anything I can do? I can try to help you with it," her heart was growing heavier because of their subject of conversation.


    Cillian took a couple of seconds, worrying Julie if he passed away already before he finally raised his hand towards her and said, "Will youe hold my hand for sometime."


    Julie wondered if Cillian was lying about not having emotions and was instead feeling lonely. She gave him a nod. Coming to sit next to him, she held his wooden hand carefully so that it didn''t break under pressure.


    "Do you miss people from before?" asked Julie.


    "Not much. After a while you get used to it," replied Cillian, and she felt the twig-like fingers grow longer before trying to ensp her hand in his. "There is something I wanted to tell you... for a while now."


    Julie stared into his hollow eyes of his bird face, "What is it?"


    "Apart from my family and yours, whom I knew, I always knew you would one day..." he paused for a moment, before continuing, "... be special to me. And maybe in another life, we meet again, in a better settings."


    Julie blinked, not knowing how to respond to his words. She felt him loosen his hand around hers and bring it to her face. She didn''t know Cillian had felt that way...


    Cillian dropped his hand, looking away and the same time Sullivan returned to the house.


    "This should be it. Let me prepare the fire," Sullivan walked towards the circle that Julie had made, his eyes looking at the marking symbols. Once everything was prepared, he said, "Before we begin, remember that the door from the other side will appear. It is the door where the souls have crossed over, dead ones. Good bad. Mostly bad that wille after you so steer clear of them, so you need to know to evade them, while you bring Cillian''s self back. Do you still think you will be able to make it?"


    Earlier, when she was going through the spells, and the steps, at the mention of the ''door'', Julie had believed that the door meant the house door, which would need to be opened and closed, and not a special door.


    She heard another crack, and this time, Cillian''s bird-like head started to crack. She replied, "Yes."


    "I am going to bring you towards the centre," Sullivan informed the Corvin before pulling the creature''s body as carefully as he could towards the centre.


    With everything prepared, Julie took a deep breath before reciting the spells. When she poured the potion at the centre, the liquid moved towards the lines that she had drawn, moving from one end to another, and soon the symbols there started to glow.


    "A witch''s and a vampire''s blood," reminded the vampire, and he used his nail to draw out blood from his palm.


    Julie was the next one, and she winced when Sullivan used a knife to cut the palm of her hand and drops of blood fell on the circle. They heard a noise outside the house, and both Julie and Sullivan turned their heads in the direction of the window.


    Even though Sullivan was aware of the things Lady Opaline had used, he wasn''t there the day thedy had performed the dark magic. She had sent him and her family away without anyone''s knowledge before opening the forbidden door. And as happy as she was to see Knox, Sullivan had noticed the way she looked like she had fought with people for her life.


    Right now, the wind outside the house had increased in its velocity. The trees swayed, along with the other weaker moved in the direction of the wind.


    When Julie finished the incantation, ck fumes appeared from the marking on the ground, and they heard the wailing, sobbing, and the sound of people crying. And then she saw it. In front of her stood a new ck door with no walls, but it had a doorknob.


    "That must be it," murmured Sullivan Evans, his eyes looking at the door with intrigue while also staying close to Julie so that he was there if something went wrong. When Lady Opaline La Fay had sent him to the future, it was with the sole purpose of him protecting her daughter, and Sullivan would do everything in his position to take care of Julianne Winters.


    Julie stared at the door, and it slowly moved before opening itself. She then stood up and stepped right in there. She walked carefully in the darkness, using the spell to locate Cillian''s body that had passed through and had been here for years now. With Sullivan being a vampire, the door didn''t let her enter. Following the trail, she quickly walked, half walking and half running, so she didn''t waste any time.


    Time was ticking like the sand in the hourss, where there was only a little more sand left to fall.

 Chapter 249 - Everything Turns To Dust

    She didn''t know what this ce was called, but it felt eerie. Since the door had opened, the cries of pain had suddenly quietened down. In the dim light, she noticed a few people''s bodies in there, people she didn''t know of, whoy on the floor.


    When she finally found Cillian, his body was near the bridge. She tried to wake him up. Before realizing it was just a body, an empty shell as the soul was still intact with the Corvin''s body.


    "Okay," Julie said to herself, before picking up Cillian''s body and dragging it with her back where she hade from. Thankfully the body was lighter than she had assumed it to be, making it easier for her to take it back in the same path.


    When she got closer to the door, she heard cackling sounds that came near Cillian''s foot, which was on the other side where she was standing. Raising her hand, she tried to bring out light, but her ability didn''t seem to work, and the ce where she stood started to turn colder.


    Julie started to drag Cillian''s body again when suddenly she found it hard to do so as if his body had turned heavy. She used all her force to pull him, but it was of no use.


    ''Do you need help? It seems like you could use some help...'' whispered a voice next to her.


    ''Give him to me, let me get a little closer,'' said another voice, the whisper eerie enough to raise goosebumps on Julie''s skin.


    Julie turned her head to the right, and her breath turned heavy as she hadn''t expected someone here to speak to her. "Who is there?" she asked in a firm voice.


    "Out¡­" said Cillian, whose entire body was breaking and turning to dust. "The other side of the door is¡­ not safe," he said to the counsellor, who was waiting for Julie to return.


    Mr. Evans deeply frowned, and he walked near the door but couldn''t step in. He called out, "You need to get back, Julianne. Do not speak to the others!"


    Julie heard the distant voice of Mr. Evans, and she tried to drag Cillian''s body which was only a few meters away from the half-open door. When she had entered, she had pushed the door wide open, but somehow, it looked like the door was going to close.


    ''You smell so good, and a witch. Perrrfect,'' came another voice, and Julie could only feel her panic rise that there were dead people around her, whom she couldn''t see.


    She shouted back to Mr. Evans, "I am not able to drag his body back!"


    "You cannot stay there for long!" came the distant voice of Mr. Evans again. "The longer you stay in there, the faster you end up being one of them!" he advised, his voice turning worried.


    But Julie didn''t know how to do that. A trickle of coldness ran from her shoulder to the length of her arm when she caught sight of a rotten hand near her. Her body froze in slight terror, and her mind raced. The spells were not working! Maybe she should have thought this through, but then if she took her time, Cillian would transcend to this side of life, and it would be hard to bring him back.


    "I cannot use the spells!" she informed Mr. Evans, and his hands clenched.


    When Mr. Evans turned to the Cillian, the Corvin''s legs left an imprint of dust-like particles on the floor, as the woody legs had disintegrated. The Corvin was making some sort of gurgling noise, and the vampire moved closer to him. He couldn''t hear what the Corvin was saying, but he caught the faint words,


    "Dark¡­tap..."


    Mr. Evans returned near the door and shouted to Julie, "I think you need to use the dark magic. Tap into it."


    Julie cursed herself when she felt someone grab her ankles and hands, pushing her away from Cillian''s body. The creatures in here didn''t want Cillian''s cold body, but they wanted Julie''s body, wanting to trade their lives with hers.


    She felt the creature''s nails dig into her skin, pulling her in different directions as if they wanted her for themselves. In pain, she closed her eyes, trying to remember the pages and the lines of the spellbook that she had tried to memorize.


    While being tugged around, she tried to pull herself away from the creature''s hold and fell on the cold, dusty floor. She turned around, unable to see them yet. When she finally ced both her hands on the ground, she pushed her mind to remember and uttered the spell. Suddenly a radiant orange light emitted from where she sat, and as the light started to spread around her and further away, her eyes widened in horror.


    Julie caught sight of creatures who were like shadows. They didn''t have a proper face, no hair, and no clothes on them. But they did have mouths with jagged teeth that looked like scavengers.


    What were these things?! Julie had never heard or seen anything like this before, and it brought a trickle of fear that ran through her blood. Tapping further into the dark magic, she got the blinding light out that had the creatures around her scream in pain while being pushed far away from her.


    But this also affected her, making her head and chest hurt.


    As she had momentarily gotten rid of the creature, Julie continued to pull Cillian''s body, and she stepped out of the door while being helped by Mr. Evans to get a hold of the body.


    The creatures screamed in anger, and some of the shadows had been furious at her. They tried to catch up to her.


    Julie quickly got hold of the doorknob and harshly closed it.


    Turning to look at the Corvin, Julie went to him and anxiously called his name, "Cillian?"


    But Cillian didn''t respond. He didn''t move, and his body continued to break. Was shete? Her stomach fell, and she turned to look at the body that she had dragged from the other side. She finished thest line of the spells in a hurry, hoping for it to work.


    "Is it done?" asked Mr. Evans while Julie waited for something to happen. For Cillian''s actual self to move, but he didn''t.


    "I followed everything as it was written in the book," replied Julie, her eyebrows knitting together. Minutes passed, and the Corvin''s body had disintegrated entirely into the finest dust, leaving only the ck cloak.


    Julie sat down on the ground, feeling her energy leave her body, and disappointment came to fill her mind. She had hoped to bring Cillian back, hoping he would always be there, another person who was close to her mother. But she had failed.


    Mr. Evans ced his hand on Julie''s shoulder tofort her, "It isn''t your fault."


    "If I had found him sooner, I would have been able to save him," whispered Julie, her eyes lowered, while she stared at the dust that was all that was left behind on the ground.


    She could have saved him if she was faster if she knew what to do. But then, for his body to react like this and what happened yesterday, it was out of the blue. For so many years... things had been left untouched, and all these things had started to react since she had tapped into the soul energy of the deceased witches of Willow Creek.


    "You didn''t know," said Mr. Evans, and his words only confirmed that she was the reason. She had activated something that had been dormant for centuries.


    Her shoulders slumped, and she continued to stare into space. She wondered how many people she would end up putting in line because of the domino effect that took ce around her. A heaviness came to fill in her chest, and she clenched her hands.


    "Ms. Winters. We should take Cillian''s body and bury it," Mr. Evans informed her, but Julie didn''t respond to him until she asked him,


    "How far was Ite in saving him?"


    The vampire knew that Julie''s abilities surpassed her mother''s abilities, but she still had a long way to go when handling the loss of people. Mr. Evans said, "Sometimes... No matter how much we try to save something, it is never enough. You cannot me yourself for it. Just remember that he did the best he could do, and had a second life."


    "I wish he had continued to live," responded Julie, and Mr. Evans softly smiled at the girl''s words.


    "We all wish for people to live as long as we live, but some people''s journey with us is short," replied Mr.. Evans.

 Chapter 250 - Little Late To Be Clearing Doubts

    Music Rmendation- First Greeting- Jin Myeongyong


    -


    Back in the centre of Veteris, Mnie, who had dodged answering Conner''s question, was now in the library with him. Sitting on the opposite side of the table, Mnie focused her eyes on the book so that yesterday''s conversation wouldn''t be brought up again.


    She should have gone with Julie earlier, but then at the same time, she didn''t want to repeat what Conner had done to her. Ignoring her. Once in a while, she felt Conner lift his face and look at her before he went back to reading his book.


    As if that wasn''t enough, Simon had decided to study today in the library and on the same floor, where the table was just a few distances away from where she and Conner sat. Her eyes slowly moved away from her book, and she casually looked around, her eyes falling on Simon.


    She stared at him discreetly, noticing his ming red hair, which was not hard to notice. He yed with a pencil in his hand, rotating it between his two fingers. He didn''t sit alone at the table and was in thepany of his other friend, Victoria and another girl, who was most probably a human.


    The girl enthusiastically said something to him, to which he smiled politely like a saint before replying to what she said. Now that Mnie thought about it, she wondered which side of Simon was real. The polite one or the one who had devil like behaviour. It was obvious that the human girl was into him.


    If she looked past all those embarrassing moments Simon had caused her, he was quirkily handsome. As polite as his behaviour was with people, one look at his face was enough to know that this person was filled with mischief. He pushed one side of his alreadybed hair further behind, and while he did that, his eyes met hers with a smile on his face.


    Mnie stared at him for a second more before looking back at her book.


    "Mel?"


    "Yeah?" Mnie''s voice came rushed. She coughed when Conner gave her a look.


    He patted the book in front of him and said, "I have to go exchange one of the books. It seems like I picked the older edition."


    Mnie watched Conner leave the table with the book, making his way towards one of the book racks. She let out an internal sigh of relief, and she wondered why she was feeling as if she was cheating when she wasn''t in a rtionship with neither Conner or Simon. Was it because of her past feelings that she was feeling conflicted? Asked Mnie in her mind. But then what about Simon?


    "Thinking about me?" came a voice next to her ear, and Mnie almost fell off her chair if Simon didn''t hold her.


    "I have other things to think about. What makes you think I was thinking about you?" Mnie shot back the question. "Do vampiresck the understanding of social distance?"


    Simon pulled the chair next to hers and sat down as if he hadn''t been diligently studying across the hall until now. He replied, "Social distancing is only for strangers. We are more than that, aren''t we. Especially after what happened this morning."


    Mnie''s face turned red, and she replied, "You almost got me into trouble."


    "Hm?" questioned Simon, leaning towards her, "I don''t think it was ever my idea to get into the closet. I mean¡­ it isn''t like we were doing something frisky in your room that you had to hide in there. Your mother knows that I exist and you or I could have just told her that we were discussing your favorite subject: Vampires. But then, you were so worried, as if she would find out that we have a thing going on."


    Mnie narrowed her eyes at Simon, "I panicked. I forgot that I was the only one who knew that you were a vampire."


    "So protective about me. I think our lives together would be wonderful," stated Simon, "Or would you prefer that I profess my undying feelings for you."


    She turned her eyes to her books and asked him, "Don''t you have a girl to tutor or be in herpany?"


    "Jealous?"


    Mnie huffed, "As if."


    "You know, I could sit here with you. Not to mention, I am one year senior to you and will be more helpful in your subjects than your unrequited love. Oh wait, how are things going on in between you two?" asked Simon in a yful tone.


    Did he not ask her about it this morning? It seemed like Simon did enjoy digging into people''s wounds.


    "We are fine," muttered Mnie, and when she saw Conner walk back to the table, she added, "Don''t add any more fire to things."


    "Please, I would never¡­.I wasn''t nning to but now that you mention," Simon shrugged his shoulders, and Mnie red at him. "Hey, man. All prepared for the exam?"


    "Yeah, almost," replied Conner, and he noticed how Simon sat right next to Mnie. How could Simon be a vampire? He questioned in his mind. Simon was the politest and kind person in the room, and if nothing had happened like yesterday, Conner would have never found out. Were looks really deceiving? But then Simon had never tried to harm him¡­ unless he hadpelled him. With a tone of wariness, he asked, "How about yours? I heard what happened this morning. Sorry about it."


    Simon smiled, "No problem. I have to do, what I got to do to protect things that are mine," and the undertone of his words didn''t go unnoticed by Mnie or Conner.


    Conner just gave a nod, and he sat in front of Mnie. He asked Mnie, "Did you have a doubt to clear? Did you not go through it before?" And Simon could tell that the human was trying to chase him away from the table for more than one reason.


    Mnie was about to answer when Simon said, "Yes, she is. Actually, you know what, let me get my books here.. It will be easier to teach you, unless you would like to join our table?" he innocently asked her.

 Chapter 251 - Combined Studies

    Victoria, who was sitting at the table, had her eyes glued at the book that was in front of her. But her ears picked up the little conversation between the two persons who had taken ce at the hunter''s table. Her gaze lifted when Simon stood up from the seat and walked to the table that she was sitting in.


    "Tori, I am heading to that table," Simon chirped like a happy bird with a look of evident mischief in his eyes.


    "I heard," came the dull response from Victoria. Her eyes shifted to look at Mnie and Conner, who were talking about something, and she looked back at Simon, who picked his books. "Isn''t it too soon to stir trouble? Or are you keeping a close watch so that I don''t snap the human''s neck?" she asked him.


    The human girl, who had been sitting in front of them until now in Simon''spany, her eyes widened in fear upon hearing the word snap and human''s neck. She turned to Simon and asked, "What is Victoria talking about?"


    Simon ced his hand on the edge of the chair and leaned forward, bringing his face in front of the human girl''s face. His pupils dted as he stared into the girl''s eyes and said, "Victoria was speaking about how silly she is as she hasn''t finished studying for the exams. You didn''t hear anything else."


    Once he was donepelling her, the girl blinked, forgetting what she had heard and not knowing what had just taken ce. She asked, "Did you say something?"


    "Yes, I have been requested to sit with the juniors so that I could guide them. I hope you don''t mind," he smiled at the human girl, who returned his smile.


    "I guess I finished my studying here too. I will see youter," said the smile, picking her books and leaving the table.


    "Really, you don''t know when not to speak," Simon expressed a look of shock that had Victoria roll her eyes as Simon always enjoyed shocking the students before erasing their memories. "Want toe join the fun at the table?"


    "I think I will pass. You can go on," replied Victoria, not wanting to be part of the possible trouble Simon was going to cause. Sometimes, it was better to stay far away and look from there than be hit by the waves.


    "Suit yourself," replied Simon, turning around, he walked towards the other table. Victoria shook her head before going back to the book in her hand.


    On the other hand, Mnie wasn''t sure if she should perhaps escape from here by saying that she had to pee or had finished studying and would now go back to her Dormitorium. But then, it had barely been twenty minutes since they had settled themselves in the library.


    "I didn''t know you both have be close," said Conner, and Mnie pursed her lips. "I thought I was closer to Simon, but it seems like he found it easier to confide the truth to you."


    Mnie awkwardly smiled because she didn''t know how to tell Conner that Simon hadn''t voluntarily told her about it, and it was just something she happened to catch the night they had found out about the vampire''s existence. That she had hidden and protected Simon from being a dead vampire.


    "He''s be a little tolerable," replied Mnie, and Conner stared at her.


    Soon Simon came to the table and pulled the chair next to Mnie, and he didn''t do it quietly. The vampire dragged the chair''s legs in such a way that it created a screeching noise, gaining attention from the other students who were in the library. Mnie closed her eyes while bringing the book in front of her to hide her face behind it.


    As if his ming red hair and personality wasn''t enough, Simon was making extra noise such that everyone saw him sit right next to Mnie. After spending a few seconds with her nose buried in the book, she slowly pulled it away and red at the vampire.


    "I don''t have any doubts for you to clear. I have finished studying everything that mighte in the exam," stated Mnie beforepletely lowering the book from her face and cing it on the table.


    "You sure you covered everything? I wouldn''t believe you have, until you don''t get full grades. But then what was your rank in your ss again?" inquired Simon in a casual tone. "Do you remember that day when you came to my room to study?"


    Mnie''s eyes widened at Simon''s words, and she quickly corrected his words before Conner would misunderstand, "Julie and I came because Maximus invited us to study with him."


    "Of course," replied Simon, and he peeked into her book to have a look at what she was reading and said, "Now how about the three of us study and if you have any doubt, don''t forget that I am always here," he offered her a bright smile.


    "I am good," replied Mnie, and she went back to studying her book. Conner, whose eyes had lingered between the two of them, wondered why he felt jealous about Simon. It wasn''t like Mnie was even close to him, but he noticed the spark.


    Conner said, "How about you, Simon? Do you really need to study?" It was because Simon was a vampire, and the human didn''t know why a vampire would need it unless it was to drink blood from the students coyly.


    Simon moved his gaze from Mnie to look at Conner. He didn''t have anyint with the boy, but he didn''t appreciate Conner interrupting his fun time with Mnie. Having a constant smile on his lips that twisted in amusement, he replied,


    "I do. In fact, jobs are very much necessary for us people. We need to make sure to blend into the crowd and not stand jobless. Life will surely be mundane if I live off my parents money."


    "So there are more of you, who are into different professions," murmured Conner, not knowing how far the vampires had spread their wings and were manipting the humans'' lives.


    Simon shrugged his shoulders, "Vampires are still people with aspirations and dreams."


    "Dreams of killing people?" asked Conner, his tone turning hostile, but Simon didn''t take offence in it.


    "I won''t lie, some people aspire to things like those, but there are some good bunch. Like our dear headmistress who hopes that vampires and humans live a bnced life," exined Simon, and he casually stretched his arms before cing one of them right behind Mnie''s chair. "Like I want to be a doctor, and some want to be artists like the ones in your ss."


    There were vampires in his ss? Questioned Conner, and he didn''t know if it was time to sweat in worry. How many vampires were in here?!


    "You must be very old then¡­ To be studying here this long," asked Conner, and Simon gave him a nod.


    "I am. I am one of the oldest vampires, who is three hundred and ny-nine year old.. And my birthday is right around the corner," Simon stretched one of his hands towards them and asked, "I like to receive gifts earlier than the date."

 Chapter 252 - Pranking Vampire

    Though slightly worried, Conner appeared to look in awe at Simon because of his age.


    Mnie doubted she had seen anyone lie in such a straight face and make up crap in the air. Rolling her eyes, she said, "He''s only a century old, Conner."


    "Is she always a party pooper?" Simon asked Conner while Mnie red at him. "We aren''t that old. Because we spent quite some time sleeping in the coffins. Now where were we with the studies?"


    Everyone at the table went back to read their books.


    If it was possible, Mnie would have eaten the book through her eyes with the intensity she was looking at it. She didn''t look up, nor did she look to her right to know what the boys were doing. On one side, Conner couldn''t help but asionally look up to see Mnie and Simon reading, and on the other side, Simon rubbed his chin, feeling the gaze from Conner.


    While Mnie was busy studying, Simon poked her arm with the tip of the pencil to get her attention.


    "Ouch!" whispered Mnie, and she red at the vampire. "My ears are working."


    "I didn''t want to disturb Conner," came the innocent words from Simon, and he looked at Conner, who looked up from his book.


    "So you decided to poke me?"


    "Very gently," pointed Simon, and Mnie pressed her lips.


    She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them and asked, "What do you want?"


    "Do you have an eraser? I think I made a mistake," he said, leaning closer to her, and Mnie moved backwards.


    "I don''t have one," she replied to him. "I don''t think anyone would notice a little strike on the page." It was because she doubted Simon had written even a word on the book and was only looking for a reason to annoy her.


    Simon gave her a nod, "Actually I would love for people to see my little art. What do you think?" he asked her, raising the book so that she could take a look at it.


    Mnie''s mouth fell open before she quickly closed it. Where was that pencil that she had been poked with. She would stab him to death with that! It was because Simon hadn''t made a line as she had guessed, nor had he made any notes at the side of the page. Instead, there was a heart that had an arrow, and right above and below it were their names as if they were star crossed lovers.


    I will kill you, thought Mnie to herself before she calmed herself. This was the person, who had a bad childhood, and the trauma probably led him to be the person he was. He could find any girl he wanted, and technically he did date many girls here. Why her now?


    "Did you draw something?" asked Conner out of pure curiosity.


    Mnie''s eyes widened, and she replied, "It is just something stupid, Conner. Do you have an eraser with you?"


    "How rude! This is anything but stupid, I took a great deal to work on it. I am sure Conner will appreciate it," one side of Simon''s lips pulled up in pure mischief, and Mnie could feel her heart pumping loud and quickly.


    She somewhere noticed how Simon was more than happy to drive Conner out of her line of sight so that he was the only person she was looking at. At that thought, she didn''t know what to think because somewhere, she felt one of her heartstrings being pulled towards him.


    Conner was more than willing and curious to take a look at what Simon had made, and he said, "Here let me see. I will be able to tell if it is good or bad," and just like that, Simon handed the book to her friend.


    Mnie bit the inside of her cheek. Conner was going to get the wrong idea, and things were already messy enough to make it even worse, she thought in her mind. With her hands clenched and holding her breath, she saw the smile on Conner''s face fall, and he stared at the page.


    She wet her lips as they suddenly felt too dry, and she said, "Conner, it is not how it looks like¡­" but her friend didn''t respond. "Simon is just goofing around."


    Conner didn''t listen to her, and instead, his gaze moved up and towards Simon, who stared back at him with a calm expression on his face. He asked Simon, "I don''t know what to say about this¡­"


    "What do you think?" came the challenging words from Simon.


    Conner''s eyebrows raised. He then replied, "I didn''t know you had a talent in sketching. This is really amazing," cing the book on the table.


    Mnie looked at the book side where Simon had earlier drawn, and when her eyes fell on the page, her mouth was left agape. The page wasn''t the same. Instead, it was a person''s sketch on a new page. Conner''s sketch, to be precise.


    "I don''t think it''s bad at all. Why did you feel that way, Mel?" questioned Conner with a look of question in his eyes.


    "What can I tell you, Mel seems to be having a hard time when ites to trusting me. Even after we havee to be this close with each other," exined Simon. That was because you are a suspicious person, Mnie used him in her mind. "Don''t worry though, one day Mnie wille to trust me when she falls¡­"


    "Falls?" questioned Conner, his face turning serious.


    "In trouble," Simonpleted his words.


    Mnie didn''t know why, but she felt like Simon was poking Conner over and over again with many subtleties that she doubted Conner had not caught hold of it. When they went back to reading, she red at the red-headed vampire, who touched his lips. That little action was enough for her to stop ring at him and avert her eyes.


    No one had ever moved that close to her, nor did anyone ever attempt to have her heart shake in that manner. She could still feel the little jolt her body had produced because of his finger grazing across her lip.


    Far away from their table, two girls sat at one of the tables. And they looked at Simon and Mnie, who were sneakily staring and ring at each other in the middle of the library.


    "Is he doing her?" asked one of the girls to the other.


    The other girl was Nh, the vampire student in her senior year of Veteris. She watched Simon look at the human sitting next to him and said, "I don''t think so."


    "Huh, looks like he''s having quite some fun with her. The rumored girlfriend of Simon Wace. I thought you guys were closer and he would choose you next to him," remarked Nh''s friend.


    Given Nh and Simon didn''t stick around each other even though they knew each other from their past, Nh didn''t like Mnie''s closeness to Simon. She was the one who had helped him clean up when he had turned into a vampire even though she had been in pain herself.


    When she saw Mnie stand up, excusing herself to fetch a book, Nh stood up from her chair and walked towards the rack of books.

 Chapter 253 - Approaching From The Shadows

    Mnie walked on one side of the book racks, d to be away from both the boys as she doubted she would be able to handle any more stares and res that were being passed at the table. She ran her fingers through her hair, picking up a book, she ced it back in its ce.


    "Do you need help in picking up books?" asked someone from her side. Mnie turned and noticed a girl standing there, with a polite smile on her face. "I apologize, it just seemed that you were having trouble picking up the right book. I am Nh."


    "Mnie," she introduced her name. "I have seen you around in the university campus," she revealed, and Nh looked surprised.


    "You have? I didn''t think I was that popr," she lightlyughed, and Mnie smiled. "What book are you looking for?"


    "Just regr biology," lied Mnie, even though the book she needed, she had already picked it up. Coming here was only been an excuse. "Are you from the science department too?"


    "Guilty as charged," smiled Nh, and she walked to where Mnie stood. "I used to reference one bookst year and it was quite helpful. Let me check if they still have it."


    "Oh, you don''t have to trouble yourself with it," Mnie was quick to refuse, but the senior year student seemed too keen to help her out.


    While Nh was busy going through the books, Mnie took a closer look at the girl, who had beautiful, wavy ck hair that cascaded down her shoulders and reached to her waist. Freckles dusted below her eyes and near her nose, and she looked beautiful with her full lips and long eyshes.


    "Here it is," Nh pulled a book from between two other books and handed it to Mnie. "There you go."


    "Thanks," replied Mnie and the girl nodded.


    "Don''t mention it," she smiled before asking, "I hope you are done with your studies quickly, the professor isn''t generous when ites to grading papers and passing the students. If you want," and while the girl spoke, Mnie couldn''t help but look in the depth of the girl''s eyes which was hazel in colour, "I have some notes with me¡ª"


    Mnie snapped from the dazed look because a little dust particle entered one of her eyes that made her blink her eyes.


    Nh stared at Mnie with a grim expression on her face.. She was in the process ofpelling the human girl, but at the same time, the human had decided to close her eyes and was now busy rubbing her eye.


    "Aw shoot, something went inside my eye. Thanks for the book, Nh. I will be going back to my table," Mnie informed the girl and made her way back to her table.


    Conner had left the table for a moment, leaving Simon all by himself. Mnie noticed Simon writing something on her book, and she quickly pulled it from him. She demanded, "What do you think you were doing?"


    "Writing our children''s names," came the straightforward reply from Simon and Mnie gritted her teeth. Why was this person this frustrating?!


    As if in suspicion, she pulled the book to take a look at the page on what he was writing. And unlikest time, where he had written and hearted their names together, this time it were two stick figure drawings. Their names were written at the top of the stick figures, ''Simon'' and ''Mnie'' and below it was written ''Melon'' with their hands holding each other.


    "Isn''t our ship name cute?" asked Simon with an enthusiastic tone.


    "It''s terrible. Worse than titanic," replied Mnie, and she quickly tore the page before someone would notice it, especially Conner.


    "So you agree that we are having a ship," stated Simon, turning his upper body to the side and cing one hand on the edge of the chair.


    Mnie didn''t want to stoke the fire and encourage him. The sooner Simon would get bored, the sooner he would stop hovering around her and find a new target to y darts on. She pointed, "You drew stick figures and for Conner, you drew an actual portrait."


    "Don''t be jealous, Mel. It is the intention and thought that counts. Moreover, I don''t think your beauty could be captured on this little flimsy paper, you are like the moon," Mnie wondered how she ended up getting stuck with this person. She could feel goosebumps forming all over her skin at the amount of cheesy words. She shivered and looked for where Conner had gone.


    A sigh escaped from her lips, and she then said, "Don''t touch my stuff. I don''t like people touching my stuff without my permission." She opened the textbook she had picked up recently with a small re.


    Simon tapped on the table with his fingernail like a clock ticking, and he leaned back before continuing to do so.


    "Why is it hard for you to sit quietly?" asked Mnie with a sigh.


    "I had something to ask you," came the quick words from Simon.


    "If you are going to ask for a book, no," she outright refused before he could draw and write something.


    Mnie wondered how she had pped Simon just less than a week ago, and he was now back to annoying her. He was like a boomerang that came back to her with a much more force than she had thrown him away from her.


    Simon''s smile widened, and the corners of his eyes crinkled. He said, "No, I wasn''t going to ask for that. I want to ask for something else."


    "What?" she frowned, looking at him in wariness.


    Simon adjusted himself in his seat before leaning towards her, "I was wondering if I could touch your lips again."


    Mnie''s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to scold him at his audacity. "Do you want to die, Simon?"


    "Today doesn''t seem like a good day to do that, but once I free up my schedule, I will let you know about it," he tilted his head to the side.


    She would wring his neck with her bare hands!


    "I was actually going to write our children''s names, but then I thought this should be something we should both sit down and decide. Any names you would like to chip in?" he asked her.


    After returning the book, Conner, who was walking back to the table, noticed how Mnie blushed over something Simon said. Since he had started to acknowledge Mnie''s feelings seriously, looking at her no more as just a friend, he didn''t like the closeness the two of them shared. His best friend was someone who never blushed and saw her cheeks turn red.


    "Strange, isn''t it that the two of them have suddenly grown close?" one of the girls asked in a hushed whisper that Conner caught in ease.


    "Indeed it is," replied another girl. "Looks like he really likes her and she must have feelings for him too. I heard Simon was the one to first confess that he liked her."


    "And here I thought the girl would be the one to pester him to get into a rtionship."


    Conner''s hands clenched into fists, and he walked straight there and said,


    "Mel?"


    Mnie, who was ring at Simon, snapped her eyes away from him and turned to look at Conner. "Yes, Conner?"


    "I was nning to leave the library. Youing?"


    "Yeah, I guess I am¡ª" Mnie''s words were cut short by Simon, who replied for her,


    "Aw I thought you guys would be staying here longer. I mean Mnie can stay if you are done with your studies," his words were directed to Conner with not a hint of malice in his voice.


    Mnie quickly snatched her books and said, "You should go to your dorm and study. We will be doing the same."


    "I didn''t know you wereing to my dorm to study," replied Simon, he stood up after picking up his books while Mnie''s mouth was left agape. How did he decide that was what it meant?


    Luckily for Mnie, Conner came to her rescue and said, "Mnie meant all of us will study in our respective rooms, Simon," this time, his words were serious.


    "Of course, I was wondering if Mnie meant something more," chuckled Simon, and Mnie sent a quick re at him. "I will be here reading. I have some more things to catch up¡­" his voice trailed.


    Before Mnie left, her eyes lingered on the bruise on Simon''s face, something she had noticed a while ago but hadn''tmented on it.

 Chapter 254 - Wrong Encouragement

    Both Mnie and Conner started to walk away from there, and when they stepped out of the library building, Conner asked her, "Do you know what happenedst night? Ms. Dante and the other Elder vampires had asked Julie and Simon to stay behind."


    That was something that had slipped out of her mind, and Mnie shook her head. Internally she bit her lip for being this stern with Simon, but she was like this only because he poked her to get a reaction out of her, which he was often sessful at.


    "There was a bruise on his face. Do you think they punished him for helping you out of the dungeon?" Mnie questioned Conner, and he pursed his lips.


    "I don''t know¡­ And I don''t know why, but it feels like this is not the end. I mean, they will continue to keep a close watch on us. And it isn''t like I tried to kill any of them," Conner bitterly said. All he had done was inquire and nothing more.


    "You pulled the trigger, Conner. It must have taken many people topel the students who heard the gunshot," Mnie reminded him, and Conner ran his hand through his curly brown hair.


    "Mr. Evans came so suddenly that I freaked out," he sighed. "Did your parents say anything?"


    She shook her head. "Just the usual things of how we should not trust the vampires. And how they are blood sucking creatures." She paused walking when Conner reached her hand and held it in his.


    "Mel, you haven''t answered my question yet," Conner reminded her, and he asked her, "Is there something you are angry about with me? I promise to be more careful. Before being caught, I had ns of pouring the Silverwater in here, but the Silverwater in my room went missing after I returned to the dorm yesterday. They must have cleared it."


    "Conner¡­" Mnie''s voice trailed into a whisper. Staring into each other''s eyes, "I think somewhere between waiting and wanting to let go, after so much time¡­I decided to move on."


    "You stopped loving me," stated Conner, and Mnie shook her head. It was moreplicated than that. "What is it then? Do you love someone else?"


    "No, I don''t," replied Mnie, and finally, she looked away from him.


    Conner squeezed her hand, and maybe if it was in the past, she would have felt her heart jolt, but she didn''t. Instead, she had felt the jolt of electricity from someone else.


    "All I am asking is for us to take a chance, so that we don''t look back in the future and feel regret," Conner took a step forward,ing to stand close to Mnie. Mnie froze a little as they were not too far from the library, and this was an open space. He then raised his other hand, bringing it near to her face; he pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear.


    Mnie''s eyes widened, and she turned speechless.


    As if the timing couldn''t be anymore perfect, Simon, who had been bored in the library within a minute, caught sight of the two humans, standing at the side and talking. His eyes fell on Conner, who held Mnie''s hand in his, and they stood too close.


    Conner then asked Mnie, "Will you be my girl friend, Mel?"


    It wasn''t just Simon, who hade out of the library, and with him was Victoria, who was done monitoring people in the building. The vampiressmented,


    "Looks like someone is going to get into a rtionship. Are you happy now?"


    Simon''s green eyes shifted from looking at Mnie and Conner to nce at Victoria, "I am ecstatic."


    "Well, it is because of you that he''s probably realized that he likes her more than a friend and now sees the possibility," replied Victoria, and she was about to leave from there to go to the girl''s Dormitorium, but Simon stopped her with his next words.


    "The question isn''t about if Conner sees her as a potential partner in the romance department. But what one needs to ponder is that if Mnie still feels the same way for him," though he wasn''t smiling outwardly, his expression was calm, and the trait of cunningness showed up in his green eyes.


    Victoria clicked her tongue, "You think she will ept you?"


    Conner and Mnie were still speaking, and Simon couldn''t tear his gaze away from the the two humans. He asked his friend, "Why are we aliens?"


    The vampiress rolled her eyes and said, "It isn''t that you are a vampire and she''s a human, but that shees from a family of hunters. Her parents were intent on exposing and killing our kind. More than weing you with open arms, they will wee you with a wooden stake in their hand, ready to kill you."


    "Looks like you are still in pain. Not every person shares the same fate," pointed Simon.


    It was because even though Victoria had always looked up to Roman, there was also a human whom she had befriended in their first year. It just so happened that the boy was from a hunter''s family. When the boy found out the truth, there was nothing but hate he had for Victoria, and in the end, they had to erase every single memory of hers in his mind bypelling the boy before he was sent to another university.


    "You should steer clear from any possible explosions, Simon," warned Victoria. "It is better that she remembers you with a little memory of possible goodness as you wanted to turn hero in her eyes. Than having her forget about your very existence in her life."


    Simon subtly frowned at Victoria''s words and said, "What if I am an explosion myself."


    "Then you will end up not just killing yourself, but also her. Don''t forget about your responsibilities and whom you work for," stated Victoria, and Simon gave a short nod. "You will not be forgiven for mixing up things and causing trouble. Humans are fragile, you were once a human, surrounded by humans."


    Simon hummed, "Actually I was surrounded by leeches. They first sucked my blood out, and then I sucked their blood out. I was just being even."


    Not liking Simon''s reckless behaviour, Victoria said, "Don''t do something you don''t want. Simon!"


    Simon took one step forward, and he turned to Victoria and said, "Maybe you are right. I must be pushing things in the wrong direction."


    Victoria gave him a curious, questioning look and saw him walk towards the two hunters. Mnie was talking to Conner when Simon decided to stick his nose. "I thought you guys were going back to the Dormitorium. Something you forgot?"


    Conner, who noticed how Simon liked to be around Mnie, said, "Actually I was asking Mnie out. I asked her out yesterday, and am hoping for a positive answer," he smiled saying this, which put Mnie under more pressure.


    Mnie took a step back that had Conner let go of her hand that he had been holding.


    "How wonderful!" chimed Simon, which surprised Mnie at why he was being excited. Wasn''t it just yesterday and today that he was trying to get her to say yes and agree to his words. A little confusion appeared in her eyes. "Mnie must have told you yes, after all, she has been in love with you for so many years, and she must be dancing in joy. Internally, of course."


    To a little extent, even Conner was surprised that Simon was cheering them to be together. It was because somewhere, he sensed the little chemistry going on between the two, which led him to believe that Simon and Mnie were attracted to each other. It seemed like he was wrong, he thought in his mind.


    "So Mel, quickly agree to Conner else you might fail in your exams as you seem to be still looking for books in the library," remarked Simon, and Mnie clenched her hand while sending daggers at him through her eyes. The vampire then turned to look at Conner and said, "Maybe sweet Mnie here doesn''t believe your words and is worried that you are only asking her out of pity."


    Mnie turned to look at Simon, not knowing why he was pushing her to Conner.

 Chapter 255 - A Better Place To Be In

    Conner turned to look at Mnie for an answer, and Mnie, who looked back at him, could feel Simon''s curious stare. The red-headed vampire seemed so eager to push her to Conner now, and somewhere even that thought annoyed her.


    Before Conner could repeat the same words in front of Simon, Mnie said to Conner, "I am sorry, Conner, but I don''t think I can." When she saw her friend part his lips to speak, she continued, "It is true that in the past I used to have romantic feelings towards you, but somewhere in between then and now, I decided to move on, and I don''t feel the same way I used to feel for you. You are still my friend, and I love you so. Just not romantically anymore," she repeated the words while making sure she put her point across both the boys.


    The reason why she hadn''t been able to give an answer right away to Conner earlier was because she was still processing how she felt. Gathering her feelings of past and present had torn her.


    Conner''s mouth turned into an O, and he then awkwardly smiled, scratching the back of his neck. "If it is alright, can I ask you when you decided to move on from your feelings for me?"


    Mnie wished Simon wasn''t here, but then with his vampire hearing ability, he would be able to eavesdrop on their conversation even if they were a few meters away from him.


    "It was probably during the same time when you introduced Reese to us for the first time," said Mnie and Conner nodded as if he understood why she would decide to do it. But then, at the same time, Conner felt a slight amount of regreting to seep into his mind, that he had failed to notice her feelings and somewhere he was possessive of her.


    As if not ready to give up, Conner said, "What if I decide to pursue you and try to change your mind back to the way it was before Reese came into the picture?"


    "That''s my man, not giving up," Simon encouraged at the side, and his words were enough to poke Mnie. Ignoring the red-headed crazy vampire, Mnie smiled at Conner and said,


    "I don''t think I will be able to get those feelings back again, Conner. I spent thest few years of mine loving you and waiting for you. And it was my fault for not mentioning a word about it to you, but I think I somewhere hit the limit before I decided it. And I think we are amazing as friends, we have always been friends."


    "Brutals," remarked the red-headed vampire, and Mnie gritted her teeth.


    "Nobody is asking for yourments. It isn''t some olympic match that you need to feel that youment on what''s happening," Mnie red at Simon.


    Simon raised his hands, "Don''t shoot me."


    Mnie red at Simon, noticing how green his eyes were but not understanding the look his eyes held. All she wanted to do right now was focus on your studies and make sure nothing happened while she was here in Veteris.


    Simon stared back at her, noticing the annoyance in those ck eyes. He enjoyed the flicker in her eyes, the anger that lit up her eyes, unlike when she was with the human. And even though she red at him, he could tell she remembered the little moment they had shared with each other this morning.


    On the other hand, Conner noticed Mnie and Simon staring at each other. Unable to help himself as things were getting out in the open, he asked, "Can I ask you something Simon?"


    Simon smoothly shifted his gaze from Mnie to look at Conner. He raised his eyebrows in question, "Yes?"


    "Do you have feelings for Mnie?"


    Conner had doubted about it since yesterday, and he had noticed them staring at each other more than two times in the past twenty-four hours. Simon tilted his head to the side and replied,


    "I do. Who wouldn''t have feelings for her?" a crooked smile appeared on the vampire''s lips.


    Mnie said to Conner, "I will be heading to my dorm. I will see you at dinner¡ª"


    "Wait," Conner stopped her. "I don''t want to see some more unrequited feelings going on, when we still have time for each other." He then said to Simon, "I don''t mean general feelings. I am asking if you like her romantically."


    The crooked smile on Simon''s lips faltered, and he replied, "I wasn''t speaking about things in general about her. Mnie is like a little firecracker outside, and though she tries to be strong, not wanting to hurt anyone, she has a heart of a cotton. She smiles on rare asions while trying to behave like a mother and trying to be there for the people whom she cares about. So yes¡­ I like her very much and would like to ask her out on a date. What do you say, darling?" He directed the question to Mnie in front of Conner. "I will make sure you don''t regret a thing."


    "You like Simon¡­" murmured Conner, a subtle frown appeared on his face, but he smiled. "That''s why you are firm with your decision when ites to me."


    Mnie shook her head, "I do not like Simon that way. He just enjoys annoying me. I do not like anyone right now, and I am more than happy being alone, than loving a boy." Both of them were giving her a headache, and she needed some time alone.


    It seemed like the reverse psychology didn''t workpletely in his favour, thought Simon in his mind. Now, as she had spoken out her thoughts and feelings when it came to Conner, he said,


    "How about this, Mel. Let me take you out on a date, and if you still feel nothing, then I won''t ask you out again?"


    As if taking inspiration from Simon, Conner decided the same and said, "Same here, Mel."


    Mnie wondered when her pheromones were working as she had not one but two boys asking her out. Maybe this current situation was good. The sooner she finished this, the sooner she would be left unbothered and not have to think of hurting anyone.


    "Okay. But after exams, and until then neither of you shall not bother me. I still need to pass my exams," replied Mnie, and she noticed the grin that appeared on Simon''s lips.


    "Dibs on taking you out first," said the red-headed vampire, the look in his eyes turning less green now.


    Away from the buildings that belonged to Veteris, back in Willow Creek, Julie sat in front of Cillian''s dusted body and the soul-like body that she had dragged out of the forbidden door. The body looked a little transparentpared to the usual bodies that were opaque in nature. She had hoped for Cillian to wake up in his human form, but it was nearly an hour and the body didn''t wake up.


    She heard footsteps approaching from behind her before it stopped, "Winters."


    Julie turned and saw it was Roman, who had just arrived. He had a grim look on his face. She said in a low voice, "I waste in helping him. If only I could have been faster."


    Roman hugged her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her head, "I know you did the best you could. And it wasn''t your fault to begin with," he consoled her, while his eyes fell on the ck cloak that the Corvin used to wear, and the body of an unfamiliar man. So this was how Cillian looked, he thought to himself.


    After a minute, Mr. Evans appeared at the door of the house that belonged to Cillian. He informed Julie, "The ce is ready for him to be buried in. It will be a more proper burial this timepared to the one in the past, Ms. Winters. Your mother said all the witches were handled brutally by the humans even after their deaths that day in the past. You are giving him a better ce to be in peace now."


    Mr. Evans then picked up Cillian''s body over his shoulder, and the Corvin''s cloak that was left behind. Cillian was made to wear his ck cloak before his body was ced in the pit of the ground that was dug for him.


    In the past one year, it seemed like burying people had been one of the things that she had been doing more than anything else, and if only she could stop it, thought Julie.


    Mr. Evans started to push mud on Cillian''s body, before the entire grave was covered. And after a few minutes, with a heavy heart, Julie left the ce with Roman and the counselor.

 Chapter 256 - Rome And Julie, On The Tree

    Julie and Roman sat on one of the branches of the tree, away from the people where the sky had turned dark, making it hard for anyone to spot them. She had ced both her hands on either side of her body, feeling the surface of the uneven branch, whilst she stared ahead of her.


    "You know...you inspire me," Julie said to Roman, and he turned his gaze and noticed her still staring at nothing in particr. Lost in her thoughts and somewhere present while also absent for thest couple of minutes. "You have lost so many people over the years... and it must have been harder on you, yet you are strong."


    "I don''t think the word strong here is right," pointed Roman, and he ced his head on his knee, which he had pulled up to ce it on the thick branch of the tree that they were sitting on. "All of us process grief differently. Some feel too much, and some don''t feel anything. Here we both feel, but you speak about it, and I channel it elsewhere."


    "The Ripper," murmured Julie, remembering how things had turned in a blink of an eye when Piper had passed away. "Does it get better?"


    "Depends," replied Roman, and he let his body lean slightly backwards before looking up at the sky through the gap the leaves left. "You might believe that grieving about what happened will let you heal. That you feel less pain, or going through the grief and feeling everything, will let you pass through as if everything has turned for better. But then one day you will seep back, and realize how dark things were. These are the times, when you need a hand for someone to help, to pull you out."


    Julie turned her head to look at Roman, who was already looking at her. She asked him, "Who was the one who helped you?"


    Roman''s lips parted, and his tongue ran across one of his fangs while he held a thoughtful expression on his face, "The other side of me. The Ripper."


    Julie thought he would tell Donovan, or Ms. Dante''s name, or one of his friends'' names, but it seemed like Roman had always relied on himself and no one else. She turned her body to face him and put her arms around him. She hugged him. He smiled at her gesture and said, "I am fine, Winters."


    "I know," replied Julie, and she continued to hold him, "I am hugging the little boy, who needed someone more than his mother, to tell him that everything would be alright. And not everyone is bad."


    When she pulled back, her eyes were moist, and she stared into his red eyes. Roman gently patted her head, assuring her, "Everything will be alright."


    Julie was disappointed with the fact that her magic had failed her. All her attempts in trying to bring back Cillian had gone in vain. Thest few seconds before realization had hit her, and she had desperately hoped that he would return just like her father did.


    "Do you think it was because I didn''t use enough soul energy of mine?" asked Julie. She shook her head, "I had sufficient enough, bu¡ª" Before she couldplete her words, a sudden pain struck her body, and she flinched in pain, "Ugh!"


    "Winters?" Roman asked, worried, not knowing what had just happened.


    "I am okay," Julie took a deep breath, blinking her eyes a couple of times. "I don''t know what happened."


    "It must be because you used too much soul energy. It probably took a little more time than usual this time," guessed Roman, but Julie shook her head.


    "This time, it felt different," she whispered in a soft voice. She ced her hand on her chest as if feeling the rapidness in which her heart was beating. "It was as if something was awakening."


    Roman frowned before putting his arm around her shoulders to support her, and Julie leaned towards him, cing her head on his shoulder. He used his other hand to hold her hand that rested on herp, "Let me see if I can find anything to be wrong. There should be something more to the dark stone than having my heart beat."


    Julie and Roman intertwined their fingers with each other before he lightly squeezed her fingers in his. Noticing a frown on his face, she asked, "What is it?"


    "It is strange. I am not able to sense anything from you," remarked Roman, and Julie felt her heart almost slip from her ribcage. "I could feel the energy before, but I cannot anymore. And at the same time, it feels very familiar," he said to her. "Like the area in the restricted side of the forest, which pulled away our abilities."


    "It doesn''t sound good," replied Julie, and she then said, "Cillian warned before, that I wouldn''t be the same, once I would walk through the forbidden door."


    "But you did it anyway," replied Roman with a grim expression. Julie''s eyes lowered.


    "I didn''t want him to die..."


    "It is a bane if you have great powers and don''t know how to make use of it," Roman lightly scolded her for her negligence. The sad part was that, even though Julie was now tainted with the dark magic, she hadn''t been able to bring Cillian back to life. "Come here," he said, letting go of her hand and bringing his hand to her chin as he angled her face.


    For a moment, Julie believed that Roman would kiss her when he brought his face in front of her and parted his lips. "Part your lips, Winters," he instructed her, and she did as he told her.


    Even in the darkness surrounding them, Julie noticed how Roman''s eyes turned into bright red that almost made him look as if he was part of the wild. ck smoke appeared from his mouth, and it entered her lips. The air felt heavy around her, but she took what he offered her, breathing it in and letting it circte in her lungs.


    Roman finally sealed it with his lips on hers, kissing her before he pulled away, "How does it feel?"


    "A little dazed," whispered Julie, and she asked him, "What was that?"


    "It is something that I have been using to heal my insides. I don''t know if it would work or not, but you should feel the pain disappear," stated Roman, and Julie did feel her chest turning lighter.


    "I didn''t know there were cool abilities like these, it must be very handy," said Julie in awe, and Roman chuckled.


    "d to hear that you find it intriguing," said Roman, and they continued to sit there on the tree for some more time in each other''spany.


    Julie''s thoughts went back to the ritual that she had performed hours ago. After burying Cillian, she doubted she could stay in otherspany right now, and Roman, who had sensed this, had brought her here so that it was just the two of them.


    "I wonder how my mother did it. She must have been very skilled to be able to turn my father''s into a full human form," Julie said in a low voice.


    She couldn''t believe that it was only a while ago that she was still talking to Cillian about saving him, and she was sure that the book of spells would guide and help her to bring his body back. After all, when the forbidden door had been opened, as much as the ce was tainted, she was happy to see it, and it had given her hope that he would live. That he wouldn''t disappear the way, her mother, father and others had disappeared from her life.


    Somewhere, she couldn''t help but question if the next person who was going to die would be Sullivan Evans, who was close to her mother. She didn''t know what she would do... This only meant that she had to be stronger and not cry.


    "There is something that I wanted to ask Donovan, do you think he has knowledge about Veteris''s past?" asked Julie, and Roman''s eyes met hers.


    "He is a fairly old man. He should know," replied Roman, and they both jumped down on the ground, making their way back to the buildings.


    When Roman and Julie were looking for Donovan, on their way, Julie noticed Eleanor talking to two girls, and one of them had chestnut wavy hair. It had been a while since she hadst seen her, and Roman, who caught her line of sight, muttered something under his breath,


    "Looks like there''s more invitation for trouble."


    Julie turned to Roman with a questioning look in her eyes, "What do you mean? Did you hear what they were speaking about?"


    Roman stared at them, and at the same time, one of the girls stopped talking and turned to look in their direction as if sensing their gaze. The girl raised her hand with a polite smile on her face, but Roman''s expression didn''t change, and he continued to walk, with Julie walking next to him.


    "Rome?"


    "Mm," responded Roman, and Julie pursed her lips because he didn''t answer her question. He said, "Nh was asking about the girls in your Dormitorium. To be more precise, about humans."


    "But Eleanor is a human, isn''t she? Why is the girl asking her about it?" asked Julie, turning her head back and noticing how the girl with chestnut hair, who had smiled at Roman, continued to look their way with a more intense look with her smile that had lowered down from her face.

 Chapter 257 - Missing Story Of The Witch

    "True, but it isn''t that hard to know who is a vampire and a human. The floors and the rooms are different for our kind, which makes it easier, especially for the female vampires to know," exined Roman, and he said, "If I am not wrong, she''s probably inquiring to know more about your friend."


    Hearing this, Julie frowned, "Mnie?"


    "Nh is a vampire, who belongs to the same time as mine and my other friends. You could tell that Nh''s family was very close to the Wace family. When they were fourteen, she was spoken for Simon," said Roman as they continued to walk.


    So young, thought Julie in her mind.


    Roman continued to exin, "I think the little rumor has turned less of a rumor and she''s turning more alert that Simon is paying more attention to Mnie. Did Mnie say anything about it?"


    "About Nh? No," replied Julie, and then added, "About Simon a little. Conner asked her out."


    "That must be interesting, would be worth watching for once how Simon would react to it," replied Roman in a nonchnt tone. It was because it was often Simon, who stirred trouble in people''s lives. Maybe for once, his troublesome friend would know how it felt to be on the other side of thend, thought Roman in his mind.


    "Did you find anything about whom Simon is working for?" asked Julie, but Roman shook his head.


    "So far nothing," responded Roman. "The Elder vampires are agitated over it and want to take action so that they can cough out the information from Simon."


    That did sound like something the Elder vampires would do, thought Julie. "Why is he hiding it if he''s not guilty?"


    "That is a tough thing to say," Roman softly sighed. "I would have punched him to get an answer out of him, but that would only make him go more mute because of his past."


    Julie''s eyebrows raised in question.


    As Julie wasn''t aware of it, Roman exined, "Simon had a rough pastpared to the others. His parents used to beat him up, while trying to discipline him, and his siblings were the incarnation of the spawn of demons. Something along the time messed him up, and once he turned into a vampire, everything he had bottled mixed up to how he is now. He doesn''t mind the pain, as he is used to it. I did consider using Mnie."


    Julie''s eyes widened, "You are joking."


    "No," replied Roman, and Julie didn''t like his way of thinking right now. "If Mnie wasn''t your friend, I would have used her because we don''t know if Simon is still ying nice and there''s something more to all this act he''s been putting up. But I know she means a lot to you. Currently Maximus is keeping a close eye on him, and I believe Simon knows it."


    Julie knew that vampires thought things differently, and their approach was much more brutal than how humans dealt with matters.


    "You still have my word that I won''t touch your friends and will protect them, unless one of them crosses the line," Roman reminded her, and Julie didn''t have to know that he was talking about Conner.


    Maybe it was a good thing that Conner was trying to court her best friend along with Simon. This way, at least he would be focussed on not being killed, and would save everyone''s lives together as a whole, thought Julie to herself.


    As they continued to walk, Julie caught sight of Donovan standing at the same ce, in front of the same tree she had seen him yesterday. Leaning towards Roman, she asked, "What is up with him and the tree? He said the tree speaks."


    When they reached the spot, Donovan turned and smiled at them, "Look at you both, roaming around the campus. Is there something you would like to ask?"


    "Why do you think we have something to ask?" Julie wondered how Donovan knew.


    "It isn''t often you bothe looking for me. What is it?" questioned Donovan,ing right to the point so that the youngsters didn''t have to beat around the bush.


    Roman was the one to ask, "Do you know who was the first witch who used to live here in Veteris. Before I came to live there."


    The smile on Donovan''s lips faltered before itpletely disappeared from his face. He asked, "Why do you ask about it?"


    "Do you or do you not know about her?" demanded Roman, his eyes narrowing at his father. "Don''t tell me you had an affair with her too."


    Donovan chuckled, finding humour in Roman''s words, "Of course, not, Rome. And just for the record, your mother was my favorite."


    "How appeasing," came the dull words from Roman. "Do you know who the woman is?"


    "Depends on why you want to know about her," replied Donovan, looking at both Roman and Julie.


    Julie decided to exin and said, "Her name came up because there are some parts in thend of Veteris, which is affected by magic. And I think it is dark magic. We wanted to know how to undo it, because it affects more than one supernatural kind in here."


    "How interesting. But it seems like most of us are functioning perfectly," replied Donovan, and as if with pride, he brought his hand forward and opened his palm.


    Julie and Roman stared at his palm, waiting. Two seconds passed, and then five seconds, and then ten seconds.


    Donovan blinked once before looking down at his hand, "....."


    "Indeed it is interesting," remarked Roman, and Donovan looked more than pissed right now.


    "You must be fucking with me," the Elder vampire cursed. "This is odd. I thought it worked just finest evening, when did this happen?"


    "In the night, when we were looking for Simon and the two hunters," exined Roman, and he sighed, "Mine isn''t working either." He snapped his fingers a couple of times, but nothing happened. "So what do you know about this witch?"


    "The witch... none of us have seen her in thest couple of years," replied Donovan, his lips twisting in annoyance as his ability had been suppressed, and he had no idea of it until now. Julie wondered if it was because they were Elder vampires, which was why none felt the pain, unlike the other younger vampires who had the ability. "She disappeared in thin air, like she didn''t exist, and people eventually forgot about her. Or more rightly to be said, none of us old vampires ever mentioned her."


    "Why?" asked Julie, as it seemed like there was more to the story of the tragic witch.


    "What do you know about this witch, who lived here?" questioned Donovan, and he turned around, his eyes taking a quick look to check who was watching them. With his ability gone, it was good to watch people for any possible surprise attacks.


    "Mr. Evans told me about her story of how she lost her son. About the forbidden door," replied Julie, and Donovan nodded.


    "Ah, the forbidden door. It is the most spoken thing. A mysterious space of time and people, but only witches can open and enter it," said Donovan, who had no idea that Julie had opened the door a few hours ago. "They say people who open it, they often fall into trouble. Like a curse that getstched¡ª"


    "We were speaking about the witch," Roman interrupted Donovan so that his father wouldn''t scare Julie for what she had done.


    Donovan pulled his coat on both sides before he slipped his hands into the coat''s pockets. He said, "Yes about her, so you see there is a little twist to what happened to her. After her son passed away, she had made an agreement with vampires to help her and in turn she promised to help them. It was because the door needed a vampire''s blood apart from a witch. And as you know, vampires and witches weren''t people who looked each other in the eye. This was the first time that a pact had been made, only for that moment. But then, the witch turned weak, and her life force started to leave her."


    "Did she make another pact?" asked Roman, and one corner of Donovan''s lips curled.


    "She used all her energy and ability before she had tapped into the forbidden magic, to turn herself to one of our kind," Donovan dropped the bomb.


    "What?" asked Julie, as if she heard it wrong. "How is that possible?"


    "Vampires and witches are two different kinds. You cannot turn a vampire or a witch into something," pointed Roman because it was unheard of. If that were so, the witches would have turned into a vampire to be on a higher power force.


    Donovan raised his hand to hide the yawn that erupted from his lips. He then said, "Let us just say that she had the right sources to turn herself into a vampire. The forbidden door makes wonders"


    "Have you met her?" questioned Roman and Donovan held his gaze long with his son.


    "I have, and so have a few of them," answered Donovan. "But truthfully, I don''t know where she is. I thought I knew, at least thought some of us did, but she has disappeared. Who knows, she must be dead."


    "When was thest time you heard from her?" asked Julie, unable to keep her curiosity.


    "It was probably before I met Roman''s mother. Way back, when I was really young," he responded, and a thoughtful look appeared on his face. "Wemunicated a little through letters before it stopped. I just happened to assume that she went to sleep like we did for many years."


    "Maybe if we find her, she would be able to undo the magic that has been split on these grounds," Julie spoke in hope, but Donovan made a face that was filled with doubt. "What?"


    Donovan turned to look at the tree, as if it was saying something and he was listening to it intently. Both Julie and Roman looked at each other.


    "Ha," said the Elder vampire. "I would have never guessed.? Mr. Tree here tells the witch that performed the magic here, cannot undo it. It is probably why she disappeared from here, the more you stay, the more normal you turn out to be. And when I say normal, it also means to be ready to see vampires die and hit their grave soon. Another witch should be able undo it. You have a better chance of fixing things here, than finding the lost witch. Why not ask your friend? The Corvin will have a better idea than we do."


    Julie''s eyes appeared sorrowful by his words.


    "Did I miss something?" questioned the Elder vampire, shifting his gaze from Julie to Roman.


    Roman filled in on what happened, "The Corvin is dead."


    "That was unexpected. Don''t tell me it has something to do with what we just spoke," Donovan raised one of his eyebrows. He looked back at Julie, and asked, "You didn''t try to resurrect him?"


    "It didn''t work," Julie''s voice was low, and Donovan humed.


    "My condolences to you, Julie. I will be sure to get him a flower," said Donovan, and Julie gave a slight nod.


    At the edge of the Veteris University, where the Veteris''s property ended and one could see the road, two vampires stood. One was a vampiress and she held a phone near to her ear, talking to the person on the other side of the phone.


    "Yes, the magic was activatedst night. If Veteris is attacked by the Mortimers, it would be on the fairground," said the vampiress, listening to the person speak. "There was something¡­ yes, we had a visitation from a pair of hunters¡­ No, he took care of it, for now they hold no suspicion.... We''ll be there. A good day to you too."


    Cutting the call, Victoria looked at Simon, who had leaned his back against the tree, listening to the conversation.


    "You had to mention about the hunters," chuckled Simon, and Victoria stared back at him.


    "It is better she knows everything that''s going on. You should be lucky I didn''t mention about your little interest where your focus is elsewhere," stated the vampiress.


    "Little?" Simon looked offended. "It is a lot more than little. You know you should find yourself a boyfriend, Tori. I mean Roman is booked, and Maximus too. I would have been your saviour but then as you know I am busy with the cute human." Victoria rolled her eyes and then said,


    "I don''t think I have to repeat what she said, and don''t disappoint her. She said she will being to visit."


    "Would never even if I wanted to," said Simon with a bright smile.


    The woman whom he was working for, she was the person who had given him a second life when he had almost died that night. Turning him into a vampire, and not bothering to contact him until recently.


    A grin appeared on his lips, things were going to turn more messy than before.

 Chapter 258 - Descendant Like Ancestor

    In the girl''s Dormitorium, Julie and Mnie sat with the spellbook on the bed. Julie had been staring at it since she had returned to her dorm. Julie said,


    "I keep going through the pages, just as Evans asked me to, but I don''t know what is missing."


    Mnie pursed her lips as she was of no help with witch things. She asked Julie, "What about those potions that your mother left you? Were you able to figure out what they are used for?"


    Julie shook her head. She had left them untouched, and the only person who knew how to feel and tell about the potions was the one who was now dead. "I wish I knew. Mother didn''t leave any clue to it, I wonder if she knew I would try reviving Cillian. If she believed I would be sessful which is why she never wrote anything about it in the letter," she said, realizing her mother had a lot of faith in her.


    "Then maybe you have all the answers, and there''s possibly a missing li¡ª" Mnie paused mid sentence, and she noticed ck fumesing from Julie, which was very subtle. "Why does it look like you are burning, Julie?" she asked in an apprehensive tone.


    Julie brought her hand up, bringing it closer, she realized Mnie was right. She felt the familiar pain in her chest, and she clenched her fists.


    "Get Evans here," whispered Julie, and Mnie quickly sprinted out of the room.


    The town of Willow Creek stood still, except for the leaves that hung on the branches and the fog that crawled on the ground as if prowling, looking for something alive. But every being in the town had died several years ago. The skeletons of the dead continued to stay still, some broken over time, and some because of the strong movement of the winds that hade to touch them since the curse had been lifted from thend.


    In the far corner of thend, a small cemetery held old and dusted headstones. One such headstone was new, a stone ced on the ground. In the quietness, the grave started to lightly glow from beneath the surface, trying to thrust the light out of the ground.


    Suddenly a hand erupted from below the ground, that had been covered in mud as the person tried to push through. The person, buried earlier this day, tried to w the ground, pushing his way up the ground and finally crawled out of the ground.


    "Ack Ack!" Cillian coughed because of the mud that had entered his mouth and nose.


    His face and the rest of his exposed skin was blotched with mud that stuck to it . He looked around the ce, noticing how it was night now and when he pushed his hand on the ground, ready to stand, he noticed the flesh on his bones.


    Standing up, Cillian raised his hand in front of him, and with one whisper of his word, a wooden stake quickly came to his hand.


    "It worked," murmured Cillian, slightly stunned that he was alive, and this time as a proper witch. "I should go find Julianne."


    With the hours that had passed since he had almost died, and was now awake, the curfew time of Veteris for the students was now active, and students had gone to their Dormitoriums to sleep or study. Most of the staff were busy discussing ns on what to do if the Mortimers or someone else would try to disrupt the peace in the university while the humans were still here.


    Even though Cillian was back to his usual self, he had a burning headache that didn''t stop from pressing his temples. And with the pain and his body trying to adjust to the newself, he ended from the East to West side of Veteris, missing the path.


    Cillian walked towards the girl''s Dormitorium, when he noticed a couple of guards with a familiar face not too far from where he was.


    The familiar face was none other than Griffin, who was angry and in an irritated mood. He walked back and forth as if he couldn''t believe what had happened yesterday.


    Griffin had recruited two of his friends, along with the man Luciano had hired the vampires. They were at the cemetery of Veteris, sitting on people''s graves in a disrespectful way.


    "Are you sure Elder Donovan isn''t pulling a prank on your Elder? He has been known to do that," said Griffin''s friend, who sat on one of the headstones, looking at Griffin, who was stillprehending the news even after twenty-four hours had passed. "It must be a trick or prank from the duo."


    Another friendmented, "It isn''t impossible. Donovan has always favored Roman as if he is his very blood and flesh. It only makes sense, and it makes sense to not have conflicting interests with him anymore."


    "It must be easy for Roman now to do whatever he pleases. What even happened there in the forest that got Moltenore angry like a bull?" questioned the first person. "And to think you got beaten up by a human girl?" a small chuckle escaped from his mouth, spurring Griffin to be even angrier.


    Griffin turned to look at his friend, wanting to make sure they knew their ce. He unleashed his ability on the person. The person fell on his knees and on the ground. He then said, "The human girl has people who are helping her. I would have loaded the bullet into her, but she just turned out to be lucky."


    Julianne Winters, thought Griffin with a bitter thought. Yesterday was a shock day, where Griffin had been handed one surprise after another. First, it was that creepy creature and then finding out Roman was Azazel Donovan''s son.


    "I will kill her," Griffin''s resolve was firm, and he would make sure that Roman and Julianne would regret trying to cross him. "Let me drag her tonight into the forest, and she won''t know what she brought upon herself."


    "How are you going to do that? Moltenore is always with her," reminded his friend, and Griffin smiled hearing this.


    "I have a n for it, one that she cannot refuse," said Griffin confidently. But before he could put his thoughts into action, they noticed an unfamiliar man walking their way.


    The man looked shabby. His cloak appeared familiar, but Griffin couldn''t pinpoint where he must have seen it. The man looked like he had rolled on the ground, not to mention, he looked suspicious.


    "Do you think it is one of the Mortimers men?" came the startled words from one of the boys, turning others alert.


    "Catch him! He must be an intruder!" eximed one of the guards.


    "Capture the man!" shouted Griffin, and everyone went to attack the person.


    Cillian, who had lost his way, had heard some things that Griffin had uttered, narrowing his eyes, but his face was passive.


    "You shouldn''t fight me," said Cillian to one of the guards, who came near him. "I want to know where the girl''s Dormitoriumes. I must have lost my way."


    "This is a human pervert!" announced the guard, a grin on his smile, knowing this was no vampire or morm.


    "You can never be sure, beat him up and bring him to me," said Griffin, once that was done, he would drag this lousy unknown man and bring him to Luciano. Since the moment the Elders had woken up, Griffin had been putting Luciano to shame. "Hurry!"


    One of the guards took a swing, but Cillian dropped the wooden stake that he had hidden under his long ck sleeves. He pushed the wooden stake through the vampire''s chest with one swift movement.


    Griffin''s friends, who stood not too far from him, their mouths hung open before theyposed themselves in anger. "He''s a hunter!"


    "Much better," murmured Griffin. A hunter was always better than a regr human, he thought in his mind.


    Cillian lightly cursed, "That was not supposed to happen."


    The other guard who was near watched his fellow guard drop dead on the ground with the stake in his heart. The audacity of this hunter! To tell he didn''t mean it when he killed the person.


    Cillian was a trainer witch, who had the skills of a hunter, had killed the man out of habit, an action he was familiar with before he had turned into a Corvin. He knew killing the guards wouldn''t be right, as it would cause problems with the other Elder vampire. But at the same time, he wasn''t particrly fond of vampires.


    It took him some time before he hadpletely wrapped his head around the fact that his only blood living rtive was a vampire.


    For Julianne''s sake, he would try not to kill them. Cillian moved his body, dodging the attacks, and when Griffin pulled out a silver bullet gun, the Corvin pulled the guard in front of him instead. This led to the bullet piercing through the guard''s flesh and crying out in pain.


    "AHHHH!"


    Griffin scowled, not expecting the human to move in such swiftness. He seemed to be a skilled vampire hunter, and he tried to get another shot, but it was either wasted, or his men were the one to get shot.


    Cillian started to beat the vampires at the pressure points that would turn them weak.


    Once Cillian was done beating everyone who came to attack him, the only person remaining was Griffin, who stood with a gun that had exhausted itself from the bullets. Cillian ced his hand on his chest, which for some reason, filled itself in pain even though he had no heart anymore.


    "You havee to and where there are vampires, do you think you will survive with just your fighting skills?" taunted Griffin, he smirked.


    "You n to use your skill?" questioned Cillian in a dead tone, and hearing this, the smirk on Griffin''s face was quick to fall. How did this hunter know about his skill?! Hunters had no idea about such things, and his ability had always been on the dormant side as he was not allowed to use it.


    Griffin gauged Cillian with a few meter distance between them. He said, "I don''t know how you know it, but I cannot let you leak this information around."


    Cillian stood there, staring at Griffin for a couple of seconds while the young vampire used his ability on him. More seconds passed by, and Griffin startled to turn agitated. Did he lose his powers?! First, his ability didn''t affect Roman, and now this hunter! But wait, it had affected the witch, which meant he still had the ability to kill people.


    Griffin red hard at Cillian and demanded, "Why is it not affecting you? Are you on Silverwater, or is it something else."


    Cillian walked towards Griffin with a grim look on his face. He then said, "It is because I am dead."


    With those words, the witch raised his hand and punched right into Griffin''s face. In Cillian''s mind, whoever posed a threat to Julie, deserved to go to sleep.


    With the vampires who were groaning in pain while on the ground, Cillian doubted they were of any use for now. Noticing the graves around him, he pushed some of the lids of the graves and dropped the vampires in there before closing each of them.


    When he noticed one of the graves was already full, he wondered why two people were put in here. The vampire in there was a student, who had been put by Roman, and on seeing light, he tried to raise his hand as he had turned slightly dry due tock of blood.


    The vampire student, believing Cillian was a human, went to grab him for blood. But this only resulted in Cillian punching the boy''s face before pushing the lid back.


    "The cemetery¡­ it must be this way," murmured Cillian under his breath.. He started to walk away from the cemetery while Griffin and the other vampires now upied some of the empty or already filled graves as temporary guests.

 Chapter 259 - Fumes Of Darkness

    Music Rmendation: Phoenix - Paul Haslinger


    ¡ª


    Mnie, who reached the counsellor''s office, knocked on the door a couple of times before pushing the door open. But when she took a look at the room, there was no one in there. Where could the counsellor be right now? She asked herself, and while hovering around the possible rooms, she was caught by one of the staff.


    "What do you think you are doing out of your dorms, when it is past eleven in the night?" questioned the female staff, walking towards Mnie.


    "I am looking for Mr. Evans. It is urgent," replied Mnie, but the staff, who wasn''t involved with the current situations, stared hard at her.


    The woman said, "It looks like you are looking for a detention during thest days of your year."


    Mnie''s eyes widened, and she waved her hand, "It is very urgent. I am here to help my friend, who needs Mr. Evans. Do you know where I might find Elder Remy?"


    Hearing the Elder vampire''s name, the woman, who was a vampire, narrowed her eyes at Mnie, "You are no ordinary human, but a hunter''s child. How amusing. You should know that humans are not allowed to have knowledge about a vampire''s existence. A person who knows, is supposed to die," without another word, the vampiress went straight to grab Mnie''s.


    But Mnie dodged from being grabbed by the woman, and she ducked down. She took a couple of steps backwards and said, "I am just here to speak and am not looking for a fight. Please call the headmistress and she will exin about me."


    The vampiress wasn''t willing to listen to Mnie and, this time, went straight to attack her. But Mnie had a better reflexpared to the time when she had just left home. She doubted that the woman was going to back out, the next time the vampiress came to attack her, Mnie stepped to the side and twisted the woman''s arm, which the woman hadn''t expected.


    Mnie tried to hit the spots that she had learned to be weak points of vampires, but it was hard to get more than a meter closer, as she believed the woman could kill her. With the corridor quiet and no one to help or see what was going on, Mnie fell to her bottom on the ground.


    But before the vampiress could try to suck her blood dry, someone came from behind and snapped the vampire''s neck.


    Mnie''s eyes had turned wide, her heart pumping with adrenaline. She whispered, "You are alive, Cillian. Julie said you died."


    Cillian stood in front of her with the unconscious vampiress at his feet. He moved his gaze to look at the human and said, "I thought I taught you to snap a vampire''s head during the worst time."


    When they had gone to the past, Cillian was the one who had taught her how to fight along with Julie''s Uncle Ottis. She sighed, relieved, before saying, "Vampires have a better speed than us humans. I am not a wonder woman," and she pushed herself to stand up straight.


    "All you need to do is focus on their movements. Most of them don''t think, especially ones like this," Cillian jerked his head towards the vampiress, who continued toy unconscious. "I told you, you need to focus, but you still have trouble with it."


    Mnie cleared her throat while being chastised over her fighting skills. She had received a crash course from him, and when he was in the Corvin''s appearance, she hadn''t realized it much. But now that the witch was in his human appearance, did she realize that the man had been here all this while with them. Someone from the past.


    "How are you alive?" asked Mnie, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.


    "Julianne''s spell must have taken time to work," replied Cillian, looking around the ce and said, "For some reason, I am unable to gauge the distance and direction, and I have been getting lost."


    "Is it because you were resurrected to life?" asked Mnie. But Cillian doubted it had nothing to do with his resurrection. This ce, the dark magic which was forbidden, was drifting in the air. "I will catch up with youter, I need to find Mr. Evans or Elder Remy. Something happened to Julie," came the worried words of Mnie.


    "What happened to her?" asked Cillian in concern.


    "She''s evaporating ck fumes from her. It happened a couple of minutes ago, and I think she''s in pain," replied Mnie.


    "Point me to the Dormitorium, and I will see what happened to her while you look for help."


    Back in Julie''s dorm, she curled in the bed, feeling the ache starting to spread all across her body. She hadn''t felt this intense pain in a very long time, and it made her want to w her skin out until there would be nothing left in herself.


    She gasped for air, taking deep breaths and her vision clouded. How many seconds or minutes had passed since Mnie had left her?


    From her body, fumes continued to evaporate as if her body was on fire and being burnt from inside.


    "AH!" Julie screamed in pain, and the light in the room started to get affected.


    Themp near her desk fluctuated, the light dimmed in and out, and soon the electricity in the other rooms near Julie''s dorm started to get affected. Some of the devices that were plugged burst with the intense electrical energy, while the bulb''s fments were quick to spoil and stop working. And the next minute, the entire building''s electricity had been blown out.


    Roman, who was talking to Donovan and Castiel, noticed the flicker of light at a distance. He said, "I will talk about itter."


    "Where are you going?" questioned Donovan as they were not done speaking.


    Castiel turned around, watching Roman sprint into the darkness of the tree, which led back to the buildings of Veteris.


    A sigh escaped from Donovan''s lips, and he said, "He''s always running away from me."


    "He must be worried about Julie," murmured Castiel, a small frown on his face. He said, "Our n of attacking Joaquin first has failed because of theck of our abilities. Do you remember what Enoch and Joaquin''s abilities were?" he inquired, with an unhappy look with regards to the recent loss of powers.


    "Joaquin has simr ability as Griffin," answered Donovan, he dusted the front of his coat. "Enoch, well it is the ability of using water. I think it wille in use for you, Cas," pointed Donovan.


    With Castiel''s ability of electrical powers, which was connected to the clouds in the sky, he could electrocute the vampire before he woulde to harm the others, thought Donovan in his mind.


    "If we go there, it is going to be of great disadvantage. If Luciano hears about this, he is going to demand for Julie to create the stones. But I doubt any stone is going to work."


    "Actually there''s one stone that still works. The dark stone, from the forbidden door," replied Donovan, and this got Castiel intrigued.


    "Tell me more about it," said Castiel, and Donovan finally exined something only he, Roman, and Julie knew. And also the Corvin who was no more now.? Donovan pulled out the stone which the Corvin had pulled out from Lilliana''s grave. He handed it to the other Elder vampire. "By appearance, it looks just like the description people speak of dark stone."


    Donovan nodded.


    "Even though Roman''s mother never mentioned it, I think she came here to Veteris. During her initial days before she worked in the inn," Donovan slipped his hands into his pockets. "And when she came here, I think the stone lost its abilities, and somewhere in between the time of her being alone and conceiving the child, she must have opened the forbidden door. Of course, I cannot be certain, but since I had a little chat with Julie, I cannot help but wonder if that is the root cause of why she fell sick. Most of the witches fall sick, they cannot handle the energy of what exists beyond the door."


    Castiel slightly raised his eyebrows, because this sounded moreplex than he had expected it to be. He questioned,


    "It still doesn''t answer how the stone in Rome still exists."


    "I have a theory for that too," replied Donovan, taking a deep breath as if he himself was wrapping the possibility in his mind. "I think Liliana got the stone from the other side."


    "That''s impossible," frowned Castiel, because this was somethingpletely unheard of.


    Donovan chuckled as if he found humor in the current situation. He said, "Only if we could step into the forbidden door. I think we can, but then we would need a witch to open the door for us. Bringing the stone from the other side, which went to Roman, and it exins how she became sick over time."


    The stone that existed in Roman was something strong, and defied the veryws of the living. And as much power it held when it came to keeping him alive and breathing, at the same time, it brought in darkness along with it.


    Near the girl''s Dormitorium, Roman caught sight of the glowing light passing through the window of his old room. He dashed through the corridor, kicking the door open.


    He noticed Julie''s body now floated above the bed, unconscious and her body glowed with a mixture of ck and blue smoke all around her.

 Chapter 260 - Shouldering Your Burdens

    "Winters!" Roman, who stood outside the dorm, called Julie while she continued to float just above the surface of her bed. Her arms and legs were rxed, and her head was thrown back, unaware of what was going on with her.


    "It is the after-effects," came someone''s voice a few steps away from where Roman stood. His eyes were quick to snap and look at who had just spoken¡ªa man with dark hair, a ck cloak around his body. "Cillian ckburn," introduced the man to him.


    Roman''s eyes narrowed, as ording to Julie and Mr. Evans, the Corvin couldn''t be resurrected, and he had died. But at the same time, there were patches of mud on the man''s face, mud that belonged to Willow Creek.


    Without another exchange of words between them, Roman quickly grabbed Cillian''s cor and demanded, "Why is her body reacting like this?"


    "Julianne stepped foot in the ce that holds the forbidden magic. Any witch who walks through the forbidden door, though they benefit on one side, the ce tries topensate for what one takes from there," exined Cillian with a grim expression. "Let me go see."


    Roman could sense the way the energy that was filling up in the room was trying to repel him, simr to the way Julianne''s energy had once made him throw up blood. But when Cillian stepped into the room, with his one foot and one hand entering the space, his face twisted in pain. He quickly pulled himself back.


    Cillian looked down at his hand and noticed it had turned back to its Corvin state. Fingers like twigs and hand made out of branches.


    "Looks like it doesn''t like you much too," replied Roman, and he red through the door before deciding to step right inside Julie''s room.


    As expected, the energy that surrounded the dorm didn''t wee him, and instead, he felt the immense energy that tried to make him fall on his knees.


    The reason the energy was trying to reject Roman at the moment was because of the vampire blood that coursed through his veins. Not a secondter, he threw up ck blood from his mouth, coughing as if something had entered his chest and was hindering his breathing. But the only reason he kept going towards Julie was that he knew there was one thing he and Julie had inmon. It was the witch''s essence.


    The closer he got to Julie, the worse his condition turned. And maybe if it was another regr vampire, the person would have either fainted or thrown up more blood than Roman had.


    But the core in Roman''s heart, it consisted of the dark stone that came from the very forbidden side, which conflicted to ept or reject him.


    Reaching Julie''s side, Roman wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her back down on the bed, and checking her pulse. Her body had turned cold as if her soul was leaving her. He turned to Cillian, who stood outside the dorm with a worried look.


    Roman shouted, "Is your bond still intact?"


    Cillian shook his head, "It broke the moment I passed through the other side. We aren''t bonded anymore."


    Roman let out a frustrated curse, as there was no way of knowing if Julie''s soul was leaving her body to turn into an empty shell or if it was just her body trying to process the magic she had touched.


    He turned back to look at her, checking her pulse, which was weak, and he couldn''t hear it that well. He bent forward while parting her lips in front of his. He parted his own lips, and when he sucked in the air, soon the ck vapours that surrounded her started to slip into his mouth.


    "I don''t think that is a good idea!" Cillian shouted in a slight concern. Because what the vampire was doing was voluntarily inhaling and weing the smoke that belonged to the forbidden side. He would be doing more damage to himself at this rate.


    But Roman didn''t listen to Cillian, and Cillian clenched his jaw.


    Even though Roman had the dark stone, everything had a limit, and it could crack under pressure. This would only remove the boy''s support system, which could eventually lead to his body to break down and crumble into dust.


    Roman''s thumb caressed Julie''s face, which had turned pale.


    "I won''t let you die," murmured Roman, his eyes that were ck in colour started to fluctuate between ck and light red, like lightning in a cloud that was waiting to shower down with heavy rain. "We aren''t going to have you die like Juliette."


    Roman continued to pull out the darkness that clung to her since the time she had visited the forbidden door. Julie''s mother had been severely affected, finding no cure and knowing her end was certain, the woman had decided to sacrifice her life in the end. The more time passed, the dark magic that had seeped in here started to reduce, and at the same time, Roman''s eyes turned red before it began to glow brighter and rich in colour.


    Once everything was back to normal, the warmth in Julie''s body started to return, yet she continued toy unconscious in the bed.


    Roman coughed as if he had suddenly been attacked by something. His body shook, and he brought his right hand forward to cover his mouth, but that wasn''t enough to hold the amount of blood he threw up.


    "Both of you are reckless!" scolded Cillian, his eyes narrowed at the boy, and he looked at Julie.


    "Did you think I was going to let her die, did you?" questioned Roman, wiping the blood off his mouth. He took arge breath while he coughed again. It was as if he had run a mile without stopping.


    "You could have damaged yourself," red Cillian beforeing closer to Julie and staring at her sleeping face.


    Roman''s eyeszily swept at his ancestor, still finding it odd how they were both rted with arge gap of time. He noticed how Cillian''s face showed expressions, something he hadn''t been able to do when he was a Corvin because of his boney bird-like face. Roman wasn''t too fond of the way the man looked at his woman in such worry and fondness, knowing well that Cillian liked Julie.


    Cillian stretched his hand towards Julie, and before he could touch her forehead, Roman caught hold of the hand, which still had flesh on it.


    "I am only going to check if her soul is still intact. Nothing more," replied Cillian, and Roman finally let go of the man''s hand, watching Cillian ce his hand on Julie''s forehead for a while. He said, "She is fine, but it seems like trying to go through the forbidden door has exhausted her."


    "Do you know what symptoms Lady Opaline''s body showed when she finished walking in and out of the forbidden door?" questioned Roman and Cillian gave him a short nod.


    "I did. She used to throw up blood often, and her magic wasn''t on par as it once used to be. Her immunity turned weak, and there were some things that weren''t the same. Like her feet," exined Cillian, with a small frown on his face and the expression on his face only turning grimmer. "They had grown old, and it was moving upwards. As you know, we witches try to hide our true age, for many decades or sometimes even centuries in some cases."


    "Julie mentioned about her not being able to time travel ever again. But if I am not wrong, her mother met me before the day of her execution," Roman''s eyes narrowed at the Corvin, who had inly lied to Julie.


    Julie had been so much grief over Cillian''s death that she had failed to realize that the Corvin had lied to her during hisst moments with her.


    Cillian stared back at Roman, and he replied, "I didn''t want her stepping into the forbidden door and hoped that it would be enough to keep her outside it. Because I know the forbidden door never brings good things, and it will tear out an equal amount of repercussions for what you take. Opaline suffered quite terribly, the constant pain and her inability to do some of the things. She couldn''t touch her daughters or son, worried that it was going to infect them too."


    Hearing this, Roman turned to look at Julie, who was soundly sleeping. He sat next to her, running his good hand on her hair which had not a single drop of blood.


    He didn''t want Julie to go through it, and he was nowhere going to let her die, not when he was alive and next to her.


    Cillian stared at Roman, who freely touched Julie''s head, and he then asked, "Aren''t you angry?"


    "What for?" Roman questioned Cillian.


    "Julie tried to resurrect me, when she knew what she was going to lose and what could happen to her. Putting her life on line for me," exined Cillian, and Roman''s jaw ticked, but he didn''t respond to the man immediately.


    Instead of being angry, Roman smiled at Cillian, confusing the man, "What is important to Julie is important to me. And moreover, I think I would benefit better with you being alive. One because we can finally know what the two vials her mother left for her means. And two, because you are connected to her family and she needs someone. More than I do."


    Saying this, Roman was not weing Cillian but drawing a line between them. He then continued to speak,


    "To me, Julie''s happiness matters the most, and I don''t care about the rest. If you are insinuating if I am jealous, then no.. There''s nothing to be jealous about because I know her feelings, all of them belong to me."

 Chapter 261 - Pointing Fingers

    Both of them stared at each other without exchanging another word, but there was obvious tension in the room. Cillian replied to Roman, "You do not have to worry about my feelings for her. I don''t mean to act on them, but I won''t deny that she''s important to me too."


    Hearing footstepsing from the corridor, they turned to look in the direction of the door and noticed Mr. Evans had reached the scene, and so did Mnie, who had a frantic look on her face.


    "Oh, good, you men are here. I was worried that we were going to bete," remarked Mr. Evans, entering the dorm. He looked at Julie and asked, "How is she?"


    "She''s going to be fine with a goodnight sleep," replied Roman, and Mr. Evans nodded.


    The counsellor revealed, "Her mother was in a far worse condition when I found her. Though she never told me what happened, I think I know now why¡­" his voice trailed, remembering the sight he had found Lady Opaline in. He remembered the day it had happened.


    "What happened in here?" he had asked her, his eyes wide in shock on seeing the woman on the ground and in the darkroom.


    "Everything is fine, Sullivan. Everything is perfectly fine," Lady Opaline had offered him a polite smile without exining more on where she had been. "Go draw a bath. I would need one before the children return."


    Sullivan''s eyebrows had furrowed on seeing Lady Opaline''s mouth, that seemed bloody, but she had been quick to erase it by wiping it against the back of her sleeves. While he gave her an apprehensive look, his eyes had also fallen on someone''s legs behind the chair.


    "Who is that, mdy?" he had asked her.


    "This..." and even in pain, Lady Opaline had smiled, and she replied, "This is someone whom I loved and cared for. Make sure to keep in mind that none of them enter the room."


    "Of course, mdy," Sullivan had bowed his head before stepping away from the room to draw the bath as he had been ordered.


    Getting back to the present, Mr. Evans said, "As much as I hate the fact that Julie stepped in there, her body for now looks fine. I mean we don''t know how worse things are going to be for her."


    "I don''t think you have to worry about it," Cillian interrupted Mr. Evans, who in the back of his mind was surprised to see Cilian up and alive. "With Roman here, he will take up the darkness into him."


    Roman had turned his head to the side, coughing blood out and into his hand.


    "Mr. Moltenore, I would rmend you to go and meet Elder Remy. He might be able to find a way to fix things," suggested Mr. Evans, but Roman red back at him. His re was enough to have Mnie step backwards because until now, she had never seen anyone give a fierce look as that as if another word would end up in death.


    "I am fine," answered Roman, and then he said, "I would like to stay alone with her."


    "Okay," smiled Mr. Evans, sensing Roman''s unwillingness to share Julie''s time with anyone and wanting to take care of her. "Well you know where to find me. Ms. Davis, you should go get some rest yourself. I am sure you had a long day too. Ah, I should get the workers to fix the lights in here, it seems like there was a power outage," saying this, the counsellor stepped out of the dorm, walking through the corridor.


    Mnie looked at Julie, and she quietly left for her dorm.


    Meanwhile, Cillian stood there, watching every breath Julie took and released. He said, "I will be outside. If you need my help."


    Roman gave a short nod, watching the man step out of the room. Before Cillian could leave, he stopped the Corvin, "You should fix yourself up. People don''t take it kindly if they see another being walking amongst the humans or vampires."


    Cillian, a straightforward man, asked Roman, "Where do I go for them?"


    Roman gave it a thought before replying, "I think Luciano or Castiel''s clothes should fit you fine."


    "Thanks," replied Cillian, and he finally left the ce.


    Roman went to the door, locking it, and his body shook again. He ced his hand on the wooden door, and his nails dug into the wooden door in pain. A small growl escaped from his lips, feeling his heart pull out of his chest. He coughed out more ck blood, his eyes standing out on his face, and he slid down on the ground.


    Was this how much pain Julie would be going through? Asked Roman to himself, and he grit his teeth, trying to control the pain and letting it settle down. With him possessing the dark stone, death wasn''t easy toe. But like Mr. Evans had pointed, everything had a breaking point, and after that, there would be no return to it.


    After a couple of seconds passed, where he finally was able to breathe, he stood up, wiping the blood off his hand and sitting on his heels next to Julie. He wouldn''t let anything happen to her, keeping her alive. Bringing his hand up to her cheek, he caressed it gently.


    "You knew it was going to cause damage to your body, yet you turned selfless. Stupid girl," he scolded her softly, staring at her face, before murmuring, "My girl."


    Cillian had stepped out of the girl''s Dormitorium, already familiar with the grounds of Veteris, he quietly walked towards the mansion of the Elders.


    When he reached the front of the mansion, he caught sight of Donovan and Luciano bickering about something as they usually did.


    Luciano red at Donovan and said, "I know you have something to do with it. Answer me right now!"


    Donovan rolled his eyes, "I already did. I have no clue what you are talking about. In fact, I was busy with Lady Karina."


    "Who is Lady Karina?" questioned Castiel, who stood on the other side.


    "The damn tree!" Luciano red at Castiel, who slightly raised his eyebrows. Elder Castiel then turned around and walked towards the plush couch before sitting down. The blonde vampire spun on his heel and demanded from Donovan, "My patience is running thin here, and I will make sure you regret it."


    "Or you will do what?" Donovan didn''t like the open possibility that Luciano left, which indicated Roman and Julie''s life. "You know if you were spending less time being suspicious about me, maybe you would have the answer yourself. Why in hell''s name would I ever want to kill your useless boy or the guards. In fact, that is thest thing I would do, considering how Eloise will probably bleed my ears to death."


    Luciano clenched his hands, turning them into fists, and his eyes zed in anger. He then said, "I had sent him to go to the right side of the property, and I know you had walked in there too."


    "Actually I did," confirmed Donovan, and Luciano raised his hands.


    "See! This is exactly what I was talking about. Until and unless you aren''t caught red¡ª"


    Donovan interrupted Luciano''s words by saying, "I went there earlier, but I barely stayed there for more than two minutes. I didn''t know what to say to the person''s grave and I decided to go thereter. My alibi still stands."


    Castiel, who wanted some peace of mind, asked, "Have you both seen Remy?"


    "He must be with the vampiress. Looking for an antidote to what the hunter prepared and presented this morning," replied Donovan in a nonchnt voice.


    One way, it was good that the hunters'' children were studying in Veteris. If they weren''t here today, they would have never known that a deadly weapon had been created by the hunters to kill the vampires in a much easier way that could put the vampires at a great disadvantage.


    Castiel gave a small nod, "I will go take a look at it then."


    Luciano looked annoyed that his conversation had been diverted, and he demanded, "Where is Griffin and the others, Azazel?"


    "I ain''t got a clue," replied Donovan with a tired sigh. "You should probably keep a tracker on him; it would be easier for you to know when and what he is up to. You know... he must be upset that you haven''t given him a cookietely."


    Castiel stepped away from the two Elder vampires, holding an expression of bliss as he knew being there would only end up being dragged into an unnecessary fight. But when he stepped down from the stairs, he noticed a man in front of him. There was something very peculiar about the person, and his expression turned serious.


    "Who is there?!" questioned one of the guards, who was at the front of the mansion.


    "My name is Cillian. Cillian ckburn," Cillian introduced himself to Castiel while looking at the Elder vampire and not the guards.


    Hearing the name, Donovan came out to see the person. The person looked familiar, and he remembered seeing the witch near Opaline. It seemed like Julie''s visit through the forbidden door was sessful.


    "Wasn''t that the Corvin''s name?" questioned Castiel, and Cillian slightly bowed his head in greeting.


    With a dull expression on his face, Cillian then informed, "I was told to borrow clothes from one of you. Whose ever fits.." The Elders looked at him surprised, while he added, "Gloves and shoes too," showcasing his tree like hand.

 Chapter 262 - Corvin With Glove

    Elder Luciano squinted his eyes at the Corvin, whose hand and leg revealed who he truly was. He watched the man from head to the branching toe. He couldn''t believe his eyes that a Corvin could turn into a human, and suspicion entered his eyes. And at the same time, with Cillian''s appearance, the Elder vampire momentarily forgot to find the whereabouts of where Griffin was.


    Elder Donovan couldn''t believe that out of everyone, and this witch was the one who had turned out to be the Corvin. He had seen the witch a couple of times, ring at him in the past, but at that time, he had brushed him to be one of Opaline La Fay''s admirers.


    Cillian wasn''t keen on vampires, and he despised their very existence. Because it wasn''t once but more than twice, where the vampires had been why he had lost his family and friends. Vampires were cunning creatures who liked to use people around them. He stared back at them. He was here only because he knew they were Julie and Opaline''s allies, at least to some extent.


    On the other hand, Castiel said, "I heard you were buried in Willow Creek. Did it take time for the spell to take effect?"


    "The spell from the forbidden door takes time to take effect and each of them varies from the other," replied Cillian, while he stood with his back straight and his posture proud but not in a conceited way like the other two bickering vampires.


    Castiel nodded and said, "I think my clothes should do. Nigel!" He called one of the servants who worked there. "Take Mr. ckburn to one of the guest rooms and get him my clothes for now. Maybe you can go shopping tomorrow to get new clothes that fit you."


    The three Elders watched Cillian walk inside the corridor, following one of the mansion''s servants. Donovan''s eyes continued to stare at Cillian''s head, and somewhere could see where the genes of seriousness had passed from his mother to Roman. It seemed like the entire ckburn family had a simr expression, staring and cold eyes.


    "What the fuck are you doing?" demanded Luciano, and the other two Elder vampires turned to look at the blonde vampire. "You let a witche in and sharing your clothes. Since when are we friends with him?!"


    "I think since my son started to date a witch?" questioned Donovan, and Luciano''s expression turned sour. "What can I say? My son takes after me, dating a witch who seems to be running in the family."


    Luciano red at Donovan, and he then shifted his re in the direction the Corvin had walked in. He said, "How did he turn into a person in flesh?"


    "The witches have the ability to turn back time when ites to the Corvin," answered Castiel, and he said, "What''s important is to know that Cillian is on our side, and times have changed now Luciano. It isn''t the time to sit and question a witch, but to have as many people as we can to fight and ally with us."


    A grim expression-filled Castiel''s face, and he knew the uing war that was approaching in thend of Veteris, and no one could prevent it. It was an inevitable fight, and they would have to go through it. Only that they didn''t know when it was going to take ce, everyday of peace was a blessing in his mind.


    "Hmph," harrumphed Luciano, and he said, "I don''t care about him either. Until and unless he doesn''t cause any hindrance. What I am interested in is knowing where Griffin and the other guards are?"


    Donovan was getting bored, and he wondered if Luciano had purposefully decided to hide his little pet so that he could have something to point at him. He said, "Maybe they have gone out for some fresh air. You should stop being such a control freak and let the boy live his life."


    Luciano took a step forward, snapping his fingers, but Donovan and Castiel made no efforts to move from their position when it came to deflecting Luciano''s ability.


    The Elder blonde vampire didn''t have to wait for a couple of seconds to pass, as he was quick to realize that something was amiss in here.


    Castiel let out a tired sigh, noticing Donovan part his lips with a smile to speak, "I think some of us have missed the memo, but our ability isn''t working anymore."


    "What?" Luciano asked in a shocked and low voice. "That''s impossible," he sneered.


    "It is very possible. So while you are at it, I am going to take a look around the property," and Donovan stepped out of the mansion.


    Luciano snapped his fingers a few more times before a frustrated sigh escaped from his lips and a look of disbelief on his face.


    Castiel, who was walking by, said, "Every single person, who has the ability and has walked on these grounds, none of them have an ability. We should probably wait for Cillian or Julie to fix it, as they are the only ones with the ability of magic."


    In one of the rooms of the Elder''s mansion, Cillian was given clothes by the servant, who looked at him with his eyes wide. It was because the vampire servant had never seen anyone have hands and feet made out of trees.


    Cillian turned to look at the servant and said, "You."


    The servant turned alert.


    Cillian''s lips turned into a frown before he asked, "Do you have something to cut branches and stems?"


    "Ah-h, like gardening tools?" asked the servant in doubt, and Cillian gave it a thought before he gave him a nod.


    "Yes. That should do," replied Cillian, and the servant quickly darted out of the room.


    With his half human-like body, and the other half, which was the Corvin''s body, he wasn''t able to utilize the abilities of his Corvin. But then, at the same time, his abilities that belong to the witch side of him had returned. He was able to use spells, but he couldn''t aparate to ces as he pleased, nor did he share a bond any more with Julie, to know when she was in distress.


    Once the servant brought him gardening tools, he broke and filed his branches before wearing shoes and glove just on the hand that needed coverage.


    Staring into the mirror, he now looked like any other person of this time and age. He wore a coat that was given to him and looked at his reflection. For once, he now looked as if he belonged to the rich family, families of the vampires whom he very much despised.


    Cillian was never supposed to be in this period, he didn''t belong here, yet he had been sent here out of purpose. That was what one would think, but then wasn''t it his own choosing, where he had decided to follow the fate that led to many possibilities, even if it meant the time shared would be barely little. He was still content with it.


    It wasn''t his intention to start a fight with Roman Moltenore.


    He had merely tried to test and understand the person, whom Julie was so in love with, and it seemed like the boy had shown enough proof and worth that he was worthy of staying beside the girl.


    Though he knew that the action had appeared to be simple, but in truth, Roman had taken a great deal of pain that could damage his heart. It was never his intention to fight with Roman for Julie because Cillian was a man with ideals, and he wasn''t going to steal someone''s heart which was already stolen.


    Hours passed in Veteris, and soon it was morning. But like many other days, where the sun had brightly shone with rays of sunlight hitting the leaves and thend of Veteris, it had turned cloudy and cold. It made the students stay in their warm beds a little longer than usual.


    Julie, who had fallen unconsciousst night, slowly gained consciousness, and she woke up next to Roman. He was wide awake as if he hadn''t slept the entire night, and she stared at him.


    "Good morning," Roman greeted her.


    "Good morning," Julie whispered to him. Thest thing she remembered was her pain in the dorm, and then everything had turned nk. She softly gulped before asking him, "When did youe back here?"


    "Last night," replied Roman, staring right into her brown eyes and checking her pupils that appeared to be of the usual size. "How are you doing?"


    Julie could sense something to be very off with Roman, and she nodded, "Good. What about you?"


    "I am fine," replied Roman, his eyes red, and Julie frowned.


    "What happenedst night, Rome?" she asked him.


    "Opening the forbidden door and walking through it, it caused some bad side effects on you," sighed Roman, and he brought his hand towards her face, pushing the strands of her hair behind her face and her ear. "The dark magic attached to you before you stepped out and it was what was going to deteriorate your health."


    Julie''s eyes widened because she understood what Roman had done, and she quickly sat up on the bed in worry, and she ced her hand on his chest to make sure his heart was still beating.


    "You took away my pain and darkness," Julie''s eyebrows furrowed, and Roman pushed himself from the bed to sit up like her. "You didn''t have to do that."


    "If I didn''t do it, it would eventually lead to your death, Winters. Unlike the other witches and your mother, you didn''t learn magic gradually by exploring it yourself and taking time to perfect it. Instead, you took a crash course, and you will die sooner than the others if we let the darkness lurk around you for a longer time," exined Roman.


    Julie took a better look at Roman, noticing how he stared back at her in the eye. Even though he didn''t look like he was in pain, she could tell he was hurting, and the obvious proof was the bloodstains on his T-shirt. She shook her head and put her arms around her. Out of habit, Roman wrapped his arms around her waist and said,


    "Don''t feel guilt and regret for what I do. I do things because I want to keep you safe."


    "And I need you safe, Rome," replied Julie, she didn''t know what she would do if she lost him too. They didn''t even know if Roman would turn into a Corvin if he were to die after being a vampire.. And she wouldn''t regret bringing him back to life, simr to the way her mother had brought her father, Knox to a human-like form.

 Chapter 263 - Exhausting Vial Of Liquid

    Roman rubbed her back, pulling away to look at her. He said, "Nothing will ever happen to me. My mother kept me alive with the help of the dark stone, her efforts won''t go to waste. But I am very hungry right now. I don''t think drinking from you is advisable."


    Julie scrambled out of her bed, and she said, "Let us head to the lunchroom. I will treat you to blood cans."


    "I would like that," replied Roman, and once they got ready, wearing clothes and their shoes.


    They stepped out of the dorm.


    One of the human girls was talking to another girl from the next dorm, "I don''t know what happenedst night. I swear I thought something was haunting the girl''s Dormitorium and I cannot help but not want to step out of the room now."


    "Really now. There''s no ghost. I heard there was a power outage," replied the other girl.


    "I am not lying! It was really strange, and not to mention, I saw this shadow-like thing walk past my dorm under the door. Everything was working fine, and when was thest time Veteris ever had a power outage?" questioned the first girl. "And it was just us who had the issues. Most of the dorm''s bulbs had to be changed as they broke in heat."


    When Julie and Roman walked past the girls, Julie turned to Roman, "What was that about?"


    "You sucked in all the energy. Electricity. Or it was just too hard for the electricity to stay stable before it broke down in the entire building," replied Roman, putting his arm around her.


    One of the girls who saw the couple walk past them spoke, "Looks like the rules of Veteris are going to change soon. Especially the rule with no guy or girl allowed in the opposite sex''s dorms."


    But a lot more things than just the rules were going to change in Veteris, which the humans weren''t aware about.


    Roman''s hand slipped into Julie''s hand, intertwining their fingers as they walked to the lunchroom. Once they entered the building, they took their usual table, where Maximus was sitting with Mnie and Conner.


    "How are you doing, Julie?" asked Mnie in concern for her friend.


    Julie smiled, "Much better. Thanks to Rome."


    Mnie''s eyes met Roman''s, giving him a nod, and he returned the nod. On their way, Roman had mentioned to Julie that Cillian had returned from the grave, which had considerably ted her mood, and she looked around.


    "Where is Cillian right now?" inquired Julie, she was used to him hovering around the lunchroom without anyone''s notice.


    "I told him to go meet the elders. It would skip a lot of hassle to exin things," answered Roman.


    "Oh, don''t speak about the hassle," muttered Maximus under his breath, that gained stares from the people who were sitting at the table. With Roman, who raised his eyebrows in question, he said, "Luciano has been hounding every vampire in this property, questioning and demanding where Griffin has disappeared to."


    "Where did he go?" asked Julie, questioning the least liked person on this property.


    Maximus shrugged his shoulders, "I have got not one bit of clue. Luciano believes Donovan and my uncle have something to do with it. Frankly, I don''t know what even gives him that idea."


    "Isn''t that the usual way his head works. Griffin should be around somewhere. Didn''t he leave any note to Luciano?" questioned Roman, and Maximus shook his head.


    "Nothing at all. His room is clean and the weird part is that the guards who have been guarding on the West side of the Veteris, they have gone missing too. Wasn''t it the same spot where the cameras had been manipted?" asked Maximus.


    "It is," confirmed Julie, finding it rather strange that people had disappeared.


    "I must agree though, it is very unlike Griffin to not let Luciano know. Considering how he likes to inform his Elder about every little detail," remarked Roman with a thoughtful expression on his face. "I am sure he''s somewhere here, ready to bury his grave for another mistake he makes. Anyways, have you heard anything from Olivia about the new vial of ss that the hunters brought in yesterday?"


    Mnie''s parents had tried to use the vial of liquid in the lunchroom, in the vampire''s food.


    "They have been working sincest afternoon, but I doubt they have been able to create an antidote for it. There were a few rogue vampires, and the sample tests are being tested against them," replied Maximus in a tone of indifference.


    Hearing this, Conner turned rmed and asked slightly rmed, "Aren''t those vampires on your side?"


    "Rogue vampires aren''t of much use when they turn into wild animals. All they can do is hunt and feed without anything else on their mind. The infirmary doctors make sure that the other regr vampires are not harmed, and it is just the ones who are rotten," exined Maximus, that left Conner in deep thought. "But I believe there is going to be a situation being caused here. The little ss of vial isn''t enough to test, and it is exhausting quite quickly." He then turned to look at Mnie and Conner, "Do you think you will be able to arrange another ss vial to be brought in here. You can go home back home and get it too."


    "I don''t think it is feasible today," replied Roman. "But maybe once you are done with your exam?" the question was directed to Mnie.


    Mnie bit her lip and said, "I have never been allowed to step foot in this underground basement of our house all these years. I am not sure if I will be sessful in stealing one of them. But I guess I can try."


    "I can help you look for it," came the words from Conner, and everyone turned to look at the curly-haired boy. "Two is easier than one."


    "Then it is decided," said Roman looking at the humans, "Mnie and Conner will be bringing us another vial of the same liquid next week."

 Chapter 264 - Start Of The Decay

    In one of the secret rooms in the infirmary building, Olivia and Maximus watched Elder Remy heating a liquid that left ck fumes in the air. When he poured thest remnant of the liquid from the vial into it, the liquid in the container turned hard like a cement.


    Elder Remy held a grim look on his face, and he said, "The hunters have progressed far, and to create an antidote, there''s no more liquid left in the vial."


    "We have asked the hunters'' children to get a few more ss vials," replied Maximus.


    Hearing the n, the Elder vampire didn''t look like he supported the n. He said, "All of you seem to trust them. I wonder if it is blind ignorance, or faith that has been developed over time."


    "Mnie and Conner are on our side, Elder Remy," replied Olivia, and he offered her a stare that had the vampiress close her mouth.


    "Vampires are easy to manipte, but humans believe what is shown to them, without questioning the whys. Do you think your friends will be friends if something happened to their parents?" questioned Elder Remy, leaning closer to the container in front of him and taking a closer look at it. "Sometimes, one death is all that it takes."


    Unlike the other Elder vampires, who had lost their abilities and were mostly frustrated, Elder Remy used his knowledge to find answers to the cure of the weapon that the hunters had created.


    Olivia took Maximus out of the room, and said, "How are things outside?" It was because she wasn''t able to step out much or attend the meetings that was being held by the Elders.


    The first thing that came out of Maximus'' lips was, "Griffin is missing."


    "He ran away?" questioned Olivia, and Maximusughed at that thought.


    "Maybe someone kidnapped him," Maximus hinted at the possibility.


    "I wonder who would ever want to do that. It would be a waste of time," muttered Olivia. "I can only imagine that Luciano is going crazy right now."


    "You bet," replied Maximus, and he said, "I heard you are nning to skip the exams. You sure about it?"


    Olivia gave a nod, "Remy said he wants me to travel with him."


    She turned to her right, looking outside the window in the corridor. Her blue eyes are not flickering, and her features almost doll-like. She could feel Maximus'' stare.


    "Did you tell him that you want to work here after graduation?" questioned Maximus, and Olivia''s gaze shifted back to look at him.


    "I did. He said our lives are longer than the humans, and I can always return here where people would never suspect our ages," answered Olivia, their eyes staying two seconds longer before Maximus smiled.


    This time, he turned away from her and looked outside the window. Watching the serene atmosphere and the soft breeze move across thend. Olivia and his rtionship was a little oddpared to the other people around them. Though they liked each other, they weren''t in a rtionship, nor were they a couple.


    "Do you know how long you will be traveling?" inquired Maximus without appearing to be fazed in front of her.


    "Maybe three to five years," or maybe more, thought Olivia in her mind. She didn''t have to say the rest as he already understood it. "I heard Castiel is nning to establish apany in the North."


    A soft sigh escaped from his lips, "Everyone wants to do something once they catch Joaquin and his brother. I should go see if I can finish studying for tomorrow. I will see youter."


    "Yeah," replied Olivia, their conversation slightly stiffer than usual, and she saw him leave the infirmary.


    Maximus walked in the corridor of the boy''s Dormitorium. Reaching the dorm, he was about to knock on the door when he noticed the door was already open. He pushed the door and noticed Simon sitting on the edge of the bed while Roman stood near the study table, now covered in coke cans.


    There were at least more than fifteen cans that decorated the table right now. His eyebrows shot up, and he asked, "Are we celebrating something?"


    Simon grinned at Maximus'' question and replied, "Roman''s appetite has grown bigger than before." But the grin fell quickly, and he added, "Wee Ripper Roman in the house."


    Maximus frowned, "How did that happen?" he took a closer look at Roman, noticing his features hadn''t changed in appearance.


    Roman, who finished taking a sip from the new coke can filled with blood, responded, "My body just needs a little time to cope with the new intrusion."


    "You didn''t reply to what happened. Did it trigger by itself?" asked Maximus, watching how Roman''s eyes turned darker with the taste of blood on his lips. "We''ll have to inform Remy about it."


    "I have no interest in being an experimental mouse. Do you want a drink?" Roman offered Maximus, and the boy shook his head.


    "I am full, thanks," Maximus continued to stare at his friend when Roman finally decided to reveal.


    "Julie was affected after she tried to revive the Corvin. I just found out that witches often die, by picking up some rare incurable sickness that leads to their death. So I decided to take it from her," replied Roman calmly.


    "Is that even possible?" questioned Maximus, as absorbing someone''s pain was unheard of. The only person who could heal the wounds and reduce pain was Elder Remy. "If it could kill her, won''t it kill you?"


    Roman didn''t answer Maximus''s question, and he continued drinking the can. Simon stated, "We shall remember you for your passionate love and your temper, Rome."


    Maximus looked at Simon and said, "Please tell me you have been here with him, to keep an eye and not because you are enjoying him drink."


    A chuckle escaped from Simon''s lips, and he said, "Of course, it would be both. It is better he drinks blood in here, than going and attacking people out in the open."


    Roman rolled his eyes, "It is just my body craving for blood since this morning. More than it usually does."


    He rotated his wrist that held the can in a circr motion before taking a sip from it. Even though he didn''t feel like killing anyone for blood, he could sense that something inside him was changing. Not too quickly, but slowly and surely like a creeping shadow that would conquer his entire body.


    Maximus turned to Simon and asked, "How was Mr. and Mrs. Davis'' basement? Did you get to take a look at it."


    "Not properly. The ce is tight with security much better than what we have here in Veteris," Simon shifted his leg to ce it on another leg while he leaned back on the bed. "I didn''t get to go far, but from far it looked quite fancy. Did Castiel ask you about it?"


    Maximus shook his head, "I am worried if Mnie and Conner will be able to get another ss vial from the existing collection."


    "Hm?" Simon titled his head to the side.


    "Rome has already asked them to bring another simr ss. Olivia told me that they are running the tests on thest drops of the liquid that was handed by you, and they haven''t found the cure for it yet," exined Maximus, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Our exams start tomorrow, and it feels like I might need to repeat a year, if I don''t study."


    "I am sure Uncle Castiel can pull some strings. Just with the snap of his fingers. That is if Dante listens to it," Simon grinned in the thought, and Maximus shook his head. Though they came from influential families, to Dante, it meant nothing, and she wouldn''t blink an eye if she found the students weren''t up to the mark and were ineligible to graduate from the university.


    Simon was more interested in the little adventure that Mnie and Conner were going to take. He said, "I don''t think they will be able to get it that easily. Mnie''s parents have made sure to keep it locked, and one would need their ess keys."


    "Maybe they can steal it," responded Maximus, but Simon wasn''t convinced.


    Roman licked thest remnants of the blood on his lips and said, "As much as you want to be part of it, this is something the humans will need to figure it out. I am sure Mnie''s parents have put you on the suspicion list, and there are chances where if you once enter the house, you might note out alive."


    Simon brought his hand to his ear, ying with the little cross that hung from his ear. This was indeed true. Mrs. Davis was on alert after he had slipped the vial in his pocket. One mistake could cost his life.


    "Now if you are done chit chatting, get out of my dorm. I would like to rest," said Roman, and Simon stood up from the bed and left the dorm with Maximus following him.


    With the dorm door closed, Roman let his lower back lean against the table. He picked up one of the empty cans, bringing it to his lips before he threw up the ck blood into it. His body was rejecting blood, not ready to consume and depend on what he was drinking. He wondered how long it would be before his body would ept the blood.


    Away from the boy''s Dormitorium, Julie and Cillian walked on the restricted side of the forest, with the book of spells in Julie''s hand.


    The atmosphere between them was slightly awkward on Julie''s side because she didn''t forget the words the Corvin had spoken before she had tried to revive him. She tried to distract her mind by asking,


    "Now that you are a witch, will you be able to touch the potions and know what each of their purposes are?"


    "Yes, it shouldn''t be that hard. One of my hands is still having flesh on it," replied Cillian, bringing his hands up and looking at the gloved and ungloved hand.


    Julie hadn''t got all the details of what had transpiredst night, which had led her to believe that the resurrection hadn''t taken ce properly. But she was d to see him alive even though he wasn''tpletely human by appearance.


    "But I don''t think I have all the abilities when ites to performing spells. The dead cannot fix things," came the thoughtful words from Cillian.


    Bending down, he ced his hand on the ground, feeling the reverberation as if it was whispering something, but he didn''t know what.


    "Do you think summoning ghosts is possible?" inquired Julie, and Cillian stood up from where he had bent down earlier.


    "Whom did you n to summon?"


    Turning to look at Cillian, Julie said, "I was thinking of this witch who ended up leaving the magic to be pulled away from the others. She must have done something for something like that to happen."


    But Cillian quickly shook his head, "Summoning isn''t as easy as what you did with me. Though it is true that you will need to open the door once again. I would advise you not to do it."


    "Is it because of the dark magic thattches on to you?" she asked him, and to her words, Cillian responded with silence.


    Cillian looked in the direction where he had been near the cemeteryst night, which seemed quiet.


    Julie hadn''t been informed that Roman had taken some part of her darkness into him, but she could feel something very heavy, and the way she moved or breathed, there was a difference. A heaviness in her mind that was hard to get rid of.


    "Is there no way to divert this dark magic fromtching on to us?" Julie inquired with him, and Cillian turned his gaze on her.


    "Witches often forget to steer clear from the darkness. You must have seen people in there, Julie. Those things, they are like parasites, who are waiting to devour you and take your ce here," exined Cillian. "Many witches often get in there, with the thought that nothing will happen to them. But before they know it, when they step out of the door, they fall immensely sick."


    Both Roman and Julie had a peculiar case, where both of them had a part of them that was dead. Though death was something people would never wish to be part of, in their case, she wondered if it was considered to be a lucky charm.


    Julie pondered over Cillian''s words before she asked him, "You never felt like opening the forbidden door?"


    "I don''t know. I didn''t have time to wander around. Your mother and your uncle were a handful and I used to keep an eye on them," said Cillian, and they continued to walk from where they had paused earlier. "Also, there''s a level of difficulty, as time goes. It is harder to summon a person who was dead centuries ago, than summoning a person who was dead yesterday."


    So that is how it was, thought Julie.

 Chapter 265 - Thought Of Resurrection

    "Donovan and Mr. Evans said that they don''t know what happened to that witch, who brought in the dark magic to thisnd. She can be dead or she''s still alive," replied Julie, and her lips set themselves in a thin line.


    "I think she is alive," stated Cillian, and it grabbed Julie''s attention.


    "Why do you think so?" there was a question in her eyes.


    "I think the answer is not why, but who knows about her in here," said Corvin, and Julie''s eyebrows furrowed deeper.


    Julie wondered what Cillian''s words meant. She shook her head before saying, "The Elders already know about her. Donovan was the one to exin it to us. Are you talking about Mr. Evans?" doubting to form in her mind.


    "No," replied Cillian, his lips setting into a firm line. "Before I fell weak, I came across something and it was mildly surprising. There are two people in Veteris, who might be able to have all the answers."


    "Who is it?" questioned Julie, holding her breath and waiting for the Corvin to reveal what he knew.


    "Roman''s friend. The red-headed vampire," said Cillian and Julie''s eyes widened.


    "Simon? Are you sure about it?" asked Julie and the Corvin nodded.


    Simon had been caught by the Elder''s interrogated him, but she wouldn''t have ever imagined that he had anything to do with this person. Cillian said, "I heard one of them speak to the person."


    "There''s someone more than Simon in it?"


    "Yes," answered Cillian, and he said, "Like you already know, the spell of dark magic cannot be undone by the same person. Things don''t work that way, so you are the next best person to undo the magic in here. Only that it won''t be easy."


    After a few seconds passed, Julie asked him, "Do you think people cane back to life by the summon?"


    "You wish to see your mother," stated Cillian, and Julie bit her lip. "I don''t think your boyfriend would appreciate it if you stepped foot into the forbidden side once again."


    Julie knew Roman would be more than pissed if he were to know about it. Since he had started to spend time with her, she had noticed how he had gotten less into fights.


    She knew Roman would bring hell to Veteris if something happened to her. She had hoped nothing had happened to herst time when she had stepped through the forbidden door, but it seemed like something hadtched on to her.


    "Maybe we should get him here. Do it in his presence," proposed Julie, and Cillian wondered how that would go.


    He gave it some thought, as Julie seemed to be persistent with the idea of meeting her mother. He said, "I think you should know something."


    "What is it?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.


    "Last night, when you were unconscious¡­"


    Back in the boy''s Dormitorium, Roman was lying on his bed with his hand covering his eyes as the light seemed harsh when he heard someone knocking on the door. With a beating heart in the chest, there was only one person who dared enough to knock on the door.


    Sitting upright and moving to right, he got up and walked to the door. When he opened it, Julie looked worried, and she asked, "Are you alright?"


    Roman was surprised by the sudden question, and his eyes then fell on the person who stood behind her. Understanding what must have happened, he replied, "Fairly." Julie took a look behind Roman, noticing the cans in his room. "I was thirsty," he added, and Julie sighed.


    She put her arms around his waist, hugging him. "You cannot do that. You aren''t just a vampire, but have witch blood in you. It is going to affect you just as much as it would affect me."


    Roman sent a re at Cillian for worrying Julie about something she didn''t need to know. It was only a matter of time before he would be perfectly fine, where his body would be able to consume and digest blood.


    Cillian wasn''t scared of Roman''s re, and he responded with, "She wants to step through the forbidden door."


    "Cillian!"


    "What?" came Roman''s response to it.


    "I should go speak to Evans. The glove isn''t as easy I thought it would be. It''s already tearing," he murmured in the end and started to walk away from there. He paused for a moment, wondering if he should perhaps mention to her about what he had donest night beforeing to the girl''s Dormitorium, but on second thought, he decided to let it be for some time.


    "What is the Corvin talking about?" questioned Roman, pulling Julie inside.


    "Did your blood thirst increase?" Julie questioned him back. "There''s a way to summon people who are dead. Cillian said one had to go through the door again, to retrieve it."


    "Don''t," replied Roman, his decision on it firm, and he wasn''t going to let her pass through it. "Over my dead body." He had taken her pain and the darkness that she had brought from the other side but wasn''t going to let her do that. He didn''t even know how much more he could take in, as everything had a limit.


    Seeing Roman''s refusal, she sighed, "I won''t."


    It had just been a wish deep down in her heart, where she wanted to see her mother, where she wanted to resurrect Aunt Sarah. Maybe bring back the lost lives. To think the solution was right there, it quietly gnawed in the back of her mind.


    "Is this because of me?" she questioned him. Looking at the cans, before her eyes fell on a ck liquid and she closed her eyes.


    "You didn''t inflict it on me," stated Roman before she would me his current state on her. They were both hopeless in this case. They wanted to save each other while causing harm to themselves. "Did you find anything regarding the unbinding spell for thends here?"


    Julie gave him a nod, "But all of it needs the witch to step foot in¡ª"


    "Forget it," Roman''s clipped tone, and Julie smiled. "We will just need to find a way to lure people here than them luring us. Come let us get you to revise tomorrow''s subject. I wouldn''t want my student failing in the exam miserably."


    Hours passed, and they both stayed in the dorm, studying and preparing for tomorrow''s exam. While Julie''s eyes was concentrated on her book, Roman''s mind wandered over what he heard from her. Summoning the dead and resurrecting them sounded alluring to his ears, and he couldn''t deny that it made him want to try it himself.


    "There was something he mentioned. Cillian I mean," said Julie, and Roman''s eyes shifted to look at her. "He said Simon knows where the witch might be. The one who once lived here." Roman didn''t look too surprised by her words. "Did you know about it?"


    "I suspected it."


    Roman had tried to figure it out since the Elder vampires had tried to get an answer out of Simon, and there were only a few who knew that Simon would not open his lips even if someone decided to kill him. Such was his secrecy.


    He had connected the dots, or had tried to with theories because until now, no one knew who had actually turned Simon. It was obvious that it wasn''t a rogue vampire. And maybe many didn''t catch it, but Roman noticed how Simon let himself be hit at times, but at times, he knew how to deflect it before the opponent tried to get a hit against him. Sometimes even respond.


    "Simon has the ability of sight," said Roman, and Julie''s eyes slightly widened.


    "Sight of touch or eyes¡­"


    "Sight of probably not too far where he can see the future, but you could tell roughly a minute or two," exined Roman, something he hadn''t discussed or let anyone else know. "And a vampire holding an ability can only mean two things. Either the person has the stone of abilities handed by a witch. Or the person was handed down abilities once the person turned."


    Julie could feel her heart pumping loudly as she followed Roman''s words. She asked him,


    "You think this witch turned him? But that would mean she would need to be a vampire."

 Chapter 266 - Exams In Session

    Donovan had mentioned it, but it was hard to wrap her head around this information. Roman said, "You would think that she''s someone unknown, but she is someone who the Elders already know, but didn''t know her true identity. You might have heard the name before. Avice Swan."


    The name did ring a bell in Julie''s mind, and Julie asked, "Isn''t the woman an Elder vampire like the others? But I thought she was resting somewhere."


    "Maybe she was, and she was there when the massacre took ce, andter disappeared by going to rest in the coffin," responded Roman. "The woman doesn''t associate herself with the likes of the other vampires, and likes to keep her to herself. I don''t think Simon will tell us what is going on, but if I am not wrong, she is someone who isn''t on anyone''s side."


    Julie nodded her head, and noticing Roman''s eyes flickering red, she walked up to him. Coming to stand in front of him, she ced her hand on his chest underneath it, where his heart was steadily beating.


    "Something feels very wrong in here," murmured Julie when she picked up his heart, skipping two beats. "How are you feeling right now?"


    "Very thirsty," he answered her truthfully. "My body isn''t epting the blood."


    Julie frowned and asked him, "Is it since yesterday?" Roman gave her a nod. It must have been because of her. She raised her wrist in front of him, and she reasoned, "Maybe you need someone''s blood from the body and not the cans."


    "I don''t think it would be helpful," said Roman, but Julie insisted without lowering her hand.


    To Julie, it was worth a try, and she didn''t want Roman hungry. The longer he stayed hungry, it would only increase the percentage of him being ripper.


    Staring at her, he ensped his fingers around her wrist. He brought it to his lips, and when he parted them, Julie caught sight of his canines that grew long, and he finally took a bite into her skin. The blood seeped into his fangs and mouth, feeling the rich taste of blood coat his fangs as he swallowed it.


    Julie watched Roman close his eyes as if relishing every drop of blood on his tongue. His hand around her wrist had tightened out of wanting to control his hunger, and he tried to keep a close leash of the ripper in him that wanted to drain her.


    Roman pulled away from her hand, and Julie was about to release a sigh of relief when his face contoured in pain, and he started to cough out ck from his mouth. She quickly came to stand next to him and support him.


    "Rome!"


    Roman covered his mouth with his hand, but ck blood sprayed through the gaps of his fingers, and it fell on his jeans.


    This was not good! Julie panicked at the thought of how things were turning dire with him.


    "Your body is not able to take in the blood. It is repulsed by it," whispered Julie, and she brought in a cloth to help him clean his hand and lips.


    "The forbidden side of the door is filled with dark magic that once belonged to the witches and still does. But the dead ones," wheezed Roman, sitting on the ground, and Julie sat down along with him. "The bnce between vampires and witches is delicate, and I took in the darkness that was within you."


    More than his body epting it, it felt like the darkness was trying to corrupt his body and kill him, Julie thought in her mind.


    "We should go to Elder Remy. He might know about it," said Julie, but Roman wasn''t willing to go make a visit.


    "I just feel tired, Winters," said Roman before he leaned and ced his head on Julie''sp. "Let me take a quick nap here," he finished his sentence with a cough.


    Saying this, Roman closed his eyes while Julie stared at him. She noticed the subtle shadow that had formed under his eyes out of internal exhaustion.


    "I used to sleep like this on my mother''sp," murmured Roman, and Julie brought her hand towards his head beforebing his hair through her fingers. "Sometimes like you, I wonder if it is possible to see her again, for I miss her very much and wish to speak to her."


    He was having simr thoughts like her, thought Julie in her mind. They both missed their mothers, as they had lost them too early. The more time she spent with Roman, pondering about them, the more she came to see how simr they were as if they were two pieces of one single puzzle.


    Julie ran her fingers through Roman''s thick lock of hair, gently weaving through them while they sat in the dorm in silence. She heard him continue to speak to her,


    "Donovan has some very interesting theories about the dark stone that now resides in my heart. That it could be from the other side of the door¡­ and it makes me wonder if I can step in like the other witches have."


    "But it isn''t safe," murmured Julie.


    "I am already a dead person," replied Roman, and he turned in herp so that his headid in such a way that he could now see Julie''s face while the back of his head continued to rest. "The probability of me dying is lesspared to when ites to you. You might be the Corvin''s daughter, but you are still a person who is alive."


    Julie pursed her lips. She wondered if it was worth a try. If there was more to lose than to gain from the thought hovering on both of their minds.


    Roman brought his hand to Julie''s face, caressing her face before it curled around the back of her head and pulled her towards him. She leaned forward, kissing his lips and feeling the softness of it. It was a tender and sweet kiss that was filled with a longing.


    The next day, all the students took a deep breath before they stepped into the halls and the ssrooms to take up their exams. Like others, Julie sat down on one of the desks while Mnie sat on another one in the next room.


    "Do not cheat or talk. Sit in your assigned seats and raise your hands when you are done with your paper," announced Mr. Borrell, in charge of Julie''s ssroom. "Questions papers will be distributed in a minute."


    When the students received the question paper, Julie was d that she had studied in the beginning of her year, even though she missed the second half of it. But then the questions didn''t make much sense right now as she read it.


    Somewhere deep down in her heart, Julie had hoped to be spared from taking the exams and to graduate from her current year with ease. But who knew that they were serious, when they said that Ms. Dante didn''t care even if aliens invaded Veteris toplete the students from taking their exams.


    She raised her head, looking at the students who were in the ssroom. Everyone seemed to be busy writing the answers, while only a handful looked at the other students.


    This was not good, thought Julie in her mind. She was sure she had covered all the sybus, so why didn''t the question make sense to her?


    "Ms. Winters," came the firm voice in front of her, and Julie turned to notice Mr. Borrell stood next to her desk like a giant, looking down at her. "Keep looking at the students and waste your time, and you will have less time to focus on your own answer sheet. Eyes on your own paper."


    Julie awkwardly smiled at Mr. Borrell, and looked at the question paper. It couldn''t be that bad, could it? She asked herself. There should be a couple of questions that could pass her. Her brown eyes started going through the questions.


    ''Why does everything feel unheard?'' she questioned herself in her mind, and she skipped to the next question. ''Nope, not this. Okay, next...''


    Five minutester, Julie cursed herself. Did the professor decide to give all the questions from the chapters that she had skipped reading? Now this is why you don''t pick your favorite chapters and read, she scolded herself.


    The first forty-five minutes passed with Julie wondering if she should perhaps exin things that she knew. But it was obvious to know the result would still be zero.


    Mr. Borrell, who stood at the front of the ssroom, watched Julie struggle with her question sheet. Seemed like they would be holding an extra seat in the same ss next year.


    A few sses away from Julie''s examination room, Cillian stood in front of a ss full of students.


    Some of the girls eyed him, as they hadn''t seen this handsome professor before. The boys looked at him curiously, but only because they were a student full of vampires in this ssroom. Trying to make himself more useful, the headmistress had apprehensively offered the former professor who was in charge of detention.


    Cillian didn''t know what detention exactly meant in this ce, as he had never taken up such a job before. But when he had inquired it with Evans, the counselor had said,


    ''All you need to make sure is that if any student is out of line, you put them back in ce.''


    The job didn''t sound that odd, thought the Corvin, looking at the students before he red at one of them. Raising his hand, he adjusted the leather glove that he had been given to hide his tree-like self. And while he did that, one of the students decided to cheat through and signaled his friend to pass the sheet of paper to copy it.


    The Corvin walked to the student, and pulled the paper from the other student''s hand, "What do you think you are doing?" he questioned the one who had taken the answer sheet.


    The vampire chuckled, "That is not mine. I don''t know how it even came here."


    Cillian stared hard at the student, and looked around the ce to ask, "Whose paper is it?" When no one answered, he tore the paper in his hand and dropped it in the dustbin. "Any more papers that don''t belong to you can be handed to me."


    Back in Julie''s room, time was ticking and she didn''t have answers for the questions in her hand. She wondered if Mr. Borrell was probably testing her.


    With just an hour more in her hand, she closed her eyes before opening it.


    Maybe it was time to use her ability in her daily life. Leaning towards her paper, she stared at it and touched its surface. She waited for Mr. Borrell to walk past her desk, and when she took a deep breath, a light circle and star formed beneath the paper.


    Julie mouthed the words, ''When no answer prevails, let the touch lead you to the answers, and the light shines in the darkness.''


    A secondter, she heard very light whispering that reached her ears, everything that held answers and soon she started to write it down one by one as much as she could. When the bell rang, Mr. Borrell collected papers from every student, and he looked at Julie when she handed her paper in the end. Giving her a pointed look, he carried the answers sheets away from there.


    When she stepped out of the room, Julie felt she hade out from a war.


    "Julie!" Mnie called her, and they met up in the middle of the corridor. "How did it go? Felt like I was reading a new subject."


    "I think I will pass," replied Julie, somewhere d that she wasn''t the only one who felt that way, "How was yours?"


    "Yeah, same,"ughed Mnie. "The paper was more difficult than most expected it to be."


    Far away from Veteris, in a mansion that had tall gates and the mansion itself, which was covered in darkness mostly, a man was brought in front of Joaquin and his brother Enoch.


    Joaquin stared at the man, a human, and he hummed, "You must love your life less to cut it so short by entering their of a vampire."


    The man had sandy blond hairbed backwards to show his rough face. One of his brown eyes was covered in an eye patch. Though his stance appeared to be confident, his eyes spoke otherwise. He replied, "I heard you were looking for the dark stone."


    Hearing this, curiosity entered Joaquin''s eyes, and he asked, "What do you know about it? A hunter... you must havee here on a purpose."


    "I have. I am here with a proposal, one that you might like," said the human. "The dark stone that you are looking for is in Veteris. And my sources cannot be wrong."


    Joaquin turned to look at his brother, "Seems like you missed the presence of the dark stone, Enoch." Turning to the look at the man, he questioned, "And where is it?"


    "I will tell you, if you agree to my terms," the man tried to bargain, and Joaquin clicked his tongue. In less than one second, the human''s throat was being squeezed, and he tried to resist it.


    "If you havee here to me, don''t expect I will listen to you," spoke Joaquin in a low, threatening voice.


    The man tried to w Joaquin''s hand and spoke, "If you kill me, you will not only have to leave this ce, but I will tip the hunters such that they mighte hunting for you."


    "Do you think you will be alive to see those hunters dead?" Joaquin''s fingernails dug into the man''s throat before he finally let him go, leaving the human to cough and catch his breath. "Speak."


    "The person who can make the stone and has the bloodline of the great witch is now there in Veteris. I want the witch, once she''s done helping you," said the man.


    Enoch looked at the human with suspicion and asked, "You n to use the witch for your own benefit? We cannot have her alive once she''s done being useful to us."


    The man had a hard look, "You don''t have to worry about that. I will kill her myself.." He was going to kill his so-called daughter with his very own hands.

 Chapter 267 - The End Of The Year

    When the exams for the students at Veteris University finished, they let out arge sigh of relief that they were done with it. Most of the students had either started or were done packing their bags in the dorm, ready to go back to their home and spend a two-month vacation with their families or with their friends.


    And while most of the students did that, Julie sat in her dorm, with her clothes still in the closet and her things still on the table, where she hadn''t gotten ready, unlike the other students.


    She sat at her study table, staring at the picture frame of her mother and her in it. Her surrogate mother... Natalie. Even though most of her life she had despised Natalie, after knowing the pain and anxiety the person had gone through before her death had made Julie forgive the woman. And even though the situation was twisted, she was d to have Natalie as her mother, who loved and cared for her.


    "Julie?" came a voice behind her, and she turned to look at the door and noticed Mnie, who had packed her bags and wore a backpack. "Are you sure you don''t want toe with me?"


    Julie smiled at Mnie. Getting up from the chair, she ced the picture frame back on the table, which Mnie noticed. "You go ahead, I think I will stay here with Rome," replied Julie, and then she said, "You have your own thing to do, and I am sure it will be difficult if I end up eating something I am not supposed to there..."


    Mnie had a look of guilt on her face, and she awkwardly smiled. She didn''t take offence from Julie''s words because her parents were hunters, who had also tested their Silverwater on Simon.


    "I just hope everything is okay, and maybe one day they wille to realize that being a vampire isn''t that bad. At least not everyone is all bad, also witches," sighed Mnie, and Julie stepped forward, putting her arms around her friend and hugging her. "I will miss you, Julie."


    "I will miss you too. I hope you are safe, and maybe not get attacked by anyone," said Julie as they pulled back. "Let me see you on the bus."


    "Mm," Mnie nodded, they stepped out of the dorm, and? Julie locked her dorm and walked with her friend. "For some strange reason, it feels like things are calm and nothing bad is going to happen. But at the same time it only makes one feel if its the calm before the storm. Did you figure out how you would be lifting this dark magic that is on thesends?"


    "I tried doing it simr to how I put the souls of the dead in the vial, but it doesn''t seem to work," answered Julie, as they stepped out of the girl''s Dormitorium. Julie noticed Eleanor hurriedly pulling her suitcase towards the bus while talking to her friends as if excited to go back to her home.


    Home.


    The word sounded distant in Julie''s life, as the only ce she could remotely call home was this ce. Her dorm belonged to Roman. She didn''t have any other ce to go, with her father, who had let her know that he was hunting her and her uncle, who had not beenpelled. She had no rtives to go to from her past.


    She wondered if life would have been different if Aunt Sarah had not been killed. The woman would have epted her and Roman toe home and spend time with Uncle Thomas and her cousin Joel.


    "...maybe I can go at night because I feel morning is going to be more unnerving than when the lights are off," Mnie was talking about her n on how she nned to get the ss vial from her parent''s collection when it came to killing the vampires. "I kept wondering how I never found out about this secret door in the basement until now, but now that I do, I see how they tried to hide it from me or anyone."


    "Don''t worry. You will be fine. Worse case, you just say that you were sleepwalking and didn''t know how you ended up there if they catch you,"? Julie suggested, and Mnie nodded before shrugging her shoulders with worry. Seeing how Mnie looked slightly worried, Julie asked, "How are things going on with Conner and Simon?"


    "Oh, that..." Mnie drawled. "I think it is fine, just messy in my head."


    "You want to talk about it?" asked Julie while they headed towards the bus. Conner, who was supposed to be riding the bus with Mnie, wasn''t nowhere in sight yet.


    Mnie looked a little gloomy, as there were some things going on in her mind, and as much as she tried to get rid of it, she wasn''t able to do it.


    "Conner and Simon told they would be taking me out on a date, so that I can decide whom I like better, or if I still have feelings for Conner the way it used to be before, and Simon wants to woo me," exined Mnie, before she shook her head. "I don''t even know why Simon is trying to woo me, I mean, we are different. Ie from a hunter''s background, and I am supposed to hunt down vampires."


    "But you don''t," replied Julie, "You are not like the others, not like your parents, Mel."


    From what Julie could see, Mnie had spoken more about Simon than she had spoken about Conner. But she decided to continue to listen.


    Mnie said, "I know... I wonder if it was because I visited the past with you, which is why I know about it a little more than Conner can rte to it. But," she paused for a moment, "I told Conner that I didn''t feel the same way, and how things are now. When he told me he wanted to take me out, I should have been excited, but I don''t know why... I was more worried about what Simon was thinking at that time."


    "Do you like Simon, Mel?" Julie hit right on the nail with the question.


    Mnie pursed her lips before she said, "He annoys me to no end. And likes to embarrass me, how could I like someone like that? Not to mention, he''s a vampire."


    Julie knew Mnie loved her parents dearly, and she would never do anything to upset them. If they were to find out that their only daughter was dating a vampire, God only knew how things would take a turn from there. Somewhere, Mr. and Mrs. Davis had given her an impression that they would stake Simon right in front of Mnie''s eyes to prove their point.


    "For a moment, forget that he''s a vampire, a kind your family would be against," said Julie, looking at Mnie, slightly frowned. "I think you already have an answer, and somewhere... The two must know it too, and are still trying their luck. Maybe you will know your answer better by going back home. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder."


    "Shit," cursed Mnie, touching her hair. It wasn''t that she didn''t realize it, but iting out from someone else just cemented her feelings.


    When they reached the bus, Conner appeared from inside the bus, where he had already saved himself and Mnie seats.


    "Let me get that," said Conner to Mnie, taking her bag and helping her. Once he returned, he asked Julie, "Let us know if you want toe stay with us, we will be happy to host you."


    "I am good, thanks, Conner," Julie smiled at his words.


    At least now, Conner was not carrying wooden stakes, ready to stake her or throw holy water on her or other vampires. He appeared to be in a much calmer statepared to the day when he had found out.


    "Make sure not to get caught and message me," she advised her friends.


    Mnie and Conner nodded, and Conner said, "Once Mnie gets the ss vial with the essence, one of us will contact you. And if possiblee sneak away from there to get here. It is going to be simple. All we need to do is ask Mel''s mom to give us the vial, as we want to go hunting and try it out."


    "Do you think it is going to be that simple?" Mnie questioned in a doubtful tone.


    "Of course!" Conner replied in confidence, "I mean we are part of the group, and we should be allowed to get it. It is much better than sneaking in and out."


    When the bus started, Julie stepped away from the bus and waved at her friends, who waved back at her.


    With most of the students, who had left in the bus, leaving Veteris behind, the university turned quieter and deserted. Julie stood there watching until the veryst bus left from there, and when she turned around, she noticed Roman sitting on one of the benches and now looking at her. She started to walk towards him, noticing him smoking, and she asked,


    "When did youe here?"


    "A while ago. Do you want to sit?" and though Roman asked her, he stretched his hand towards her.


    Julie ced her hand in his hand, and she felt the slight tug from him before she sat down next to him.


    She shivered when a strong breeze passed by the ce where they sat. The next second, she found her shoulders draped around by Roman''s jacket. She slipped her hands into the leather jacket sleeves beforefortably sitting.


    "Do you miss home?" asked Roman, and Julie gave it a thought before she replied to him,


    "Just a little. But not as much as I thought. What do you do often when everyone has gone home?"


    "Sometimes go on long rides or sleep. Lots of sleep, I think that''s what most of the vampires do to rest their bodies, instead of making time to spend time in the coffins," replied Roman, bringing the cigarette bud near his lips and taking arge puff. He turned his head in the other direction, blowing the smoke.


    "In the future, will you need to go back into the coffin one day?" asked Julie, something that was on her mind.


    Roman hummed for an answer, "It is an inevitable thing that most of us go through. Not that a vampire won''t survive, but they might not function right for some time, before a vampire turns weak."


    Julie knew witches couldn''t live forever, at least not like the vampires. Their lives were long but not long enough to avoid death. She turned to Roman, who was already looking at her.


    "Thinking about your death?" questioned Roman, and a soft smile came to appear on her lips.


    "I was wondering what you would do once I am gone," replied Julie, and Roman took another drag from the bud before he put it down and trampled it.


    "When you are gone, huh," he thought about it, "Let us hope that day neveres. You are a witch and Corvin''s daughter."


    "I mighte as a Corvin," replied Julie. But not all witches reborn into a raven and a Corvinter. There were only a few cases where witches continued their afterlife in thend of the living.


    "If it doesn''t work... I will follow you. Wherever you go, Winters. I will be there," promised Roman, and the corner of Julie''s pulled up. He put his arm around her shoulder as they stared at the trees in front of them.


    They stayed there for a few more minutes in bliss until Roman turned his head to the side as if he was listening to something.


    Sensing it, Julie asked him, "What is it?"


    "The ever noisy Elders," muttered Roman under his breath. "Come," and they headed towards the inside of the forest. On reaching the edge of the cemetery, Julie caught sight of Elder Luciano, who looked livid. With him was Elder Donovan, Elder Castiel and Cillian.


    "What''s going on?" Roman asked his father, who was trying hard not tough and keep a straight face.


    "What is going on?" Luciano repeated the words in a mocking tone. He then turned to look at Julie and said. "Your little pet friend told us where Griffin and the others are."


    Julie''s eyes met Cillian''s, and he said, "The boy needed to learn some discipline, and I thought having him in the coffin would give him and the others some time to reflect about their lives."


    Roman snorted hearing this, and Luciano''s head snapped to look at him with a re. But then Roman wasn''tughing because of the state Griffin was in, but because he had done something simr to another student.


    Luciano turned to look at Cillian and demanded, "Where is he?"


    "Right next to you," replied Cillian with a nk expression.


    Luciano sent a quiet re at the Corvin, and he then pushed the coffin''s lid, and on opening it, they found a pale-looking Griffin there.

 Chapter 268 - Alive Corpses Out

    Julie''s eyes widened on seeing Griffin being pulled out from inside the coffin. He looked nothing less than a ghost because of his pale skin and the dark circles that had formed under his eyes. She looked back and forth between him and Cillian, and Cillian''s eyes silently met hers, and they didn''t speak a word.


    "Are you alright, Griffin?" questioned Luciano, looking at the younger vampire, who had a dazed look as he hadn''t consumed blood in thest three days that had weakened his body.


    Donovan nonchntlymented, "He''s not a human, but a vampire, Luciano. The boy will be just fine even if he doesn''t drink blood for one week. Isn''t that right, Griffin?"


    Griffin''s voice was low as he spoke, "I need blood."


    "Hmph, weakling," remarked Donovan, looking down on Griffin.


    And though Griffin was in a weakened state of body and mind, he tightly clenched his hands into fists. He wanted to beat Cillian and throw him in the coffin to make sure how he felt. He still didn''t understand how a human could be this strong. He had never met anyone like this, and he raised his hand, pointed it at Cillian andined, "This person attacked us!"


    Castiel was watching the whole situation with an apprehensive look on his face. Before Luciano would pop another vein on his forehead, he said, "Griffin, did you attack your professor for no reason?"


    Griffin''s eyes squinted, and he asked, "Which professor?"


    "Me," replied Cillian, folding his hands behind him.


    When the fuck did this person even appointed as a professor in Veteris?! Shouted Griffin internally in his mind.


    Luciano red at the other two Elders and said, "This creature has no sense of what, when and how to do things. I cannot believe that Dante picked someone this useless to be part of the staff."


    "Now now, it was all just a misunderstanding. And if you ask me, Griffin can use a little rest. After all, he has been working so hard in keeping the Veteris ground safe from people intruding on it, isn''t that right, boy?" questioned Donovan, unable to resist the smile that had now pulled upon his face.


    Griffin didn''t know if he was supposed to agree that he had been working hard or use the Corvin. But Luciano didn''t take the matter lightly, and he turned more annoyed, "And look what happened after he was trying so hard. He was pushed into the coffin?"


    "There are some others who were put in the coffin¡­ I think," murmured Griffin, making sure his Elder vampire heard it well.


    Everyone turned to look at Cillian, who stood there with calmposure, while he stared at a bird perched on one of the nearest trees, singing a song. Sensing the people''s gaze upon him, he turned to find them staring at him¡ª some amused, some sigh, and some who were ring down at him.


    "I demand that you put him in the dungeon. The next thing you know, he will be putting every other vampire in the coffin," stated Luciano, crossing his arms across his chest and waiting for Castiel to speak in his favour while knowing there was no point in talking to Donovan.


    "How about we first try to get everyone out of their coffin and then decide on what to do next," Castiel suggested, hoping they could sit down and think about it with a calm mind. Because Cillian was not an ordinary person, who they were dealing with right now, as he was a witch and a former Corvin or the other way round.


    When every person was pulled out from the Coffin, Castiel could only watch in awe that a witch had handled so many people at a time. Cillian would be a great asset when fighting with the other vampires, the Elder vampire thought in his mind.


    "Why does this boy look like he was put in here long ago?" questioned Donovan, staring at one of the boys he had caught in one hand and had pulled out of the coffin.


    Cillian''s eyes fell on the person, and he said, "I didn''t put him in there."


    "Maybe he was never woken up from his coffin since thest few decades."


    Julie, standing at the side, watching everyone, her eyes fell on one of the vampire boys, whoy near Donovan''s feet. Why did he look familiar? A secondter, her mouth fell open when she realized who that person was.


    She turned to look at Roman, who already knew it was the same vampire who had almost turned her into a snack some time ago when she had just found out about the vampire''s existence.


    Roman replied, "It was me."


    "This is fantastic," came the dry sarcasm from Luciano. "Your entire family has a record for creating trouble. We might as well just put them all in the dungeon. And why did you even put a fellow student in there?"


    "He was about to kill Julie. He should be grateful that I didn''t push a stake through his heart," retorted Roman, and Luciano''s eyes snapped to look at him.


    Luciano took a couple of steps towards Roman and warned him, "Count yourself lucky that you aren''t someone whom I turned into a vampire. I would have made sure you understood what it meant to respect the Elder vampires. I would have killed you for your disobedience."


    "Well, it is good that Rome is not any turned vampire but my son. An Elder vampire''s and a witch''s son," came the proud words from Donovan.


    "A witch? I thought she was a human," murmured Griffin, and he lifted his gaze to look at Roman, who stared back at him. Given the right opportunity, Griffin would have chosen to get back into the coffin for the number of news he was getting this week. Who knew that the next would end up with Roman being called the next Elder vampire.


    Luciano turned to look at Cillian and said, "I will make sure that you don''t stay in Veteris. You harmed an Elder vampire''s boy."


    "I was merely following the protocols, Mr. Sterling," reasoned Cillian, and Luciano red at the Corvin as if the Corvin believed that he was a dumb vampire.


    "I will fucking kill you," Luciano threatened Cillian through gritted teeth.


    Castiel ced his hand on Luciano''s shoulder and said, "This is not the time for it. We have other important matters in hand."


    Cillian wasn''t done speaking, and he said, "I had to show my skills for the current job. It is my duty as a detention teacher, to make sure all the students follow and respect, as you said. Respect the elders."


    Before the matters could get worse, Castiel turned to Julie, "Go ask Mr. Borrell or Isolde to arrange some finest quality of blood for our young vampires right away."


    Julie nodded and decided to pull Cillian with her while Roman stayed back with Donovan and the other Elder vampires.


    On their way, she asked him, "How could you do that? Everyone knows not to mess with the direct disciples of the Elder vampires."


    "The boy and his friends attacked me first," not to mention, the boy was nning to harm Julie, thought the Corvin in his mind.


    "And you didn''t remember to tell me about it?" Julie raised her eyebrows.

 Chapter 269 - Another Life To Live

    Cillian could feel the stare from Julie, and he said, "You were busy with your exams. Seeing how you not remember most of the answers in the exam, I thought it was better not to bring it up. Studies alwayse first and thenes the rest."


    "Ah, you saw me use the spell," said Julie with an awkward smile.


    "I did, and it was smart."


    Julie didn''t have it in herself to reprimand Cillian because, in her mind, she was delighted to see that Griffin had spent time in the coffin without blood to consume. He deserved every single second of spending in the dark,pany of cobwebs, and dusty coffin thought Julie in her mind.


    She didn''t forget the day when Griffin had sent Jackson to assault her. Thinking about that day sent her chills.


    "Are you angry at me?" questioned Cillian and Julie smiled before shaking her head.


    "No, you did the right thing. Hopefully he will learn to fix his ways at least now," replied Julie, and Cillian gave her a nod. "You could have told us, and we could have freed them without the Elder vampires knowing that you did it."


    "I did think about it. But while I was around, I heard the blond vampire using you, and I thought it was better to let them know," replied Cillian, and Julie hummed. When she turned to look ahead of them, his eyes fell on her face, which was soft in features, and the air blew in the opposite direction of where they were headed, pushing her hair back. "Did your friends leave?"


    "Yeah, a few minutes ago," replied Julie, and then she asked him, "How are you doing? I mean, do you sense any change in your body?"


    Cillian brought his hand forward, pulling the glove he wore to reveal the stem-like fingers. He said, "The leather feels strange, and this is the second glove. Thest one tore as it couldn''t contain my sharp fingers."


    "I don''t understand. Why did your hand and leg turn back in the presence of the light that was emitting from me or the energy," she had a small frown on her forehead. "I mean you are a witch now, aren''t you?"


    "I am, but the dark magic has the ability to identify what is real and what is false. It would want me to return to my regr form."


    "Do you want to?"


    On hearing Julie''s question, the Corvin replied, "I doubt it makes any difference right now. Things will still be the same as it is. My family is long gone, and the only one remaining is my descendant. Life would still be the same, Julianne."


    "Maybe you can make it different," said Julie, and their eyes met for two seconds longer before he smiled.


    "I doubt so. Your mother was brave, Julianne. But then she also loved your father dearly, that she didn''t mind consummating her rtionship with him once again," stated Cillian, their footsteps softly crumpling the leaves on the forest ground they stepped on. "No one can love a dead person. I am not a vampire, but a witch. A creature that doesn''t exist or is not known by people, except a few."


    "I am not talking about just love," replied Julie, and she paused her footsteps, and he did the same. They turned to each other, facing one another, and she said, "When I saw Natalie''s dead body and my father standing next to it, I thought the same way. Everything was closed. Every window and door, and I didn''t know what to do for a couple of days. I had no answers to why it happened, but knew things wouldn''t be the same. I think it is wonderful that you decided to spend your time here as a detention professor, take it as your third life and live it for yourself. It doesn''t have to be for me."


    Julie knew that Cillian''s only purpose since he had turned into a Corvin was to watch over her. To make sure she was safe, she was no more that girl who was a weak human.


    "I think that would be hard to do," responded Cillian, looking at a piece of her hair moving in front of her eyes. His hand shot up before she could get it, and he pushed her hair to the side. "Allow me to look after you for a little longer, as it might take time for me to be able to shift my attention."


    Julie offered him a bright smile and nodded. She knew Cillian wasn''t a bad person. And knowing he was attached to her, she wasn''t cruel enough to distance him after he had always tried to protect and keep her safe since she had arrived in this timeline with Natalie.


    "Okay," she agreed, and Cillian only gave her a nod before they both walked towards the infirmary.


    When they reached the building, most of the staff weren''t on duty as there was no need for it. With the humans who had left for vacation and most of the vampires, who had left Veteris either early in the morning or in the noon to spend time away from this ce, the staff too had taken up their vacation hours.


    Stepping inside the building, they walked in the lonely corridor and heard a familiar voiceing from one of the rooms.


    On reaching the front of the room, Julie took a peek and noticed Olivia standing in front of a bed with her hands ced on both sides of her waist.


    "There is nothing wrong with you, Simon. Now if you will let me work before Elder Remy kicks you out for hindering our work," said Olivia while shaking her head.


    "So cruel. Is this how you treat your patients, Livi?" questioned Simon, who was lying on the bed with his shoes on.


    Feeling someone''s presence outside the room, the vampiress turned and caught sight of Julie there with their new detention teacher.


    Julie asked, "Is everything alright?"


    Olivia offered a smile, "Everything is fine. Are you looking for Elder Remy? He''s on the second floor and right corridor," she said.


    "We are looking for blood bags for weak vampires," replied Cillian, and Olivia tilted her head to the side.


    "Blood bags? Who are the weak vampires?" questioned Olivia.


    "It is for Griffin and some of the guards," Julie answered, and Olivia''s eyes slightly widened.


    "Did they finally find him? Where was he that he requires blood for?" inquired the vampiress.


    "Livi, stop helping that ass, and look at me instead. I am going to die!" came the dramatic words from Simon, and Julie leaned to her side to see Simon, who looked perfectly healthy.


    Olivia waved her hand, "He''s in a perfectly healthy condition. Once in a while Simon turns like this."


    "Shush, I do not," replied Simon, sitting upright on the bed and turning around for his feet to touch the floor. "I feel very empty in here, and I can barely breathe right now. Like my body is not able to take in the oxygen.. I am going to die soon," came the solemn words from him.

 Chapter 270 - Dramatic Vampires Pain

    "Is it because of the dark magic that is spilt on thend?" Julie asked him, and Simon was about to open his lips before he closed. He stared at her.


    Julie and Roman hadn''t spoken about what they knew about Simon to anyone, and this was the first time she had remotely brought up the matter.


    "I don''t think it is that," said Simon before he ced his hand on his chest. "Just for the record, I like daffodils on my grave."


    Olivia ignored Simon''s dramatic words and looked through the fridge. She then pulled out a ck box, carried it and handed it to the Corvin.


    "These should do. There are eight of them," stated Olivia and then she added, "You can ask the weak vampires toe to the infirmary and drink up the blood unless they prefer the one''s from the lunchroom."


    "Thank you, Olivia," Julie thanked her, and both she and Cillian left the building while Simon continued to groan.


    "I swear on my test tubes, I will kill you with it, if you don''t let me work," said Olivia, closing the fridge and writing something down on the registry.


    "You didn''t even diagnose what is wrong with me. Your friend is dying and you show no sympathy or pity. Cruel Livi," used Simon.


    "I think what you need is not treatment in the infirmary, but a visit to Evans'' office. He will check your head," stated Olivia, and she closed the registry. cing the book in the drawer, she turned to look at Simon before sighing. "Since when have you been feeling the difort?"


    "An hour ago. Maybe two hours ago," Simon replied to her without beating around the bush.


    She asked him, going through the usual questions, "Can you repeat what difort you have again again?" her eyes slightly narrowed.


    Simon ced his hand on his chest and said, "I know my heart doesn''t beat, but it feels empty. Like my heart, my lungs aren''t in there anymore. Not to forget, I have lost my appetite, when ites to drinking blood. I just had one sip of blood and it was garbage.


    "Maybe the can of blood was stale. Did you try buying another one?" questioned Olivia, and she wondered if it had anything to do with the bullet of silver that he had been shot sometime ago. But then it was strange that it would be reacting now. Roman''s body should have reacted faster if that was so.


    "I did try to sink my teeth into a human, but she didn''t taste good either. Do you think I am turning human?" he asked in slight worry while crossing his legs and waving his hand. "Am I the first case in history. A vampire turning back to human."


    "That would be impossible, and if that were true, I am sure we would be friends with the hunters now and sipping tea in their backyard. Not drinking their blood," pointed Olivia, and she heard the sigh from Simon.


    "What do I do, Liv? I feel a turmoil in my heart¡ªWait, where are you going?" he asked, noticing her making her way towards the door.


    Olivia turned and gritted her teeth while sending a quiet re at her friend, "You are sick, Simon. Love sick." Shaking her head, she walked through the door.


    "Love sick what?" Simon chuckled, "That''s impossible. Liv!" He called her toe back, but she didn''t return.


    He let his back fall on the bed again,fortably putting his legs on the bed and looking up at the room''s ceiling. There was no way he was in love,? Simon thought. Sure he liked and enjoyed Mnie''spany, but love was a far fetched term, wasn''t it?


    "So ufortable," muttered Simon under his breath. After a few seconds of silence, he said to himself, "I hope you are feeling the same way as I am."


    In the town of Greasy Corner, Mnie and Conner got down in front of their houses.


    "When do you think is the right time toe by your home?" asked Conner, and Mnie took a deep breath. Because when her parents were about to leave from Veteris, her mother had a noticeable hint of suspicion, but she wasn''t sure if it was on her or if it was on Simon.


    "Give it a day or two. Speaking about it right away might raise more suspicion than it already has," replied Mnie, and Conner gave her a nod.


    But before Mnie could walk towards her house, Conner said, "Call me if something happens. I will keep my phone next to me."


    Mnie smiled, "Thanks, Conner. I will see youter."


    When she was about to reach the door, ready to ring the bell while standing on the porch, the door opened right away, and there stood her mother with a warm smile.


    "Wee back home, Mel! Your father and I have been waiting for you to return," said her mother while hugging her.


    Mnie felt a trickle of anxiousness and asked, "Well, we would. Our exams did get over," and she let out an uneasyugh."How have things been here? Anything to look out for?" she asked casually.


    "Just the same," her mother pulled away and took her bag from her. "How were your exams?"


    "A little difficult as usual, but I hope not too bad," replied Mnie. "Where''s dad?"


    "He''s in the...basement. Dealing with a few things, dear. He should be up here with us soon," her mother offered her a smile, and Mnie found it hard to believe that her parents were into this. "In the mean time, I would like to have a little chat with you. I am sure there''s a lot of catching up to do."


    "There is?" asked Mnie, and her mother nodded, while stepping into the kitchen and opening the fridge. She saw her mother pull out a juice, and ce it on the ind of the kitchen.


    Her mother poured the juice in two sses, before offering one of them to her, "Yes, it was something that you said about vampires being good.. I would like to hear what made you think that."

 Chapter 271 - Interrogation In The Kitchen

    Mnie''s hand slightly tightened around the ss, and feigning innocence, she asked her mother, "What about it, mother?"


    Mrs. Davis''s shrewd eyes looked at Mnie, and she said, "Sit," and Mnie did just that. "I want to know what brought that thought in your mind that vampires are good in nature. That they are like us humans."


    Mnie took a sip of the juice and gulped it down as her throat felt dry at her mother''s interrogative tone. She shrugged her shoulders, "It was just a thought that urred to me when I was lying on the bed. That is all."


    "Vampires are not good, Mel. I mean you saw how they are. They are nothing but bloodthirsty creatures, who will kill and take your blood. Worse, turn you. You were there that day, when we were hunting vampires. You saw how one of the vampires tried to turn Conner''s father into a vampire too," stated her mother, not holding back her thoughts with her. "And yet you think that they are good?"


    "It is just that..." Mnie''s voice trailed, and her mother''s eyes narrowed, waiting for her daughter to finish her sentence. "We are humans, and we don''t suck people''s blood. There are some people who are bad, aren''t they? There are serial killers, people who steal things, and criminals. But not all humans are bad, yet, there are some who are good."


    "Mnie Davis, are you telling me that you support vampires and don''t want to be hunters?" questioned her mother.


    "All I am saying is, there might be some of them, who want to live life like us. And we hunting them is only going to make things worse."


    Mnie became confused when her mother startedughing mockingly, and she didn''t understand what was the funny thing was in what she said.


    "What''s gotten you into a fit ofughter?" Mnie''s father stepped into the room, wiping his hand on the apron tied around his waist.


    "Our daughter was cracking a joke, which you might like to hear," said her mother, and Mnie sighed. "Mnie thinks we are trying to terrorize the vampires, and they are attacking us humans because we attack them. Can you tell her?"


    "Vampires are nothing but brutal creatures, Mel. Any doubt in your mind about it, you should erase it right away. Your mother''s family was erased because of the vampires and she''s still traumatized about it," stated her father, "Anyways, this is not the time to exin it. You must be tired. Why don''t you go to your room and rest and we can continue this conversation during dinner, hm?"


    Mnie nodded, not wanting to appear suspicious in her parents eyes, and she finished her juice, but before she could step out, her father said,


    "You failed to follow our basic protocol, Mel. Of not telling anyone about the vampires and who we are."


    "Julie is mine and Conner''s friend. Instead of hiding, I thought we could use one more help," Mnie replied sincerely. "Also I wanted her to be aware that creatures like these exist so that she would be safe."


    "I hope you haven''t told it to anyone else," her father''s question was straightforward, and she shook her head. "Go on."


    Once Mnie stepped out of the kitchen, Mrs. Davis said, "Her words are conflicting."


    "Why do you say that?" questioned her husband.


    "Not a while ago, she was defending vampires, and now she says she told Julianne about what we do, to keep her safe from vampires. Something is just not right."


    In her room, Mnie wondered if her parents would evere to ept the idea of vampires being not as harmful as they thought them to be. Every side of the coin had a different version, and if it weren''t for her studying in Veteris, she would have probably had the same opinion. Brainwashed over the years, but at the same time, she understood where her mother wasing from.


    Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she looked at the window. The streets outside were quiet and peaceful. Her phone suddenly beeped, and she pulled it out from her pocket to check the notification. It was from Conner.


    ''My father is asking if we found any vampires. I said no.''


    Then another message came quickly from him, and she read it¡ª


    ''Make sure you delete the conversation from your side after reading it, and I will do the same.''


    Mnie deleted the message before replying to him¡ª


    ''Mum was asking me about the slip of tongue that I had when they came to visit Veteris. Do you think our parents discussed it with each other?''


    ''So far it doesn''t look like it. But if I find something, I will let you know,'' came his text, and Mnie replied with thanks before deleting all messages from her phone.


    When it was night, Mnie sat at the dining table with her parents for dinner¡ªpassing the bowl to each other before starting their meal in silence.


    Her father broke the silence at the table by speaking to her mother, "How are thingsing along with the solution that you have been working on since thest two days?"


    "I am trying to decrease the temperature, keeping the solution in it, but so far there has been no change in it. I will probably have to check it by using it on one of the vampires," replied her mother, while she cut her vegetables and took a bite into it. "Did you send thest batch to Mr. Rai?"


    "I have. Just sent them this morning, so they should be able to stack it up for the next attack by vampires. Everyone was very pleased with what you created," he praised his wife.


    Mnie, who caught on to it, asked, "Did mom make a new weapon to use against the vampires?"


    "It was the same one that we used in your university dear. There was a vampire frenzy attack three towns away from here and they needed to control the situation. So we sent all the solutions to them," said her mother.


    Did that mean there weren''t any left in the house? As she thought about it, while taking a bite from her food, she winced as she bit the inside of her cheek.


    Mnie calmly asked, "Does that mean we don''t have any more of them if we have a vampire attack in our house?"


    Her fatherughed at her question, "Why would any vampire hunt a hunter in their house. It is nothing less to suicide. Your mother is making more of them right now. It should be done soon."


    "A week," confirmed her mother. "I need to make sure this time the solution is much stronger and I will put it in the silver bullets. Double attack, I would like to see how the vampires like it," the woman smiled before talking to her husband.


    That meant they couldn''t get the liquid to Veteris until her mother had prepared more of them, thought Mnie. Suddenly her phone vibrated, and she wondered if it was again from Conner. But when she checked it, the name read? ''Simon Wace.''


    Did they exchange numbers before? Was her memory turning weak?

 Chapter 272 - Lovesick texts

    Chapter 272 - Lovesick texts


    ''How is your vacation going so far?''


    ''Good,'' Mnie replied to his text.


    ''Did you have your dinner?''


    ''Eating,'' and Mnie added, ''You?''


    After hitting send, she wondered when they started talking to each other as friends?


    ''I have been in the infirmary since this morning, and I am sick.''


    Reading it, Mnie frowned. She replied to him, ''I thought you can''t fall sick.''


    It took a minute before she received a message from him again. And this time, his message read¡ª


    ''Of course, I can fall sick. Mel-sick.''


    Mnie stared at the message for a few seconds. She would have never thought that Simon could be this cheesy. And what did he mean Mel-sick?! Blood rushed up to her neck, and she hoped it didn''t reach her cheeks. Her mother interrupted her thoughts, "Everything alright, Mel?"


    "Yes, mom," Mnie smiled at her mother, and she ced the phone on herp. "It was just about the schedule for the next year."


    "Your university sure works fast, doesn''t it?" said her mother, and Mnie gave her a nod while hoping her mother wouldn''t ask what the schedule was about. "Did Julie go to visit her uncle''s ce? Poor child doesn''t have parents."


    Not knowing what else to say, Mnie replied with a yes, "She''s staying at her uncle and aunt''s house."


    "Maybe if we are free, we should all go on a pic. What do you think, Mel?" asked her mother, and Mnie wondered if she had run out of luck. "Just us and her family. Maybe we can have Conner''s family along with us."


    "I will be sure to ask her about it," answered Mnie, and her mother looked pleased with her answer and continued to eat.


    Once she was done eating her meal, she watched the television with her family like any other time when she was back home. Her parents sat on the couch opposite her. Mnie quickly texted Conner, letting him know about what her parents told her.


    Before leaving Veteris, both Julie and Mnie had already discussed the possible questions that Mnie would ask, and the answers had been discussed. Which was why Mnie had no trouble in answering where Julie was right now. She could make up such that Julie had gone out of state with her rtives. She wouldn''t have to worry about her mother asking her to join them.


    Her eyes carefully shifted to look at her parents, and she wondered how many vampires were held as hostages in their basement.


    Feeling the vibration from her phone, she pulled it out and checked¡ª


    ''Where did you disappear to, my stolen heart?''


    Mnie internally cringed at Simon''s attempt, and she could feel goosebumps forming on her skin just by reading his words.


    ''Maybe someone took it to run a stake through it,'' replied Mnie. Was he not satisfied with annoying her in the university that he was now trying to annoy her through the phone?


    She received his text right away, which read, ''If that someone is you...'' and another text came after the suspense, ''Perhaps I shoulde to your ce and get it. What do you think?''


    Mnie rolled her eyes, ''You are really courting death. And no my name is not death.''


    ''But I feel like I am going to die at any moment. I wonder how long it will take for you to miss me. It is unfair that Conner gets to stay right next to you, while I am far away.''


    Somewhere, Mnie wanted to shake her head at Simon''s antics. He was truly a prankster, and now that he asked her, her thoughts went to his question. Missing him¡­


    She wasn''t going back to Veteris right now, and once the next academic year would start, he wouldn''t be there in the university. She hadn''t realized it until now. Like Julie had earlier pointed out, her heart had let go of Conner during the time of waiting, and she had continued to hold on to the lingering feelings. And during that time, someone had sneaked into her mind, invading her thoughts.


    She turned her phone on silent mode after sensing her father look at her because of the number of times her phone had made noise. When she felt no one was looking at her, she saw Simon''s reply had arrived, and she opened it,


    ''If you were death, you would be the most beautiful one.''


    It seemed like Simon was indeed sick. And he was possibly sick with all the cheese he had eaten for spouting these cheesy things right now. She would have asked if he had no shame, but was it even worth asking?


    When she didn''t reply and got immersed in what was going on on the television screen, she felt the light on her phone sh.


    ''What are you doing now?'' he asked her.


    Mnie clicked the words on the keyboard and sent the reply, ''Watching a 80''s movie. Why?''


    ''Do you mind if I join?''


    Mnie rolled her eyes, ''The movie will be done before you join and no.'' Staying away from him would put her thoughts on the right track, and maybe she would figure, under all the annoyance and her tolerance, if she liked him.


    He was in the infirmary of Veteris, acting sick right now, there was no way he woulde here to watch a movie. Not to mention when her mother was suspicious about him. Though a few days ago, Simon had introduced himself to be a hunter, her parents had only bothered to ask about Julie and not him. And that was enough of a red g in Mnie''s book.


    ''So harsh with your replies. Now that our exams are done, I was supposed to take you out on a date. When are you free this week?'' he asked her.


    ''I am busy trying to find the solution that was prepared by my mother. Apparently she gave them away to another party, who needed it. I need to go and take a look if she probably kept one sample for reference.''


    ''Such a hard working girl. You would be a wonderful girlfriend of the vampire. How is mother and father-inw doing?''


    Mnie stared hard at his question. If possible, she would have thrown him to the sharks right now for making such a joke.


    ''My parents are watching the movie with me. I am going to watch the movie now, bye,'' she sent the message to him before keeping the phone away when she didn''t receive his reply. And though Mnie stared at the screen right now, her thoughts went back to the words that Simon had sent her.


    Even though Simon wasn''t here, he was invading her thoughts, and Mnie muttered something under her breath that had her parents turn to look at her.


    "Are you alright, Mel?" asked her mother.


    "I was just scolding the person there," Mnie pointed her finger to the television.


    Mnie wished her parents goodnight and went to her room when the movie was over. Putting her phone on the table, she turned around and nearly screamed if the person in front of her didn''t cover her mouth.


    "Who keeps the window open? Waiting for thieves to break in?" asked Simon.

 Chapter 273 - Too close

    Chapter 273 - Too close


    "I was, but then I got bored and I left. Why do you ask?" asked Simon, as if he hadn''t bothered to mention that he was nearby and had entered her room to give her a surprise.


    "What do you mean ''why?'', you are in my room and my parents are right outside," she spoke in a low voice and went to the door, turning the lock so that her parents wouldn''t catch them. "Leave right now."


    "No," Simon sang. Walking to her bed, heid down. "I didn''t get to poke fun at you for the whole day, do you know how sick I was? I haven''t had blood since you left. It is that serious," he then patted the space next to him on the bed.


    Mnie gritted her teeth. Notplying with Simon''s words, she said, "I am serious, Simon¡ª"


    "So am I. But really why did you keep the window open? Because you believe your parents are hunters and they will slice people''s neck if they enter?" questioned Simon, getting extremelyfortable while he pulled a pillow under his hand. "This is soft."


    "It was a little stuffy here earlier, and I needed some venttion. I didn''t know you would being here. If I did¡ª"


    "Would you have waited for me?" Simon asked her with a grin on his lips.


    Oh God thought Mnie in her mind. This boy was going to kill her.


    "My parents are already suspicious about you after theirst encounter with you. Trust me, you do not want to be seen with me now, not like this," replied Mnie, and Simon sat up on the bed with a thoughtful expression.


    "What do you suggest I do?" he asked her with a serious look.


    "Go back to Veteris and catch up with your meals. Don''t starve yourself," replied Mnie, walking to the window and waiting for him to jump out of her room.


    "Or..." Simon drawled. "I can knock on the front door and reintroduce myself." He stood up, straightening his shirt, and said to Mnie, "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Davis, would you mind if I take Mnie out for a quick walk? I wouldn''t mind if you allow me to have a chat with her too."


    "Next time I will make sure you drink blood on time because you seem to be losing your mind. This is not the time to joke¡ª"


    "How caring of you. I knew you would be a wonderful girlfriend," chimed Simon, and he went to look through her things in her room. "You have some cute stuff in here."


    "Stop interrupting me, and leave right¡ª" Mnie''s words were interrupted again. And this time, it wasn''t because of Simon.


    They both turned to look in the direction of the door, where the doorknob shook, "Mel? Why is your room locked."


    "That, I was changing my clothes," replied Mnie, and she looked at Simon pleadingly.


    "When you look at me like that, it only makes me want to stay here more. Did you forget what you said about me that day during the bonfire?" he asked her.


    This was no time to chat! If he wasn''t ready to jump out of the window... She pulled Simon and pushed him down under her bed.


    "Ouch! I didn''t know you are into rough love," said Simon, and Mnie put her finger on her lips so that he could stay quiet. Pulling the nket to let it hang at the edge of the bed so that it could cover the vampire and then held a shirt in her hand. She finally opened the door for her mother.


    "What were you trying on?" asked her mother, stepping right into her room, and Mnie took a couple of steps back to make space for her mother.


    "The old T-shirts. I thought it wouldn''t fit me. Thought I put on weight out of stress," replied Mnie, while her mother handed the ss of milk to her. "You didn''t have to get this for me."


    "Calcium is important for your bones and you will need to fight those leeches off thesends," said her mother, and when she turned to look at the window, her mother''s lips set themselves in a thin line. "What did I tell you about not keeping the window open, Mel?"


    Her mother walked to the window and shut it close. "Drink that up quick and get to sleep. Unless you are too busy chatting with someone special."


    "Huh?" reacted Mnie.


    "You have been busy on your phone, blushing and moving your lips," said her mother, and Mnie wished her mother hadn''t told that. She could only imagine the person''s reaction under her bed. "Seems like Conner has finally been man enough and reciprocated your feelings."


    "C-Conner?"


    "Well, yes. His mother and I have known about it for so long, it is only time you both get together," her mother walked towards her, patting her back.


    "You have got it wrong mom. It isn''t like that," Mnie tried to clear it with her mother, but her mother onlyughed.


    "I will see you in the morning. Don''t stay up toote," said her mother before closing her door. Mnie made sure her mother had left, and her footsteps had faded. She carefully locked the door without making much noise.


    "It seems like you do like me more than you think you do," came Simon''s words, who had gotten out from under her bed.


    When she turned around, she stared straight into his green eyes, "I am a hunter''s daughter, and you are in a hunter''s house. Do you know the risk¡ª"


    Simon stepped forward, closing the distance between them, "You forget that Ie from a hunter''s family as well. And I think some risks are worth it."


    "You are too close," pointed Mnie, and she softly gulped.


    "It was intended to be close¡­"

 Chapter 274 - Sailing the ship

    Chapter 274 - Sailing the ship


    "Didn''t you just say you were sick, we should probably keep a meter distance between each other, lest you want me to catch it too." Saying this, she stepped backwards, but Simon caught her hand before she could get too far from him.


    "I do want you to catch it," replied Simon, his green eyes watching her closely. "Unless you have already caught it and are feigning ignorance at it." He took one step towards her, closing the distance she had created five seconds ago.


    "You are making me nervous, Simon," Mnie whispered, and she turned to look at the door.


    "Don''t worry, your mother isn''t anywhere close to the room, and we have it all for ourselves," he assured her, pulling her closer to him, and for the first time, Mnie had turned speechless to his words.


    But then, this was also the first time that Simon had ever tried to advance towards her more than just his either annoying or cheesy words. All this time, it had been easy for her to disregard his words as pranks, but what was she supposed to say or feel when he hade to her house to visit her. No, more correctly to be said, he had sneaked into her room.


    "You don''t love Conner, and I know you don''t love me. But you cannot keep denying the fact that you don''t feel anything for me," Simon whispered to her, and Mnie ced her hand on his chest so that she could push him away.


    "S-Simon, didn''t we agree that we won''t be discussing or doing anything about the three of us until the date time?" asked Mnie.


    "Isn''t that why I asked you if you are free this week? You and he living right next to each other, it puts me at quite some disadvantage," said Simon, and his hand moved across her waist. The little touch was enough for a shiver to run down her body, and her cheeks heated up.


    He then raised his other hand, tucking the piece of her hair behind her ear. Mnie whispered to him, "We didn''t do anything for you to worry about. It is supposed to be a fair¡ª"


    "There''s nothing fair in love, my darling Mel. I need to make sure our Melon ship sails in the sea," and Mnie would have rolled her eyes if Simon didn''t have a serious look on his face. "Close your eyes."


    "Why?" asked Mnie in suspicion.


    "Is there ever a time where you will listen to me?" he asked her, his green eyes moving from her eyes to her lips before it shifted back to look into her eyes. "Don''t worry. I won''t bite."


    Mnie should have shoved his chest hard, and maybe he would have listened to her. But something was different tonight, and she could feel it. She didn''t know if it was because she had been away for a few hours or was it because of the thought that she wouldn''t be able to see him again after this year.


    Or was it the sheer confidence that he showed as if he knew what the oue was going to be.


    Mnie closed her eyes, and all she could use was her sense of hearing and feeling the touch that she received.


    Simon moved his hand back to ce it on the side of her waist, his grip firm on her, and he heard the way her heart hitched and skipped its beats.


    Taking one more step closer to her, he used his other hand to caress her cheek. He let his hand settle on the side of her face. Mnie, who felt too much, opened her eyes at the right time to Simon''s face closer to her.


    Nervous, Mnie parted her lips, "Si..."


    But that was all her lips could utter, as the very next second, Simon leaned in and covered her lips with his. When Simon''s lips touched hers, it was nothing less than fireworks in the background. Her body came alive as she felt every nerve in her body had started to react to his simple touch. Somewhere in her mind, she couldn''t help but agree to whatever Simon had just said as she turned to putty in his arms.


    His hand circled her waist, bringing their bodies close, as he sucked on her lips. And without the need for another word of encouragement, Mnie kissed him back. The number of times he had annoyed and made her get frustrated cared and watched over her while trying to help her, she poured everything into the kiss.


    Mnie''s hands gripped his shirt, crumpling it under her touch, and he tasted like bubblegum.


    Simon turned her around as they continued to kiss each other before bringing her towards the bed. But Mnie switched the positions and was the one to push him on the bed.


    The vampire couldn''t help but internally grin that the human wanted to stay in control as if wanting to let him know that he couldn''t dominate her. And though Mnie had pushed him to the bed, she didn''t know if she was supposed to get on top of him. Her question was answered when Simon caught hold of her hand and pulled her on top of him.


    His hand moved to her back, feeling its length, and his other hand made its way through her ck hair.


    In the past, many girls and women had tried to gain his attention, but his attention span on them had always been very short. It wasn''t that the girls hadn''t tried to offer themselves to him, but he had never been interested in them except for their blood. And then there was this girl, something that had intrigued and he had wondered in the beginning how he hadn''t caught her before. She now pulled back from the kiss and stared at him. There was a mixture of embarrassment and boldness, and it got his blood racing through his veins.


    Mnie Davis, a hunter''s daughter, and knew he was ying with fire, but he had already stepped into it, and he didn''t want to turn back.


    Mnie watched Simon looking at her, fascination in his eyes. His hair had been tousled, his head on the bed, and a sultry look in his eyes, she felt her heart stutter. Though she was on top of him, it felt as if he was still in control.


    She felt him slowly bring her head towards him, and Mnie closed her eyes for a moment when she felt their lips touch only to have Simon flip her over. Her back wasid on the bed, and Simon was on top of her.


    "You are sneaky," muttered Mnie, and a mischievous grin appeared on his lips.


    "I thought you already knew about it," Simon''s hands intertwined with her fingers, gently pressing them on the bed. He descended his lips on hers, taking his own time to capture her lips and sucking it. And they tasted sweet.


    Mnie was quick to lose her thoughts over the sensation of the kiss, and she felt her toes curl every time when he let go of her lips and captured it back between his teeth. Sighs escaped from her lips when his lips glided across her jaw, and it was as if butterflies were flying out of her chest.


    Who would have ever thought that at the end of this year, she would be with the red-headed yboy in her bed, kissing each other as if they had been holding back their feelings.


    By the time Simon was done kissing her, which felt like he was finding it hard to pull himself away from her, he had left Mnie breathless. Her mind was fuzzy, and her body was buzzing, especially her lips felt sensitive.


    Simon moved to the side before lying next to her on the bed. He turned his head to look at Mnie, who had closed her eyes, and she took deep breaths.


    He said to her, "You cannot say you feel nothing for me anymore. Unless your heart likes to dysfunction," and he turned on one side of his body, and his hand reached for her face, tracing her hairline while his green eyes drank in her current state.


    Mnie knew that, and she quietly whined after the sexual tension had lowered down. "What am I going to do about my parents?" she asked him.


    "You don''t have to tell them anything right now. Let us sneak around and let me steal you a little more before we spring it on them that you are my girlfriend," stated Simon, "They don''t need to know you have a boyfriend, nor that I am a vampire."


    He lifted himself and leaned towards her.


    "Sneak around?" asked Mnie, and Simon gave her a nod while holding a solemn look on his face.


    "We don''t have to meet each other here, and we can always make ns outside these four walls," replied Simon, and Mnie finally gave in to his idea. It wasn''t as if her parents would be in Veteris monitoring her. A grin appeared on his lips, which was wide, and Mnie asked him,


    "Why are you smiling?"


    "Truth to be told, I was expecting you to scream bloody mary or p me again when I decided toe here," Simon chuckled.


    "Yet you kissed me," replied Mnie, turning her body to look at him.


    "I wouldn''t have kissed you, if I wasn''t sure," he yed with her hair.


    "What gave away?" she asked him, staring into his green eyes. He stared back at her, and his mood brighter than the light in her room.


    "Your mother. If she didn''t mention you blushing and you denying Conner had nothing to do with it. Like hell, I knew it had to be me," Simon remarked in confidence.


    "Thanks mom," muttered Mnie to herself.


    Now that she had the answer, she doubted there was any reason left for her to prolong in giving the truth to Conner. Though she had already given her answer to him, he was still holding hope for her. She sat up on the bed, and Simon followed her, an expression of curiosity in his eyes.


    "If you cannot break the news, I would be more than willing to tell Conner about us," he said, something she didn''t bring to her lips.


    Mnie shook her head. "This is something I will have to tell him myself. Even though you were the one who exposed me," she red at him.


    "Hey, I was only helping you," Simon raised his hands. "The irony though. When you looked away, he looked at you. He lost the timing."


    "I don''t think everyone''s idea of making a girl say yes is by swooping into their room and kissing them," pointed Mnie sarcastically.


    "What can I say, I am amazing," he dusted his shoulders. "Not everyone can be me, I am unique. I don''t wait for the right time, I make one because life is short for you humans. What are your ns of turning into a vampire?"


    "Do you want my parents to hunt me with you?" Mnie raised her eyebrows.


    Simon gave it a thought, and Mnie hit his shoulder, and he smiled, "I wouldn''t mind. We could be partners in crime, and who knows, your parents might finally ept the thought of vampires."


    Mnie doubted that would be possible. She said, "You weren''t there that day, when Conner''s father was turning. The discussion I mean. My parents and the other hunters, they were nning to get rid of him. Even now, they keep a close watch if he might turn into a vampire."


    "Huh," Simon huffed before he said, "I wonder what they would say if they were to be the ones to turn into a vampire."

 Chapter 275 - Time to tip-toe

    Chapter 275 - Time to tip-toe


    "Turning them into vampires isn''t really a solution. Do you think they would be happy if they found out that you bit them just so that they coulde on board with being okay with vampires?" asked Mnie.


    Simon nodded, "I guess. It isn''t as bad as what you humans make out to be. Rather it is quite fun. You get to eavesdrop on other people''s conversation. You stay young, and you and your rate of death isn''t that high unless you don''t get blood to feed on."


    "What about depending on blood?" asked Mnie, and Simon leaned towards her, his face came close to her face.


    "We all need food, darling. Else we would starve die," stated Simon, and he sighed at the mention of the food. "You might not have a blood bag in the house, would you?" he asked her.


    Mnie shook her head at his question, "Unfortunately, you are our first vampire guest. I will be sure to request my parents to store some the next time youe visit us."


    "I knew you were going to take good care of me," Simon replied with a grin.


    "You can drink from me," offered Mnie, and Simon gave her a nod before he shook his head.


    "I think I will pass on that idea. The probability of your parents feeding you with something stronger than the silverwater is higher than the sun showing up at this hour," stated Simon, and Mnie sighed. "It is fine. I will drink something on my way back to Veteris. I am sure there will be some pretty neat meals."


    Mnie gave him a look, her eyes narrowing.


    "When I say pretty neat, I mean the quality of blood, which I will be borrowing from a male," came the solemn words from Simon, "Who would have thought that you were the jealous type. I absolutely love it."


    "Are you really sure you will be okay?" asked Mnie, showing concern to Simon, and the red-headed vampire was touched by her words.


    "If I said I wouldn''t be alright, would you let me sleep in your room? I am a good cuddler," said Simon, the smile on his face brightening.


    "If you are willing to risk your life, then there shouldn''t be a problem. My mother has been acting suspicious, and I am not overthinking about this. It''s like I am being closely watched," Mnie wished her parents would understand her point of view, but it wasplicated with the way the rogue vampires were trying to kill the humans without a single shred of mercy.


    "Of course, anyone would be. You go and dive in directly in support of the enemy, they are going to believe you are eitherpelled or you have been brainwashed," pointed Simon. "If my family hadn''t been killed, I would probably be like them too. Part of the hunter''s association, stake and burn the vampires."


    At the mention of his family, Mnie stared into his bright green eyes and asked him, "Did you ever have a favorite in the family?"


    "Nah," replied Simon, shaking his head instantly. "Well, if you count the butler as a family. Then maybe just him. He was the only one who tried to help and understand me. Somewhere we built a rtionship with me being beaten up by my father, and the butler bandaging my wounds," he chuckled at it.


    "He must have been nice then," murmured Mnie, and Simon''s hand reached out to hold hers.


    "Augustine was a good man. Which is why he''s the only one who receives good flowers from me," pointed Simon, and this had Mnie''s eyebrows raised.


    "Your family doesn''t?"


    "Nope. I didn''t think they deserved one, and thest thing you need is to be reminded that you were the one who killed your family members," on Simon''s words, Mnie''s heart ached.


    She wondered how much pain he had been holding since he was a young boy to build such an amount of hate towards his family. By looks, Simon came from a wealthy family, but with the way, he behaved, it was hard to say that he was lonely deep down in his heart.


    Unable to hold back, she let go of his hands and instead moved closer to wrap her hands around him. She hugged him closely, and Simon didn''t question or remark about her action. Instead, he hugged her back, cing his chin on her shoulder, he said,


    "I don''t want to go back to Veteris yet. You don''t mind me staying here for sometime, do you?"


    "No. You are wee to stay," replied Mnie, and Simon pulled her closer before sniffing her neck.


    "I don''t know if it is because I am hungry, but you smell amazing right now. It''s making my mouth water," said Simon, and Mnie rolled her eyes. If she knew, she would have kept some blood, but the question was, what if her parents found out about it. Was she supposed to tell it was part of her work? Or perhaps she was a weird girl who collected blood?


    Somewhere between being hugged and being lost in her thoughts in Simon''s arms, her face flushed at the thought that she was with him right now. She felt his arms tighten around her.


    When Simon pulled away from her, Mnie noticed that his eyes were no more green and they had turned red. She pursed her lips before saying,


    "Your eyes have turned red, Simon."


    When Simon parted his lips to speak, she noticed the fangs. He said, "My hunger is rising, I was sure I drank enough blood beforeing here, yet I am not sure why I feel hungry right now."


    Retrieving his hands back to his side, he sneaked in a quick kiss from her lips and got down from the bed. He said, "I will see youter. Let me know how it goes with Conner tomorrow."


    Mnie got down from the bed, too, walking to the window and seeing him jump outside. He gave her a smile before disappearing into the shadows.


    She couldn''t help but hide the smile that came upon her face, but as soon as the smile reached her lips, it also fell from her face. Having Simon as a boyfriend meant that they wouldn''t be able to tell her parents that he was a vampire, and she would have to hide it from them for the rest of their lives. It''s alright, one step at a time, there was no need to think about everything now, Mnie thought to herself.


    When morning arrived, before she could even have her breakfast, she had gone to meet Conner. Right now, they sat in the backyard of Conner''s house, and Conner held a serious and thoughtful expression on his face after hearing what Mnie had to say.


    "I am sorry, Conner," Mnie apologized, and Conner smiled.


    "You shouldn''t apologize to me. It should be I, who should be apologizing to you instead, for not noticing your feelings sooner," Conner, knew this would be the oue, it wasn''t that he hadn''t expected it to happen. But he wanted to try onest time, which would also let Mnie know that this was exactly what she wanted. "But I should have known that you and Simon would end up together from the beginning."


    Mnie asked him, "Why do you say that?"


    "Simon is often a very polite person, to me too. And girls, he has always been kind," exined Conner, looking at one of the bushes in his backyard, "It was a little strange that you were the only one he liked to annoy, or more like you were the only one who was annoyed by him. Maybe this is what they say, there''s a thin line between love and hate," he turned to look at Mnie and smiled.


    Mnie was d that Conner wasn''t hurt by her words. Though she didn''t love Conner anymore, he was still her best friend, someone who had a big mouth and needed to be told when to not speak about certain things. They had grown up with each other, and she would have been sad if things had turned awkward between them.


    Conner suddenly ruffled the top of her head, and she swatted his hand, "What was that for?!" she asked him.


    "You had this big frown on your face. Don''t worry, Mel. I am fine," he assured her. "We are still best friends, aren''t we?"


    "Always," replied Mnie, and she received a wider smile from him while she tried to fix her hair. "Did you hear anything about vampires from your parents?" she asked.


    Conner nodded, "I did get some simr information from my father, which was simr to what your parents said. But there was a little twisted information."


    "What was it about?" she asked curiously.


    "My father told me that when your mother gave the vial solutions to hunt the vampires, she kept a few pieces with her," exined Conner, and he said, "I will be going out to attending the hunters meet."


    "There''s a hunter''s meeting?" asked Mnie because she hadn''t heard anything about it from her own parents. "I guess they really are suspicious of me."


    "Don''t worry, I will fill you in on what''s happening," Conner promised her and then said, "This might be the right window for you to go and get the solutions."


    Mnie couldn''t agree less. Her mother had outright denied that there was nothing left in the house, and all the weapons intended for the vampires were gone. She doubted Conner or her asking about it again would help.


    "What time is the meeting?" inquired Mnie.


    "It starts around six, and is in the next town. Also don''t tell you know about it. Enough time for you to take a look at the basement. Do you need me to slip out or will you be able to manage it?" asked Conner, slightly worried with the operation they were going to proceed with.


    "I will manage it. And we need eyes and ears on what the hunters are deciding. This way, you will also know my parents are still there, and I have enough time to get out of the basement," replied Mnie.


    "Sounds good. All the best on it, Mel and don''t get caught," he wished her luck.


    "You too, Conner," and taking a deep breath, she stood up, and he did the same. "Keep texting me if somethinges up."


    Mnie returned to her house, and she decided to wait for her parents to leave the house.


    When it was time, Mnie''s eyes were on the key in the drawer, she saw her mother pull the drawer and put the key in the purse. It was the key to the basement. She cursed herself and smiled when her mother looked at her.


    "Be sure to not open the doors to strangers, Mel. We''ll be back soon. This time the hunter''s meeting is only for the old folks," said her mother, and she kissed Mnie''s cheek.


    "That''s fine. I will probably just rest and watch a movie," replied Mnie, and she saw her parents at the door.


    "Have fun, Mel. And if we gette, there''s food in the fridge," said her mother, and Mnie felt her heartbeat increasing with every passing second.


    She saw them get into the car, waving at her before they drove away from the front of the house. Mnie stood there for a few seconds, noticing Conner and his family get into the car, and drive away.


    Mnie stood there for two minutes, just in case her parents forgot something, and when she was sure they wouldn''t be returning soon, she locked the door and headed down the stairs that led to the dungeon. Turning the light, she tried to open the door, but it was locked.


    "How am I going to get this thing open now?" she muttered.


    Mnie went to the kitchen and brought a knife along, trying to open the lock. But after several attempts where time was running, she finally called a number, and when the person picked up, she said,


    "I need your help."

 Chapter 276 - Time in the Davis’s house

    Chapter 276 - Time in the Davis''s house


    She heard something beep in the cupboard, and it was very faint. She wondered what the sound was, and when she opened the cupboard door, her mouth slightly fell open. She noticed the surveince monitor, and it had little windows that showed the footage of some parts of her house¡ªthe main door, the kitchen, the backyard and then the basement.


    "Shit," whispered Mnie. "When did they install these things?"


    She had hovered in front of the basement, and her parents would know once they would check it. She had to erase it before they woulde.


    She heard someone tap on the window of her parent''s room, and for a moment, she felt her heart thunder by thinking that her parents were back. Noticing Simon waving at her, she quickly opened the window to let him in.


    "We have a problem," said Mnie, turning her head to look in the direction of the opened cupboard.


    "Oh wow, looks like your parents run tight security. Which they should, considering they do keep vampires as hostages. You know we should probably have them work for Veteris," replied Simon. He walked towards the cupboard and came to stand in front of the monitor. "Imagine if the police were to find out that a couple was holding humans in the basement. It wouldn''t look that pretty now, would it?"


    "Is there a way to erase the footage and rece it so that they don''t find out?" asked Mnie, and Simon nodded.


    "Sure. But first let us go and check the little treasure vault in the basement," said Simon, and they both made their way towards the basement.


    The basement door looked just like a wall if one didn''t turn on the light to better look at it. Simon took a closer look and said, "Knife."


    Mnie quickly provided him with the knife that she had gotten from the kitchen earlier. Simon inserted the tip of the knife inside the lock and turned the lock carefully, and when he pushed it a little further, he felt a zap of electricity shoot up in his arm, spreading to his entire body.


    "They have turned the security tighter than I expected it to be," murmured Simon, shaking his head to remove the jolt of electric current that he felt a moment ago. "Let me try again."


    But when Simon tried to push the knife harder, this time, his body couldn''t handle the current, and he threw up blood.


    "Simon!" Mnie moved closer, wanting to help him, but he raised his hand.


    "Don''te near," and when he turned, she noticed his green eyes had turned red. "This isn''t just human proof, but vampire proof." He wiped the blood with the back of his hand and licked the corner of his mouth with his lips.


    "I don''t think I can open it," Simon confessed because he knew the probability of being electrocuted with a higher voltage wasn''t too far if he tried to probe in further.


    "Is there no other way?" asked Mnie, biting her bottom lip.


    "Well we could break the door, but I don''t think it would be good for you," replied Simon. He stared at the door carefully, looking at the corners before fishing his phone from his pocket and making a call. When the person on the other end picked it up, he said, "We don''t have a key, and too much probing and poking might lead to myst electrocution... yes it is..." He heard what the other person said, while Mnie, who couldn''t hear what the other person was speaking, picked up her phone to look at the time.


    She quickly texted Conner and asked him, ''Where are you guys? Did you guys reach the residence?''


    ''We should be there in 5min,'' read Conner''s text, and he sent another text, ''Your parents are right behind us. I am keeping an eye. How are things there?''


    ''Not so good,'' answered Mnie. ''We are trying to get through the door.''


    Mnie heard Simon speaking through his phone, "No, they aren''t here... I don''t know," he paused to look at Mnie and asked, "How long until your parents return home?"


    "Probably two hours from what I know," she responded, and he passed out the same information.


    "Alright then," said Simon before hanging up his phone. "Dante said she will send someone with the locks."


    "But Veteris is far, and it will take an hour just toe here," replied Mnie, and Simon smiled at her.


    He leaned over and kissed her lips, "I missed you."


    Mnie received his kiss, kissing him back before she pulled away from him as she was worried.


    "Frown doesn''t look good on you," stated Simon, pushing the hair on her forehead. "How about you get me some good food, while I will fix the footage recordings," chimed Simon, stepping away from the door and making his way up the stairs.


    Mnie had an apprehensive look, and she asked, "And the door."


    Coming to stand behind Mnie, Simon ced his hands on her shoulders and nudged her forward, "Leave that to the vampires," he assured her. "Now a strong coffee with snacks."


    Mnie sighed. Going to the kitchen, she prepared some sandwiches and coffee for him. Every once in a while, she looked at the door and then at the corridor that led to her parent''s room. And when she was done ting the food, she heard a loud tter, and she quickly took a look at the hall and saw two more vampires standing in her house.


    There stood Elder Donovan and Roman Moltenore. Donovan, who still could apparate except for using his smoke like mes on people, and Roman, who had a key that opened locks, walked through the hall.


    Simon quickly stepped out of Mnie''s parent''s room and informed them, "The door is down on the left."


    Roman, who was already there before, walked towards it, and Donovan followed him, who gave a smile to Mnie. But Mnie''s smile came out stiff.


    When they both went to check the basement, Mnie asked, "I thought the Elders and the others lost their abilities recently. How is he still able to apparate?" she asked Simon.


    "He is the powerful one out of the four Elder vampires. I guess that is why there''s still resistance from whatever happened, but I heard he cannot apparate in and out as easily as he did before," exined Simon before picking up the sandwich from the te and putting it in his mouth.


    Mnie hoped for everything to go well and her parents would not find out what she was up to.


    Simon then said, "I have got the footage fixed until now. I will fix the rest once Rome and Azazel leave."


    "You did?" asked Mnie with surprise in her voice.


    Simon gave her a nod, "I don''t mean to boast, but I am pretty good at it. The times when all of us had to sneak out during the first year, I was the one to fumble through these things so that we didn''t spend much time in the detention room."


    It was good to know that him breaking the rules hade in handy right now, thought Mnie to herself.


    Outside the basement of the Davis family, Roman and Donovan stood in front of its door.


    "Can you try apparating to get into the room?" questioned Roman, as he pulled his key in one hand and ced his other hand on the metal door.


    "Unfortunately no, if I do it now, I won''t be able to get us backter. I mean I wouldn''t want to travel that far,"ined the Elder vampire. When Roman gave him a look, he added, "Yes, I do know there are vehicles, but they are still a hassle. Either way, you have the magical key, so everything is good."


    The metal rings that belonged to Roman slowly started to mold, forming into the key shape required, and he pushed it into the lock before opening the basement door with a click.


    "Mm, I smell something more than the acidic smell inside," hummed Donovan when Roman pushed the door.


    "Blood of vampires," replied Roman, and he stepped inside with Donovan closely following him. Once he turned on the light of the ce, he noticed ten vampires in there. Five of them looked good as dead, while the other five had needles and other things inserted into their arms or attached to their temples.


    "Who is that scientist who creates people? Or the person with all these bolts. I was just watching that moviest week," Donovan clicked his tongue as if unable to remember it.


    "Frankenstein?" asked Roman, and Donovan smiled.


    "That''s the one. It looks like we have some crazy scientists here,"mented Donovan, looking at the number of bottles that were racked up on the shelves, and his eyes brightened up. "I would like to take each of them to have it in my collection. What do you think, Rome?"


    "Maybe some other time. Right now, we are looking for the one which causes instant death to the vampires," answered Roman, and he started to look through thebels. When he found one of the vials that had the recent date, he poured the substance inside another ss vial he had brought before pouring water into the original one. He then ced it back on its shelf as if it had been left untouched.


    "I think we are done here," said Roman, and when he caught Donovan shaking one of the ss vials, he asked, "What are you doing?"


    Donovan almost dropped the ss vial, and he said, "Oops." He ced it back from where he had picked it. "I am curious what these bottles do? Imagine the prized possession of the hunters, who even made sure there was a secure lock. It is like a treasure vault for the hunters. I wille for themter."


    Taking another look around the basement, they finally closed the door and heard it lock.


    When they stepped out, Mnie, waiting outside, asked them, "Is it done?"


    Roman gave her a nod, "Yes. Everything is, thanks for your help."


    Donovan brightly smiled at Mnie, and before she knew it, both the vampires disappeared in thin air.


    Simon was still sitting in front of theputer, changing the files and scenes from the previous days to clean the evidence and once he finished, he grinned. "There you go. Everything is done, and there is nothing to worry about anymore."


    When Simon left Mnie''s house through her room''s window, she was d that everything had been handled without any damage. She wondered what was going on from Conner''s side because she hadn''t received a text from him.

 Chapter 277 - Decision of the hunters

    Chapter 277 - Decision of the hunters


    "The Davis didn''t find anything suspicious in Veteris. There was no reaction to whatever was put in their food."


    "Then that only means that the ce is clean," said another hunter.


    "That only makes me feel more suspicious. How many times has the officer been changed when handling the area? Not even one man of ours has been appointed there, and we have been brushing it aside," said an old man who had a salt and pepper beard. "And Jack has something about the university."


    "What is it about?" questioned one of them while Conner, sitting with his father, quietly listened to them.


    The man named Jack turned to the whiteboard disyed with the projector turned on. He clicked on something, and Conner''s mouth turned dry on seeing the image.


    "You see this man here?" asked Jack, and everyone looked at the person, who wore a ck coat of fur. "The image was found in one of the libraries, and it was stored in one of the old books. The book was published in regards to the wealthy families who came from the seventeenth century."


    Conner watched Azazel Donovan''s picture being disyed for everyone to see. Then the hunter clicked on the remote of the projector, and he showed the picture of the next person, the blonde Elder vampire, Luciano Sterling.


    "Conner, have you seen these people there?" came the direct question from the hunter, and Conner felt like he was going to burst into water because of the perspiration forming on his skin.


    Conner shook his head and acted like an innocent person, "Never. I am always locked in the room with the art materials, I never came across them."


    "Well anyways, the reason I know they are there, is because there was a recent sighting of these men near the town of Veteris," exined Jack. "I am sure there are more than the two of them," he clicked the remote one more time, and the next image looked like Donovan and Luciano, who were in the same attire, only that they were spotted together this time.


    "Look how furious they look, these old vampires, they will kill humans in a blink of an eye," said the old man in the group. "This is the faces of the killer."


    Conner wanted to tell that it wasn''t that they were going to hunt humans, but they were quarrelling as usual, and the me went on Luciano, who looked angry at Donovan.


    "What are we going to do? We cannot go and attack a random university if there are no vampires in there. We''ll onlye under light and trouble," exined Mr. Davis, who had already visited the university.


    "Maybe ourst check wasn''t good enough," murmured Mrs. Davis, and she said, "Maybe we can send someone to take a look into it, and if we spot things, we can go and kill them."


    The people around agreed, and the old man waved his hands at three people in the room. He said, "You shall go tonight and check it. See if you find anything out of order and report it immediately."


    Conner pulled his phone, ready to leave a message to Julie and Mnie about what he had learned. But before he could even type a word, the old hunter man called him, "Come here, boy."


    "Me?" asked Conner, and he got up from his seat while locking the phone and cing it on his seat. He walked through the chairs beforeing to stand in front of the man.


    "Yes, you. Who else is the youngest here?" questioned the man with a deep frown on his face, and he then asked, "How long have you been studying in Veteris now?"


    "Three years," replied Conner, not knowing what this man wanted from him.


    "Alright. Go with George and draw out the basic map of whates where, so this way it will be easier for them to sneak inside. Oddly, there''s no new map avable on the inte," said the old man.


    Conner wanted to protest and say that their security was good, but it would only raise questions.


    "Go now! Get to work," the old man jerked his head. Conner nodded, ready to go back to his seat and pick up his phone, but the man ced his hand on his shoulder. "Where do you think you are going? You can take your pher. Now go with George."


    And before Conner knew it, he was in another room with two other hunters, exining where came what in Veteris.


    Mr. Davis turned to look at his wife, whose watch beeped. "Everything alright?" he asked her.


    Mrs. Davis stared at her watch and then nodded, "Yes, it''s just an rm checking if we have an outbreak in the house. So far everything looks good."


    And while the hunters were discussing their ns of baiting and killing the vampires, far away from Veteris and the hunter''s house, another n was being set by Joaquin and his brother Enoch.


    Joaquin brought the sketch that had previously been made by one of the men, who hade from the past. He stared at the girl''s face, before showing it to the human hunter, "You sure she is the one?"


    "I am," replied Dougs, "I grew the witch as my own under my roof."


    The vampire stared hard at the human, before his eyes switched to look at the girl''s picture. He then said, "The house that you so mentioned," Joaquin''s voice drawled. "There''s no one there. No rtives of yours are living there anymore. The girl was not found."


    "Maybe she''s living in a friend''s house?" asked Enoch. He then turned to look at one of the servant''s and demanded, "Did you find her location yet?"


    There was a murmur of no, and Enoch rolled his eyes at their ipetency.


    Joaquin gave it some thought and said, "Find out her friends, and try to track her down." She shouldn''t be too far.

 Chapter 278 - Guests on their way

    Chapter 278 - Guests on their way


    Most of them didn''t understand what a hunter was doing in their perimeters. Hunters often hunted the vampires with a passion for killing and not to create an alliance with the creatures who sucked blood.


    One of the vampire servants walking near Dous slightly hissed as if he was about to take blood from the human. This made Dous ring at the vampire while the night creature chuckled in humour before walking past him.


    "I hope you are having a good time here, Mr. Leighton," a voice came from behind him, and the human turned and saw it was the older brother, Joaquin, who stood leaning against a pir.


    Joaquin had been standing there for more than a couple of minutes, watching the human, who looked alert. "You should go back home and rest. We''ll let you know when we find the girl," said the vampire.


    "That''s fine. I would like to stay here and wait instead," replied Dous before he turnedpletely to face the person. He had met and killed many vampires in the past, but never had he felt such aura before like he did now with the one who stood in front of him.


    "Hmm," hummed Joaquin, with a smile that pulled up from one corner to another, and his red eyes twinkled. "Excuse my men. They cannot help but want to dig their fangs into a meal that is in front of them. You see, the humans who step in here always die in a minute or two."


    Though Dous had decided to work with this vampire, he was still high on his guard.


    Joaquin said, "I heard and read what happened to your dear wife. Shot her cold, did you?"


    "It was on instinct," replied Dous, and the vampire nodded as if understanding his pain.


    "What I don''t get is the witch girl... it seems like you are much more interested in her than what you have told me. Care to borate?" Joaquin hummed, looking curiously at the hunter and fishing for answers. "I can tell when a person wants someone dead."


    Dous stared hard at the vampire before he answered, "As you know, my people aren''t fond of your kind or the witches. There were a lot of things that didn''t sit well with my wife. She had the habit of sleep talking, and she kept apologizing to someone. At first I thought it was just nightmares, but before the week I killed her, she slipped up without realizing. She was apologizing to our daughter."


    "How interesting. Misunderstanding between mother and daughter?" questioned Joaquin, but the human shook his head.


    "No."


    Dous remembered the night when it was raining hard outside their house, and he and his so-called wife were sleeping in the room.


    Lightning shed through their room windows, illuminating the room for a moment before turning it dark. And though there was thunder, it was his wife''s murmuring that had woken him up from his sleep.


    "Please... forgive me. I never meant to do it. Never..."


    "What''s wrong, Harriet?" He called his wife''s name to get her attention. He turned to his side, keeping his eyes open and looking at his wife. Her eyes were closed, but her words kept tumbling from her lips.


    "I didn''t mean to hurt you...I swear Julie. Forgive me for not being your friend... I kept you safe on the witch''s words. Spare my life... I don''t want to die. Don''t let him kill me!"


    "Honey?" Dous tried to wake her up, believing she was having a nightmare, but he heard the following words spill from her mouth.


    "I don''t want to die in the hands of the hunter! Ah!" and she woke up without having to be woken up.


    And when she did, she came face to face with the man, who was soon going to shoot her in the forehead. Seeing him this close, she looked petrified.


    Dous asked her, "Are you alright? You are covered in sweat."


    His wife nodded, but not a single word came out from her lips with terror still lingering heavily in her eyes. She said, "I am sorry for waking you up."


    "That''s fine. What did you dream about?" He asked her.


    And maybe...if the woman had told the truth, twisting it, she might have continued to live, and her destiny would have changed without hering under her husband''s eyes.


    But the fear that Natalie had lived in all these years, dreading this time, her lips quivered as she tried to put up a smile on her face. She said, "I was running somewhere I think. To catch the bus."


    It had been enough for Dous to know that the woman who was sleeping in his bed and living under his roof all these years. Did she just say hunters and witch... a witch?


    And for the next few days, he hadn''t slept and had tried to understand how he had ended up marrying a witch. The Winters were obviously not a family of witches, so how? Surely, he had been deceived that the woman he loved and the family he made with her was all a lie.


    And though he had nned to get rid of the woman, he had decided to keep his so-called daughter alive for his own use. Which was why he hadn''t expected Julie to catch sight of her mother''s dead body with him. He would have feigned innocence, and everything would be alright.


    But no, the little witch had reported him!


    He had been a fucking father to her, but she repayed it by calling the cops and sending him to prison.


    "During my research, I came to find something. A young witch''s heart is supposed to be useful when ites to creating an elixir," came the blunt words from Dous, and Joaquin raised his eyebrows.


    Joaquin smirked and said, "You might as well just turn yourself into a vampire. If that is what you want."


    "Vampires feed on blood to sustain their bodies. But it is different when ites to turning into an immortal with a witch''s blood. Though there is a process, which I will need to wait for," exined Dous, and though Joaquin''s appearance looked calm, he became very curious.


    It was the first time he had heard something like this regarding the witch''s heart, and he would like to have some or all of it for himself. But as he wasn''t aware of what was required, he decided to keep this petty little human alive for some more time before he would discard him, thought the vampire to himself.


    "It still isn''t that bad, when ites to turning into a vampire, just saying," smiled Joaquin before walking away.


    And almost at the same time, back in the hunter''s house, Conner was finally let off the hook, and he returned to his phone as quickly as he could in haste.


    But his phone wasn''t there on his seat, and he turned paranoid. The only relief he could give himself was with the thought that his phone was on lock, yet he now frantically looked for his phone.


    "Dad, did you see my phone?" questioned Conner to his father, who shook his head.


    "Where did youst keep it?" asked his father.


    "Right here on my seat," replied Conner, and he looked around before Mrs. Davis tapped on his shoulder.


    "What''s the matter, Conner? Did you give all the details of the map of Veteris?" asked the woman.


    "Ah, yes, I did," Conner replied, and his eyes continued to look at the ground when he heard the woman ask,


    "Are you looking for this?"


    When Conner looked up, he caught sight of his phone in Mrs. Davis''s hand. As relieved he was on finding it, he felt his face turn slightly pale.


    Mrs. Davis said, "You shouldn''t leave your things unattended, Conner. You never know if you would lose it or if it gets in the wrong hands."


    Her words were enough for Conner to turn white as a ghost because there was no way there was another meaning behind her words, was it? It just couldn''t be!


    He took a quick look at his phone, noticing nowork. Shoot¡­


    Conner smiled at Mrs. Davis and said, "Thanks for keeping it safe with you, Mrs. Davis."


    "Of course, who else will make sure that everything is safe that belongs to us and are close, isn''t it?" questioned the woman, and Conner could feel he was going to start sweating bullets.


    He took the phone before the woman would keep it with her or stress him out more. But before he could slip it into his pocket, Mrs. Davis said,


    "You look very tired. Everything alright?"


    "Yes, Mrs. Davis. Everything is good. It''s just the light in here and the crowd. I am used to less people around me," replied Conner, and he excused himself from the room and stepped outside.


    Mr. Davis came to his wife and asked, "What was that about?"


    "I don''t know. Both Conner and Mnie have been acting strange since they returned from Veteris," replied Mrs. Davis, her eyes narrowing at him.


    "If there was something wrong, we would have known by now," replied Mr. Davis. "You should trust the kids. How are things at home?" he asked her.


    Mrs. Davis pulled out her phone, and opened an application that was linked to the surveince in their house. With the meeting going on, she hadn''t been able to take a look at it earlier. She saw Mnie sitting in the living room and watching a movie.


    "Seems fine so far," replied Mrs. Davis, and she lowered her phone.


    Back in the area where Julie''s father was in thepany of the vampires, one of the servants appeared and informed Joaquin something in his ear.


    "I should have known that she would end up there. Back to where her origins are," Joaquin gave a sarcasticugh.


    "Did you find where Julianne is?" inquired Dous, with furrowed eyebrows.


    "Yes," replied Joaquin. "It is time for us to n the attack, especially knowing there are other guests we have to entertain. Looks like everyone has already gathered at the same ce. It is the right time. Enoch!" he called his younger brother.


    "Yes, brother?" responded Enoch,ing to stand in front of Joaquin.


    "Send four of our best men to check the atmosphere in Veteris and Willow Creek. And have them inform about the Elder vampires," ordered Joaquin, and his brother bowed his head.


    And while the hunters had sent their own men to check the grounds of Veteris, the vampires residing in the property of University were unaware of the uninvited guests, who were arriving there soon.

 Chapter 279 - Purpose of the potions

    Chapter 279 - Purpose of the potions


    "How do you know which lines to mix and page them together to make a spell? Is it a pattern?"


    "Not necessarily," replied Cillian, and he ced his finger on some lines on the page. "You see the spell is anguage thates from the witches. For people who are not adept at it, they find it hard to follow, and miss words."


    "Language for the witches?" Julie raised her eyebrows, and then she asked, "Is it possible to get a knowledge transfer?" she joked, but Cillian didn''t smile at her words.


    "Give me your hand," said Cillian, and Julie wondered if it was possible. She eagerly stretched her hand towards his hand that had turned back to its Corvin state, one of his fingers pierced through the palm of her hand.


    "Ah!"Julie cried out in pain. "You should have told me that you were going to draw blood from my hand."


    "Would it make any difference in lowering the pain?" Cillian asked her withck of empathy. He used her blood to write something that she didn''t understand, and when he was done, he ced his palm on top of it. "This might help you be able to use the spells more fluently."


    A light glowed from underneath his palm, and little fragments of dust moved toward Julie.


    "Cillian¡­ can I ask you something?"


    "What is it?" questioned Cillian, pulling his hand away from the book.


    "What will happen if you pass through the forbidden door? I mean¡­ not as a dead person, but the way you are," inquired Julie.


    Cillian stared at her for a couple of minutes, and then he looked at the book, "There are chances where I might not return. It is hard for a living person to go through the forbidden door and harder for a dead person. The entities in there, they won''t let you in peace. They willtch on to you, trying to leech your soul for their own. Are you still thinking of getting your mother back to life?"


    Julie shook her head, though Cillian wasn''tpletely convinced by her action.


    "No, it was just a question. I know the consequences," Julie nodded her head, her eyes lowered. She then smiled and said, "I forgot something."


    She got up from the floor and walked towards the cupboard. She took out the box that had the two vials of potions that her mother had left for her. "Now that you have flesh in your body, I think you can now tell what this is?" she asked, handing him the box.


    Julie watched Cillian when he pulled out one of the vials that had the liquid, staring at it intently. He wrapped his fingers around it, closing his eyes as he concentrated his mind on it.


    And as he did this, Julie caught sight of the ck steam that had stemmed around him. As if the darkness that he had been pulled from still lingered around him.


    She wondered what it meant.


    Curious, she touched the steam like vapours, and on contact, she felt them disappear into her hand. A light ache formed in her chest, and she quickly pulled away from him. She wondered if the person, after entering the forbidden, couldn''t return to their usual state. Once touched by darkness, they were imprinted by it.


    "This vial," Cillian opened his eyes as if he had found the answer, "This is the potion for regeneration. To fix a person. The ability to heal. I would say it isn''t too far from what one of the Elder vampires'' abilities that he used to possess."


    "You mean like an elixir?" questioned Julie, and Cillian pursed his lips.


    He looked slightly conflicted, and he said, "I think I know who this little potion belongs to. And as I suspected, it wasn''t purely made by Opaline."


    "What do you mean?"


    Cillian handed the vial back to her and replied, "Young witches'' hearts are said to be sacred, something that can be used to keep a person alive and is of great use. Sometime in the past, a witch visited with her sick son."


    "Are you telling me that¡­ My mother killed the boy?" Julie''s lips set themselves in a thin line.


    "No, your mother wasn''t that kind of person. Even if she visited the forbidden door, she had a very sound consciousness," said Cillian, and he sighed. "The witch hade for a sacrifice. Because the boy was going to die soon. It is rare for something like that to happen, but some like to live for a greater cause. I believe it is the young boy''s blood that ran through his heart, which was refined and now is in this vial."


    "Mother could have used it for her¡­ or father¡­" Julie muttered under her breath. And on seeing the look that Cillian gave to her, she turned slightly frustrated. "For the cause of good. They didn''t want to use it either."


    "You should understand that your mother was a selfless woman, and she believed that you having the potion was much more sensible, than making use of it for her own needs. And I am sure she''s entrusted the potions with the thought that you will use it for something in grave need," Cillian informed her seriously.


    "What about the other potion?" asked Julie.


    Cillian picked up the other vial, taking a close look at it. He held it in the palm of his hand for several seconds. He then said, "I am not sure what this one is. For some reason, I am not able to read it."


    "Feels like it is password protected," muttered Julie, and Cillian gave her a look. "Maybe we''ll find out if I take a drop and see what it is?"


    "How about I go first?" suggested Cillian. As much as he believed that Opaline would not have created any harmful potion, it was still safer that he test it first, as he was already dead.


    "You do know you are at the brink of death and I am halfway behind from where you are. Also, I am the daughter of a Corvin, so it shouldn''t be that bad," replied Julie, and she pulled the nozzle of the vial and tasted one drop. She clicked her tongue and said, "I feel nothing."


    "Let me try it," said Cillian, taking the ss vial and letting a drop of essence fall into his mouth. He frowned, "It does taste like regr water. But there''s a hint of rose in here."


    Wait a second, thought Julie, and she pulled out a book from her desk before flipping through the pages.


    "What is that?" questioned Cillian, watching her flip pages.


    "This is Roman''s notes. He had made them while he was collecting more information about witches for me. I think I read something about the colorless potion that tastes like this."


    Julie pped the page of the book and said, "Here it is! Fragrance of the potions." She muttered the words. "Rose scented potion. It is an antidote. A universal antidote that can heal."


    "Seems like both the potions have simr usefulness," remarked Cillian.


    When the door to Julie''s dorm opened, Roman stepped in with a grim expression.


    "Everything alright?" asked Julie, and Roman ran his fingers through his hair.


    "The liquid that Donovan and I picked up from Mnie''s house, it is in water," said Roman annoyed.


    "The woman must know,"mented Cillian, and Roman stepped inside the room.


    "Of course, she does. She was smart enough to pour water, even after the amount of security that had been put up. It was a waste of time going there. She probably ced it elsewhere," said Roman, going to the bed and sitting at the edge of it. "How are thingsing along here?"


    "We figured out what the potions are for," said Julie, "One is a regenerating liquid, and the other is a universal antidote."


    Roman tilted his head and said, "You don''t mind if I borrow the antidote, do you?"


    "What do you have in mind?" asked Julie.


    "Well, we don''t have the weapon that is going to be used, but we might as well use some resistance in our bodies by having a few drops of it inside of us," exined Roman, and he took the vial from Julie. "I will ask Remy if he can recreate the contents inside it and keep some bottles ready."


    "Do you want me toe along?" asked Julie.


    "Yeah. You too. Cillian," Roman said to Cillian.


    While Roman, Julie and Cillian went to visit the infirmary with Opaline''s antidote, on one side of the restricted forest, Luciano had called the entire security to scold them. Everyone stood in a line, their heads bowed, and Griffin stood behind the Elder vampire.


    Luciano looked at the vampires as well as the morms with a sneer on his face.


    "Absolutely useless," came the first remark from Luciano. "Some of the guards and the boys were being stuffed by one single witch in the coffins, and you didn''t know that even happened. What happened to those damn working camera''s?" he demanded.


    The people who were responsible for the surveince cleared their throats. One of them spoke, "Elder Luciano, the camera''s stopped working on this side of thend. I think it was some sort of static that leaves the camera blurry, unable to capture that time."


    "And even though you noticed it was having this static, you didn''t bother toe check here?" Luciano raised one of his eyebrows. "Pathetic little things. Is this why you are paid for? For not doing your work properly?"


    "Elder Luciano, usually during the weather change it causes static in the screens and does¡ª"


    "Shut up. I am not done speaking for you to interrupt me," Luciano red at each and every one of them. "You couldn''t handle one single man. One man, when there were so many." This time he gave a look at Griffin, who looked ashamed.


    Being beaten not just by Roman but being thrown in the coffin by this so-called professor, who was also the creature who had tried to kill him, Griffin wasn''t in his best spirit. With his ability gone, he now appeared timid, not to mention his Elder vampire wasn''t happy with him.


    "Another slip and I might as well kill you all with a snap of my fingers," Luciano looked down at the guards, who murmured a cohesive yes while bowing their heads.


    And as much as Luciano was making sure the guards in here understood what he meant and how important it was to protect this ce, the uninvited guests had already arrived near Veteris.

 Chapter 280 - Slight Confussion

    Chapter 280 - Slight Confussion


    "Do you think there are vampires in here?" asked one of the hunters while holding the loaded gun in front of him as he walked.


    "That''s what the others think, but it is precisely why we are here. I must tell the walls look too high and we might get caught," said another one while he bit on the toothpick that he bnced between his teeth. "It is a prestigious university. Do you think a student or two, who are vampires, have beenpelling the others so that they can continue to feed on them?"


    "Sounds about right and easy," replied the first hunter. "Let me see what Conner drew for us earlier. This shit is confusing," he said, looking at the page on which the map of the university had been drawn.


    "Let me see it," said the second hunter, taking a look at the page and looking around the ce. "Didn''t he say we need to keep walking until the very end. We are bound to find a dead end and then sneak up from there," and he folded the page before putting it in his pocket.


    On the other side of the restricted forest, Joaquin''s four vampires appeared, holding their own weapons and keeping them close to them. One of them was Joaquin''s brother, Enoch, who hade to lead them as he was much more familiar with the ce, finding a way to sneak inside Veteris.


    "Sire, will the girl be in here? The academic year isplete and she must have gone on vacation," said one of the vampires who worked for the brothers.


    "If the Elder vampires are in here, it means she is here too," said Enoch, his eyes sharply looking around and leading them towards the way to sneak inside the property.


    Though Enoch had alreadye face to face with Julie, because of the centuries of hunger, his mental state had been weak and he had failed to register her face on the day he had escaped from Willow Creek. Not to mention, he didn''t know she was a special witch at that time.


    "Are the Elder vampires really strong?"


    "What powers do they have?" came the curious questions, and continued, "You met them¡ª"


    "Shut the fuck up and walk. We are not here to admire the abilities of the Elder vampires, you little piece of shit," Enoch red at the servant.


    Enoch turned annoyed by the mention of the Elder vampires. If he was going to meet Donovan today, he was going to make sure to turn things even, thought the vampire in his mind. The previous time, he had to escape because he wasn''t at full strength, but it wasn''t the same anymore.


    As they continued to walk, they heard some sounding from the other side.


    But before the vampires could notice, someone shot at them. It was the hunters, who had caught sight of the vampires, and they red at them before pulling the trigger non-stop. With the advancement of the weapons over the years and the hunters, who had turned smart, the bullets let out a gas-like mist, making it difficult for the vampires to focus.


    "Shit, it is true! There are vampires in this ce!" shouted one of the hunters while shooting bullets at the vampires, trying to get closer to them. "Not one, but four of them!"


    "Inform the otherster! We need to kill them!" shouted back the other hunter, and the gunshots echoed in the forest. Which was on the opposite side of where Luciano and the others were. "We hunters are going to kill you, blood leeches!"


    One of the vampires ended up interpreting the hunters words wrong and said, "They have joined their hands with the hunters to use their weapons!"


    "Get them!" ordered Enoch, and both the sides started to fire at each other, where the hunters had put the vampires into a disadvantage. Enoch hadnded on the wrong side of the property, and when he raised his hand to harm the humans, his ability didn''t work. "Why is it not fucking working?!" The witch must have cast some spell!


    None of the parties had gotten the chance to get too close to each other, but they were getting close to running out of bullets. One of the hunters sessfully managed to shoot the bullet right into the vampire''s head, and soon the vampire turned into dust.


    "I think we need to go and inform others right away about this!" said the other hunter.


    "Let us kill them all!" said the other hunter.


    "Are you nuts?! There might be more than four vampires, and we''ll be overpowered by them. We are here only checking,e now!" said the first one.


    They continued to shoot at each before one of them retreated into the woods. Enoch lost another servant of his, and he realized he would need his brother, Joaquin''s help if they were going to win thisnd. Who knew when the Elder vampires would show up.


    Luciano, who had heard the gunshots somewhere between his lecture, came to check with his men. But when they arrived at the scene, the Elder found the dust of two dead vampires. There was no one else here.


    "Go look if there''s anyone there, and get back to your position!" ordered Luciano, and he took a deep sniff from the air. "Vampires and humans. See if we have lost our men, Griffin."


    "Yes, Elder Luciano!"


    The hunters, on their way, called the old man who had sent them here. When the person picked up the call, one of the hunter said, "Veteris University has vampires. They were guarding the walls."


    The man on the other side of the phone was silent before he said, "I see. It is time for us to prepare to attack then."


    When Enoch returned with just one man, Joaquin''s eyes narrowed, and he calmly asked, "What happened, brother?"


    Enoch looked angry, and he said, "My ability, it isn''t working. Something must have happened."


    The other vampire who had gone along with Enoch, bowed his head deeply, and then informed, "Master, the vampires have joined hands with the hunters!"

 Chapter 281 - Dead phone crisis

    Chapter 281 - Dead phone crisis


    "A vampire dying out of the blue," murmured the Elder vampire before shaking his head. "It is not possible until a vampire has been staked or been hit by silver bullets. If it was a rogue vampire, we would have had a corpse lying on the ground."


    Saying this, Luciano''s eyes started to search the ground, pushing away the leaves and the dried twigs with his shoes so that he could take a look at the forest ground. Not too far from where he stood, he saw something sparkle. Walking to the spot, he bent down and picked up the bullet.


    "You see this here," said Luciano, "This is a silver bullet. We have an intrusion. Put the property on alert and check all the videos of the surveince immediately!"


    "Yes, Sir!" replied the guards, who quickly dispersed from the spot.


    Griffin came near Luciano and asked, "Which vampire do you think died, Elder Luciano?"


    "Mostly a nobody," replied Luciano. His eyes narrowed. The question was, who was this unknown vampire doing on their property?


    Back in the infirmary, Julie watched Elder Remy while he was taking a close look at the antidote. He turned the vial which had held the liquid in it. He said, "Potions like these have only been in talks but no one could prove it. Because many have tried to hunt the witches, taking their hearts and trying to see if they could gain more powers."


    "Doesn''t that only mean that Julie has to be careful?" questioned Olivia, and her maker nodded.


    "Indeed. Though most of the people aren''t aware of it, and believe the existence of the witches are only a myth," answered Elder Remy.


    Roman asked the Elder vampire, "Will you be able to produce identical solutions from this one?"


    "I have created identical antidotes, but one that belongs to a witch? I am not so sure, but let me see if I can," said Elder Remy, without giving them any false promise. "Did anyone contact the hunters'' children, ask them to acquire another vial of weapon from their parents?"


    "That would only end up in a disaster," remarked Roman because he knew the humans weren''t as sleek as the vampires.


    Elder Remy sighed, "It does put us in trouble. Olivia," he called the vampiress, who was quick toe to his side. He instructed her, "Put this in box three of the petri dish. Temperature minus twelve."


    "Yes, Elder Remy," nodded Olivia, and she took the vial in her hand.


    Everyone heard footstepsing from the corridor, and they turned their heads to catch sight of Donovan and Luciano.


    "Oh, look everyone is here and alive,"mented Donovan, and Elder Remy didn''t bother to ask what those words meant.


    "What happened?" Roman questioned his father, who looked entertained.


    "We had a near attack right outside the borders of the Veteris walls. Two vampires found in their ash form," chimed Donovan. "Our guess is the vampire was being hunted. Can you imagine how many hunters mighte to wander while hunting the vampires?"


    "Do you think they are exploring the ce?" asked Roman and Donovan shrugged his shoulders.


    "It is hard to say," this time, Luciano replied to Roman''s question. "If the hunters were scouting, they would have entered the university and would have looked around. But none of us saw it."


    "That is because you were having a little pep talk with the guards," Donovan pointed out, and Luciano red. "And frankly, if there was something up with the hunters, we would have got the information from our little birds by now."


    Donovan was referring to Mnie and Conner, Julie thought to herself. She said to him, "Mnie is under suspicion. She was made to sit out of this discussion, and she''s staying at home now."


    "But we have the boy, don''t we?" asked Donovan, raising his eyebrows, and Julie pursed her lips.


    "Conner hasn''t replied and he''s been busy. He didn''t respond to mine or Mel''s text," there was a hint of worry in her words. She could only hope that the hunters didn''t catch him and was only busy with the discussion that was going on in one of the hunter''s houses.


    "Oh well,"mented Luciano. "You do understand that letting them live in the name of getting more information is only going to backfire soon? If the boy opens his mouth about what he knows here, there will be no turning back when ites to having to kill them."


    "They swore not to speak about it to their parents," Julie tried to protect her friends. "They don''t want Veteris being harmed or any vampires."


    "Let us hope that is the case," harrumphed Luciano, and he left the room while his cloak behind him flew parallelly to the floor.


    "I think our security has turned even worse than before," murmured Roman, not liking how things were going.


    "I couldn''t agree more on it," agreed Olivia.


    "Why don''t you try getting back there and see what''s going on in the hunter''s house. It might save us time too," advised Elder Remy, wanting the lot of them out of this ce so that he could focus on his work.


    Roman''s face turned sour at the mention of it, and Donovan looked at the wall. This had made the others give them curious looks.


    Roman stated, "Donovan''s ability doesn''t work anymore. It was probably thest bit. When we were getting back, we got stuck in the middle of nowhere."


    "Now now, let us put it behind us," Donovan tried to brush away the subject. "Julie dear, why don''t you try contacting your friends again, hm?"


    Roman and Julie left the room, carrying their phone to the spot where they could catch awork. Conner''s phone didn''t ring, "It is switched off," she said to Roman.


    "Call Mnie, I will call Simon and see what''s going on," they called their friends.


    Mnie, who picked up Julie''s phone, said, "Julie, I am not able to contact Conner. I don''t know what''s going on there."


    "Yes, I tried to reach him, but his phone is switched off," replied Julie, and she asked, "Did your parents return yet?"


    "No, they haven''t," came the worried voice from Mnie. "Did you make any progress with the magic?"


    "No, but we did solve the question on what the potions do. And Luciano found ashes of two vampires. They were shot by hunters outside Veteris."


    Hearing it, Mnie turned quiet as her thoughts only started to unreel wildly. She then said, "I just heard the sound of a vehicle. I think my parents are back. Hold on."


    An hour before¡­


    In the hunter''s house, Conner stared at his phone, where the battery had run out. How did his phone die so soon today?! He wanted to contact Julie and Mnie to pass the information on what he knew, but there was no way for him to send a message to them.


    Unless... he used someone''s phone in here. But the worst part was that he didn''t remember their phone numbers. Curse technology!


    "Hey, do you have a charger?" he asked the house owner. "I will be super quick."


    But before the person could answer, the oldest hunter in their group appeared back in the room. He held a grim expression on his face. He came to stand in front of everyone, watching everyone, until his eyes fell on Conner. He said,


    "Our men have confirmed that there are vampires in or around Veteris."


    The room broke into a collective murmur, and they started to question how they had missed it. Conner tried to keep the colour on his face intact while the old man''s gaze was fixated on him.


    "Has the boy beenpelled to forget things that he has seen?" questioned the old man, and others'' eyes moved to look at Conner.


    "What? No!" Conner rejected the idea. "I have been regrly consuming silverwater to make sure I don''t getpelled," he lied.


    "How did the vampires get away with it?" came the surprised words from one of them. "I thought the Davis had got it covered. To think that you have been hoodwinked," the man clicked his tongue.


    Mrs. Davis''s face turned bright red because she had always done her best when it came to hunting and killing the vampires. She replied, "I guess there are more than just one or two."


    The older man nodded, and his eyebrows furrowed in thought. He said, "This is not good. If there are more than two or three vampires. A dozen of them, then the humans are being affected by it and we need to take action right away."


    "What do we do? Shall we go and kill them right now?" asked one of the women.


    "Yes, that is good!" agreed another person. "This way we kill them quickly and end it."


    "Let us get our weapons¡ª"


    "Hold!"manded the old man. "We aren''t going to do things in haste. I have already asked some of them to go and cover the perimeter. To keep a close eye to make sure that none of them leave, and if they do, they will be followed. Tonight we shall n, and we shall attack tomorrow," he dered.


    Holy crap whispered Conner in his head. This was something he hadn''t expected.


    "What do you say, Conner?" questioned the old man.


    When everyone''s eyes fell on Conner again, he could feel the pressure wearing him out. He nodded, "Yes, I think we should do it." When the stares continued, he added, "Those damn leeches deserve to die!"


    "Yes!" came the chorus replies from the others.


    More than a charger for his phone, he needed to sit down to digest what was going on.


    "Come Conner, let us go home and prepare for the fight," said his father, and Mr. and Mrs. Davis left the house like the other hunters to prepare for tomorrow.

 Chapter 282 - Replacing the vampire in the chair

    Chapter 282 - Recing the vampire in the chair


    "It was good," replied her father, stepping inside the house. Her mother looked tired, following her father from behind.


    "Did you guys have your dinner? I am yet to eat," said Mnie, trying to get more information from them to make sure everything was alright.


    "Not yet," replied her mother.


    Mnie kept the phone line open just so that Julie could also hear if her parents would mention something important that must have taken ce in the meeting.


    "Would you please heat the food, Mel," asked her mother, and Mnie was more than happy to oblige. While Mnie walked past her parents, her mother again asked her, "Did anyonee by the house in the evening?"


    "No one," replied Mnie, and her mother gave her a nod. "Were you expecting anyone?" She tried to be casual with her words.


    Mnie''s mother smiled, "Every person I was expecting was in the hunter''s meeting, dear."


    Mnie smiled, and then she asked, "Is Conner back home?"


    "He is. They parked their car outside," her father answered her, and Mnie only hoped that everything had gone well. "Looks like you and Conner have grown closer."


    Mnie awkwardly smiled at her father''s words. She decided to go and meet Conner after finishing dinner. And maybe telling her parents that she was interested in Conner wouldn''t be such a bad thing. This way, they would not suspect her.


    When her parents went to their room, Mnie brought her phone to her ear and whispered to Julie, "Everything seems fine."


    "That''s good, Mel. Let me know if you find anything," said Julie, and she cut the call.


    Mnie slipped the phone into her pocket and started taking the food from the fridge and putting it in the oven. But just when she was about to pull the container out, her hand was twisted, and her head was pushed onto the surface of the table.


    "Mom! Dad!" Mnie shouted for help.


    "It would be better if you stopped struggling, girl," came a familiar voice. The old man, who was leading the group of hunters in this part of thend, now stood behind her. "You have been a very bad child."


    "What is going on? Where are my parents?!" Mnie had been caught off guard, and she struggled to release herself.


    "Your parents are right here in the house, but I have asked them to stay away as they seem to be weak hearted in handling their daughter," said the man. "I knew there was something wrong, when they decided to sit you out of the meeting this time. Now tell me, what do you know about the vampires, apart from what you heard from us hunters."


    Mnie groaned as her head was being pushed, and she said, "What are you talking about?! I don''t know anything apart from what you guys told and showed me. Let me go!"


    "Ah ah ah. Not so fast. Looks like you have inherited your mother''s genes, but are lost in your path of not knowing where you are walking," though he was old, the man was strong, and he taunted her. He dragged her from the hall, and while he pulled her towards the basement, Mnie''s eyes fell on her parents, who stood at one side without moving from their spot. They didn''t look pleased right now, and their lips were set in a line.


    Soon Mnie was dragged to the basement.


    One of the dead vampires was thrown out of the chair, and Mnie was reced on the chair. Her hands and legs were strapped, restricting her movements. No matter how hard she tried, the chair didn''t move as it was nailed to the ground.


    "Let me go! You have the wrong information! I am on your side, my parents'' side!" pleaded Mnie, while her heart was beating loudly and her vision slightly blurred because of the sudden adrenaline spike in her body.


    "I really doubt your words. You should stop lying, Mnie. I have tortured many vampires for lying, and know when they try to lie. I am sure your parents are not happy with your behavior and neither am I. But don''t worry, you will soon be taught what is right," he nodded thoughtfully, and Mnie red at him.


    "And I am telling you, I didn''t do anything wrong. I don''t know why I am being strapped like some animal," said Mnie before she called her parents, "Mom! Dad! Please let me¡ª"


    SLAP!


    Mnie felt the sting on her face, and if she wasn''t wrong, she could feel something burn near the corner of her lips. She red at the old man, who stared back at her.


    "Do you think we don''t know what goes around? Or what you have been doing?" questioned the man. "So tell me, what are you hiding about Veteris. We would need all the information before tomorrow."


    "I told you I don''t know what you are talking about. I will charge you for hurting me," Mnie spoke through gritted teeth. What a wrong time to cut the call, she thought.


    The old man chuckled at her words as if she was making a joke. His chuckle was cold and empty. He said, "That is if you leave this basement, isn''t it? Whom are you going to report? To the walls?"


    He was joking, wasn''t he?


    She shook her head, "You cannot do this to me. I was here in the house, all by myself. Mom!" she shouted, resulting in the old man striking her face another time.


    "Your parents are excellent hunters, but they seem to have overlooked the matter, when ites to you. Also they love you dearly, to use their usual methods so I will be the one dealing with you. I think it would be best for everyone, if you cough up anything and everything you have been hiding," warned the man, wiping his hand on his jeans.


    He then said, "You stole one of the ss vials from here. It has been missing, and you have been helping the vampires in Veteris, haven''t you?"


    "I know nothing," replied Mnie, sticking to her lie.


    The old man clicked his tongue with a disapproving look on his face. He questioned her, "Why are you trying to protect them? Those are blood sucking creatures. You saw how they killed our men."


    Mnie stared at the man, one side of her face felt hot and numb. She tasted blood in her mouth as the person had pped her quite hard.


    "I wonder," murmured the man, and he looked for something in the rack of vials. Once he found the one he was looking for, he picked it up and brought it to where Mnie was strapped to the chair.


    He uncorked the bottle and poured the Silverwater on top of her head.


    "Are you fucking crazy?!" Mnie red at the man.


    "Looks like you aren''t a vampire. That would have been pitiful for all of us,"mented the man, and Mnie could only confirm that this person was crazy.


    "Can you let me go now?" she tried to ask politely, hoping he would listen.


    She heard light footstepsing from the basement entrance, and soon her parents appeared at the door. Her mother appeared not wanting to look at her or talk to her right now. While her father said to her,


    "Mel. I don''t know why you are doing this, but it would be the right time for you to confess everything you know. This way you will be forgiven easily. Come on now," he tried to coax her.


    Somewhere, Mnie had expected something like this to happen one day in the back of her head. After all, she wasn''t living in a normal household but in a hunter''s household. She had sworn to keep the vampire''s secrets, and she wasn''t going to expose them.


    "I don''t know," replied Mnie, and the old man turned agitated.


    "Let her spend some time here with the rest of the vampires. She wille to her senses by morning," the old man said to her father. "Where is her phone?" he inquired.


    Her father handed the phone to the elderly hunter, and the man turned to Mnie. "What is the password for your phone?"


    Having already seen the possible ways things could go haywire, Mnie stared at the man. She then said, "One seven zero eight two six."


    The man gave her a suspicious look and then typed the number. When the phone screen unlocked, he went through her call lists and messages.


    "Julie?" questioned the man.


    "She''s my best friend," answered Mnie, "Don''t tell me I am not supposed to talk to my friends now."


    Mr. Davis said, "She is a human. We have already tested and confirmed her when she came to stay here over the weekend."


    "One can never be sure. Not to mention, your visit to Veteris was a fail," said the old man. "Your daughter is a human, yet she has decided to side with the blood suckers. Who knows if the others are the ones who influenced your daughter." He raised his hand, which held Mnie''s phone and said to her, "I am going to keep a close watch, to make sure if you get any calls or messages."


    Mnie watched the old man and her parents leave her alone in the basement, closing the door behind them.


    "Shit," she cursed herself. "How am I going to get out of this?"


    She could only hope that one of her friends would notice something to be off with her responses.

 Chapter 283 - Oncoming storm

    Chapter 283 - Oing storm


    Conner tried to message and call Mnie, and when she didn''t pick up the phone, he became slightly worried about her. Earlier, Mrs. Davis had acted suspicious with her words, not to mention she had picked up his phone. But both Mnie and he had been sending each other texts while immediately erasing the messages. Such that their phones were clean right now.


    "I will go to the Davis''s house, dad," Conner informed his father.


    "Did they forget something?" asked his father.


    "No, it''s just the movie that Mel and I were nning to watch tomorrow afternoon. I don''t know what time we are heading there," exined Conner, and his father gave him a pointed look.


    "Be careful of what you say to Mel, Conner," warned his father. "The others weren''t pleased that you both spoke about the vampire''s existence to your friend."


    "That. Yes, dad," Conner nodded, "I will be careful about that this time."


    Conner made his way to Mnie''s house. On his way, he noticed a car leaving the front of the Davis'' house. Walking up to the entrance door, he rang the bell. Mrs. Davis was the one to open the door, with a smile appearing on her lips.


    "Good evening, Conner. Are you here for Mnie?" inquired Mrs. Davis.


    "Ah, yeah. I wanted to ask her about tomorrow''s movie n," said Conner, and Mrs. Davis slightly frowned.


    Conner was hoping for Mrs. Davis to let him in, but the frown on her face only deepened. She said, "Conner, I am sure you do remember that we need to prepare for the attack tomorrow at Veteris. This is no time to be discussing watching movies, when there''s so much to do."


    Okay, that was not the right approach, thought Conner, for not thinking this through.


    "My apologies, Mrs. Davis. It is just that we were looking forward to watching it, and also booked a noon show, so that we aren''tte in getting back home," exined Conner before he continued. "It isn''t every day you see a vampire turning into a bat," he joked with a smile that only died down on seeing the serious expression on the woman''s face.


    Mrs. Davis replied, "Mnie has got her periods and she''s sleeping in her room now. You must have heard how painful her cramps get."


    Conner turned slightly ufortable, as he didn''t know how to reply. His lips parted, slightly stuttering, he said, "Ah, she should rest then. It would be awful if she didn''t."


    The woman gave him a nod of approval, and she said, "Maybe you should leave her a few texts or call her once she''s awake. She will respond to it."


    "I think I will do that. Thank you, Mrs. Davis. I will see you tomorrow," replied Conner, and he stepped away from the front of the door.


    Once the door was closed, Mrs. Davis stared at the wooden door. She then turned around to face her husband. He asked her, "Did he suspect anything?"


    "No," replied Mrs. Davis.


    Outside the house, Conner pulled out his phone and looked around the ce, where the streets were empty. He dialled a number, and when the person from the other end picked up the phone, he said,


    "It is me. I got back from the hunter''s meeting¡­ yeah, my phone died. I didn''t know how it got drained that quickly."


    Conner heard Julie speak to him. "We were worried that something happened to you. Mel was worried too. Did you speak to her?"


    "Not since I got back from the hunter''s meeting and it took a while before my phone had a battery," responded Conner, and then he said, "I went to her house and Mrs. Davis told that Mel is resting. She got her, uh, cramps. Periods," he cleared his throat in the end.


    "Oh," whispered Julie, "She was fine until an hour ago. She must have gotten it recently."


    "There is something I need to inform you, Julie. Trouble is heading towards Veteris," said Conner, and he turned back to make sure no one was standing behind him and listening to his conversation with Julie on the phone. "The hunters found vampires on Veteris property and their next big target is to catch the vampires there."


    "What?" Julie''s eyebrows furrowed in question. "How did ite to that?"


    Conner walked further away from his and the Davis''s house, and he said, "The reason why Mel''s parents were there was because someone tipped them that there are vampires in Veteris. A while ago, a couple was attacked, and the boy died, while the girl survived. The girl informed the officers that the vampire came from Veteris."


    "This doesn''t sound good. Luciano did find the ash of the vampires, but they dismissed it to be a case of an unknown vampire. None of the vampires in Veteris have died yet," replied Julie, her lips setting themselves in a thin line.


    Julie''s eyes met Roman, who stared back at her right now. They were on the restricted side of the forest, as they had been trying to reach him.


    Conner then said, "Listen to me carefully¡­" he exined to Julie what had just happened during the hunter''s meeting. "...yes¡­ the two men went to Veteris, and encountered two vampires¡­ No? But they said they killed two vampires, and there were two more."


    Julie responded to Conner, "I think it was another pair of vampires. None of the vampires in here have been harmed."


    "This is so confusing," murmured Conner, and he ran his hand through his curly brown hair. "You are sure that Mnie was alright earlier, right?"


    "Yeah, I heard her parents and her conversation. They seemed tired and didn''t mention anything about hunting," replied Julie, "Do you think something happened?"


    "No, it was probably nothing. I mean, I will meet her in the morning. Or maybe I will go take a peek into her window and see if she''s awake," said Conner, and Julie nodded even though he couldn''t see it. "I will keep you posted when wee to attack Veteris."


    "Okay. Take care, Conner. I will talk to you tomorrow," said Julie before disconnecting the call.


    Julie turned to look at Roman, and he said, "Looks like things are not going to go easy tomorrow. We should inform the others."


    "What about Mel?" asked Julie in concern.


    Roman slipped his hand into Julie''s hand and said, "Don''t worry about her. Simon is nearby, he will check on her."


    Julie was d that Simon had best interests in his heart when it came to her best friend.


    As they walked back to the center of Veteris, Roman came to assume that Mr. and Mrs. Davis''s doubt had increased, and they had probably sent their hunters. But who were the other vampires who were roaming near the university?


    Roman''s eyebrows furrowed on wondering if it was Joaquin''s men.


    Julie said, "I think I should go and check thend once again. There should be something I should be able to do." She doubted it was a good idea to take on the hunters with the elders and the other vampires having no ability.


    "I will send Cillian and Evans to you, while I go inform the Elders," stated Roman, and Julie gave him a nod.


    Once they reached near the edge of the forest, Roman stepped out of the forest to meet with the others, while Julie continued to walk through the forest until she reached the backside of Veteris. She took a stick, and started to draw a circle and the lines inside it. As she continued to work, she heard footsteps approaching towards where she was.


    "Did you find a way to unbound the magic and dispel it back to the ce where it came from?" questioned Cillian, and next to him walked Mr. Evans.


    "No. But I was hoping to do a trial and test methods. We don''t have much time and we don''t know what weapons the hunters have been gathering," replied Julie, and she asked Cillian, "You have been on the other side. Do you know the symbols of that ce? Regr magic doesn''t work, so we''ll need to use the path of dark magic."


    "Will it be safe?" questioned Mr. Evans, turning to look at the senior witch.


    "Nothing is ever safe, but then I can feel the dark magic in the air. It has been getting stronger," came the words from Cillian, "But it shouldn''t be that harmful for Roman and Julie, as they have the dark magic''s essence.."


    "So it is safe," murmured Julie, and it wasn''t like she was stepping through the forbidden door. She wasn''t going to, especially after knowing Roman''s actions. Thest thing she was going to do wasplicate the existing situation.


    "Let me help with the markings of the symbol. Let us hope it is right," said Cillian, and he made a round around the inner star''s point that touched the outer circle¡ª using the stick to write it down. He said, "I think this should be it."


    "Let us do this," said Julie in a decisive tone.


    "You might want to step away from this ce. The magic from the forbidden door isn''t kind to vampires," Cillian warned Mr. Evans, and the counsellor of Veteris offered a bright smile.


    "I will be right there in the corner," came the polite words from Mr. Evans, and he walked a few meters away beforeing to stand next to a tree.


    Julie pulled the vial that had the translucent fluorescent colour smoke in it. It was the souls of the dead that she had collected a few days ago. With the humans gone, this was a good time to let the souls out, as no one would question their screaming or ruckus.


    "What do you n to do with the souls, Julianne?" questioned Mr. Evans to her from where he stood.


    Julie made her way to the centre of the circle that she had drawn. She said, "Though these are souls, they still hold the power of light, and not darkness unlike the ones from the door. I am hoping that the dark magic can bnce and nullify its effect."


    "We should have perhaps got a test subject. A vampire with abilities," pointed Mr. Evans. "We won''t know if they are able to make use of it."


    "That''s fine. I can sense it," answered Cillian. "You can start with the ritual. Don''t forget that you need to send the dark magic back into the door. And for that, you will need to open the door," he reminded Julie.


    Julie raised her hand towards the sky while she started to mutter the spells she knew. And now that she knew the witch''snguage, it wasn''t hard before the cork of the vial that she held opened itself. Slowly the smoke started to spill on the ground, crawling on the forest ground, and the souls of the deceased started to take forms.


    "Well this ought to be interesting," murmured Mr. Evans, his eyes keenly looking around the surroundings.

 Chapter 284 - Preparation of the ground

    Chapter 284 - Preparation of the ground


    "We have received information that there might be an attack on Veteris. I need you all to be on guard."


    "Where did the informatione from?" asked one of the students.


    "Two vampires were found dead near the boundary walls. Ashed to the ground," replied the headmistress. "It would only be wise that we take measures of precaution. Further information will be ryed if there''s any change. There''s word that we will be attacked tonight. Disperse!"


    After hearing what the vampiress had to say, there were murmurs in the little crowd. One of the staff asked Ms. Dante, "Mdy. If the information is about being attacked tomorrow, shouldn''t we gather weapons and prepare ourselves in a strategic manner?"


    Donovan smiled at the staff''s question. He said, "Leave the strategies to us. You shall be divided into little fun groups. With the Elders, and our respective turned vampires, who lead you to specific sides of the property."


    "But if the people had toe attack us, they would have done that by now, wouldn''t they?" questioned one of the students. "Why attack just two people and leave?"


    This time, Roman responded, "That is because the two vampires who had been ashed, they aren''t from Veteris. People are going to get back up soon, so it would be better that you back up too."


    When everyone started to move into groups, most preferring to go with the Elder vampires, barely four or five were willing enough to go with Griffin. Especially after his continuous failed attempts in beating Roman and the recent embarrassing events.


    Castiel had decided to stick to the centre of Veteris, which was exactly where he stood right now with Dante. The headmistress blew out a tired sigh.


    "Worried?" Castiel asked her.


    Dante''s lips were pressed in a thin line, and she said, "No. The day cameter than I expected. It was going to happen one or the other day." And though she wanted to get it over with, she knew once the word would spread with the hunters, it would only invite that much more trouble. "I am so d that I asked Evans to pull down thework service beyond the walls of Veteris. At least they won''t be able to know what happened here."


    And while the vampires in Veteris started to prepare and secure thend, back in the Greasy Corner, Conner was fast asleep in his room. The door to his room slightly opened. Someone stepped inside, carefully walking towards his side of the bed before picking up his phone and leaving the room.


    "He''s asleep, Archer," whispered Conner''s father to the old man once he closed the door. The same man who had locked Mnie in her house''s basement. "What''s going on?" he asked.


    Archer jerked his head towards the hall, and when they walked away from the room, the man said, "It would be better that Conner continues to sleep undisturbed, while I will need you to pack your weapons. We are going to Veteris tonight."


    "I thought the n was for tomorrow," Conner''s father appeared slightly confused.


    "We believe that your son and the Davis''s daughter are helping the vampires," stated Archer with an unhappy expression.


    "That''s absolute bull! Conner would never do that," Conner''s father defended him.


    "Of course it is only my stiption, but I would not like to take any chance. It would be best that we keep the kids out of this, just this one time, and then clear the suspicion," replied Archer, and Conner''s father noticed the Davis family loading their weapons into the back of their car. "We don''t want the vampires moving out by tonight, especially after we caught them. It would be rather hard, if they disappeared before we have the chance to attack them."


    Conner''s father didn''t like that his son was being used of being called a traitor in the hunter''s association. But seeing everyone getting ready, he gave the old man a nod.


    "Fine. I will go and get my stuff," he said before walking to the secret closet and pulling out guns and bullets that would be needed in hunting down and killing the vampires.


    In the next house''s basement, Mnie heard the door being opened, and she saw her mother enter.


    Mnie was d to see her mother for a moment, and she was sure that she was here to unstrap her from the chair. But her mother walked past her chair and went to the shelf. She started to put the boxes in the bag.


    "Mom," Mnie called her mother, and the woman paused her movement. "I am your daughter, are you really going to let me spend the rest of my hours like this? With the dead vampires?"


    "Don''t you dare, Mel," her mother red at her. "I don''t know who put a spell on you, but you should know that what you think is not right. Vampires are creatures who kill and we are trying to save the humans."


    Mnie bit her lip, holding her words back in, until she couldn''t anymore, "Just because something bad happened to you, doesn''t mean it is the case for everyone."


    "Can you ever hear yourself? To think you are siding with them, maybe this little time in here will help you. I wille back and talk to you. You will not be needing to go to a new university either," replied her mother before she continued to get the boxes from the shelves.


    "New university?" asked Mnie.


    Her mother started to walk past her and said, "We''ll be killing the vampires tonight in that university of yours. Your father and I will teach you everything that you need to know. Right here."


    "I am an adult, not a child!" Mnie voiced her thoughts, feeling the control of her life slipping through her fingers.


    "Then it is better you rethink what you have been doing all this time. Hiding and lying to us," said her mother before stepping out of the basement and locking the metal door.


    "Mom!" Mnie called her mother, but in response, she received nothing but silence. She tried hard to pull her hands and legs out of the straps, but she couldn''t. How could she? These were made for the vampires!


    "Simon! Conner! Please pleasee here," said Mnie, her eyebrows furrowing in worry. She hoped that Conner had at least informed the others that the hunters were going to attack right now.


    Mnie was trying to think of possible way to get out of here, when she heard something creak in the room. Something didn''t feel right... and she turned to look at her left. Her eyes widened.


    One of the vampire corpse, thatid on the table slightly moved.


    "Oh dear God..."


    That was thest thing she had imagined to happen!


    Simon was drinking milkshakes in one of the cafes with straw in his mouth when he heard his cell phone beep. He brought the phone in front of him and noticed the message from Ms. Dante. When he opened the message, he stared at the screen. It read¡ª


    ''Veteris alert. Possible attack.''


    "Seriously, they choose to attack now?" questioned Simon, as he would have to travel from Greasy Conner to Veteris. "Mel!" his eyes widened when he realized that he hadn''t heard from Conner or Mnie.


    Throwing the milkshake in the trash, he quickly made his way toe to stand in front of Mnie and Conner''s house.


    With Veteris having zeroworks, there was no way he could call anyone who were there, and it was Dante''s special SOS that she had used to send it to every vampire in Veteris. Simon called up Mnie''s phone. Her phone rang, but she didn''t pick up. He went in front of the window of her room, waiting to pick up her heartbeat, but the room was empty.


    It was only after two minutes did she pick up, but Simon didn''t speak and waited for her to speak. But she didn''t speak either. Simon''s eyes narrowed, and he questioned,


    "Where''s Mel?"

 Chapter 285 - Possibility of being someone’s dinner

    Chapter 285 - Possibility of being someone''s dinner


    Simon''s hand gripped the phone, and he dialled Mnie''s number once again while he continued to look through the windows. He couldn''t feel anyone''s presence in the house, and he wondered if they had gone somewhere.


    But then, when he thought about it as the phone continued to ring on Mnie''s side, he noticed that the count of heartbeats he could hear around had reduced since thest hour he was here.


    He walked to Conner''s house, moving to the human''s room, and he heard the window being tapped. The phone call he made was disconnected, nowing as unreachable.


    It was Conner who mouthed something from inside the room while he continued tapping on the window as if wanting to break the ss.


    "Meet me at the door," Simon said to Conner, jerking his head towards the door, but Conner shook his head.


    ''My door and the window is locked,'' Conner mouthed the words, and Simon frowned.


    "Give me a minute," responded Simon, raising his index finger.


    He left Conner''s window and walked to the main entrance door. Keeping his ear close to the door''s surface, he pulled out a knife from his pocket and started to fiddle inside the lock.


    "Sometimes, I am so d that my siblings used to lock me up in the cupboards and rooms. Was enough practice to break into the houses without having to break anything," murmured Simon under his breath before he heard a click sound. He pushed the door and stepped inside the house. He then went to Conner''s room and unlocked the door.


    "Oh, thank God you are here, Simon! I was so exhausted that I decided to take a small nap with the stressful condition that was going on in the hunters house," Conner wiped out the sweat from his forehead.


    "Why was your room as well as window locked?" questioned Simon before he asked, "Do you know where Mel is? It looks like someone took her and her phone."


    "What do you mean?" Conner asked him back. "Being in the house of the hunters, our windows are bullet proof, you cannot open it once it''s locked and it is airtight. Do you think my parents and Mel''s parent''s found out?"


    "But why would they leave you here, while taking Mnie with them?" Simon looked around the house.


    "Where did my parents go?" Conner asked himself.


    "They invited themselves for a party in Veteris. They lied to you about attacking Veteris tomorrow, the attack is going to take ce tonight. Right now," stated Simon, and he continued checking around Conner''s house to see if he could find anything important.


    "They took my phone away too," mumbled Conner in realization. "Do you think they would have taken Mnie to Veteris to fight?"


    "That sounds like an unlikely thing, unless they n to use her as bait on a hook for the vampires," Simon said grimly. His eyebrows furrowed, and he whispered, "The basement. She must be in the basement!"


    Simon and Conner quickly left Conner''s house to Mnie''s house. They broke through the main door and went straight to the basement.


    "Mel!" Conner shouted while standing in front of the basement door.


    "Conner?!" Mnie shouted, sounding slightly worried yet distressed.


    Simon looked at the door, which he had tried to open earlier that day but had ended up getting electrocuted. At the moment, Donovan and Roman phone''s were unreachable because of theck ofwork in Veteris.


    "How are you doing there, Mel?" questioned Simon, and for a second, Mnie didn''t reply. She then said,


    "I am strapped to a chair and I think I have a thirsty vampire forpany!" came her freaked out voice.


    "How alive does he look?" asked Simon, and he bent down to look at the keyhole again.


    "What kind of question is that?" asked Mnie, "He looks dead. Or he was supposed to be dead, and he woke up after I was locked in here. They are nning to attack Veteris now!"


    "Yes, we know it, and Dante has sent out a message. I think it would be best you rx," Simon advised her, and Mnie stared at the door from the other side.


    She turned to look at the vampire, who until now had only moved his hands and toes. He slowly pushed himself up as if using all his strength and sniffed the air in the room. The scent of a human drifted across his nose. He looked pale inplexion, appearing like a corpse that had been left to dry under the hot sun.


    "How do you fucking rx when you know you are going to be sucked dry!" came Mnie''s panicked voice, and she kept moving her body upwards, trying to release herself out of the chair. But whenever she did that, the straps bit into her hands and legs.


    Outside the basement door, Simon asked Conner, "Do you know where the electricity is? I want you to turn it off. Maybe it will be easier to kick the door open without getting shocks and dying before Mel does."


    Conner quickly nodded, and he started to look for the control board of the house.


    Now that they were both alone, where Simon ignored the vampire, he ced his hand on the door and asked Mnie, "How did you end up there?"


    "I don''t know. I think mom had an inkling over it for some time now. And she was waiting for me to slip. I cleared all my texts and call details. Also erase the numbers," replied Mnie, keeping her eyes on the vampire, who was trying to put some more energy to jump down from the table. "The other guy... the head of the hunters, he was the one to figure it out."


    "How did your parents take it?" asked Simon.


    "Not good..." Mnie''s voice trailed, and she said, "They hate me. I am a disappointment to them."

 Chapter 286 - Looking for the electric board

    Chapter 286 - Looking for the electric board


    "You do know you are not a disappointment. You have a generous heart," said Simon, and he sighed when Mnie didn''t respond to his words. "Do not doubt yourself for a moment. Just because people cannot see what you see, doesn''t mean you are wrong."


    "They hate me. So much that they didn''t care if I would be alive after they returned," Mnie''s eyes watered, but the tears didn''t fall from her eyes. She took a deep breath. "I sometimes don''t get why there''s so much hate in this world, when so many things can be resolved by talking."


    "You should know that humans enjoy jumping into conclusions. It is what they do, and they aren''t often open minded. But who knows, maybe your parents knew that I woulde to rescue you. Your knight in shining fangs."


    For a moment, Mnie smiled, but sadness came to enter her eyes. She knew things would not be the same with her and her parents.


    "Don''t die on me, Mel," she heard Simon tell her from the other side of the door. "I have someone I would like you to meet. We still have our first date due."


    "It''s not like I am nning to die," replied Mnie, and then she added, "But the situation right now, my chances of survival looks bleak," she said, noticing the vampire ce one foot on the ground.


    Conner, who had gone to look for the main electrical switchboard, didn''t know where Mr. and Mrs. Davis had ced it. He went to the garage, checking through the walls and then the corner of the floor, but even after five minutes had passed, he wasn''t able to find it.


    "Where the hell is it?" Did it magically disappear? Conner asked himself, and he then said, "Maybe there is another way to short circuit the ce."


    He quickly went back to his house and picked up the coin from the drawer. Returning to the Davis'' house, he looked for a bulb socket, and when he found it, he picked up the chair, dragging it and cing it below the socket. Getting on the chair, Conner turned around the bulb, and he then ced a coin before cing the bulb back the way it was earlier.


    In the basement, Mnie felt her blood pressure go low, and her face turned paler because of the vampire, who had started to walk at the pace of a zombie towards her.


    "Simon!" Mel shouted his name. "The vampire is here!"


    Mnie''s eyes grew wider, and she tried to push her body back when the vampire''s hand-stretched forward to get a hold of her.


    Simon gritted his teeth, knowing well that even though vampires looked weak, as if they had no energy, the sight of possible blood got their body moving faster.


    He considered breaking the door without waiting for Conner, as the human boy hadn''t turned off the electricity in the house.


    Where Conner stood, he looked for the bulb switch, and after turning on most of the switches, he finally turned on the right one. On the press of the switch, the other lights that were turned on went out, and Conner had sessfully short-circuited the entire Davis''s house.


    Mnie, who was now surrounded by darkness, heard the groan of the vampire, and at the same time, she heard the basement door being opened with a loud thud that fell on the floor. Simon pulled the vampire away from Mnie, tearing his head off before helping Mnie unstrap herself from the chair.


    Mnie''s heart was beating so loud that she was ready to faint right in the chair with the amount of anxiety she had felt crawling up in her body and mind.


    "I am alive¡­" breathed Mnie with a sigh of relief.


    "Come let us get you out of here before your parents decide to take a U-turn toe and get you," said Simon, and when he tugged her hand, Mnie stopped him.


    "Wait!"


    "Don''t tell me you want to sit and chat with the other vampires in here. Vampires don''t die unless you stake them, sweetheart," exined Simon.


    Mnie shook her head in the dark, "Let us take the solutions from here. The ivy solutions that my mother created."


    "Ooo, I like it. Let us do that," said Simon, who could still fairly see the things around them unlike Mnie.


    They stepped out of the basement while putting the door back to its original position while Conner had pulled up the car in front of their house. Coming outside, Simon, who hadn''t been able to see Mnie''s face earlier, noticed the bruise formed on one side of her face.


    "Did your parents do this to you?" questioned Simon.


    "Head hunter," replied Mnie in a tone of indifference as if she felt no pain from it. Simon only stared at her, and she said, "I am fine now. It was just a strike."


    "Looks like two," murmured Simon, knowing exactly how a bruise looked on how many strikes.


    "We can talk about itter, we need to go see what condition Veteris is going to end up in," said Mnie, getting inside the car.


    While the other hunters had already reached near Veteris, they had parked their vehicles near the towns, and had walked all the way through the forest, holding their loaded guns with them. On the other side, Joaquin was not happy with the news his brother had brought him on his return.


    "Are you sure that the hunters are working with these Elder vampires?" questioned Joaquin, and Enoch nodded.


    "I am one hundred and one percent sure. Frankly I cannot help but doubt this one here," Enoch jerked his head towards Dous, whose eyes popped wide.

 Chapter 287 - Hell breaks loose

    Chapter 287 - Hell breaks loose


    "You know what I mean, human," Enoch emphasized on the word human as if it was a disgusting word. "How odd that you try to lure us to the ce where the hunters are already present, ready to attack back at us."


    "You must be badly mistaken, but as you see, I am working just for myself and not with anyone else. What would I get by working with them?" Dous raised his hands as if he didn''t know why he was even being med right now. "What I am interested in is the girl. There is nothing else that I care about."


    Joaquin''s face twisted into a sneer, and he ordered, "Get our men ready and tell them to prepare their best weapons against the vampires. There is no point in dying and it is time we go get thend and the girl we have been waiting for. Get the vehicles and the weapons ready. We will be leaving immediately. And you," he pointed at Dous. "You will be riding with me, thest thing I need is for you to wander around and do something I do not like. Because don''t forget, if you try to betray us I will kill you."


    Soon the vampires got into their vehicles, and headed right towards Veteris, ready to im thend, which included the lost town of Willow Creek.


    Back in Veteris, some of the guards, who were guarding the ce near the back side of Veteris property, were walking back and forth, when suddenly one of the guards was shot right at the back. For a few seconds, the vampire guard didn''t move, and the next moment, his body started to turn dry.


    The other guards, who were near, witnessed this, and one of them shouted, "There''s an attack here!" Turning the nearby vampires alert. Not a momentter, gunshots were heard that echoed through the forest.


    Roman picked up the faint echo, and so did the other Elder vampires.


    Donovanmented, "Looks like the more anticipated war of Veteris has finally started." Out of habit, he snapped his fingers, only to realize that he didn''t have the ability to apparate to another ce. "This is bullshit," he cursed, not liking the fact that he was an average vampire.


    He heard something recoil, and he took one step to the side, feeling something graze past next to his cheek. It left a red line and his face turned sour.


    One of the vampire students asked him, "Elder Donovan, is there no way to kill them all at once?"


    Pointing the gun forward, Donovan said, "Well, children. It is time that you make use of this valuable opportunity and sharpen your skills rather than waste my own energy and depend on me. It is time to thrive," not wanting to admit that he had no abilities right now.


    When he caught sight of one of the humans, he pulled the trigger, and they heard someone fall on the ground.


    "What an aim, Elder Donovan," praised one of the younger vampires.


    "Of course," replied Donovan with a proud smile. "Now get to work, or do you want me to do all the job myself?" he red at them, when the hunters soon started to fire their guns and make use of other weapons on the night creatures.


    The hunters of Greasy Corner had invited other hunters, who lived in the nearby towns toe join them in killing the vampires, who had been hiding here for who knows how long. They stepped in with their guns and other kinds of weapons to kill the vampires, and soon everywhere in the forest, hunters and vampires got busy fighting with each other.


    Julie, who was in the process of finishing the procedure, paused when she heard the soundsing from the front and right side of Veteris.


    "We are being attacked," said Cillian, who had turned his head in the direction of the echo.


    "Mm," hummed Mr. Evans. "Seems like it started before the anticipated time."


    "When did you anticipate it?" asked Julie with a frown.


    "A few hours from now. We should finish the ritual sooner," said Mr. Evans, but before Julie could continue it, a few hunters spotted them.


    Cillian turned to Julie and said, "Keep going with the ritual, we''ll take care of the rest. Don''t lose your focus."


    It was because Julie would soon be opening the forbidden door, and thest thing they needed was more darknessing out of it, than putting it back in.


    Some of the hunters aimed their weapons at the ghosts, who stood around. And when the bullet passed through, that only ended up with their resources being wasted, one of the hunters asked, "Why is the vampire not being shot?! It''s like I am aiming at nothing!"


    "It must be a different kind of creature! Use another weapon to capture and kill it!" said another experienced hunter.


    The hunters moved towards Veteris in batches, and when Joaquin and his men entered, ready to attack the Elder vampires, the hunters pounced on them! Believing they were who lived in Veteris, and had anticipated more hunters.


    "Kill them all!" The old hunter ordered his men and women, and he pulled the trigger on some of the vampires, who fell on the forest ground.


    And as much as the hunters well fully equipped, they weren''t as fast as the vampires, and were quick to die, with their neck snapped or heart pulled out from their bodies.


    In the infirmary, Olivia, Elder Remy, and doctor Isolde worked on creating the replication antidote, and they were running out of time. Isolde asked the Elder vampire,


    "The fight has started, what if the vampires get shot before we deliver the antidotes?"


    "Let us hope they don''t. If they do, we might just have to make more space in the cemetery to bury them," replied Elder Remy.

 Chapter 288 - Mess in Veteris - Part 1

    Chapter 288 - Mess in Veteris - Part 1


    ¡ª


    Sounds of bullets echoed throughout the forest, where both the hunters and the vampires tried to dodge them while trying to kill the persons from the opponent side. A few people had either been shot and turned into corpses on the ground, or their hearts or neck had been ripped apart.


    At the moment, Roman fought with one of the hunters, who had earlier used a bullet that had killed one of the vampire students instantly.


    "All you blood suckers ought to die!" cursed the male hunter, inserting the bullets into the gun to load them before they were fired at Roman.


    Things would have been much easier if Roman would have had his ability to create mes right now. All it would have taken for him and the other vampires with ability was a snap of their fingers for the intruders to die and be buried under the ground as if they didn''t exist.


    One of the bullets just grazed past his face, and he could feel the sting that it left on his skin, as if a hot iron string had touched his face.


    Another hunter fired a bullet, and Roman turned his head and noticed that there were far more hunters than they had initially expected, and he believed they were not just from Greasy Corner. The mess the hunters had got themselves into right now, the chances were they woulde through victoriously by killing all of the vampires. Or the humans here would die, killing most of the hunters in the area, which would only increase the vampire crimes around the towns.


    He used his vampire speed to dodge the bullets that were being aimed at him by two hunters and picked up one of the wooden branches before throwing it straight at one of the hunter''s heads. The branch hit the hunters head at such speed that it turned the hunter unconscious.


    Roman''s next move was towards the other hunter who had the deadly bullets in his gun. He lessened the gap between them, and once he was near enough to the hunter, he pushed the hunters hand up in the air for a series of bullets to be fired in the sky.


    "You might be smart, but not smart enough," remarked Roman, and he caught hold of the hunter''s head before ramming it right at the nearby tree.


    But the hunter was strong and skilled to turn faint over Roman''s action. He pulled out the knife from his pocket and stabbed the knife at Roman''s leg.


    Roman''s eyes turned bright red because of the searing pain he felt.


    "How does it feel?" the hunter chuckled with amusement.


    Roman fell to his knees. Pulling the knife out didn''t help because the residue of the de of the knife was running through his blood.


    "Do you think we are still making use of such simple weapons to catch and kill you people any more? A pity that a young boy like yourself has to die. It was a good fight," said the hunter, while picking up his gun and ready to shoot Roman.


    But when the hunter raised his head and pointed the gun at Roman, he was surprised as Roman wasn''t on the ground anymore.


    "Bold of you to think that we are weak," Roman responded to the hunter''s earlier words. Just when the hunter turned around, with his hand ready to attack, Roman caught hold of the man''s head with his hands. "I hear that the afterlife isn''t great for the ones who cause trouble," and he snapped the human''s head, whose body fell on the ground.


    The number of hunters continued to pour in as if they were limitless, and the vampires continued to fight them off.


    While one side of the vampires, like Roman and the others, were trying to get the vampires off the Veteris property, there were other sides of the vampires, Joaquin and his men, who were trying to intrude into the property.


    "There are too many hunters!"mented Enoch, as he fought with one of the hunters, but only to be shot by another one on his leg. "Fucker!" he cursed.


    Angrily, Enoch quickly caught hold of the hunter and ripped his head off while dragging the human like a trophy to show it off to others.


    Joaquin would have to agree with his brother, fighting alongside him. Thest time he had fought these many humans was when he wanted to kill the witches of the town of Willow Creek.


    The vampire raised his hand in the air, stretching it forward when one of the hunters shot bullets at him. But the shots never reached him, and it turned to dust. Joaquin had notpletely gotten in Veteris for his ability to be affected.


    "Can vampires do such a thing?!" questioned one of the young hunters. The boy was the same person who had locked horns with Mnie a couple of times in the past. "It''s like watching the Matrix!"


    "Next you will see a horror movie with our bodies being dragged on the forest floor if you don''t concentrate instead of talking!" the boy''s father shouted at him, knocking off Joaquin''s vampires. "Keep killing the vampires!"


    But it was hard for the humans to do that, especially after they saw a vampire with such an ability to not letting a single bullete near him. How in God''s name were they going to attack or even leave a scratch with him possessing such an ability?


    Some vampires and hunters had sessfully infiltrated inside Veteris who had now reached the buildings. One of the vampires threw little bombs into the buildings, which ended up with the buildings sting from inside, causing the fire.


    "That damn thing!" Dante red at the vampire. She had been looking after Veteris like a child, and seeing the vampire try to destroy it, she gritted her teeth.


    "Why are the vampires attacking us now?" Castiel questioned Dante because, so far, the information they had received was that the hunters were nning to attack them.


    "I have no idea, but by the looks of it, I believe he isn''t a student," replied Dante, and she stepped forward, ready to attack the intruder while holding the gun in her outstretched right hand and aimed it at him.


    The vampire snickered on seeing Dante with the gun, "Look at that! You must be the woman running this ce. Did you keep us some humans to have a drink from? Aren''t you a little too pretty to be holding a gun?"The vampire mocked her while lighting up another bomb in his hand and throwing it into the same building.


    The ce where the bomb fell, it exploded, and Dante pulled the trigger again and again , aiming all the bullets in it at the vampire. But the vampire was too fast.


    "Look at that, you finished all your bullets," the vampire clicked his tongue.


    Suddenly a stake came at high speed and got stuck in the vampire''s mouth, "Agh...ugh...!"


    Castiel walked towards where the intruder was who struggled to get the stake out of his mouth. The Elder vampire said, "If there''s one thing I hate, it is someone who talks a lot." He then ripped the vampire''s head off.


    "I wonder why you haven''t used the wooden stakes at the other two vampires," Dante pursed her lips while she had spoken about Donovan and Luciano, who never knew when to shut up.


    "I would, but I don''t think it would end well," hummed Castiel, and he then added, "I also don''t like anyone belittling you. You aren''t good at using guns and counting bullets, are you?"


    "What makes you think that?" asked Dante, aiming her gun at one of the vampires, who came running towards them. She pulled the trigger for the bullet to hit right in the middle of the vampire''s forehead.


    Castiel looked slightly confused, and he opened his mouth, ready to ask her how she had another bullet when she hadn''t reloaded the gun after shooting all the six bullets. He then asked, "Don''t tell me you have seven slots for the bullets."


    "Eight," replied Dante, and she said, "Something isn''t right. We have a mix of people here. Not hunters, but also vampires."


    "I am guessing that we are having early guests from both sides. People who don''t like us. Enoch?" questioned Castiel, and Dante''s eyebrows furrowed.


    On the other side of Veteris, Luciano caught hold of the hunter''s head and mmed it over and over on the bark of the tree before he dusted his hand and his pristine white clothes. "Insolent fools, thinking they cane and attack me from the back," muttered the blonde vampire before he flipped his hair that had partiallye to cover one of his eyes.


    When a few more minutes passed, Maximus came to Roman''s side and said, "Why are we having vampires attacking us?!"


    "They are Joaquin''s men. I think the two men Luciano earlier found were their men, and something must have gone down hill. The hunters and the other vampires might as well exhaust themselves by fighting each other before theye at us," stated Roman, and he went behind one of the hunters and snapped the person''s head.


    "He''s going to stay unconscious for two hours before he wakes up," pointed Maximus. "The hunters are getting out of control. It''s as if there''s some sort of association going on here."


    The two of them fought the intruders, killing the enemy vampires while also hitting the human''s heads hard enough or drinking their blood. Because the vampires didn''t want to waste free meals.

 Chapter 289 - Mess in Veteris - Part 2

    Chapter 289 - Mess in Veteris - Part 2


    "She''s with Evans and with the Corvin," replied Roman, and the next moment, someone shot Maximus''s arm.


    "Shit!" Maximus cursed, feeling the burning sensation starting to spread in his body.


    Roman quickly dodged the bullets before tearing the human''s head apart from his body. When he returned to his friend, he appeared to be breathless.


    "You need to see yourself in the infirmary. Right now," ordered Roman, but Maximus rolled his eyes.


    "I am just fine. It''s just the burn of the silv¡ªLook out!" Maximus pushed Roman to the other side, and a bullet just moved through the gap between them. "Let us get this over with, and I will go to the infirmaryter."


    "Are you sure?" questioned Roman with a re, and Maximusughed.


    "Of course," Maximus rolled his eyes.


    And not too far away from them, Donovan stood against the bark of the tree, supporting his body as he instructed,


    "Is that what you call aim? Even my dog can shoot better than you," the elder vampire scrunched his face in disappointment.


    Some of the vampires, who were concentrating on fighting the humans and, surprisingly, other vampires, paused to turn and look at Elder Donovan.


    "What? I can have a dog," Donovan huffed and said, "Now get those old hands moving. You boy, what are you doing standing behind the tree?" he sneered.


    Caleb, who had been standing there and watching people go at each other, turned to look at the elder vampire, who was bossing people at even this crucial time. He had tried to hide and stay away from being killed as he was only an average morm with no vampire ability and was nothing less than a human. Seeing Donovan move his fingers in a e hither'' motion, Caleb dragged his feet towards where Donovan was.


    More than the fear of being killed by the firing bullets, Caleb suddenly turned wary as he didn''t know if Donovan was going to snap his head for not taking part in the fight.


    "I¡ªI didn''t where to aim¡ª"


    "A morm by nature I see," hummed Donovan, and when the Elder vampire''s hand shot towards him, Caleb closed his eyes, ready to pray for the sins he hadmitted while he was a vampire.


    He waited for Donovan''s hand to pass through his chest, or to grab his neck. But neither of it ever happened, and Caleb only felt Donovan pull him closer to him. At that precise moment, he a whistling sound passed behind his head, and he realized it was a bullet that was going to leave a hole in his face.


    "T¡ªthank you," stuttered Caleb, and Donovan sized him up and down.


    "Seems like you aren''t good at fighting. I want you to go and see how things are on the North side of the property," said Donovan, waiting for Caleb to start walking. "Don''t tell me you are deaf."


    "I¡ªno. You want me to behave as a messenger?" questioned Caleb, and Donovan gave him a nod.


    "Yes, now hurry. It is no time to be dawdling like a lost duck," Donovan pulled out a cigar from his case, and saw Caleb run away from there.


    In the ce where Mr. Evans and Cillian where fighting the hunters, and a few vampires, Julie tried hard to concentrate on finishing the procedure, but it was a difficult task with someone or the other, who was aiming bullets at her.


    Julie pulled out her soul energy, that created a light blue ball around her, and the bullets that came at her with high speed were quick to turn into dust by the time it reached her.


    "What is that?!" questioned one of the hunters, on seeing Julie''s protective shield around her.


    But there was no time to chit-chat, as Mr. Evans and Cillian were swiftly eliminating every other person and sending them to their afterlife.


    When Julie finished the ritual, she pulled the knife from her pocket. She ran the sharp de across her palm, and blood dripped to fall on the ground. She then turned to Mr. Evans and shouted,


    "I need your blood!"


    Mr. Evans took a couple of steps back, fighting the hunter, who had closed in, and they were having a closebat with each other. The counselor of Veteris asked her, "Do you need any human sacrifice? I am sure it will speeden the process."


    Julie wasn''t sure of the idea, but Mr. Evans had a smug smile on his face. He said to her, "Be ready to open the door, when I tell you to."


    She ced both her hands on the ground, finishing thest bit of spell that required, and her eyes widened, when Mr. Evans pushed the human into the circle and said, "Step out of the circle and open it. Now!"


    Julie quickly stepped backwards, and she moved her hands in front of her. The forbidden door finally appeared in the middle of the circle.


    And just as it opened, the hunter looked angrily at Mr. Evans. But before he could step foot outside the circle, something creeped out of the door. At first look, it looked like a smudgy tar, but this thing moved. And whatever it was, it was quick to grab the hunters legs and arms.


    "What the hell is this?!" demanded the hunter, and he tried to get away from it.


    Mr. Evans smiled, as he looked at the hunter being dragged into the door. He said, "Those are creatures that are hungry, and want to consume you and make use of your body. Or should I say body parts. Don''t you wish that you were at home now?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.


    Julie had never seen anything as such before. Were these the very creatures whom she had met while reviving Cillian?


    "Julianne! Get the spells started," shouted Cillian, who pushed the human into the circle, and the second human was pulled inside the door.


    The hunters and vampires looked at what was going on with obvious wariness in their eyes.


    Julie could tell that if she dyed the spells, soon they would be having these ck creatures trying to pull any living and breathing thing.


    Soon she started to mutter spells.


    A couple of secondster, something murky and ck raised itself from the ground. The more time passed, the more the murkiness gathered. It was the dark magic that had been spilt here years ago. But when Julie started to push the darkness back to where it came from, the creatures who had appeared through the door suddenly turned their attention to Julie.


    "I am not able to push it!" eximed Julie, while her eyebrows deeply furrowed. She used all her soul energy, and the more she used, her body started to hurt. She could feel her body weaken, as if the dark magic itself was trying to absorb every strength she had in herself.


    Cillian noticed Julie''s nose starting to bleed.


    "Cover for me, Sullivan!" ordered Cillian, and Mr. Evans waved.


    "With pleasure," replied the counselor, who was quite enjoying stretching his arms and legs in beating up the people.


    Cillian started to mutter the spells, and he helped Julie gather the darkness and exert his remaining energy, where his skin had slowly started to shed like a snake. His body was turning back to the Corvin, and the transformation started to move past the hand and leg which had earlier been affected.


    "What are you doing?" questioned Cillian, when he noticed Julie fishing for something in her pockets.


    Julie pulled out the little ss vial that belonged to her mother. She said, "Didn''t you tell me I am supposed to use the vial for something better? It is what my mother would have wanted."


    "That was meant for you to keep. If you ever need it," came Cillian''s rushed words.


    Julie shook her head, and she smiled, "This is a vial of regeneration. Which means it should work if we use it." The dark magic was stubborn enough to not leave this ce and return through the door.


    She stepped inside the big circle, moving towards the center.


    "Julianne!" Cillian shouted her name in worry.


    Now that she was inside the circle, the smudgy creatures were quickly moving in Julie''s direction. She pulled out the cork, and poured the liquid before whispering spells, and every word of spell that left her mouth, the creature paused their movements, slightly confused on what was going on.


    Not a momentter, the circle glowed bright enough for people to close their eyes as they couldn''t look at the white light.


    And though it was bright, Julie tried to see what was going on. There was a resistance between the dark magic and the light that had glowed, and soon the ck dust that had raised up from the ground, it started to crackle.


    The creatures on seeing the white light started to screech loudly, the noise echoing through the entire forest, and the people covered their ears. The ck residues started to turn white before falling on the ground. A smile appeared on Julie''s lips on seeing her idea had worked. Thend of Veteris was being purified to its original state.


    But suddenly out of nowhere, something crawled from the ground which no one had noticed or expected. It was one of the creatures from the other side of the forbidden door. It caught hold of Julie''s ankle, and dragged her towards the door as if ready to take her as a sacrifice.

 Chapter 290 - Child behind the forbidden door

    Chapter 290 - Child behind the forbidden door


    Cillian was about to step into the circle bug Mr. Evans stopped him and said, "Use a spell to close the door!"


    It was apparent that for anyone who stepped foot into the circle, the creatures took them as a sacrifice and wanted to break out of the circle to get more. Cillian gritted his teeth, raised his hands, and a red light appeared and directed at the creature. But the creatures only snickered and cackled at his attempt of rescuing the girl.


    "It''s not working! I need to step in there to get her myself!" Cillian turned worried. He was well aware of the creatures that had spilt out of the forbidden door.


    But this time, when Cillian ced his foot into the circle, his bones started to turn brittle, and the stems of his hands and feet looked as if they were going to disappear.


    "The spell that Julie has ced in here is of pure magic, and if you step in there for a second longer, you will die, Cillian," Mr. Evans warned him.


    Julie was pulled into the other side of the door, and suddenly the smudgy creatures behaving erratically until now turned calm. They slowly started to crawl on the ground, looking for more prey.


    Julie was dropped to the hard floor with a thudding sound inside the forbidden door, and she winced in pain. While she tried to get up, the creature that had dragged her in let go of her leg and started to take form.


    "Julie¡­" the creature whispered to her, and Julie froze on hearing the familiar voice.


    She felt goosebumps rise on her skin, and the tension trickled down her spine. Her eyes moved up to look at the creature, who now stood a few distances away from her.


    "It has been a while, hasn''t it?" came the person''s voice.


    "N-Natalie?" Julie gulped, not knowing what was going on.


    "It''s good to know that you still remember me," there was a series of giggles, and it only turned Julie''s body stiff.


    How was Natalie here? She was supposed to be buried, wasn''t it? Julie questioned herself in her mind.


    When the smudgy appearance started to drip downwards, soon beneath it, a young Natalie appeared in front of Julie. The girl smiled at her. "I waved at youst time, but it seemed like you were in a hurry."


    "You are not Natalie," Julie shook her head. Was her mind ying tricks, or was this ce making her hallucinate?


    "What do you mean I am not? Aren''t you a little rude for someone who was responsible for my death? It is because of you, that I was killed. You were the one who sent me to the past, and you say I am not me?" Natalie furrowed her eyebrows, and so did Julie.


    Julie was sure that she had received the closure that she had been looking for all these long ago. With her surrogate mother and her best friend. But the person right now who stood in front of her behaved just like Natalie.


    "What are you doing here?" asked Julie, and in the meantime, her eyes moved around the ce, looking for the door, but the door had disappeared, leaving her no way to get back to where she belonged.


    "I think the right question would be, how am I here," Natalie took a walk, circling Julie like a prey.


    "How are you in this ce? You aren''t a witch," stated Julie, and Natalie smiled.


    "It was your father. Dous Leighton. He was the one responsible for putting me here."


    "You mean your husband," responded Julie, and a malicious smile appeared on Natalie''s face.


    "My husband¡­ Mm," Natalie replied.


    "Where is the forbidden door?" questioned Julie, standing up, but Natalie was quick toe in front of her.


    Natalie raised her eyebrows and asked, "What''s the hurry? I bring you here for a little chit chat and you want to leave already? I don''t think I raised you to be rude."


    "Circumstances and time must have turned me that way. Where is the door, Natalie?" questioned Julie, her words were more firm than before, but it didn''t look like Natalie was ready to tell her about it. Natalie only smiled as if she had no intention of letting her go.


    Suddenly Julie used the forbidden magic and lit up the ce with balls of fire floating mid-air. With the ce around being lit, Julie noticed the ck smudgy tentacle that had moved and came too close to her, and she quickly jumped to the other side.


    Julie waved her hand while using a spell on the person that hit right on the person''s face, and she said, "You aren''t Natalie."


    The spell that touched the creature melted the person''s face and showed the skull behind it. The creature cackled, "How can you tell that I am not me? Ask me a question and I shall answer everything. I remember what I did to you that evening in the ssroom, running that de across your wrist while you cried in pain."


    "Because this ce is for witches. Deceased witches. And Natalie was a human, not a witch," stated Julie, and the creatureughed, the sound of itsugh echoing in the ce where they stood.


    Soon the creature''s face morphed into something evil, and it said, "Aren''t you a smart little thing. I told you, it was your dear father. He was the one who sent her here," it finally revealed.


    "I don''t get it," replied Julie, and the creature stretched its smudgy hand towards her and said,


    "Why don''t we two make a deal and I will tell you the truth. Give yourself to me, and you shall receive the answers that you so seek." The creature had taken Natalie''s form, and she wondered why it was so. She tried to think hard about it while staying away from the other things that were trying to creep up on her.


    "He opened the door?" asked Julie, and the creature stared at her as if she was epting the deal. "He cannot do that. He''s a human."


    "He used another witch''s help. You think Natalie''s body is resting in peace there?" the creature asked Julie with a smirk. "He dug the body out, and wanted to know more about you."


    "You made a deal with him," whispered Julie, and the creatureughed.


    It meant that the creature had used the remains of Natalie''s body, probably the skeleton that was there and had swallowed the woman¡ªtaking in her memories and behaviour as its own. It said, "But you see, it wasn''t enough for me to take the full form. I am still a dead corpse and was tricked into believing that it was a fresh body."


    "What did you tell him?" asked Julie. Until now, she had only believed that he wanted to kill her, but there seemed more to her father''s behaviour who was trying to collect more information about where she came from.


    "That you are the daughter of the great witch Opaline La Fay. And how important you are. He''s probably going toe and kill you, so why don''t you give me your body, while I shall use it well," the creature offered its solution to her.


    "I think I will pass," said Julie, and turning around, she started to walk away from there, searching for the exit from this ce.


    But suddenly, one of the smudgy tentacles came to attack her from behind. Julie''s protective light appeared from her back to stop the tentacle from hurting her, and the tentacle started to evaporate.


    "How powerful," whispered the creature, and it licked its lips. "Once I have your body, I shall discard the one I have now, and will make sure it is used well."


    The creature''s hands changed into the smudgy liquid that moved back and forth to grab Julie, but she was quick to dodge it by whispering spells. Julie and the creature continued to fight, moving from one spot to another as the spells collided to create sparks. After two minutes, she stopped moving and watched the creature while she heaved for air.


    "Tired already? And I was having fun with you," smiled the creature. "Witches often throw these useless humans as a sacrifice to us. But with you I would emerge far more superior."


    "You aren''t too bright," responded Julie, and the creature red at her.


    "Maybe we will decide after I consume you," it opened its mouth, showing its sharp and jagged teeth.


    "Capture!" Julie shouted, and the creature turned startled. Suddenly red light appeared from the ground, which moved in lines and curves to form a circle around the creature. When the creature tried to step out, it was trapped. "I told you. You aren''t too bright."


    "I will kill you!" the creature threatened her. Julie turned her back, with the balls of fire following right behind her as she tried to leave this ce.


    But until now, Julie had only been fighting with one such smudgy creature. When she continued to look for the door, more such creatures appeared, and it didn''t take too long where she fought them. And with every second that passed, the creatures moved closer to her.


    Before Julie could be drowned in the darkness of this ce, a bright light shot at the creatures. She had covered her eyes with the back of her hand, unable to look at it. When she pulled her hand away, she noticed the smudgy creatures turn into ck kes of dust.


    What just happened?


    Her eyes shifted from the ck kes to look in the direction of where the white light beam had appeared. A woman stepped into her vision, she was tall, and her ck hair tied into a ponytail. For a moment, Julie questioned if it was Ms. Piper. But the woman appeared to be older, yet she had a spitting image of their ex detention professor.


    "We should leave this ce before the door disappears. Else it would be hard to get out," said the woman, while she looked at a distance in the direction where Julie had trapped one of the creatures.


    The creature struggling to get out of the circle that Julie had drawn and trapped it, stopped on seeing the woman. Julie turned to look in the direction where the woman was looking.


    "Mother¡­" uttered the creature.


    Though the voice was feeble, Julie heard it, and she turned back to look at the woman, who held a nk expression on her face.


    "Time is running," said the woman, and Julie heard the particr creature scream, while the two of them left the ce, heading in the opposite direction.

 Chapter 291 - Revelations of the other side

    Chapter 291 - Revtions of the other side


    "I used the usual ritual and spells," replied Julie, and she then asked the woman, "Are you Avice Swan?"


    The woman turned to look at Julie briefly before she said, "Seems like people have been talking about me."


    Julie didn''t make out if she should be thrilled for meeting someone like Avice Swan or get worried as she didn''t know if the woman was on their side or had another hidden agenda of her own. She turned back, trying to catch a glimpse of the creature that had called the woman as mother.


    "The person back there¡­"


    "Is he the child that I tried to resurrect?" Avice didn''t seem to be a person who used to beat around the bush and was straightforward. "Yes. Come, this is no time to be talking. The creatures in here have turned far more meddlesomepared to thest time I had seen them."


    They came to stand at the end of the passage, and Julie looked around. It looked like the exit had closed itself, and for some odd reason, the ce had turned quiet. When she felt something breathing behind her, Julie turned around. She raised her hand, murmuring a spell for the creature.


    "ARGHHH!" one of the creatures cried in agony. Its body started to melt and formed into a puddle on the ground.


    But there was more than one creature at the ce. Avice raised her hand in the air, and light emitted far brighter than Julie had ever seen. But the surprising part was that the creatures had crawled up to the ceiling, ready to attack them.


    One of the creatures crawled down and jumped on Julie, while another one took the opportunity to grab Avice''s leg before causing her to fall to the ground. Both witches used their spells, and while Julie was trying to get rid of the creature that had wrapped itself around her arms, she noticed something emerge from Avice''s back.


    It was as if something had fused with Avice, and Avice''s creature fought the other creature that belonged to this ce.


    Feeling her throat being choked, Julie realized she was going to be killed, and her body would soon be possessed by the creature if she didn''t do something soon.


    "Finally I shall have your body! I shall live!" the creature whispered right next to her ear, and Julie felt the amount of oxygen reducing in her body.


    She bit her lip, drawing blood from it, she spat it on the ground.


    "Dying already?" the creature asked her, and suddenly a circle formed beneath Julie''s feet. "No?! White magic cannot be used here!"


    "There are some tricks," replied Julie, and the creature started screaming as its body started turning into liquid. The creature tried to get away from the circle, but before it could escape, its body burst out and sttered on the ground.


    Julie noticed a flicker of light from the corner of her eyes, and when she turned to look at it, she was greeted with darkness. She shouted to Avice, "The door is there, it is being covered by the creatures!"


    Julie increased the size of the circle with the star pattern inside it, and the creatures there weren''t pleased with what she was doing. The creatures standing nearby, their bodies were thrown far away from her.


    "Head to the exit!" said Avice, who was busy keeping the creatures off of her while she kept herself away from the circle.


    Julie ran quickly towards the ce where she had spotted the forbidden door, but the closer she got, the size of the circle around her started to diminish. She knew in less than a minute, the creatures would pounce on her.


    Julie used every spell she knew that she could use on this side of the world, which was dark magic. Soon one of the creatures tried to stick itself to her. It was hard to ignore these creatures as they were too fast, like scavengers. They were like leeches who wanted to suck the soul and the body and use the living.


    And Julie knew that because she saw two of the hunters, who had been thrown into this ce earlier by Mr. Evans.


    Though they looked simr to humans, their eyes were ck, and their teeth were jagged.


    "Come live here," whispered one of the men, who had beenpletely possessed by one of the creatures.


    With Avice Swan, who was trying to keep most of the creatures at bay, who were pouring in the ce from the other side, Julie sensed the spells that she was using weren''t enough to fight these creatures. She tried to get rid of the creatures covering the door, but they were persistent.


    Before she could reach the door, she stopped and ced her hands on the ground. She said, "The magic of the two worlds, Ibine thee and turn it into one. Source of the darkness pulled from the dark hearts and the light from me," she whispered thest word.


    It was because she was going to use her soul energy to kill these creatures.


    Even Avice, who was fighting the creatures, her ears turned alert when she heard Julie''s words. She kicked one of the creatures away from her while her eyebrows furrowed.


    Avice knew a witch''s body functioned with the help of the soul energy. Using too much of it would leave the body empty. The woman raised her arm, creating a fire she sent at the creatures that trapped them in cages.


    The wind around Julie increased, and her hair blew back along with the bright blue light that appeared on the ground. At where she sat, root-like lines emerged, which were red. The more strength she exerted, the further the roots stretched from her.


    "Good good," came a cackle from one of the creatures. "This way you shall exhaust your soul energy and I can take a piece of your body."


    "A child that knows nothing about magic," taunted another creature.


    "Come here child and I will teach you. We can make a deal. Half you and half me," suggested another creature while they moved closer to her.


    Julie could feel her body growing weaker, as she put her soul energy into the magic that she performed now. Avice used her own magic to keep the creatures away from Julie, who was trying to do her best, while also trying to keep the creatures near her at bay. It took less than fifteen seconds for the creatures to appear just a meter away from Julie, and soon one of the creatures, which was stronger in nature, started to crawl up on Julie, ready to wrap her with its ck smudgy self.


    The older witch cursed something under her breath, and moved quickly towards Julie. But when another creature appeared in front of her, ready to hug her. The woman''s eyes narrowed, and she stepped to the side from it.


    Julie could feel the coldness creeping on her body, and it had covered her legs and upto her arms, moving steadily. But she didn''t move her hands from the ground. Before the creature could wrap her face, to use her, the roots like lines suddenly spread as far as it could into this endless ce. Symbols appeared on it, and when the red light that had emitted from the roots touched the creatures they screamed in agony before sttering into liquid on the ground.


    For the very first time,Julie noticed something she had never seen before. Her hands...they looked simr to Cillian''s hand. But a momentter, flesh appeared on it, moving swiftly to hide what was beneath her skin.


    The creature that had wrapped her, fell on the ground turning into a pool of liquid. It made squeaky noise, letting her know that there was no way to kill these things. The creatures at the ce were eternal. Before they could get back to their original state, Julie and Avice went straight near the forbidden door. Opening it, they jumped out of it.


    On seeing both the witches fall out of the forbidden door, Cillian shouted, "Julie!" He created a soft ground in the air for her to fall down before letting her fall down on the forest ground.


    Julie was exhausted and her body in pain. She winced.


    On the other hand, Avice got herself on the ground with ease, and she brought her hands forward. Waving them, she created a spell in the air, which closed the forbidden door, and it disappeared in thin air along with the distant screaming sound of the creatures.


    The hunters, who had appeared earlier, had a gobsmacked expression on their faces. They couldn''t believe what they just saw, from their men being dragged by alien-like creatures and a door hanging in the middle of the air, and spells going back and forth.


    "I-I thought witches didn''t exist!" stuttered one of the hunters. His gun pointed at the vampires and at the witches, but the gun shook with his hands.


    "The door has disappeared! It is time to kill these creatures that bring death!" shouted another hunter.


    Another hunter shouted, "Vengeance for taking away our men!"


    "They don''t ever learn, do they?" Avice murmured to herself, and she stepped forward.


    The next moment, the forbidden door appeared and opened. Seeing this, the hunter''s eyes turned wide.


    The woman warned them, "If you care for your life, you should run."


    Mr. Evansmented, "I don''t think it would be feasible, mdy. They will only bring more people to fight."


    "Kill them," came the blunt words from the woman, and by then, the hunters had started to run in the opposite direction of where Julie and the others were. Mr. Evans followed them, disappearing in the woods. The woman then came to where Julie was still sitting on the ground, catching her breath after using her soul energy. "You are lucky you are still alive after using that amount of soul energy," she said to the young witch.


    Julie met the woman''s eyes and asked, "What are you doing here?"


    "I had an intuition that there would be a fight in here tonight. I confirmed it after Simon informed me that the hunters were causing trouble. Veteris is dear to me, and I prefer it to be running the way it has been since thest few centuries," answered the woman, and she then said, "Show me your hands."


    "Shouldn''t we be hurrying to the other side where everyone is fighting?" asked Julie, but Avice waved her hand with a patient expression on her face.


    "I am sure they will be able to handle themselves just fine. After all, you did restore Veteris back to its original state and they should be able to use their lost abilities," stated the woman, and Julie brightened hearing this. "You did something I wasn''t able to do for many years. I had to leave this ce as I lost my ability. Thank you," she appreciated Julie''s help.


    Julie just gave a nod, and with the woman''s hand that was still in mid-air, she ced her hands in the woman''s hands.


    "You have a very peculiar case¡­" hummed the woman.


    "Am I dead?" asked Julie, and Cillian turned, startled at her question.


    "Why do you ask that?" he questioned her.


    Avice turned her gaze at Cillian, observing him before her eyes turned back to look at Julie. "One of your parents was a Corvin. the other side of the forbidden door shows things one cannot see in this side of the world," exined the woman, letting go of Julie''s hand and continuing to speak, "The darkest secrets that are hidden in them."


    Julie couldn''t look away from the woman, as she had questions for her on what she had seen in there. But her questions would have to wait, as they were at war with the hunters.


    She hoped Roman and the others were safe.

 Chapter 292 - Death in the air

    Chapter 292 - Death in the air


    Gunshots continued to echo through the ce, and smoke filled itself the area because of some of the light weapons used as diffusers of smoke to paralyze the vampires. And though some of the vampires turned weak after inhaling the smoke, some of them continued to remain strong enough to be persistent.


    "Are some of the diffusers not working, Mrs. Davis?" questioned a hunter who was nearby, and he pushed a vampire away from him.


    "I think they are resistant to it!" answered Mrs. Davis, and she raised her hand to push the wooden stake into one of the vampire''s stomachs.


    But the vampire was none other than Enoch, who bared his teeth, and he caught hold of her hand that was still holding the stake. Mrs. Davis pulled out her gun with her free hand and tried to shoot the vampire, but Enoch was quick enough to snatch the stake from her hand and push it through the woman''s wrist, and she screamed in agony.


    "AH!!"


    Enoch was going to rip her head off if Mr. Davis had note to her help, who fired a bullet at the vampire. Before the bullet could hit Enoch, he moved aside, and the bullet hit the tree.


    "You fucking piece of hunters," Enoch red in anger. He picked up Mrs. Davis by holding her cor and then threw her towards a tree. He then charged himself toward Mr. Davis.


    Mr. Davis''s aims were on point, and he continued to fire the bullets at Enock, making it difficult for the vampire to get too close to him. He shouted, "Things like you shouldn''t even exist."


    "Riching from the bastard who has joined hands with my kind,"mented Enoch, and for a moment, Mr. Davis turned confused. What did the vampire''s words mean?


    Mr. Davis used, "You must be a rogue vampire," to be talking nonsense like this.


    Enoch didn''t pay further attention to the words, as the very next moment, he was shot by one of the silver bullets, and it made him part his lips in pain. His eyes glowed red, and he went straight to attack the hunter, who had dared to shoot a bullet at his leg.


    While the bullet was enough to kill any average vampire, Enoch appeared to be still strong, and with force, he pushed Mr. Davis down to the ground. They both battled, where Mr. Davis tried to stab the vampire with the wooden stake while Enoch tried to take a bite from the man, wanting to drain blood out of the human''s body.


    When the wooden stake fell off his hand, Mr. Davis had no other option except to punch the vampire square at his jaw. But that didn''t help much as Enoch was stronger than him. Enoch returned the favour by punching back the hunter.


    "You hunters behave as if you people have turned superior to us, but you should know that without these petty weapons, we are still superior," stated Enoch, and he punched the man again before starting tough. "Doesn''t it feel good? It will feel better when I sink my fangs into your flesh."


    And just when Enoch was about to take a bite from Mr. Davis, he sensed something scrunching behind him, and he quickly moved his hand and catch hold of Mrs. Davis''s hand.


    "Look who stood back up?"


    "I will fucking kill you!" Mrs. Davis threatened him, and using her other hand, she pulled out a little bottle of liquid from her pocket and smashed it on the vampire''s face.


    Enoch screamed, stepping backwards. He held his face with both his hands. Fumes appeared from his face, moving upwards, and when he pulled his hand away from his face, a part of his cheek had dissolved. Blood dripped down from his face.


    Mrs. Davis helped her wounded husband move to the other side so that he wasn''t in the middle of the fight. She asked her husband, "Are you okay?"


    Her husband''s face had turned bloody because of the punches. He nodded at her question, "Yeah¡­I am good."


    He spat the blood on the ground and asked, "How in God''s name did we miss so many vampires in here? To think that Mnie has been protecting these things."


    At the mention of their daughter, Mrs. Davis''s face turned even grimmer than before, and she said, "Mnie doesn''t know what she is dealing with. Maybe when we get home, she might have reflected well and will understand whose side she is supposed to be on. There are too many vampires..."


    Suddenly Mrs. Davis was pulled back by Enoch, who wrapped his hand around her throat and started squeezing it. "You bitch!" he cursed her in an angry tone, where his face continued bleeding.


    Mrs. Davis struggled to get away from the vampire''s hold, and when she wasn''t able to do it, she poked her fingers right into Enoch''s eye, which had made him scream again. But this time, the vampire didn''t step backwards. Instead, he continued to hold the woman. Both of them fell to the ground and wrestled.


    Mr. Davis tried to point his gun at the vampire, but with both his wife and the vampire rolling on the ground, it was hard to aim. When Mrs. Davis''s hand grabbed a piece of wood, she kicked the vampire''s jaw and ran the stake through his chest.


    The woman tried to catch her breath, her chest heaving, and she took hold of the gun from her husband and started shooting the bullets into the vampire''s forehead. Enoch''s body trembled, and after a few seconds, his body started to shrivel, and he stopped moving.


    "Seems like it just takes a few extra bullets to kill some of these demons," said Mrs. Davis, and she took a deep breath as if fighting with this particr vampire had exhausted her.


    "Master Enoch has been killed!" shouted one of the vampires, and soon the vampires started to convey the messages to others.


    Enoch was a nobody to the hunters, while for the vampires of Veteris, news reached the Elders and Roman, letting them know who else was on their property. When the news reached Joaquin, rage took over him, and he raised his hands, killing the people nearby him, including some of his men.


    Joaquin had believed that his brother would survive this battle, but he hadn''t expected him to die. He killed people in seconds as he continued to head towards the centre of Veteris. Most of the people who were nearby turned fearful. It was also the spot where Griffin was defending. He came to stand in Joaquin''s way.


    But it took less than a second to send Griffin flying from there as Joaquin was nothing less than invincible.


    On the other side of the property, Roman and Maximus continued to fight, eliminating the opponent vampires who were pouring in continuously. Roman turned around, raising his leg to kick right at the vampire''s stomach before he ripped the head off. While he fought, he noticed Maximus''s movements were turning unsteady, and one of the vampires was now trying to tear his head off.


    Roman pulled out the gun and shot right into the vampire''s head, killing other people on his way to his friend.


    "Max!" Roman shouted and helped Maximus lean against the tree.


    "How much do you think the previous bullet is affecting my body?" asked Maximus, gritting his teeth as he tried to appear strong.


    "You look like shit," Roman responded with a re, and Maximusughed. "You need to get to the infirmary. Unless you n to die right here."


    Roman looked around for anyone whom he could use to take Maximus to the infirmary, and he noticed the morm¡­ Dennis. Dennis came near them, and Roman didn''t blink his eyes before pointing the gun at the morm.


    "You have quite some nerve to show up here. Death wish?" asked Roman, pulling the cork of the gun.


    "I am not here to fight with you, Moltenore," said Dennis without raising his weapon.


    "Is that why you brought Joaquin and the others here?" demanded Maximus, who had raised his gun too, but his body was turning tired.


    "I wasn''t the one who brought Joaqiun here. It is Julie''s father, Dous Leighton who led Joaquin and his men here," replied Dennis. Seeing Roman''s eyes narrow, the morm said, "He''s here for Julie. I only came here to inform you that Julie''s life is in danger. Because both he and Joaquin n to use her heart to turn immortal. Dous is already on his way looking for her as we speak."


    "How can we trust you?" questioned Maximus, who didn''t believe a word that Dennis said.


    "When I first joined Joaquin, I thought it was only about Veteris. I didn''t know it would also involve¡ª"


    "Julie," Romanpleted Dennis''s sentence.


    Dennis didn''t agree or deny Roman''s words. He said, "It is up to you to believe it or not." Saying this, he turned around and started to walk.


    "Where do you think you are going?" demanded Roman, and Dennis turned.


    "There is nothing more for me in here," replied Dennis. He had decided not to fight alongside Joaquin, nor with the Veteris side. After all, he was only a morm. "My work is done here."


    "I would like to think otherwise," replied Roman, and this time Dennis frowned at the vampire whom he least liked.


    Back in the infirmary, Elder Remy held two ss tubes in his hand, and right now he was concentrating on one of the ss tubes, from which he poured one drop of liquid to the other ss tube.


    "Is it done?" asked Doctor Isolde, but Remy looked for something.


    "I hope so. Where is the liquid that I earlier preserved, Olivia?"


    Elder Remy was soon handed a syringe. He took a sip from the ss tube and then injected his arm with the syringe. His expression remained calm and when nothing happened to him, he said, "Pour these in the smaller dissolvable bullets. Put it in the device and it should be faster."


    "Are we shooting the bullets at our vampires?" Olivia tried to confirm.


    "Yes. There''s no time for them to take a sip of this antidote. The bullets are the quickest way to get it running through their bodies to cause a defense," stated Elder Remy.


    Olivia nodded, and with the help of others who worked in the infirmary, they soon started to fill the bullet cases with the antidote they had just made. When the bullets were ready, they started to load the guns and were ready to leave when two people appeared at the entrance, and Olivia''s hands turned cold.


    It was Maximus who was injured, and he looked like he was going to dissipate any moment. Seeing the morm that had betrayed them, she pulled out another gun and aimed it at Dennis.


    Dennis closed his eyes before opening and saying, "I am not to cause any harm. He''s injured quite badly and needs help."


    Olivia red at the morm but quickly helped Maximus inside the infirmary and brought him to one of the rooms. Helping Maximusy on the bed, who wasn''t speaking, appeared in a trance state.


    "What happened to him?" asked Olivia in worry, and Dennis shrugged his shoulders.


    "I don''t know, Moltenore told me to get him here," replied Dennis, and Elder Remy appeared in the room. The Elder vampire''s eyes fell on the vampire, who looked like he was heading to his death, and then he looked at Olivia.


    "Go get the bullets to the vampires, Olivia," ordered Elder Remy.


    "But I¡ª" Olivia began to speak.


    "There are vampires who need your help. I will handle things here," said the older vampire, and she bit her lip before leaving the room.

 Chapter 293 - Late crashers of the night

    Chapter 293 - Late crashers of the night


    He twisted his leg, locking it with the vampire, before throwing the vampire to the ground with a loud thud.


    "How many more of you are here?" Roman muttered under his breath.


    The other vampire again attacked Roman by jumping on him. Roman dodged it before pulling the vampire''s arm and pushing him down to the ground. With one swift movement, he tore off the head of the vampire.


    At a distance, he noticed fire zing in two trees. With the other trees located close to it, they had to stop it from spreading.


    He made his way towards the ce, dodging the bullets of the hunters. But with the number of hunters increasing, it was hard for him to stop the bullets. One of the bullets came to hit Roman''s leg, and he staggered forward before catching his bnce.


    "Where do you think you are running, you blood sucker?" questioned one of the hunters.


    Another bullet was shot at him, and Roman stepped away before the bullet could touch him. He could feel the pain starting to spread in his body, but this was different from usual. It left a cold chill, and he could feel his body beginning to sweat.


    "Can you feel it? That your death is near? You should die in less than a minute," chuckled the hunter who shot him.


    Roman''s eyes fell on his leg, and he noticed blood oozing out. There were other hunters, who shot the vampires, and one by one, the night creatures started to fall to the ground. The bullet that was being used was probably the ones that Mnie''s mother had made, and so far, there was no word about the antidote from the infirmary, he thought in his mind.


    "Anyst wish for your dead body?" questioned the hunter, waiting to see Roman fall to his knees.


    Roman gritted his teeth before standing straight, "Sure. Where would you want me to bury your body?" He mocked the hunter.


    The hunter''s smile faltered, and he red at Roman for his audacity even when he was on the verge of his death. "You seem to be a haughty young man, well let us give you a good death," said the hunter, pulling the gun''s trigger.


    Roman didn''t move from his ce, and the bullet came and hit right at his chest, where his heartid.


    The other huntersughed at the vampire being shot, but when they saw Roman continue to stand in front of them, breathing, their eyebrows furrowed.


    "What happened?" questioned one of the hunters. "The bullet must have killed him by now!"


    "This is why they say you shouldn''t speak too much," replied Roman, and he pulled out his own gun, pointing it at the human whose eyes turned wide.


    The hunter poured all the bullets into Roman''s chest in a panic, where the gunshot was louder than before. But seeing Roman continue to stand without moving even an inch of his body, experiencing pain, they didn''t know what they were fighting.


    "Why isn''t he dying?!" questioned the hunter, and when he noticed Roman pull the cork of his gun, the hunter quickly pleaded, "Don''t kill me! I won''t hurt you!"


    Roman red at the hunter, "Are you telling it because you don''t have any more bullets left in your gun and it needs to be reloaded. Or because you know you cannot kill me?" he questioned. He pulled the trigger, and with one single bullet hitting the hunter, the hunter was killed.


    At the front entrance of Veteris gate, Simon, Mnie, and Conner had arrived. The guards were not around, and the gates were closed.


    "What are we going to do?" Mnie asked with a frown. "All the weapons are in the boot of the car."


    "Maybe one of us can jump over the walls and open the gate?" suggested Conner.


    "How simple," Mnie turned to Conner with a look of surprise as if she hadn''t thought about it. "There are electrical wires on top of the walls. If we touch it, we will die," she pointed it out.


    "Looks like there is no other way but to head straight," stated Simon, and he reversed the car. "Everyone sit tight, and maybe duck down and close your eyes," he instructed.


    Mnie looked back and forth between Simon and the gate, and when Simon increased the pressure on the elerator, she quickly put her arms around her head. The car went straight to crash the gate, and it took two more tries before they were able to open it up.


    Seeing the hunters and vampires fight, Simon said, "Mel and Conner, take the car to the main building. I am sure Dante is still there¡ª"


    "I aming with you!" Mnie interrupted him.


    "This ce doesn''t look like it has just hunters anymore. Enoch and his brother are here with his men," said Simon, but Mnie shook his head.


    "I will be more useful there than here," she turned to Conner and said, "Can you take the car, Conner? I have a score to settle."


    "Yeah, I believe you have better experience with the vampires than me," agreed Conner, not bothering to argue, and they got out of the car.


    Mnie picked up some vial solutions and carried the bow and arrows behind her back.


    "Really, darling, this is no medieval period," said Simon, "You would do well with guns because your arrows will exhaust."


    Mnie stared at Simon and said, "These are different. Cillian taught me a few tricks and the arrows are only for show."


    "Well if you say so," replied Simon, and they headed in the direction of where the fight was going on.


    Simon didn''t use any guns, but physicalbat as he enjoyed it better, saving the bullets from being exhausted. On the other hand, Mnie aimed the vials not at the vampires but between them to fall and break on the ground. Smoke started to spread around the nearby vampires, paralyzing their movement for a few seconds.


    "What is that?" questioned Simon as he fought with one of the vampires.


    "It is a special diffuser made for vampires that stops their movement for a minute. It isn''t much. I was still working on this in my room," replied Mnie, and she pulled out the wooden stake from the back of her pocket to run it through the vampires, killing them.


    "Look at you already so capable," Simon praised her, and while he caught hold of one of the vampires, he paused to ask her, "Wait, when did you make this?"


    Mnie pulled out one more stake of wood and turned to Simon, "Ah, I was writing down the formponents after finding out vampire''s existence."


    "You mean after meeting me? I am not sure if I should be in awe or shock," replied Simon. He pushed the vampire''s head into the hollow bark of the tree.


    "In my defense, I was scared as hell and I thought it would be useful if I ever needed it. I mean Conner got locked up in a dungeon, and then all the other mess. Julie''s uncle Ottis had exined to me about his creation, which he was still working on. So I just recreated it," exined Mnie, and she raised her feet to knee the vampire''s stomach.


    One of the hunters who caught Mnie and Simon fighting waved at them, not knowing that Mnie had been locked in a basement by her parents before and Simon was a vampire.


    "Mnie! I am so d you are alive, some of our men have been taken down," said the young man as he wheezed. "Where did you learn to fight like that? You seem pretty good," he shouted from where he was.


    "Took a crash course in the medieval period," muttered Mnie, but Simon interrupted them with,


    "She''s my girl."


    Mnie turned to stare at Simon, "That was out of nowhere and not the time to talk about."


    "We didn''t get to tell the world though," said Simon, stopping a vampire''s hand from reaching his chest and twisting the other person''s arm. "With your parents the way they are, it isn''t so bad to tell others."


    "They don''t know you are a vampire. If they find out, they will personallye to stake you," not to mention Conner''s father would be put under suspicion too, thought Mnie. Because he had almost turned into a vampire, he was back to normal or appeared to be normal because of Simon.


    "If they are personally going toe to me, I might as well ask for your hand in marriage," Simon joked with a wide smile on his face.


    Mnie shook her head, unable to retort to him as another vampire came to attack her. She aimed the solutions she had created to fall on the ground in other ces, making it easier for the hunters, her and Simon, to kill the vampires.


    She then asked the hunter whom she had spoken to a few minutes ago, "Do you know where my mother and father are?"


    "They are on the East side of this ce. Where''s Conner?" asked the hunter.


    "He went to check to the main building," replied Mnie, her words drowning because of the groans and screams and the sounds of gunshots.

 Chapter 294 - Is the Elder tired?

    Chapter 294 - Is the Elder tired?


    The hunters turned extremely pleased as they moved towards the other side of thend, ready to kill the veryst vampire standing in this ce.


    But soon, Olivia and the others showed up, shooting the vampires of Veteris, which only confused the hunters. Not knowing if they were a new group of hunters as they had never seen them before.


    One of the hunters said, "These vampires are going to die now. You do not have to shoot them again and waste the bullets!"


    But Isolde, Olivia and the others didn''t stop shooting the vampires.


    "Are they deaf?!" questioned the hunter who had just spoken.


    Isolde informed, "There are other vampires in here! Don''t shoot the antidote to every vampire lying on the floor!"


    The hunter was offended, and he said, "I told stop wasting the bullets¡ª"


    Isolde shot the hunter right in his mouth, "Stop bothering me," she said calmly.


    The other hunters noticed this, and their eyes turned wide, and soon one of them said, "They are vampires! Kill them!"


    "Fight!" Olivia alerted the vampires who were part of the infirmary, and they fought with Joaquin''s men.


    The effect of the antidote was quicker than the poison that the hunters had fed to the vampires. Joaquin''s men, who didn''t get the antidote, bursted into dust, leaving their body imprint on the ground, while the vampires of Veteris sat up, gaining theirposure. Isolde internally sighed that the antidote Elder Remy had created had worked in such a short duration.


    And all this while, the Elder vampires and their respective turned vampires were left in the dark that Julie had turned thend to its original state. Donovan, who was making the younger vampires work, he questioned,


    "You on the left, use your hand nails better. What lousy punch is that?"


    "Why is the Elder not fighting? Is he tired?" questioned one of the vampire students.


    "Maybe he is growing old, look there, Elder Luciano is fighting, but Elder Donovan barely lifted his finger¡ª" came another student''sint as they were tired of continuously fighting the enemy vampires.


    Donovan''s eyes narrowed, and he said, "You two, do you think it is time to chit chat? If I lift a finger, I doubt you would even survive," he red at them, and the two students cowered in fear.


    The vampire students couldn''t help but wonder why they were stuck in this Elder vampire''s group to fight. They had been happy when they had heard Donovan would be with them because he was considered to be the strongest. But what was the point if he wasn''t lifting even a finger of his?


    "You know what they say? Hero''s always make thest and impactful entry," stated Donovan, who was still seated on arge stone with one leg crossed over the other leg. He noticed a smokeing from beneath him, and for a moment, he believed it was from the other side of the forest that was burning.


    "E-Elder Donovan, I think you are burning," pointed out the younger vampire.


    "That is because I am hot. Isn''t that what people say these days?" chuckled Donovan, and he then looked down.


    On a closer inspection, he noticed the smoke wasing from him. His subtly frowned eyebrows loosened in realization, and a grin appeared on his lips.


    "It is time for the hero to make an entry," said Donovan, standing up and walking forward. "Step back children, while you see something extraordinary," he grinned.


    Soon smoke that came from him started to crawl on the ground and it moved like a slithering snake towards Joaquin''s vampires and the hunters. The smoke wrapped the intruders, suffocating them and the students, who had earlierined now looked at him with awe. They pped their hands and Donovan adjusted one side of his hair.


    "I told you the hero''s entry is important. Now get to work!" ordered Donovan.


    Far at the backside of the Veteris, Julie made her way through the forest with Cillian and Avice. When they continued to run past the trees, they were stopped by a group of vampires. As the three of them fought the vampires, they split and drifted further apart from each other.


    The bullets were of no use when it hit Cillian, as he just used his hand to dip into that part and throw the bullet on the ground. It somewhere led the vampires to look at him with confused expression as they had never seen anything like this before.


    "What creature is that?!" asked one of the vampires, rmed on seeing Cillian''s tree-like hand.


    "Who cares! Kill him like the others. Burn him!" ordered another vampire.


    Julie fought with one of the vampires, running a stake through his chest and then moving ahead to join the others in Veteris. But it wasn''t easy for her as the vampires kepting in, and even Avice took time to kill them as they were persistent.


    "Julianne."


    Julie''s face turned pale on hearing the voice, and she quickly turned around toe face to face with Dous Leighton.


    Julie raised her hand towards Dous, a cautious look appearing.


    "I missed you, Julianne. Didn''t you miss me?" he asked her.


    "Never," replied Julie, keeping a distance from him. "What are you doing here? Were you the one to lead the hunters here?"


    Dous smiled, shaking his head, he said, "I only came here to meet you. I called you so many times. Why didn''t you pick my calls?"


    "Because of bad reception and how you killed mother," stated Julie. Out of nowhere, someone shot a bullet into her arm, and she cried out in pain,


    "AHH!" She clutched her hand that was shot.


    Julie red at him in pain.


    "You are ring at me... Is that how you should behave with your father?" Dous questioned her. "Have you forgotten the manners I taught you?"


    "I forgot it the day you killed her. You killed an innocent person," said Julie, "You have no remorse for what you did. Are you here because you want to take revenge upon me? Because I was the reason you were put in prison."


    "I was initially upset, but not anymore. I have actuallye to make peace with you," Dous held a solemn face. "I mean it, Julie. It is true that I took action out of impulse, but you are my daughter. Don''t you remember the fond memories we shared?" he asked her.


    But Julie couldn''t remember a single happy thought between them. All she could remember was Natalie''s body lying cold on the floor.


    "What are you doing here, Dous?" Julie stepped backwards.


    "Leave this ce ande live with me. We can go back to living as father and daughter, and I won''t do anything to you," Dous tried to convince her. "I mean, isn''t that what you want? Don''t you miss the life you once had? As a family, because I surely do miss the family I once had."


    Julie stared at the man, someone she hadn''t seen since the day the cops had dragged him from the court. She said,


    "You want to live in peace? You are someone who escaped from the prison. I thought you were a good man, but you aren''t. Do you think I am still that little girl who doesn''t know the truth? Sometimes things change people, and I am not the same person you once knew."


    Dous was persistent in behaving as a good man, and he walked toward Julie, "Let me help you with your wound."


    Before he could get closer, Julie used her good hand to have the ground beneath Dous loosen. Dous struggled to stand straight and he fell. It wasn''t just him but also someone else who was attacking her from the shadows. A woman emerged from the shadows, raising her hand towards her.


    "Looks like you have no problem working with a witch but only have a problem when your wife is a witch," said Julie to Dous, who got on his feet because of the wobbly ground.


    "This is for your protection, Julianne!" remarked Dous and Julie grit her teeth.


    "Let us allply and not waste unnecessary energy," said the woman, but Julie had no time to y with these two. Not to mention, she was feeling a little dizzy because of the time she had spent behind the forbidden door.


    "And if you care about your life, I would tell you to step away and maybe stop associating with this man. Why have you joined a hunter?" asked Julie with a frown.


    "We all have our own interests," the woman smiled, and she quickly attacked Julie by a spell.


    But before the spell could attack her, the blue circle of dome appeared around Julie.


    "She''s much stronger. Her heart is in better condition than I thought, Mr. Leighton,"mented the witch, and Julie looked back and forth between them while her shield started to fluctuate before itpletely disappeared.


    When Julie tried to break free and make use of the magic, it didn''t work.


    The witch smiled at Julie, "Looks like your soul energy is diminishing. Just the right time, don''t you think?" The woman then touched the ground and markings appeared. When Cillian tried to enter it, his body couldn''t enter therge circle. "It is time we start our ritual."


    Cillian turned to Avice, who was being kept busy with vampires.


    His jaw clenched, and he used both his arms to push through the barrier created, but this only resulted in his skin peeling and turning into fragments of dust.

 Chapter 295 - Sending you to paradise

    Chapter 295 - Sending you to paradise


    "Don''t go doing things you cannot handle, my daughter," taunted Dous, and Julie kicked his leg and elbowed him, which made him loosen his hold on her. "Ouch! I heard soul energy is very important and you seem to have used most of it. A little more and you will die. Why die just like that when you can die for a good cause?"


    Julie wiped the blood that she had coughed on the side of her jeans. She quickly took a couple of steps away from the witch and Dous.


    "Like killing me yourself?" questioned Julie, and her foster father smiled. "Do you think you will be able to leave this ce alive?"


    "Why? You think I cannot?"Julie asked him, and the man gave her a questioning look. "I have the witch who has trapped you and no one can help you. I have the vampires, who are busy fighting the other people in this ce. Who is going toe and save you, Julianne?"


    Julie red at the man. The anger and anguish that she had felt the night when she had found him standing next to Natalie''s body started to surface in her mind.


    "I have more help than you expect. And I can help myself," Julie retorted, and the man''s eyes narrowed.


    "Aren''t you being a little arrogant for thinking that you can take me down just because you are a witch?" asked Dous.


    "Then you mustck knowledge on what some of us witches can do," stated Julie.


    While the other witch held the barrier so that Julie wouldn''t escape or any supernatural creatures could get through the barrier, Cillian looked around before deciding to attack the witch who was keeping Julie hostage.


    The former Corvin quickly headed towards the witch, and just when he was about to attack her, the woman turned and brought her hand forward to stop him from attacking her.


    "You must be ashamed for joining forces with the hunters who kill our kind," remarked Cillian.


    The woman smirked, "I don''t think I have ever seen you around, but I don''t think you should be fighting considering how weak you appear to be against my abilities." She turned around for their magic to sh in the air while the barrier continued to stay intact without any effort of hers.


    Dous pulled out the knife from his pocket and said, "It is time for you to die, for sending me to the prison, Julianne."


    He came right at Julie, with his hand raised to stab her. To Dous, Julie was still the small girl who had been frightened the night she had caught him with the murder. She was that girl who had run like a scared cat into her room. But just when he was about to grab her now, Julie surprised him by punching straight into his face.


    "Argh!" Dous cried out in pain, while Julie winced as she had never punched anyone this hard before.


    Dous, who had covered his face with one of his hands, pulled it away, revealing a bleeding nose.


    "You little bitch!" came the angry voice of Dous, his eyes turning red in anger.


    Though still in pain, Julie tightened her fist. She didn''t care if she was going to break her bones, but right now, she would make sure that this man paid for the pain he had caused in her life. Natalie could have lived, and she didn''t have to go through the terror and nightmares that she had initially if it weren''t for what he had done.


    "I thought you did it because you were a hunter before, but you are a selfish man," stated Julie, and Dous red at her.


    "And weren''t you selfish enough to send your dear father to prison?" he sneered, revealing his true colors now.


    "You deserved it, and you would wish that you didn''t leave the prison and stayed there." Julie was going to make sure that he regretted it.


    Though everything was already known in the past about what was going to happen,, it didn''t reduce the miserable feelings that she had experienced in the past.


    Dous again came to attack her one more time, and Julie went to punch him, but he caught hold of her hand. She used her leg to kick his leg, trying to knee him, and when that didn''t happen, she dug her nails into his arms with enough force to peel the skin out.


    But Dous, a hunter, didn''t let go of Julie, and he twisted Julie''s arm and pushed her against the ground. He tried to keep her still by grabbing both her hands in one of hisrge hands, and he used the other to use the knife in her chest.


    Julie head-butted the man, feeling her eyes go nk for a moment while being able to hear the groan from her foster father. She quickly tried to leave the circle mark, but before she could get near it, Dous caught hold of her ankle, dragging her back.


    "You seem to have grown quite some courage, haven''t you?" Dous mocked, his face bloody and bruised.


    When the knife in his hand reached towards her chest, Julie used all her force to stop him and pushed his hand away from her. Her magic had stopped working, and she felt like it had something to do with more than just her soul energy. The barrier she had been ced in was simr to thend where everyone had experiencedck of magic.


    When the de of the knife inched closer to her chest, almost ready to push through her clothes, a gunshot echoed, and the bullet headed straight in Dous''s direction.


    The hunter, who heard the sound, quickly moved to the side, and the bullet hit the ground, raising the loose mud in that spot.


    Julie crawled backwards, and she noticed Roman standing not too far from where they were, holding a gun in his hand.


    "Fucking piece of shit!" Dous cursed at his luck as he had nearly got to carve Julie''s chest to pull out her witch heart.


    "You seem to not love your life," Roman remarked at the hunter, who gritted his teeth.


    "And who are you?"


    "I am the one who intends to kill you for hurting Winters," responded Roman. He jumped from the higher ground, making his way towards the circle.


    Julie warned Roman before he would get too close to the circle, "Careful! There''s something in it, and it is not right!"


    Dous started to chuckle, "That is right. Come here, boy. Step in and get close, I want to see if you are nothing but talk."


    Roman stared at the man and said, "Why don''t you step out here, instead of acting like a scared little girl, hiding behind the girl. Unless you aren''t man enough."


    Dous red at the young vampire, whom he had never seen before. He stared at Roman and then looked at Julie, "Seems like you found yourself a little someone. Who is this, Julianne?"


    Julie didn''t bother to answer because she was trying to keep herself alive without being distracted by his talks.


    The hunter then said, "How about youe in here, and let us have a talk." He pulled out the gun he had and shot at Roman, but the vampire dodged it


    Roman remarked, "Sure. If that is what you want."


    Julie''s eyes widened in fear, and she shook her head, "Rome, no!"


    She had earlier seen how Cillian hadn''t been able to get through the barrier, and she didn''t want Roman to hurt himself.


    "Trust me, Winters," Roman assured her, and he continued to walk closer to the circle.


    He raised his hand in front of him, ready to push through the barrier. But instead of stepping closer, he turned his body and faced the witch, who was currently fighting with Cillian, their movements swift.


    The witch sensed something very different about Roman. Before she had the time to react, fire zed from Roman''s hand, and it wrapped the witch, and she screamed.


    Dous'' eyes turned wide as he had never seen something like this before. Since when did vampires have abilities like this?!


    The witch screamed, her voice echoing through the forest where they were, and at the same time, Avice came to the ce, watching Roman use his ability. The intensity of the fire wasn''t normal as it was a corrupted ability. Yet the boy was able to handle it with ease.


    "Bad witches ought to be burnt,"mented Roman, and he turned his head to look in the direction of Dous, "How would you like to die, Mr. Leighton? Extra crisp, or just charred?"


    The previous marking holding Julie hostage disappeared after the witch was killed.


    With the witch gone, it would be hard to use Julie''s heart. Calcting the odds, the hunter started to run in the opposite direction.


    Roman raised his hand, ready to kill the hunter with his mes, but Julie stopped him, "Don''t do it."


    "You want him to stay alive?" questioned Roman, his eyes holding a slight annoyance as it was obvious Dous wanted to kill Julie.


    Julie shook her head, "I have a better ce he would enjoy."


    She pped both her hands, and when she pulled them apart, it created a blue electrical circle right above the ground. She then bit into her hand and let blood drops fall and then asked Roman, "Can you spare a drop of your blood on the ground?"


    Roman bit his palm and let the drops of blood fall on the ground. Soon the forbidden door appeared, and it opened once again. With one snap of Julie''s finger, the door appeared in front of Dous, and he was pulled inside it. She quickly closed the door, and it disappeared from their sight.


    Death with a bullet was easy, and Julie was done with the man, and she wanted to put the events behind her. But at the same time, she wanted to torture him in her own way. And she knew there was no better ce to instill fear than the other side of the forbidden door.


    "That was some impressive skill there. Fire... you must be Azazel''s son," remarked Avice, who walked towards where they stood.


    "You must be the vampire witch who turned Simon and Victoria," responded Roman, and the woman smiled.


    "Indeed I am."


    Julie turned to look at Roman, who had multiple wounds on his body, and she asked, "Are you okay?"


    "I am fine. You did good, Winters," and he pulled her into his embrace, hugging her.


    Julie hugged him back, feeling calmer in his presence and arms before they pulled back.


    "What''s the situation at the front?" asked Cillian as he noticed fire zing from the top of one corner that left smoke up in the air.


    "We have the antidote, but the hunters and Joaquin''s men are pouring in without a pause. It''s like they created an army," replied Roman, "We should go."


    Back in the university''s infirmary, Maximusid on the bed. His skin had turned paler than usual, and he coughed blood.


    "Elder Remy, I don''t think he will survive," one of the nurses, who was there helping, pointed it out.


    The young vampire''s condition wasn''t getting better, and it was only getting worse in time. The color of Maximus''s eyes wascking the lustre as he did before.


    Elder Remy came to stand next to the boy. "Get the blood bag and get the antidote from batch seven," he ordered.


    Maximus''s hand reached for the older vampire when the Elder vampire was about to turn. Elder Remy stared at the boy and said, "It would be troublesome if you died." He ced his hand on Maximus'' chest. "It is going to hurt, bear with it."

 Chapter 296 - A vampire’s dark side

    Chapter 296 - A vampire''s dark side


    "Look who decided to show up,"mented Donovan from the other side before standing face-to-face with the other vampire.


    "Look who decided to wake up. Did you have a good beauty sleep, Azazel?" questioned Joaquin, "I was hoping for you to continue your sleep in the chambers."


    "So that you could tell me goodbye while I am sleeping?" questioned Donovan, and soon Castiel and Luciano appeared next to Elder Donovan.


    The young students hurried and carried the injured to the infirmary so that they could be treated and wouldn''t further end up dead because soon, these grounds are going to turn into a battlefield for the older vampires.


    "Get out of this ce, Joaquin. You aren''t wee here and Veteris isn''t yours. Neither is Willow Creek," stated Luciano, his eyes narrowed at the vampire he once knew.


    "You haven''t changed much Luciano, always so quick to dismiss things, aren''t you?" questioned Joaquin with a smile. He then asked, "I thought you never liked Azazel, what are you doing with him?"


    "Seems like everyone knows about it," Donovan murmured.


    Luciano red at Joaquin, "Just because I don''t like him doesn''t mean I am going to sacrifice things here. Why do you even want thesends, Joaquin?"


    "Why?" questioned Joaquin, as if testing if the Elder vampires knew. "Because thesends are the birth of magic and great vampires. I want to own this ce, and use it to build an army of vampires. The life that you so call by hiding from the humans. It is no life at all. It is time for the vampires to rise and take control."


    One of the hunters tried to sneak behind Joaquin, holding a wooden stake in his hand and ready to stab and end this vampire''s life, who had been on a rampage of killing his people.


    But before the hunter knew it, something emerged out of Joaquin''s back to catch hold of his neck. The people around gasped on seeing a ck creature appear and kill the hunter, ripping his head off his body.


    "Looks like you have changed a lot since west saw you,"mented Castiel, keeping hisposure as he stared at Joaquin''s extended self.


    "My dear Castiel. I must say, you are the only one I have truly missed. Why don''t you join me?" Joaquin smiled when he noticed Castiel did not respond to his words or move from his ce. "It looks like the three of you have grown closer."


    The hunters, who were at a distance fighting the vampires, held a gobsmacked expression on their faces as they didn''t know what was happening anymore. It was just because the vampires were fighting against vampires, but also, there was something sticking out of one of the strong vampires!


    "What the fuck is that thing?!" questioned one of the hunters. "Did wend into some fantasy world?"


    "That is a creature from the dark side," replied someone from behind, and it was Mr. Evans, who had appeared in the ce with blood smeared on his face.


    The hunters quickly jumped away from the vampire, raising their hands to aim their weapons at him. Mr. Evans calmly questioned them, "Do you really think that you should be wasting your bullets on me, when that thing is the one who will send you to hell?"


    A young hunter questioned, "What exactly is that thing? A hybrid vampire?"


    "It should be!" replied another hunter. They then turned to look at Mr Evans for the right answer.


    Mr. Evans exined, "The vampire''s thirst for power has made him meddle into the world he was not supposed to open. He probably opened it using the help of a witch, and the creature from the dark side,tched on to him. Making the creature part of him, and turning into his very own personal weapon."


    "How do we kill that?" asked another young hunter.


    By then, Mr. and Mrs. Davis red at the young hunters, and Mr. Davis shouted, "You kill it with bullets and kill the one next to you!"


    "Good luck with that," remarked Mr. Evans with a charming smile. "Go ahead and I will see you in Hell."


    The people around broke out of their trance and continued to fight. The hunters, who tried to attack Joaquin, were killed in less than five seconds, as the creature attached to Joaquin didn''t allow anyone toe close to him.


    "Kill the vampires!" The old man named Jack, who led the hunters group, loudly announced, urging the men and women to kill the night creatures until no vampire was standing on the ground.


    When Mr. Davis pulled the cork of the gun, ready to shoot Mr. Evans, the counsellor of Veteris warned only for the man to hear,


    "You should be careful while pulling that trigger, Sir. Especially when someone close to you is going to y for our team soon."


    Mr. Davis frowned, not understanding Mr Evans words, and then his eyes widened. He turned to look at his wife, who took a deep breath, a shudder escaping from her lips. When he turned back to look at the vampire, the person had disappeared.


    For a few minutes, Mrs. Davis had been feeling sick. Her husband came near her, checking her, before noticing her wrist had a bite mark.


    "When did this happen!? We need to get a cure for it!" he urged her.


    Mrs. Davis stared at her wrist, "Earlier when the vampire was trying to kill you¡­ There''s no cure," she shook her head, dread filling her mind. Because she knew exactly what this meant.


    She refused to ept it!


    Mr. Evans appeared again, standing behind the couple and said, "I have a quick cure... if you want one?"


    "What is it?" Mrs. Davis quickly jumped at the opportunity.


    "I will give it to you but only one a condition," he offered them an unnerving smile.

 Chapter 297 - Reluctant Alliance

    Chapter 297 - Reluctant Alliance


    Mnie drew her hand backwards, pulling the arrow as she aimed it at the vampires before letting it go. The arrow split itself into three more arrows as it flew in speed before spreading out in different directions and hitting three vampires.


    Most of the enemy vampires on this side were immobilized. Mnie, Simon and the others took advantage of this. But the diffuser that Mnie had used was heavy in the air, and Simon inhaled it while moving around, making his movements slower than before.


    "Simon?" Mnie shouted his name in worry.


    Simon, who had stood still for a moment, caught hold of the enemy vampire''s hand, pushing it away before head butting the person. He turned to her and asked, "Do you by any chance have a mask, the smoke is getting into my head."


    Another vampire, who was still able to move, came behind Simon, putting his arm around Simon''s neck. Mnie pulled out the gun which she had stuck in the back of her jeans, pulling the trigger at the other vampire, who fell backwards, while releasing Simon from his hold.


    "Let me get you out of here," said Mnie, putting Simon''s arm around her shoulder and walking out from there without the hunter''s attention, who were busy to pay attention to them.


    "Wow, what did you put in that?" asked Simon, taking a deep breath of the fresh air which wasn''t polluted.


    "Remember the candies my parents used to give us and the Silverwater which was given to me?" asked Mnie, and Simon nodded. "I used them in theboratory when no one was there."


    Simon hit his chest, a smile appearing on his lips when Mnie looked at him with concern. He said, "Your parents aren''t going to be happy if they see you here."


    "I know... But they will need to ept this about me. That I will not fight with them, and I will fight for something that I believe in. Not what they believe in," said Mnie, and Simon nodded.


    "Absolutely right. Do you see that old man, who locked you up in your basement?"


    "Jack Archer?" asked Mnie, she shifted her eyes away from him to look at the people not too far away. "That''s the one," she whispered when her eyes fell on the salt and peppered bearded man.


    Simon turned his head, looking in the direction where Mnie was looking and then his eyes fell on the old hunter.


    "How would you like him? Dead, or broken?" questioned Simon, and Mnie''s eyes widened. "Didn''t you say you had scores to settle?"


    "I do, but isn''t death too much," Mnie wanted to beat the old hunter for hurting her. For pping her.


    "Well, if you want my opinion, I would say it''s actually very easy. I would love to torture him, but I doubt a man like him would take it well if you leave him alive," replied Simon, feeling better now as his senses were back. "How about I give you a little demonstration?"


    Mnie watched Simon leave her side and walk straight toward the old hunter. When the old man caught sight of Simon, he quickly raised his gun, started firing bullets at Simon, which the vampire had already expected. It took Simon only a few steps of moving left and right to dodge it, making it appear as if he was dancing in the middle of the forest.


    Simon loudly said to the hunter, "I believe you have my girlfriend''s phone? Care to return it?"


    Jack red at Simon, and he pulled out another gun, aiming it at Simon, firing one bullet after another, and each of them went to waste. Simon increased his speed, and he pushed the older man against the tree, and the hunter resisted.


    "I fucking knew that you were a vampire! I should have shot you that very night when we were attacked," said Jack with gritted teeth.


    "Maybe you should have but what is the use of crying over spilt milk, right? You know we don''t have to do this. Let use to an agreement," Simon offered with a smile.


    "Vampires and hunters will never work together! You are not supposed to walk on thesends," Jack tried to w Simon''s face, but Simon didn''t care about it.


    "Launch it!" shouted Jack.


    Mnie didn''t know why Jack said those words, but the very next moment, she saw two men running towards where Simon and Jack stood, and the men held a bigger stake in their arms.


    "Simon! Watch out!" shouted Mnie, but the men had appeared right behind Simon, and they swung therge wood forward.


    "Ah....!"


    It was Jack, who gasped, and the other two hunters'' eyes went wide as Simon didn''t stand there anymore. And instead, they had driven the wood straight at the head hunter''s stomach.


    The two hunters looked left and right, wondering where the vampire went, and Jack coughed blood from his mouth. Mnie turned confused as her eyes tried to find where Simon was right now. One moment he was standing there, and the next, he wasn''t.


    "I told you we should join hands, but your old ass is still stuck with your old ways," came Simon''s words, who stood next to another tree with his arms crossed. "We have bigger problems here, than your feud with all of the vampire kind."


    "H-how did you¡ª" one of the hunters questioned, with their mouths trembling because they had tried to kill him.


    "Just some special skills," Simon shrugged his shoulders.


    Jack tapped his hand on the wood, and the men quickly pulled the wood out of his stomach, for him to only cough more blood while he bled.


    "Sir!" the hunter called the man, who held his stomach with a painful expression on his face.


    "Kill that vampire!" shouted one of the hunters, and Mnie stepped forward to fight the hunters. And seeing her, they looked surprised.


    "What are you doing, Mnie?" one of the female hunters questioned her.


    "Helping my boyfriend," answered Mnie. Maybe she wouldn''t have said it if it weren''t for Jack and her parents who had pped and locked her in the basement.


    "You know what we do with the traitors!" another hunter warned her, and Mnie couldn''t believe how easy it was for these people to give up on each other. One moment they were on her side, and the next moment, they were ready to kill her.


    "Kill the traitor and the vampires!" came the chorus voices, and they started firing bullets at Mnie and Simon, fighting with them when Mr. Davis appeared on the scene.


    "Stop! There is something I need to convey!" Mr. Davis shouted, trying to get the attention of his fellow hunters. "I said STOP!" came his hoarse voice, and the hunters around paused themselves.


    "What is it, Davis?" demanded one of the hunters, "Did you know that your daughter is siding with the vampires?!"


    Mr. Davis''s eyes fell on his daughter, kicking another fellow hunter. They had locked her in the basement. How did shee here? But this was not the time. He turned to look at his fellow hunters and said, "We need to fight the other vampires!"


    "What do you think we have been doing until now?" questioned the other hunter with a confused look.


    Mr. Davis shook his head and said, "No. There was a confusion, and there are two different vampires in here. We need to fight the ones who are intruding. The ones with the baggy and patchy clothes!"


    "What difference does it make?" The hunter spat, aiming his gun at Mnie, and Mr. Davis pushed the man''s face to the closest tree.


    "You listen well here. And listen carefully. There is a creature in here that we cannot fight, and we need the vampires to fight it before we all get killed!" exined Mr. Davis with a serious look on his face. "I want you to inform the other hunters that we are going to kill only one specific set of vampires!"


    "What''s the meaning of this?" asked another hunter, "Are we now siding with them? You must be bullshitting. This was not our decision when we left the meeting!"


    Mr. Davis turned frustrated because he knew convincing the hunters to side with some of the vampires would be difficult. They hade here to hunt all the vampires and not side with them. But he needed to do this. The vampire who had offered to help, his words were clear¡ª


    ''Ask your men to stop fighting my vampires, because as you see ahead of you, there''s something much more deadly than just sucking out blood. We would like your men to fight with us, or leave this ce and never return. Unless you prefer to sacrifice them for no actual cause.''


    ''Also,'' the man said before he could leave, ''Make sure it they listen. Hunters listen only to other hunters, very rarely to vampires. Hurry now.''


    "AHHHH!" someone screamed, running from the direction where Joaquin had unleashed his creature. The boy iled his hands in the air.


    "What''s the matter, Kurtis?!" questioned one of the hunters.


    "There''s a monster there who is ripping our people apart!" and the boy named Kurtis continued to run without wanting to fight anymore. "Run before you get killed!! Hurry!" he screamed.


    Mr. Davis calmly, but quickly said, "We have lost many of our hunters, and the vampires in here are offering a possible peace. What we have ahead of us is nothing but death."


    "I want to see who this creature is! We came here to kill the vampires and not help those blood sucking monsters," red another hunter.


    "Then let me show you what is there," said Mr. Davis, leading them to the ce.


    When they reached the center of Veteris, they noticed many vampires fighting each other, but one vampire stood outpared to the rest. Behind him stood arge ck shadow-like creature that right now tore one of the men into two parts. It had long, smoke-like boney hands.


    "What the hell is that thing?!"


    "Only the vampires can defeat it," said Mr. Davis, "We are free to fight, or leave now."


    "That''s impossible! We will never submit to them!"


    Mr. Davis pointed his hand at the creature and said, "We are no match to it, and if that thinges out of here, forget about us, there won''t be any humans living the way they are right now."


    Though the hunters were not willing to listen to what the vampires wanted them to do, at the same time, they were hesitant to refuse to do it. The creature in front of them was tearing the humans and drinking blood as a devil would.


    "Fine, what do we need to do?" one of the older men finally agreed, and the other young hunters turned to look at him in surprise. "But it will be done only if the vampires don''t kill the humans on these grounds."


    "Consider that to be upheld," came the response from the top, and the men raised their heads and saw a smiling vampire standing on one of the branches of the nearby tree.


    Mr. Evans smiled and said, "We hope you can keep your end of promise, because you don''t know what will happen if youe at the vampires who belong to this ce."


    Back in the ce where Simon and Mnie were fighting, Simon walked to where Jack was trying to keep himself alive and breathing hisst breaths.


    "This is why they say not to do something you might regret. You know you hurt me a lot," stated Simon, crouching and sitting next to the old man, who red at him.


    "Y-you shall rot in hell," cursed the dying man.


    A chuckle escaped from Simon''s lips. He moved closer to the hunter and said, "You shouldn''t have said that. I was going to watch you die, but..." he drawled.


    "You n to torture and k-kill me? Go a-ahead," the hunter spoke in a proud voice.


    Simon''s fangs appeared, and he moved closer to the man''s neck. He bit right into the neck before pulling away.


    "You have tasteless blood. I think I shall pass," remarked Simon, standing up and putting his hands in his pocket. He turned around and left the hunter on the ground.


    Back at the center of Veteris, the three Elders stood there with an unaffected expression, and soon they were joined by Roman, Julie, Cillian and Avice.


    "You are here," Luciano looked mildly surprised, staring at the Elder woman.


    "Good evening, gentlemen," Avice greeted the Elders and Castiel and Donovan offered a slight bow to her.

 Chapter 298 - Barriers of the Witches

    Chapter 298 - Barriers of the Witches


    "I am surprised you are here, Lady Avice," remarked Donovan, keenly watching the woman, who had disappeared many years ago.


    "I couldn''t miss it when my vampire told me that all of you had been woken up. I knew your very presence would bring in trouble here," replied the woman without bothering to look at them.


    "Isn''t that a little stretch, mdy," replied Donovan with a smile, and Avice, who finally looked away from Joaquin to look at Donovan, offered a smile. "Why don''t you sit back and enjoy while we Elder vampires take care of it."


    The vampiress didn''t move from her spot, and she crossed her arms, watching the scene being caused in front of them. The trees that had caught fire had been rid of anypany of the trees next to it so that the fire wouldn''t spread and burn the entire forest that surrounded Veteris. There were a few vampire students who couldn''t help but whisper to each other on seeing the woman who had joined the Elder vampires.


    "Doesn''t she look like Ms. Piper?"


    "That''s what I thought too," replied another student in a hushed murmur.


    Joaquin, who saw Avice there, his face turned sour, and he said, "Looks like I finally drew you out of your hiding. I have been looking for you all these years."


    "Don''t you feel ashamed that thend that offered you shelter, you are willing to go to the length of killing everything that breathes?" questioned Avice, the look in her eyes firm.


    Joaquin spat, "Maybe I would be more understanding, if you had made a stone for me, like the rest of them. But you couldn''t do it. You just disappeared. I had equal rights, didn''t I? To be an elder vampire."


    "It doesn''t look like it stopped your ambition from making a stone for yourself, and much worse," responded Avice. "You were never meant to have a stone, Joaquin. There are only a few who can handle the bnce of the stone, you clearly cannot."


    "Why don''t I show you how well I can handle it then?" taunted Joaquin, the smile on his lips widening.


    Before anyone could get closer to Joaquin, he raised his hands, and thend beneath them started to shift and shake, and people nearby started to lose bnce.


    Castiel didn''t wait for anyone and used his ability where the clouds started to turn heavy in the sky and lightning struck. But when the same lightning was directed at Joaquin, the creature attached to the vampire increased in its size, and it deflected the attack, swallowing the lightning without any harm being caused to it.


    Luciano got closer to Joaquin, ready to capture the vampire and make him submit. But Joaquin was well versed with every Elder vampire''s ability. He didn''t stay in one spot and kept moving while attacking back by using the lightning the creature had swallowed to electrocute every single one of them who was around.


    "He''s able to use our abilities and mirror them back to us. This doesn''t look like an ideal situation when nothing is hurting him,"mented Donovan, who used the smoke to fog Joaquin''s vision along with the creature. The other vampires tried to join in, but they were quickly thrown away by the creature.


    Julie asked Avice, "Is it not possible to send the creature back through the forbidden door? Or him?"


    "It wouldn''t be a good idea," answered the woman while watching the three Elder vampires fight. Roman had joined in along with Griffin, who didn''t want to be left out. Avice said, "The creature has fused itself to him, being part of him. And whatever fused in, it has bonded strongly. Sending him through the forbidden door, we don''t know if he will pick up other creatures beforeing here. It wouldn''t be his first time spending time there."


    "How is it possible?" asked Julie because she didn''t understand why a creature would not possesspletely but work together.


    "Some creatures in there are willing to make a deal. Like a devil''s deal, and you get to live," replied Avice. She said, "Some want to serve and find a meaning, a way to leave the forbidden side of the world. It seems like the creatures got you good," jerking her head towards Julie''s shoulder.


    Julie noticed there were light fumes that came from her shoulders. When she turned worried, Avice assured her, "This is good. Now we have four people who hold darkness. Will you be able to create a circle barrier?"


    "Like the one the witch did earlier?"


    "Yes, that one," replied the woman, and she turned to look at Cillian. Without having to be explicitly told, Cillian started to make his way to the back. The witch instructed, "We will be creating a basic barrier. Take your position," and she walked to the other side quickly.


    The three of them pped their hands, and when they spread their hands to either side, a light appeared from each of their palms, stretching to each other to form a triangle dome to contain Joaquin and his creature.


    Julie''s soul energy ran low, and she coughed more blood out, hiding her face in her shoulder before looking ahead. A witch needed soul energy else, any magic would fail. With the chaos that surrounded them, she used her other hand to create a summoning spell which she had used a few days ago.


    The triangle dome contained fire and ck smoke, which was mingled with electrical energy that tried to break through the walls of the barrier the witches had created. There was continuous sh inside the dome and outside, where the hunters and the vampire students attacked Joaquin''s men.


    Julie drew the circle before she drew the lines inside the circle and wrote down the symbol of death in the witch''snguage. With her hand already coated in her blood, she ced it on top of the circle, and whispered,


    "From thest breath, to the dust that the bones turn, I summon you back from where you emerged. Formare obice, nobis fortitudinem tuam."


    The smoke-filled air that surrounded them soon started to disperse because of the wind that started to move around them. A few secondster, there were shocked gasps heard as the souls of the deceased witches walked towards where the triangle dome stood.


    Julie used her remaining energy, pushing the souls to bind themselves, and this weakened the creature that was attached to Joaquin''s body.


    The creature groaned and growled in anger. As if being tormented by the souls that had nowe to surround it.


    Joaquin, who was in there fighting, noticed something wrong with the creature that had been obeying until now. He looked back and forth before his eyes fell on the young witch, who was causing his creature to part from him. He red at her, and with one force, the barrier shook, and cracks started to appear.


    "Fucking bitch," Joaquin cursed Julie, raising his hand and ready to kill her. When the high beam started to gather around his hand, Roman came to stand in between him and Julie.


    Roman raised his arm and said, "I think it would be best if you focus here than look outside these walls."


    "Donovan. Your son seems as conceited as you are," remarked Joaquin, and Donovan chuckled.


    "Thanks, he is my son after all," replied the Elder vampire, taking thepliment with pride. "I never understood why you have been wanting to take thesends when you could have just asked to be part of it."


    "To be bossed by the likes of you? That would never happen," Joaquin huffed. "It is only a matter of time that all of you ept defeat. I will give you the opportunity now, bow your heads and I will take you as my men."Looks like you hit your head pretty hard, Joaquin," Luciano rolled his eyes. "To think that we would allow a traitor like you in here."


    "Why did you kill the whole vige?" came the blunt question from Donovan.


    The creature that belonged to Joaquin, picked up Luciano and threw him to one barrier, before going to get Castiel and ready to crush him.


    "I have killed so many... but let me think. You are talking about Opaline," Joaquin snickered, thinking about it. "She was supposed to die that day with her family, but thanks to you... as you kept her busy, she escaped. Do you know the domino effect it caused?"


    "You know if you take a look, your life was worse then, your life is worse now," pointed Donovan, and he clicked his tongue. "You have been living in what caves? Doing nothing but waiting for us to wake up and free thesends."


    "Maybe it wasn''t before but you know it is going to get better," replied Joaquin with a calm smile. "I wasn''t an idiot toe stepping into thesends when I knew what Avice had done. But it seems like you fixed it just as I wanted it to be done."


    "Where is your scrawny brother? I don''t see him," Donovan provoked the vampire with his words, and at the same time, Joaquin attacked them with his creature that was going rampant.


    The creature growled loudly, and Joaquin was waiting for it to crush one of the Elder vampires. But instead, the creature tore itself from him.


    "Get back to me, we aren''t done fighting!" ordered Joaquin to the creature, but the creature looked like it was in trance and didn''t move from its spot. "We have a deal!"


    The creature then raised its hand, pointing ahead of it, and Joaquin frowned before turning around and noticing Roman had raised his hand towards it.


    Julie, who was outside, noticed the strange behavior and asked Avice, "What''s going on?"


    Avice''s eyebrows had furrowed, and her lips had parted in surprise. She said, "The creature has found a stronger being for it to serve."

 Chapter 299 - What matters

    Chapter 299 - What matters


    "I thought the creature made a deal to attach itself to only one person," said Julie, her heartbeat increasing in worry.


    "The creatures from the forbidden door thrive on stronger and more agile bodies. Something it can serve and call home, finding the right purpose," replied Avice, and then she said, "Keep continuing to keep the dome strong. The higher the pressure, the more the creature will try to break away from Joaquinpletely. "It will make it easier to kill him with the creature no more on his side."


    "You knew this would happen?" asked Julie, "Roman already has enough darkness in him."


    "That only makes him that much of a feasible hostpared to the rest of the people who are standing on these grounds. If it weren''t for the darkness that now resides in the boy, which I believe is the dark stone that is manipting the creature, making it obey him, then it would have by now trampled on the Elder vampires."


    Back in the triangr dome, Joaquin''s eyes had narrowed considerably, and he couldn''t believe what was going on here. He ordered the creature, "ord! Kill them all!"


    But the creature didn''t move from its spot, nor did it listen to Joaquin''s orders. Donovan couldn''t help himself from letting out a heartyugh. He said, "Looks like your little pet doesn''t care to stay next to you anymore."


    Joaquin ignored Donovan and instead raised his hand, causing pain to the creature, and it growled. The vampire tried to make the creature bend and bow to him so that it would continue listening to his orders.


    "I think this is the end for you, Joaquin," shouted Roman, with a smirk on his lips as he watched the slight panic that had started to appear in the person''s eyes which he covered in a sneer. "ord, was it?" he called the creature.


    The creature made a gurgling noise as if it was already listening to Roman even though it hadn''t fused itself with him. "Why don''t you kill this man? I am sure he''s tortured it enough," he ordered calmly.


    The creature turned to look at Joaquin, who shouted in frustration, "You cannot betray me! I am the one who brought you out of that forbidden ce, I am the one who has been looking after you. I am your master!"


    But the creature didn''t listen to Joaquin. The very next moment, it raised its hand and tried to trample him. Spikes appeared behind the creature''s back like a dragon, but its face was distorted. It opened its mouth and started breathing fire at Joaquin. Unable to contain the heat and pressure, the dome that the witches had raised started to crack due to pressure.


    "The dome is going to break!" informed Cillian, as all of them were using their full ability to keep it intact.


    Inside the dome, the three Elders quickly jumped away from the spot to avoid turning into charred vampires because of the burning fire.


    "What the fuck is your son doing, Donovan? nning to kill us all in here?"ined Luciano.


    "It is getting hot in here," responded Donovan, who couldn''t handle the fire even though his ability was close to Roman''s ability. It seemed like the creature took in the ability of its master before wielding it with a much higher force. He said, "Come on, seems like we need some fresh air," The Elder vampire ced his hands on both Castiel and Luciano''s shoulders before disappearing from the inside of the dome to end up outside it.


    "Will he be alright by himself?" questioned Castiel, not wanting Roman to end up fighting Joaquin alone.


    "He is my son, he will be able to handle it just fine. Watch how Joaquin begs his life in the next," Donovan paused to check his watch, "Three minutes should be good," he smiled as if he was enjoying this.


    Joaquin dodged the fire directed at him while he tried to attack Roman relentlessly. Though Joaquin had other abilities of death that could strike Roman to fall on his knees, at the moment, nothing was working in his favour.


    He said, "Seems like I have underestimated you. You have more than your father''s abilities."


    "Took you long enough to figure it out, didn''t you?" Roman mocked the vampire, using his hands, he grabbed Joaquin and threw him to the ground with force.


    Joaquin''s body rolled before hitting one side of the dome wall, dust raising itself while the creature had crawled slowly toe and stand behind Roman. "You have a dark stone. This is why nothing is affecting you..." whispered Joaquin, not liking how things had turned out to be.


    For years, he had been preparing to conquer thesends, and it was finally his time to take it as his own. But he had never expected this boy to have a dark stone because it was impossible for anyone to hold it. He had been looking for one all this while, but he hadn''t been able to find it.


    "How do you get the witch to make a stone?" questioned Joaquin while he continued to attack Roman, but the creature didn''t let Joaquine too close to Roman.


    "It was all thanks to you," replied Roman, and Joaquin''s eyes narrowed at Roman''s words.


    "What do you mean?" because from what Joaquin knew, Donovan never possessed the dark stone, and there was no way Roman could own one.


    "You might not know me, but you must have known my mother. She came from ckburn''s family. The ones whom you got to make the dark stone, but were never able to acquire it," stated Roman, and Joaquin tried to remember the family before annoyance appeared in his eyes.


    "That little witch," rage appeared in Joaquin''s eyes. He remembered how angry the family had made him, and he had killed every one of them because they told him they had lost it. But he didn''t know someone had escaped from there. "That only means the dark stone rightfully belongs to me. You seem to have a lot of potential in you, why now join hands with me."


    "Do you think I really have time for such measly ns of yours?" Roman''s blunt words struck a nerve in Joaquin. "I do not work for anyone, but for myself. And I don''t think you are even worth keeping as a subordinate of mine."


    Joaquin''s face twisted in sheer anger, and he ran towards Roman in speed, ready to attack him. But Joaquin''s concentration was lost, when the creature slithered from behind, and he picked on it. For a moment he turned to tackle it, but Roman took the opportunity to move quicker and he ran his hand through the vampire''s chest, creating a hollow in the vampire''s chest.


    "You could have lived a longer life, but look what greed brings," remarked Roman, pushing the vampire away from him, and Joaquin could feel the life leaving his body. The vampire''s eyes shifted to look at Roman in shock before it moved to look at the creature, hoping for it to return back to him.


    The Dome around them suddenly cracked more until it broke and fell on the ground, turning into little fragments of dust. The vampires who were working for Joaquin suddenly started to panic seeing their master, who fell on his knees and the creature siding against another vampire.


    "How dare you..." Joaquin cursed Roman even during thest seconds of his life. "This is not over... I wille back for you."


    Roman''s bright red eyes looked back at Joaquin, and he said, "I look forward to it."


    As seconds passed, Joaquin''s body started to turn stiff, and it turned paler until it looked like a dried being. When he fell to the ground, his body was nothing less than a ss that broke into pieces, leaving nothing but dust behind.


    "It worked!" shouted one of the vampire students.


    "The leader of the enemy has fallen!" shouted another student in glee, feeling victorious.


    Roman turned to look at the creature that looked back at him, waiting for his next order. He raised his hand for the creature to bow its head, and the next moment, the creature disappeared as if getting into Roman and fusing into him.


    Some of Joaquin''s men died in the hands of the hunters or the vampires, while some fled from the scene, knowing they couldn''t defeat the Elder vampires and would need to flee from there if they loved their lives.


    "Is it over?" asked Luciano, still a little suspicious as he looked at the trees with the thought that something would appear.


    "It looks like it," replied Castiel, and he sighed. "Feels surreal that it happened and is over now."


    "Did you think we were going to lose, Castiel?" questioned Donovan. "My team never loses. We always emerge victorious."


    "And what about that thing? That creature?" questioned Dante, who had seen the dangerous creature attack the Elder vampires earlier. Though she knew Roman was good by heart, he was still corrupted by the ripper side.


    Luciano nodded, not liking a creature like that thing to haunt them or Donovan using it to kill him. He said, "We should get rid of it immediately."


    "I will be keeping it with me. It is mine," came the blunt response from Roman, and Luciano gritted his teeth.


    "You¡ª" Luciano began to speak, only to be interrupted by Donovan, who ced his hand on his shoulder and said,


    "The boy just killed Joaquin and saved us all from trouble. Are you really going to nag him right now, Lucy? Give him a break already. Unless you want to go one round with the creature?"

 Chapter 300 - Growing Coldness

    Chapter 300 - Growing Coldness


    "Sending the creature back to the forbidden side of the door is not an option anymore."


    Castiel frowned at the woman''s words, "What do you mean, Avice?"


    Avice crossed her hands and exined, "This creature that has now attached to Roman, it will continue to look for a host to serve. If not Roman, then it will look for the next person. And thest thing we need is for someone else to misuse it. Not to mention, the creature has taken a liking towards the boy. You should just rx now that the war has ended and maybe see how to fix the damage in the buildings."


    "That is true," Donovan nodded in agreement.


    Roman looked away from the Elder vampires, and he noticed Julie sitting on the ground. He went to where she was and noticed her looking down.


    "Winters?"


    "Rome," whispered Julie, and she looked up at him. It was then that he noticed blood smeared on her lips.


    "Did you push too hard with your soul energy?" questioned Roman, and he sat next to her. "Let me take you to the infirmary," he suggested, but Julie shook her head.


    "I don''t have the energy for that," whispered Julie, and she took support from Roman by letting the side of her body lean against him.


    "Your heartbeat is low. We need to get it fixed," said Roman, and Julie moved closer to him.


    "I am too tired and sleepy," replied Julie, her eyes closing.


    Avice, who noticed this, came to them, and Roman demanded, "Is she alright?" his eyebrows furrowed.


    "Let me see," replied Avice. After a few seconds, her eyes met Roman''s eyes, who looked down at Julie. There was no heartbeat anymore.


    Back in the infirmary, the door burst open with Olivia standing at the door entrance, and her breath was heavy. Her eyes fell on Maximus, lying on the stretcher and not on the bed. Her throat went dry, and her eyes started to well up in tears.


    "Max," whispered Olivia, going to the spot and leaning forward to look at him. She slipped her hand into his cold hand, and she said in anger, "You idiot!"


    "In these times you are supposed to tell me I love you or kiss me to wake me up."


    Olivia''s eyes widened, and she saw Maximus'' eyes open and looked at her. She let out an exhale, and she shook her head. Unshed tears still in her eyes, she said, "Why are you sleeping on the stretcher and not on the bed?"


    Maximus stared at Olivia''s blue eyes, a smileing to his lips, "We have too many injured vampires, and they needed room. So I was put here to make room for others. I mean I am doing better than before," he said to her.


    "You scared me!" Olivia hit his arm.


    "Ouch! I am the patient here, treat me with care," replied Maximus, trying to push himself to sit upright, and Olivia helped him. "I am sorry for worrying you. It was thanks to your Elder that I am alive. Because I am sure I saw Hell for a moment beforeing back to my senses."


    Olivia turned her head, searching for her Elder, and she saw the quiet man tending to another vampire student. As if sensing her gaze, he turned his eyes to her.


    "Thank you," said Olivia, her throat feeling as if it was caught up, and the Elder vampire gave her a slight nod.


    "If you are here, I am guessing that the fight is over?" asked Maximus, and Olivia nodded.


    "Yes, everything is over and Joaquin and his brothers are dead. They are scouting for any possible vampire if there''s one hiding," replied Olivia, and Maximus sighed.


    "I am d to hear that. Also to know that you are safe," replied Maximus, bringing his hand to ce it on Olivia''s face, and he caressed it.


    Olivia leaned into his touch, and she closed her eyes. Relieved that he was alive. She put her arms around him and hugged her.


    Maximus smiled, embracing her, "I am fine now, Liv. Don''t be worried."


    Olivia muttered something in the crook of Maximus'' neck, and it sounded like ''shut up and don''t move.''


    Back in the centre of the Veteris building, while most had scattered to heal their wounds or help the others in fixing up the mess that had taken ce, Julieid unmoving in Roman''s arms.


    "She''s not dead, right?" demanded Roman, his voice hard.


    Avice pursed her lips and said, "It is hard to say." She touched the girl''s pulse and held her hand as if trying to read something. "I am not able to trace her. It looks like her soul energy has left her body."


    "Put the soul energy back into her," replied Donovan, walking towards them.


    "Soul energy isn''t some battery that you put back and it will work fine," replied Avice, and she said, "Her body isn''t meant to die, but I don''t know why her heart stopped."


    A subtle frown appeared on Cillian''s forehead, and he asked, "Is she going to turn like me?"


    "I don''t care how she turns out to be," responded Roman, and he didn''t like the fact that Julie''s body was growing colder. "Bring her back, Avice..." he pleaded to the woman. He didn''t want to lose Julie and wanted to stay next to her.


    "Let me see what I can do," replied Avice, and they ced Julie''s body on the ground. When the woman ced her hand on the ground, a sudden marking appeared on the ground, which had symbols written all around and inside it.


    She closed her eyes, trying to track Julie''s soul, but for some reason, she wasn''t able to reach it.


    The woman couldn''t help but wonder where the girl''s soul was, and she hoped it wasn''t behind the forbidden door or had turned into a raven.

 Chapter 301 - Opening the door once again

    Chapter 301 - Opening the door once again


    Julie was someone he loved dearly, and he would never love anyone else the way he loved her. Losing her would be nothing less than Roman losing himself. And this was something people were aware of, who were close to him. So far, Roman''s ripper''s side had been saved because of the emotional connection that he shared with her, of wanting to protect her. Without her, the foundation of his humanity without a doubt would crumble.


    Donovan moved to where Avice was sitting, and he asked her, "What''s going on?"


    Avice''s lips were set in a thin line, and she shook her head, "I don''t know. I am not able to trace her... Even though witches die because of the overused soul energy in their body, there is often a little trace of the soul energy left behind, which helps in turning the person into a Corvin."


    Donovan didn''t like the sound of it, and he turned his eyes to look at his son, who was right now staring at the young witch.


    Cillian, who was a Corvin, walked towards Julie, and he ced his hand on hers, hoping to create the bond and somehow bring her back here. He then asked Avice, "Do you think her soul has passed through the forbidden door?"


    "We''ll need to open the door and see if her soul is there. But there''s no guarantee it will be there," Avice replied with a sigh, and she then added, "It will be hard though. The creatures in there have been agitated because of thest fight we had. It won''t be easy to get Julie''s soul back if she''s there."


    "I will go and get her," Cillian volunteered himself to do the job, "I am the Corvin. It wouldn''t matter if something happens to me, because I will have the least effectpared to the rest of the people here."


    "I will get her," Roman''s words were firm, which gave no chance for anyone to oppose it. He looked at Julie''s lifeless body and said, "I am the one who is going to bring her back. We need to open the portal of the forbidden door?" he asked Avice.


    Avice stared at Roman before she said, "We aren''t sure if Julie''s soul is in there. And you getting in there, it isn''t an easy job. You have a creature stuck to you and a dark stone that resides in your heart. You will only end up corrupting it further. I hope you understand what that means." She then turned to Cillian and said, "You are already on the brink of your death, do you think the creatures in there wouldn''t want to hold you there?"


    Roman replied to the woman''s words, "What''s the point of me living here, if she isn''t here with me?"


    Donovan was all in support when it came to Roman and Julie''s love, but he wasn''t going to let his son sacrifice himself. He said, "And what is the point of her returning alive, when you would have corrupted your heart and would not be able to recognise her or anyone else, Rome?"


    "So you''re telling me we are going to y the end of Romeo or Juliet now?" questioned Roman, his jaw clenched, ring at the lot. He said, "I will not let my heart corrupt itself, and I will not stand here without doing anything and waiting in hope. If you cannot open the forbidden door, I will do it myself."


    Saying this, Roman pped his hands and stretched it forward. Suddenly the wind around them increased, and some of them brought their hands forward to cover their faces because of the dust that started to rise from the ground.


    "He has strong blood running through his veins," remarked Avice, noticing the way Roman tapped into the witch''s magic while also continuing to hold his abilities of being a vampire. "I thought people were only supposed to belong to only one kind except for me."


    "His body had always fought to stay as a witch until I decided to turn him, when he was on the verge of his death," murmured Donovan who stood next to her.


    "That exins it," replied Avice, and she noticed the fire spill from Roman''s hand, and the fire moved on the ground to form a circle and lines. He created the markings, and soon, the ck forbidden door opened at the center of the circle. "Are you sure about this?" she asked the young vampire, who looked confident.


    "I am," replied Roman, and when the door opened, he walked right through it. Cillian, who was worried about Julie, didn''t stay back, and he quickly followed Roman.


    As if two people weren''t enough, Donovan said, "I never got to see what was inside the ce. Let me go and take a look at it." But just when the Elder vampire ced his one foot inside the ce, he was thrown backwards on the ground. But Donovan caught his bnce with grace and he turned annoyed, "The damn discrimination!"


    "Don''t you know that the ce is not hospitable for vampires? Roman is just lucky that he has witch blood running through his veins apart from yours," stated Avice, and then she said, "We need to guard the door and make it stay open. If the door closes, the creatures in there will change the direction of return. It will be hard for them to get back."


    "Mm, I will make sure to keep it open. Though I believed that you would take a trip there tonight. Scared, Avice?" asked Donovan, curiously looking at the woman who held a look of seriousness on her face.


    Avice stared at the darkness that the forbidden door held. A small smile appeared on her lips, but it didn''t reach her eyes. She said, "I have already visited it tonight. I don''t think I would be able to bear a second visit."


    "Is he still there?" Donovan questioned in curiosity.


    Though Avice was a mystery to most of the vampires and witches, there were a few details that Donovan was already aware of. Like how when the woman had tried to resurrect her dead son back to life, the creatures had forcibly dragged her and the dead boy inside the door. The boy didn''t survive, and somewhere neither did the woman, which was partly why she was a vampire with a creature that had attached itself to her.


    Avice didn''t look away from the door and replied coldly, "He isn''t. He died long ago."


    The woman then bent and touched the ground, creating a thin barrier to stop the creatures from entering Veteris and attacking people in here.


    Not too far away from where the forbidden door had been opened, Mr. and Mrs. Davis took a deep breath after fighting as many vampires as they could. The hunters had listened and agreed to ally with the vampires of the Veteris.

 Chapter 302 - False promise

    Chapter 302 - False promise


    "I cannot believe that we are sitting here instead of fighting the vampires," whispered one of the hunter women with an evident look of disbelief on her face. "We should just take this opportunity of catching them off guard and attack them," she suggested.


    "No," came the firm words from another hunter. "We already gave our word that we would help, and didn''t you just see what happened a few minutes ago? The creature will kill us, and the vampires... something is wrong with these vampires."


    "Did you see the fire and the electricity?" came the shocked voice of another hunter. "Who would have thought that the vampires will upgrade themselves like we upgrade our weapons," the man clicked his tongue in distaste.


    "But I still urge that we take them by surprise," whispered the woman who had spoken earlier. "We cannot let the vampires dominate us. At the end of the day, these vampires will try to make us submit to them."


    Someone clicked their tongue, "Tsk, do you really think you will be able to defeat them?"


    The hunters turned to look at Simon, who had not changed his appearance even once, but some of the hunters had alreadye to find out that he was not a hunter but a vampire.


    "Get away from here, Simon. You traitor!" one of the hunters cursed him.


    But Simon only smiled at them, "Actually this part of thend is mine. Legally at least. You should go back to your homes and forget what happened here, than waste your time, trying to think of a way to kill the vampires in here."


    The boy who had troubled Mnie in the past came right at Simon, holding a hidden stake in his hand. But before the human could stab the vampire, Simon stepped to the side and with one smooth movement, he twisted the human''s arm.


    "AHHHH!!!"


    "Let go of his hand!" shouted another hunter.


    "You fucking assho¡ª" started the boy, "AHH!"


    "Tch, so fragile. I can tell what a person will do and when. So don''t try to think that you can beat me with your silly tricks. You get to live a few days more, so go celebrate it and leave us at peace," stated Simon, twisting the human''s arm a little more before letting go of his hand. "Leave this ce."


    The hunters red at the vampire, not liking the way he was ordering them. But they were exhausted, and after witnessing the abilities of the vampires first-hand, they decided not to attack them. Not today, at least.


    Simon went to where Mnie was. She stood next to a tree leaning her body against it, watching her parents. He said, "Scared or angry to talk to them?"


    Mnie turned startled, and she turned to look at him. She offered him a smile, "I think both. I don''t know how to feel..."


    "Why does it feel like you know how to feel but you are scared to be a bad daughter," remarked Simon, and Mnie wondered how he knew what to say exactly.


    "I have always been their good daughter. Listening to everything they have asked me to do, at least by their knowledge. How did you manage¡­ Being bad in your family''s eyes..." Simon took a step closer to Mnie.


    He raised his hand to wipe the little drop of blood that was on her face. He then said, "I guess I got used to it. But you don''t have to."


    Simon didn''t like what Mnie''s parents had done to her earlier this evening. Tying her in the basement and recklessly leaving her in a room of vampires who could have easily fed on her if he and Conner hadn''t appeared there on time.


    And as much as he despised his family for the way they had treated him, he knew Mnie didn''t share the same sentiments. She had been loved and cared for all this while, and what her parents did had shocked her.


    He said, "Maybe it is a blessing that your mother has been bit by a vampire. Just like I hoped one of them would get bitten. I know they will be my inws, but I cannot help but be happy about it."


    A smile cracked upon Mnie''s lips, and she whispered, "I feel the same as you."


    "I know," chuckled Simon. "And your feelings are valid."


    "But once they get their hands on the cure, they will be back to the way things were a few hours ago," replied Mnie, her eyes lowering and a sadness came to marr her features.


    "Who is getting your mother''s conditions back?" questioned Simon, raising his eyebrows.


    "Mr. Evans has gone to get them the cure, hasn''t he?" asked Mnie. It was the sole reason why her parents had convinced the other hunters that they shouldn''t fight with every vampire in here, and just the selective ones. "There he is," she jerked her head to the front.


    Mr. Evans was stopped by Luciano to speak about something before he made his way toward her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Davis looked relieved at the sight of the vampire, who carried a ss test tube in his hand.


    "Here it is as I gave my word," stated Mr. Evans, and Mr. Davis quickly took the ss.


    Both Mr. and Mrs. Davis were d that they finally got the cure and they could turn Mrs. Davis to her human self. Mr. Davis said, "I was doubtful if you would keep your word."


    "You know being a vampire isn''t that bad, and there are many perks. You could also enroll yourself in Veteris if you want to learn more about vampires and also learn how to live without causing anyone harm," came the polite words from Mr. Evans.


    But Mrs. Davis was against the idea of being a vampire. She despised the very existence of the vampires, and once this was done, she would take her husband as well as her daughter from here. Far away from the vampires.


    The woman grabbed the test tube from her husband, pulling the cork from the top of it, she gulped down the red liquid until the veryst drop. Mr. Davis frowned on seeing the redness on his wife''s lips, and it took a while for Mrs. Davis to realize what she had gulped down just a second ago.


    Horror struck the woman''s face, and she stuttered, "W-what was that?!"


    The counselor of Veteris offered them his sincerest smile as he said, "That was blood, of course. What else would a vampire need in such dire condition?" He looked at the couple with a quizzical expression on his face.


    Mrs. Davis looked torn, her expression between anger and hunger. She crushed the test tube in her hand and red at Mr. Evans, "H-how dare you! Where is the reverting potion?!"


    "Well about that, you see vampire and human kind haven''t found a cure yet," replied Mr. Evans, and Simon clicked his tongue, before murmuring ''I knew this was going to happen.'' "I was hoping as you are so adversely knowledgeable when ites to making interesting liquids, maybe you could help us find the cure?"


    Mrs. Davis fell on her knees, her body changing and weak right now because of her transformation. She couldn''t believe that she had turned into a vampire!

 Chapter 303 - Land of Afterlife

    Chapter 303 - Land of Afterlife


    Softly frowning, Julie ced her hand on the ground and pushed herself to sit upright and noticed she was sitting on soft grass with trees surrounding her.


    Where was she? This ce wasn''t Veteris because thest thing that she remembered, they had finished fighting with Joaquin and the creature that was trying to destroy the vampires and the things in Veteris.


    "Hello?" Julie called out, hoping for anyone to be nearby, but it seemed like she was all by herself in here.


    She wasn''t in Heaven, was she? Julie questioned herself. She looked down at her body, and noticed there were no visible wounds, and her clothes were clean. The pace of her heartbeat increased as she started to grow anxious with every passing second.


    She didn''t want to die, not like this where she didn''t get the chance to say goodbye to the ones she cared for and loved. Her hands clenched, wondering where and how Roman was doing. Standing on her feet, she started to explore the serene ce, which was quiet and held a familiar fragrance in the air. The smell was sweet and it reminded her of Roman''s scent, every time she hugged him.


    Julie walked towards the tree which held wild-looking blue flowers. The scent was heavy from this one, and as she stared, someone appeared behind her.


    "I wasn''t expecting you to be here this soon."


    Julie turned around on her heels, and her eyes widened on seeing a woman with gray hair, eyes that were wise and her face was as beautiful as how it was when she was a young woman.


    "Mother..." whispered Julie, her eyes meeting Opaline''s crinkled eyes.


    "Julie," spoke Opaline, moving closer and putting her arms around the girl.


    Julie, who was too stunned to speak, took two seconds before she wrapped her arms around her mother. Hugging the woman while closing her eyes. Tears started to fill up in her eyes, and she partly opened. Her eyes shone before the tears rolled down her cheeks. "I missed you," whispered Julie.


    "So have I," replied Opaline, rubbing Julie''s back with her hand. The woman''s hands were gentle and warm, which was filled with love. "I am sorry for putting you through this. Forgive me, my child."


    Julie clutched to her mother, as from a long time she had wanted to meet the woman and let her know that she was her mother. To be embraced as her daughter, and now that it was happening, her heart felt full, and she didn''t want to part away from the woman.


    Julie shook her head, "It was never your fault. Never has been. You did what you had to do," she mumbled before pulling herself back.


    Opaline looked happy after just seeing Julie, and she ced her cold hand on the young girl''s face. But as cold as the woman''s hand was, Julie found nothing but warmth from her mother''s action. The woman smiled and said,


    "I wished I knew that day, and if I knew, I would have tried to spend our time more meaningfully," said Opaline.


    "Every moment that I have spent with you in the past was meaningful, mother," replied Julie, and the memory that they had shared where Opaline had brushed her hair was her most favorite memory. Something that she cherished and would continue to do so.


    "I know, my love. And you have done wonderfully. Toe this far, you have made me proud," stated Opaline, nodding her head to Julie. "I am only sorry that I wasn''t able to meet you sooner, but nheless, here we are together. And we meet as we should have met before. I am happy that you are here, but¡­ you were not supposed to be here now. Did something happen in the living world?" Opaline questioned Julie with a serious look on her face.


    Julie pursed her lips, trying to remember what had happened, and for some reason, things that had happened a minute or hours ago felt like many years had passed. She answered, "It''s my soul energy. I think I exhausted it until the veryst bit of it. We were trying to hold the dome to contain the creature from the forbidden door''s side."


    Opaline didn''t look pleased when she heard this, but she nodded as if she understood what Julie said. She noticed the worry in her daughter''s eyes and raised her hand to ce it on top of Julie''s head. Julie''s eyes met her mothers, and her mother said,


    "Do not worry about what has happened in the past as not everything can be fixed, and don''t worry about the future, as you are yet to make one. Come walk with me."


    Julie looked around the ce,while walking next to Opaline, she asked, "Is this Heaven?"


    A soft smile appeared on Opaline''s lips, "I guess you can call it that, as it is peaceful here."


    And hearing her mother''s words, Julie could only assume that she had indeed died. She couldn''t help but worry about what was going on on the other side of this world.


    "This ce is a sanctuary to the souls. Humans, vampires, witches, it doesn''t matter here as everyone is just reduced to be a soul," exined Opaline.


    "Is grandpa and uncle Ottis here too?" asked Julie curiously, and Opaline nodded. "But... I saw their souls were attached to thends where they died. In Willow Creek."


    "Those are nothing but projections of the deceased. Thest bit of their memory on thend, and nothing more than that," exined Opaline. She continued, "If you have tried to pull them out of it, they will sooner orter disappear, erasing their existence from the living world. How is everyone there? It has been a while since I spoke to Sullivan or Cillian since I had to leave early."


    "They have been doing well. They helped me a lot. In learning about the witches and what to do," replied Julie, her thoughts returning to Roman. She asked her mother, "Do you know anything about the attachment of the creatures to the dead or living beings?"


    "Attachment?" Opaline asked, unsure of what Julie was talking about.


    "Yes," replied Julie. "The one''s from the forbidden door. The vampire who attacked Willow Creek had a creature attached to him. And the same creature now attached itself to Rome."


    "Hmm," hummed Opaline, weighing on Julie''s words before she spoke, "I wouldn''t be surprised about it. Roman is young, but he already exhibits abilities that even the Elder vampire fails. Because of the darkness that resides in him, the creature is attracted to a simr being."


    "So it isn''t about just how capable or powerful one is?" inquired Julie and Opaline shook her head.


    "No. Some of us attract opposite beings, while some attract simr kinds of people near them. I think he will be just fine, and the creature will continue to obey him until the boy wants it to obey him,"Opaline exined with a gentle smile on her face. "Nothing will happen to him."


    Julie was d to hear it. But at the same time, her heart ached with the thought that she wouldn''t be able to see him again.

 Chapter 304 - Boat and the Riverman

    Chapter 304 - Boat and the Riverman


    Did it mean she still had a chance at going back and seeing Roman? Or was it just how this ce was supposed to be?


    She continued to walk in the meadow with her mother, and her mother sensing Julie''s silence, asked, "What''s on your mind?"


    Julie turned to look at her mother, who stared back at her with calm and unwavering eyes. She replied, "I was thinking about... if there''s a way to go back from here. Do you know about it?"


    Opaline smiled at her daughter''s question. She asked instead, "Do you feel like you have unfinished business back in the living world?"


    "A lot," answered Julie. "I didn''t get to do things I was supposed to." Though there were few things that she had been able to aplish, which was sending her foster father through the forbidden door. "I don''t want to part ways from Rome..." she added.


    Opaline stopped herself from walking further and she looked at Julie, who had also paused her feet to face her mother.


    "I know that. Let me take you to a river, you might like it there," said Opaline, and a subtle frown appeared on Julie''s face, not knowing what her mother wanted to show her. "And while we walk, why don''t you tell me how you have been doing and what the others have been upto?"


    Julie continued to stare at her mother before she nodded, "Where do I start?"


    "From anywhere you want to," smiled her mother, and Julie began exining things about her life in the living world, where her mother had sent her to the future.


    And while Julie and Opaline spoke to each other, on what Julie had been doing and what her ns were before she died, through the forbidden door, both Roman and Cillian had entered the dark side of the world.


    Roman could hear the skittering sound of the creatures, and to cut down time, he brought his hands forward and soon fire split around them, which started to spread. The creatures who had been hiding, waiting to attack the two new people in here started to shout and scream in agony of pain from being burnt by the fire.


    As Roman belonged more to this side of the world, with the amount of darkness he held in his heart, his magic and abilities weren''t restrained and he used his full energy.


    On the other hand Cillian fought the creatures who remotely tried to get near them. The Corvin cleared the path, making their way through the dark corridors.


    "Do you know where to go from here?" questioned Roman, as this was the first time he was visiting this ce. "Winters!" he shouted, calling for Julie, but there was no response from her side.


    "Thest time I was here, I think I saw three doors. The doors are hidden by the creatures and we need to find it quickly before Julie''s soul starts to manifest into raven or decides to stay in the afterlife," Cillian hurriedly replied, and he caught hold of one of the smudgy creatures neck and demanded from it, "Where is Julianne?"


    The creature didn''t reply, but it tried to grab Cillian''s face, trying to peel his skin and take his body as its own.


    "I know where Julianne is," came a voice. "I saw her being dragged from here."


    When both Roman and Cillian turned, it was Dous, who had parts of his body being covered in the smudgy liquid.


    Earlier Roman hadn''t been able to settle his score with this man, but now that they were here, he couldn''t help but get right in front of the man. Dous, who was now being infected, fought Roman back without holding back. He said, "Julie did a good job putting me in here. Now I will emerge as strong as Joaquin and then kill you all!"


    But Roman didn''t care, and he caught the man''s neck before throwing him on the ground with force. Dous, instead of groaning in pain, started tough like a maniac. He said, "Did you know how pleased I was, when I saw that little witch''s soul being dragged right in front of my eyes. She deserved it and much more. Watch me drag her and tear her¡ª"


    As anger bubbled in Roman''s veins, the creature that had attached itself to Roman appeared from his back and Dous'' eyes widened in fear. "What... What did you do?! How¡ª!"


    The creature separated itself from Roman, and it went straight to attack the human who was put in here. Its tentacles like hands caught hold of the man''s limbs and pulled it in four different directions before blood sttered on the ground and on Roman''s face.


    The next time the creature went to attach itself to Roman, he said, "Stop getting too close to me. If you want to serve me, you will do it without attaching yourself to me."


    The creature made a gurgling sound, and at the same time they heard Cillian call, "Roman! It is here! The doors!"


    With the re of the fire that spread around the ce, the creatures moved away from the doors, and soon Roman noticed three red doors.


    "I don''t think they all lead to where Julie is," remarked Roman, and he turned to look at his creature. "Do you know where Julie is? The girl who was pulled in here."


    The creature''s smudgy self moved towards the door before the liquid crawled up at the right door and it turned the knob of the door.


    ''Here,'' whispered the creature, pleased to serve its new master.


    Roman and Cillian stepped inside the door, and when they turned back, the door had disappeared and so did the passage. "Are you sure you can trust that thing?" questioned Cillian, because creatures from the forbidden door were not trustworthy and they were quick to backstab their masters.


    "I don''t care if it wants to leave my side," responded Roman, because his current priority and goal was to find Julie. He wasn''t going to let her die like this. She couldn''t leave his side!


    The ce they had stepped into was a dark forest, which looked dark as the creatures they hade across. The sky had an unusual greenish and ck color to it, while the roots of the trees had emerged from the ground, showing how big and old they were.


    At a distance, they heard owls hooting and the crows cawing, which left an ominous feeling around the ce. Soon fog started to appear on the ground, and Cillian said,


    "This wasn''t here before, not this thick at least. The forest must have sensed us."


    Roman kept his guard as he tried to move through the ce, while looking for Julie. He asked the Corvin, "Do you know anything about this ce?"


    "I have only heard about it in twisted tales, but no one knows anything about it. Not even us Corvins as we have no consciousness of this ce when we die and go back to the living world," replied Cillian with a deep frown on his forehead.


    Like Roman, Cillian didn''t want Julie to die.


    She didn''t deserve it after the things she had gone through. She deserved happiness. And somewhere he couldn''t help but think if Julie was here, he would like to leave the living world and stay here with her. It had been his purpose since he hade to know of her existence. The afternoon where she and her friend had drowned in the river and below the bridge¡­ He wouldn''t forget their first meeting.


    Cillian then said, "I once heard that there was another passage from this ce, to pass through the next life.


    We need to look for it. There has been no mention of where we can find it."


    "Maybe looking through the bark of the trees would be a good idea," Roman murmured under his breath, and they started to take a closer look at the tree, which might appear the oddestpared to the lot around them.


    [Music Rmendation: Andrei- Martin Phipps]


    Back where Julie and Opaline walked, Julie had spoken most of the important things while not picking up the bad memories as she didn''t want her mother to feel bad. She asked her mother, "Did you meet father?"


    "I have. If he knew you wereing, he would have stayed here," replied Opaline, and her eyes held a distant look in there. "I am sure he will feel good to know that you have been doing well."


    "I was sad that he had left so early. It felt like we barely spent time together," replied Julie, and Opaline softly smiled.


    "Yes. He mentioned it to me, and wasn''t particrly pleased with his short time, but still appreciated that he got to see you," replied the older witch, and an inaudible sigh escaped from her lips. "Here is the river that I wanted to show you."


    Now that Julie had noticed, the atmosphere around them had dulled down, and the sun''s rays didn''t reach the ground anymore. And it has been like this for some time now. Even the trees were much denser, and the ambience quieter and darker. Her eyes took in the ce, and she asked her mother,


    "Are we still in the afterlife?"


    "We are at the bridge, Julie," replied Opaline, and she ced her hands on Julie''s shoulders before continuing to speak. "Not everyone knows it, nor does everyone have the opportunity. And you have your whole life ahead of you, it would be a pity if you spent your time here."


    Julie slightly frowned at her mother''s words. Was this the route to get back home? she wondered in her mind.


    Opaline dropped her hands from Julie''s shoulders, and she fished for something in her pocket before taking Julie''s hand and cing a coin in it.


    "What is this?" questioned Julie, her eyes falling on the coin that held a skull marking on it.


    "This is the fee for your trip back," As Opaline said this, they heard water being sshed, catching their attention and making their heads turn in the direction.


    For a few seconds, Julie didn''t know if it was some animal beneath the river that was making the noise, but soon she noticed a boat, and with the boat appeared a man in a hat who held a staff in his hands.


    Julie turned to her mother and said, "Come with me, mother. We can both leave, or maybe have fathere join us too."


    But Opaline only smiled at her daughter''s request. She hugged her, patting her back, "We have lived here for a very long time toe back to the living world, Julie. But you... you are new and still will be able to get back if you leave now."


    Suddenly Julie was torn as she didn''t want to leave her mother behind. It was after years did they unite, and to leave like this, it didn''t feel right.


    "We''ll meet again, Julie. I know we will and you will make it happen," stated Opaline in confidence. "Your father and I will miss you."


    The man brought the boat towards the edge of thend, and he looked at the two of them before speaking to the older woman, "I didn''t know you found a coin, Opaline. One would think they would use it for themselves."


    Opaline replied, "I knew I had to save it for someone, instead of using it for myself."


    "How selfless," murmured the man, his gaze falling on the young woman.


    Julie was in deep thought. It wasn''t the first time her mother had sacrificed something for someone else while not using it for herself.


    She felt her heart clench, while she heard the man in the boat say, "Are you going to take the ride today, mdy?"


    "Go now, Julie. The longer you stay here, the harder it will get to return," urged her mother, looking at her kindly.


    "I will meet you again," Julie promised Opaline and the woman nodded.


    "I know we will," said the older woman, who then turned to look at the man and said, "Thank you for taking her, Rower."


    "Anyone who has the coin shall ride the boat and you know how much I love my coins," replied the man named Rower, where it wasn''t his first time when it came to taking a soul back to the living world. He looked at Julie, "Hop in before someone notices you or your mother, this is no ce for a soul to wander."


    Before Julie ced her foot inside the boat, she quickly hugged her mother, holding her tightly before letting her go. It wasn''t easy for Opaline either, but she knew there was more waiting for Julie, and it wasn''t here.


    Soon the man named Rower started to row the boat away from the bank of the river, and Julie stared as long as she could at her mother, before the fog came to hinder and hide the ce they had left.

 Chapter 305 - Missing heartbeat

    Chapter 305 - Missing heartbeat


    ¡ª


    When the fog turned thick around them, Julie finally turned and looked ahead of her, where the man continued to row the boat forward. His movements were gentle, and he didn''t bother to look at her.


    Curious, she asked him, "Are you taking me back to the living world?"


    The only river connected to Veteris was the one that flowed under the bridge near Willow Creek. But the river had dried up many years ago, which made her wonder where he was going to take her.


    "I will not be taking you to the living world, Ms. Winters," replied the man, turning his head to the side, and Julie wondered how he knew her name. He was probably someone who automatically knew what each person''s name was when they entered this ce, Julie thought in her mind. "There are only a few souls that have ever returned to the living world, as everyone needs a coin before they can take a ride on this boat. I will take you to the ce that will connect you to the living world. But after this, you will be the one traveling from there," informed the man named Rower, and Julie''s lips pursed.


    Minutes passed by, and the fog that was around them started to disperse. Julie noticed the bank of the river, and the boat came to a stop, softly swaying towards the edge. The man said, "This is your stop. I am sure you will find your way without any difficulty."


    Julie bnced her feet before she got herself out of the boat. The man didn''t stay around and continued to row his boat before disappearing in the midst of fog.


    She looked around the ce and noticed it was a forest. The trees were thick and tall in appearance. She started to walk, walking aimlessly as she had no idea where exactly she was right now,


    "Winters!" someone shouted.


    The voice was enough to bring relief to Julie''s mind, and she turned her head. On seeing Roman running towards her, and Cillian not far behind him, she let out a sigh of relief. She ran halfway to meet Roman, and when they came close to each other, Roman wrapped his arms around her. They both fell on their knees on the forest ground while still holding her.


    Julie took a deep breath, inhaling Roman''s scent, and it calmed her heart, knowing he was here.


    Roman held her tightly in his arms, one of his hands ced on her head as he took a deep breath. He hadn''t expected to find Julie this soon, but he was d to see her here. She still felt the same, where her body fit perfectly in his arms, and she breathed in the same way. The onlycking part was that Julie didn''t have a beating heart.


    He pulled away from her before their foreheads touched each other. He closed his eyes, basking in the fact that he had found her.


    "You gave me a real fright back in the living world, Winters. I thought we had decided that you wouldn''t use too much of your soul energy," stated Roman, opening his red eyes to look straight into her brown eyes.


    "I am sorry," Julie whispered to him. "I didn''t mean to scare you."


    Roman''s hand wound around the back of Julie''s neck while his lips parted and descended on her lips. He kissed her tenderly as if worried if he put more pressure, she would disappear from his arms. The kiss was filled with sweetness, and she closed her eyes to soak in his affection and love. Kissing him back, she could sense the urgency of his lips that somewhere wanted to devour her and make sure she wouldn''t leave his side.


    She felt him steal her breath, and by the time they pulled away from each other, Roman had cupped Julie''s face with both his hands. He tenderly caressed the side of her cheeks and said,


    "Let us get you back before your body starts to decay in the living world and bes unable to host your soul."


    Julie nodded, noticing the subtle furrow on Roman''s forehead. "Thank you foring," she thanked him and then turned to look at where Cillian was. He hadn''te near where they were, and stood at a distance.


    Cillian was d to see Julie here, where he could see, and he looked around the ce. He was sure he had looked into this ce earlier, which is why he wondered where Julie had appeared.


    "Are you alright?" Cillian asked her.


    If he was going to be honest with himself, he wanted to take her into his arms and assure her, and also himself that she was safe now. But Julie already had someone who dearly cared for her and was willing to sacrifice himself for her sake. He was no match for that kind of love in this lifetime. He wished nothing but for her happiness.


    Julie smiled at Cillian''s question and replied, "I think I am. How about you?" she asked him, knowing he was a dead person who belonged to this side of the world too. But on a closer thought, it seemed like all the three of them were rted to death in some way.


    "Better now," replied Cillian, looking at Julie.


    Roman didn''tment even though he knew what Cillian''s words meant. What mattered right now was that they had found Julie.


    "Let us leave before the door closes," said Roman, and the three of them started to make their way towards where they had emerged into this ce.


    Julie noticed a door that was in the tree, and she asked them, "Where does that lead to?"


    "That''s going to lead us to the forbidden side, and we need to get through it if we want to enter the living world," answered Roman, and when they neared it, Cillian was the first one to step inside it. Roman waited for Julie to step in, but he saw her turn back and look at the trees.


    Julie could feel her heart squeeze at having to leave her mother and the others behind.


    "Are you waiting for someone?" Roman asked her.


    Julie''s gaze snapped to look at Roman, and pain passed through her eyes. She said, "I met my mother."


    Roman''s eyes slightly widened, and he realized the dilemma that Julie was going through right now. He asked her, "Do you want to stay here?"


    Julie had not expected Roman to ask her the question in such directness, after all, he hade all the way to take her back to the living world. She said, "All this while, I have been waiting for that one opportunity to see her. To be able to speak to her without having to hide the fact that she is my mother. To be able to connect more. But..." her voice trailed, as she didn''t know how to phrase her next words.


    Roman caught hold of Julie''s hand, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. Hepleted the sentence for her,


    "But now that you have met her, you want to spend more time. The one meet is never enough, was it?" he asked her.


    Julie pursed her lips, pressing them tightly so that they wouldn''t tremble. She didn''t know it was going to be this hard. "Do I really have less time?" she asked him, staring at Roman with her eyes that shone with tears.


    Roman could tell how Julie was feeling right now, because he had lost his family more than once. And one would think that going through it again would reduce the impact of how one felt. But it didn''t make it better, only worse.


    In seriousness, he asked her, "We can stay here if you want."


    Julie shook her head. Roman was ready to leave the living world for her and spend their time here, in the afterlife. He continued to say, "You do not have to think about me, Winters. I have lived enough on the other side. Wherever you choose to live, I will spend my time with you, and I wouldn''t exchange it for anything else."


    Though Julie had promised her mother that they would meet, it could take weeks, months, or even years. She asked, "Do you think we coulde here when we are free? Without being dead?"


    Roman took one step to close the distance between them, and he put his arms around her, holding her protectively. He replied, "Anything for you. Maybe next time we can meet more than one person."


    Julie nodded before taking a deep breath that sounded like she was sniffling. Sparing onest look at the ce, she finally stepped inside the door, and Roman followed her. The door soon shut, and after a few seconds, it disappeared from sight.


    On their way back, Roman didn''t let go of her hand and continued to hold it in his hand.


    They were again attacked by the creatures who lived in this dark ce, but the moment the fire spilt from Roman''s hand on the ground, the creatures growled and whimpered, quickly moving away from them. The creatures didn''t dare to move close, but continued to follow them.


    Reaching the forbidden door''s exit and entrance was a piece of cake thanks to Roman''s presence and the creature that now belonged to him, growled at any creature that tried to move near them.


    When Cillian and Roman jumped out of the forbidden door, Donovan, who was staring at the door, noticed Julie''sck of presence behind them.


    "Where''s Julie?" questioned Elder Donovan, and at the same time he noticed the forbidden door close itself.


    Avice ced her hand on Julie''s cold body, near her chest and said, "Julie''s soul has already entered her body," and for a few seconds, it was quiet until she and the others heard the young witch''s heart beat.

 Chapter 306 - Unexpected life

    Chapter 306 - Unexpected life


    Julie''s eyes opened, revealing her brown eyes that looked dted, and she took a deep breath as if breathing for the very first time. A smile appeared on Roman''s tensed face, and he helped Julie to sit upright on the ground.


    "Wee back to the living world, Ms. Winters," Avice congratted her, and she stood up, leaving the girl''s side as she was done with helping them.


    Roman said to Julie, "Let me help you get back to the Dormitorium," and hooking his arm around her back and below her legs, he picked her up in his arms and walked away from there.


    When Donovan came to stand next to Avice, the woman said, "It seems like he grew up just fine. Better than you."


    Donovan chuckled at Avice''s words, and instead of answering her question, he asked her, "Now that the dark magic has been lifted from these grounds, are you nning to stay here in Veteris?"


    Avice gave him a short nod, "I don''t think it would hurt to spend a few days here. I would also like to know what you and the others n to do with the hunters, now that they do know that there are plenty of vampires living here. Not to mention, I would like to see what my two vampires have been upto."


    "Two vampires?" Donovan raised his eyebrows in question. "Which one''s are you talking about?"


    Avice turned her body to look around the ce before she jerked her face in one direction. Donovan followed her line of sight, and he noticed the hunter''s daughter and the young vampire who was Roman''s friend.


    "So you are the one whom he has been working for," murmured Donovan, and he frowned. "You were here a century ago?"


    Avice replied, "I was. I had a vision of what was going to happen, but the vision didn''tplete itself and I had to make sure to see what came after it." When she had visited Veteris years ago, she had no intention to turn anyone that night, and she was supposed to leave quietly. But somehow, on her way back, she had found Simon and Victoria, who were on the verge of their death.


    Donovan looked at Simon with intrigue, wondering what ability he must have received from the witch-vampire. "Say Avice, will you be able to bring other people back to life?" he asked her in a nonchnt tone. "Is it possible to resurrect people?"


    Avice turned to look at Donovan, meeting his red eyes, and she asked him, "Which person do you have on your mind?" From what she knew about this Elder vampire, he was selfish and had his own agenda in everything he did.


    "Don''t give me that look. I am a reformed man, after Roman appeared in my life," Donovan raised his hands as if he didn''t do anything wrong. "I just have a dozen people on my mind. That is, if you are willing to help."


    "Souls cannot be brought back that easily. It needs a shell, and I believe all the shells have decayed many years ago?" questioned Avice, and they both started to walk away from the ce. And while walking away from there, Avice''s eyes fell on the human girl who stood next to Simon. The girl ced a cloth on Simon''s cheek. Seems like the boy had found someone, she thought in her mind. She then continued to say, "Again, it isn''t impossible, but with the right resources, I believe one can achieve it."


    "Wonderful!" Donovan looked thrilled by her words, and he said with a smile, "How about we two work together on this little project? I will help you with the resources that you require to make it a sess."


    "I will think about it," came the blunt reply from Avice, and the smile on Donovan''s face fell.


    "What do you mean think? It''s not like I am resurrecting evil, it would be all good people. You have my word," Donovan gave her a solemn look.


    "Everything has its own consequences, Azazel. What we''ll be doing is nothing less than courting death. Something simr to what I did many years ago," she gave him a quiet look before looking ahead, holding her head high. "How about you? Do you n to stay here in Veteris?" she questioned him.


    "Of course. I think I like the students here, and I would make a wonderful headmaster. What do you think, Avice?" he asked her.


    "God bless the children," murmured Avice under her breath.


    Back at where Simon and Mnie stood, Mnie, pressed the kerchief on Simon''s cheek that he had earlier injured while fighting.


    "Does it hurt?" inquired Mnie with concern in her voice.


    "It does," Simon nodded as if it was hurting a lot when in truth, he was perfectly fine. It was just that he enjoyed having Mnie take care of him right now. He said, "You know... your fighting skills tonight... it really turned me on."


    Mnie turned slightly red, and she sent him a small re, "I am just d that all of us are alive and no one is dead." She doubted the victory would feel this way if they had lost their closed ones.


    "True," replied Simon, then added, "Though I must say, we should have a double celebration. It isn''t every day that you see your enemy turn into our friends, is it?" a grin appeared on his lips.


    When Mnie noticed him looking behind her, she turned her head, and her eyes fell on her parents. Both her mother and father looked stressed, and her father held a look of weariness.


    Simon moved closer to Mnie and whispered next to her ear, "I think it is a good time to go and speak to them."


    Mnie made her way towards where her parents were, her confident steps slowing down as she neared them. Her mother looked up and said, "All these vampires are liars! He said he would give me the cure, but instead h-he... he fed me blood!" she whispered in anger. "Are you happy now?"


    "Why would I be happy, mother," replied Mnie. Somewhere, she had hoped that her parents woulde around, but there was obvious distaste in her mother''s eyes.


    "Mel," her father came to stand next to her. "Are you sure there''s no cure? What about finding that vampire''s ash who bit her?"


    "It would be hard to find the vampire''s ash... because the ground is filled with many other vampire''s ashes," replied Mnie, and soon she heard her mother sob.


    "H-how could this happen to me?! To be turned into a blood sucker!"ined her mother.


    Mnie wasn''t angry at her mother, but she did pity the woman. Her mother had eagerly tied her in the basement, and now she had be the very kind she hunted and experimented.


    Her mother broke into sobs, while her father looked torn. He spoke in a low voice, "The other hunters aren''t aware that your mother has turned. If they knew...If Jack knew, he will¡ª"


    "Kill her?" asked Mnie because that is what hunters did.


    "Yes," replied her father.


    "Don''t worry about it. Simon has already taken care of him," replied Mnie, and her father passed a questioning look at her. "Maybe it is time that we came to amon ground with the vampires, the good ones. Not the bad ones. Which would help not just the vampires, or us, but the entire humanity."


    Right now, the idea didn''t sound bad, and he wanted to save his wife. He loved her and his daughter very much, and he would have done that for both of them. Like his wife, he despised the vampire''s existence, but now that one of his family members had turned, he had to lower his pride and change his thoughts to adjust to the current situation.


    "The hunters wille back to haunt this ce," said Mr. Davis to Mnie. "They will not rest."


    "Then they will need to embrace their deaths, as the vampires in here won''t let anything happen. You saw it," exined Mnie, and she tried to convince him, "Dad, there''s no point fighting with the good ones, when they aren''t even causing any trouble."


    "It is not how we were raised, Mel. You do not understand," her father sighed.


    "I don''t want to live this life," came the soft whisper from Mrs. Davis, and both her husband and her daughter turned wide-eyed.


    "What are you telling? We''ll get through this¡ª" Mr. Davis tried to console his wife, but Mrs. Davis was losing it.


    "Do you know how I feel right now? I want to sink my teeth into your or any other human''s flesh. All I can think about is blood. I cannot live like this," Mrs. Davis shook her head, looking slightly livid.


    At the same time, someone growled far behind them.


    "AHH!!!"


    A few hunters who were still around turned to catch sight of the head hunter, who had turned into a vampire. "He''s turned into a vampire too!" gasped Mr. Davis. He wasn''t sure if he was supposed to be happy that his wife hadpany or worry right now.


    The head hunter appeared in pain, and he fell to his knees. He covered his face with his hands in pain. After a few seconds, the man''s eyes fell on a gun. When he picked it up, the others turned wary only for a second before they noticed him cing the gun''s nozzle at his temple and pulling the trigger.


    The gunshot was nothing short of deafening, and the hunters looked at the newly turned vampire fall to the ground. Blood oozed out from the man''s head while he looked like a dying fish.


    Simon sighed, "Seriously. Being a hunter and doesn''t know how to shoot." He walked to where the head hunterid and said, "You aren''t going to die that easily. Let me help," He picked up one leg of the man and dragged him towards the infirmary.


    Mrs. Davis felt her soul almost leave her body, and she no longer wanted to die. She sobbed, "I don''t know what to do anymore."


    Mnie came forward, cing her hand on her mother''s shoulder and assured her, "Don''t worry, mother. We''ll get through this together."


    "I am so sorry," her mother apologized, and Mnie patted her mother''s back.


    "It''s okay, mother," maybe this was a decent start, Mnie thought in her mind.

 Chapter 307 - After the chaos

    Chapter 307 - After the chaos


    Mnie patted her mother''s shoulder, assuring her that everything would be alright, and when her eyes met Simon''s, he offered her a bright smile. Simon walked to where she and her family stood, and on seeing him, Mr. Davis turned slightly stiff. Because it was only a while ago, they had tried to fire bullets at him, and now he couldn''t do that and instead was embarrassed for his earlier actions.


    "Mrs. Davis," Simon called Mnie''s mother, and the woman, who had covered her face with both her hands, raised her head.


    "Did youe here to mock my condition?" questioned Mrs. Davis.


    "Of course, not," Simon tilted his head to the side. And Mrs. Davis''s lips murmured a half-hearted apology. But Mnie could tell that Simon was enjoying the way things had turned out to be. He said, "Why would I ever do that, and what would I get from it? What has happened is in the past, and I know how you feel right now. But I shall do my best in guiding you, and make sure that you will still be able to hold on to your principles without hurting anyone."


    "Why would you do that?" Mrs. Davis slightly frowned, not knowing if this vampire had any ulterior motive behind the help he was offering.


    "That is because one day in the future I will be marrying your daughter. I thought it would be better that we all get along well, and I am sure Mnie wants you to stay alive, next to her," came the frank words from Simon.


    Both Mr. and Mrs. Davis turned to look at Mnie, whose face held a nk expression now. After two seconds, she nodded, "It is true, mom. I would be upset and sad if I were to lose you."


    "You n to marry him?" questioned Mr. Davis, not knowing how this would even work. Until this very day, they had believed that the vampires and humans were not meant to be together. To think about marriage between them appeared to be an impossible task.


    Mnie turned to look at Simon, who waited for her answer to his indirect question to her. She replied to the question while looking at Simon, "Yes. I want to marry him."


    It hadn''t even been a week since she and Simon had gotten into a rtionship, but she was sure in her heart that this was what she wanted. To be with him. There was a thin line between hate and love, and in their case, it had changed into thetter.


    A grin appeared on Simon''s lips, and he then turned to look at Mrs. Davis, "We should head to the infirmary. Your body has only started the process of transformation and we need to make sure that it goes smoothly, else it can lead to death."


    Mrs. Davis'' eyes widened, and she finally gave a nod before following the vampire towards the infirmary building where most of the injured vampire students and staff were being treated. And an exception had been made for a few human hunters who needed immediate treatment.


    And while most were in the infirmary, Roman had carried Julie to his room. Not to his dorm but to the room in which he had grown up in the Moltenore''s mansion.


    Right now, they both sat on the bed, with their backs leaning against the wall, while Julieid her head on Roman''s shoulder for support.


    "It feels so peaceful," murmured Julie, not because of the silence as some of the students were in the corridor, talking andughing. But because their minds were at ease now.


    With the fight that had taken ce, the curfew time on Veteris for the students had been lifted.


    "It is," replied Roman, where he held Julie''s hand.


    "How are you doing with your heart?" Julie softly asked him, lifting her head, and she turned to look at him. Now that her soul energy had been restored back to its full capacity, she wanted to check the condition of his heart.


    When she tried to ce her other hand on his chest, Roman gently caught it with his free hand.


    "Always so eager to help," remarked Roman, raising one of his eyebrows as he stared into her brown eyes.


    "It is you, so I shouldn''t think twice before doing it and I do feel better. Believe me," said Julie, and she carefully ced her hand on his chest beneath which his heart continued beating.


    And when Julie closed her eyes to concentrate, Roman watched the girl who held his heart. He remembered the first time they had met each other, and during the time he had known her, she had grown in this very room. She was no longer the frightened girl, and she was brave, more than capable to keep her ground, and he couldn''t tell her how proud he was of her.


    When he saw her opening her eyes, she held a hint of surprise on her face, and he asked her, "What did you find?"


    "The core of your heart, it is different. There''s a thin sheen of screen around it. It''s simr to the protectionyer that Cillian had previously used," replied Julie, and Roman gave some thought to her words.


    "It must be the dark creature from the forbidden door. It must have left some sort of connection after identifying me to be the person it wants to serve for," stated Roman, and Julie nodded. "It feels simr to the connection you and Cillian shared."


    "Can you feel it?" Julie asked him in pure curiosity.


    Thest time when she was on the forbidden side of the door, the creatures had tried to consume her soul and wanted to kill her. They were like creatures of death that wanted to swallow people.


    "Mm," responded Roman, and he said, "I can feel its intentions and emotions, the darkness that it surrounds itself in. It''s currently sitting outside the dormitorium. To be precise, sitting on the branch of the tree."


    Julie stared at the ce where she had ced her hand, and when her hand slowly slid down, her face moved closer to him. Roman brought both his hands to cup her face, and he kissed her lips. Sucking her upper lip and tasting her.


    Right now, Julie felt her heart was going to burst over the sweetness, and when they pulled back a little, their noses touched each other, rubbing against each other.


    "Now that everything is resolved. What do you think about going shopping?" he asked her.


    "Shopping?" asked Julie.


    "We do have to buy furniture and other things for the house. Let me take you there tomorrow," said Roman, and Julie smiled.


    "Yes, let us do that," replied Julie. They deserved the peace that had finally been bestowed on them, and she scooted closer before cing her head on his chest. Roman wrapped his arms around her.


    "Get some sleep, Winters. We still have a lot of things to do tomorrow," he kissed the top of her head, closing his eyes in the process, and Julie did the same.


    When morning arrived, all the hunters left the Veteris property, and the grounds had been cleared and cleaned from any possible dead bodies that were still lying in the forest after the fight that had taken ce. Thanks to Elder Remy''s healing ability, the injured vampires were healing quickly.


    In one of the benches not too far from the Elder''s manor, Elder Castiel and Ms. Dante sat on it, staring ahead of them. Elder Castiel asked her, "Do you still n to resign from the headmistress position?"


    One corner of Ms. Dante''s lips pulled up, "I think not yet. Feels like there could be a lot of improvement done to this ce and the people. Now that the human hunters know about this ce, I will have to ask Borrell to draft a document of agreement to silence them from speaking about it."


    "I would like to help," Castiel offered, and Ms. Dante turned to look at him.


    "I thought you were nning to go to the East as you had business there with Luciano,"mented the vampiress, looking at him from the corner of her eyes.


    "I do," replied Castiel, while looking at the rays of the sun touching them. "But I think this time work can wait as there are other important matters to work on."


    "You don''t have to halt your work to take care of Veteris. Donovan is going to be here with the others, there''s enough help."


    "No, not that kind of important matters," said Castiel, and he got up from the bench, which made the vampiresses eyes following him. "There is something I should have done here, but time never seemed to be right," and he turned to look at her.


    Ms. Dante didn''t understand what Castiel was talking about. With the serious expression on her face, her eyes met his. He surprised her by stretching his hand towards her, and he said,


    "I want to stay next to you, Eloise. I couldn''t do it before, but I don''t want to dy it anymore than it already has."


    The woman continued to stare hard at him, and she asked him, "Are you asking me to marry you, Castiel?"


    "I am," came the firm words from the vampire. "Don''t you think it is time we got together and spend life just like we always wanted to... the kind we only imagined but never shared before."


    A soft sigh escaped from Ms. Dante''s lips, and she said, "Don''t you think we are too old to marry? I have been married once."


    "To a husband you never loved and is dead now," replied Castiel, and he continued, "I have been waiting to spend my time with you, Eloise. For a very long time, and you should know that my intentions with you haven''t changed and will continue to remain the same. Will you do me the honor?"


    Eloise hadn''t expected to hear a proposal from Castiel because of the gap in their vampire status. She had never thought of marrying another man, especially after her previous stressful marriage.


    "Oh my! Is it time to buy a new suit for the wedding?" came the annoying voice, and Ms. Dante turned and caught sight of Donovan, who was walking next to Avice. "Who would know that we were going to celebrate this soon? You can reject him, Eloise," he poked her because Castiel''s hand was still waiting for her to take it.


    Ms Dante''s eyes met Castiel''s eyes again, and she sighed one more time before saying, "You don''t have to make romantic gestures, Castiel, to get me to say yes."


    Castiel smiled at Eloise, the smile gentle and kind as he had received his answer from those words from her.

 Chapter 308 - To heal things

    Chapter 308 - To heal things


    Julie stared at the house which was huge, and for a few seconds, she was left speechless. The location of the house was slightly away from the city and was on the quieter side, with trees surrounding it. "It is beautiful and really big..."


    "Mm, it is," replied Roman,ing to stand behind Julie and cing his chin on her shoulder. "I had to consider our future. I thought about the apartment, but then it won''t be just us two forever."


    On hearing his words, Julie''s cheeks turned red, and she turned happier. She asked him, "Do you n to have a dozen kids?"


    Roman''s lips twisted into a smile, "Sure, why not? The more the better. A big family and also there''s a room for Donovan."


    "I am d to hear that," replied Julie, because Donovan would surely demand to have a room in their house so that he coulde and go when he wanted.


    Roman had always craved to have a family of his, as they had been stolen from him when he was still young. And she understood his need to have a big family in the future.


    "Does Donovan know about it?" asked Julie and Roman shook his head.


    "Not yet. I thought it would be more fun to see him turn annoyed that he doesn''t have a room dedicated for him in here," hummed Roman, and Julie ced her hands on Roman''s when he wrapped it around her. "If you don''t like it, there are two more houses."


    "No," Julie shook her head, "This is more than perfect. Thank you, Rome."


    "You are thanking me quite early when there''s more in store," he whispered next to her ear. "There are a lot of things I want to give you."


    "What is that?" asked Julie, ying to be innocent, when it was clear with the tone of his voice what he was talking about.


    Roman''s nose moved on the side of her neck, "I can show you better than tell you. But there is somewhere else I want to take you."


    When he unwrapped his arms around her, Julie turned to face him, "Seems like you have been busier than me, nning things."


    Roman offered her a smile, "Who else will I n for, if it is not for you? Are you ready to see the next surprise?"


    "I cannot wait," replied Julie, and they walked back to where they had earlier parked the motorcycle. "I feel bad that I didn''t make any surprise ns for you..." her words trailed. She had been busy trying to revert the state of thend that everything else had slipped out of her mind untilst night.


    She wondered how to surprise Roman, not wanting him to be the only one making her happy.


    "You are a surprise that beats any other surprise in my life. You don''t have to do that," said Roman, handing her the helmet.


    "Mm," responded Julie, putting the helmet over her head, and Roman took the job of clicking the straps below her chin.


    "I mean it," Roman promised her, and he sat on the seat of the motorcycle, and soon Julie sat behind him.


    They travelled for quite a lot of distance before Roman finally entered the diner where they had their first date. The memory was still fresh, and it brought a smile to her face.


    "We are on a date?" asked Julie, getting off the motorcycle and noticing there weren''t many vehicles parked outside the diner.


    "Seems like it was only yesterday that we were here, isn''t it?" he asked her, and he helped her out of the helmet. "Why don''t you go and settle yourself in the booth and I will be there in a minute?"


    Julie nodded, with a bright smile on her face as she turned a little giddy at how romantic Roman was. Who would have ever thought that the grumpy and aloof senior who she had crashed into outside the diner would turn out to be like this.


    Walking towards the door of the diner, she pushed it to hear the bell ring above the door. When she was about to pick a booth, her eyes fell on someone sitting in one of the booths. The smile on Julie''s face faltered, and she felt her chest heavy.


    When the person felt her gaze, he turned and met her eyes.


    Julie''s footsteps were careful as she walked towards the booth where the man sat. Her lips parted, but she was speechless.


    "How have you been doing, Julie?" asked Uncle Thomas, and there was a slight awkwardness around them.


    "Uncle Thomas... What are you doing here...?" asked Julie.


    The memory of how her uncle had left the house with her behind was still there, and it often hurt her when she thought about that day. From where her uncle stood, he was right. After all, he had lost his wife because of a vampire she was associated with.


    "I came to meet you," replied Uncle Thomas, and he brought his hand forward, "Would you like to take a seat?"


    "Yes," replied Julie, dazed that her rtive was here for her. She was sure that he didn''t want to see her ever again the way he had left.


    "Actually Roman was the one who got me toe here..." said Uncle Thomas, and Julie''s eyebrows raised in surprise. He did? Of course, he did, she thought in her head. "How have you been?"


    Having her uncle sitting in front of her right now meant a lot to her, and she quickly blinked her eyes, "I-I am doing good. How have you been? Where is Joel?"


    "He''s in school. Has his exams. I asked one of the teachers to look after him until I go back," replied Uncle Thomas, and he offered her a smile. Julie smiled back at him. She heard her uncle sigh softly before he apologized, "I have thought about the way things turned outst time. And I should have been more understanding about your side."


    Julie shook her head, "It was never your fault. Your grief and anger are valid..." Because Aunt Sarah had never meant to be part of the hunter''s group, Donovan had made a mistake in killing her. "How are you doing, Uncle Thomas?"


    "I think I am trying to hold things and have been doing better than before," answered Uncle Thomas.


    "I am truly sorry for what happened. If I knew something like that would happen, I would have not visited that weekend," exined Julie.


    "None of us knew, Julie. It just happened... What has happened is done and things that are lost cannot be found. I won''t lie, with the loss of Sarah, it has left a hole in my chest that is going to take time to fill. But after speaking to Roman about somethings, I realized that there are more important things, to hold on to things that I still care about. No matter what weird things you are associated with, you are still my niece, Julie."


    Julie had been hurt when her uncle had decided to cut ties with her, and now that he was back because of Roman, she couldn''t ask for anything more.


    "And you will always be my uncle Tom," replied Julie, and Uncle Thomas smiled over her words.


    "Does this mean...you will be back here?" It was because he and her cousin now lived in a different state.


    "I wasn''t initially nning, but Roman offered Joel to be put in a good school. I think he wants me to stay near you," said Uncle Thomas, and Julie''s eyes lowered, the smile on her lips stretching further. "He seems to be very different from the impression he had given me before. He cares a lot about you."


    "He does," replied Julie, and she wondered where Roman was because he hadn''t entered the diner. It seemed like he was giving her and her uncle space to talk.


    "Thank you foring here, Uncle Tom," she knew it took a lot of effort for him toe here after what happened. "I promise nothing like that to happen to you again."


    Uncle Thomas nodded, "Are you safe? I mean with them...?"


    Julie nodded, "The safest. I know that you ended up on the wrong foot earlier, but they care."


    "I see," murmured Uncle Thomas, and he said, "I guess if you are safe, that should be more than enough. And it seems like the boy loves you. It took two hours of talking on the phone, and two days before I tried to look at things differently. You know you couldpel me to stay here..."


    Julie smiled at her uncle''s words, "It wouldn''t be right to manipte you. It wouldn''t be from your own free will... and I wanted you to forgive me for whatever happened from your heart."


    "You didn''t make any mistake, Julie. It was no one''s fault but that¡­" her uncle wasn''t happy with Donovan. But he said, "We have both lost people equally. Maybe we can start anew and try to put the past behind us."


    "I would love that," Julie was quick to agree.


    "And maybe this time with no secrets."


    "Yes, Uncle Tom," Julie smiled, and her uncle smiled back at him.


    "What would you like to eat? I was nervous and didn''t order anything yet," her uncle chuckled, and Julie smiled,


    "I will have what you eat. Let me go and see where Roman is."


    The waitress arrived at their table, talking to Uncle Thomas, while Julie stepped outside the diner and noticed Roman with a cigarette between his lips. Hearing her footsteps, he turned and asked her,


    "Everything okay with the surprise?"


    "More than okay," replied Julie, and she hugged him. "Thank you, Rome. It means a lot to have him here."


    "I know," replied Roman. "Now everything is perfect," pulling the cigarette away from his lips, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

 Chapter 309 - Mother’s hairpin

    Chapter 309 - Mother''s hairpin


    Julie smiled, feeling Roman press his lips against her forehead and this moment that they shared, was nothing short of bliss. It was as if God had bestowed her with happiness after putting her through hardships, where she had to fight for the people whom she loved and the things she believed in.


    "Uncle Thomas said that it took you two days before you got him to agree and understand," said Julie, pulling away and taking a step back so that she could look at him.


    Roman raised his hand to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear, "I knew you were hurting and it was after all my father''s fault and mine. I did threaten him that day. He''s still your family member and I know how important family is."


    "Thank you," whispered Julie, as she felt her throat tighten with the brewing emotions.


    "Let us not keep him waiting and let us eat with him. We don''t want him running away from here just in case he decides to change his mind," said Roman with a crooked smile on his lips. He slipped his hand in hers before tugging her hand as they walked towards the diner''s front door.


    When they stepped inside, with the doorbell softly tinkling, they made their way to the booth where Uncle Thomas was sitting. Julie noticed how her uncle turned slightly stiff in Roman''s presence, but he tried to put a smile on his face.


    "Hope your ride here was smooth, Mr. Winters," Roman''s words were polite as he sat down next to Julie.


    Uncle Thomas nodded, "It was. Thank you for arranging the quick transport. The time I checked, all the flights were booked."


    "We have some connections that help in clearing a seat or two," replied Roman.


    Julie heard Roman and Uncle Thomas talk to each other, and after a few minutes, her uncle''s shoulder loosened, and he didn''t sit there as stiff as the first few minutes, as if he was gettingfortable in their presence.


    When they were done eating, they decided to step out. While Roman was still paying the bill, Uncle Thomas called her, "Julie."


    Julie turned to look at her uncle, who seemed a little tense about something. "Yes, Uncle Tom?"


    "There is something that I wanted to give you. I think it belongs to you," he said to her, his hand dipping into the front of his coat before it emerged out with a dainty looking ne which was made of pearls.


    Julie took hold of the ne in her hand, staring at it, when she heard him say, "It belonged to your mother. And also this hairpin," he said, pulling it out of his trouser pocket and giving it to her, which held different coloured stones.


    "Where did you get these?" asked Julie with a creation expression on her face.


    Uncle Thomas pursed his lips before wetting it and said, "Your mother had it when she was young. I don''t think either of our parents ever gifted her, or any boy had given it to her. After all, she was young and I remember her holding it when no one was looking at her."


    Julie took a closer look at the hairpin, which had nearly seven colors¡ªcolorless, red, blue, green, yellow, violet andstly, ck. Her thumb brushed over the delicate hairpin where the stones had been stuck, and her eyes slightly widened. This... these were stones made by the witches, which held different abilities.


    "But one day she lost it and she tried looking for it. I found this the night your mother passed away... I am guessing that someone did give it to her and it was meant to be give to you," said Uncle Thomas, and Julie looked up at her uncle.


    "Thank you for giving this to me, and for keeping it safe," Julie thanked her uncle.


    "I think you should thank your aunt. Sarah was the one who had kept it in the safe," he replied to her, and he spoke his thoughts out loud, "I wonder if she somewhere knew... that there was something amiss but never confronted it."


    Julie wished she could reverse time and fix things, but life wasn''t as easy as that, was it?


    She stepped forward, putting her arms around her uncle and hugged him.


    "Thank you foring to meet me. It means a lot," said Julie because she knew it must have taken him a lot of courage beforeing here.


    "I am d I came. Are you sure you are safe here? There won''t be anyone who mighte to harm you?" Uncle Thomas asked her one more time to make sure about her safety.


    "Julie is in the safest ce right now, Mr. Winters. And if I may suggest," spoke Roman, who stepped through the door, "We wouldn''t mind finding a job for you in Veteris, and Joel will be joining Veteris once hees to the right age."


    "Thank you for the offer, Roman. But I think I would still like to keep my old job," replied Uncle Thomas and offered him a slight bow. "Please take good care of Julie, I will be in touch." Giving Julie a smile, the man walked to the car that Julie hadn''t noticed had been pulled not too far away from where they stood.


    Julie stared at the car until it disappeared from their sight. She stood there unmoving, and when Roman was pulling the motorcycle, she took a deep breath.


    "If you want we can visit them. It will be like vacation," proposed Roman, and it didn''t sound like a bad idea, but at the same time, she felt a sense of responsibility. Though they had fought and had driven the evil out of Veteris from any possible harm, they still had to keep an eye to make sure the peace would continue to stay.


    "I think there''s one ce I would like to visit," said Julie when she turned to him and took the helmet from him.


    "Tell me where you want to go, and I will take you there," responded Roman, and Julie smiled at his words. She leaned forward and whispered something in his ear. The expression on his face was nk, and he pulled back to look at her, "Okay."


    Julie sat behind him on the motorcycle, and Roman started it before they rode away from the diner. She ced the side of her face on his back, staring at the passing trees for some time before she closed her eyes as if she had fallen asleep. Her arms wrapped around Roman''s waist, and a smile appeared on her lips.


    To think how things had changed in less than one year, and there were many memories built around it. Some good, some bad.


    When they reached the forest, Roman parked the motorcycle next to a tree, and they walked through the meadow. They walked in silence, and when they finally reached the headstone that belonged to Roman''s mother, Julie noticed the headstone had been changed.


    "Donovan wanted to make sure mother rested in a grand way,"mented Roman while he stared at the marble headstone.


    "He loved her," said Julie, and Roman sighed.


    "I don''t like to agree to it, but sometimes... his actions makes it seem that he did," replied Roman, and he bent down to clean the leaves and the dust that was gathered on top of his mother''s grave. "Though he does get annoying."


    Julie nodded, a smile was etched on her lips. She hade here to pay respect to Roman''s mother because if it weren''t for that woman, the person who loved and cared for and treated her the way he did wouldn''t exist.


    They stayed there quietly, speaking to the woman through their mind without moving their lips. Julie pulled out the hairpin that Uncle Thomas had given her.


    "Are those magical stones from the forbidden side?" questioned Roman.


    "You know about them?" asked Julie, turning to look at him.


    "The creature likes to speak sometimes," murmured Roman, and he took a closer look at it. "That''s too much power in there. Your mother made sure that you would have everything you would need when time came... but you did well by yourself," he remarked.


    "I wonder if this is what Joaquin was looking for. All the stones on one side which were not distributed," said Julie in a thoughtful voice.


    "If this is the one that he was looking for. I don''t think it would be right to bring it in front of anyone. As good as people are... power can make people go crazy and greed often lurks in our dark hearts," stated Roman, and Julie couldn''t agree more.


    She didn''t want to keep something like this near her or have anyone use it. It being something that belonged to her mother, which had been passed to her like a family heirloom of the La Fay''s, she didn''t want to destroy it.


    Julie dug a portion of mud out next to Roman''s mother''s grave before cing the hairpin in there. She wanted to keep her mother''s gift for her in care of Roman''s mother. It was the safest ce, and no one would evere to disturb it unless they wanted to face Donovan and Roman''s wrath.


    "You could use it for yourself," said Roman, and Julie patted the mud that she had put back.


    "I am happy with the abilities that I have, and I am content with it. And I have you next to me," Julie felt Roman ce his hand on top of her head. In her heart, she wished that they could have got to spend more time meeting the people they had lost, thought Julie in her mind.


    She wanted to see her mother again, meet her father, and apologize to Aunt Sarah. She knew Roman had a fair share of people whom he missed, but the words never came to his lips. The Moltenore family, his mother, Ms. Piper¡­ and his butler. She remembered the emotions behind his words, even though they were subtle.


    Julie stared at the grave in front of her.


    ''Thank you for bringing him into this world. He misses you dearly,'' said Julie in her mind, speaking to Roman''s mother. ''''I will make sure to look after him, to be better for him, and love him to my fullest, she said to the woman, hoping her words could reach the deceased.


    Spending some more time there, the couple finally said their byes before heading back to where the motorcycle was parked.


    "Is there something you want to do?" Roman asked Julie, and she gave him a thoughtful look.


    "Is there something you have on your mind?" and she sat behind him, putting her helmet over her head.


    "Well, I was thinking as our date had been rudely interrupted before. How about we go have some fun in the amusement park?"


    "I think I would love it," replied Julie, moving closer to him, and Roman kickstarted the motorcycle, leaving the forest behind them.


    As hours passed, things in Veteris weren''t as peaceful as one would expect, as the hunters who had been bit by vampires were undergoing transformation under the eyes of Elder Remy, Elder Castiel and Avice.


    While Elder Donovan stood in front of the tree, whom he referred to as Lady Karina.


    "One of these days people are going toment on how crazy you look," remarked Ms. Dante, who was walking by and had noticed Donovan standing in front of it.


    Donovan turned to look at the vampiress, "How rude of you to be interrupting my conversation with the beautifuldy," he replied, and Dante wasn''t sure if perhaps Donovan needed some fixing in his brain. But she doubted they would end up finding there was more than one thing to be fixed in there. "Have you started your wedding preparation?"


    Dante quietly red at Donovan, and asked, "Why is it the tree doesn''t speak to others?"


    "Lady Karina is a shy woman. And she thinks others are unworthy of her words. But if you listen carefully¡­ you will be able to hear her whisper," Donovan had ended hisst words in a hushed tone. Dante stared at him, and then at the tree, where she received nothing but quietness.


    Ms. Dante shook her head and then said, "There has been a little resistance from the hunters. They seem to not be responding to the document that was sent to not meddle with us."


    "You should leave such things to us, Eloise. Do you think the hunters will ept your proposal that easily?" asked Donovan and he said, "How about I go and encourage them a little. I am sure the job will be done much faster with my approach."


    "I would appreciate it," replied Ms. Dante.


    "Of course, anything for my sister-inw," joked the Elder vampire, and a vein popped on the headmistress'' forehead. Dante was going to tell something, when Donovan went, "Huh?" as if he was listening to something the tree was saying something.


    "What''s the matter?" questioned the vampiress.


    "Lady Karina says the wind is blowing in another direction today," hummed Donovan, and Ms. Dante slightly frowned.


    "I will see youter, Azazel," and Ms. Dante left the Elder vampire by himself.


    But Donovan didn''t stop listening to whatever the tree was telling, and he turned around, noticing something on the ground. It was as if there were little roots that connected to arge tree, and the roots held a little shine like light in them.


    "How strange murmured," Donovan to himself. "Do you know what is going on, Lady Karina?" but he didn''t wait for a response, and instead, he started to walk away from the tree, wondering where these little roots connected to.


    The breeze around the forest had increased, and Donovan''s firm footsteps continued to step forward.


    When he came a certain distance, the roots disappeared, and his eyes slightly narrowed. He wondered if the dark magic hadn''t left the ce entirely, or if thend had been affected by something else. Giving a look around the ce, he turned around, ready to leave the ce, and he took five steps forward, until he heard something not far behind him.


    On turning back, he caught sight of a slender woman standing a few distance away from him. There was an obvious look of surprise in his eyes, looking at the familiar raven ck hair.


    "I thought I would never see you again," remarked Donovan with a smile on his lips as he started to walk towards her.


    "I guess it was never meant to be thest, Azazel," Lilian replied with a smile.

 Chapter 310 - Turning on the lights

    Chapter 310 - Turning on the lights


    "Let me touch you to know if you are real or I am only imagining what my subconscious wants to see," said Donovan, but before he could raise his hand to touch the woman, Lilian beat him by cing her soft hand on his cheek.


    For a moment, the Elder vampire closed his eyes, feeling the touch nothing less to precious drops of water that was being provided to a person in the hot desert. He opened his red eyes and looked at the woman.


    "How is it possible?" He questioned her because he was curious to know how she was here. Breathing and living as if she had never left, that she had been existing all this while, and it was him who had failed to notice her.


    Lilian smiled at him, which was tender and sweet. She said, "Our son came to visit by my grave with Julie¡­ and the girl left something behind without realizing what it was."


    With her other hand, she pulled out the hairpin that had stones in them that Julie had earlier buried in the soil next to her grave. Donovan''s eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes narrowed, "Those are the stars of stones, which¡­"


    "Which arebined together to give life," Lilianpleted his sentence. She looked down at the stones, where seven stones were supposed to be present, but there were only six of them there. The violet coloured stone was missing, leaving a tiny hollow space behind. "As expected from the famous Opaline La Fay."


    Donovan ced his hand on Lilian''s hand that was still on his face, and he brought it down while continuing to hold it without letting it go. There were times when he had wished and dreamt of ways to make things better and not as worse as he had left her. And now that she was here, he didn''t want her to disappear from his sight.


    He had been with many women, but if there was anyone who had left a profound effect in his life, it was this woman. The mystery around her had often made him question, but then both of them had decided not to question each other beyond what happened in the walls of the inn.


    Donovan didn''t know if he loved her or not in the past because things back then were different, but for him to recklessly make a son with her¡­ it only meant that he had lost himself in her. And he wouldn''t mind getting lost in her all over again.


    "I still turn a little speechless, when I realize you knew about witches and vampires from the very beginning," remarked Donovan, and Lilian looked up to meet his eyes. "Did you have an idea of what I was?"


    Lilian''s eyes slightly lowered, and she nodded, "I somewhere did¡­ It isn''t every day we have men of high status, ordering everyone oring for business in the town that I lived in which is poor."


    Donovan softly chuckled. It seemed like he had fallen for a woman who was resilient, who was smart and knew how to cover her true identity.


    "You do not have to beat yourself over the things that have happened in the past. It was no one''s fault, and I have never med you for it," said Lilian, feeling Donovan squeeze her hand. "Our destiny had already been written and we had to follow it to meet again here."


    "You are right," Donovan agreed to her words. It didn''t matter what had happened in the past anymore because, after everything, she was finally here. "You aren''t nning to leave again, are you?"


    Lilian shook her head, "I don''t think so. Not anytime soon."


    "I can do with the not anytime soon," the Elder vampire nodded, and he offered her a bright smile. "I believe Rome and Julie have gone out of Veteris to spend some time alone as they haven''t returned yet."


    "It is fine. There''s no hurry," replied Lilian, and they walked towards one of the benches and sat down under the velvety sky that carried stars in it.


    Out of Veteris, and right outside the amusement park, Roman and Julie stood in front of the entrance where the gates had been closed. The lights had been turned off, leaving the ce dark and without any crowd.


    "Did they close this ce?" asked Julie, rubbing her hands together as the weather was chilly.


    "It was not supposed to be closed," replied Roman, and he looked around the ce to see if they could find a security person there. But they didn''t spot anyone.


    "Maybe we cane tomorrow," suggested Julie, as they wouldn''t be able to take any rides or eat anything.


    "Let me go and find the person in charge here. I am not leaving the ce withoutpleting our date here," remarked Roman, and he walked to the front before jumping on the other side of the gate and Julie''s eyes widened.


    "I don''t think trespassing is a good idea," murmured Julie under her breath, which Roman heard quite clearly.


    "When you have a vampire boyfriend next to you, you shouldn''t worry about such things. It is verymon to jump in ces that are already closed or locked," said Roman, and before Julie could reply to him, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching not too far from where she was. For a moment, she became worried by thinking it was the amusement authorities who had arrived at the ce after catching them on the CCTVs.


    But Julie was surprised when she saw Mnie and Simon walking towards her.


    "Well, hello there, Julie and Rome. I didn''t know you two decided to shut down the amusement park," Simon joked on noticing theck of light, as it wasn''t really thatte.


    Mnie smiled at Julie, quickly walking towards her friend and hugging her, "Thank God you are here, Julie. I was dragged here," she turned around and red at Simon.


    "You just didn''t stop hovering over your mother and thest thing I needed was her pouncing on you," came the casual words from Simon. "Also, you promised me a date before we even turned into a couple."


    "All the best for the rest of your life, Mnie," Roman congratted the human, and Mnie nervously smiled, understanding that every friend of Simon knew exactly how he had a couple of screws loose in his head. Yet, it didn''t stop her from liking him. She wondered if, over the time, she had somewhere lost a few screws from her head after starting to speak to him.


    "Thanks?" Mnie replied with an unsure tone.


    "I am d everything worked out for good, Mel," Julie encouraged her friend because both Mnie and Simon seemed to have shared an obvious chemistry even though they used to argue in the past. "How is your mother''s transformation going?"


    "She''s turned weak and aggressive," replied Mnie with a frown on her face. "Elder Remy said it is normal and they would be depriving her from any blood intake until shees to a more stable state. But that would also mean that none of us can go near her. She''s been on constant pain and I wish I could do something to reduce it."


    "She will be just fine," Simon waved his hand, "Mother-inw is strong and she will pull through."


    Mnie shook her head because though now it was alright, her mother often spiralled at the mention of Simon being her future son-inw. It was as if Simon enjoyed poking her mother and getting a reaction for his pure pleasure.


    "Why is the amusement park closed? It isn''t even Sunday,"mented Simon, and he walked towards the gate.


    "Maybe it is a sign that we head back to the university and make sure everyone is well," muttered Mnie under her breath.


    Roman looked around the ce before he opened the gate from the inside and said, "I guess with no one here, we can take a ride ourselves."


    "And this is why we are best friends," said Simon in a matter of fact tone before he stepped inside the ce by walking through the gates.


    "I feel like we are going to end up meeting the cops tonight," said Mnie in a worried tone.


    "Oh darling, you worry for nothing. If we have cops, all we have to do ispel them. Worse, I will carry you and run from here in speed," said Simon, and Mnie sent him a re.


    Mnie shook her head, murmuring something about how she was going to get into possible trouble as she made her way toward Simon.


    Julie walked to where Roman was, and in time, the vampires turned on the switchboard of the ce, and soon music started to fill the area, and lights turned on. Roman wrapped his hand around Julie''s hand and pulled her in the other direction so that he could have his own time with her while Simon and Mnie walked without holding hands.


    "Did you bring your other girls here too?" Mnie asked Simon with a curious look on her face.


    "My other girls? In the future I n to bring them of course. And you are wee to join us," Simon replied with a bright smile. Mnie gave him a dry look. It took her a while before her cheeks turned pink on who the girls Simon was talking about.


    "You are such a prankster," she rolled her eyes, making her way towards the ferris wheel. Simon moved quickly, and he opened the door for her,


    "Mdy."


    Though she could perfectly get inside the cabin of the ferris wheel, Mnie ced her hand on Simon''s hand that waited for her and got inside to take a seat. Soon Simon joined her, sitting in front of her so that he could look at her. He noticed the gentle breeze sway her hair that she had let tied, pulling out the short hair.


    Mnie watched the cabins starting to move, and as they moved five spots upwards, she said, "Never did I think that I woulde here when no one is around. Even with the music it is so quiet."


    Simon replied to her, "And never did I think that I would be sitting on one of these with a girl I would actually like."


    Mnie cleared her throat, feeling his intense gaze even when she turned to look in the other direction and her cheeks burned, as they were all alone on this side of the amusement park.

 Chapter 311 - Ferris Wheel

    Chapter 311 - Ferris Wheel


    "You should have got a jacket. It is good that I brought one with me."


    She stared at him, the little streaks of light around them falling on his face. She said, "I didn''t know we wereing here when you dragged me to sit on your motorcycle. Usually people offer their jackets to their girlfriends."


    Simon gasped, looking at her with a fake expression of shock on his face, and he said, "So that I am left cold? How heartless."


    Mnie shook her head, knowing that soon she would be losing all her hair on her head because of Simon. But then that is what she had signed up for, wasn''t it? She saw Simon raise both his hands wide, and he said,


    "You can tell you want a hug to warm you up. I am quite hot."


    "I sometimes wonder how are you this cheesy. Do you eat cheese every morning you wake up?" questioned Mnie in a yful tone.


    "What do you take me for? A mouse?" Simon raised his eyebrows and said, "There''s a lion sitting here, who can gobble you up."


    Simon saw Mnie turn her head after the corner of her lips threatened to pull up. He watched her lean her body towards the edge, watching the night view and then the ce below them, where they could see the whole amusement park from here.


    "It is so quiet here. Feels like one can easily get lost in the silence," said Mnie, a small smileing to form on her lips. "Simon¡ª" her eyes widened when she saw Simon missing from his seat.


    "Missing me already, my love?" came the question from her side, and Mnie quickly snapped her head to see him sitting next to her. When did he move to this side without her notice? "Don''t worry, I am not leaving you here by yourself."


    Mnie had a second ago moved so fast that her face was close to Simon''s face. His red hair had a tone of darkness, and on one side, it looked almost wine-like in its colour. His green eyes stared back at her, and his features appeared to be of a sinful demon.


    "You have the tendency of a sociopath," blurted Mnie so that she didn''t turn red with their closeness. She still remembered the feel of his lips on hers and his hands on her body. Tonight, it seemed like she was much shyer after his continuous im of her in his life.


    "I guess that is how it is. Now that I know, I hope you don''t mind and won''t run away from me," Simon whispered to her even though there was no one to hear them speak. The way he watched her, there was a hint of seductiveness that started to ooze out around him. "Will you?"


    Mnie felt her heart quicken by his words, and she replied, "I tried, but I don''t think I can."


    "How wonderful," murmured Simon, moving closer to her and putting his arm around her so that he could bring her forward while he leaned his upper body towards her. "Do you know how attractive you are when you say those things to me?"


    A sigh escaped from Mnie''s lips when Simon ced his hand on her cheek, brushing his fingers across her skin. "You are an odd one, Simon."


    "Mm, I am aware," hummed Simon, moving his face even closer while he angled his face towards Mnie before descending his lips on hers.


    Even though the amusement park wasn''t open like it usually was with the crowd and chatter, when Simon''s lips touched Mnie''s lips, she felt fireworks bursting in her head. Her toes curled when he caught her upper lip between his teeth, gently tugging it into his mouth while sucking it.


    Mnie ced her hands on Simon''s chest, and he pulled her closer so that they could reduce any possible distance between them.


    He tasted like coffee, an addictive coffee that had the ability to keep her awake from night until morning.


    "Ouch," whispered Mnie when Simon''s fangs nipped her lower lip. "Are you hungry?" she asked him.


    Simon, whose forehead was pressed against Mnie''s forehead, stared into her eyes while his breathing had turned heavy. He replied, "Very. You cannot even imagine it."


    Saying this, he wrapped his hand around her waist and, this time, dived into the kiss deeper than before. Mnie could feel her heart pounding and her hands fisting on the front of his shirt. She opened up to him like a flower to a bee, one petal at a time, so that he could have more ess to her as he tasted and rubbed his tongue across her own tongue sensually.


    When Simon pulled away from her lips, he stared into the girl''s hazy looking eyes, and if she weren''t sitting right now, her knees would have given away. He used his other hand to wrap around her neck, and he asked,


    "Would it worry you if I were to tell you that I wanted to take a bite from your neck," his finger traced the column of her neck.


    "It would surprise me if you didn''t," replied Mnie, and Simon''s eyes looking at her slender and smooth neck, he raised his gaze to look into her eyes.


    "Is that an invitation, Mnie?" There was a teasing smile on his lips, and he applied light pressure on her neck to test her.


    "I would prefer you drink from me than others," answered Mnie, her eyes slightly dazed and mixed with the passionate kiss that they had shared with each other. She knew that Simon had a long track record when it came to drinking human blood in Veteris.


    "Jealousy is often ugly to look at, but may I say it looks quite enticing on you," Simon''s tongue ran over one of his fangs, and his lips reached her neck, where he pressed it on her skin.


    Simon had consumed blood from a lot of people, more than one could imagine, but the way he felt about Mnie, it was different. He could feel the pulse under the skin, pumping fresh blood, which probably tasted sweeter than fruit that he once enjoyed when he was a little boy.


    He left another mouthful kiss, and on parting his lips, he licked it before his fangs sunk into her neck.


    Mnie felt the prick on her skin, and she winced, clutching Simon tightly while feeling her heart rapidly beating in her chest. There was something very erotic with the way he held her in his arms while he drank her blood.


    When Simon pulled his fangs away from her, he licked his lips to collect the little blood that might have spilt while sucking her blood.


    "It was as delicious as I imagined it to be for the first time when we met," he licked her neck one more time before moving back.


    "You thought of biting me from the beginning?"


    Simon grinned, ying with the ends of her hair, "I did. You are so cute and scared and grumpy, I couldn''t help but want to take a bite. Especially with the choco stick we were ying around, do you know how teasing it was?"


    "I doubt I knew anything about it, heartbreaker," said Mnie with a smile, and she let her back lean against the seat. She had been so wrapped up with her feelings for Conner that she hadn''t noticed that someone had started to look at her.


    "Come here, I don''t think I have warmed you enough yet," said Simon, putting his arm around Mnie''s shoulder, and she leaned into him.


    "I think you should move a bit closer," instructed Mnie, and the grin on Simon''s lips widened.


    "How about now?" he said, putting his other arm around.


    "Better," replied Mnie with a smile, and Simon chuckled at how cute Mnie was by letting her feelings flow easily. Of course, he loved Mnie, who red and stared at him in annoyance. But he enjoyed this new side of her, a little shy, a little bold, where she opened her heart and allowed him into it.


    After a couple of minutes passed in silence, where they sat in each other''spany, Mnie said, "Thank you for helping my mother. For telling her the process of the actual transformation of being a vampire." It was because the other vampires weren''t too keen to help a hunter who was in the transformation. "Even though you added in the end that she might die if the transformation doesn''t go well."


    "I don''t think your dad took it too well," said Simon with a frown.


    "Of course, he didn''t. Who even says that?"


    "I do," came the solemn response, and he added, "It is always good to know in which direction you are going so that you aren''t lost. Imagine she ends up in hell and asks what she''s doing there when she was supposed to turn into a vampire and live here?"


    "Simon..." Mnie turned to him with a re.


    Simon pressed Mnie''s nose, "You look cute when you are angry. Frankly, I am still annoyed that she put you in the basement," his eyes turned serious, which fell on the fading bruise on Mnie''s face.


    "She''s trying to change her ways. And those thoughts of her belong in the past," pointed Mnie, but it still didn''t sit well that Mnie had gone through it at the hands of her parents. Though it didn''te out as a shock, after all, he came from a family who enjoyed hurting and hitting him.


    "How is Jack doing...?"


    Simon blinked at her words and his lips, "Who?"


    "The man you have locked up somewhere," Mnie slightly frowned.


    "Oh, the half alive one, he''s just fine. I am sure he''s enjoying and appreciating life more than he ever has before," his hand let go of the strands of her hair, and he caught hold of her hand, intertwining their fingers. "I will make sure he likes it," came his calm words, that it left a chill down Mnie''s spine.


    "You don''t have to do that... they are already being punished," replied Mnie, and Simon brought her hand up before kissing the back of her hand.


    "I will try to hold back, but I cannot promise," he said looking into her eyes, and when Mnie didn''t look away from him, he asked her, "I want to spend some more time with you. What are your thoughts on it?"


    A confused expression entered Mnie''s eyes and she asked, "Aren''t we doing that now?"


    "I meant leave this ce, and be at a ce where it is just you and me, and less distance."

 Chapter 312 - Where to go?

    Chapter 312 - Where to go?


    Simon caressed her cheek, "There''s no pressure if you don''t want to. We can continue sitting here¡ª"


    "No," whispered Mnie, as the ferris wheel cabin continued to move,pleting another round, while she felt the butterflies in her stomach increase.


    "Then let us get down once we reach below," stated Simon, and he leaned forward, pressing his lips on hers.


    Once they reached below, the ferris wheel stopped, and Simon pushed the door open before helping her out of there, making her feel as if she was ady from the time where Simon belonged. His hand was firm on hers, and he pulled her away from there, without a word or a whisper to the other couple who were enjoying their time by themselves.


    When Mnie and Simon stepped out through the entrance gate of the amusement park, walking towards the parked motorcycle, she asked him,


    "Are we going back to Veteris?"


    Her eyes looked at him in curiosity, and Simon, who just sat on the motorcycle, ced his hands on the handles before looking at her. "Is that where you prefer to go?" he asked her, tilting his head in question.


    Mnie was filled with anxiousness and nervousness in her body and mind. She had been riled by Simon''s kisses on the ferris wheel and now that they were going to do it, it made her fidgety. Not to mention, going to Veteris, and in Simon''s dorm room¡­ she wasn''t sure how many vampires would hear them. Just the thought alone had her cheeks burn brightly.


    "I am not taking you there. I wouldn''t take you to a ce where there are others," Simon answered her unsaid thoughts, and this had Mnie look at him with surprise in her ck eyes.


    "No?" asked Mnie, and Simon slowly shook his head to a no.


    "No. I think ady''s first time should be far more special, especially when that you cherish and love. To be treated rightly. Don''t you agree, Ms. Davis?" questioned Simon, and Mnie pursed her lips.


    "You don''t have to address me as Ms. Davis. Mel is fine," replied Mnie, and Simon chuckled.


    "Is that so?" said Simon, and he gave his hand for her to take before having her guide toe sit behind him on the motorcycle. "I have a better ce on my mind. Something that you might find nicer."


    "A motel?" asked Mnie, and she ced her hands on his shoulders.


    She heard and felt Simon start the motorcycle, and to her question, he replied, "Better than a motel," and they rode away from the amusement park.


    When they reached the ce, where Mnie had believed would be a possible motel, much fancier, she noticed a moderate sized building that stood in front of them. Her eyes took in the area, and she then said, "This is an apartment."


    "Indeed it is," replied Simon, and a security guard appeared to bow at Simon.


    "Mr. Wace," greeted the security guard.


    "Good evening, Jamie," Simon greeted the man back before handing his motorcycle keys to the person. He then turned to Mnie and said, "Come on in."


    While they made their way through the doors and came to stand in front of the lift, Mnie asked him, "I would have never guessed that you had a ce to live apart from Veteris."


    Simon grinned at her words, "Did you think I had made Veteris my home? It is home only until my friends are there. You must already know that I do not hold many special memories there."


    And as cheerful his voice sounded, Mnie tried to look beyond it. Staring into his eyes, "When did you get this ce?" she inquired.


    "Less than a few months after we were woken up from our coffins," replied Simon, and he stared at the number that turned zero before it opened for them. They stepped inside, and the doors of the lift closed. "The massacre that took ce in Veteris more than a decade ago, it didn''t give many of us time to grieve for our families or the shock to sink in. And being a vampire, your emotions often run very high, everything is doubled or tripled, and it is why the vampires attend sses. To control those raging emotions, and behave normal," he exined to her.


    "But you didn''t grieve..." remarked Mnie because from what she knew about Simon, he wasn''t fond of his family members.


    "I didn''t," smiled Simon, the expression on his face peaceful. "But it did take some sinking that I killed them all. Sometimes you wonder if things would ever change, if they had lived. Maybe a change of heart¡­ It isn''t everyday you get to kill your entire family who mentally tried to break you."


    When the lift dinged, the doors opened, and Simon said, "We are here," and he stepped outside. Mnie followed him quietly.


    Her thoughts from the arousal had not changed to one of sympathy. For the boy who had been hurting, she wondered if Simon had found closure after killing his family.


    The lights in the corridor were dim, reflecting from the clean and pristine looking floor. Though as modest as the ce appeared from the outside, it wasn''t the same from the inside. She watched Simone and stand in front of the door, unlocking it, he pushed the door open.


    "After you," said Simon, watching Mnie look at him. She then stepped inside, and Simon followed her before closing the door behind them. "It isn''t much, as I don''t actually hang around often, but it has minimal things that get through any day. Not to mention, the fridge is always stocked with fresh food."


    "The security guard was a vampire?"


    "Mhm," nodded Simon, and he dropped the keys on the table. "Is there something you would like to drink?" he asked her.


    "Maybe some water," replied Mnie because she wondered if a vampire would have any orange juice here. But then, knowing this was Simon, anything was possible.


    When she drank the water to soothe her parched self, she handed the ss to Simon. On turning back, Mnie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.


    "I was hoping to find a shy Mnie, but you seemed to be a bold woman, darling," Simon teased her, wrapping his own arms around her waist. "Is something bothering you? If you have changed your mind, we don''t have to proceed with it, or maybe I can change your mind. I am very good at that."


    But Mnie didn''t speak for a few seconds until she said, "My heart hurts for you, Simon. For the things you had to go through..."


    The teasing smile on Simon''s lips lowered, and he ced his chin on the top of her head, "It is something that happened in the past, and I do not regret or curse it anymore. Because I am the way, I am because of those things."


    "Do you recollect the memories?" Mnie''s words came as a whisper, and when Simon didn''t reply to her immediately, she pulled away from his chest and raised her chin.


    The expression on Simon''s face was one of tranquility, and he touched her cheek before it slid down her neck. "Only on rare asions. As much as you want, even if you forget the memories, the feelings linger or appear when you do not expect it. It isn''t something that I cannot handle."


    "If you ever need to... you can always share it with me. I am a good listener," said Mnie, wanting to be there for him. Though Simon didn''t tell it in words, she could only imagine that he felt he was unwanted, and uncared for, someone his family made him believe that pain was only he was allowed to receive and not the tenderness or love one was supposed to experience.


    "I will remember that next time it happens," smiled Simon, his other hand sliding from her shoulder and to her back before it went to settle on the curve of her bottom. "Do you know what I want right now?"


    A gasp escaped from Mnie''s lips when Simon squeezed one of her bottom cheek that sent a jolt right between her legs. Her heart sped with the way his green eyes had turned slightly darker from its usual bright colour.


    "I would like to be the listener... to hear every cry and gasp, moan and sighs that will tumble from your lips," if Simon''s actions and earlier words didn''t seduce her, it did now. He pulled her close and kissed her on her lips.


    Mnie let herself be devoured by Simon for a few seconds before she tried to take reigns to kiss him, to cherish and love him back just as he deserved to be.


    They both battled each other with their lips and tongue, not staying in one spot as they had started to move towards the room while trying to discard each other''s clothes on their way. The first one toe off from Mnie was her blouse, and she felt cool air hit her chest.


    The nervousness that she had earlier appeared had now disappeared. She wanted to make Simon as happy and loved as she felt from him. She felt him nip her lip, and she sent a quiet re when she noticed the smile on his lips. When they kissed back, she sucked his bottom lips hard, and she bit into it, but not enough to draw blood from it.


    She pushed his shirt upwards, and Simon helped her in pulling it offpletely from his body, and it fell to the ground.

 Chapter 313 - Throes of passion

    Chapter 313 - Throes of passion


    To think that the woman he loved was affected by him. The people in the past didn''t matter anymore, now that he had someone who genuinely loved him.


    Mnie''s chest heaved a little as she tried to catch her breath from their shared kiss. Having never been touched like this before, her body was quickly heating up and listening to every whisper of his touch on her skin.


    She felt him move his hand behind her back, and she stepped closer before standing on the tip of her toes, seeking his lips.


    Simon dly leaned in and captured her lips, sucking it between his own lips, and he heard her moan. With one single movement, he unhooked her bra and used both his hands to hook his fingers on the straps of her bra before pulling it away from her. His hands then reached for the side zip on her skirt. Pulling back, he stared into her eyes while pulling the zipper down, and it fell on her feet.


    Mnie squeezed her legs on feeling Simon''s heated eyes rake through her upper body, and he said,


    "It is only a mystery how you don''t have a boyfriend. It is not everyday you find a woman with a mouth like yours and..." his words trailed, letting her fill in the nks. "Someone''s loss was my fortune."


    "You know what they say," said Mnie, letting her back hit the wall again. "Sometimes you go through many bad things before you find something good."


    "I couldn''t agree more," he hummed in response.


    The smile on Simon was back as the corner of his lip pulled upward, and he scooped her in his arms, hoisting her before letting her back press on the cold wall. Mnie quickly grasped his shoulders to bnce herself.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t drop you," Simon promised her, and he kissed her again until she was left breathless.


    Though they had only been kissing until now, Mnie''s body was high on desire wanting to be touched more by Simon. With her legs parted and wrapped around Simon''s waist, she could only imagine how the rest of their evening would unfold. And the thought had her dizzy.


    Simon carried her to a room she presumed to be his bedroom. The lighting here was soft on the eyes and somewhere even dreamy. Coming to the edge of the bed, he dropped her on the bed, and Mnie felt herself bounce.


    The smile on Simon''s lips had slipped, and he watched her every move, drinking in her appearance. His ears were in tune with every gasp and the skip of her heartbeat now.


    He prowled towards her, cing his hand on the bed and the next hand forward like a lion, while Mnie moved back to make more room before stopping herself at the centre of the bed with himing to hover above her.


    Simon''s lips fell on Mnie''s neck, and he left a trail of kisses on the column of her neck. Somewhere he was tempted to take another bite, but he didn''t want to be greedy. His blood lust could wait today. It was the first time he had ever brought a girl who was not his friend, and secretly deep in his heart, he was thrilled to have Mnie here with him.


    A sigh escaped from Mnie''s lips when Simon''s lips pressed on her shoulder. Her eyes closed, lost in the feelings that Simon offered to her. Her back arched when his lips continued to trail near one of her breasts while he brought one of his hands to ce it on the curve of her breast.


    "Ah...!" a quick gasp escaped from her lips when Simon flicked his tongue on the tip of her breast. Her back arched from the bed on another flick of his tongue before he covered her tip with his mouth.


    Mnie had never felt anything remotely close to this feeling, and it drove her mind wild enough that her body shook.


    When she was about to bring her legs to close, to relieve the pleasure that was building between them, Simon ced his leg in between it, stopping her from closing it.


    "Not so soon, darling," Simon whispered on her breast, and she felt the icy coldness caused by his words. "There''s so much to feel. Don''t worry, I will take care of it in time," came his teasing words with a serious glint in his eyes.


    Mnie''s eyes had opened, and when they met his eyes, where his head was positioned near her chest, she saw his tongue peek out and with anguid motion, he licked the tip of her breast.


    Holy crap, thought Mnie in her mind, feeling her blood rush south and between her legs. She doubted she could withhold her need to bring at least some friction because she knew she would lose herself.


    Simon was a demon in every form and word. He knew exactly what to do and how to behave to show how he was going to love her for the nexting days of their lives.


    Another moan left Mnie''s lips when he tenderly bit her tip, switching his mouth from one breast to another so that he gave equal attention to them. He squeezed her breast in his hand while he sucked the other until she was a moaning mess. Mnie''s hands twisted the sheets. Simon let go of her breast, and he then ran his hands on either side of her body, feeling the dip and curve before it came and settled on her underwear.


    Simon''s lips trailed down Mnie''s body, leaving kisses as he moved and worshipping her just as he believed she was supposed to be loved. Her stomach dipped when his lips kissed her there.


    He didn''t take off her undergarment right away. Instead, he teased her. His index finger yfully ran around the band of her underwear, and he heard the way her heart shook and murmured. He dipped his finger inside, running it across her skin, and there was an evident blush on Mnie''s face even though she tried hard to hide and be bold with him.


    Pulling it away, he rushed her covered wet core with the back of his hand. He was rewarded with Mnie''s body tightening and her legs pressing on the bed while her toes tried to curl in reaction.


    Mnie only grew wetter under his ministrations when Simon continued to torture her. She whined, "Simon!"


    "Yes, my love? Do you want some more of it?" he asked innocently, and he brushed his hand once again, this time much more torturously, and he heard Mnie''s frustration. "Maybe you prefer something else?"


    Mnie felt her heart skip a beat further than the rest when Simon coyly ced his two fingers on her core, separated by the flimsy wet fabric.


    "So wet," murmured Simon, and Mnie right now wanted to hide her face. She covered her face with both her hands. "You do not have to be embarrassed, Mel. I feel the same way as you do."


    Mnie slowly pulled her hands away from her face, finding him already looking at her. Simon leaned in, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her to sit upright, face to face.


    There was something about Simon that drew her in. Making her sumb in front of him, sometimes speechless, sometimes breathless. She ced her own hands on his naked shoulders, running them from one end to another while feeling the firmness under her touch.


    Her eyebrows furrowed when her eyes fell on his chest, and she said, "I thought vampires healed..."


    There were little scars on Simon''s chest, and she heard him say, "Not every scar heals when you turn from human to vampire."


    At his words, Mnie''s heart squeezed, and she wondered if his family were monsters. How could one inflict pain until it left scar?


    "I don''t like your family," murmured Mnie, and Simon chuckled at her words.


    "I don''t either. But I think I will love the family I will have next," his green eyes stared into hers, and she smiled.


    Mnie pushed Simon, making himy down on the bed, and he curiously looked at her.


    Her fingertips ran down to feel his taut chest. Pushing her hair on one side of her shoulder, she leaned forward and kissed the scars on her chest. She pressed her lips, not pulling away immediately and letting the love flow before moving to the next scar.


    Peppering some more kisses, her head moved lower, and it took her two seconds of fumbling with the button of Simon''s jeans before she unbuttoned it. He helped her in getting it off his legs, leaving him in his boxers while she was in her underwear.


    With Mnie, who didn''t have experience, Simon didn''t want her to push herself even though she looked like she wanted to please him. If it was another woman, he would have let it be, but this wasn''t any person. Getting up, he caught hold of Mnie''s wrists and quickly pulled her before rolling them to switch their positions.


    Mnie couldn''t look away from Simon''s piercing gaze, and she felt him press her hands on the surface of the bed.

 Chapter 314 - Blissful company

    Chapter 314 - Blissfulpany


    All these years, his heart had been hollow, but it seemed like since he had found her in his sight, the hollowness was reducing little by little, making him whole again. He loved and cared for her dearly, and he doubted he could feel the same way with another as he was attached to her.


    Kissing her shoulder tenderly and hearing her sigh, he moved down beforeing to position himself between Mnie''s legs. Grasping her bottom with both his hands, just so that she wouldn''t move, he finally lowered his head, bringing his head to her wet sex.


    "Ah!" a gasp escaped from Mnie''s lips.


    For a moment, she turned shy when Simon''s mouth covered her sex, making her body twist and turn in pleasure.


    A series of sighs and moans escaped from her mouth, filling up the room, and if it weren''t for the air conditioner in the room, Mnie could only imagine that the windows would have fogged up because of the heat that was emitting from her and Simon''s body.


    She felt Simon''s mouth suck her, and the harder he did it, the more pleasure struck into her body where she could barely think straight. His tongue probed in and out, licking her before he switched back to probing his tongue into her wet core. For a moment, he pulled back his mouth and blew air that nearly had her faint, and she bit her bottom lip.


    It was when Simon pushed his finger into her wet sex that she cried out louder than before.


    "A-ah...!" Mnie''s hands gripped the sheets, and her eyebrows furrowed deeply as she tried to concentrate on the pleasurable feelings that Simon was offering her.


    "Feel it more, Mel. Cry more for me, just for me," whispered Simon, who hadn''t moved away from between her legs. His words only made her wetter, and Mnie felt her body starting to lose control as his fingers thrusted in and out of her core, trying to prepare her for something more that was going to enter her, which was warmer and bigger.


    Mnie''s pleasurable sighs were music to Simon''s ears, and he took pride every time her voice turned one octave higher than the previous one, letting him know how much she was enjoying this as much as he did.


    Simon moved his finger torturously slow, making sure she would be stretched well to amodate him. Thest thing he needed was her being ufortable and in pain, as it was her first time. In the past, he hadn''t cared about the other women''s feelings as the girls had been too eager and willing, just wanting him for his status and who he was. But Mnie was closer to his heart. He wanted to protect her and put her needs before his. While at the same time, he couldn''t help but want to tease her.


    "Simon," Mnie whined when Simon continued to torture her with his slow movements.


    "Mm?" responded Simon, acting oblivious to Mnie''s current concern.


    "Stop what you are doing..." she breathed heavily, and her eyes locked themselves with the green eyes.


    "Do you want me to stop?" asked Simon, and he slowed down his hand movement far worse than before, and Mnie subconsciously tried to reach for him, but he only drew his fingers back.


    "I love to see you cry... cry more in pleasure and more that you need me," stated Simon, closing his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them the next time, Mnie was greeted by his red eyes.


    "I want to hear everything that you have to say and know everything about you which people aren''t aware of. The side that you hide and don''t reveal to others."


    "I could tell the same-ah!" she sucked in a breath when Simon pushed his finger back into her wet sex, and it went in with ease.


    "Ask me anything and I will answer everything truthfully. Anything you want, everything belongs to you now," responded Simon and pulled away his hand from her.


    Mnie felt her heart skip a beat, and it felt like it had been skipping for quite some time now, and Simon was responsible for it. When he moved his hands towards his own body, his hands came to settle on his boxers before he pulled them off of his body. For a second, she didn''t dare to look below his waist, but unable to keep her curiosity within herself, her eyes slowly trailed from his face to look at his taut chest and the tapered waist. And then she looked at it.


    Mnie felt her heart shudder, and her throat slightly turned dry at the sight of his hardened member. Simon wasn''t shy about revealing himself to her, and he hovered above her. He then picked up her hand that had been catching hold of the bedsheet under her, bringing it towards his member to hold and feel it.


    She blushed furiously, feeling the warmth and hardness of his member.


    "This is the effect you have on me," Simon whispered on her lips before covering her mouth to kiss her. Her neck craned, and her head was thrown back a little as he continued to cherish and make his intentions known to her.


    Simon peppered kisses from one corner of her jaw to the other, kissing her ear and nipping her ear lobe.


    "Ouch!" Mnie winced in pain, which was quickly soothed by his tongue.


    It was a mixture of heat and cold sensation that Simon made her feel, and she heard him say, "Give me a moment." But before he left her, he bit into her ear once again and got off the bed.


    Mnie felt the pain that upied her mind, and her ear caught the sound of something tear. Simon joined her in the bed, and once he had worn the condom, he sat in between her legs. cing both his hands on either side of her waist, he pulled her towards him, and this little action had her wet between her legs.


    She felt him positioning himself at the entrance of her sex, and she braced herself while watching him.


    Simon leaned forward, cing his arm on one side of her head and looking at her closely. He caressed her cheek, looking at her as if he was entranced in her presence.


    "I will take good care of you," he promised her, his words holding a tenderness that made Mnie''s heart squeeze.


    She mustered a smile right now and replied, "I know you will."


    He kissed her one more time, before using his other hand to guide himself into Mnie''s wet core. Her lips parted, feeling him stretch and fill himself in her, and for a few moments, he didn''t move and let her adjust to his intrusion.


    Simon continued to gently brush her hair, and when she opened her eyes that she had shut over the pain, he asked her,


    "You okay?"


    Mnie turned to look at him and nodded, "Yeah. I am okay," she whispered.


    Once he felt her rx, Simon slowly started to move before he picked up pace on noticing Mnie starting to sink back into the pleasure.


    In the beginning, it had felt strange for Mnie, as she had never experienced something like this before. But as seconds and minutes started to pass, her body was being taken over by desire to have more of Simon.


    She threw her head back when Simon thrusted his hip with a little more force, hitting the pleasurable spot in her. He moved his body with ease without crushing her body but still staying close to her, their lips connected to each other, and for that moment, Mnie''s moans were swallowed by him.


    With every thrust made by Simon, Mnie was pushed closer to the edge. Her mind swirled with the passion that he filled her with, and somewhere in between, her hands gripped his shoulders for support.


    When she took a look at Simon, where he had indulged himself in her, feeling more than she did as he had his own eyes closed, and when he opened it, there was something very seductive about his look. The more she watched him, the more erotic the sight turned out to be.


    But when he ced his hand on her forehead, caressing her head, there was something tender about his action, as if there was nothing that could harm her. Her lips parted when he thrusted harder and faster, soon, her mind was consumed back to the way of seeing stars.


    Soon, Mnie hit her peak, and she threw her head back with her back arching into Simon''s body which pressed back. Simon didn''t stop his movements, and his lips found her neck, showering it with kisses, and when he was close to his release, he sunk his fangs into her neck.


    Mnie''s body trembled in pleasure before it went ck with Simon''s head buried in her neck. They stayed like that for long minutes with her chest heaving for air. Bringing her hand to ce it on the back of Simon''s head, she weaved her fingers through his red hair.


    Simon raised his head, his red eyes staring into hers, "Did I tire you?" he asked her, running his fingers across the length of her jaw.


    "Just a bit," replied Mnie and Simon''s ears perked up.


    "I guess we can go another round then," Simon grinned eagerly.


    Mnie leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose, "I guess we can."

 Chapter 315 - Magic for the unfortunate

    Chapter 315 - Magic for the unfortunate


    Julie, whose arms had circled Roman''s waist, stared at therge gates, remembering her uncle''s words the first time they had shown up here. Of how this ce looked like a prison, she should have known that something was up here.


    "Rome," Julie called him, and Roman turned his head to give her attention. "Can we take a walk in the forest?"


    "I don''t see why not," replied Roman, and he rode the motorcycle to the left side of the road before stopping it. "Don''t want to head back to the Dormitorium yet?" he asked, helping her remove the helmet and letting it hang on one of the motorcycle''s handles.


    She knew they would havepany if they were to go to the Dormitorium. Not that she disliked it, but right now, she wanted to spend just a few more minutes alone with Roman.


    "The air is cold," murmured Julie, and the next moment she felt Roman put his leather jacket around her shoulders. "But it''s bearable," she said, turning to him and seeing him offering her a smile.


    "It will make me feel better if you have it on you than me," answered Roman, and they started to walk into the forest. "When you look back at the memories, it feels like it was only yesterday where I caught you walking out of here with Evans and Borrell."


    Julie nodded because it was true. There was a time when she was trying to stay out of Eleanor''s sight, but now she didn''t care about the human.


    "When will we be moving into the house?" she inquired, her footsteps careful on the forest ground as she didn''t want to trip on something.


    "Whenever you are ready. If you want, we can move our things first thing in the morning," replied Roman, his eyes turning to look in the direction where the Veteris buildings stood before he looked back at her. "But I am guessing that you want to spend a little more time here, considering Mnie is here."


    "Yes... I was hoping to stay here for her and make sure she would be fine. She''s been in panic since her mother has been bitten and turned into a vampire," said Julie, and Roman turned his gaze to look ahead of him. He slipped his hands into his trouser pockets, and an inaudible sigh escaped from his lips. "Is there no way to turn her back?"


    "There was¡­ until the actual transformation started," came the blunt reply, and Julie''s eyebrows raised.


    "Like a cure?" asked Julie in surprise.


    "Not an actual potion of cure, but the dead vampire''s ash who bit her mother. I believe Simon has or had it," stated Roman. When Julie continued to look at him with a curious expression on her face, he exined, "If I am not wrong, Mnie''s mother was bitten by Enoch, and maybe if she behaved well, he would have given it to her."


    "But she didn''t," murmured Julie, and Roman gave her a nod.


    "Mnie''s mother is very stubborn, and if she were to turn herself back into a human, she would not understand the pain and the plight of a vampire. It is Simon''s side of life and he has his own way of dealing things. How do I put it," he hummed with a thoughtful expression. "You suffer, I suffer. We both suffer together."


    Julie already knew that. She said, "Mrs. Davis seems to be more willing to listen to the vampires. And Simon."


    "Indeed. It is a win-win for Simon and Mnie''s rtionship, and who knows, maybe the woman will change for the better," replied Roman, and his eyes fell on something that shimmered on the ground.


    Julie, who had pulled the leather jacket closer to her, noticed the shimmer on the ground like Roman. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she asked, "Did something happen in our absence?"


    There were thin silvery lines like roots on the ground, and somewhere it looked like it even connected to Roman.


    "Something must have happened. Do you sense any dark magic in here?" asked Roman, but Julie couldn''t sense it. She bent down and touched the ground, trying to touch the roots, but they only moved away from her.


    "It feels like any regr magic," replied Julie, and then she said, "It looks like it is moving towards something."


    "Let us see where it leads to," said Roman, and both of them followed the root-like lines closely, half walking and half running to catch up with it.


    Julie felt the increase in the coldness, and she wondered if it had something to do more than the weather this month.


    Far away from them, near the main building of Veteris and on one of the benches where Donovan and Lilian were sitting and talking, the woman felt the vibration from the hairpin.


    "What is it?" questioned Donovan, sensing the hairpin respond to something with magic.


    The woman stared at the hairpin, twirling it in her hand before she noticed the disappearance of the three stones from the remaining six stones in it. A soft smile appeared on her lips, and she said,


    "Magic. Magic is taking ce on the fortunate ones."


    Donovan titled his head to the side, trying to understand what it meant. Lilian then turned to look at him with a wide smile on her lips, "People are going toe back, Azazel."


    Finally understanding what she meant, he asked her, "Are you sure the ability of the stones are not disappearing to only get inside of you?"


    "No," replied Lilian, the smile on her lips not leaving her face. There was a look of peace in her eyes, "Each of these stones represents a characteristic, a rtion connected to the heart. The stones are disappearing to give life to the one''s whose time was unfairly stolen," answered Lilian. She then asked Donovan, "Do you know where the closest graveyard is?"


    "We have it right there in the forbidden side of the forest," replied Donovan, and he stood up before stretching his hands for the woman he had held dear in his heart. "Allow me to hold your hand, and this time you have my word that I won''t let it go."


    Lilian replied, "I don''t doubt it," she ced her hand in his hand before getting up, and they made their way towards the Veteris''s graveyard.


    Back in the forbidden side of the forest, Julie and Roman followed the shimmering lines directed towards the graveyard, where the dead bodies of the vampires and deceased humans were buried.


    "They areing from the graves," whispered Julie as she followed one of the lines.


    Roman followed another line, his footsteps firm on the ground, and before he could reach one of the graves,he noticed a person who stood right next to it. For a moment, he didn''t know if he was dreaming or if it was real. And even if it was a dream, he would take it in a heartbeat. There stood Lady Petronile, her face holding elegance, and she stared back at him with a smile.


    Before he knew it, his foster father, Malcolm Molternore, appeared right next to her.


    "Son," called Malcolm, taking a few steps to reduce the distance between him and Roman.


    "You are alive," Roman was surprised on hearing the heartbeats that existed in their chests. Malcolm smiled before they both embraced in a tight hug.Roman was d to see them here like this, even if it was just for a few minutes, because thest time when he had tried to reach out for them, he had found their dead bodies.


    "I am so d to see you here. How have you been doing?" asked Malcolm, and when they pulled back, Roman gave him a nod.


    "I have been very well," he replied, and he saw Lady Petronile who came and stood next to her husband. She raised her hand to ce it on the side of his face.


    "You have grown well, Rome. We are so proud of you," she let him know.


    The wordsing from Lady Petronile meant a lot to Roman as she had been someone whom he had always looked up to. In the past, when he didn''t know that Malcolm and his mother had nothing between them, he respected Lady Petronile for epting him as part of the Moltenore family.


    "Of course, he grew well. He grew up with me and under your care, mother," came the male voice from behind Roman, and Roman felt the jolt in his heart on hearing the voice.


    Julie, who had been following the shimmering lines earlier, stopped in her tracks seeing the man and the woman, who was now joined by another male¡­ who was none other than the person she had seen in Moltenore''s family portrait. It was Roman''s brother, Tristan Moltenore.


    Roman, who was oftenposed, looked at Tristan in shock before he finally smiled. He apologized, "I am sorry for noting to you and the others sooner, to help you."


    Tristan shook his head, "It was not your fault, brother. I am d that you survived and lived. It seems like you finally found something important to live for," and he turned to look in Julie''s direction.


    "I did," replied Roman, wishing that even if this was a dream, it wouldst longer so that he could spend time with them. And while they were catching up, he heard footsteps approaching them from behind, he turned and caught sight of Donovan, who was not alone.


    The Elder vampire stood not too far from where he was, with his mother next to him, who was alive.


    ¡ª

 Chapter 316 - Disappointment of the heart

    Chapter 316 - Disappointment of the heart


    ¡ª


    Roman had met his mother plenty of times in his dreams, thinking about the woman who had brought him into this world and had tried to protect him from the harsh words of the people around them when she was alive. The moment right now felt like a dream.


    He started to walk away from where his foster parents were, his feet starting to move in the direction of where his biological parents stood.


    Lilian didn''t wait for Roman toe to her, and she walked forward with a smile that held warmth for her son.


    "Let me take a closer look at you," said Lilian, cing her hands on Roman''s arms and looking at his face. "You were so little when Ist saw you. Smaller than me. And now you have grown taller than me."


    "You haven''t changed one bit," replied Roman, staring at his mother with a slight disbelief in his eyes but awe in there. "But you look healthier."


    Lilian smiled at his words, "I do feel healthy... I guess this time I will be staying for a longer time than thest."


    "And I cannot tell how happy I am by hearing it from you," said Roman, taking a step forward where his throat tightened, and he wrapped his arms around his mother. He ced his chin on her shoulder and took a deep breath, and she felt more real as seconds passed. "You won''t leave again, will you?"


    "Never again," responded Lilian, her eyes filling with tears, and she softly smiled. She ced her hand on the back of Roman''s head and gently caressed it. "My son..."


    To Roman, his mother had always meant the world. The woman who had stood firm even during the hardest obstacles that had tried to shake her.


    Julie, who stood at a distance, watched Roman and Lilian continue to hug each other, and the sight itself made her feel warm. Unlike her, where she had met her mother in the past and then on the other side of the forbidden door, Roman had not been fortunate to meet his mother, and she could tell that this was something his heart had always craved for.


    Seeing the family reunite, whom Roman cared for, brought a smile to Julie''s lips. But at the same time, she didn''t know what had happened that had brought them back to life. It was strange, and her questions were soon answered by Donovan, who walked to where she stood.


    "I should thank you, Julie," said Donovan, and his words had her look at him with confusion.


    "What?" she asked, unaware of what she had done when she was out with Roman until a few minutes.


    "It is because of you, that Lilian, and the Moltenore''s family members have been resurrected right now," said Donovan, and when Julie continued to look at him with a furrow on her forehead, he pulled out something from his coat and brought it in front of him. It was the same hairpin that she had earlier buried next to Roman''s mother''s grave.


    Donovan continued to speak, "You truly are Opaline''s daughter. To have buried the hairpin in there and not make use of it for your own benefit. Do you know what kind of hairpin this is with all the seven stones in here?"


    "A powerful one that could hold many abilities?" asked Julie because that was what the function of the stones was supposed to be.


    "That''s just half of the answer. Nobody has ever been sessful in creating and cing the seven stones together. When a person uses it, they turn invincible, but another ability of it is to resurrect. Each stone resurrects one person," exined Donovan, and Julie''s eyes widened because she hadn''t expected the hairpin to be so important.


    She turned her head to look at the people who hade back to life. Out of the seven stones, four of them had disappeared. She took it from Donovan''s hand, taking a closer look at it. The existing three stones meant that three more people could be resurrected, Julie thought in her mind.


    "There are so many deceased people. How are the stones automatically trying to resurrect people?" asked Julie because she doubted it was doing it randomly.


    "Look, the other stone is trying to turn into vapor," Donovan jerked his head towards the hairpin, and Julie noticed one of the coloured stones was indeed disappearing. The essence of it was very subtle, but both Donovan and Julie noticed the vapour drift towards one more grave present in this cemetery.


    Donovan murmured under his breath, "Hm? Whose grave is that?"


    When they walked towards it, Ms. Piper appeared to stand in front of her grave.


    Tristan turned to look at what Julie and Donovan were looking at, and his eyes widened, "Piper?"


    Ms. Piper appeared confused, not knowing what had just happened. And when her eyes fell on Tristan, it turned into saucers, "Tristan... you are alive."


    Tristan nodded, "You died in the massacre too."


    Ms. Piper, like the others, reached out to where Tristan was as she hadn''t believed he would evere back. She put her arms around him, closing her eyes and she said, "I am so relieved you are here. I thought I would never see you again."


    "I guess God wanted me to keep my promise with you, to look after you. I am sorry I amte," said Tristan, hugging her back.


    Ms. Piper shook her head, "You know what they say. Betterte than never."


    Julie tore her eyes away from the couple and then looked at Donovan and asked, "Do you think I can resurrect anyone I want?"


    Donovan looked at the two stones that were yet to disappear. He then urged her, "You better hurry then. Before one of the deceased one in here pulls the essence out of the pin."


    And with those words, Julie quickly left the cemetery and started to run as fast as possible. She moved past the restricted side of the forest, making her way past the trees one after another. She ended up on the East side of the Veteris. She gasped for air, but she didn''t stop. She continued to run to cross the bridge until she finally arrived at Willow Creek.


    Julie looked around the ce, trying to find where her mother''s life had ended.


    She waited for a minute, and another minute passed until ten minutes passed, and nothing happened. The stones didn''t disappear, nor did her mother or father appear.


    With the weather of Willow Creek, which had always been differentpared to the rest of the world, as if the ce lived at its own pace, snowkes falling from the sky. After a few more minutes, Julie felt her heart sink, and she fell to her knees.


    "Why?" whispered Julie, her eyes anxiously hoping to see her mother or fathere back to life. And she continued to sit there all by herself.


    Julie stared at the ground until she heard footsteps, and hope rose in her chest. But when she turned, she noticed it was Cillian.


    Back in the cemetery, Roman looked around and noticed Julie missing. "Where is Julie?"


    Donovan answered him, "She''s gone to resurrect her parents. There are two stones left that can still be used."


    Lilian held a grim expression on her face, and she said, "I don''t think it is possible."


    "Why not?" questioned Donovan. "You and the others are here, it shouldn''t be that hard to get her parents back to life. Julie is not an ordinary witch anymore."


    Roman gave a curious look to his mother and asked, "What''s the matter, mother?"


    His mother replied, "I don''t think Opaline can be brought to life, nor her father. The creator of the stones creates such an intricate bnce of death and life in there, where life can be blessed again, that it doesn''t work on the creator. And if I am not wrong, Opaline must have even taken the Corvin''s help¡­ which makes it difficult to bring them both back."


    Roman''s eyebrows furrowed, "I should go look at her."


    Lilian gave him an understanding nod, and Roman quickly left the cemetery.


    Back in the deserted town of Willow Creek, Cillian walked to where Julie sat on the ground.


    "Do you know how to use these stones to bring mother and father back to life?" Julie asked him, her voice filled with hope. "It is possible to bring them back to life, isn''t it?"


    "I am sorry, Julie, but these stones cannot bring them back," replied Cillian, and Julie clutched on to the hairpin tightly in her hand.

 Chapter 317 - Daughter like mother

    Chapter 317 - Daughter like mother


    ¡ª


    Music Rmendation: Come back- Park Seo Hee


    ¡ª


    Julie stared at the snowy ground that surrounded her. After Cillian confirmed her parents'' not being able to return, she felt the emptiness that started to spread in her chest. Her hands that she had ced on either side of the ground clutched them in pain.


    "They were never meant toe back, Julie. At least not from what I know," stated Cillian in a serious voice. "The stones in the hairpin doesn''t allow the makers to return to the world of the living."


    "Does that mean I will never be able to see them?" it hurt her deeply to think she wouldn''t be able to see them.


    "I wouldn''t be hurt over it. I am sure you will find a way to see them again or maybe bring them here in the future," replied Cillian, but that didn''t give her a definite answer. "You still have two stones, you can bring back your grandfather and your uncle. Or maybe any two of your siblings," he suggested the idea of the next people to be resurrected.


    Julie nodded. There was still a chance left with her to bring back some of her family members in her life. Since the time her foster mother had died, all Julie could think of was how much she craved the love of her family. And after finding out that she had another family, a family who would have cherished her loved her and would have been in her life... It only made it worse. Did she wish for a lot? No, she didn''t think so... but at the same time she knew resurrection wasn''t easy.


    To think now that she would be able to bring back her grandfather, who had known the truth about her when they had met each other in the past, brought a slight joy, but still, it didn''t erase the pain of her parents being unable to join her. Her grandfather had been a pir of support, helping in the background, and she knew eventually, in time, the pain she felt right now would reduce.


    "You have to be quick, Julie. Once the stones find a possible person to resurrect, it will be hard to stop the process," Cillian warned her.


    "I need to find the ce where grandfather died," replied Julie, and both of them started to walk around the town.


    "This is the ce where your grandfather had died," informed Cillian, and Julie took her position.


    Julie drew the symbol of summons on the ground to make it easier for the stone to diffuse into the soul and draw it out. Soon her grandfather''s soul appeared, which was in its trance state.


    Seeing her grandfather''s soul in front of her, which would soon manifest into his living body, eased her mind. But before Julie couldplete the spell, her hand was frozen mid-air.


    "What is it, Julie?" asked Cillian, not knowing if Julie had exhausted her soul energy again. "Do you need my help?"


    Julie didn''t speak but stared at her grandfather.


    At the same time, Roman appeared at the scene, and he saw Julie, Cillian and an elderly looking buff man with a beard in front of them. He walked to where they were, and Julie''s eyes shifted to look at Roman. She knew it was wrong, but she felt envy for the first time. But then she was happy for Roman too, that he had reunited with his family.


    "Winters?" Roman called her, noticing the sadness in her eyes.


    Julie softly smiled at him, "Cillian says I cannot bring my parents back because they were involved in creating this hairpin. Mother and I, we promised each other that we would meet again... but it is going to take a little more time."


    "Little more time is better than knowing you will never meet her or others," Roman offered her words of encouragement. "You are the daughter of the great witch, Opaline La Fay''s daughter, and one day you will surpass your mother, Winters. And you will fix what you missed."


    "You think so?" asked Julie, her voice breaking at the end, and her eyes anxiously looked at him.


    Roman gave her a nod, "I believe in you, Winters. There is nothing you can''t do."


    Julie''s eyes lowered from his gaze, moving slowly to look at her grandfather. She stared at the old man and then she asked Roman, "You promise to love me forever, Rome?"


    "Without a doubt."


    "And will always stay beside me..."


    "Beyond death," replied Roman, noticing Julie was thinking about something.


    "Then maybe there are more important people..." Julie murmured, and soon her grandfather''s soul started to dissipate in thin air, returning to the ground it had been pulled from.


    Roman and Cillian looked at Julie with question in their eyes for letting go of her grandfather instead of resurrecting him to life. She said, "There is something else that I need to fix."


    "Are you sure about it?" questioned Roman, not wanting her to regret her decision in the future.


    Julie shook her head, and she smiled. She said, "I can always see my familyter by visiting them in the past. And if I really turn into a great witch, maybe I will see them better than now. Not one, not two, but all of them one day."


    She closed her eyes, letting her mind and heart settle, so they weren''t as confused as before. When she opened her eyes, she ced her hands back on the ground. The ground shook with great force, and wind blew to move in the outward direction from where she sat. The roots-like light on the ground started to grow, creating many more lines as if trying to reach the soul she had summoned.


    The wind around them increased, moving the leaves and dropping the snow that had settled on the branches. It took more than a minute before the roots started to head back in the direction of Willow Creek.


    A momentter, two souls appeared to stand in front of them.


    She knew if her mother was here, she would want her to use the hairpin wisely and not carelessly. And somewhere deep down in Julie''s heart, she knew this was the right option. Not because the sacrifice she was making would make her happy, but because one day she wouldn''t look back and feel regret for the lives that had been lost on her ord. She closed her eyes, and her lips moved to utter the spells before thest two stones in the hairpin disappeared and diffused themselves into the two bodies.


    When they were back to life, the resurrected appeared to be in confusion.


    "Wee back," Roman greeted them, while Julie softly smiled.


    A few hours passed, and far away from Veteris, and in the town of Greasy Corner, the hunters had huddled in Conner''s house to discuss what to do with their current situation.


    With Mr. and Mrs. Davis, who was still missing, not to mention their head hunter Jack, who had shot himself before being dragged by a vampire. Things for the hunters had turned disruptive. They had lost a lot of their people during their fight between them and the vampires.

 Chapter 318 - Visit to the hunters

    Chapter 318 - Visit to the hunters


    Conner sat in one corner, sporting a bruise across his cheek like many other hunters who had fought the vampires in Veteris. The hunters were going back and forth.


    "The audacity of the vampires to send us the document to shut up and not do anything!" growled one of the men in the living room. "They think just because they have some sort of monstrous creature with them we will obey them."


    "We will never submit to the vampire''s wishes! They have been hiding the deaths of the humans for who knows how long!" said another human in there.


    "But we don''t have Jack with us anymore. What are we going to do?" asked a woman who sat next to her husband, who had lost one of his eyes. "I don''t think it is wise to go up against the vampires, at least not at the moment when we not onlyck men but other resources."


    "What did the document of agreement speak about?" asked Conner''s father.


    "That we are not supposed to hunt the vampires anywhere near their grounds, and the ce belongs to them entirely. In return, our lives would be spared," huffed the first man, who had spoken earlier. "Do they think that just because we are humans, we don''t know how to get over our shorings?! We should just burn the entire ce strategically," imed another hunter, and while some of them nodded in agreement, some looked at each other with an apprehensive look on their face.


    "Did you not see what those vampires were capable of? They looked like Roman Gods, burning and killing the vampires..." spoke a brave soul who didn''t want to end up in a crossfire with the Elder vampires.


    "Such cowardice," spat an older hunter. "This is what the vampires want, and you know what they are nning for? World domination, to control us. Would you want the street to go reckless where vampires attack humans and there''s no one to protect us?" he red at the person who had spoken. "I wille up with a n. A better n, and when the time is right¡ª"


    Someone interrupted the man''s speech when the main door was knocked.


    "Let me go and see who it is," murmured Conner, who had only been on the listening end so that he could ry the message to his friendster.


    When Conner opened the door, his eyes widened, and he quickly turned to look behind him before turning back and asking, "What are you doing here, Elder Donovan?"


    Donovan stared at Conner with a bright smile, and he then looked behind Conner, "I thought I heard someone bad mouthing me and thought I woulde to pay a visit."


    Conner pursed his lips and replied, "I don''t think this is the right time."


    "Oh, please. Azazel Donovan doesn''t wait for time, and instead makes time," chuckled Donovan, and he said, "Will you invite me in, or shall I do that myself?"


    Conner stared at the deranged vampire before he sighed and took a step back to make way for the Elder vampire. He said in a low voice, "The hunters in there aren''t pleased, so maybe you can cut down on the threats."


    Donovan waved his hand, taking a step inside the house. Before he could walk further in to head to the living room, he turned to Conner and said, "There''s someone who would like to meet you outside."


    Conner''s eyebrows furrowed, and he hoped Donovan wouldn''t massacre people in here.


    Conner''s father asked from the living room, "Who is it, Conner?"


    But by then, Donovan had appeared in the human''s sight, and suddenly everyone turned on their guard. They went to reach out for their weapons, but Donovan pulled the nearest chair and sat down with them, "Seems like there has been a little party in here. What is it about?"


    "You are not invited in here, you blood sucker!"


    "It looks like he came to die by our hands willingly."


    "Isn''t this the same person who had the ck smoke?" came a whisper from one side of the room. The room had turned dead silent, and Donovan looked at them. He then said,


    "Rx. If you constantly keep getting riled up, you are going to catch heart disease and spend the rest of the time in the hospital. Now I am sure we all can be good friends, and live in peace without having to lose anymore lives¡ª"


    "Like hell we are!" shouted one of the hunters, "You vampires deserve to die. You bring nothing but¡ª"


    "Shhhhh..." Donovan hushed the man, who looked at the Elder vampire with wide eyes. "Don''t you know you aren''t supposed to speak when an Elder is speaking? I think it will be for your own good, to ept such simple terms. Unless you want to suicide, please be my guest," smiled the vampire.


    "Your threats won''t work on us!" one of the hunters pulled the trigger of the gun, and a bullet was shot in Donovan''s direction.


    But the next moment, Donovan was no longer sitting on the chair, and he stood right behind the hunter, cing a not so friendly hand on the man''s shoulder.


    The hunters were surprised by this ability, and they couldn''t help but be wary about this vampire in the house.


    "The terms are simple and I am sure you won''t act foolishly," hummed Donovan, offering a bright smile to all of them as he was in a very good mood right now.


    Outside the house, Conner wondered what Donovan had meant until he caught sight of a girl who stood with her back facing him. Unsure, he greeted, "Hello?"


    The girl turned her head, meeting his eyes and Conner''s eyes widened in shock. His lips parted, but he was left speechless to utter even a word.


    "I-Is that you¡­ Reese?" Reese smiled at him the same way she had before and he took a step forward, and she took one too. "I can''t believe it¡­" said Conner.


    "Though it feels like I saw you only yesterday, I feel like I have missed you for a very long time now, Conner," replied Reese, and Conner wasn''t sure how she was here. But soon excitement came over his mind and he quickly hugged her.


    "You are alive!" he eximed andughed in the end. "How do you feel??" he pulled away from her.


    Reese nodded slowly, "I feel good. Especially after seeing you."


    Far away from Greasy Conner, Julie stepped out of Roman''s car to one of the safe inns. She walked up the stairs and then the corridor before standing in front of the room that her uncle was currently upying.


    Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand and knocked on the door. She waited for a few seconds before the door finally opened.


    "Julie? What are you doing here?" asked Uncle Thomas in surprise. "Is everything okay?" he asked, a little worried.


    Julie nodded, "I think it will be¡­" and she turned her head.


    Uncle Thomas, not knowing what her words meant, took a step outside the room, and he was greeted by his wife''s presence from the other side of the corridor, who walked in front of Roman. His lips moved, "Is this possible?"


    Julie nodded, "It is, Uncle Thomas."


    "Thomas!" Aunt Sarah ran a little before hugging her husband.


    "I cannot believe it! Oh my God," Uncle Thomas hugged her back, and cried a little.


    "I am so sorry for not telling you things before," Aunt Sarah apologised to him, tears running down her cheeks. "I wanted to tell you, but I didn''t know how..."


    Uncle Thomas shook his head, "It isn''t your fault. I get it. I do. I am just happy that you are back," and he continued to hug her.


    When Julie''s eyes met Uncle Thomas''s eyes, he mouthed ''Thank you'' to her. She smiled looking at them, her heart easing itself from the burden she had been carrying for some time now.


    Roman came to stand next to Julie, and he slipped his hand into hers before giving it a little squeeze. He said, "I admire you, Winters. More than I did before, and I am proud of the woman you have turned into."


    "You are the strength I draw from, Rome," Julie leaned in to Roman for support and she said, "Everything is finally how it was supposed to be."


    ¡ª

 Chapter 319 - Complication of the transformation

    Chapter 319 - Complication of the transformation


    NEW BOOK: Allure Of The Night


    ¡ª


    The following day when Mnie woke up, her hand was on Simon''s chest, and she craned her neck to take a better look at the sleeping vampire. She wondered if he really was asleep or if he was faking sleep. But his chest moved steadily up and down as he breathed, and after a few seconds, she decided that he was indeed in dreand.


    A soft smile appeared on her lips. He looked harmless right now, someone who held no sarcasm and someone who wouldn''t hurt even a fly. Looks could indeed be deceiving, thought Mnie in her mind.


    Like her, Simon had his hand around her waist, and their legs had somehow entangled in sleep, and she wondered how neither of them had woken up out of ufortableness in their sleep.


    Last night was wonderful, and as stated by Simon, they had gone another round before fatigue had started to spread in her body.


    She hoped she could be his strength and protect him from the pain he had turned immune to when he was a young boy and a human.


    With the rays of the sunlight that had started to seep through the ss window, it turned the room brighter with every passing minute. Simon''s hair appeared redder under the gaze of the sunlight, and the little cross hung on one of his ears. She didn''t dare to run her fingers across his chest, not wanting to wake him up. It was as if he hadn''t slept all these years, and now was the first time he was sleeping this deeply.


    After a few minutes passed, Simon''s lips parted, and in sleep, he murmured something while his eyebrows furrowed.


    "You cannot... I won''t let you..."


    Mnie couldn''t make out what Simon was exactly saying, as they felt broken, but she noticed the light sweat started to form on his forehead.


    Worried, she raised her upper body and ced one of her hands on Simon''s cheek. She called him, "Simon?"


    One word from her lips, and Simon''s eyes flew up. They were dark red, and when he took a deep breath, Mnie noticed the fangs in his mouth.


    "Are you alright?" asked Mnie, her voice soft and her eyes seeking out his out of worry.


    The frown that had been marring his face disappeared, and he sighed. He pulled her closer to him and hugged her.


    "A bad nightmare?" asked Mnie, feeling his arms tighten around her.


    "Yeah," replied Simon, and he stared at the ceiling before closing his eyes.


    "If you want... we can talk about it," said Mnie and Simon softly chuckled. "I am a pretty good listener."


    "It''s alright. It was just a nightmare," replied Simon, and Mnie pulled away from him so that she could take a better look at his face. Her ck eyes observed him, where it was back to looking smug and full of mischief. "How long have you been awake?"


    "Probably fifteen or twenty minutes," replied Mnie, and she decided to not pester him right now about what had haunted him in his dream.


    "Mm," hummed Simon, and he pulled her closer before kissing her on her mouth. "You should have woken me up earlier."


    She should have, thought Mnie in her mind. She responded to his words, "You seemed like you needed some extra few minutes to sleep and I decided to watch you until then."


    "Spoken just like a stalker," remarked Simon, and Mnie rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her lips.


    "I meant that I was watching over you. Just making sure no harmes to befall on you, out of my pure kindness," replied Mnie.


    Simon chuckled, "What a sweet girlfriend I have. Who looks after me when I am sleeping, I won''t let anyone steal you away from me."


    They sat upright on the bed, with Mnie, who pulled the sheet closer to her body, covering the front of her body. Simon moved closer to Mnie, leaning forward to kiss her shoulder, and this action alone was enough to make her blush.


    "I never thought you could be a romantic," said Mnie, and Simon grinned.


    "What did you think about me? In the bed of course, because I know I was a jerk outside it," hummed Simon, his red eyes hadn''t switched back to the usual green.


    Mnie coughed and then cleared her throat before looking at the wall.


    "Don''t tell me you thought I was going to be bad, but then I must have proven you wrong. Considering how you had been moaning under me as we madeaav," he continued to kiss her slender shoulder.


    "You really are smug about it, aren''t you?" asked Mnie, giving him a small re.


    "Of course. What''s there not to be smug about it. Tell me, what did you think about me," he poked her for an answer before starting to tickle her sides. Mnie burst intoughter,


    "Wait! Ah-haha, I¡ªI will tell you, hahaha," she rolled on the bed when Simon continued to tickle her. "Stop!" she continued tough until Simon finally decided to give her a break.


    "You are trying to kill me!" Mnie used him, and Simon offered her a bright smile. She pursed her lips before answering his question, "This was way before we actually started to speak properly. Or civilly."


    "You mean when you decided to believe I was decent?" he raised his eyebrows, and Mnie coughed one more time. When his hands came near her again, she quickly said,


    "It''s just that... I thought you were the kind of guy who took what he wanted and then left..." and though Mnie said this, Simon could tell that she had toned down her words so that it wouldn''t be rude. "That''s all. Nothing more than that."


    "You mean to say, you thought I was someone who only fucked and then left them without considering their needs? How cruel to have judged me, I won''t lie I am hurt," he moved away from her and, in fake pain, turned his back to her. "Did you think I am a person who didn''t have the ability to love and respect a woman?"


    The smile on Mnie''s lips fell as she didn''t mean to offend him. She quickly got up and scrambled on the bed so that she coulde and sit in front of him.


    "Of course, I never thought that you disrespected any woman. I know even though you like to tease me... you were always polite to the other girls in the university," exined Mnie, and she continued, "I in the beginning didn''t understand why you liked to pick on me while you were really nice to the other girls."


    "Mm, I am still a boy who likes to pick on people whom I like," nodded Simon, but then he stared at her.


    "I didn''t mean to judge you, but you always liked to press and push my buttons..." her voice trailed while staring into his eyes.


    But that didn''t mean that Mnie hadn''t questioned his behavior. She often wondered what kind of person he was, where he appeared to be empty on the surface. Not really bothered by how people perceived him. But now she knew that he wasn''t empty, but that Simon''s nature had a depth to him which not many were fortunate enough to witness.


    She said, "I think you are a wonderful lover," a hint of a blushing to coat her cheeks. Simon had not only satisfied himself, but he had made sure to satisfy her, tiring her until she fell asleep.


    Simon moved his face closer to her, and he kissed her lips, "I love it when you praise me."


    Once Simon and Mnie were ready, they left the apartment and headed towards Veteris.


    Going away from Veteris had cleared Mnie''s mind, and she felt less anxious right now. While Simon went to meet his maker, Mnie had decided to pay a visit to her parents. Hoping they were alright. On reaching the infirmary, she greeted the doctor,


    "Good morning, Doctor Isolde. Do you know where my parents are?" she inquired.


    The vampiress looked up from the book she was writing and replied, "Your mother was shifted to the floor above. Elder Remy thought it was better to keep a more watchful eye as her temper andints haven''t ceased yet."


    Mnie awkwardly smiled, "Apologies for that."


    She quickly climbed the stairs, and when she reached the floor, she noticed her fathering from the other side of the corridor. He looked relieved on seeing her.


    "Where have you been, Mel? I looked for you but no one knew where you were."


    "I had been outside for a bit... What happened?" she asked, staring at the corridor before her eyes shifted to look at her father. "Is mother alright?"


    "I am not sure. I haven''t paid her a visit since midnight," replied her father, and Mnie frowned on hearing her father''s words.


    "What do you mean? Let me go and take a look," said Mnie, and she headed in the direction where her mother was locked in the room.


    Before Mnie could reach for the door, her father warned her, "Keep a little distance."


    This only made her even more worried, and she finally pushed the door open and her eyes widened. Her mother''s legs were chained and her face had turned simr to a rogue vampire''s features, who was losing consciousness of her surroundings.


    "She was alright when I left, what happened?" asked Mnie.


    Her father pursed his lips, looking slightly guilty, and he replied, "Your mother wanted to heal herself. To not be a vampire and return to being human."


    "What did you do, dad?"


    "It wasn''t me, but your mother, who said to get the potion that was in the back of our car. I gave it to her¡­ believing it would help ease her pain. But it only made it worse," her father rubbed his forehead as if he couldn''t believe things had turned to worse. "The older vampire said that her transformation has been disrupted and instead of healing, her body has moved to a deranged vampire. So we need to wait¡­ hoping she will be back to her usual self. I am so sorry, Mel."


    Mnie''s eyebrows furrowed, and she turned back to look at her mother, who snapped her teeth at her.


    "Please don''t give or inject her with anything, dad. Please," said Mnie and she sighed. She hoped her mother would transform without anyplications¡­ because she knew if it didn''t work, the other vampires would be left with no choice but to kill her mother.


    She stayed there for an hour, and when she decided to grab a water bottle, her paths crossed with the vampiress.


    "Your family seems to always causing us vampires trouble, Mnie. I mean which idiot goes injecting things during transformation?" the young vampiressughed, who was a student of Veteris.


    "I didn''t know you work in the infirmary. Or are you perhaps killing time here?" asked Mnie. She remembered talking to this person remotely in the library. And at that time, she thought this person to be kind.


    "I am here to keep an eye so that nothing bad happens. Thest thing we need is your parents trying to inject things into other vampires and kill them, while still working for the hunters," replied the vampiress.


    "My parents have no interest in the other vampires. So you can rx," replied Mnie, and she started to walk past the vampiress.


    "You are making a mistake, Mnie,"mented the vampiress, and Mnie stopped to turn and look at her.


    "It is funny how you remember my name while I cannot remember your name for the life of me," stated Mnie, staring at the girl.


    The vampiress smiled and replied, "It must be because I am a higher being than you."


    "Or it can be that you have known about me for quite a long time. Or watching me," replied Mnie to catch the vampiress smile.

 Chapter 320 - Bad company

    Chapter 320 - Badpany


    Both the girls stared at each other with intensity as if one from far would believe that they would stop staring only after one of them was burnt through the re. The vampiress'' eyes had narrowed after Mnie''s words, and she said,


    "Don''t forget you are a hunter. Keeping an eye on you is only logical. Especially considering how your parents like to not only sabotage others around them, but also themselves."


    "Like I said, you don''t have to worry about it. But you know what? You should perhaps keep an eye on my parents, it would be a blessing to me," smiled Mnie, and she turned to look at the other side of the corridor, which was deserted. When she returned her gaze at the vampiress, the girl was watching her closely. "As they were former hunters, they are finding it hard to blend it."


    "Maybe we should just ask the Elders to snap their necks. It would save a lot of time, don''t you think?" asked Nh.


    "Maybe I should instead try running a stake through your heart as it seems like you are the only one who seems to be having a problem with them while the others are rxed," proposed Mnie, staring back at the vampiress with the same vigour.


    Nh''s eyes red, and she took two steps toward Mnie before threatening her, "You don''t know what you are up against, Mnie. It isn''t toote for you to leave Veteris with your parents and start new. We don''t take it kindly when there are people who hunt vampires."


    Mnie didn''t know what had gotten to this vampiress. The first time they had spoken, things had been civil, and Nh had been polite, not to mention even somewhere kind. Was it because she was a hunter, and the chances of her killing vampires were high?


    Her lips twisted in thought, and she said, "I don''t know what your problem is, but let me tell you something. I mighte from a family of hunters, but I also study in a university that is run by vampires. I don''t harm people unnecessarily¡­ not unless they try to attack me first," she left a small warning at Nh to beware of her.


    Mnie might be a human, but she was no weak human. She had the skills to run a wooden stake through a vampire''s chest and beat people up, something she had done during the fight that had urred in Veteris a few nights ago. She had been so angry at Jack for hitting her and somewhere manipting her parents into leaving her in the basement. She had to put her anger out somewhere.


    "Good job at securing this ce," Mnie''s words were sarcastic, and she left the corridor to step out for some air.


    Nh, who stood behind at the same spot, stared hard in the direction in which Mnie had disappeared. Discarding this human was going to take a while, thought Nh to herself. But it wasn''t a difficult task for her, considering how she had done that to some humans or vampires who had gotten too close to Simon in the past.


    To Simon, the past was insignificant, but it wasn''t the same to Nh, who treasured it close to her unbeating heart.


    The vampiress still remembered things before they had turned into vampires. And to think that they both had survived and turned immortal, it meant that they were meant to be with each other. Nh''s thoughts went to the past¡­ as if she was able to see things clearly.


    "Where are we going in the evening?" asked a young Simon to Roman, who was no more than thirteen of age.


    "I am going alone," muttered Roman, giving a small re at his friend.


    "Aw, don''t be like that. I promise not to create anymotion likest time. I shall behave," Simon raised one of his hands, and Maximilian, who was there,ughed.


    "Every time you swear is the time you get into trouble, Si," stated Maximus before he asked, "Even if you were to tag along with Rome, won''t it be a problem if your parents caught you out of your room?"


    "You do not have to worry about it. The most they will do is lock me up in the room,"ughed Simon, hisughtering out empty, and though Maximus only stared at Simon, Roman watched the boy carefully. "And it isn''t like Rome is informing his parents and sneaking out of the mansion. I would be doing the same."


    Roman sighed before saying, "Fine. But it will be past dinner. Just to make sure we don''t get interrupted."


    "How exciting!" Simon eximed excitedly, and he asked, "Why don''t you join us, Max?"


    "I am not sure about it. I heard father mention that the woods have not been safe," said Maximus. "But I guess if we aren''t going into the deeper side of the woods, it should be alright."


    And while the young boys spoke to each other, discussing their n that night, a young Nh had stood behind a tree, peeking from behind it to look at the boy, whose hair looked nothing less than a burning me.


    That night, when the young boys slipped out of their rooms without their families'' notice, young Nh had also sneaked out of her room through the window.


    The lights in themp posts burned dimly under the starry night. The little girl kept a good distance between herself and the three boys who walked ahead of her, just so that she wouldn''t be caught. She had been curious about the red-headed boy and had also heard of how he was a troublemaker who associated himself with the illegitimate son of Mr. Malcolm. But that didn''t bother the young girl.


    Somewhere between the time walking, Nh lost her way as she had lost sight of the boys and didn''t know where she was. It didn''t help that it was nearly midnight, and she turned scared when she heard a distant howl echo in the forest.


    She looked back and forth, walking a few steps ahead before stopping and walking in the opposite direction, confused. She hadn''t paid attention to the way she was going, as her attention had been on Simon. While she continued to dawdle, she heard another growl, and this time it was more distinct¡­ as if the creature was right around the corner. Near her.


    A young Nh decided to walk, hoping it would be the right direction that would lead to her home. But when a minute passed, she noticed a creature following her in the shadows and it brought tears to her eyes before she screamed and started to run as fast as she could. While trying to run, her foot got stuck on the log of wood, and she tripped and fell on the ground.


    As if hearing her scream that echoed in the forest, the three young boys appeared at the scene to notice a little girl on the ground.


    "Did you see that thing while we were walking?" questioned Roman, and Maximus shook his head.


    "I don''t think we did. Isn''t she your neighbor, Si? Mr. and Mrs. Benson''s daughter?" asked Maximus, turning to Simon, who nodded.


    "It does look like her," replied Simon, and he walked to where the girl looked like she had seen a ghost. "What do you think you are doing here in the middle of the night?" he questioned her.


    A young Nh turned embarrassed while tears continued to streak from her eyes. She had been caught.


    "She must be sleep walking," murmured Simon, as he didn''t receive an answer from his neighbour.


    "That''s not what people do when they sleep walk," Roman rolled his eyes.


    "Do you think she will tell her parents that she saw us here?" Maximus asked in a hushed whisper.


    "How troublesome," Roman was quick to turn annoyed. He then stared at the girl and said, "You didn''t see any of us here. Go back home now."


    Though Roman was young, to the young girl, his gaze was intimidating, and she cowered. Simon, who was observing the girl''s reaction, his eyes fell on the girl''s knees that had been scraped, and blood dripped down from it.


    "We cannot leave her here," said Maximus, before adding, "Maybe we should bring her to her home."


    "Isn''t that we showing ourselves that we were out of bed past our bedtime? What a brilliant idea," replied Simon, and Maximus gave him a look. "Let us take her back."


    "She''s hurt," pointed Roman, who wasn''t keen on being spotted at the moment.


    "Oh well, why don''t you carry her, Rome. Piggy back!" Simon pped his hands, and Roman gave him a dirty look.


    "I will never piggyback anyone. What am I? A horse?" questioned the young Roman.


    "If you want to think of yourself as a horse, no one is stopping you," remarked Simon with a grin.


    Maximus pursed his lips and then said, "Why don''t you carry her, Si? She''s your neighbor after all. Let us head back quickly. We can return to this ce once we see her off," he added in the end.


    Simon scratched the back of his neck and then said to the little girl, "Come on. Time to put you back in your house. How did you even end up here?" he asked her, but the young girl didn''t reply to his question.


    Once Simon had hoisted the little girl behind his back, the three boys started to head back where the little girl''s house was located. "Do you think there are people apart from us here?" questioned Maximus, turning behind to take a quick look.


    Roman raised both his hands and ced it behind his head as he walked, his eyes moving to the corner to check the thick trees and bushes at the sides.


    But once they reached the house, Nh''s parents shouted her name.


    "Nh! Where have you been?!" demanded her mother in worry, and she quickly hugged her. "How did you get hurt??"


    The girl''s father gave a look at the three boys, who were up to no good. He red at them, and Maximus tried to exin,


    "Mr. Benson, we found her¡ª"


    "Young man of the Marudus house, I would think you have something better to do than waste your time with the little rascals," said Nh''s father. "Look at what theirpany has done to you, and now my daughter?"


    "We found her on the ground," came thement from Roman, who didn''t like to be wrongly used.


    "No one asked you to speak. I will speak to Lord Malcolm tomorrow," came the sharp words from Mr. Benson, who wasn''t fond of Roman, or Simon because of his constant misbehavior. "And you Mr. Wace. I will make sure that your father hears about this," he red at the red-headed boy.


    But the man didn''t have to wait until tomorrow morning, as soon Mr. Wace and Wace''s butler came into view, making their way towards the Benson''s house. Mr. Wace, like many other times didn''t appear to be in a good mood.


    "Oh good that you are here, Mr. Wace. Look at what your son has done to my daughter?" Mr. Benson''s words came out more wrong that what he had meant to, making Mr. Wace believed that his son had done something not only disrespectful, but had tarnished their family''s name. "I wonder how a boy such as this one even mingles with the bad apples."


    Simon''s facade had suddenly changed in less than two seconds on seeing his father. Gone was the mischievous boy who had smiled like a young boy would, to be reced by an ice-cold expression now.


    Not a momentter, Mr. Wace walked up to his son and struck Simon''s face with his hand, where the boy didn''t react. People around them were taken aback by this action. Mr. Wace red at his son and said, "Home. Now." He then turned to look at Mr. Benson, and apologized, "I will make sure he is disciplined for his action."


    Young Roman was about to say something when Maximus caught his hand and shook his head. Roman gritted his teeth, watching Simon, his father and the butler leave. Before leaving, he red at the little girl as if it wasn''t for her, they wouldn''t have gotten into trouble. But the little girl didn''t notice the re as she had been taken away by her parents inside the house.


    Little Nh was put to bed, but the girl couldn''t stop thinking about being carried on Simon''s back. He had carried her all the way and was even hurt because of her. She decided to make up for it tomorrow.


    Returning to the present after recollecting the old memory, which she kept near her heart, Nh smiled. That little action of him carrying her, was the start of her feelings towards him.


    "I will make sure that you are out of his life, Mnie. And once you are gone, I will be there to save the day. Just like the other days," and she walked up the stairs.


    ¡ª

 Chapter 321 Ghosts are back!

    <h4>Chapter 321 Ghosts are back!</h4>


    Mnie walked under the gloomy clouds where the sun had not shone. With the academic year yet to start, the paths around Veteriscked the presence of students, who were mostly away from Veteris to enjoy the few days of their vacation.


    She drank the water from the bottle that she had filled a while ago, taking in sips before sitting on one of the spare benches. She took one more sip from the bottle, with her cheeks full where she was yet to swallow it. When she caught sight of the former detention professor, in shock she sprayed the water in front of her.


    Mnie tapped her chest and looked up at the sky as the water had entered the wrong pipe in her body. With a deep frown, she stared at Ms. Piper, who was supposed to be dead and a man next to her, who held her hand in his.


    "Oh my God... have I lost my mind to be seeing ghosts now?" Mnie questioned herself, and she quickly ran in the direction where she would find Simon.


    Tristan, who caught sight of the young woman, who ran after seeing them, said, "I don''t think I am going to be bored of people running away after looking at us anytime soon."


    "That''s Mnie Davis. Julianne''s best friend," informed Piper, and Tristan gave a nod.


    "I see. So much has changed, yet a lot of things like the buildings have stood strong. It must be Ms. Dante''s work," Tristanplimented the vampiress, who right now was probably having a hard time dealing with Azazel and Luciano pestering her about things to be done. "I don''t think I would ever be able to repay Ms. Winters for bringing you, my parents or me back to life."


    Piper softly smiled at Tristan''s words, "Neither can I. When she first joined Veteris, I was worried she was going to be one of thepelled humans. But she has shown such strong character. Undoubtedly, Roman has yed a role in shaping her too. She returned two dresses of mine early this morning."


    "Mm," hummed Tristan, and as they continued to take a stroll by themselves, making up for their lost time, he said, "Do you remember Mr. Oswald''s house that used to be here? We sneaked out and ended up in the backyard."


    Piper smiled at the fond memory. Her hands tightened around Tristan''s arms, and she said, "We nearly got caught by their dog."


    Tristan chuckled, "How can I forget. It had ended up waking the others and we spent three hours hidden in the stack of hay. How have you been doing, Piper?" He hadn''t got to ask her with all the rush of excitement.


    "I survived," replied Piper, and when Tristan gave her a look, her eyes lowered, and she said, "When I found that all of you had died, I wanted nothing less than to be dead. The pain had been excruciating... seeing the dead faces and being surrounded by strangers I wasn''t aware of. But then I saw Roman was alive¡­ or more like he was battling, as there was an issue with his transformation. I didn''t want to leave him alone."


    Tristan ced his hand on the top of her hand, and he said, "You did something I would have asked you to do. Thank you for looking after him for me, Piper. Especially knowing how unruly he has been."


    Piper nodded, "I know you would want him to be safe and not leave him alone. Your death had broken him, and it made me wonder if he would ever be able to feel whole or close to it. Julie helped him. I think they both helped each other."


    "I am d to hear that he found someone to lean on, and a purpose that didn''t push him too hard. I still thank you, Piper. For what you have done," Tristan thanked her, stopping his footsteps, he leaned forward to kiss the side of her head. "Come let us visit your parents grave, and then meet my parents. Something has been dyed for a very long time, don''t you agree?"


    "It indeed has," responded Piper with a smile, knowing exactly what Tristan meant, and they turned back in the direction they had walked.


    While Mnie continued to run in the direction of the lunchroom, her eyes fell on a car that stopped on the other side of the road. Out stepped Conner, and Reese stepped out on the other side of the door.


    "Simon!!!" Mnie shouted his name before running through the double doors of the lunchroom.


    Simon sat at the table, eating his extravagant meal, and he waved at her. He said, "Oh it is good that you are here. Come join me for a meal, my love."


    "There are ghosts walking around this ce!" blurted Mnie in worry, and she turned back to look at Conner and Reese.


    Simon realized that Mnie had not received the news, and he decided to y a bit, "What ghost?"


    "That!" Mnie jerked her head in the couple''s direction. Didn''t Julie send every ghost back to where they came from?


    Simon furrowed his eyebrows and said, "I don''t know what you are talking about, Mel. I don''t see any ghosts there. Maybe you need some rest, or what you need is a bite of food from my precious hand. Now say ''AHHHH''," and his words only ended up with Mnie ring at him.


    "Hey, Mel! Look who I have here, surprise!" informed Conner, and Mnie quickly went to stand behind Simon.


    She stared at Reese, who appeared perfectly sound with her health. The former deceased girl waved her hand, "It is good to see you, Mel. How have you been?"


    Seeing Mnie''s horror stricken face, Conner finally realized and exined, "Julie got some of the people back to lifest night. Reese was one of them."


    When Mnie looked at Simon, she noticed him chewing his food as if he wasn''t fazed by it, and she red at him.


    "I didn''t know... That''s really something..." Mnie''s voice trailed because she was still digesting the news. "It is good to see you, Reese. Are you... okay now?"


    Reese nodded, "Very alive and not in pain."


    Conner then said, "We''ll be backter, I am taking Reese to the main building to meet Ms. Dante and have Mr. Borrell initiate her education here. And also request Ms. Dante to speak to her parents."


    Mnie nodded, watching the two of them leave the lunchroom, and Simon pulled the chair next to him and grabbed the ss of cold drink to ce it in front of her.


    Seeing Simon''s action, she red at him, "You knew about it."


    "You don''t seem too shocked by ghosts," remarked Simon before adding, "My brave girl."


    Mnie stared hard at him, before taking a seat. Even though they were in a rtionship now, it didn''t stop him from wanting to prank her.


    "How are your parents doing?" he inquired, taking a bite from the food he had been having. "Heard they had a little adventure by themselves when we weren''t around."


    Mnie shook her head, "I don''t know how long it is going to take before my parentse around and be okay with what is going on."


    Simon chewed his food and swallowed it. He said, "Don''t be disappointed. A lot of the humans, especially hunters, have trouble epting their fate. There''s bound to be a little hups, and I wouldn''t fret about it."


    "But what if my mother is unable to turn back her senses. What if she forever stays as a deranged vampire?" asked Mnie.


    Simon had a couple of ideas in his mind, but he doubted Mnie would like it and there was a possibility that she would throw a chair at him. He then replied, "These are the times where you need to put faith, that things won''t turn bad, and it''ll get better from now on. You seem tired, maybe you should get some sleep."


    "I am fine. I feel like a warden who is checking up on my parents to make sure they don''t do anything stupid," said Mnie, taking a sip from the cold drink.


    "Fascinating, isn''t it? On how the roles reverse?" Simon asked her with a smile.


    "I guess... I wonder how many others are keeping an eye on them apart from me. I thought the vampires were supposed to be on vacation," Mnie muttered under her breath.


    "Whom are you talking about? The Elders won''t be going anywhere and have nned to camp instead. I overheard earlier that Azazel ns to have a bonfire in the forest," stated Simon, and ced the fork that he had been holding on the te before he leaned his back against the chair.


    "Not the Elder vampires but a vampiress. I don''t know why but I don''t like her," said Mnie, as the vampiress gave her vibes that she didn''t like.


    "Ignore the person. Most of the vampire and vampiress love to talk bullshit all the time," said Simon, and Mnie smiled.


    "I am aware of it." Though Mnie couldn''t help but wonder about the girl, before her eyes shifted to look at Simon.


    Simon raised his eyebrows and asked, "What? I know I speak bullshit, but they are always believable bullshit."


    "No, not that," said Mnie, "I wonder if she approached me because of you. Do you know any vampiress who has blue eyes and brown hair of this length," she leveled her hand near her shoulder. "Actually she had her hair tied into a ponytail."


    "So many girls with that appearance," Simon shrugged his shoulders.


    Mnie frowned, "How many girls were you involved with?"


    "Well, I don''t mean to boast, but your boyfriend is quite amazing and in bed¡ªOuch! What was that for? You asked me!" Simon leaned his body in the opposite direction.


    "I didn''t ask you to give the details to it," Mnie rolled her eyes.


    Simon grinned, enjoying Mnie''s reaction and loving how much it meant that she was feeling this way towards him. Not to mention, when Conner had appeared in the lunchroom with Reese, Mnie''s feelings had remained unchanged, unaffected seeing the past crush of hers was back with his previous lover. To think that he now had wholly had Mnie''s heart, it felt like a dream.


    He watched Mnie, before he asked her, "Did she have a cross on one of her ears?"


    Mnie gave it a thought and nodded, "I think I figured out why she was passively aggressive with me. You are the reason."


    "Nh," Simon murmured the vampiresses name. "That little pest. Did she try to do something?"


    Mnie shook her head, "She was all bark."


    "She bites too," replied Simon, the smile on his face lowered and he said, "Come let us go look for her."


    "What? Why?" Mnie asked surprised.

 Chapter 322 Clearing the air

    <h4>Chapter 322 Clearing the air</h4>


    NEW BOOK: Allure Of The Night


    ¡ª


    Simon held Mnie''s hand as they walked around the campus, while Mnie tried to stop him as it felt like she was soon going to step into war mine.


    "Simon?" Mnie called him. "What are you nning?"


    "n?" asked Simon, turning his head to give her a bright smile. "When have I ever nned anything? You doubt an innocent soul like me for no reason. I am a harmless potato."


    "When were potatoes even harmful?"


    A dramatic gasp escaped from Simon''s lips, and he stopped walking. Turning his body, he said, "Do you know a lot of people die because of them? Over eating them, not eating them, some dreaming about them."


    Mnie stared at Simon as if he had hit his head somewhere. But then Simon was like this all the time.


    "I sometimes wonder if I jumped into the swimming pool without realizing the depth of the water," muttered Mnie.


    "My love is as deep as the ocean. Don''tpare it to a shallow swimming pool," stated Simon, and he huffed in the end.


    Mnie shook her head, to think that she would have to live with this person for the rest of her life. She then asked him, "What''s the deal with you and Nh? Was she your slumber party partner?"


    A grin appeared on Simon''s lips, and he pinched Mnie''s cheek, "So cute. Do you think I am a girl?"


    "Did you have sex with her?"


    Simon quickly covered his ears, "Such crude words. Mother and father-inw wouldn''t be happy about it."


    Mnie wondered if Simon had perhaps lost more screws this morning. It was as if he was in a whole different mood and universe of his own. But then, at the same time, she realized how much Simon was enjoying annoying her. That was his favourite hobby...


    "Actually, she''s one of the girls I never slept with. Though she is in the same year as me and ss," Simon finally answered her.


    "Why not?" asked Mnie because she was sure that Simon had gotten under the sheets or at least made out with half of the girls. Was Nh perhaps on the other half of the girls in Veteris?


    "Nh was my neighbor before the massacre on Veteris took ce. Probably that is why," Simon shrugged his shoulders. "She has been a good friend until recently."


    "Why what happened recently?" frowned Mnie.


    "You, my love," answered Simon, and they started to walk again. He then continued, "When I had turned into a vampire, my transformation had a few hups. If you think Roman had it worse when ites to his consumption of blood, mine was on a different level. Nh was the one who tried to get me blood, to state my thirst because initially I went rampant, killing humans to quench my thirst. She helped me get it in control."


    "She took care of you," murmured Mnie and Simon''s lips twisted.


    "Don''t worry about her. I will solve the problem that might arise in the future with a snap of my fingers now," Simon assured her, and the pace of his footsteps increased.


    When Mnie and Simon found Nh talking with a friend of hers, Simon went straight to call the vampiress, "Nh!" he waved at her with a bright smile on his face.


    Mnie noticed the way the vampiress turned happy just by Simon''s presence. For the girl to take care of Simon, when she had just turned, she could only imagine that the girl was infatuated or was in love with him way before in time.


    Nh offered a polite smile that Mnie hadn''t received even the first time the two girls had met each other in the library. But when the vampiress''s eyes fell behind Simon, her smile faltered.


    "Is there something you wanted, Simon?" she asked him.


    "Oh, yes. I did," Simon nodded, and Mnie watched Nhe and stand in front of him. "I believe you have met the love of my life Mnie Davis?" He introduced Mnie to Nh, and Nh turned stiff.


    "I didn''t know about it¡­" murmured Nh, unhappy that Simon had used ''love'' and ''Mnie'' in a sentence. "What about us?"


    "We were neighbors and then we turned into acquaintances. We can turn to brother and sister if you want to?" offered Simon, and his words only insulted Nh, and she clenched her jaws and hands.


    Nh questioned Simon, "Is this your way of telling me that you don''t feel anything special towards me? That all my care those days and after was nothing but insignificant?"


    "They aren''t insignificant, Nh. What you did for me is very much appreciated, and it is why I shall not question you if you have tried to attack Mnie with your words or actions. Consider the debt to be paid for the night when I carried you back home," stated Simon, his smile lowering from his lips.


    "I thought we were more than that and believed that you needed time¡­" Nh''s voice trailed, noticing the hidden re behind Simon''s green eyes. "I have loved you, Simon¡­ for a very long time."


    "My apologies but I hold no romantic interests towards you, and the only woman I would like to be with is Mel," responded Simon, but Nh gritted her teeth, finding it hard to digest.


    "You are lying¡­ you have always teased me," said Nh, and Mnie heard the girl''s voice crack at the end. "You are ying now, aren''t you? There''s no way you would find a human, less a hunter to be your partner. A kind that was simr to your family who hurt you."


    Simon offered the vampiress a smile before he sighed, "You know me. I am twisted in every sense, and I rather find Mnie to be a right match. She evokes feelings in me like no one has before. I don''t want anyone to take her away from me. In fact," he said, turning behind and walking to where Mnie stood. He took hold of Mnie''s hand and pushed a ring on her finger, leaving both the girls shocked and surprised.

 Chapter 323 Ghosts are back!

    <h4>Chapter 323 Ghosts are back!</h4>


    Mnie walked under the gloomy clouds where the sun had not shone. With the academic year yet to start, the paths around Veteriscked the presence of students, who were mostly away from Veteris to enjoy the few days of their vacation.


    She drank the water from the bottle that she had filled a while ago, taking in sips before sitting on one of the spare benches. She took one more sip from the bottle, with her cheeks full where she was yet to swallow it. When she caught sight of the former detention professor, in shock she sprayed the water in front of her.


    Mnie tapped her chest and looked up at the sky as the water had entered the wrong pipe in her body. With a deep frown, she stared at Ms. Piper, who was supposed to be dead and a man next to her, who held her hand in his.


    "Oh my God... have I lost my mind to be seeing ghosts now?" Mnie questioned herself, and she quickly ran in the direction where she would find Simon.


    Tristan, who caught sight of the young woman, who ran after seeing them, said, "I don''t think I am going to be bored of people running away after looking at us anytime soon."


    "That''s Mnie Davis. Julianne''s best friend," informed Piper, and Tristan gave a nod.


    "I see. So much has changed, yet a lot of things like the buildings have stood strong. It must be Ms. Dante''s work," Tristanplimented the vampiress, who right now was probably having a hard time dealing with Azazel and Luciano pestering her about things to be done. "I don''t think I would ever be able to repay Ms. Winters for bringing you, my parents or me back to life."


    Piper softly smiled at Tristan''s words, "Neither can I. When she first joined Veteris, I was worried she was going to be one of thepelled humans. But she has shown such strong character. Undoubtedly, Roman has yed a role in shaping her too. She returned two dresses of mine early this morning."


    "Mm," hummed Tristan, and as they continued to take a stroll by themselves, making up for their lost time, he said, "Do you remember Mr. Oswald''s house that used to be here? We sneaked out and ended up in the backyard."


    Piper smiled at the fond memory. Her hands tightened around Tristan''s arms, and she said, "We nearly got caught by their dog."


    Tristan chuckled, "How can I forget. It had ended up waking the others and we spent three hours hidden in the stack of hay. How have you been doing, Piper?" He hadn''t got to ask her with all the rush of excitement.


    "I survived," replied Piper, and when Tristan gave her a look, her eyes lowered, and she said, "When I found that all of you had died, I wanted nothing less than to be dead. The pain had been excruciating... seeing the dead faces and being surrounded by strangers I wasn''t aware of. But then I saw Roman was alive¡­ or more like he was battling, as there was an issue with his transformation. I didn''t want to leave him alone."


    Tristan ced his hand on the top of her hand, and he said, "You did something I would have asked you to do. Thank you for looking after him for me, Piper. Especially knowing how unruly he has been."


    Piper nodded, "I know you would want him to be safe and not leave him alone. Your death had broken him, and it made me wonder if he would ever be able to feel whole or close to it. Julie helped him. I think they both helped each other."


    "I am d to hear that he found someone to lean on, and a purpose that didn''t push him too hard. I still thank you, Piper. For what you have done," Tristan thanked her, stopping his footsteps, he leaned forward to kiss the side of her head. "Come let us visit your parents grave, and then meet my parents. Something has been dyed for a very long time, don''t you agree?"


    "It indeed has," responded Piper with a smile, knowing exactly what Tristan meant, and they turned back in the direction they had walked.


    While Mnie continued to run in the direction of the lunchroom, her eyes fell on a car that stopped on the other side of the road. Out stepped Conner, and Reese stepped out on the other side of the door.


    "Simon!!!" Mnie shouted his name before running through the double doors of the lunchroom.


    Simon sat at the table, eating his extravagant meal, and he waved at her. He said, "Oh it is good that you are here. Come join me for a meal, my love."


    "There are ghosts walking around this ce!" blurted Mnie in worry, and she turned back to look at Conner and Reese.


    Simon realized that Mnie had not received the news, and he decided to y a bit, "What ghost?"


    "That!" Mnie jerked her head in the couple''s direction. Didn''t Julie send every ghost back to where they came from?


    Simon furrowed his eyebrows and said, "I don''t know what you are talking about, Mel. I don''t see any ghosts there. Maybe you need some rest, or what you need is a bite of food from my precious hand. Now say ''AHHHH''," and his words only ended up with Mnie ring at him.


    "Hey, Mel! Look who I have here, surprise!" informed Conner, and Mnie quickly went to stand behind Simon.


    She stared at Reese, who appeared perfectly sound with her health. The former deceased girl waved her hand, "It is good to see you, Mel. How have you been?"


    Seeing Mnie''s horror stricken face, Conner finally realized and exined, "Julie got some of the people back to lifest night. Reese was one of them."


    When Mnie looked at Simon, she noticed him chewing his food as if he wasn''t fazed by it, and she red at him.


    "I didn''t know... That''s really something..." Mnie''s voice trailed because she was still digesting the news. "It is good to see you, Reese. Are you... okay now?"


    Reese nodded, "Very alive and not in pain."


    Conner then said, "We''ll be backter, I am taking Reese to the main building to meet Ms. Dante and have Mr. Borrell initiate her education here. And also request Ms. Dante to speak to her parents."


    Mnie nodded, watching the two of them leave the lunchroom, and Simon pulled the chair next to him and grabbed the ss of cold drink to ce it in front of her.


    Seeing Simon''s action, she red at him, "You knew about it."


    "You don''t seem too shocked by ghosts," remarked Simon before adding, "My brave girl."


    Mnie stared hard at him, before taking a seat. Even though they were in a rtionship now, it didn''t stop him from wanting to prank her.


    "How are your parents doing?" he inquired, taking a bite from the food he had been having. "Heard they had a little adventure by themselves when we weren''t around."


    Mnie shook her head, "I don''t know how long it is going to take before my parentse around and be okay with what is going on."


    Simon chewed his food and swallowed it. He said, "Don''t be disappointed. A lot of the humans, especially hunters, have trouble epting their fate. There''s bound to be a little hups, and I wouldn''t fret about it."


    "But what if my mother is unable to turn back her senses. What if she forever stays as a deranged vampire?" asked Mnie.


    Simon had a couple of ideas in his mind, but he doubted Mnie would like it and there was a possibility that she would throw a chair at him. He then replied, "These are the times where you need to put faith, that things won''t turn bad, and it''ll get better from now on. You seem tired, maybe you should get some sleep."


    "I am fine. I feel like a warden who is checking up on my parents to make sure they don''t do anything stupid," said Mnie, taking a sip from the cold drink.


    "Fascinating, isn''t it? On how the roles reverse?" Simon asked her with a smile.


    "I guess... I wonder how many others are keeping an eye on them apart from me. I thought the vampires were supposed to be on vacation," Mnie muttered under her breath.


    "Whom are you talking about? The Elders won''t be going anywhere and have nned to camp instead. I overheard earlier that Azazel ns to have a bonfire in the forest," stated Simon, and ced the fork that he had been holding on the te before he leaned his back against the chair.


    "Not the Elder vampires but a vampiress. I don''t know why but I don''t like her," said Mnie, as the vampiress gave her vibes that she didn''t like.


    "Ignore the person. Most of the vampire and vampiress love to talk bullshit all the time," said Simon, and Mnie smiled.


    "I am aware of it." Though Mnie couldn''t help but wonder about the girl, before her eyes shifted to look at Simon.


    Simon raised his eyebrows and asked, "What? I know I speak bullshit, but they are always believable bullshit."


    "No, not that," said Mnie, "I wonder if she approached me because of you. Do you know any vampiress who has blue eyes and brown hair of this length," she leveled her hand near her shoulder. "Actually she had her hair tied into a ponytail."


    "So many girls with that appearance," Simon shrugged his shoulders.


    Mnie frowned, "How many girls were you involved with?"


    "Well, I don''t mean to boast, but your boyfriend is quite amazing and in bed¡ªOuch! What was that for? You asked me!" Simon leaned his body in the opposite direction.


    "I didn''t ask you to give the details to it," Mnie rolled her eyes.


    Simon grinned, enjoying Mnie''s reaction and loving how much it meant that she was feeling this way towards him. Not to mention, when Conner had appeared in the lunchroom with Reese, Mnie''s feelings had remained unchanged, unaffected seeing the past crush of hers was back with his previous lover. To think that he now had wholly had Mnie''s heart, it felt like a dream.


    He watched Mnie, before he asked her, "Did she have a cross on one of her ears?"


    Mnie gave it a thought and nodded, "I think I figured out why she was passively aggressive with me. You are the reason."


    "Nh," Simon murmured the vampiresses name. "That little pest. Did she try to do something?"


    Mnie shook her head, "She was all bark."


    "She bites too," replied Simon, the smile on his face lowered and he said, "Come let us go look for her."


    "What? Why?" Mnie asked surprised.

 Chapter 324 Clearing the air

    <h4>Chapter 324 Clearing the air</h4>


    NEW BOOK: Allure Of The Night


    ¡ª


    Simon held Mnie''s hand as they walked around the campus, while Mnie tried to stop him as it felt like she was soon going to step into war mine.


    "Simon?" Mnie called him. "What are you nning?"


    "n?" asked Simon, turning his head to give her a bright smile. "When have I ever nned anything? You doubt an innocent soul like me for no reason. I am a harmless potato."


    "When were potatoes even harmful?"


    A dramatic gasp escaped from Simon''s lips, and he stopped walking. Turning his body, he said, "Do you know a lot of people die because of them? Over eating them, not eating them, some dreaming about them."


    Mnie stared at Simon as if he had hit his head somewhere. But then Simon was like this all the time.


    "I sometimes wonder if I jumped into the swimming pool without realizing the depth of the water," muttered Mnie.


    "My love is as deep as the ocean. Don''tpare it to a shallow swimming pool," stated Simon, and he huffed in the end.


    Mnie shook her head, to think that she would have to live with this person for the rest of her life. She then asked him, "What''s the deal with you and Nh? Was she your slumber party partner?"


    A grin appeared on Simon''s lips, and he pinched Mnie''s cheek, "So cute. Do you think I am a girl?"


    "Did you have sex with her?"


    Simon quickly covered his ears, "Such crude words. Mother and father-inw wouldn''t be happy about it."


    Mnie wondered if Simon had perhaps lost more screws this morning. It was as if he was in a whole different mood and universe of his own. But then, at the same time, she realized how much Simon was enjoying annoying her. That was his favourite hobby...


    "Actually, she''s one of the girls I never slept with. Though she is in the same year as me and ss," Simon finally answered her.


    "Why not?" asked Mnie because she was sure that Simon had gotten under the sheets or at least made out with half of the girls. Was Nh perhaps on the other half of the girls in Veteris?


    "Nh was my neighbor before the massacre on Veteris took ce. Probably that is why," Simon shrugged his shoulders. "She has been a good friend until recently."


    "Why what happened recently?" frowned Mnie.


    "You, my love," answered Simon, and they started to walk again. He then continued, "When I had turned into a vampire, my transformation had a few hups. If you think Roman had it worse when ites to his consumption of blood, mine was on a different level. Nh was the one who tried to get me blood, to state my thirst because initially I went rampant, killing humans to quench my thirst. She helped me get it in control."


    "She took care of you," murmured Mnie and Simon''s lips twisted.


    "Don''t worry about her. I will solve the problem that might arise in the future with a snap of my fingers now," Simon assured her, and the pace of his footsteps increased.


    When Mnie and Simon found Nh talking with a friend of hers, Simon went straight to call the vampiress, "Nh!" he waved at her with a bright smile on his face.


    Mnie noticed the way the vampiress turned happy just by Simon''s presence. For the girl to take care of Simon, when she had just turned, she could only imagine that the girl was infatuated or was in love with him way before in time.


    Nh offered a polite smile that Mnie hadn''t received even the first time the two girls had met each other in the library. But when the vampiress''s eyes fell behind Simon, her smile faltered.


    "Is there something you wanted, Simon?" she asked him.


    "Oh, yes. I did," Simon nodded, and Mnie watched Nhe and stand in front of him. "I believe you have met the love of my life Mnie Davis?" He introduced Mnie to Nh, and Nh turned stiff.


    "I didn''t know about it¡­" murmured Nh, unhappy that Simon had used ''love'' and ''Mnie'' in a sentence. "What about us?"


    "We were neighbors and then we turned into acquaintances. We can turn to brother and sister if you want to?" offered Simon, and his words only insulted Nh, and she clenched her jaws and hands.


    Nh questioned Simon, "Is this your way of telling me that you don''t feel anything special towards me? That all my care those days and after was nothing but insignificant?"


    "They aren''t insignificant, Nh. What you did for me is very much appreciated, and it is why I shall not question you if you have tried to attack Mnie with your words or actions. Consider the debt to be paid for the night when I carried you back home," stated Simon, his smile lowering from his lips.


    "I thought we were more than that and believed that you needed time¡­" Nh''s voice trailed, noticing the hidden re behind Simon''s green eyes. "I have loved you, Simon¡­ for a very long time."


    "My apologies but I hold no romantic interests towards you, and the only woman I would like to be with is Mel," responded Simon, but Nh gritted her teeth, finding it hard to digest.


    "You are lying¡­ you have always teased me," said Nh, and Mnie heard the girl''s voice crack at the end. "You are ying now, aren''t you? There''s no way you would find a human, less a hunter to be your partner. A kind that was simr to your family who hurt you."


    Simon offered the vampiress a smile before he sighed, "You know me. I am twisted in every sense, and I rather find Mnie to be a right match. She evokes feelings in me like no one has before. I don''t want anyone to take her away from me. In fact," he said, turning behind and walking to where Mnie stood. He took hold of Mnie''s hand and pushed a ring on her finger, leaving both the girls shocked and surprised.

 Chapter 325 Fulfilled purpose

    <h4>Chapter 325 Fulfilled purpose</h4>


    Mnie''s mouth fell open on seeing Simon slip the ring on her finger. But on a closer look, she realized it wasn''t a ring, but it was the ring of the coke can that Simon was drinking earlier in the lunchroom.


    She turned even more speechless by seeing the ring of the can fit her ring finger. She looked up from her finger when Simon said to Nh,


    "The only person I would like to have near me is Mnie and no one else. You were my neighbor and out of that respect, I have been polite, forgive me if it came out wrongly."


    Nh, who couldn''t see the kind of ring that Simon had slipped on the human''s finger, felt her heart break. All these years, she had made sure to discard all the pests who had tried to get closer to him. She had hoped that one day he would ept her feelings.


    Nh parted her lips, wanting to say something, but she was left speechless. Her eyes teared up, and she stared hard at Mnie, who was the reason why Simon didn''t even bother to spare a nce at her.


    "She''s a human and we all know a human''s lifespan is short. She will die, and even if you would turn her into a vampire, with the amount of silverwater that she has consumed, I doubt the transformation would work," Nh warned him about the repercussions.


    "I am perfectly fine with her continuing to live as a human. I will still love her the same way, when her skin shrivels and sheins about back aches, and her eyesight grows dimmer," smiled Simon and Nh''s eyebrows drew in together.


    "You will break your heart in grief once she''s gone," the vampiress continued to warn him.


    "I will cherish the memories we built together. I will live through in them," stated Simon, and Nh felt a pang of pain in her chest.


    For years, Nh had craved Simon''s affections. Wanting to be loved by him, but he had chosen another woman over her.


    Nh clenched her hands, her nails digging into her palms, and after a few seconds, she said, "You will regret it, Simon. And I will wait for that day."


    "Let us look forward to it then," Simon smiled before adding, "I hope you don''t cross paths with Mnie to cross her or her parents. Because I wouldn''t be pleased with it, and you know what I do to people whom I am not particrly fond of?"


    Saying this, he turned and caught hold of Mnie''s right hand, ready to take her away from there. But before they could leave, Nh stated,


    "You don''t know him the way I do. You don''t know about his nature or his moods, what he likes and doesn''t. Or about his past." Her words were directed to Mnie.


    Mnie stared back at Nh while Simon released a frustrated sigh from his lips. Mnie calmly replied,


    "True that I don''t. But in time I will learn what Simon likes and doesn''t. And if it is about his past, he''s already told me the worst parts of him and I have epted it. It is the past of what he did and went through that makes him, him now. Thank you for your concern."


    Even though Nh had subtly threatened Mnie, she felt pity for the vampiress. She understood how it felt to be on the path of grass where one''s feelings were not reciprocated. Simon tugged on her hand, and they both left the ce, with Nh standing behind and staring at them.


    When Mnie and Simon came to stand far away from people, Simon let go of Mnie''s hand, and he ran his hand through his hair as if in frustration.


    "Are you okay?" Mnie asked him before she continued, "Like you said earlier you don''t have to worry about Nh. I am a big girl and can handle her all by myself."


    "Of course I know you can," replied Simon, and he turned to look at her with a subtle frown on his face. "I know you are not a woman who wants to be rescued and will probably bite the person''s arm off, whoeveres to hurt you."


    Mnie''s lips quivered to form a smile, and she asked him, "What is it then?"


    Simon pursed his lips, and Mnie wondered what was up. It was very unlike him to behave like this unless he was trying to prank her again about something.


    "I thought it would be romantic, but it wasn''t as romantic as I thought it would be. But it should do," said Simon, and Mnie stared at him.


    "Was it about your undying love for me?" Mnie teased him, and then she said, "It was beautiful."


    "No, it isn''t that," said Simon, and he stepped closer to her. He picked up her left hand and ran his finger across the coke can''s ring on her finger. "It is this. I am by no means a cheapskate, but I thought it would be nice to reserve your hand just for me and enough to shoo away any potential males."


    Simon''s words made Mnie smile, "I think you think too highly about me, Simon. I am by no means as popr as you. And if there''s anyone who needs to put a ring on the finger, it is you."


    She pulled out the ring and slipped it down Simon''s ring finger as she said, "You are by far more popr than me. Don''t you know you have the title of being a heartbreaker hanging around your shirt?"


    Simon looked down at his shirt and then grinned, "I knew about it, but if you would look at yourself through my eyes, you would want to stay locked up in the tower."


    Mnie smiled, "Thank you, Simon."


    "What a willing victim I have in here. Ready to move into my tower," remarked Simon, and he brought his hand up in the air to look at the ring and said, "We both have worn the same ring, how romantic is that."


    "Very," replied Mnie, and she couldn''t stop the blush that formed on her cheeks.


    It was because of all the words he had earlier spoken in front of Nh.


    "I think you are turning into me now," murmured Simon, and Mnie shook her head with a sweet smile on her lips. She said,


    "No, it is just that, you cleared everything so easily."


    "Oh, that. I think it is better to nip things when it''s still a bud. Why drag things and let drama build when things can be fixed. I do enjoy drama, but drama with other people than in my life. I have had enough of it," replied Simon.


    "What was it about the silverwater and transformation she spoke about?" inquired Mnie, and Simon put his arm around her shoulder before continuing to walk towards the infirmary building.


    "That... that is a rare possibility of why many humans end up with corrupted hearts. Because there are often a lot of hups. Hups like mine because our wonderful family would have fed us with arge amount of silverwater so that they aren''tpelled by the vampires. It is also a way to make sure that the humans don''t turn sessfully," replied Simon, and he noticed Mnie pursing her lips.


    "What are the chances?" asked Mnie.


    "There''s a fifty-fifty chance of unsessful transformation," said Simon, and he said, "Frankly, I wouldn''t change a thing in you."


    He was worried her transformation would go awry and he would lose her forever,Mnie thought in her mind.


    "And this is no time to think about it. We are still young, and we have lots of time. You and I are going to be helping your parents. That is depending on how fast your mother recovers," stated Simon, and Mnie smiled.


    "Yeah, let us not think about it," replied Mnie, and her hand found his, holding each other as they continued to walk.


    Back in the girl''s Dormitorium, Julie used the tape to wrap it around the box. She used the scissor to cut the end before turning the box around.


    "Do you need some more boxes?" asked Cillian, who was helping her in packing her things in the dorm so that she could send them to be moved into the new house that Roman had bought.


    "No, I think this is fine. The other things can be carried without the box," replied Julie, and Cillian nodded.


    They continued to pack all her things into the boxes until the room turned empty. A yawn escaped from Julie''s lips, and she sat down on the bed, which still had the mattress.


    "You should get some rest. You have been busy packing since early this morning. Did you even sleep?" Cillian questioned her,ing towards the bed and taking one seat away from her.


    "I was so happy after seeing Uncle Thomas'' face, the excitement had not let me sleep," replied Julie, and she pulled her legs up to fold it on the bed. "I used to wonder before why mother didn''t save herself, but now I know." Helping others and making them happy... It was exhrating.


    "Your mother was undoubtedly a wonderful woman, Julie. But don''t be her," the Corvin advised her, that had Julie turn and look at him. "She cared for people, and as noble as it is, she lost a lot of people and things that were dear to her. A person should be allowed to be a little selfish, to make them happy."


    "Did you think I was going to bring back mother and father through the stones?" asked Julie, and she saw Cillian smile.


    "No. I knew you would bring someone else back," he replied to her. He took a deep breath before letting it go. "There is something I would like to give you. Bring your hand forward."


    Julie wondered what Cillian wanted to give her, and she turned her body to face him. She brought her hand forward and watched him ce a colorless stone in her hand.


    "What is this?" Julie asked him.


    Cillian stared at the stone ced in her hand, and he said, "This is a stone that will dissolve in your palm in a minute or two. Do you remember that because of your multiple visits to the other side of the forbidden door, you cannot travel to the past. But once this dissolves, you will be able to do it."


    Julie was taken aback by his words, and her heart felt lighter by this information.


    "I don''t think I can ever thank you enough for what you have done for me," said Julie, looking up to meet Cillian''s ck eyes.


    "I did it for me," he offered her a slight smile.


    Though Julie believed that she would be one day able to bring her parents and the rest of her family back to life by resurrecting them¡­ Cillian didn''t believe in it. He had lived on thesends for a long time, long enough to know what was feasible and what wasn''t.


    Not to mention, he sensed something wrong in her soul. It had been stained, and it needed to be purified. And only he could do it. He didn''t want Julie losing herself over it.


    "You are an extraordinary woman, Julie. And it has been nothing, but a pure pleasure to see you transform at every stage in your life. I feel blessed to have known you and maybe in another life, we can meet again unlike this one," he said to her.


    "I am not as great as you make me seem," smiled Julie sheepishly. "It is because of your help, Roman''s help, Mel and Evans, and everyone... who helped me."


    "Mm," hummed Cillian, and he said, "I am happy for you, Julie. For moving out of here, where you will be able to make many memories outside this ce. And I hope you will forever find nothing but happiness."


    Julie wondered if Cillian was perhaps sad that she was leaving Veteris. She said, "The house isn''t too far from here. And I will being to attend sses." She wrapped her hands around his body and hugged him.


    Cillian wrapped his arms around her, hugging her closely as she was the important person he had met in this lifetime of his.


    "I am not sad. I feel content right now¡­ as if everything has finally fallen into its ce," smiled Cillian, pulling away from her and Julie dropped her hands. He then leaned forward, pressing his lips on her forehead. "I will miss you."


    "You can pop in and out at any time you want. Maybe we should get you a house next to ours," suggested Julie, clearing her throat, but Cillian only smiled at her.


    "Take care of yourself," he said to her, and the next moment, Cillian''s body started to turn transparent, and his soul started to get sucked into the stone that was in Julie''s hand.


    "W-what are you doing?" Julie turned rmed, and she noticed there was a circle and star-like marking on the dorm''s floor. "Stop it!!"


    "I think I have fulfilled my purpose here, and there''s nothing more to do. I lived, I saw and it is time for me to go. Come see me sometime," he ced his hand on her cheek, but Julie couldn''t feel his touch. In a blink of an eye, he disappeared and so did the stone in her palm.


    "Cillian!" Julie shouted his name at the thin air around her, but she was the only one in the room.


    ¡ª


    Author''s note: I will be marking chapter 328 to be thepletion of the book. The next chapters will be released purely as extras. A big thank you to everyone who havee this far in reading LTR ^.^ At the moment, I won''t be marking the book as officiallyplete and will do it by end of the month.


    If you haven''t added the new book ''Allure Of The Night'', please do add it to your library.

 Chapter 326 Something to ask

    <h4>Chapter 326 Something to ask</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Forgiveness- Hyunpill Shin


    -


    Julie felt anguish fill in her chest.


    "Cillian?" She called his name, but she didn''t sense his presence. She couldn''t believe that he had disappeared just like that, not giving her time to digest or let the information sink in on what he had nned.


    Her eyebrows furrowed deeply, and she sat in silence. She could feel the memory of his lips on her forehead, where he had pressed them affectionately. How could he leave... just like that.


    The reason why Julie had even stepped into the forbidden door was only to bring him back to life, not to lose him all over again. Suddenly it felt like everything she had done had gone in vain.


    "Winters?" Roman hade to stand at the door, noticing Julie staring at her palm.


    "...he left, Rome," Julie informed him, her voice cracking in the end. "Didn''t stay back even for a minute more."


    It took Roman two seconds before he realized whom Julie was talking about right now. He stepped inside his former room,ing to stand in front of her. She hugged his waist while still sitting on the bed, and Roman gently ran his hand on the back of her head.


    "I thought he would live his own life, where he would be able to live the parts of his life which had been stolen from him," said Julie, her lips pursed and her eyes moistened.


    Julie had never wanted Cillian to give up his life for her sake. She would have found a way to bring her parents back to life, and it was something she would deal with. Right now, the weight on her shoulders felt heavy, and she didn''t know how to handle the sudden loss.


    "He probably knew something that we didn''t, Winters," Roman consoled her. "Something he wanted to do before he left. Did he say something?"


    "He said he had fulfilled his purpose, and there was no reason left for him to stay here," replied Julie.


    The furrow that had appeared on Roman''s face quickly disappeared as he understood what it could mean. He knew Cillian would have many reasons, and it was probably hard for the Corvin to leave Julie''s side, but he had done what was right.


    Leaning forward, Roman dropped a kiss on top of Julie''s forehead.


    "He said I can open the portal again," added Julie and Roman could only tell that Cillian had found it hard to stay around Julie when her heart belonged to someone else. No matter how great or generous a person''s heart was, one couldn''t stop the prick of pain.


    "Don''t be sad, Winters. You will still be able to see him. Maybe you can alter the past a little," suggested Roman, and Julie wondered if she could really do it.


    "But it would alter things in the present," replied Julie, and she pulled herself away from him. She craned her neck to look up at him.


    Roman cupped her face with his hands, looking straight in her eyes, "It never has to be too much alteration. Sometimes a simple thought, a memory to be carried forward can be imnted. So that it can make way for the future."


    As much as he wasn''t fond of Julie having more admirers, he knew that she shared a connection with Cillian.


    "But you will need to think carefully about it. Taking in all the possible consequences, and if you are ready for it," stated Roman. "Don''t be sad. I don''t think he left your side to make you sad. All of us want you to be happy, and smiling."


    Julie nodded, and a soft sigh escaped from her lips, "Okay."


    Roman looked around the room and asked, "Is that everything?"


    "There are four pairs of clothes and a few essentials in the cupboard for the next few days," replied Julie because she wanted to be there for Mnie. "Did you catch up with your mother?" she asked him curiously.


    "Yeah, halfway there," replied Roman. "Tristan and Piper are nning to have a wedding before the next term starts."


    "Oh?" asked Julie, her eyebrows slightly raising. "Have they pick a date or venue yet?"


    "The venue is going to be right here in Veteris. And it should be in three weeks," responded Roman. "Actually I came here to tell you that Piper wanted to speak to you about something."


    "She did?" asked Julie, and Roman gave her a nod. "Did she tell you what it was about?"


    "No, she said it was something personal, and would like to talk to you about it," replied Roman.


    Julie stood up from where she had been sitting until now.


    Roman leaned forward and kissed her lips, offering her an assuring smile. He said, "There are times when certain things don''t make sense to us. But as time passes by, you reach a point and realize that it was meant to happen, and it is why you are where you are. Don''t be disheartened, Winters. If you ever need to, I will tear open the forbidden door for you. I will always be next to you, so lean on me as much as you want."


    Julie''s eyes once again moistened, and she said, "And you can lean as much as you want on me. I will do my best."


    "I know you will," replied Roman, and he said, "Why don''t you go and meet Piper, and I will take these boxes outside."


    "Let me help," said Julie, going to pick up one of the boxes.


    "Don''t worry about it. I will be fine doing it myself. You don''t want to keep my sister-inw waiting now, do you?" said Roman, and Julie smiled.


    "I will be back soon," replied Julie, and she walked out of the Dormitorium to look for Ms. Piper.


    As Julie headed in the direction of where Ms. Piper was, she reached the building where the theatre was located, which felt like many years had passed since she hadst been here. But at the same time, she relived the memory of what happened on the stage during the y.


    A smile appeared on her lips, and she walked down the stairs before making her way to the back of the stage. In one of the makeup rooms, Ms. Piper stood in front of arge trunk that had been pulled open. Julie knocked on the door to let the woman know of her presence.


    Piper turned around and offered a bright smile, "Come in, Julie. I remember keeping a dress in here, but it seems like when we were shifting things around which were unburnt during the massacre, it must have disappeared then. Come sit," she said, walking towards the chairs that were fixed in front of the dressing mirrors.


    "Rome said you wanted to speak about something," said Julie.


    Looking at Julie''s concerned face, Piper said, "Don''t worry, it is just something I wanted to ask from you," Julie nodded for her to continue. "As you know, I lost my family in the massacre that took ce a century ago. I was wondering... if maybe you would like to be my bridesmaid."


    Julie was taken aback by Piper''s words.


    "It is perfectly alright if you don''t want to. I have asked Dante and then I thought to ask you. I know we have mostly had a student¡ª"


    "I would be more than happy to be your bridesmaid, Ms. Piper," Julie replied with a smile.


    "You wouldn''t mind?" Piper confirmed again.


    Julie shook her head, "We are all going to be a family one day. It doesn''t matter if I get a sister now orter," she said to the woman, who was touched by her words.


    "I cannot tell how much your words mean to me, Julie. I really appreciate it. Both Tristan and I really do, for what you have done for us," Ms. Piper was grateful to Julie for more than one reason.


    Though Julie wasn''t able to bring her family back, she had people here who cared and loved her. A family that wasn''t rted by blood but by feelings.


    Julie asked, "I am guessing that you may want to go shopping?" Piper already had her dress, but surely she would want to add something to it.


    "Maybe if you are free, we could goter?" asked Ms. Piper. Julie was more than happy to agree to it.


    Julie then wished her, "Congrattions, Ms. Piper. I hope your wedding is exactly the way you imagined it to be many years ago."

 Chapter 327 Rectifying the errors

    <h4>Chapter 327 Rectifying the errors</h4>


    Music Rmendation: What the wind brought- Francis Wells


    -


    As days passed by, in Veteris, many things started to settle down, and things were back to how it was many years ago. Under the pressure of the Elder vampire Azazel Donovan, the hunters had finally decided to sign the agreement that Eloise Dante had sent them.


    Everyone knew that the peace that had been offered wasn''t for eternity as the hunters still wanted to kill the vampires and the other beings whom they had witnessed on the night of ambush. But for the vampires, this peace of agreement was more than enough. To fix the university back to its previous self so that once the term would start, the students could continue their studies without any interruption.


    Right now, in the infirmary building and one of the rooms, Elder Remy was done observing Mrs. Davis, and he stepped out of the room, where Mr. Davis, Mnie and Simon stood outside.


    "How is she?" came the anxious words from Mr. Davis to the Elder vampire.


    "She''s stable now," replied Elder Remy, and both Mr. Davis, as well as Mnie, breathed a sigh of relief. "If you want, you can take her home. But I would like to advise that it would be better for her to spend at least a month here until she feels perfectly fine to step back into the world."


    "A month?" Mr. Davis had hoped to take his wife away from here. "Isn''t that a bit long?" he eagerly asked the Elder vampire.


    Elder Remy stared back at the human with a serious expression on his face, and he exined, "It is only for precautionary measures. Right now the chemicals that she consumed has fully exited her body and her transformation isplete. Newly turned vampires often have the tendency of being uncontrobly hungry, and watching their food walk and talk in front of them would be hard."


    Noticing Mr. Davis'' hesitation, Simon offered, "I can keep a watch over Mrs. Davis. I am a vampire and I can keep an eye."


    Mr. Davis turned surprised by the boy''s offer. He then turned to look at the Elder vampire on what he thought about it. Though his wife was now a vampiress, he still had a hard time wrapping his head around that he was standing in a ce surrounded by vampires, making him feel nervous about it.


    Remy gave a small nod, "That sounds fine. Simon is an experienced vampire, and he has personal experience in this particr part of the transformation."


    Mnie thanked the Elder vampire, "Thank you so much for making sure she was alright and having her here, Elder Remy."


    "You don''t have to thank me. I did what I usually do. Take good care of her, the initial few days are often the hardest," advised the Elder vampire before walking away from there.


    "Can we see her now?" asked Mnie, turning to look in the direction where Elder Remy disappeared at the end of the corridor.


    "Her transformation isplete and she must have been provided with blood, just like how humans are given IV liquid," Simon exined.


    Both Mr. Davis and Mnie quickly stepped into the room, which was moderately dark, to stop any possible harsh light that wouldn''te to harm the vampire, who had recently transformed.


    "Honey, how are you doing?"


    "Mom?" Mnie called her mother for her attention, with her back facing them.


    Simon, who had followed them into the room, remarked, "Don''t be shy, Mrs. Davis. We won''t judge you." Mnie elbowed the side of Simon, and he asked, "What did I do? I am only being supportive."


    Mrs. Davis slowly turned her body. Mr. Davis''s mouth fell open, when he noticed the sharp looking fangs that were in his wife''s mouth. The woman said,


    "I am a vampire now..." there was a sorrow in Mrs. Davis''s voice, and the initial frustration with the tantrums had disappeared.


    Simon pushed Mr. Davis''s back, who had a gobsmacked expression on his face. The man quickly cleared his throat, and said, "That''s fine, honey. We have many vampires here for yourpany. Like we have Simon."


    Mrs. Davis offered a small smile, and she apologized, "I am sorry that you had to stay here, waiting for me. And even my earlier suggestion."


    "We are just d that your transformation went well, mom. You do not have to feel any less about yourself," replied Mnie, and she stepped forward,ing to sit next to her mother. She ced her hand on her mother''s hand.


    "Aren''t you scared of me?" questioned her mother, and Mnie shook her head.


    "No one here is scared of you mother. You are still you," replied Mnie, wanting to be supportive.


    Mrs. Davis''s eyes filled up in tears, and Simon wondered if the woman had turned into an emotional vampiress. He said,


    "The only thing that has changed is your heightened emotions, and the menu of your food. There''s nothing to worry, Mrs. Davis. If it is killing humans that worries you, then let me tell you that in time you will be able to control your thirst."


    "What about the hunters?" asked Mrs. Davis, and her eyes lowered, knowing well she was now being a hypocrite. There was shame in her eyes, and she didn''t know how long she would be able to live like this.


    "No one has to know about anything," came the curt reply from Simon, and this had both Mr. and Mrs. Davis turn to look at him with a question in their eyes.


    "That''s not possible," replied Mr. Davis. "We have been away from the hunters for so long, the other hunters are bound to know that something is up."


    "Once they find out... they will kill me," stated Mrs. Davis, and Mnie put her arm around her mother''s shoulders.


    "We won''t let that happen, mom. You are always going to be safe," assured Mnie, and she added, "Simon has already got everything sorted."


    Simon gave them a nod, "Mnie is right. I already spoke to Donovan about it, and he''s mentioned to the hunters that you were injured, and have been getting treated in here to avoid gaining attention from the doctors and others outside this ce. We will make sure that no one will ever know that you have been turned into a vampire. And if it makes you feel better, you can alwayse live in Veteris, or live outside this state. But it would be better to stay close, and in the circle of known, to avoid being hunted."


    Mrs. Davis''s hands that were resting on herp. She clenched her hands and nodded, "Okay."


    "Let us get you back home, mom. I am sure you miss it," said Mnie, and the four of them started to leave for Greasy Corner town.


    Once they reached the house, Mrs. Davis said something to her husband, who gave her a nod. Mr. Davis then said, "Mel, I will need your help. Come with me."


    Mnie wondered what was up, and she looked at Simon, who offered her a smile. He said, "Go on. I will get the things from the car''s trunk."


    Mnie gave an apprehensive look before she made her way inside the house with her father.


    Near the car, Simon was picking up things from the trunk when Mrs. Davis appeared near him. The woman cleared her throat to gain Simon''s attention, and he turned to look at her.


    "What you did for me, or my family... why?" she questioned him.


    Simon offered the woman a smile and asked, "Isn''t it simple? Because I love your daughter and to her you guys mean a lot, even after you almost killed her."


    Mrs. Davis''s lips pursed, and she looked at the neighbour''s house, worrying that someone woulde with guns to shoot her.


    "You should understand that the surroundings that my husband and I grew up, things were harsher. Which is why vampires have always been our enemies. I was only trying to protect my daughter from... vampires," replied the woman.


    "I will save you from going round and round the conversation, Mrs. Davis. I will tolerate anyone only until the person who is dear to me isn''t hurt or doesn''t get affected. If anyone crosses it, I will take matters into my own hands, and there will be nothing more to look at," said Simon with a straight face and his green eyes staring at the woman. "But, if you have mend your ways, then I will make sure to keep Mel happy and also protect you and your husband. Are we clear?"


    The woman nodded and said, "Now that I am on the other side, I see things. I apologize and also thank you. Mnie told me what happened the night we had locked her in the basement."


    "Well, if that is so, there''s no bad blood at all," Simon grinned, picking up one of the boxes.


    Simon could tell that the woman had tried to reflect on what she had done in the past. For most of the ride, she had been quiet. And speaking to him and apologizing had taken a lot of effort. Something his own family had not done for what they put him through.


    Mrs. Davis picked up another box, and when they were about to get inside the house, two of the hunters, who stepped out from Conner''s house, noticed the woman and the vampire.


    "What is a vampire doing here?" questioned one of the hunters, his voice stiff and guarded.


    "Mrs. Davis, I didn''t know you had joined hands with these kinds," said the other hunter. "Is it because of your daughter?" came their unweing words, but they hadn''t suspected her of being a vampiress yet.


    Mrs. Davis stepped forward and said, "There''s no need to be rude, gentleman. You should know better than some of them, fight for better, and don''t harm us. It is time for things to change¡­"


    "You cannot be serious. Wasn''t your family killed by these vampires? Did you forget it?" one of the hunters questioned her.


    The woman nodded, "Yes. They were killed by vampires. But we should know that there is good and bad to a coin. If it weren''t for the vampires in Veteris, we would not have lived to be here today." The hunters pursed their lips because it was true. She then said, "Also¡­you are right."


    The hunters'' eyebrows furrowed in question on what she was talking about.


    "It is also because of my daughter," Mrs. Davis turned to look at Simon, who had been quietly listening to them speak. "Simon is now part of the family. I would appreciate it if you aren''t hostile with him."


    Mrs. Davis then stepped inside while Simon offered the hunters a bright smile.


    -


    Author''s note: I will be marking chapter 328 to be thepletion of the book. The next chapters will be released purely as extras. A big thank you to everyone who havee this far in reading LTR ^.^ At the moment, I won''t be marking the book as officiallyplete and will do it by end of the month.


    If you haven''t added the new book ''Allure Of The Night'', please do add it to your library.

 Chapter 328 The time of wedding

    <h4>Chapter 328 The time of wedding</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Clouds- Before You Exit


    ¡ª


    "What do you think about this?" asked Olivia, holding two dresses that were peach and lc in colour and were of simr design.


    Julie, who was talking to the store owner, turned to Olivia and nodded, "I think I like these better than the ones we saw in the other store."


    Julie hade with the vampiress and her best friend to shop for Piper''s wedding.


    "I think this is a good one indeed," agreed Mnie.


    "Do we have more colors in these? Maybe each of us can wear one color that way," said Julie, and she turned to look at Ms. Dante, who was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed.


    Sensing Julie''s gaze, Ms. Dante turned to look in her direction and said, "I would prefer it in beige."


    "I would like to pick lc," Mnie picked the colour.


    "Blue, please," Olivia told the saleswoman, who was showing them the bridesmaid dresses. "It would go well with the color of my eyes. What about you, Tori?"


    "You should wear the peach one, Tori," suggested Julie, and Victoria''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "I don''t think it is a color that suits me," said Victorian, "Also, if I wear it, you would run out of color options. You don''t need to sacrifice everything," the vampiress muttered under her breath, which both Julie and Mnie didn''t catch.


    Julie then said, "I think peach is something that suits anyone. You should definitely try it."


    The woman waiting on them then asked Julie, "What color would you choose for yourself, miss?"


    Julie wondered what other colours would suit well for the wedding, which wouldn''t stand out oddly. It was Victoria who suggested, "Olive green. It suited you well during the time of y."


    Julie smiled, and she nodded before turning to look at the woman, "Olive green it is."


    Olivia walked to where Victoria was and put her arm around her best friend''s shoulders, "I didn''t know you had such a big heart."


    Victoria rolled her eyes, "I was just being fair."


    "Mhm," smiled Olivia, hugging her friend, "It seems like you like her."


    "I never despised her," muttered Victoria before adding, "Now stop cuddling me. I know how to be civil."


    While everyone discussed the possible changes in the bridesmaid''s dresses, one of the doors of the trial room opened, and Piper stepped out of it, wearing her old wedding gown that had been modified.


    Everyone stopped talking, the look in their eyes turning to an awed expression and their words falling short.


    Piper''s wedding gown had a boat neck with intricate designs and little pearls that were weaved into it. With sleeves that reached to her wrists and the translucent veil fixed on her head.


    "Is anyone going to say something or should I buy a new dress?" questioned, Piper, raising her eyebrows slightly.


    Soon the girls and the women broke intopliments.


    "This looks absolutely perfect."


    "You look beautiful, Piper."


    "That''s true. You will be a very beautiful bride, Ms. Piper."


    "I thought the wedding gown might have turned a little dull, but it hasn''t lost its shine," remarked Olivia, and the others agreed to it.


    "If your parents were alive, they would have been very happy to see you like this, Piper," it was Ms. Dante whoplimented and on receiving the shower ofpliments, Piper turned pink.


    "So this is fine?" asked Piper, to make sure it was still okay to wear something so old.


    "Yes!" came the collective voices in the room.


    Days were quick to pass, and the wedding day of Piper and Tristan finally arrived.


    The wedding ceremony was going to be held in the forest, and amid the beautiful scenery. The ce where the couple would be taking their wedding vows, a wedding arch had been decorated with flowers. String lights hung above, where the bulbs were ced in mason jars that had been tied in lines, below which tables and chairs had been set up.


    The vampires had helped in getting the wedding venue ready, making sure the lights were working and the food was ready. A band had been called, who yed instrumental music just like the weddings that took ce a century ago.


    "Where is the cake?" demanded Mr. Borrell. "It was supposed to be here an hour ago, but there has been no news about it."


    "Maximus and Mr. Evans have gone to get it, Mr. Borrell," informed one of the students.


    "And where is our priest?" questioned the professor, pushing his sses up his nose.


    The student looked a little conflicted and replied, "I am not sure, Sir."


    Mr. Borrell raised his hand to take a look at his watch and instructed, "Make sure everyone is seated in their seats. Also our guests today are special, so don''t try topel them. I will go take a look at what''s going on the other side."


    In one of the closest buildings, the Moltenore family was ready with the groom in his ck suit. Lady Lilian had joined the family with Azazel Donovan. At the moment, Lady Petronile stood in front of Tristan, fixing his crooked bow, and she ced her hands on his shoulders.


    "I cannot tell how happy and proud you have made us," said the woman, tenderly smiling.


    "I didn''t know marriage could do that," murmured Tristan, and Lady Petronile lightly hit his shoulder. "I am joking, mother."


    "Of course, you are," she gave him a pointed look. "You could have got married sooner, if only you had told us. Did you really think we would not agree to it."


    Tristan gave her a sheepish smile. He said, "I didn''t know how to break the news then."


    "Have you nned where you are going for your honeymoon?" came the blunt question from Donovan, and Lilian turned to give him a look. "What happened?"


    "You need to give them privacy," said Lilian, and Roman shook his head. Donovan didn''t understand the word privacy when it came to others.


    Donovan nodded his head and then asked, "If not a honeymoon, have you guys nned on where you are staying? With the mansions that have been turned into Dormitoriums. Did Dante arrange a ce?"


    Malcolm Moltenore addressed this, "We haven''t thought about it yet. As there are still a few weeks before the academic year starts. But we should be able to find a decent ce."


    "How about we have a mansion built right next to the Elder''s mansion? I am sure you would like having us for neighbors," Donovan suggested, and the former Lord of Veteris smiled.


    "Thank you for the suggestion, Mr. Donovan," Malcolm gave a short nod.


    Roman just heard them speak without interrupting their conversation before he heard a knock on the door. "Let me get it," he said, walking to the door of therge room and opening it. It was Mr. Borrell who offered everyone a bow.


    "Everything has been prepared and is ready," Mr. Borrell coughed, "Except for our priest, whom I am yet to look for. I have to go and check if the bride is ready."


    Roman offered, "I will go and see if the bride is ready," he turned to his family, who gave him a nod, and he left the room.


    Roman could hear the music that carried itself in the air, and he made his way towards the building where the bride was. On his way, he met Maximus and Mr. Evans, who were making sure not to drop the cake.


    "Are you looking for Julie? She went to get her aunt and uncle," informed Mr. Evans.


    Though Roman did hope to meet Julie where Piper and the others were, he was d to be informed, and he said, "Thanks."


    Before he decided to walk further and towards where the bride was, he decided to make a small stop. Once it was done, Roman then went to see Piper.


    "Rome! What are you doing here?" questioned Olivia.


    "Came here to see how the bride was doing," replied Roman, entering the room where the girls were ready.


    Piper, who had been standing in front of the mirror, turned to meet Roman''s eyes, and she turned. She gave a bright smile before asking, "How is he doing there?"


    "He''s doing well. How are you doing?" Roman asked Piper. He walked to where she stood and said, "Your dream of marrying him is finally going toe true. You must be ecstatic."


    Piper''s eyes shone in excitement, and she replied, "You bet. I did tell you long ago, I am going to legally be your sister-inw, didn''t I?"


    "Unfortunately," remarked Roman before they bothughed. "You were already my sister-inw when I caught you and Tristan. You look beautiful, Piper."


    "Thank you, Rome," Piper smiled wide.


    "Looks like the time is approaching. Let us give the bride a moment," Dante announced, ushering the others to leave the room.


    Near the entrance of Veteris, which was decorated in flowers, Aunt Sarah murmured, "I never thought I would be attending a wedding here. I had to even double check to make sure that we were invited."


    "Don''t worry, Aunt Sarah. The vampires in here are really cool and they won''t harm you," Julie assured her aunt.


    Aunt Sarah gave a nod and a smile, but she was still nervous.


    "I hope we aren''tte. What time did they say that the wedding was going to start?" inquired Uncle Thomas.


    Julie checked her watch and replied, "We still have a good forty minutes." And when the Dormitorium appeared, she asked the driver to stop, "I will be getting down here. I need to get the hairpins, but you can go in and settle down."


    Getting down from the car, Julie made her way toward the girl''s Dormitorium. She opened the dorm, which was nearly empty, and she was about to head towards the cupboards when her eyes fell on a letter near the window and a small box.


    The letter gently wavered because the window was left slightly open. It seemed like the thief had returned, and with a smile on her lips, she walked towards the window. Picking it up, she unfolded the letter and read¡ª


    ''To my dear Troublemaker,


    I suddenly happened to miss you, especially with the hours apart from each other as we have been busy since yesterday with the wedding. I cannot wait to see you in a few minutes. I will be under therge tree with red leaves, waiting for you. I brought you something, hoping it would match today.


    ¡ªYour Letter Thief''


    A warmth spread in Julie''s chest, and she picked up the box. Opening it, she found a golden flower hairpin. Walking to the mirror, she fixed the hairpin to her tied hair.


    Before Julie left the dorm, she stared at it, her brown eyes roaming as it picked up the memories she had made here. Taking a deep breath, she finally closed the door, heading towards the wedding venue.

 Chapter 329 Always by my side

    <h4>Chapter 329 Always by my side</h4>


    Music Rmendation: Opaline- Novo Amor


    ¡ª


    When Julie reached the tree with red leaves on it, as mentioned in the letter, she found Roman standing right under it. He wore a greyish-blue suit and a white shirt. His hair wasbed, simr to when they had done the main y on the stage. His red eyes stood stark against hisplexion, and he watched her walking toward him.


    Stepping close to him, they hugged each other, and Julie felt Roman kiss the side of her neck before pulling away from her.


    "You look breathtaking and lovely," Romanplimented her, noticing her lips pull up and her eyes crinkle at the sides. His eyes fell on the hairpin he had bought for her, "More beautiful than the day before." He couldn''t take his eyes off of her.


    Julie ced her hands on his coat and said, "You look handsome. Just like a prince."


    Roman slipped his hand into hers and said, "Come, everyone must be ready."


    Julie nodded, the smile on her lips not disappearing even for a second. When they reached the aisle, everyone had already taken their positions. Her eyes fell on the priest, and her eyes widened in surprise.


    "Don''t tell me he is the one who is performing the ceremony," Julie whispered to Roman.


    One corner of Roman''s lips pulled up, and he nodded on seeing Luciano stand at the arch of flowers. The Elder vampire wore a white cassock and held a book in his hand. Julie was sure that it wasn''t just her who was right now staring at him.


    "Donovan said that Luciano was once studying to be a priest before he was turned into a vampire," replied Roman, his lips continuing to twist.


    "Wow, that''s an irony," murmured Julie, and they heard the wedding music begin by the band.


    Tristan had already taken his ce next to a less grumpy Elder Luciano, his nose up high as if he was the most important person here.


    The maid of honour and best man to walk first was Ms. Dante and Elder Castiel. The second couple was Olivia and Maximus, and the third couple to walk was Julie and Roman.


    Even though there was a long time before Julie and Roman would marry, she could only imagine how beautiful it would be when their time woulde. Her heart skipped a beat as she smiled at the people she knew, who now stood at their tables, watching them.


    "This is the first time I am someone''s bridesmaid," whispered Julie while holding Roman''s arm. And it made it that much special that she was Ms. Piper''s bridesmaid.


    "How about the next time when you walk down the aisle, it is for our wedding?" questioned Roman with a straight face, and Julie quickly turned to look at him before looking forward.


    "You sure about it?" she asked him because she was yet toplete her graduation andnd a job.


    "Mm," hummed Roman in response. "I don''t see why we have to dy it when you are mine and I am yours already. Maybe we can wait until Piper and Tristan finish their honeymoon."


    Julie blushed at Roman''s thoughts about their future. It seemed like he had nned everything about their future, which made her happy.


    Before they parted to go and stand on the groom and the bride''s side, Julie leaned in to kiss Roman''s cheek. She whispered, "Okay."


    When it was the bride''s turn to walk, Piper appeared at the entrance with Mr. Evans walking her down the aisle. She looked very happy and held a bouquet in her hand. It had been left as a surprise to everyone, as Piper had already told that the one who was going to walk her down the aisle had already asked her, and it had everyone wondering who it could be.


    Mr. Evans and Ms. Piper had been close to being Veteris'' staff handling the students, but Julie didn''t know that Evans was closer to the vampiress. Her face brightened even more than before.


    Soon the guests settled in their seats, and Elder Luciano started performing the wedding ceremony between Tristan and Piper. With only close family and friends attending it, with a few alive, it made it that beautiful and warm. And during the ceremony, Julie and Roman couldn''t keep their eyes from each other as they continued to stare.


    Somewhere between, Julie couldn''t control the smile, and her eyes lowered in shyness due to the intense gaze from Roman.


    Soon the rings were exchanged after the vows. Elder Luciano then dered, "I now announce you to be husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," in a prim and proper tone.


    Maximus, who stood on one side,mented, "He''s kissed the bride many times already¡ª"


    Luciano sent a re at Maximus to shut up, and some of themughed while Piper and Tristan moved closer before kissing each other. Cheers and hooting filled the ce, people pping for the newlywed couple.


    In the back, Lilian, who held Donovan''s arm, said, "Back then I was worried that after I died, he would have a hard life and his heart would grow cold. But I am d that he found the right people to care for him."


    Donovan watched his sonughing about something that one of his friends said, and he nodded. His son had grown up well indeed.


    "He has taken after you. No one can resist both of your charming nature," replied Donovan, picking up one of Lilian''s hands and kissing the back of it.


    "Always good with words, aren''t you, Mr. Donovan," smiled Lilian.


    "All good words only for you," Donovan smirked, and he was d how things had turned out to be. "Julie is a wonderful girl."


    "Indeed, she is. I heard you wanted to kill her before," said Lilian, and Donovan let out a nervousugh. "Such an obsessed father, not letting him have a human girlfriend, when you didn''t mind sleeping with me."


    "Now, that waspletely different. I can exin..." said Donovan in a solemn voice.


    Lilian watched her son smile, something she was getting used to, and it brought peace to her mind. When Roman was a small boy, he had always been serious, and it was partly because of her. After all, like Donovan said, Roman had inherited her nature, but also that the surroundings around them had curbed and removed his happiness.


    She was d to see him happy, knowing there was someone apart from her or Donovan who loved him immensely and without a doubt in the heart.


    The wedding soon transitioned from the quiet and elegant wedding to a rush of music when the newlyweds got on the dance floor and wereter joined by others.


    Julie had circled her arms around Roman''s neck while he had his arms around her waist as they moved to the music. She had ced the side of her face to rest on his shoulder.


    "I hope every day can be like this," Julie murmured.


    "They will," promised Roman. "We have more friends than foes, and the enemies don''t exist here anymore. And everyone is more than pleased to have you on our side."


    "You make it seem like I am some goddess with wonder woman abilities," Julie smiled, and she lifted her head to meet Roman''s eyes.


    "You are a goddess to me. A goddess I am unable to keep my eyes off of you today," replied Roman, and he dropped his hand from her waist. He took one step away from her before pulling her by her hand, and Julie turned around before being caught in his arms. A giggle escaped from her lips as she hadn''t expected it from him.


    The bad boy had moved, thought Julie. She was soon turned around again before being almost dropped to his side while he supported her by holding her back.


    They continued to dance until everyone switched partners, taking turns, and Julie decided to go and rest her feet a little by sitting at the nearest table so that she could continue to watch people dance.


    And while she watched friends and family together, someone cleared their throat behind her and Julie turned to notice Dennis here. She hadn''t expected him to be attending the wedding. She wondered if Roman had invited him.


    "Can I sit?" he asked her, and Julie nodded.

 Chapter 330 Epilogue

    <h4>Chapter 330 Epilogue</h4>


    "It has been a long time since west saw each other," said Dennis, sitting one seat away from Julie. "You must be surprised to see me here."


    "I am," replied Julie and said, "I didn''t know you were invited to the wedding."


    It was because only the vampires of Veteris and a handful of hunters were invited to build and keep the rtionships between each other.


    "Moltenore invited me," informed Dennis, which brought a surprised expression to Julie''s face.


    That was a big leap of change, Julie thought to herself. It was because in the beginning, when she had just joined the university, there were times when Roman and Dennis didn''t look each other in the eye. There were always mocking remarks thrown at each other.


    "Rome told me about your help during the fight night. Thank you for that, Dennis," Julie was grateful that in the beginning, even though Dennis was working for Joaquin, in the end, he had still decided to help them. If Roman hadn''te on time, the witch with whom Dous had joined hands would have done more damage to her. "Can I ask you something?"


    "Please go ahead," came the polite words from Dennis.


    "Why did you work for Joaquin?" Julie questioned him.


    Dennis stared at her for two seconds before his eyes shifted to look at the people who were dancing on the dance floor. He replied, "It was due to my circumstances. Joaquin was the one who saved me from dying, and he let me avenge my family''s murder. He provided everything I needed and I became his devoted follower. But then my thoughts started to waver."


    He then turned back to look at her, and Julie didn''t question why his thoughts had wavered. Because she already knew the answer.


    Instead, she asked him, "What do you n to do now that Joaquin is no more? You didn''t wait to graduate."


    Dennis smiled, adjusting the sses on his face. He said, "That is indeed an unfortunate turn of events. I don''t think Veteris will be keen on taking me in again. The kind gesture has already been offered by allowing me to live after what I did."


    "The people in here aren''t as bad as what others portray it to be, you know?" said Julie, and she wondered what Dennis would do once he left this ce.


    "You only tell it because the Elder vampires are now somehow rted to you. One who is your father-inw and the other your foster father?" asked Dennis, and he shook his head. "I know someone who lives in the next state. He is an old acquaintance and I can help him with his work. One that doesn''t involve scheming against the vampires or humans."


    "I see..." Julie''s voice trailed.


    It seemed like Dennis had already made up his mind and wanted to start fresh. Julie didn''t want to suggest anything more, as she thought maybe that was the right thing for him to do.


    "I hope you will be able to make the best out of your days and create good memories, Dennis," said Julie, wishing him nothing but happiness.


    Dennis nodded, "Thank you, Julianne... Even if Roman hadn''t invited me, I would havee to meet you once, before I leave this ce. I don''t know if you are aware of this, but you have been a blessing to most of us. Even when I am away from here, I will remember the good times that we shared with each other while I was still a student of Veteris," he said to her before getting up from his seat.


    Julie also stood up with him, "I will keep those memories with me too, Dennis," she smiled at him.


    "I should get going now. Maybe someday we''ll meet again," said Dennis, and saying it, he finally walked away from there.


    Julie took a deep breath before letting it go. So many things had changed, while some nostalgic memories came around.


    She saw her cousin Joel who came to where she was sitting, and asked her, "What are you doing sitting here all by yourself, sister Julie?"


    "I was resting my feet. Are you having fun?" Julie asked him, and the young boy enthusiastically nodded his head. "I am d to hear that."


    "Dad said I should ask you for a dance with me," said Joel, and the little boy soon pulled her hand, taking her back to the dance floor. Julieughed as she twirled and moved front and back with her cousin.


    It was a joyous asion for everyone who hade to attend it.


    Roman and Malcolm Moltenore had stepped down from the dance floor. Holding a ss of drink in each of their hands and sipping it.


    "Father," Roman addressed the man, who turned to look at him. "There is something I would like to speak to you about."


    "Go on," Malcolm nodded, wondering what Roman wanted to tell him.


    "Julie and I bought a house not too far from here. And we would be thrilled if you and mother coulde with us," said Roman.


    "Of course, we wille visit you, Rome. Petronile and I would be more than pleased to spend time with you two," smiled Malcolm.


    "No, not temporarily but permanently," Roman corrected as Malcolm didn''t seem to get it the first time.


    Malcolm looked genuinely surprised, and with a slight frown on his face, he said, "You don''t have to trouble yourself with that, Rome. Petronille and I have already decided to live in another town."


    "It is no trouble at all. The house is as big as the mansion, and in fact, it has the same structure as the one that you grew up and lived in without any change. I think it would be quite lonely for just Julie and me to live there," stated Roman, and then he added, "We would be more than happy to have you live with us."


    "It wouldn''t be right though. To intrude in your space¡ª"


    "Please," Roman pleaded to the man. When he was small, his mother was the only person he knew, but when he came to live with the Moltenore''s family, things had changed. "Dante had transferred all the money from thend that belonged to our family to my ount. I have only made use of something which rightfully belongs to you and Tristan. So you do not have to think that you are living in my house, the house will be ours."


    Malcolm chuckled, hearing this, a sigh escaping from his lips. He said, "I will ask Petronille and see what she thinks about it. Okay?"


    Roman gave him a nod.


    "But wouldn''t it be rude to only have us there? I am sure you would want your mother and your father to live there too," Malcolm was referring to Donovan and Lilian.


    "That has been already arranged too," came the dutiful answer from Roman. "I have already spoken to Tristan about it."


    "I see," murmured the man, and he then ced his hand on Roman''s shoulder. Words didn''t have to be spoken, as Roman could sense how proud the man felt. "You should go to Julie for thatst dance before the bride and the groom get ready to leave."


    Once everything headed towards the end, it was time for the bride to throw her bouquet. Everyone stood, taking their position and ready to catch hold of it, wanting to participate.


    Simon shouted to Mnie, "Don''t worry if you aren unable to catch it, Mel. I will get it for you," and Mel turned red before sending a small re at him, as his words earned quite a few chuckles from the crowd.


    Piper had already taken her position, and the crowd cheered, wondering who would catch the bouquet and be the next one to be married soon. When she finally threw the bouquet, everyone''s eyes focused on the bouquet that flew in the air, and finally, someone did catch it.


    But the person was the least expected one.


    It wasn''t a female who caught the bouquet but a male, less an Elder vampire. Remy Oscar.


    "Looks like atst, you will have someone next to you, Remy," remarked Donovan, who stood near him. Remy stared at the flowers but didn''t refuse the idea.


    The bride and the groom were the first ones to leave there, spend time alone, and the hunters decided to take their leave, including the other guests. Most of the vampires dispersed, taking themselves to rest, while Julie and Roman took themselves to sit on a tree branch.


    They hadn''t changed their clothes and were still in their wedding attire.


    "Are your feet hurting?" Roman asked, noticing her bare feet swinging on either side of the branch. She held the straps of her shoes in one of her hands while she watched the guards shifting the table and chairs while the string lights had been turned on.


    Julie turned and smiled at Roman, "Just a little. I am not used to dancing. How did things go with both of your parents?"


    It was because she and Roman had discussed theming and living with them. Julie had no other family of her own except for uncle''s family, and she wanted to treasure the ones she had been blessed with.


    "Smooth," replied Roman, and he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I love you, Winters," his words held affectionate in them as his fingers lingered on her skin.


    "And I love you," Julie responded, leaning into his touch.


    When they moved closer to each other, there was a creaking sound, and suddenly the branch upon which they were sitting broke. Before they would fall and crash to the ground, Roman caught Julie in his arms andnded on the ground without much impact. Julie''s heartbeat had quickened while she was let down to stand on her feet.


    Sheughed at the timing, "That was unexpected."


    Roman kissed her temple, "Mm, we can continue itter. Come, we have somewhere to go."


    "Now?" asked Julie, and he gave her a nod.


    They both walked away from Veteris and reached the bridge that led to the town of Willow Creek. With Cillian, who had helped her regain her ability to open the portal again, Roman knew that Julie had been wanting to open and meet her family again. And now that the wedding ceremony was over and there was nothing important to do, with ample amount of free time in hand, he felt it was only right to open it.


    Julie felt the increase in her heartbeat, excitement and nervousnessing to fill in her body. She brought her hand up, and soon a ck circr portal opened that connected to the different pasts. She didn''t know which time of the year she had opened, but she looked forward to it.


    Before she could step into the portal, she asked Roman, "Will you apany me?"


    "Always," replied Roman, slipping his hand in hers and holding it firmly.


    And together, they stepped into the portal, disappearing inside it.


    ¡ª


    End Music Rmendation: Solitude- Colossal Trailer Music


    ¡ª


    Author''s note: I will be marking this chapter to be thepletion of the book. The next chapters will be released purely as extras. A big thank you to everyone who havee this far in reading LTR ^.^ At the moment, I won''t be marking the book as officiallyplete and will do it by end of the month.


    If you haven''t added the new book ''Allure Of The Night'', please do add it to your library.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!