Chapter 4: Landon Arthurs

What did he say? Did I hear him right?

As if he was able to read the question in my face, he said, "You heard me right, Eve. Your mother, Doris Walters, and your father, George Delluci, are dead. It was reported as murder and still under investigation, but I'm sure it was Vienna's doings."

"No…" I shook my head. "That's not true! That is… impossible!"

"If you are still not convinced, see it for yourself," he said flatly as he pointed to the bedside table with a nod.

I turned to the table and saw what he was pointing out. I moved once, very swiftly, that it barely took a fraction of a second. It was newspapers. One was from Lynnwood, the other was from Dad's city.

I froze when I saw the headlines of both newspapers. I felt something within me, something like scorching. I could feel the venom at the tip of my teeth, and the urge to destroy everything.

I stood and the next second, I was already at the door but the man was then beside me, stopping me from going out.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his tone dark but not threatening.

"I will go see my parents," I said in between gritting teeth and tried to walk past him but he held the door.

"You can't do that."

"And why can't I?" My voice was sharp and I almost couldn't help a growl. I was too overwhelmed by my emotions, I couldn't keep my mind straight.

"Let me remind you that you just went through a transition. You are basically a one-day-old vampire, and you know what that means?"

I stopped. Carter had told me about newborns before.

"It means you are very dangerous to humans. You can't control your emotions yet, and you can't also control your thirst. What I've given you was just animal blood. It is enough for now, but you will be thirsty again soon, and you can't be around humans when your thirst strikes again. I suppose you don't want to feed on humans?"

I clenched my fist and stayed still. He had a point. I can't just act rashly and end up hurting innocent people.

"What should I do? If it's true that my parents are dead, can't I at least arrange a proper burial for them myself?" I sounded almost hysterical. I couldn't imagine the image of Mom and Dad in that situation. I was terrified and angry at the same time.

"I will take care of that."

"Why would you do that for me?"

Not even a glimpse of any emotion can be seen on his face. This man is dangerous and seems to be very unaffectionate. He seems to be someone who doesn't do one thing without gaining something in return. I already faced death at the hands of his kind, how would I know if he is a foe hiding in an angel's facade?

"Do you want something from me?" I asked, my voice firm. What would I be afraid of now, anyway? I'm all alone. I've got nothing to lose.

"What do you think?" His brow raised. He walked towards the sofa and took his seat gracefully.

"You are definitely not the person who would do something for free."

One corner of his lips rose. "You are a little wiser than I thought you were, after all."

"Doing this is a burden to you. We have no history at all for you to offer help. It's not hard to figure out."

"Hmm…" He tapped his right knee with his fingers. His eyes went down, his thick lashes flicking smoothly, overshadowing his eyes.

When his gaze went back to me again, I looked at him with courage and determination. If there is one thing I'm dying to do, that is to know Vienna's reason why she had to do that and to avenge my parents and Jaxon. I don't care where it would bring me, but I am sure of what I want to do now. I want to bring justice to my loved ones. I can't just let it pass like nothing. And if my assumption is true – that this man wants something from me, I will take advantage of that. I'm willing to pay the price no matter how much it would cost me.

"You want to avenge your loved ones, I see."

"How did you know? Do you read minds?" But I thought only one vampire has one specific ability.

"I don't read minds like your boy—your ex-boyfriend, I mean. But I am good at reading people's facial expressions. I can guess their thoughts just by looking at their faces."

I walked a few feet closer to him. I stopped a yard away from the sofa where he was sitting like a modern king.

"Even if you want it badly, none of your plans will work if you will do it alone. You need help, Eve. Fortunately, I can give you that."

"And why would I trust you? We just met. I couldn't even remember how you saved me. I don't even know your name. I know nothing about you."

"Oh, yes. I forgot to introduce myself. My apologies for that." His tone didn't sound sorry, though. In fact, he sounded playful and dark.

"I'm Landon Arthurs," he said, his tone was polite this time, but his eyes were full of menace. "And you are not in Lynnwood nor Washington. You are in my residence, here in Manchester."

I was taken aback.

"Manchester? You mean in England?"

Manchester is the next largest city in England next to London. I've been to London before but never to Manchester.

"Yes. If you are going to ask me why I didn't obtain your permission first before bringing you here, note that you were unconscious and needed immediate help. You can't have the transition process take place anywhere. I had to bring you to a private place where the transition process will take place smoothly. It should be done to avoid problems. I know you would blame me if you had ended up devouring a human's blood because you went out of control."

"How long did the transition process take?"

"Just a couple of days. Actually, for a normal human to undergo transition, it would take four to five days, but for some reason, the venom in your body spread so fast."

"Why did it spread so fast?"

I held my breath when the next moment, Landon vanished from my sight and was then standing so close behind me. He whispered in my ear another revelation I had never thought of before.

"Because you have vampire blood running through your veins right when you were born."