When I finally gathered enough strength to look around, I realized that I was no longer on the school campus. The air was damp and moist. All I could see was the rocky interior in the faint light.A groan left my lips as I tried to raise myself. I had barely moved an inch before my body went limp again.“Don’t move,” Stella’s voice sounded to my right. I turned my head to find that her dressed in a strange black gown; her expression was dead serious. She kneeled beside me and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Do you trust me, Miraya?”I tried to reply, but my mouth felt drier than sawdust. My lips parted, but all that left my lips was a soft gust of air. With a groan, I nodded.“Leave everything to me and relax. I promise that you will recover soon.” A strange sense of warmth flowed through me and the next thing I know, I was in Stella’s bedroom; lying motionless on her bed.I groaned and buried

“Here, wear this,” Stella said as she put on the clasp of a bracelet around my wrist. “I imbibed this charm with magic. It will keep the vampires away from you.”My eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you giving this? You will stay with me all through the day, won’t you?”“I plan to, Miraya. But you don’t know Lord Andres. He is pretty stubborn. I am sure he will try….”A shrill voice calling out from the door interrupted her words, “Stella!”We both rushed to the door to find Stella’s aunt standing in the doorway. Her expression was glum, and she was panting heavily.She grabbed Stella’s hand and gasped, “You need to come with me right now! There has been an attack and your parents….” Her words trailed off as she shook her head.Stella closed her eyes and gulped before turning to face me, “Miraya…”I had a feeling

“Mom,” I called out in a shaky voice as I entered the place I called home. Tears stung my eyes and my lungs constricted. It had been two months since I came here. Gripping the edge of the table, I gasped. “Mom, are you home?”My gaze darted around the hall restlessly; finally landing at the doorway between the hall and the kitchen. Emma was standing there; a sheer poster of elegance and warmth.Tears brimmed in her eyes as she stepped into the hall and called out in an uncertain voice, “Miraya?”My mind veered to the last time we had met. I had said so many harsh words to her; even taunting her for her inability to bear children.Tears rolled down my cheeks as the words pricked my insides. I had heard that a mother’s love is boundless. Today, I could see it in Emma’s eyes; the sea of endless love and compassion.Despite the way I had behaved earlier, she didn’t curse or complain. She didn’

“Miraya, please eat something,” Cassius said, and something brushed against my lips. “It has been an entire day since you put anything in your mouth.”I turned my head away, hoping that he would leave me alone, but he didn’t. He kept coaxing me. In the end, I blurted out in an annoyed voice, “I don’t really have any appetite, Cassius. Why won’t you just leave me alone?”He sat beside me and cupped my face; forcing me to look at him. “I am worried about you, Miraya. It hurts me to see you like this.”The frown on my forehead deepened, and I gulped. “Go back to your home, Cassius. Haven’t I already told you that I don’t love you? Why do you keep coming back like a pathetic dog?”His expression hardened and his jaws clenched. “This attitude is the reason you are alone, Miraya. Your parents must have been fed up with your attitude and that is why….”He got to his feet and stormed out of the room. The sound of receding footsteps echoed in the room and slam! The door was banged shut.Cassiu

When I returned home, Cassius was pacing up and down the porch. His eyes lit up on seeing me and he ran to catch up with me. “Where did you go suddenly?” His concerned gaze raked all over me. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?”I laced my arms around his arms, and a ghost of a smile played on my lips. He was safe, and I hadn’t killed anyone; at least not today. I blinked my eyes to restrain those stupid tear drops, but they spilled over my cheeks, anyway.“Miraya? Why are you crying?” His breath hitched and his face grew a shade paler. “Please don’t hide anything from me, okay….”I nodded. “I am just glad to see that you are fine.”His expression darkened, and he pulled away, smacking his fist against his palm. “It is him, isn’t it? He threatened you again.” His jaws clenched and his eyes narrowed. “I am going to kill that fucking bastard!”“I don’t think Cassius has that kind of ability, do you, Miraya?” Andres’s voice sounded, making me jump. “Don’t tell me you are depending o