Chapter 72 April's POV I cradled Azura in my arms and walked back home. There were still traces of soot in the air, and I realised that Azura's white fur had been tainted a slight black from all the smoke and soot. I made a mental note to shower her once I got home. She really needed one. It didn't take long, and soon, I was right at my doorstep. I peeked through the window and saw that the house was quiet, and it seemed quite empty. I smiled lightly to myself. This was perfect. I could grab all the pictures that I needed without having to worry that someone would see me. I pushed the door open and went inside. I walked quietly and tried not to let the floorboards creak under my footsteps. I headed upstairs, and soon, the sound of voices became more apparent. I was drawn by curiosity and inched closer and closer to the source of the voices. It didn't take long for me to make out Susan and Dorian's voices, and they seemed to be in a heated argument. I became even more intrigued

April's POV Dorian stormed angrily to the door, but I beat him to it and flung it open. My jaw dropped to see Jacob standing there."Jacob?""April?"He looked from me to Dorian and back to me in confusion. I could tell he wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to start. “April, what is going on here? What happened to your face? Your eyes are puffy. What is going on?”I was trembling and tried my best to de-escalate the situation, but Dorian pushed me away, and I nearly fell to the floor."And what are you doing here?" asked Dorian to Jacob."I was sent with a message for April. My parents would like to invite her for dinner to help us to aid some of the casualties of the attack."Dorian chuckled and glanced at me with a dangerous smile."Well, as you can see, we are a bit busy here, so maybe you can tell your parents that April can check in tomorrow."Jacob's face looked stern and concerned, and he looked over Dorian's shoulder to me."April, I need you to tell me what is h

Chapter 76April's POVI was relieved as Dorian released Azura and left the room when his phone rang. Azura meowed at my feet, and I inspected her to ensure she was okay and not hurt. She seemed alright, and I cradled her in my arms. As my eyes fell on my clothes, I saw that they were covered in sweat, blood and grime. Being with the injured and Dorian hugging me had left imprints on my clothes.I looked at Azura's fur; she was slightly tainted with soot, and there were little blood smears here and there."When was the last time I gave you a bath? Your fluffiness hides your little stinky self."She meowed and rubbed her face on my cheek. I smiled."Yeah. I guess I stink, too. We should both probably get cleaned up."I gave Dorian's door one final glare and walked away. As soon as I got to my room, just as I was about to open the door, I saw him walk out of the front door, and he seemed to be in a hurry.I scoffed and ignored him. I wanted nothing to do with him. I hoped he didn't h

Dorian's POVThis couldn't be possible. No one was that careless to forget their own birthday. Even if it was possible, it couldn’t be Stacie. Birthdays were a big deal for her, and she always chose a theme for her birthday months ahead.What on earth was going on here? What was I reading? I looked at the diary over and over again, but the words were written in clear black ink on brilliant white paper. There were no mistakes. The handwriting was crystal clear.I grabbed the picture, diary, and tax documents and headed to my room as fast as I could. Something wasn't right, and I was going to get to the bottom of it, even if that was the last thing I did. I got to my room, slammed the door firmly behind me, and walked to my calendar that hung on the wall.Was it even her 16th birthday that this happened? I checked for everything that I could possibly think of, but there were no mistakes. In the diary, it was written that April bullied her on her 16th birthday and that she left her outsi

Dorian's POV Despite giving them all the necessary instructions, I hadn’t been to the infirmary since the attack, and I was startled by the number of casualties that were there. The tent for the makeshift infirmary had been erected, and it was buzzing with activity. Nurses, doctors, and volunteers were rushing around, trying to give as much aid as possible to the sick and injured.The whole tent smelled strongly of disinfectants, and stretchers lined every wing, with dozens of people standing beside the beds of their loved ones as they received treatment. If this was what the tent looked like, then I could only imagine the situation inside the infirmary. I sighed deeply and shook my head. Ivar stood beside me, and we both continued to watch the buzz of activity."This is worse than we thought," Ivar said solemnly. "What's your next course of action going to be?"Before I could answer, I caught sight of April rushing around the infirmary, helping the nurses with stitching injuries a