DECODE (Book #1)

ELEVEN

My inner turmoil was building  inside of me, stemming from the pit of my stomach to the top of my heart, slowly seeping into every crevice of my brain. With very little downtime to process the hits as they continued to reign down, I was in a daze.

Clouded by my unrelenting silent pain, I stormed down the hallway towards my room. As I trekked forward, I noticed Mahari leaning against one of the doors. He was deep in thought, talking to a woman that I didn't recognize. The mysterious woman was at least 5'10, a slender yet powerful build. She was dressed in the most beautiful crimson and golden armor, which was snug against her perfect body.

Her hair was a soft hazelnut, and upon a further glance, her veins were illuminated by a soft crimson glow. This woman was a vampire.

I debated whether I should interrupt their conversation or not; I didn't really want to be alone, but I also didn't feel like talking much after what just transpired with Esmeralda.

Mahari must've caught my wandering eyes, as he soon turned towards me. I gave a timid expression, as the woman he was with shot me an icy glare.

"Who is she?" I muttered, returning my attention to Mahari.

"This is Monica Lim, she's the princess of the Lim bloodline." Mahari replied flatly.

"What's she doing here?" I inquired.

Monica shifted her gaze towards me, folding her arms across her chest. She didn't seem to be too enthralled with my sudden appearance. "My love, we should continue this conversation. There's much for us to talk about." Her voice was ethereal, softer than I initially imagined.

"Just a moment, Mon." Mahari waved her off. Monica's scowl grew deeper, as she was marching over to me in an instant.

"Whatever you have to say to Mahari can wait." Her tone was frigid; she didn't like me and I didn't understand why. I'd never met this woman a day in my life.

"What exactly is your issue with me? We've only just met, but you've already decided you don't like me."

Monica smirked, running a hand down her face. Her ephemeral eyes bore into mine with disgust.

"From what I've heard, all you're good at is whining and complaining about how much you hate being here. And now, you're going to be the face of this senseless war."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Listen, Monica. I didn't want a war, I didn't want any of this, but there's nothing I can do about it."

Monica shook her head quickly. "Oh? You don't want a war, yet you posted a video saying that you'll kill all vampires for what happened?"

Bewildered, I shot a glance over to Mahari, who seemed equally as lost.

"Hold on, let's take a few steps back. What video?" Mahari piped up. Monica waltzed back over to him.

"I came all this way because I heard that you were attacked during the rebel siege. I also came here because Seraphina showed me a video of this cunt threatening to kill all of us vampires. That includes you now," Monica placed her hand on Mahari's face.

"You don't have to stay here, Mahari. You can come with me and join my side, where you've always belonged." She continued. I was throwing up in my mouth.

"I don't know what kinda misinformation bullshit you were shown, but I didn't post or create any video!" I said, scowling deeply. Monica whipped her head around at me, looking me up and down with disdain.

"It was your face. Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"You might be if you're so quick to believe things. I dunno if you're new around here, but I have a clone running around named Verena, who is quite literally the bane of my existence."