Enamoured

Original Edition: Chapter 32

"I did watch the first and the second one!" I protested. "Although I have to admit that I've been distracted by that handsome horse-legged professor played by the handsome Pierce Brosnan. And, of course, the main character. Damn, Logan Lerman is ridiculously hot! How can someone be that adorable and hot at the same time?!" I shook my head then realized that Vlad was giving me a pointed look. "Anyway," I paused to clear my throat. "I did watch both movies, okay. So what's your point?"

He rolled his eyes, it seemed that he got that habit from me. "Remember when Percy and his friends went to the Underworld?"

"Of course," I snorted. "They have to collect those green pearls. How can I forget the part where Grover dancing his butt off in the club in Vegas?"

"It seems that you only remember things that you want to remember," muttered Vlad under his breath.

My eyes widened. "I heard that!"

"They need those pearls to get back from the Underworld," he explained. "Charon is the uncanny guy wearing a dirty cloak who owns the boat."

I nodded. "Okay."

"After crossing the river, the souls will face Cerberus who guards the gate. Moving forward, there is an area where the Judges of the Underworld decide whether to send the soul of the person to Elysium, the Fields of Asphodel, or Tartarus."

Vlad swallowed then continued, "these souls will go through several years down there before they are reincarnated back to the world."

He looked like he was done explaining so as I tilted my head to the right, I asked, "then what will happen if all the entrances are closed?"

"The book says that souls wander aimlessly for now." Vlad shook his head, a deep furrow pulling his brows together over his dark green eyes. "But to be honest, I don't know what will happen," he said at last. "Something like this has never happened before but I sensed something awful will follow if the gods continue to fight and if the entrances are closed."

I looked down at our hands, entwined in one another, and sighed heavily. If only I could talk to my father, Hades, maybe I could persuade him to open the gates. No, this was all happened because I wanted to come back to this world as Avery Montgomery. This was all my fault. If I had been patient enough to wait for the reincarnation, if I could wait for the next life, none of this would have happened.

"Don't blame yourself," muttered Vladimir softly as if he could read what was on my mind. He smiled and shook his head slightly. "No, I didn't read your mind. It's just a lucky guess."

His thumb caressed my hand in a soothing back and forth motion. I let myself focus on the feeling of our skins against each other and shoved those wary thoughts away. "Do you think we will be alright?"

"Avy." The way he called my name made me whip my head and look him in the eye. "We were alright before the click, weren't we?"

I smiled. "Depends," I replied jokingly. He looked amused and confused at the same time. It was the most adorable thing I'd ever seen. "We were too busy on each other's throat when we were kids. Well, I was a kid. You're eight years older." I remembered our banters, how I'd thought he was a heartless asshole and he'd acted as if I was his sister's annoying gossipy friend. Those days seemed so far behind. It almost felt like we'd been completely different people back then, compared to we were right now.

To my surprise, he leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "We will be alright. We'll go through this. You and me. Together." With his face merely a few inches from mine, he whispered softly, his breath fanning my face and I could feel my heart beat faster and faster. "Do you know why?"

I shook my head slowly, completely drown in those dark green eyes that reminded me so much of the forest surrounding us.

"Because I love you and you love me." He pecked my lips with his softly and pulled away before I had a chance to react. "And that's what matters. It didn't do much if we are soulmates, have the bonds, but didn't love each other, right?"

His words reminded me of Adrian's parents, especially his father, Lord Norman Ambrosia. Despite having clicked with her soulmate and being married to her, he still loved his brother's wife, Vlad's mom, Lady Jane Ambrosia.

Having the bond doesn't guarantee a lasting relationship, but being continually in love with each other does.

"I love you." I clung my arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

"And I love you," he replied. Those dark green eyes showed how much he truly did.

The second our lips touched, some sort of electricity shot through me. I kissed him long and hard as his hands crept to the middle of my back and pulled me towards him. We rose on our knees, bodies melted in each other's arms. I didn't know how but we stumbled and ended up laying on the ground with me on top of him.

We both laughed. Looking down at him, I knew that I had nothing to worry about. One corner of his mouth turned upwards forming a mischievously sexy smirk then surprisingly altogether, he put one hand on the back of my head and pulled me down on top of him. Our lips crushed one more time in a lingering kiss that lasted a few minutes before it got interrupted by the sound of the zipper being pulled up.

As I pulled back to look up into his face, his lips slipped across my cheek and brushed the corner of my mouth. I sucked in a hard breath, and I could feel my chest tighten. I blinked a few times then sat up.

It was Klas. He looked so guilty that he'd accidentally interrupted something. His eyes darted to the ground, pretending to observe the soil between his shoes.

"We need to get the hell out of here!" Spyridon, ignoring Klas, stormed inside the tent with the Queen's Diary under his arm.

I glanced at Vlad and he winked. I stifled an eye roll as I focused on Spyridon and heard Vlad ask, "what's going on?"

"They found the staff." Spyridon wiped the sweat off his forehead frantically. "The faction, they found the staff."

* ENAMOURED *

So here's the update, at last!
I know some of you thought that I was having a writer block but I was actually doing some research. The dream that I had two days ago was short so I needed some material to get the story going. My apologies for the delay </3