BLOOD BOUND: THE HAWTHORNE'S FALL ( Book 1)

🗡XXI. Secret🗡

Alaric Callahan-Balkan POV

The night went peaceful. Kahit na kanina ay naging madugo ang lugar. Now, the place is quiet.

Nakaupo ako sa single seated sofa. The girls are on the bed, sleeping peacefully. Si Aeneas ay nasa sofa na alam ko ay nakatulog na rin. Nagsalin ako ng maiinom sa baso ng naramdaman kong gumalaw si Amadeus.

"Can't sleep?", he whisper.

Tumango lamang ako sa kanya. I look at my siblings again. They are asleep.

Nagsalin din siya ng kanya sa baso at sinaluhan ako sa pag-inom.

"I felt guilty, Ric", sabi ni Amadeus. He look at Aeneas. "Dapat ay sabihin natin sa kanila ang ating nagawa", he said referring to the vampire we killed on our last hunt. We drink it's blood.

"Me too, Deus. But I can't help it. I don't want to lie but I don't know what to say", sabi ko.

He sigh. "I told Aphasia about it. She knows, Ric. But she's not mad or something. I don't know if it's good or bad", aniya.

Napabaling ako sa kanya. Nagulat ako ng namalaman na sinabihan niya si Aphasia tungkol doon.

"She shouldn't know, Deus", sabi ko.

"I gave her blood, Ric", he said and revealed what he's done.

Napatayo ako sa gulat. "This should be kept, Deus. It's a secret. I don't want them to find out", mariin na sabi ko. I wanted to shout at him but I can't.

"I'm listening you know", nagulat kami ng nasa harapan na namin si Aphasia. She's holding the bottle and drink from it. "How could you do this to us, Ric? Why keep secrets?", tanong niya.

"Because it's dangerous, Sia", sabi ko. "I don't want them to go through what I have been through", sabi ko.

I suffered, alright? After I drink vampire blood, I suffered from pain inside my body. The thirst for blood. The urge to kill. The different energy flowed from my viens. I felt it. It must be because of the vampire blood in my viens.

"We all go through it, Ric. I am too", si Amadeus. "This is what we are so they are. We made it so, they can too".

"I've felt what you've felt too, Ric. I've suffered, too, you know. But.....", hindi natuloy ni Aphasia ang dapat niyang sabihin.

"But........we can't let Artemis know about this, right? She shouldn't feed on blood", sabi ko.

Aphasia nodded.

It's part of Artemis prophecy in the future. She should do something none of us can do. It's the oracle she needs to fulfill. She's born during the blood moon. So its her. Base on the history, it's her.

"But we can't make her unaware, Ric. She'll ask and get curious. Maybe we can talk to her and make her understand?".

Natigil kami sa pag-uusap ng naramdaman na gumalaw si Aeneas. He opened his eyes and went back to sleep again.

"We'll talk tomorrow", sabi ni Aphasia sa akin bago bumalik sa kama.

Amadeus nodded and went back to sleep too. Nakaupo lamang ako sa sofa at sinandal ang ulo sa sandalan. I close my eyes and fall asleep. Alcohol helps.

Artemis Callahan-Balkan POV

Kinabukasan ay maaga kaming lahat nagising. Uuwi na kami ngayon.

Kahit na nasa loob pa ng aming silid ay dinig namin ang sigawan sa labas. The sun is now up.

Dahil sa ingay ay binuksan ko ang bintana. The shouting are everywhere again. Ng dinungaw ko ang sa baba ay laking gulat ko ng makita ang mga katawan ng mga patay na strigoi na nasusunog.

"Are they burning the body?", tanong ko.

Alaric look at it too. "No, they sun burned the body. Strigoi and vampires can't walk on sunlight", sagot niya.

Ng matapos kami sa pagliligpit ng gamit ay bumaba na kami. Alaric went to talk to the building's owner before proceeding outside.

"Aen, kayo na naman ni Ambrosia at Artemis ang magkasama sa carriage", sabi ni Aphasia.

Naguguluhan man ay sinunod namin ang kanyang sinabi. Nauna ang kanilang carriage at kasunod ay ang sa amin.

Habang bumabyahe ay tanaw namin sa paligid ang pagkakasunog ng mga nagkalat na katawan. There are human bodies too. Napapikit nalang ako sa nakita.

"Last night was unbelievable. We are attacked by creatures and everything is bad", sabi ko. "Ganoon din ba ang sumalakay sa atin noon?".

Ambrosia look at me. Bumaling din siya kay Aeneas. "I think not".

Napakurap ako. "What?".

"Maybe not. If sila ay madali lamang iyong talunin, Art. Maybe the real vampires?".

Kumunot ang noo ni Aeneas. "The death dealers, you mean? That's impossible, Ros. Death dealers hunt strigose. Bakit naging kalaban?", si Aeneas.

Ambrosia shrug her shoulders. "I don't know. Just guessing. But death dealers are also vampire too. They feed on human blood, Aen. They kill humans so that's possible", sabi niya.

Tumango ako. "Death dealers? Alaric said last night they are from the Sighisoara Town. And Balkans live there, could it be the death dealers are related to Balkan?", I puzzled.

Ngumuso si Aeneas. Ambrosia's eyes widened in fraction.

"There's a chance, Art", si Ambrosia.

Buong byahe ay iyon ang aming pinag-uusapan. Hanggang sa nakapasok na kami sa palasyo ay iyon pa rin. Pero natigil na kami ng huminto ito sa tapat ng iilang hakbang na hagdanan papunta sa main door.

The palace maids come to us.

"We'll rest now. Let's go back training tomorrow", sabi ni Alaric.

"Kailan tayo pupunta sa Sighisoara, Ric?", tanong ko.

"Can't this wait, Art? I'm tired. Come on, let's rest", sabi niya at nilagpasan ako.

Amadeus look at me and sigh tsaka sumunod sa kay Alaric. Aphasia smiles at me at iginiya ako papasok.

"Don't think about Alaric, Art. He's just tired from last night. Hindi kasi nakatulog sa pagbabantay", sabi niya kaya tumango nalang ako at tumuloy kami sa loob. Diretso sa aming kwarto.

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Author's Note: some of the chapters are short. I divided it with every scenes for the chapter titles para hindi ako malito sa next plot. Thank you, I hope you understand.

Happy Reading!