Not edited.
Christian's POV
There didn't seem to be any trace of anything odd around the house.. No strange signs other than the noises Lana and I heard.. I got downstairs, looking around the living room, the kitchen.. My instincts seemed sharpened. I felt that anger boiling up inside me hotter than lava..
It was starting to become outrageously frustrating to have to be on the lookout at every second of every fucking day.. I was ready to end this once and for all, and I knew that I had enough of the little games.. Adam was going to be dead by the end of the week.
On the other hand, there were other things.. Other problems that we had going on. The Vesnetsov wolves were obviously involved in the whole thing with the necklace..
I still found a way to kill Adam without the necklace, and Calliope was just supposed to do her spell that was apparently written down in one of the witch spell-books that she had to take from her so called friend..
Once that was done, I could put that bastard to hell where he belongs along with those dogs that went under the bloodline Vesnetsovs, when I knew damn well how much Alexander had changed the policy of their group after the death of the last alpha.. From a diplomatic pack, that bastard turned them into savages.. Those were not the Vesnetsovs I knew. But at least they were easy to kill.
Lucky for them, there was no one there to test me.. They truly should've taken my warning, because once they triggered my rage, there was no stopping.. And I knew damn well how quickly I could make them go from numerous to extinct.
The house was thankfully empty. Lana did get triggered very easily when I went demented and killed someone, even though I knew she was nothing better with anger than me.. But still, I needed her to stay in the room. I couldn't deal with having to keep her safe as well in moments like that.
The kitchen was the last room in the house.. It was empty. I checked everything else. So perhaps it could've been the wind.. I didn't catch any scents either.. Well, not until that sweet flowery smell hit my nostrils, almost making me dizzy from how damn quickly her scent could effect me..
I heard light footsteps from somewhere behind me as she walked in. "I told you to stay in the room, Lana." I reminded, still looking through the window and checking the backyard.
"And I told you that I can take care of myself." Right. She said all kinds of nonsense when she was angry.. It wasn't that I didn't believe that she had the potential to do that.. I just didn't trust others.
I turned around to face her, seeing how she stood wither her arms crossed over her chest in that white over sized sweater that even covered half her hands and most of her thighs.. A slightly annoyed look was dominating her face, probably because I told her to stay in the room..
"Well, turns out it was just the wind." She faked me a smile as she walked towards me, passing by and going towards the fridge.
I walked over to the counter, watching her take a water bottle from the fridge and look back at me while she was opening it.. She stopped and looked at me.
"You know, I was thinking.. About the whole you wanting to throw a ball thing.. I'm sorry for acting so immature." I crossed my arms not able to hide the chuckle that escaped me.. You didn't get an apology very often from the princess.. It was true though, she did act immature. But it only drew me deeper into her spell..
She went silent for a few seconds, smiling when she saw me chuckle, but there was still something that stole that smile off her face within only a few seconds.. The breath she released was heavy.. Deep. "It's just that- My father has been the only one I've ever been close to, and hearing all these things.. Lies that he's been possibly telling.. It's just playing with my head, you know," How could I not? My life story was constructed from nothing but family drama.
I uncrossed my arms, pushing myself off the counter and taking a few steps towards her. "I know. I know, Lana.. I know exactly what you're going through." My words didn't seem to have any meaning to her whatsoever.. It was hard to understand that your very family could betray you, but she had to understand that she wasn't alone in all of that. She didn't have to be..
I watched how she bit down on her lip with that 'I doubt that you do' kind of look, closing the bottle even though she didn't even drink from it, looking on the side as she put it beside the fridge, and finally glancing back at me.. The night had fallen pretty quickly, but the lights in the kitchen illuminated those wild emerald eyes perfectly.
She walked towards me then, slowly like she was still hesitating her own moves.. Like she was somewhat still lost in her own thoughts.. "I just- I want you to know.. Actually, there aren't really words to explain how thankful I am for you.. For what you've done for me." Her words were awaking a part of me, but then again, her simple presence did that anyway..
By the time she reached me and pressed her hands over my chest, focusing on her own moves, I was already lost in that frenzy of thoughts, by the simple movement of her hips when she reached me, by the dips on her waist when I pressed my hands over it.. By the hypnotizing untamed fierce in her eyes.. I could barely register her words, but I did..
"I know it started with a deal.. But it's so much more than that." The way she ran her fingers over my shoulders was the only sensation "And I know I can sometimes be kind of a bitch, but I- I'm know I'm not supposed to get used to people caring.. And now that I have you.. I only trust you, Christian."
"And you have no clue had damn glad I am that you do." I reached for the short strand of hair that fell at the side of her face, just as an excuse to touch her. "I'll handle it, I promise you." And it was a promise I was willing to keep.. Because each second with this girl seemed to cause this invisible force and drawing inside me.. There was no way to escape it. And we both seemed to finally give in and let that force consume us.
"You don't have to.. I mean, we'll do it together. We do make a pretty good team." The smile that stretched her lips was a picture I was seeking to see, let it carve in my brain.. She blew me away so many times, it was almost hard to keep up.
And with a simple step back she slipped away from my arms, glancing at me one last time before she turned around and took the bottle she left beside the fridge. I crossed my arms over my chest, unable to fight back the smile that appeared. Her casualty fulfilled me in the strangest ways possible. I could look at her for hours and hours and I wouldn't get bored.
She closed it again once she was done drinking, looking back at me. "But, you'll be responsible for all the ball stuff.. I'm not really good with guests, and invitations and crap like that." The confusion that washed over me was clear.. I thought we went through that before.. The whole fight was because she refused to meet the witch..
"What? Really, you want to meet her?"
She closed the fridge after putting the bottle in, releasing a slow breath as she looked back at me.. "I've already accepted that my father has done some pretty messed up things lately, with the whole marriage extravaganza.. I don't think there's anything that I'm not ready for.." The playful tone in her voice was gone.. Again, the drama with her family seemed to preoccupy her.. It was best if she knew the truth.. The faster she did, the faster could accept it and move on..
And the witch I intended to invite could be the key to that. "She was there during the war.. She probably knows the whole story.. And if it's true.." I had no clue where I was going with those words.. If it's true.. What? How could I possibly know how the truth my trigger Lana? However, we were only supposed to think about finding out for now.. "I'll make her say the truth."
She tried making out a faint smile but failed miserably.. I honestly wished she was angry again.. It was better than seeing faintness in her eyes.. Seeing her losing herself in her own thoughts like that seemed like the only silence that didn't manage to suit her wild personality.
But by the way she walked towards me, there was no way to mistake the unattainable posture, the certain look in her eyes no matter the situation.. I admired her strength.. Her way of handling things. I've never met anyone similar to her.. With such confidence no matter the situation.
"I know, I- I want to know the truth. It's just that.." Step by step she reached me, and I seemed to fight my own urges to pull her even closer because I knew once I touched her, there was no going back from there.. "Before, when you mentioned all of this.. It took me by surprise. I didn't want to deal with all of it. You know, it's easier to delay your problems. But I- I deserve to know. And so does Amelia."
Her words were meaningful.. Always filled with deepness and emotion no matter the conversation. She thought through them, even though she knew how to be stubborn from time to time.. She knew how to handle things better than anyone I had met before.. Perhaps I was so fascinated by her nature because I knew I would handle the things the same way.. Perhaps I saw similarity in her attitude.. Acts that I knew were a similar reflection with my own.
But around her, in that moment, I was only lead by reflexes.. Instincts. My self-consciousness was ruling over me as I reached for her face once more, pressing my hand over her jaw and leaning closer.. It seemed like an act I could not really think through or control as for all I could think about was her..
My lips pressed over her hair as I kissed the top of her head, closing my eyes and letting the emotions that flooded me to simply settle in for a second.. "You'll know the truth, I give you my word.." I found myself mumbling against her hair, feeling her slightly pull away just so those wide green eyes would meet mine. "I'll make sure of it."
But in that moment I don't think mare words could explain how serious I was when I gave her my word. With Lana.. Things went unbelievably quick.. From one extreme to another, we grew closer with each second that passed. There was no stopping once it started, and no matter how much I feared such sudden flood of emotions, I seemed to give into them when around her.. Give in completely.
"Thank you." Was what she said..
I laughed, took a step back as I released her from my arms and responded to her with a few simple words. "Quit saying that." I watched her grin back before I turned around and sat on the counter chair. However, there only seemed to be a few seconds of silence and comfortable gazes before a click was heard..
I noticed her frown for a second, and before I could react, I watched how she turned towards the back door that was a few feet on her left.. In one swift move whoever it was that walked in was very much captured by her within a second, making me instantly jump up. With a tight grip around the person's neck, she basically banged him against the wall and held our attacker trapped with one hand..
Little did she know, the 'attacker' we both seemed to assume in, was not exactly an attacker.. He was more of a.. Well, it was actually pretty simple. It was Luke. Yea, perhaps it was a bit too late to remember that I called him and asked him to come.. Oh, and warn him that Lana had a temper. It was definitely a mistake sneaking up on her.
But the instant I saw it was Luke, I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my throat. "Wo-oah." Was all he managed to say while my princess held him well trapped and could possibly be chocking him with her grip.. I certainly enjoyed the show.
I gave him another few seconds of suffering before I decided to clear things up before it would get messier. "You can let him go now, Lana, he's a friend." She kept the plain cold glare in her eyes as she let him go and took a casual step back. Perhaps that's what made us alike.. Her and I both acted impulsively, and sometimes aggressively. And perhaps that's why we got along so well.
Luke on the other hand wasn't exactly enlightened. He inhaled a sharp breath when she let him got, pressing his hands on his knees and stopping for a second as he looked at me; his first few breaths as sharp as if he had ran a marathon.
"Gee, Christian, you could've let her kill me, you know," Even in that condition he managed to come up with a sarcastic statement, while Lana simply observed him with that same plain expression on her face, not even triggered by the reflexes that took over only a few seconds ago, simply standing there with her arms crossed over her chest..
"It was fun to watch." I walked towards them, tapping his shoulder as he straighten up. "Luke, this is Lana Morpher.. Princess of the wolves." I joked intentionally to see her snap at me, and I wasn't wrong.
Instead of either of them shaking hands, Luke stared, while she slapped my shoulder because of my actually polite introduction as she passed by me and turned her back to out guest. Well, that's what I loved about her. "What?" I asked while she was passing by me, before glancing back at a slightly confused Luke. "Oh, right. You two already met, what am I doing," Again, I grinned, following my devil thoughts to say those words just so I could get something out of Lana.
And I did. She instantly turned back around and looked at me with nothing but shock and curiosity. "We have?" Her voice was back to a somewhat squeaky demanding state, wanting instant answers to my statement about them already meeting before.
I walked back towards the counter, slowly step by step, playing with her patience with the silence I kept for another few second before deciding to answer. "Well, technically, he was the one that found you that night in Venedocia."
Yes, the night she didn't remember.. The night I got a call from Luke telling me to get out, before he handed her unconscious to me, asking me what I was going to do with Morpher's daughter.. Luke did recognize her since they apparently used to be friends when they were kids, but Lana didn't seem to have much memory of him..
She just glanced at me as I sat back down on the chair on the other side of the counter, watching her rise her brows in some kind of surprise before she looked back at Luke. He dared to walk closer to her despite the little murderous urges Lana seemed to have had only a minute ago.
"Still don't remember, huh?" He asked, stopping a good few feet away from her. She crossed her arms over her chest like a boss, and leaned on the counter.
"No." Her simple answer seemed to sound almost disappointing.. Of course she would feel that way, I mean, she had no memory of a whole night.. No clue on how she ended up miles and miles away from the place she fell asleep in. And finding out about that night was another problem we had put on hold. "Was I conscious when you found me?"
And there it was finally.. A normal conversation between them started. Lana of course questioned him because she was desperate for answers, a little paranoid from the voices and heartbeats she had been hearing in her head lately, and of course she was simply.. Well, her. Demanding and curious to know about whatever that required some kind of answer..
But her question made perfect sense, and I couldn't believe that I failed to ask that earlier.. That night when he found her I was just preoccupied with her..
"A little bit, yea." Luke started off, finally earning full concentration from Lana, seriousness and focus that made her keep that serious expression on her face, making her features seem even more outlined and symmetrical than they already were.
He released a slight breath, almost like he was trying to find a way to tell her the story. "I mean, you were standing there, all lost and wandering.."
Right. Luke was in the woods that night because I had called him to discuss the situation with the necklace.. On the other hand, the weirdo that he was, he couldn't simply take a car and hit the road like every normal person would.. But instead he decided to take the shortcut through the woods in the middle of the damn night.
It was all good though, I was glad that he did.. If he wasn't there to find her, God knows what might've happened to her.
"I called after you, you turned around, looked at me and then fell unconscious on the ground." He continued the little story while she listened intently. "You seemed awfully terrified, may I add."
Well there it was.. At least we knew some parts of that night.. The biggest mystery left was how she got there.. But I kept repeating to myself.. One problem at time.. Throw a party, find the witch, get information.. That was first on our list while Calliope will be searching for the spell that could kill Adam..
I watched how Lana pushed herself off the counter she was leaning on, puffing as she uncrossed her arms.. She made herself keep a straight face and not get triggered by the was going on..
She turned around, took the bowl of cherries that was on the counter as she released a slight breath in all casualty. "Oh well I'm still not saying sorry. You sneaked up on me."
I couldn't keep a straight face when around her other than at times when she wanted me to so she tempted me to the max.. She was always tempting really, just in that moment, hearing her humorous tone.. I was simply glad she was handling it well.. At least for now.
"Your father trained you well.. It's true that your bloodline is the cleanest." Luke's comment made me think that perhaps I should've told him not to mention her father.. It was a really bad time to discuss family when she was already drowning in that kind of drama..
I stood up and clasped my hands before Lana could snap. "Okay, enough chit-chat." She glanced at me, then back at Luke who already knew exactly what I had on mind to ask..
And before I could, he answered. "Adam's corpse is still in the house." Right.. Perhaps that's what I was afraid to hear.. Witch craft was always the worst thing that could possibly mess with your head.. And apparently, some witch bitch was messing with Lana's. I guess then the witch that was the reason why we were throwing the ball could give us those answers as well..
"Good." It was always a good relief to know that Adam was suffering in that old crap of a house, half dead half alive for more than two years now.. "Now the problem is, I was right.. It was all just a mind game." I watched how Lana's eyes met mine, such despair in them, hoping for some kind of a solution to this.. "And I'm starting to think that we're going to need that witch on our party more than we thought we would.."
~
Lana's POV
Christian seemed desperately eager to find an answer to all our questions.. All at once.. All in one bight. Was that even possible? I mean, considering the fact that we had many many problems just willingly sliding into our lives, not one by one, but very much all at the same time.. We needed a solution. But how in the world did he think he could that he could kill two birds with one stone?
After what the sneaky wolf came in the house, he confirmed the fact that Adam was still unconscious in the house.. So Christian seemed very much sure that whatever was going on with me was some kind of a mind game that was still tightly connected to Adam.. Even though that didn't have to be the case.. Adam was one of the highest possibilities, but what if it was someone else?
Either way, his idea of using the witch he planned to invite on the ball for information seemed pretty damn clear. Invite her with a simple occasion that was by chance marking two years from Dimitri's ruling.. Basically, two years since they put their father down.. So, with that being said, Christian was sure that the witch would be the first to come since she hated the old king, and a polite invitation was apparently going to be enough to get her in the house..
What I didn't understand was how he was planning on getting so much information out of her.. Torture? Yea, that sounded like him.. So he could use violence to find out the truth about the vision Amelia and I both saw, but what about this? How could he possibly think that after torturing information out of her he could get her to help us.. With the crazy hallucinating sounds I've been hearing..
Huh.. Maybe it was just me.. Perhaps it didn't have to mean that it was all a mind game.. Maybe I just lost my mind after everything that happened..
Luke on the other hand somewhat helped out by telling me about how he found me in the woods that night.. Saying that I was still conscious when he saw me helped a lot.. Now I knew that I was alone.. Well, at least part of the night.. What I couldn't understand was how I got there? Running for miles and miles to get to Venedocia definitely didn't sound like me.. I was too lazy for that.
Either way, that memory loss as a side effect from that night was our least problem. Now we had to figure out the ball.. And Christian was determined enough to stay almost all night long to do that..
I lead Luke to one of the guest rooms since he was apparently staying, mostly because we needed as much backup as we could get for the party.. Christian said he had other friends that could help out and that he trusted.. Amelia and Dimitri were of course one of them.. Calliope as well.. If she could make it..
However, by the time I got down, Christian still hadn't had given up.. He was going through some papers that were all over the dining room table, with a glass of whiskey on his side, completely focused on whatever he was doing.. I doubt he even heard me walk in the room.
I walked over to the small counter that had all the classy crystal bottles of nothing but whiskey and other kinds of alcohol, taking a glass and pouring some for myself as well.. It was already a long night.. And he seemed to be just starting.. Not even noticing that I was in the room.
I walked closer to him. "So what are you up to? Is all of this still about the ball?" I took a sip from my drink, stopping on his side and observing how he scanned one of the papers he was holding..
"I never said planning a ball was simple." He answered without taking his eyes off whatever he was so focused on reading.. "I'm trying to figure out if Lycia's adress is still the same.. I last visited her around a month before I came to your father's holiday celebration that night.. But witches move almost every damn week, it's hard to keep up all the time."
So that was her name.. Lycia. The witch that cast the boundary spell between vampires and clionas, making a cliona's first vampire bite a real love spell.. Bounding spell.. Pretty cool if you ask me.. Sucks for them though. Either way, Lycia seemed to be our answer to everything..
Christian on the other hand seemed awfully stressed.. Frustrated. And seeing him like that.. It just proved to me that there were a lot more possibilities of this going wrong than I thought there would be. I mean, of course there would be, but Christin was always the subtle one.. And seeing him under stress made me nervous as well..
But we weren't getting anywhere if we both panicked this out.. We needed good plans. There was no space for mistakes.. But we couldn't achieve that if he tired himself out like that.
I put my drink on the table beside his before walking behind his chair and pressing my hands over his shoulders.. I looked at the piece of paper he was reading.. There were certainly a lot of addresses on that..
His muscles underneath my hands were so tense.. He was putting so much effort into all of it. "Hey, we'll figure it out.." I tried comforting him, but it didn't seem to effect him. "Christian," I slid my arms over his shoulders from behind as I leaned down, lowering my head down beside his. With the way my arms were stretched around him, I reached right where he was holding the paper, slowly taking it from him.. He let me without any effort. "We're going to deal with it tomorrow."
He turned his head very slightly as for my lips almost brushed over the side of his face when I spoke.. I liked having such effect on him as for he listened to my words no matter the focus he had before I touched him.
He ran his hands over my forearms with the way I was basically hugging him from behind, but then again, I could barely stand on my feet from exhaustion, so I was kind of leaning on him too. The sensations his simple touch could sent me were just a bonus.
"What if we can't get her here?" I heard him ask.. My eyes closed on their own, barely registering his words when his scent hit me.. That sweet sharp cologne instantly flooding my senses.
"Then we'll find another way." And those few words that I managed to mumble out were truly what I kept repeating in my head.. Hoping that there was another way.. Another way to handle it.
But he seemed just as distracted from my moves as I was from his.. He simply ran his fingers over my arms, up and down, keeping his head turned to the side, inches away from mine..
"I won't fail you." Was what he said.. His words so easily triggering a part of me, tingling through my chest as I heard him say that.
With just a slight turn of my head, I pressed my lips over the side of his face slowly, leaving a butterfly kiss.. He had no clue how thankful I was for him. He didn't have to say that.
I inhaled slowly, closing my eyes.. His scent, his presence.. It soothed me in the strangest way possible.. I loved every second of it.
"Don't say that.." I had no clue how we got to the point where we found savor in each other, peace when we were near.. But we did. And neither of us had to say a thing about it..
Seconds passed in silence. "I won't, Lana," He confirmed, making me move back enough to look at him from the side.. Those pitch black eyes stared back at mine with intensity that had my knees weak. "You and Amelia both deserve the truth. I'll get it." I found myself focusing on how his lips moved.. He really did have the perfect lips. "I just need you to trust me."
"I do. You know I only trust you.." I managed to somewhat answer, distracted by the way he moved his hand from over my arm through my hair that was falling over his chest by the way I was leaning from behind. There was that fascination in his eyes.. Completely following his own moves..
"I need to finish all of this by the end of this week." All of it? How in the world did he even think that he could solve every problem on our list in a week? We didn't even know if Calliope found the spell book for killing Adam, or if Lycia was even coming to this fake ball..
I released a slow breath, moving back slowly as I straightened up.. I managed to take my hands off him before taking a step back from his chair, and rounding it to walk up in front of him again..
I took both our drinks and handed him his. "Well, maybe not by the end of the week, but we'll get through it somehow." I tried offering a smile and it seemed to lighten up his face a bit. "Like I said, we are a pretty good team.. And yes, I'm bad with organizing balls and parties, I know, but just give me a list of chores and I'll do them."
"Well, Miss Morpher," I watched a slight smirk grow on his lips, both of us just holding our drinks before I felt his hand wrap around my wrist slightly as he pulled me down towards him.. He didn't stop until I sat down on his lap, wrapping my arm around his shoulder and looking back at him. "you truly are my only distraction.. And I can't say no to you, so I have to warn you, this whole organization might take a while.."
The way he searched my face from up close, his voice fainting and his words fading away.. He almost seemed fascinated. Maybe even just as much as I was
in him.. Once again, our gazes alone confirming that whatever it was between the two of us.. It was growing stronger with each second that passed.
I leaned in closer to his lips, but moved back away before I fully lost myself, knowing damn well that there was no going back once we started, and that night, we didn't exactly have the house all to ourselves..
"Starting from tomorrow." I made sure to say, aware of the fact that yes, Christian could not just become controlling, but he knew how to go from relaxed to a complete workaholic.. And it was already past 3 in the morning..
I did my best to ignore the sensations and tingles his hand that was moving up and down my waist slowly sent while I sat on his lap.. I looked down at the drink that I had pressed against my knee and rose my glass slightly.
"Here's to throwing the most extravagant fake ball ever," I watched a slightly tired smile stretch his lips as he rose his glass towards mine.
"Cheers to that." The glasses clicked and echoed along with the loud ticks of the large white clock on the wall beside us.
"Cheers."
***