Chapter 38
Bloodline
Hindi lang ako, maging si Evan ay natulala nang marinig niya ang mga salitang inilabas ni Pearl.
"W-What?" I asked shakily while moving my gaze from Pearl to Evan.
"Y-You!" nagningas ang mga mata ni Evan dahil sa matindi nitong galit patungo sa kapatid ko.
Agad kong niyakap si Pearl para protektahan siya mula kay Evan, pero mabilis rin kumilos si Rosh para pigilan ito.
"Thank you" I mouthed to Rosh.
Si Evan ang tipo ng bampira na marunong ikalma ang sarili sa kabila nang tindi ng galit nito. I've witnessed it a lot of times.
"Let me go, Rosh." He said in his serious tone.
Sa maiksing panahong na nakasama ko si Rosh, mabilis ko rin itong nakilala. Siya naman ang tipo ng bampira na mabilis makabasa ng iniisip ng kapwa nito bampira.
He released Evan but he never distanced himself from him. Alam kong may sarili itong rason kung bakit siya nagtungo dito, ngunit hindi ba at isa sa rason niya ay tulungan ako.
He was confident to help me before I left him inside the room with Evan, I've witnessed how he play with words with him and how impossible for him to be manipulated even with Evan's greatest mind. But what in the world happened inside that room? Bakit biglang bumaliktad ang prinsipeng isa sa inaakala kong tutulong sa akin?
Alam kong hindi kami sasaktan ng dalawang bampirang nasa harapan namin, pero inaasahan ko na ang sunod na mangyayari sa aming magkapatid.
"If you are going to prison me again, please let me be with my sister inside the prison cell." Hindi ko na magawang salabungin ang mga mata ni Evan.
Nagsisimula na naming umusbong ang walang katapusang galit ko sa kanya. Yes, I've heard all his sacrifices inside this university, how to devoted himself for the sake of other vampires and how he had been through. But the problem here is not about the university and his duty, but our damn issue as mates!
"I object about the prison cell, Evan." Tipid na sabi ni Rosh.
"Could you please-" hindi na pinatapos ni Rosh si Evan. "Sure" Rosh vowed his head exaggeratedly like he was really obeying Evan's command.
Suminghap ako nang magningas ang mga mata ni Rosh, buong akala ko ay sa akin siya nakatitig. But I was wrong! He's looking in the eyes of my sister. Kusang lumuwag ang yakap sa akin ni Pearl.
"N-No! no, what are you doing, Rosh!?"
Evan crossed his arms while looking at my sister being hypnotized by his new accomplice.
"The wrench is not yet mated, too poor for James, he's being used."
"Stop calling her that, Evan!" sigaw ko rito.
"Don't worry, I won't harm her, Naha." Rosh said with finality.
Pearl lost her consciousness, binuhat ito ni Rosh at nagsimula na siyang maglakad patungo sa pintuan.
"I suggest you to tell her the truth, Evan." It was his last words before he left us alone.
I was still sitting on bed while he's in front of me, standing with his intense gaze. This isn't helping at all, paulit-ulit na lang ang nangyayari sa pagitan namin ni Evan.
Nabibigyan siya ng maraming oras para magpaliwanag sa akin ng mga bagay na kailangan kong malaman! But he's not using it to help me! To help us!
"Tell me, paano ko sasabihin sa'yo ang lahat ng nalalaman ko, Naha? Do you trust me?" umawang ang bibig ko sa tanong niya.
I looked at him in disbelief, coming from him?
Tumawa ako ng pagak sa harapan niya. Naririnig niya ba ang mga sinasabi niya sa akin?
"Ako ba ang dapat mong tanungin ng bagay na 'yan, Evan? Sa ating dalawa ikaw ang walang tiwala sa akin!"
"But I trust you!" he gritted his teeth. Napatayo na ako sa kama at pilit sinalubong ang kanyang mga mata.
I gave him the intense gaze that he wanted.
"Trust me? Nasaan Evan? Bakit hindi ko makita simula nang magkrus ang landas natin sa mundong ito?!"
"I showed you the underworld, I gave you my plans, I shared everything about my family-" I cut him off.
"Hindi 'yon ang kailangan ko, Evan!" I cried. Nag-unahan nang pumatak ang mga luha ko.
"I don't need those things that are good to you!" I tried to hit his chest. "I want you to share me your dark sides, lahat ng pinakatatago mo. Lahat ng mabibigat na dinadala mo. I am your mate, Evan. Sharing everything about you, your perceptions and your movement to your own mate isn't bad at all."
"How? How could I share it you, Naha? Sa sandaling sabihin ko sa'yo ang lahat. Iiwan mo ko.." natigilan ako sa sinabi niya.
Wala na akong maintindihan!
"N-No, hindi kita iiwan Evan." I cupped his face. Evan softened with my touch, his arms encircled around my waist. Until my whole body was pushed on bed while feeling his kisses.
The room that was filled with arguments, questions and doubts was ended by endless moans, panting and calling names with pleasure.
I wanted to hit my head using the vase near our table, I wanted to curse myself for giving in without having an answer and I wanted to kill myself for making this more complicated.
Kaunting kagat, halik at haplos lang ni Evan ay mabilis akong nakakalimot sa pinaglalaban ko.
I am not damn improving!
Marahan kong hinaplos ang kanyang magulong buhok. He's sleeping na parang ang tagal na nitong hindi nakakatulog nang mahimbing. Mas humigpit ang yakap nito sa akin at isiniksik nito ang kanyang sarili sa aking leeg.
"Do you need to bite more, Prince Evan?"
"I'm already full."
Nanatili akong tahimik habang hinahaplos ang buhok niya.
"Now that we're both full and energized. I think-" ramdam ko ang paghinga nito ng malalim.
"Some of Pearl's confession was true." Panimula nito. "Hindi ko sinubukan ipaliwanag sa'yo ang lahat, dahil alam kong mas paniniwalaan mo ang kapatid mo kaysa sa akin." Hindi ako nakasagot sa sinabi niya.
"I know a lot of things about the human girls, Naha. And how they valued and trust their sisters than anyone else. Ano ang laban ko? You were raised in human world, Naha. Your culture, beliefs and how you view a certain situation is very different from a vampire thinking. And if you're thinking that our mate bond is strong enough for you, Shalani, mine is stronger. That I could waste everything that I've been digging for years just to protect you."
"Protect me from my own father?" saglit na tumigil si Evan.
"Yes, your father." Akma akong kakawala sa yakap niya nang mas humigpit ito sa akin.
"So Pearl was right? My father was supposed to be Danna's mate." Tumango si Evan.
"And he is the last pureblooded vampire in the bloodline of the cruel king in the history."
"But he is mated with a werewolf!"
"But that doesn't mean that he couldn't have a vampire woman." Paliwanag ni Evan.
Bago pa man magpatuloy si Evan sa pagpapaliwanag ay nagsalita na ako. "I want to get dressed first, Evan. Our bodies naked together isn't helping at all!"
Lumuwag ang yakap niya sa akin at nagmadali akong bumangon. Ipinulupot ko ang kumot sa aking katawan habang hinahanap ang aking mga kasuotan na nagkalat sa sahig.
He's still laying on bed while watching me with amusement. "Magbihis ka na rin, Evan. Utang na loob."
Nang makatapos kaming magbihis, nag-upo na ako sa isang kahoy na upuan. Evan sat on the other chair, magkadaop ang aking mga kamay sa ibabaw ng lamesa na nasa pagitan namin ni Evan. Huminga muli ako nang malalim.
I have this feeling na hindi kami makakalayo ng pag-uusapan kung malapit kami sa kama.
"Now tell me," saglit nawala si Evan sa kanyang posisyon.
Kumuha ito ng dalawang kopita na may dugo at ibinigay niya sa akin ang isa nito.
"The cruel king and his descendants had this kind of pattern. In his bloodline, all of them were male vampires. Walang ipinapanganak na babae, Naha. At sa bawat pamilyang nabubuo na may bahid ng dugo ng unang bampira, tanging isang anak lamang ang nagagawa ng bawat mag-asawa. Isang batang lalaki, sa bawat salinlahi." Pinagpatuloy ko ang pakikinig sa kanya.
"Only few vampires knew the real history, dahil may sarili kaming bersyon kung saan malinis at magigiting ang aming lahi." Minsan na itong pinag-aralan sa loob ng klase.
Pero dahil mas nauna kong malaman ang sinasabi ng ilang totoong bersyon, hindi ko na binigyan ng puwang ang sarili kong pakinggan ang bersyon ng mga bampira.
"To make our history more realistic, at para na rin hindi kumalat ang katotohanan. Lahat ng bampirang may patak ng dugo mula sa masamang bampira ng nakaraan, ay unti-unting inuubos. They were killed." Suminghap ako sa sinabi ni Evan.
"Pero hindi nila kasalanan ang ginawa ng masamang bampira! The only problem was that they got his blood! May ginagawa ba sila ng mga panahong 'yon? Did they cause chaos? May pinapatay ba sila?" They're unfair!
"But the vampire court was threatened and in this world, most of the conflicts were being answered by killing, Naha."
"B-But how did father escape?"
"He did escape because the council lost his track on him the moment Danna removed her mate bond with him."
"W-What? I thought Danna removed her mate bond for your father?" Evan smiled bitterly.
"Just what I thought, before. Buong akala ko ay tama na ang nalalaman ko, that I knew something that my siblings wouldn't ever discover even Dastan and Casper. But just like me, you or even my family, walang nakakaalam ng totoong pinagdaanan ni ama, ni Danna, your father and even the whole vampire history."
"Only shattered part of the past." Tipid na sabi ko.
"Dastan, my brother knew Danna. He told me something about her when he asked some trustworthy councils inside our empire, Danna is not a royal blood, but she's a well-known vampire in different empires, because she has the talent, mind and ability. Dahilan kung bakit siya ang napili ng mga konseho para maging isa sa mga itinakdang babae."
May nalalaman ako tungkol sa mga itinakdang babae ng Parsua, pero sa aking pagkakaalala ay mga babaeng tao ang pinipiling babae.
"Are you aware of-" tumango ako para mapabilis ang anumang sasabihin niya.
"The chosen vampire girls will be in several rituals, dahilan kung bakit posibleng makilala ang mga bampirang itinakda sa kanila. Bago pa man siya napili bilang itinakdang bampira, nakilala niya na ang ama mo. She even discovered that he's in the bloodline of the cruel vampire. And in order to save him, she cut their mate bond."
Natulala na ako sa paliwanag ni Evan, hindi ko alam kung papaano ko pa ipuproseso ang lahat. Alam kong wala pa kami sa kalahati ng dapat kong malaman pero ngayon halos sasabog na ang nalalaman ko.
"Nang sandaling mag-usap kami ni Rosh, sinabi niya sa akin ang lahat ng nangyari sa labas. At maging ang lahat ng impormasyong ibinigay sa kanya ni Kalla, my brother's mate." Nakahawak na ako sa lamesa at napayuko na ako sa naririnig ko.
Kakayanin ko pa baa ng susunod kong maririnig sa kanya? Bakit niya kailangang isekreto itong lahat sa akin?
"E-Evan.."
Tumayo ito mula sa kanyang kinauupuan at naramdaman kong gumalaw ang aking ipuan. Evan kneeled on me while looking at me. Marahan nitong hinawakan ang dalawa kong kamay.
Nanlambot ang aking nangangatal na katawan nang dampian niya ng halik ang aking nanlalamig na mga kamay.
"Kalla is right, Naha. Everything is a game of chess and someone is sitting and watching the every movement of the chess pieces. It was my father's position before, but someone replaced him." Nakagat ko ang pang-ibabang labi ko.
"It's my father-" tumango si Evan.
"Siya ang kahuli-hulihang bampira na nalalaman ang lahat, Naha. Siya ang huling bampirang inaakala ng lahat na nag-iisang may dugo ng masamang bampira ng nakaraan. I was hiding you from him for you not to be get involved. I don't want the vampire world discover your existence as their threat, na may isinilang na batang babae, na may dapat patayin." Tuluyan nang sumubsob si Evan sa mga hita ko.
"I did everything to save you, Naha. I will use every bit of my mind to remove the spotlight from you. I am willing to kill if someone wanted to hurt you." My chest tightened when I felt drops of tears on my thighs.
"Because I love you so much, Naha.."