The Forty-Second Chapter

It had been two days since Samhain.

Still, Avril Arke and Anaztasia Arryn didn’t ceased taking chances for a kiss, sex, or both to one another.

“We should find out why Romaine isn’t there,” Anaztasia said as she parted her lips first from Avril’s.

“She only said she’d be late on Samhain since she has an important thing to do. I did not think she wouldn’t attend our most important festival at all,” Avril replied as he gasped for breath then leaned to Anaztasia for more of her lips.

“So do I,” she said as he was about to kiss. He halted.

“What if we researched about her? We don’t know so much about her past before she became a Zadzisai…”

Her brows rose.“I guess we should.”

Then the two had a quickie first before going to Romaine’s former apartment, just a few drive away before the Mullins Estate and the famous orchard at Shamrock.

***

“It really is not that fancy, eh?”

Anaztasia asked Avril. The man simply nodded.

“So who did you say is living here now?”

The apartment’s caretaker was about to reply when the new owner herself barged in.

“What the fuck are you doing here? And who are these people?”

The owner is definitely not that welcoming. She then immediately went to her bedroom and slammed the door at their face.

“If they were still here as soon as I opened this door, I'd bathe them in horse’ shit!”

The caretaker, Laara, apologized amidst being shamefaced. “Sorry about her. She had been rude like that ever since she resigned as a botanist. After that so-called expedition to Tanzania, she will never be back to normal again…”

The two abruptly whipped their heads to Laara as soon as the country, Tanzania, was mentioned.

“What was she doing in Tanzania?”

“It’s an expedition of three according to her. With Dr. Eli, Eki. I forgot the name.”

“Dr. Eku?” Anaztasia asked.

“Something like that.”

Avril glared at the still-close bedroom door. “She’s your family?”

“I am her biological mother. She doesn’t know.” Laara replied with almost-teary eyes.

“All she knows is that I’m the apartment caretaker. She inherited this from her father, you see.”

The two understood. “Then tell her before it’s too late.”

“What of her father?” Anaztasia asked.

“I left her to him as soon as I gave birth, along with a letter. He never knew it was ours.”

Tears were now on her face as she continued. “Her father didn’t even knew I loved him either.”

They are shocked, flabbergasted was a more accurate word.

They heard something move inside the locked bedroom.

Anaztasia, also an Empath, detected that the girl was listening due to the sobbing she heard.

Avril and Anaztasia allowed Laara to just cry and stepped closer to the window.

“She smelled funny.”

“Laara?”

“Both of them. The girl and her secret mother.”

Anaztasia inhaled deeper. “What kind of ‘funny’, Av?”

“Like Thalia’s scent.”

Their eyes met. “Are you saying that—”

The locked door began to unlock. But, Avril blocked it and Anaztasia wrapped her nails Laara’s neck. Few drops of blood were now falling on the floor.

“What do you know about Romaine Eastwood?”

Laara was now a few inches from the ground. “She was attacked the night she left in this apartment. The attacker…it was a woman with vibrant red hair. Her accent was Romanian.”

Laara was now choking. Avril and Anaztasia seemed to communicate mind-to-mind.

‘Isn’t Romaine a Romanian?’ Avril asked through mind.

‘Yes.’

“Put me down, please!” Laara beseeched.

“Open the door!” The banging on the locked bedroom was getting louder.

The caretaker was now choking. The werewolf lovers are still talking with their minds.

“Let go of my mother!” The girl behind the locked door yelled.

Then the door cracked open, throwing Avril across the floor.

The mother and the daughter hugged.

“You were listening, Isla?”

‘Isla?’ It was Anaztasia’s turn to ask through mind this time.

“Tell us about Romaine—”

But Laara clicked her finger and they are now in an orchard. The bright and beautiful flowers were now surrounding the two.

“The Mullins’ Orchard…” Avril realized.

“You didn’t tell me that Thalia’s kind can send people away in a snap of a finger.” Anaztasia then pressed her forehead to her palm; utterly dismayed.

“I did not know. The old lady said there are three kinds of them. I did not know if Laara and Thalia are of the same kind.”

They paused, catching each other’s breath. Avril vomited a minute later due to traveling in a single finger snap.

“What are they?” Anaztasia watched him puked at the beautifully grown foliage and flower bed.

“I did not know. I just call them healers,” Avril uttered while wiping his mouth.

“All of them can heal?”

“Yes. But each of them has their own extra unique powers, depending on the kind.”

It was Anaztasia's turn to vomit this time.

“Isla is a familiar name,” Avril stated as he watched at the eastern horizon, to where the apartment that they visited minutes ago was erected.

“Call Ro—”

She puked again. And again. And again.

“Stop, Ana!”

But she vomited once more.

“I said stop!”

She did. They looked at each other.

“I’m sorry, Av. I did not tell you…”

“Tell me what?”

“That I’m with child.”

Avril was pinned to where he was standing.

“You’re pregnant?”

“How do you think I’m supposed to carry a wolfling? Through eggs?”

He chuckled; then they laughed together.

“Since when?”

“When Roz froze the time. She also told me that she felt life on my womb. And when I go to a doctor, my bestfriend is indeed not wrong.”

“Then call your bestfriend and let’s celebrate here. After all, there are only a few having celebrations here so let’s make our way.”

Avril was the one who called Rozelyn as he let his girlfriend sit first atop the cloth on the grass. He was still holding the picnic basket that he just purchased a minute ago.

“I’ll be there, Av. Tell that to Ana.”

That was the last Avril heard on Rozelyn’s end as he sat beside his soon-to-be wife, Anaztasia Amanda Arryn.

***

“Yes. I remember my father mentioned the name Isla in his journal. Something Isla Isaac or Isla Iwann.”

Avril and Anaztasia briefly looked at each other, as if they were suspicious of Isla and her secret mother.

Anaztasia thought about Laara’s words—that the still-unmarried Romaine was attacked the night she left. But Rozelyn, a Thaumaturge as she is, has read her mind.

“You mean that Romaine was attacked the night she left her apartment back when she was still unmarried?”

“I told you to better voice it out than think of it,” Anaztasia was lectured by Avril.

“Yes,” he said to Rozelyn.

“And, yes to you future Mrs. Avril Arke.”

Anaztasia just rolled her eyes in his direction.

Rozelyn breathed the fresh air at the orchard. The last time she did was when Romaine took her here when she just turned eighteen. And this was also the time she knew about her vampire status and totally proved that legends and folktales are sometimes based on reality, if not all of them.

“You love the air here?”

Rozelyn opened her emerald eyes. “Indeed. It is just so refreshing and soothing.”

But Anaztasia and Avril were not the ones who asked her that.

It was someone behind her. Rozelyn jerked her head behind.

“Thalia? What are you doing here?”

“Old people always look for fresh air and green, flowery things.” She said then winked at her.

It made Rozelyn smile.

“Come, Ms. Turner. Have a seat next to us,” Avril offered.

Anaztasia nudged him, reminding that the food was only good for three.

“I heard you are pregnant, Anaztasia?”

Anaztasia gaped yet again. “I guess news travels fast.”

“No, dear Ana. The wind travels fast.” Thalia then grinned with her sparkling hazel eyes.