Chapter 18

Trisha’s P.O.V:

When I woke up the next morning, it was already past lunchtime. I took in the golden hue of the late afternoon sun through the open windows and slowly got up from bed. The disposable phone that Lucas had given me was lying by my side and my shirt was sticking to my chest from the heat.

This high up in the sky, my room got quite hot and humid during the afternoon; that’s why I always send Neema to Mark’s room on a lower level so he can stay cool. But today, tiny hands on my back told me Neema had stayed with me.

“Morning sleepyhead!” Neema greeted me with his arms around my neck as he snuggled close to my neck. Did the little man just mimic my dialogue to him every morning?

“Hey kiddo.” I snuggled my face closer to him. “Morning.”

“You missed both breakfast and lunch.” Neema giggled before speaking in a hushed voice. “How was the ball?”

“Awww, baby!” I took his hand and made him sit on my lap and cuddled him close to my chest. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t take you. It was beautiful Neema; I wish you could’ve gone there.”

“It’s okay. We’ll all see it together someday.” Neema said while snuggling up to me. “You and me and Damien and Lucas.”

I felt my breath get stuck in my throat. “Will a day like that ever be possible?” I whispered. A day when a vampire and werewolf stood side by side?

“Yes.” Neema said with confidence and it gave me hope for a brand new future. Because Neema was always right.

“Have you had lunch yet?”I asked.

“Yup.” Neema looked up at me with his big blue eyes. “I didn’t want to eat without you but Lucas said my tummy will hurt if I don’t eat. He also said that he’ll keep your lunch for you.”

“Thank you for letting me know honey. I’ll go freshen up and get my lunch.” I kissed Neema on the forehead and went to take a shower, just in case, before I headed out to find Dylan. He’d have a fresh bottle of blood and some Holly and Buckthorn for my Daylight bracelet.

The herbs in our Daylight bracelets needed to be changed every two to three months because the herbs kept drying to the point of no return. Once the herbs lost their shape and fragrance, its magic won’t work on us anymore and the sun will start to burn our skin. So it’s better to keep using fresh flowers and herbs to protect us from the sun. And I had a feeling Dylan could arrange for these ingredients.

“I’ll be back soon.” I told Neema. “It’s getting warm here, would you like to go play with Mark and Aiden?” I asked him.

Neema’s eyes instantly lit up and he came towards me, bouncing on his feet and making his golden curls bouncing wildly around his face. I think Neema needed a haircut, but he looked too adorable with his long curly locks that I didn’t want to cut them. Maybe later? Or I’d let him grow it out a bit and see what he wants to do with it later.

We headed out of our room and I let Neema to a lower level of the tree house to Mark’s room and left him there to play, hoping that I didn’t interrupt a moment. Mark and his mate however, looked too happy to have Neema keep them company. I then went over to the infirmary to get what I wanted.

“Dylan?” I knocked on the door to the infirmary.

“Come in!” Came his usual cheerful voice.

I pushed the doors open and found Dylan sitting on his desk, merrily typing away on his laptop. I shut the door behind me and went to sit on the patients table. Dylan already had a bag out for me so I took it from the counter and tore off one side and took a sip out of it.

“Dylan do you have some Holly and Buckthorn left from before? I’ll need some for my Daylight bracelet.” I told him.

“Sure.” Dylan pushed back his chair and took out a small velvet box from a drawer in his desk. “Here you go.” He handed me the herbs. “Don’t you need a black rose as well?”

I placed my free hand inside my jeans pocket and took out a fresh black rose bud and handed it over to him along with my Daylight bracelet which consisted of a flat disk like, removable glass case that was tied to a gold wristband in a chain-like design. Most bracelets were of similar kind but the material varied on the basis of affordability.

“Fresh from the Emperor’s garden I see.” Dylan said without looking up at me.

My eyes immediately shifted to his features. His ears were strained, which meant that he was keeping a watch on passing guards or anyone who could overhear and let Lucas know. I was sure that Lucas had no idea about Dylan’s relationship with the vampires, because if he had, then Dylan wouldn’t have lied to Lucas yesterday morning when he’d left the den to ‘gather herbs’. Now I know why Dylan was so comfortable around me right from the start and it had nothing to do with him being a healer.

And it also meant that my father wasn’t the traitor. He was simply forming a bond with another healer. But if that was the case, then the real spy was still out there and I needed to find out who they were and what else they were up to. If this person wanted to cause an uprising then he or she was a very dangerous person indeed. Damien had managed to keep the world at peace for almost two centuries now; if word got out that the vampires weren’t loyal to their King, it could lead to a disaster.

“So, how long have you known Jonathan?” I asked while taking slow sips from my bag.

“Almost a century now.” He said as he opened the glass case in my Daylight bracelet and dumped out all the dried herbs. “I met him while I had gone out herb hunting for a wounded soldier. I had thought he’d be hostile towards me or at least alert the guards that were standing a few feet away. But instead, he told me to keep quiet and move in the opposite direction so that the guards don’t see me. After that, he followed me and we had a long conversation about medicines and he even gave me directions on what to use on the soldier to heal him faster.”

I chuckled. “That sounds just like my father.”He was a healer with a huge heart and if he found out someone was hurt, he didn’t care if it was the enemy or not, he’d help them regardless.

“I was really excited when Lucas told me you were Jonathan’s daughter. We’d met several times during the Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice Balls and we even go herb hunting together.” Dylan placed the fresh herbs inside the bracelet and sealed it shut before handing it over to me. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” Lunch finished, I threw the bag in the trash can under the bed and put my bracelet back on my wrist. But before I had a chance to get down from the bed, I felt the coldness of a silver blade on my throat and from the smell I knew it was coated with Holly and Buckthorn.

“Are our people in danger, Trisha?” Dylan’s voice was dead serious so I looked him directly in the eye and answered.

“No.”

He didn’t lower the knife. “The King of all Vampires knows about our location and you told us he’s the one you’re running from. What have you been planning?”

Within the blink of an eye, I was behind Dylan and the knife was now pointed at his throat. “I wouldn’t be so stupid as to fool the Supreme Alpha, Dylan. Wolves can sense betrayal from miles away and Lucas would’ve never allowed me inside if he felt I was deceiving him.” I lowered the knife and stepped back as he turned to face me. “How did you find out? Did my father tell you?”

“I went to check up on you the first night,” Dylan admitted. “I wanted to make sure you were alright. But then I heard you talking to him.”

“Damien can only teleport to me and no one else. And besides, Lucas has asked for my help especially to bring Damien here. It’s only a matter of time before Damien officially pays a visit.” I set his knife on his desk and walked past him towards the door.

“What’s going on between the King and you?” He asked when I was near the door. “He wouldn’t just teleport into enemy territory so he could check up on you unless he had feelings for you.”

Dylan’s words made me burst out into laughter. “Don’t sweat it, Dylan. Damien doesn’t have any weaknesses. And even if he did, it’s definitely not me.”

With that I left Dylan’s room and headed over to Lucas’s office.