Chapter 31

Trisha’s P.O.V:

“Have you gone crazy?” Lucas asked as soon as I mentioned going back to Damien. “Vandal’s men are out tearing the streets apart, searching for you. The instant they see you, it’s all over!”

“No, it’s not.” I shook my head. “Damien will find me before that can happen.”

Lucas laughed humorlessly. “Right. Wasn’t it you who kept on reminding me that you’re not that valuable to him despite my knowing better? And now you want to risk your life for him without knowing if he would stand up to Vandal or not.”

“He left me here to keep me safe.” I told him as I went into the bathroom to change out of my loose T-shirt and shorts into something travel worthy. “Damien knew he couldn’t help me as long as I was out in the open, I understand that now. It was why he took me to the warehouse. I know it doesn’t look like it but Damien really does care.”

I came out wearing black jeans and a bottle green T-shirt and a black jacket on top of it. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and applied some chapStick on my lips to keep them moist. Since I didn’t have anything else with me when I arrived, I put on my watch and pocketed my purse and kissed Neema’s forehead in a temporary goodbye before coming to stand in front of Lucas. “Take care of Neema for me, please. And thank the person who gave me her clothes all this time, I wish I could do so myself but the less I know about the den the better it is for all of us.”

“And if I tell you not to go?” he asked, standing in front of the doorway.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to listen to you. Damien’s life is in danger and there’s nothing I won’t do to save him.” I told Lucas as I sidestepped him and opened the door.

I knew what I was doing and if I ever had to choose between Damien and Lucas, I’d blindly choose Damien like I always do. Maybe I was a sucker for punishment and liked to get my heart trampled on, but I had an undeniable pull towards Damien that I had never felt towards anyone else.

“Wait!”

I halted. But when I turned back towards Lucas, he had his hands extended towards me, offering me a cell-phone. “It has my number in it. Call me if you need me.”

Smiling I accepted the phone and went into his arms willingly, pressing my lips to his one last time. The kiss was slow and sweet. We both took the opportunity to honor the time we’d spent together…and to say goodbye. Because Lucas understood…I had already chosen.

*

*

As soon as I stepped foot outside PS9, the only thought I had was that coming back home had never felt so menacing.

I’d been gone well over two weeks with no contact with anyone but Damien and my father. Who knows what Vandal had fed the people about me and how they’d react to me coming back? I could only hope that the people who had supported me till now were still on my side.

“Here you go,” Victor, the Station Manager of Patrol Station 9, held out a set of car keys in his hand. I took them from him and smiled my thanks as he walked back to his post. Thankfully, Lucas had arranged a car for me to safely get to the castle without being detected. There was no point in attracting unwanted attention on the way.

So I got into Victor’s car and drove straight to the palace. The familiar sight of New York didn’t please me as much as I’d hoped it would. But that was probably because Neema wasn’t beside me, pointing at random houses and shops with his little fingers while trying to stay out of public view. I used to take him out a couple of times every month for the past two months, trying to get him to acknowledge that not everyone was trying to imprison him. Although my maternal instincts told me to keep him hidden from all prying eyes, I knew that doing so will harm him even further.

The castle came into view at that instant and my mind immediately went into focus. The security kept getting tighter until I saw a team of guards inspecting all the cars exactly one mile ahead of the castle entryway. Looks like I’d run out of luck.

I brought my car to a halt behind a Mercedes and cut off the engine. Then I took the phone from the dashboard and dialed Damien’s number. I saw the guards approach my car as the phone started ringing. Once.

“Hey! Hey, you there!” One of the guards shouted as he saw my face through the windshield. “Come out! Now!”

Twice. Thrice.

I unlocked the seatbelt and put it back in its place and then unlocked the door with the phone still held to my ears. Four-

“Hello?”

“I’m at the inspection point in front of your castle. Come get me.”

I stepped out of the car.

*

*

“Ouch! What the hell, Damien!” I got up from the floor and dusted off while Damien loomed menacingly over me.

“What do you think you’re doing?” The question was asked in the politest tone possible and it made me want to scratch his eyes out.

“If you’re mad at me, say it. I hate it when you’re being fake polite!” I snapped at him, and the next thing I know, Damien had pushed me back up against a wall with lightning speed, making my bones rattle and my head throb, and then he held me in place with his hand around my neck.

“What were you trying to prove by appearing in public, that too in front of Vandal’s men?” He spat. “If you wanted my attention, you’ve succeeded. So tell me, Trisha, what’s your big plan now? Is your little dog coming behind you with his puppies?”

For a second, I saw red. And even before I was conscious of what I was doing, I’d already raised my hand and slapped Damien across the face, my nails successfully clawing at his skin to leave four bloody gashes across his face.

Damien stumbles back, his hands falling to his side as he blinked blood out of his eyes from the gash on his forehead. It was only then that I noticed that there was blood on my hands and not only had I acted before thinking, I’d committed a serious crime: harming the King.

But I couldn’t bring myself to apologize; not after what he’d said. And the wounds on Damien’s face were already closing up, faster than I’ve seen on any vampire. Within a few seconds, his flesh had sewn itself together to leave only dried blood in its place.

“Dami-“I began, but I was talking to thin air. “Ugh!” I screamed.

Why does it always have to be like this? Every time I think we’ve made some progress, the next instance, everything just turns upside down.

I sighed and ran my hands down my face in frustration. Now that I was no longer being shoved into walls, I was finally able to have a look at my surroundings. I was in Damien’s chamber. And since the only way in and out of it was teleportation, at least that’s how I’ve travelled so far, I didn’t know a way out of it and I wasn’t sure I wanted to attempt escaping right now. The first step of my plan was complete; I’d made it inside the Castle. Now was the harder part, convincing Damien to stay away from Vandal.

But before I could start my mission, I heard a door open somewhere in the room and then my father’s voice rang out right behind me. “Trish!”

“Father!” I whipped around to face him and then I was running into his arms. “God, father! I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, little one.” He petted my hair. “But where is Neema?”

“He’s safe.” I told him as I looked up at his face. “I couldn’t risk bringing him here.”

“You did the right thing, but I have to ask,” he told me. “Why are you here? You were safe with the wolves. Vandal didn’t know your location and Damien didn’t have to make any harsh decisions.”

“Why? Has Vandal turned everyone against me?” I frowned.

“Not yet, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t tried.” Father shook his head as we both took a seat on some nearby chairs. “Damien can hold him off so much for now, but with you appearing in front of the public eye, that will spike a lot of controversies. Little one, if only you knew the position Damien is in…”

“I think I might have some inkling about it,” I told him with a slight smile. “I didn’t want to believe it at first, I mean, how could it be? But it’s really true, isn’t it?”

“That, only Damien can tell you,” Father waved one finger in fort of my face like he was preaching me some life lesson. He had a way of doing that sometimes and I had missed it. I hate that I had to stay away from my family for so long. No, it’s not right. I didn’t have to stay away from my family; Vandal had forced me to stay away from the people I love and I’ll never forgive him for that. But first…

“Father, can you tell me if this room has a door somewhere?”