Chapter 43
Chapter 7:
Trisha’s P.O.V
I stared at the two men standing on the lower deck, surrounded by Rosanna’s men.
My eyes drifted to Lucas first, because he seemed to be the one who looked slightly different from before…and maybe because I was trying to avoid looking at Damien for as long as I could.
Lucas had grown out his hair so that it now reached his shoulders. He also seemed to have gotten a tan, but still there was a familiarity to him that I was used to. All this time apart and he still managed to give me a smile without the hint of any shadows from the past. I smiled back nervously, not knowing why he was here in the first place. Last night, Neema had said that he was coming, not they. And yet, here they were, both men that I had thought I had outrun almost a year ago.
“I presume you have a good reason to be here, King Damien Vandolff and Alpha Lucas Donovan?” Rosanna‘s voice was calm and yet I could feel the contained rage and tension. “I wasn’t made aware of your visit.”
After the Wipeout, just as the Vampires, led by Damien had claimed the lands as his, the waterways, the seas and the oceans had been claimed by Rosanna Clintoff, an unknown creature that had the power to control the waters of the oceans. No one really knows what she was, a water changeling or a witch or an entire different creature that surpassed our imagination. But one thing was for sure, Rosanna was not someone you wish to mess with.
Mostly, Rosanna and her crew were pirates that traded food and drinks from the ships that sailed her seas and oceans, but not everyone knew that she also provided protection to several small islands located all over the world. Damien and Rosanna had an ongoing agreement that had held up for the past two centuries. The agreement was simple, they don’t interfere in each other’s business and all ships pay a small tribute to her in exchange for carrying on trading through the waters.
“I’m here to speak with one of my subjects.” Damien told her in that same cool voice of his that was devoid of all emotions. I kept my eyes averted to the ground or at Lucas, anywhere but Damien. I wasn’t ready to face him yet, not now.
“Your subject is currently under my protection.” Rosanna snapped. “And as far as I am aware, she did not tell you her location. Then how did you know she was here in the first place?”
“You can rest assured, Rosanna Clintoff; I have no reason to spy on you.” Damien said. “I had searched the entirety of my land looking for her and when I couldn’t find her, I knew there was only one place she could be at, a place out of my governance.”
“And what do you plan to do now that you’ve found her, Damien Vandolff?” Rose crossed her arms across her chest. “She is still under my protection and if I think she’s in danger from you, I will stand between the two of you.”
“There’s no need for violence,” Damien said. “I’m simply here to talk…if I have your permission.”
I lowered my head as I felt Rose’s gaze bore holes into my head. Honestly, I had no idea if I even wanted to look at Damien or not let alone talk to him. My mind and heart were at war with each other ever since their cruise was spotted on the horizon this morning. When Neema has said they would be arriving soon, I hadn’t anticipated them to be here this early, not until I’ve had time to mentally prepare myself for Damien’s arrival. But it was already too late now. Damien was here, standing in front of me after almost a year of absence and I was nowhere near prepared to face him once again, not after he had told me to leave him for good.
“Of course.” My head whipped towards Rosanna as she gave her consent. “You can use the upper deck for privacy if you feel the need.”
“Thank you.”Damien said. “And please do help yourselves to the little offering I’ve brought for you.”
“Rose-“
But before I could even finish my word, I felt a hand wrap around my waist and then I was being lifted up and off of the floor and the world went black.
****
“You can open your eyes now.”
The first thing I noticed as Damien lowered me to the ground was the intense smell of black roses. Since they were different from normal roses, they had a distinct smell which was richer and stronger than any other rose in the world. It was also the only rose that stayed in bloom for an entirety of two months. As I had expected, when I opened my eyes, I was no longer standing in the Shelter, in the middle of the ocean, but in the inner gardens of Damien’s castle, the place where we first met.
To be honest, I was a little surprised that Damien had brought me here. The castle and the Shelter were thousands of miles apart and for Damien to have been able to teleport me here spoke of how much his powers had grown over the years. I doubt even I knew how strong he was, he was the King after all. But it was especially after the fight with Vandal that his powers seem to have grown.
“Why did you bring me here?” I asked, looking around at the roses in full bloom.
“To talk, just like I had asked Rosanna.” His voice came from right behind me.
“You could’ve done that at the Shelter.” I told him. “You didn’t have to bring me here.” There were too many painful memories. Memories that I was trying desperately to forget.
“We needed privacy.” He said. “And I couldn’t talk to you where a thousand ears would be picking up every word.”
“Why?” I snapped. “What’s so important?”
“Do you still love me?”
“What?”
This time I couldn’t help it. I whipped around to face him and for a few seconds, I could do nothing but stare at his painstrikenly handsome face. He still looked the same. Dark red hair fell to his forehead like liquid silk, appearing almost black in the fading light. His eyes the same gemstone green that haunted my dreams every night. He was the same man that I had fallen in love with nearly a hundred and seventy years ago. And he was also the same man who had turned me down when I needed him the most.
“I need to know,” Damien took a step towards me and raised his hand as if he meant to touch me but I took a hasty step backwards.
“Why?” I asked; my voice shaky with emotions. “So you can manipulate me and use me for whatever you have planned and then tell me to leave once again? I’m not the woman I used to be Damien; I’m not falling for your tricks.”
“I told you to leave because I wanted you safe,” he said now, taking another step towards me so that there were only a few inches of space between us. “Both you and the oracle need to be safe. And I’m here now because you aren’t safe anymore. None of us are.”
We weren’t safe? Neema was in danger?
“If you think we are in danger then you don’t need to worry,” I told him. “I can protect myself and Neema and besides, Rosanna has offered us her protection.”
“I’m afraid Rosanna can’t help you with this.” He sounded almost frustrated. “Because this is bigger than any of us. It’s the Council of Elders. They’re the ones you should be worried about from now on.”
A shiver of panic ran down my spine. The Council of Elders? The most feared beings of the land and sea. What did they want from us? My eyes widened in horror as I took in the possibility that they might have come to know about Neema. But they were the most powerful beings of the vampire race. What could they possibly want from an Oracle?
“Why?” I asked him, sliding my tongue over my dry lips. “Why are we in danger because of them?”
“Because they know who I really am.” Damien said at last. “Because they want me dead. And I need to know if you still care enough about me enough to plead my case.”
